i've been here for three weeks already?

we've successfully completed week three. i can't believe i've been here for three weeks, but i think back to things i did in the first week, and they feel like they were years ago. next week we have to start making decisions about next QA and i feel like i'm just starting to get settled here. anyway, the week was amazing. busy, but amazing.

all of us went to vapiano for dinner. [minus martha and mafe, the m's have something against us.] it's this amazing restaraunt that makes fresh pizza pasta and other italian food right before you. the have fresh basil plants in the middle of every table that you can just pick leaves from and put in your pasta. behind is us where they grow them.
then friday night we decided it was time for some fun. so all of us, [minus devon and mafe. we just can't seem to get the whole group.] went to koko club. it's a club in an old theatre. its absolutely amazing. although i have to say, those steep inclines are very dangerous with drunk people, i wouldnt be surprised to hear something falls at least once a weekend.

this friday they had a live band. british rock of sorts. but they also had other music playing in other rooms. the place is absolutely huge.

my favorite part was the gigantic disco ball. it doesnt look that big is this picture, but it was HUGE.
yesterday devon and i went on an inspiration walk. it was a beautiful day. this is in SOHO square. i think he knows this guy or something.
then we made our way to the national portrait gallery where theyre currently having the annie leibovitz exhibition. very cool gallery.

this is my favorite piece. it was a submission for a photo contest.
then we hit up china town. with today being the chinese new year, it was very happening. we are going to go have chinese food for dinner to celebrate, but china town is a sweet part of london. [minus the smell of dried fish.]


These are just some of the pictures.
You can see all of the pictures from Week 3 here.

still in love with the city. still don't want to come home. next weekend i'm off to paris, so we'll see how i feel about that.

the things that most excite me.

this picture encompasses the two things i'm the happiest about right now and the two things i wish i was in the US for right now. i mean, how could the steelers not win the superbowl. obama has a steelers jersey.

advertising and pop culture.

so like i posted before, saatchi just released a new t-mobile spot inwhich they created a stunt in liverpool station. well that stunt/ad has hit mainstream blogs all over the place, giving the company, the agency, and the commercial tons of free media.

one of the blogs is the highly acclaimed Perezhilton.com


another being The Cool Hunter.
while some may argue the ads originality with flashmobs and recent things being similar, such as dancing prisoners, i think it's a great example of how pop culture and advertising can influence one another. next time i'm in liverpool station, i won't be surprised to see a group of people dancing.

i have to admit that while we had no part in the ad, being at the agency through this is very exciting. being at the launch, seeing it live on tv, talking to the creatives and planners who made it, and now seeing it hit mainstream is all very cool. kind of ignites a renewed sense of excitement and purpose of why i'm here.

london hair cut.

so since its been about 4 months since i had my hair cut. it was about time. ive been so blah ever since i got to london. so i decided [after doing research for a hair company for a class] to make an appointment at the toni&guy academy.

5 pounds got me any hair cut i wanted. all they needed was 2-3 hours of my day. so this morning i went. my london hair cut looks very similar to my miami haircut, however this one has a lot of little differences that make it so much better.



cheers.

so we are into our third week in london and things are starting to get very busy. however, we've still been able to get out and see some of the city. it's definitely much more inspirational than sao paulo

this is art that is sold all along hyde park on sundays. i walk along this park everyday going to my tube station.
then i walk past this church, which i think is gorgeous.
normally the tube is covered wall to wall with advertisements. but right now our tube station from our house is bare.

this is my tube station. say hi.

its was beautiful last sunday so i stopped in hyde park to take some pictures. the park is huge and considered 'the queens' park. these fountains are right by my house.one of our classes we receive a brief each week and also a creative assignment. last week it was to do something our hands to represent something creatively. i learned to make origami butterflies to represent the butterfly effect that i want london to have on my creativity.
so then after class we all went to a pub of course. i was very proud of all the beers.
i think the pubs are gorgeous.
on friday saatchi had the premiere of their first tvc with t-mobile. the commercial was shot on thursday afternoon and aired friday night during big brother. [which is HUGE here.] it was a very big deal, so they had a party for the airing in the agency pub. open bar and a dj. it was so cool to be their when it aired live on tv. the people who made the commercial were dancing along with the ad.

