Hi, I don’t mean to impose but you
smell really good, what’s the name of the perfume you’re wearing?
Listen to my advice and these lines could very well fall on
your ears too. I have noticed many men are not very particular about what they
smell like. Sure a nice roll on or a deo might do the trick but, real men (read
Gentlemen) need to go beyond that and put on some perfume. Besides the
psychological effects of perfume, wearing perfume shows 2 things about you:
1. It shows you have class 2. It shows you’re serious about personal hygiene.
Now I’m not saying Deodorants are bad, but I suggest you use these
only when you’re out playing or for the gym. For the serious parts of life you
need perfume! Like for work, college or for dates and other ceremonious occasions
perfume is a must (Especially dates). Imagine your to going out on a date with
a hot girl, you take a nice long shower, shave and put on some aftershave,
brush your teeth, style your hair, apply some body cream, pick out the nicely
ironed shirt, wear your pants and shoes, then finally finish it off with a wild
spray of deodorant? No, you finish it off with perfume, behind the ears, on the
wrist and 2 sprays on the shirt.
Women love men who smell good. You may not be all that handsome or
whatever it doesn’t matter, women are psychologically attracted to men who
smell good. They want to be near them, sit with them coz the fragrance makes
them happy (Scientifically proven fact). And especially if you have a signature
fragrance, that fragrance becomes a trigger of your memory and no matter where
they are, every time they get a whiff of that perfume they will be reminded of
you. I’ve had girls call me up all the way from down south, up north, east even
beyond international borders saying how at a party someone was wearing the
perfume I used to wear and it reminded them of me and go on to say how much
they miss me J. You will
also get the occasional “ka kor ah I perfume
rim ala nam reng” call. The possibilities are endless trust me.
I think every man should have at least 3 perfumes: 1. Summer wear
2. Winter wear and 3. Date wear.
For summer the perfume needs to be fresh and light. I recommend the 212, Azzaro
Chrome, Loewe Solo, Bvlgari Aqva, Pierre Cardin and maybe Cool Water you can
also check out Kenzo Pour Homme. Winter
perfumes can be warmer and muskier. And for these I recommend 212 VIP, Paco
Robanne One Million, Dolce & Gabbana The One (the original The One not the
new one), Thierry Mugler A*Men, Carolina Herrera CH, Glivenchy Gentleman and if you’re short on cash Aigner
Black. Now for the Date wear you have to make it extra special, like
Carolina Herrera for this like 212 sexy for men and CH, but for the very
special date I go with Narciso Rodriguez for
him. If you have some serious cash to spill you can go for Thierry Mugler
A*Men pure malt.
But always remember what smells good on someone might not smell as
well on you so always try out perfumes personally before you buy them. I
usually go to shops and try a few ones every now and then, see how my skin
reacts to the perfume and how long it lasts on me then later go online and buy
it.
Above all this it’s important you remember that if you smell good
you will feel good, it will also give you confidence, make you feel fresh and
likeable. I have never met a person that smells good that I don’t feel like
talking to. If you smell good you have my attention and I think that applies to
everyone. The power of perfumes and smelling good is in that fact that in
Europe and America you cannot wear perfumes to a job interview, because it’s
been said that the smell can induce the mind to like the candidate giving an unfair advantage. But since we don’t have that rule in India, spray away
and congratulations on the new job.
Here are a few of my babies. Of all these the most precious is the small bottle on the extreme right. This bad boy is pure perfume oil all the way from Egypt, a gift from my BFF Christina Colney (a humming bird told me shes giving me one more perfume as a birthday gift).
Front Row: Cool Water, For Him, CH, The One, Pierre Cardin, Aigner Black, Perfume Oil.
Back Row: 212 VIP, 212
For women, so far I think I'm in love with 4 perfumes, Narciso Rodriguez for her, Carolina Herrera CH, Chanel Chance and my personal Fav again thanks to Christina 212 Sexy for women. I remember the first time she wore it, we went to a party together and I didn't even dance I just sat next to her, coz she smelled soo damn good. That's how powerful perfumes can be, the smell tamed a party animal like me.
It’s that time of the year again. The time of the year I used
to love but now hate! Yes, my birthday is coming up next week and God I wish
this week would never end. As if turning 30 was not bad enough last year, I realized
nothings worse than turning 31 on a Monday. So as a sign of protest against my
ageing I decided to grow my sideburns and beard.
