Last year in my twenties…

Hello everyone,

Next week is my 29th birthday. Which means that ‘three zero’ is nearby…
I don’t know what it is, but it just feels like getting old and really stepping into the grown up world. I’m even a bit scared of it. But luckily I still have one year in my twenties.

I guess the feeling of being scared of 30 is because I feel like I haven’t accomplished anything yet. In an ideal world (my ideal world) I would be well on my way to a fulfilling career at my dream job, have a stable relationship, and know what I want in life. In reality I am single and I’m doubting my career choice. The problem is that I don’t even know what exactly my dream job is. Something in Cosmetics? Fashion? Food? Entertainment? I’m working in the Food industry right now, so defining my dream job is not only about which industry to work for. I feel like I am missing something in my current job, but I can’t tell what exactly…

Why does my ideal world look like that? Is it the expectation of society that we should be having a nice job and a relationship by our thirties? Or is it the clock that’s ticking (as a woman it is a nice age to start thinking about having babies)? Somehow, I feel an internal pressure to hurry up because 30 is around the corner. It’s hard to explain, but I feel the urge to start working on something meaningful, something big…
It also doesn’t help when one subject always pops up at family gatherings: “Don’t you have a boyfriend yet?”. “You’re a woman, career is not that important, starting a family is the most important thing in life.” I totally disagree with that. I think that we should be able to have both: career and family. I hope that one day I can accomplish that.

I start to wonder, am I in a so-called Quarterlife crisis? “The quarterlife crisis (QLC) is a period of life usually ranging from the late teens to the early thirties, in which a person begins to feel doubtful about their own lives, brought on by the stress of becoming an adult.” Experts describe a QLC as a sense of panic that your life, career, relationships, etc. isn’t where you want it to be. |Source: Wikipedia|

It sounds very familiar to me. Apparently two thirds of young adults experience this. So I’m not the only one. I guess I really should not be complaining. There are so many people in the world that don’t even get to make their own choices in life. And in the end, 30 is just a number. I should be happy that I’m getting older and have a life in front of me to chase my dreams.

2014 Will be a year where I’ll try to let go of my expectations of what (my) adulthood should be like. It doesn’t matter that some of my friends are getting married, having babies or starting their own business. I should not compare myself to others. Life is too short to daydream it away wishing you had someone else’s. Twenty nine, I’m ready!

:) Helen

P.S. Thinking about accomplishments, I have to congratulate the Dutch skaters who have already won 17 medals after

just one week at the Olympic Games. Today, the Dutch women dominated the 1500m speedskating by becoming
1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th!

Enjoy the little things in life

Hello everyone,

It has been a tough week and now I’m also feeling a little bit sick. So I’m just going to share some of my favorite food because it makes me feel good. And maybe it will give you some inspiration for dinner tonight.

But first, I want to share a video of Kayden who is 15 months old and experienced rain for the first time. A great reminder for us to stop and appreciate the little things in life. Next time that I’ll be caught in heavy rain without an umbrella, I hope I will think about Kayden and just smile and run.

Some of my favorite food:

Tofu
My favorite Tofu dish is the one that my grandmother makes! Home made is the best.
If you want to try some good Tofu dishes you should ask a Chinese person, who knows how to cook, to prepare it for you or just go to a traditional Chinese restaurant (in The Netherlands, there are a lot of ‘Chinese-Indonesian’ restaurants who have adjusted their food for the Dutch market).

Chocolate
I just love chocolate!! Especially Ferrero Rocher.

Lobster, Crab, and Shrimp
I love it when the lobster and crab are prepared the ‘Chinese way’.  It tastes the best at home, but you should try it in a traditional Chinese restaurant. The lobster is usually served with noodles underneath it. I had some good ones in the US (New York, Boston, Los Angeles) and Hong Kong. In The Netherlands you should go to a Cantonese (Dim Sum) restaurant in Rotterdam or Amsterdam. When the shrimp is fresh, I like to just boil it so that you can taste the natural flavor of the shrimp.

Ribbed Potato Chips
One of the favorites of me and my colleagues at work. We even eat in the car when going to external meetings!

Sushi
Most (older) Chinese people say that it is stupid to eat cold rice. I didn’t like it either, but in the past few years I started to enjoy it very much. I guess Japanese people are not as crazy as my grandparents think. ;) The California Maki is my favorite.

After looking at all these pictures, I feel much better already!
Enjoy your weekend!

:) Helen

Super Bowl ad – “The more you talk about your product, the less people like it.”

Hello Everyone,

One thing that fascinates me as a Marketeer is the Super Bowl, which will be held again this Sunday. Since I live in The Netherlands, I have never watched it. And to be honest, I don’t care about the game. But what I did watch, were the commercials and the halftime show. Normally, commercials are seen as interruptions of the main show that we are watching. But several studies have shown that 50% of the Super Bowl audience tunes in just to watch the commercials. Even as a European, I am looking forward to them.

Last year, the Super Bowl was the most watched event in America with more than 108 million viewers. To compare, in The Netherlands the most watched event (soccer game) had around 12 million viewers. So, these are numbers that our small country can not relate to at all.

A 30-second commercial costs $4 million and a 60-second commercial $8 million! And the average production costs are at least $1 million. It makes me wonder if it is worth the investment. Because it gives you no guarantee of increased sales. However, you can expect that most or all viewers of the Super Bowl will watch your commercial. That is around 108 million people in the USA. Besides that, millions of viewers abroad are going to watch the ads. And, even better, millions of people are talking about your commercial and your brand. Prior to, during, and even after the event. I guess that this buzz makes it worth the money.

Research of C. Tomkovick (Marketing professor) shows that two-thirds of the companies who advertise during the Super Bowl break, enjoy a boost in stock price, sales, and brand awareness. Of course some brands do better than others. Tomkovick also shows that popular commercials often feature dramatic sound, motion, and celebrities. Other good ingredients are humor and surprise endings. “The more you talk about your product, the less people like it”.

Whether it is worth the money or not, I enjoy the buzz around it. I’ve been teased about what will happen to yellow (M&M’s) on Facebook and could even vote for the #covered or #uncovered ad of David Beckham for H&M.
I am looking forward to it!

While I am writing this blog, something just came to my mind. Would it be an idea if a charity organization gets a free commercial spot during the Super Bowl? This way, they can get the attention of millions of viewers that they would not get otherwise. It would be a nice gesture of the TV Network that broadcasts it.

A few Super Bowl 2013 commercials that I like:

M&M’s Love Ballad – Super Bowl 2013
Because I love M&M’s!

Mercedes Soul – Super Bowl 2013
Because I like dreaming..

Calvin Klein Concept – Super Bowl 2013
Just because… ;)

Have fun watching tomorrow!

:) Helen

Song(s) of the Day: My favorite halftime show: Beyoncé (and Destiny’s Child) – Super Bowl 2013