this is them dancing.

and this is the ad.

then on saturday devon and i went to the saatchi art gallery. museums and art gallerys are funded by the government so the majority of them are free. which makes a really nice, cheap thing to do to get inspiration in such an expensive city.

this man was his own piece of art.

one exhibit were elderly in wheel chairs set to automatically roll around. they represented particular political powers. like an aged U.N. it was very interesting.
i was helping one out.
while devon stared one down.
then we went to see slumdog millionaire. we ate so much candy our stomachs hurt, like little kids. but we got to get it out of this cool dispenser so we couldnt help ourselves.
sunday i went to portobello market in the morning by myself. which is part of what i'm loving about london. you can be independent here. very much unlike sao paulo. devon and i get along great, but when we want to do our own thing we can. so it was nice to just go and check it out. although i have to admit i was thoroughly unimpressed. someone suggested that saturdays are better than sundays, and im sure it being the dead of winter didnt help.


overall, amazing week. i'm still loving it and i feel like ive learned so much already. we have to choose within the next two weeks where we want to go next, and i feel like im just getting settled here. who knows where it will be. maybe ill ask if i can just stay.

HERE WE GO Steelers. Here we go. Pittsburgh's Going to the Superbowl.

So of course it would pan out that the year I'm gone, so many exciting things happen that i'm not home for. first there was the Obama election. i mean yeah i got to cast an absentee ballot, but it's not the same as being there.

on tuesday, i'll be missing Obama's inauguration.


but now, the pittsburgh steeler's are going to the SUPERBOWL and i'm in england where all they care about is futbol. not football. i missed the first part of the season because i was in brazil. the ONE game i was home for, was a pathetic loss. and now the superbowl. not to mention i will be in paris on that day, where they REALLY don't care about football. if i was england i might have been able to at least find a pub somewhere that would have it on. but not now. oh well. if they win, i at least get bragging rights against all of my eagles friends for the remainder of the year.

best movie i've seen in a long time.

so today devon and i did a mish mash of work and weekend activities including the saatchi art gallery and then to see a movie. we went to see slumdog millionaire.

its the story of a kid from the slums of india who goes on the india version of who wants to be a millionaire. he knows all the answers. the film documents how he knows all of the answers, through his experiences in life. hearing the plot i didnt have much of an interest to see it, but devon really wanted to and it's been getting really good reviews, so we went. [i wanted to see bride wars.]

it was absolutely amazing. the cinematography, the story, absolutely everything. its one of the freshest movies ive seen in a long time. i was on my seat with intense anticipation the entire time. you are taken through such extreme emotions the entire movie. it's absolutely fantastic and everyone should see it. [yes, my name is carren okeefe and i am in advertising.]

well hey there london.

so i've officially completed my first week in london and i have to say it was a complete success. i already feel so much more at home here than i did in brazil [it took nearly a month there] could be the english or the ability to actually be independent here. we've already done so much work and being in the city wise and we're finally getting settled into our new place.

this is me having my first pint and fish and chips at a pub. i believe i will be having many more of these.

same night we walked all over. this is the eye of london at night. we also saw big ben, trafalgar square, soho, and much more.
welcome to the saatchi basement. this is where we spend our days. say hello to my partner devon.
there's me. say hi.
and now for the brand new, finally clean, apartment. this is the kitchen/living room.
this is the bedroom. it's small but very nice. and the area is amazing. its right along hyde park in west minster.
and of course, my very first home cooked meal. [as home cooked as i can make.]
dream team.
on the way home from the club, first night out with all the students, we had to take the bus home. the famous two story bus. i was very excited about it and made everyone sit up top and at the front.
the view from the front of the bus.
yesterday devon and i went to the tate modern museum to get inspired for some work. amazing, huge museum right on the banks of the thames.

this is in the turbine hall. its the 2058 exhibit.
inbetween two of the galleries. timeline of art handwritten on the walls.
on the way to the tube station we found st.paul's cathedral. absolutely huge. absolutely gorgeous.
yes i do believe london will do for now. in fact, i may never leave.

my beef with london.