But the best part is that I’m not as depressed as I was last
year, just a lil uninspired because like the year before, I have so many
questions I need answers to like: How do you welcome and unwelcome age? Do I throw
a kick ass party, get effin sloshed or comb my beard light a J and meditate on
the coming of the age? Do I buy myself a nice bottle of perfume or maybe a new
shoe? Or should I buy myself both? Xvideos or Xhamster? How long will it take
for my sideburns and beard to be 5 inches long on all sides? Should I change my
hairstyle to make me look more professional at work? Why does my blackberry
hang so much? If my blackberry had legs how long would they be? Should I get a
new phone…Nexus 4 or iPhone5? Beckham looks so cool in briefs, should I switch
from boxers to briefs too? Dotted or Rippled? Will Master Chief be the same
without Cortana? Playstation 4 or the new Xbox? We went from Pamela Andersons
Breasts to Kim Kardashians ass, what’s next?
See these are just a few of the things that have been
pressing my mind for quite a bit of time and until these are answered I don’t think
I’ll ever have a peaceful birthday or life. I should have learned from last
year when none of my questions were answered, that it’s pointless to ask these
questions, but what the hell if I never ask I’ll never know. Hui ham, Ka lung a
leng!
Advertising is a shady business to be in, we’re hated as
much as we are loved.
We make you buy things you don’t need, make you watch
things you don’t need to see, we change your perception of beauty, and tell you
you’re not good enough without you even knowing it. But we have also stopped
wars, raised awareness about so many things you would have never known about, made
you laugh and cry with joy.
Most times we over do it, but when we do get it right we
leave you speechless.
On that note, here are a few Advertisements that I feel are
awesomely creative. The list is not in terms of ranking or
creativity but just some random ads that just popped up in my head
today.
1.Axe – Susan Glenn
Most people didn’t get this Ad when it came out but for me
this is the best Axe ad ever. For a long time I’ve been bitching about how deo
ads look all the same, it’s always about an underdog spraying some cheap ass
deo and all the girls run after him. WTF!!. I know sex sells but dammit.
Then this little ad came along and brought a smile to my face.
2.Perrier – It’s Perfect, it’s Perrier and Morning
in America
If you know anything about copywriting than these 2 ads are
examples of perfection. A typical Hal Riney Ad.
3. Procter & Gamble – Best Job
Procter & Gamble pulled a fast one on all of us with
this one. The ad starts and you instantly know this is going to be one of those
clichéd emotional ads that come up every once in a while. You have so many
things you want to say is wrong with the ad but in the end, you’re like awwwww…
I Miss my Mommy!
4. Dixons - The Last Place you want to go
Reading this print ad still brings a smile to my face. this is just 1 of a series of 3 similar print ads judge for yourself.
5. Dove - Dove is all you need to know about skin care
My Guru, the father of long copy - Neil French
And to think it took two years for the company to approve and release this. Just goes to show that companies don't always know whats best for them. (click on picture to enlarge)
6. The Guardian - Three little pigs
This one caught me by surprise. Maybe one of the best ads to come out in 2012.
OK truth be told I was about to go out on a ranting spree of
my Valentine’s Day experiences so far, all very uninspiring but something
special happened. It might not seem very special to most people but to me it
was, so out with the ranting and in with this awesome experience, so here we
go: (Please keep in mind that I'm sharing this experience at the risk of sounding excessively cheesy)
I usually never listen to radio anymore, but since I was hit
by a truck last week I had to give my car to the service station for damage
repairs and so I had to take the family car to work. We have a Ford Figo for a
family car and you would all know it has a crappy sound system (no USB) and bad
speakers (unlike my car which is pimped up). Anyway since I couldn't play all
my favorite songs in my pen-drive I decided to listen to the radio for a change and
as I was driving along the RJ announced that they were having a Valentine’s Day
contest where the listeners were asked to send their 100 word love note or poem
to FM 94.3 and the winners would get an all expense paid dinner for 2. I
thought to myself 'EPIC', free dinner? I’m in!
I reached office, opened my laptop and sent them an old note
I had written for someone sometime back called Who Am I? Next thing I know the
RJ calls me up saying Zakk you’ve won, I’m gonna give you a prize, who did you
write it for etc. asked me for a few details and before I knew it I was live on
air with that someone I had written it for. I was so nervous so was she,
especially when she asked are you two married? I sheepishly answered ‘no, we
used to date but not anymore’. But the RJ was rather inspiring when she went on
to say “you guys should get back together, this is the loveliest note I've even
read and I can feel the love in the air” etc.
It all happened so fast I can’t even remember in detail what
we said and how we answered her questions. I tried very hard to maintain my
composure but I think I just laughed or giggled the whole incident through. But
I do remember one part where she asked “so ….. are you really scared of
lizards?” and we both answered “Petrified” together lol. I thought that was
really romantic in a way.
As the RJ explained what we had won, I realized they didn't really
mean a thing. The gift voucher, the dinner etc. what I had really won was much
better more valuable. I won an awesome Valentine’s Day experience for once.
Initially it was embarrassing but after a while it becomes a surreal experience that brings
a smile, and to know that this experience will always bring a smile every time I
look back is priceless.
