Saturday, August 15, 2009

Advertising Life - Saigon Style!


Vietnam is truly a challenging experience for me. The day I left my advertising career in Manila, I do believe that there are a lot of hurdles ahead. It scared me at first because I have no idea how it feels to work in Vietnam. I do heard a lot of funny and challenging stories from my friends who have been working in Saigon for quite a few years. I can’t relate to their stories back then but being here for more than three months made me fully understood what they meant when they narrated their stories few months ago. My everyday life here is a roller coaster ride, anything goes.

Life is anything goes here in Vietnam but not when I’m in my office. I was mentioning about hurdles, and the first major barrier I encountered was their language. I don’t know how to deal at it first and it gave me several headaches almost everyday. I have people under me who cannot speak English and cannot understand English. How about that? And unfortunately I lost one Art Director whom I didn't approve the probation because of his negative attitude and can't speak English. Then I also had a designer who disappeared out of the blue maybe because I asked her to do key visuals. I think she didn't understand it. Anyway, I don't get it too either. Account Managers usually help me in translating the message but most of the time it’s not accurate.

There are a lot of funny anecdotes about my day-to-day work. Every time I encounter one, I’d tell myself “I want to blog this!” So let me cite one example. Whenever we had a meeting or presentation the language medium is always Vietnamese because few people can speak and understand the English language. Maybe you guys are wondering what I felt then, I felt like a friggin’ flower Vase! I was just smiling and nodding with whatever topic they are having in that discussion.


So presentations, long meetings and discussions often give me headaches. But as days go by, I manage to get used to it. Just like now, I am currently having my FGD and the consumer are all Vietnamese. Sitting next to me is the Account Manager translating the consumers reaction. Actually the system of work I have now turns to be an exciting adventure.

In terms of the people under me, often times they are stubborn. Most locals have this “cannot” attitude. A couple of instances I asked them a very easy task and they often give me the word “cannot.” So as I learn there language I’d always say “can!” The people and the system of work here are very different from what I am used to in my advertising life in Manila. In Manila everything is possible. But here, I have to undergo major adjustments. I am starting to get used to some of the things that I think is part of their norms but there are some things that I still have to make an adjustments.


So I am taking things one day at a time. It may take a while to fully adapt to Vietnam’s culture but I am sure I can get there in due time. What I often do to break away from all these hurdles and stressful predicaments, I’ll have my lunch out and perhaps ride a motorbike and meet a friend to share the bits and pieces of my stories. I really need that. Otherwise, it will pile up inside my mind and heart and will explode one day. Then I might give up if that thing happens. So I’m glad to enjoy the ride of my lunch out whenever I can have one.


with my Designer Vinh Tran Quang


with my 3D Artist Tin Cong Nguyen


All photos were taken by Vinh Tran Quang

Winners do not do different things, but do things differently. Do you guys agree with that? Well I do. For us to be able to win with flying colors in this battle called life, we have to face adversity with a thankful heart. In that way you can do something differently. And that’s what I did and will continue doing it and will make sure that defeat will not get in the way. A positive attitude will surely take you to places.

So lemme enjoy this ride and jump on every hurdle. Will keep you posted!


hugs,
joanie xxx

Julie and Julia

We just saw Julie and Julia, the much talked about movie, based on My Life in France by Julia Child's great nephew and Julie and Julia by Julie Powell. Both are wonderful books in and of themselves. I knew that Meryl Streep would be just great as Julia and she was. I didn't know how much I would love and admire the way Nora Ephron put the two books together. She did a brilliant job of showing the parallels between the two without being ham-handed, so to speak. And I was once again filled with a huge amount of admiration for Julie Powell: cooking all the recipes in Mastering the Art of French Cooking is a stupendous accomplishment.

I acquired Mastering the Art, my first serious cookbook, on August 20, 1967, my first wedding anniversary, from my then husband Rick Kunst. Over the years I made many different recipes from this cookbook: seven soups, three sauces, pie dough (multiple times), five quiches, three gratins, two souffles, crepes, a turnover, scallops, five chicken, a duck, six beef, a lamb, five pork, seventeen vegetables, four composed salads, and three desserts. One of the desserts was Tarte au Citron et Aux Amandes (Lemon and Almond Tart) which I made in trying out for an assistant pastry chef position at Chez Panisse in 1974. I delivered my tart to the restaurant one morning and never heard from them again. I guess they didn't like it. So I've cooked 66 recipes from Mastering the Art, some multiple times--and it seems like a lot from one book. But that is 458 shy of what Julie Powell cooked. Quite amazing. Just think of it. By all means, see the film. I'd love to hear what you think if it.

Protein Power

After a week of training for work that left me without a refridgerator, freezer, and microwave for a week...I was ready for some new, healthy items to take with me to work next week. As much as I adore Fiber One bars, I'm getting sick of them...and as much as I love string cheese, I'm also getting sick of it. On our Sam's Club run today, I got a little protein crazy: unsalted almonds and EAS Whey Protein Powder. I came home and put into baggies individual portions of each.
Why these foods? They're healthy, of course. Protein tends to be much more filling than carbohydrates alone, which many snack foods are.

Almonds are high in fiber, vitamin E, magnesium, copper, and several other phytochemicals. Almonds are also heart-healthy and contain high levels of antioxidants. Nutrition nerds, you may want to go here and read about Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity (ORAC) -- it's interesting stuff! There's new research showing prebiotic effects of almonds, aiding in immunity and proper gut function. They are, however, high in calories (160 calories an ounce), as they contain 13 grams of mono and polyunsaturated fatty acids (the good stuff!). A recommended serving of almonds is 3 tablespoons, one ounce, or 23 almonds to be exact! Above all tree nuts, almonds are highest in protein, fiber, calcium, vitamin E, riboflavin, and niacin.

And what's the deal with this EAS Whey protein powder? Well, firstly, it's made by Abbott Nutrition. This tells me that 1) it's quality-controlled, and 2) it's the real deal. You can find prepared and individually packaged EAS protein drinks for around $2 each. ::jaw hits the floor:: (I know). The 76-serving package from Sam's Club, however, was $29.95 -- $0.34 a serving. Talk about savings...props, self. So you just add the protein powder to cold water, and for a mere 130 calories, you're consuming 23 grams of high-quality protein. The biological value of the EAS whey is 104 (egg protein being 100, the gold standard of BV). The protein digestability (PD) score of the EAS is 100 -- the same as casein and milk proteins with the net protein utilization* (NPU) coming in at 92 -- higher than both casein (76) and milk protein (45-86). It'll be a great thing to have at work for after my lunch break workouts and to stave off hunger during the afternoon hours.

*NPU = BV x PD