[cozy and quaint english pub which is officially my favorite place to drink.]

my total infatuation with london was slighty interrupted last night when we were told the pub where we were having pints was closing. it was 11pm. ok, so lets go to other. but no, they were all closing. i'm baffled here. for people who supposedly love their pints so much, how can this be? people warned me before coming but i guess i had to see it with my own eyes to believe it. what

did the queen set a curfew? because if you do happen to find an underground pub that stays open later [which we did last night] it doesn't really matter much because the last train on the tube is around 12:15. so you can stay later, but youll be taking an infamous black cab [which are by no means cheap] or walking it. un-believable.

we're fighting london. but i'm sure ill get over it.

in the words of a very dear friend: proof that advertising saves lives.

a first day of work surprise.

so yesterday was our first day at saatchi. pretty good. got a live brief. but the excitement didnt happen until after work when we were in the lobby waiting for the other students to go and grab a few pints. the kid we currently live with called and said that we were all being evicted because the landlord sold the house and we had one day to vacate. [um excuse me?] luckily, devon and i had already found a new place to stay because that place was a total shithole. but the new place is brand new. so brand new that it isnt finished yet. but we called the landlord and said it was emergency. so this morning we moved in all of our suitcases to the new apartment. the new apartment is perfect. its in west london, westminister. the old one was in bethnal green, east london. east london is the working class side and the west is upper class and politicians. i mean...the queen lives there. as the minicab drive said "wow you went up in social statue really fast." working to high class all in one day. but its not just that. we are along hyde park, closer to the tube, have a beautiful view of a courtyard, and its just all around and much better place. westminster is so cute and exactly what i thought of when i imagined london. not the bethnal green slums. while it was close to brick lane and some very cool places, ill take west london. and, its closer to work.

below is a map of the london tube. the red square is where we first lived, the blue square is where we now live, and the green circle is saatchi&saatchi where we work.

all and all things have been quite crazy thus far, but theyre all finally starting to come together. now if they just deliver the beds and refridgerator before we get home, that'd be great.

just touched down in london town.

so i'm finally in london. have been for about three days. sorry for the blogging hiatus, but christmas was crazy. i went to pittsburgh, lock haven, williamsport, philly, and baltimore all in two weeks, not to mention the whole christmas thing.

but its officially the start of a new quarter at the saatchi and saatchi greenhouse in london. i arrived friday and almost wasnt allowed in the country. apparently they didnt believe me that i was going to be working here. but they let me threw. then on to the atrocious flat we had arranged for. it was quite awful. but we've sublet that and found a brand new one that is very small with bunk beds, but closer to the agency, brand new everything, and right next to hyde park in bayswater, a much MUCH nicer area. so we'll be moving there until tomorrow. which also leads to why i havent blogged here yet. no internet. i'm currently at the agency on lunch break. the new place has internet so hopefully ill have time for some late night blogging, but something tells me i'm not going to have quite at much time here as i did in brazil to do so.

so far we've been all over the city. oxford street, trafalgar square, soho [or as i like to call it 'sex shop alley'] and we've seen the london eye and big ben from afar. much more than that, but i cant remember everything. i just can't wait to get settled into the new place and stop living out of a suitcase. although the roommates at the old place are very cool. B, a scottish fashion student and his swedish girlfriend, and two swedish kids here studying english for ten weeks. the new place we will be living with three spanish couples so we'll see how that goes. i just have my fingers crossed that there will be some paella in the mix.

saatchi itself seems very cool. its located in camden on charlotte street. about a 40min commute from the current residence. a few less tube stations from the other. theres coffee machines everywhere and we're currently in the basement in the kids room. but hey, we get to color on the walls. plus theres a pub on site. with hot meals and multiple choices everyday for very cheap. today i had an amazing goat cheese and mango chutney on ciabatta bread sandwich for 1.70. plus people go there and drink in the evenings. i believe i'll be spending quite a bit of time at this place. anyway, time to get back to work, although we havent done much thus far. typical first day.