Understanding your audience ...

We've used this lots at work this year to remain consumer-focused.

If Amy Winehouse was a Spanish male dwarf ...

Tea par-tay

These ads are for Smirnoff alcholic iced teas in the US. And oh so clever. Watch the top one first - then click the second one for the response.

'At the Copa, Copacabana ...'

Just back from a stunning weekend at Copacabana on the Central Coast. All Barry Manilow jokes aside, I'm ashamed to say I'd never been to the Central Coast before the weekend, despite it being just 90 mins from my front door.
I honestly feel like I've stumbled into a whole new world!!!
David, Rich Sonia and I (and Giggle and Elvis) stayed at the top of Copa as my Christmas gift to them (and myself), and we spent the entire time beach-hopping between Copa and Avoca, swimming and chilling out.
Absolute bliss.

Amy Winehouse should be shitting herself ...

This is Gabriella Cilmi - the Melbournian teenager taking the UK by the storm at the mo. She looks set to make a huge dent in the Australian charts too.
What a voice!
She's supporting the Sugarbabes on tour in the UK - and keep your eyes peeled for Australian dates in the coming months.

Dad down under: Born to be wild!

Dad's oldest friends Mary and Billy had organised a Harley ride on his 60th birthday - to happen before Billy Elliot and our Wildfire dinner.
But due to the horrendous flooding and rain in the early part of February, we had to postpone it (three times, no less) so we ended up squeezing it into Dad's last week.
We were both pillion on two Harleys and treated to a 90 minute tour through the streets of Sydney, ending up at Bondi Beach.
I had been dreading this, mainly as I am not a great motorbike passenger. I was covered in leathers incase I came off the back of the bike, but it was so exhilerating that for the return leg, I only had the helmet on for protection.
What a great way to get a tan!!!
Dad thoroughly enjoyed it - and not least because his driver was Spanish and it give him chance to speak the lingo.
And we got to ride alongside the QEII, which was quite a spectacle!

Dad down under: chilling out on the Gold Coast

As a belated Christmas pressie, I treated Dad to a few days up on the Gold Coast.
Considering that February has been the rainiest in over 20 years in Sydney, we were hoping for some better weather. And the Goldie delivered.
We opted to hang out at Broadbeach and caught up with Dad's cousin Marie and her husband Andy. They're Broadbeach experts and I am now the Broadbeach convert.
After all the whizzing around I'd made Dad do during his trip, this last Queensland jaunt was a chance to relax, swim, read and hang out at the casino (!)

We did have one minor catastrophe: the first morning we all decided to walk along the beach to Surfers for breakfast. Despite text messages from Bo warning about the crazy weather up on the SE Qld coast, we stumbled onto the beach and were virtually swept out to sea as a rogue wave cornered us inbetween a sand dune and dumped on us. We must have looked a picture, and poor Marie had to replace her phone and camera owing to excess sea water, but it couldn't dampen our spirits.
It was an excellent few days :-)