When I was younger it was one of the most anticipated days
of the year for me. It was a day I got to unleash my love poetry skills, a day
I would pamper my then girlfriends, a day that got me broke for the rest of the
month (I always bought more than I could afford). Buying cards (note cards)
stuffed toys, gifts, chocolates, flowers and lunch and dinner. Back in the day it was
hard to afford these things in high school, but a man’s gotta do what a man’s
gotta do.
College changed everything, all the romance in me fell off
like dry mud. When I look back I can only remember 2 Valentine’s Day worth
mentioning. Well one is not even worth putting it down but, I hope she reads
this and takes it as an apology. Ok, so let’s get down to business and confess.
Epic Valentine’s Day 1: Wards Lake
After quite an eventful winter vacation in Aizawl, I came
back to Shillong and the night before I left I got into a relationship with a
girl I met during me stay. I invited her for dinner, she came, we had a
good chat and things looked good so we decided it was worth taking it further.
So back in Shillong I would call her every day, we’d talk for hours at an end, and
I stared to miss her quite a lot (she missed me too). As months went by I decided
we should take things to the next level, so I asked her to come down to
Shillong to spend Valentine’s Day with me and she did, reached Shillong on
Valentine’s Day. J I
don’t remember ever being so excited about meeting someone.
It was an unusually
hot day that day and I was confused on what to wear, nevertheless I promptly
dressed up, carefully picked out the right perfume, ironed my clothes (so
unlike me), rolled a J and went to pick her up.
I called up my best buddy Jerry, told him to meet me in
Wards Lake with his girlfriend for a romantic stroll around the lake and we’d
later go to Pinewood for lunch and drinks. Everything would have gone fine if I
hadn’t had the damn J. Anyway I picked her up she look as pretty as ever, we
had a good conversation along the way and suddenly I started getting really
shy, spoke less and less and by the time we reached Wards Lake I must have looked
like a dumb mute.
Jerry and his girlfriend were waiting for us there and after
the introduction we decided to buy peanuts to feed the fishes in the lake. So
we slowly strolled towards the hoards of small shops selling the required product, and just
as I bought the peanuts and handed it to her, she fainted. Slam on the road, I panicked
and ran. Yup I was so embarrassed I ran (I know I’m an ass). Jerry’s girlfriend
took care of her while he came running after me telling me to stop, come back
and be a man and take care of her. After much convincing and a flurry of abuses from Jerry I agreed.
I was so tired from the running I bought a bottle of water
and he walked me back to her and by the time I got back she was awake. She looked
at me and I promptly said here have some water you must be exhausted! She
rested for a while and she was fine. She must have thought how thoughtful of him, when I handed her the bottle.
I begged Jerry and his girlfriend (I don't think she was impressed with what I did at all) not to tell her what I had
done, they agreed not to spill my uninspiring move provided I buy them both a
round of drink to which I quickly agreed. The rest of the day went fine, the
lunch and dinner we had together was ummm... due to lack of a better word ‘epic’, but
the next day was even worse than the last, but that’s not what we want to talk
about.
I can understand this post would seem as uninspiring and my
move at the lake, but I did learn a valuable lesson that day. Don’t smoke a J
before your first date! See you all know what not to do on a first date.
No thanks required Part 2 Next Post.
Sometimes we make the strangest comparisons to situations we
face. This comparison may not be one of those strange ones, but I'm forced to
believe jobs are just like girlfriends. You must be wondering how I came to
this profound conclusion, well the truth is I'm at a crossroad in my career.
Not to sound pompous but I regularly get offers to switch, which I usually turn
down because I'm happy where I am. But the one I recently got was special, regardless
of the financials (which was good but to me has never really been very
important) I was sold a dream, a chance to start something big. I was sold a
challenge and who turns down a challenge?
Initially it seemed like a very easy decision to make. My
mind said “Take it” but as time went by, my heart said “Wait, think about it”.
And for quite a while I've been in and out of a decision and still stand
undecided with just a day left to decide.
So, as I was lying in bed last night sleepless and
undecided, I remembered how I had felt like this a few years back not in any
way related to jobs but girlfriends. What I realized is that leaving a job for
another is as difficult as leaving someone you've been in a relationship with for
someone else. The thing with me is that I've never been the type to just come
to work and go home. Since we spend more time at work with colleagues than we
do with our family, we might as well make work our second home, learn to love
the place and the people. And I've been fortunate enough to work with some of
the most beautiful people I know, honest and downright awesome colleagues and
team mates.
I remember when I was about to join Mccann MRM it was love
at first sight, like when you see a girl and you say “Dammit I want her, and
get her”. Where I work now is a different story, I fell in love with the
place along the way, and like I said, it feels like home now. It’s like one of
those situations where, you get into a relationship not too sure about it, but
over a period of time, you start to see the beauty of the person and you fall
in love. That’s what the ride has been for me so far.
How do I move forward…which path will I choose…I still don’t
know!
