Sweden to the Rescue

With the house slowly taking shape there were a number of things to organise before it will be finalised. One of the most important issues is to get a kitchen and some bits and pieces of furniture. What better excuse than to check out the IKEA in Genova on a late Sunday afternoon. Only 1 hour and 15 minutes away (I drive quicker than Google Maps indication of 1h55) and let’s get crazy in Blue and Yellow land. It is quiet interesting to see that Ikea Italy has managed to give the store a little bit of an Italian touch, with an Espresso bar and Italian meals and as it looks like, a little bit more of designer things in the aisles.
They are open everyday until 20.00 and receive between 5.000 to 15.000 visitors per day !

I decided to get my office table and things for the guest room. With a nice bed and some funky bedcovers guests will be able to enjoy Ikea luxury and comfort at Seborga.
The kitchen will be for next week cos this is giving me headaches and frankly, it is too complicated to design the living room with a sitting area, fireplace, big windows but also a table to dine and an open kitchen ahhhhhhh Jean des Bouvries to the rescue!

Well at least these problems are more luxury problems and I guess in the end it will not matter too much since the good weather will force …Outside living !

The difference is..?

Some people have raised eyebrows when I mentioned that I moved to Italy and purchased a house. To far from Nice and the airport, to far from anything that is lively etc etc. But the most frequent was; you will miss the good weather of the South of France.

Well to reassure all those optimistic people and the ones that are disappointed that their holiday address might not be as fun and sun as it used to be… Here is a picture of the view the coast line of Bordighera that, in my humble opinion, doesn’t look that bad after all.

With the sun and 18 degrees, I guess for the moment life is no different that the Cote d’Azur (that for the record is only 30 minutes away).
But I suspect that it just might be an attempt to get invited to Casa Bosco and experience the difference?! Let’s wait and see if the bookings for the upcoming summer will be as high as the temperature.

Voting for Dummies

The elections in Italy are approaching and in all the towns, men with big bellies and jeans that always seem to slide down, set up metal frames. These frames are being used later on for each party to put its party campaign poster on it. Over the last couple of days these empty places have been filled up with colourful campaign poster of at least 7 different parties. When taking a closer look at them I noticed something ought… On the one from Berlusconi for instance, they show the party name and leader and the big logo but this one was crossed out.

Wow, in the sleepy town of Bordighera a fanatic non supporter of the big Berlu has staged a silent action against him. But the next day I noticed that all these posters seem to have it and at the end of the crossed lines there even is a sign that looks like a pen or pencil. Hang on, this is basically showing voters how to vote ! Dear Italian voter, please select our party by using a pen or pencil and use it to produce two lines that cross eachother in the middle. This is for sure indiot proof voting and I am sure that nobody will ask for any assistance.

Strange actually, when I voted for the first time at 18 years of age, I remembered a huge DJ like mix panel with all the names of the candidates and you just needed to push the button. I guess this would be to difficult to show on those election posters so the Italian still rely on old fashion methods to elect and another president to run the country.

Yoghurt Rules!

I generally watch Italian television to start to learn the language and to understand the culture a bit more. This is of course quiet subtle but with a business eye I have spotted a new thing that I have not seen before in terms of commercials. Everybody know the classic commercial that takes around 30 seconds and generally served in between films or long programs. Well, the Italians are be able to squeeze an advert in during a football match when the referee is writing down the booking of a player. This on itself is not very remarkable but than there is the extended infomercial. I spotted that one when I was trying to watch “Who wants to be a millionaire’. The presenter announces the break and I am expecting plenty of commercial and there is only one. During which the presenter is present, although he has had a change of clothes.

The particular one I saw was filmed in a trendy living room with the presenter talking to a beautiful lady (of course not his wife) that feels hungry. He acts (and pretty lousy) that he has the solution and opens a SMEG fridge that is filled (top to bottom) with one type of yoghurt, he picks one and serves it to her. Apparently this yoghurt does more than many men have tried to achieve cos she seems to getting quiet excited about. MMMMMMMM, cremoso, mmmmm Buono etc etc. This yoghurt is providing her with an orgasmic sensation that of course was well-known to the presenter but now shared with us in an intimate environment. A final close up of the packaging and the slogan and we are back at the show. The presenter looks like nothing happened but it sort of feels that he has a lot of explaining to do to his wife.

This type of infomercial is close to hidden camera programs that show cheating husbands, although that never involves yoghurt and the presenter of a quiz show.

Wake up and smell the business!

Over the last period, JuniorSenior and yours truly have been chasing potential clients from St Tropez to Milan and this with varied success. One of the main problems we encountered was the extremely long decision making process, sometimes of budgets that were hardly worth waiting for (although EVERY budget for me is worth waiting for) but this week was no different up till the later part of the week, during which all of a sudden everybody seemed to wake up and wanted to get us to work for them. This is a luxury position and we are fortunate to be in this position and therefore gladly accepted a luxury real estate group, a golf and spa resort, a wireless IT provider for yachts and a luxury brand of shoes and if all goes according to plan a prestigious university !

However the result of the bursting pipeline we are now faced with a list of very sharp deadlines and a queue at creative studio but we are not complaining. This what it is all about, hard work and good preparation and now we have to show them that we are the creative and innovative agency that we claim to be. A new challenge but this is the challenge that makes our work interesting and worthwhile.

Maybe in the near future we will install those red ticket dispensers that we had before at the bakery and call our clients… Number 17; Nike, please move through to window number 7. Number 18; Rolex, window number 8 is ready to take care of your adverts. Nah, that would take away the excitement of getting and signing a client! No tickets here, just a crazy Dutchman in a pink rocket …

Scratch your parking time

Today I had a meeting in Sanremo at 11.00 and I drove slowly along the sunny coast line listening to the latest live CD of Muse (not song number 11). When I arrived at rue Verdi where my meeting would take place, I spotted a fantastic parking space completely empty and I parked with a big smile, what a good start ! I got out of the car in search of the parking meter. Well, strangely enough, where ever I looked, nothing to be found. On the other parked cars I didn’t see any printed tickets so I guess I was safe. The meeting carried on for almost 45 minutes until the client proposed to have a coffee in the local bar to conclude the meeting.

We walked outside and a pink piece of paper was flapping on the front screen of my car. Black and pink, not a bad colour scheme but something told me that this spelled …parking ticket. Indeed it was. My client felt pity for me and paid for the coffee during which he explained the procedure. When you park there you need to go to the nearest newspaper shop ( in this case at least 5 minutes walk) where you buy a big carton card. This card has many different part that you need to scratch like the ones you use for making money.

The opened boxes correspond to the time you are staying there. This card you need to put in the car and will prevent it for being fined. Welcome to the Parking Lottery ! Mr Bos, come on down and scratch your parking time ! A funny story that costs me 36 euros, but after a quick evaluation I decided to file this pink paper in the nearest bin. Sometimes it serves its purpose to life in Italy but drive a car with French licence plates.

A solution is needed...and quick!

This afternoon I chilled a bit working at my 'stam cafe', preparing the upcoming week. After some bevarages of the espresso kind a visit to the toilet is a more than logic result. The place is quiet stylish and the toilet area is no different. However since it seems that today the whole of Italy has decided to visit my 'quiet office' I fear for the worst and I am not dissapointed. When I push the door open it is clear that there have been a number of people before me that are as good at aiming as Stevie Wonder. What is it with men? Do we have problems to focus? Do we get messages when we do our thing that says 'more to the left or right?". Is the toilet round not round enough or not large enough? Do I need to start wearing rubber boots everytime I go to the loo? For Pete's sake, there must be a solution !

I have taking things in hand (!) and decided after I surf my way back to my table to find a solution! A solution that guarantees that every men is be able to aim better and prevent us from wearing rubber boots.
A quick search on the internet learned me that this is a world problem, something that keeps heads of state awake when they dont speak about hunger, war or global warming. Many things have been tried, incrusted flies in the porcelain that makes you want to aim for it or a urinoir in the shape of big friendly lips (of the upper kind) but nothing has succeeded to get a solution.

I simple reckon it is a size problem. Men are just always busy and thinking about three things at the time (cars, women and football, give it a try it is not easy). The solution is a bigger toilet that will enable men to think and do their thing.
And I am happy to contribute to the solution because I have been able to find the manufacturer of the only toilet that will solve this problem.
As you can see in the picture, this one is currently tested in Orlando with lots of success and we all know that if it works in the States it will be easy for us.

Today, I have send off an email to the company for a trial toilet seat that can be installed in the South of France and enable the French to be at the leading front of the wee industry! For sure something Sarkozy was waiting for, just my apologies to him in advance cos it might be a bit too high for him...