Ok...WTF is wrong with the Olypmic 2012 Designers??

The question has to be asked- What the hell is wrong with the creative team for the 2012 London Olympics! Are these guys on acid or am I seriously not seeing something here that they are?!?

Bella: Ok, being in the design industry myself, I'm usually quite open to anything design related. I like to keep an open mind, consider new and fresh design ideas and concepts and often find inspiration from designers or styles outside of my own creative sphere. HOWEVER...I am absolutely floored by the design concepts that have been put forward and then APPROVED for the 2012 London Olympics.

First was the release of their abysmal 2012 Olympics logo! Words fail me as to how shit I think this logo is. I mean...I've seen abstract...but this is just poo on paper or website or wherever this crappy logo happens to be adorned. I can't believe someone got PAID to design this. And millions of people felt the same. Below are just some variations of how this logo has been interpreted.

The original Logo

And then some variations....

But now, the Olympics committee has released the new mascots for the games, Wenlock and Mandeville. Ok firstly...their names...gay much?? What kind of names are these?!? Now as to how they look....they're just plain creepy! I sure as hell wouldn't want anything emblazoned with these weirdo mascots on it. I mean...I don't know if the picture below portrays just how.....CRAP they are.

This is actually part of the official release from the committee:

"Two parts-Pokemon to one-part lava lamp with yellow 'Taxi' lights on their foreheads, the distinctive characters are intended to capture the imagination of children and work as well in the digital world as they will in costume form at trackside in 2012.

They are a central part of London's £70 million merchandising budget, and organisers hope the mascots will contribute up to 20 per cent of that sum through sales of T-shirts, key-rings, tea-towels and the like.

The Cyclops design allows the mascots' eyes to work as lenses, and digital cameras in the shape of the characters will be available."

HUH?! These don't look like Pokemons. They look like some pretty scary, deranged blobs things that don't really look like anything at all. Maybe deformed Teletubbies? And 'Taxi' lights?? Yeah......ok...I can really see the relevance there...NOT! And £70 million!!! What a waste of money!! 20 per cent to be contributed by these creepy characters through sales of merchandise?? I don't think so! I wouldn't want these guys on my toilet paper. Oh god, hand me a crayon and some play-do and I'll have a better looking logo and Mascots in no time!

Well that's my rant over. But I really think that maybe I'm in the wrong design job here. Maybe I'm setting my heights just a little too high?

Twin Speak: A New Monthly Feature - Love it or Leave it

Love it or Leave it will be our monthly twin review on all things life, love and more. Even though we're twins we often have very different opinions about things we love and things we hate. Each month we hope to bring you a a new product, activity, social outing, trend or issue which we will either Love or Leave it!

Bella: I have a bit of a habit of becoming obsessed with a new product, trend or activity only to loose interest in that said habit a few months later. The advantage of this is that I'm always trying out new things! Frankie and I thought why not use our flighty, indecisive attitudes to our advantage and start rating these obsessions for the benefit of all who read our blog. (We know there must be thousands who could benefit) :)

So this month we thought we'd both rate our recent obsession with a new iPhone app we have called Words With Friends. Now if you're like us and you know of this product, you might also be slightly obsessed with it. I've been using this application non stop for close to two weeks. My workload is piling up and don't even try speaking to me unless it's via the chat feature in the app as well. I've had to change the screen protector several times due to the amount of food I've spilt on it as I can barely take my eyes from the screen while I eat. This little game is fun, addictive and easy. It's Scrabble for your iPhone! You can play it with friends who have iPhone and also have this app. You can play random opponents or you can even play a game directly from your phone and pass and play to others in the same room.

I LOVE this app and can't get enough and I highly recommend it to anyone else who has an iPhone. Leave it?? I don't think so!


Frankie: I too can get a bit obsessed with things and this time is no exception. I am a self confessed 'Words with Friends' junkie.

I first started battling it out with friends but when that didn't satisfy my need to scrabble...I turned to random strangers and am now srabbling it out with two strangers.

I love the feeling you get when you get a top point score, or when you manage to use those hard letters like 'X' or 'Z' or even better when you manage to make a word combo using an 'X' or 'Z' on a TRIPLE WORD SCORE. Oh god...I'm getting a little excited now just thinking about that.

So summing up... I would have to 'Love it, Love it, Love it'.
If you have an iphone and don't have this addictive little app...download it now!!!!

:)

Procrastinating, excuses and just being lost in general

Oh my, yes we have definitely been lost in the blogoshpere of the last several months. How slack are we that we haven't put pen to paper (typing to screen) for 6 months!!

Bella: I'm not too bad when it comes to procrastinating. I pride myself on being someone that isn't what I call a 'gunna'. I'm gunna do this and I'm gunna do that and I'm gunna get round to it. I generally make up my mind to do something and then carry through. But...like everyone, I have certain passions which I am committed to and then I let other things fall by the wayside. Blogging would have to be one in the latter bunch. A few years ago, Frankie and I were so eager to start putting our daily random thoughts out there into the blogosphere. Not so much for other people to read but just so we had an outlet for all passions, thoughts, frustrations and loves. I go through phases where I feel I really need a place to vent to stop from going crazy. And then, I have times where I am just at peace with everything and happy to cruise along either way. Well I'm happy to say that life is good..but I have been getting that itching feeling that I need to outlet some of my creative, crazy, happy, sad emotions again. It also got me thinking about what else I have wanted to complete or do that I haven't yet gotten around to, made excuses for, procrastinated or just got lost in general.

Well there is:

1. To learn another language; Indonesian (still a long goal in progress)


2. To have regular book meets and discussions (It doesn't help that it's only me and Frankie in the club)


3. Run a 10km run this year. (I'm currently training for this one....but it's going slowly)


4. Learn how to sew and start making myself clothes (This one I'm kind of halfway..I can sew ok but don't want to wear anything I make)


5. Clean out my cupboards (I admit it. I'm procrastinating this one)

Frankie:Well I will admit I am a procrastinator. Just getting to write this blog after such a long break was a bit of a mission for me.

I tend to not like doing the things that aren't fun...you know, like grocery shopping, cleaning, paying bills. The things we hate but are necessities in life. So I have decided to see how I can spruce up these mundane tasks so I can enjoy them more or not have them be the bane of my existence. So how am I going to accomplish this...

Tasks I hate to do but must...

1. Grocery shopping. I hate it. I have said that I would rather be anorexic at times than go shopping. The mayhem, the squashy isles, the trolley in the ankles...it all just cause me great anxiety and grief. So one idea I have come up with to increase fun levels is to turn it into a game. Kind of like the 'Great amazing 'shopping' race'. So my shopping buddy and I will have certain time limits and challenges to accomplish during our shopping expedition that we must achieve in order to win the game. If we fail to achieve certain challenges during the game, we must forfeit one item from our trolley. So not only will this makes dull grocery shopping more exciting...it might also save us on our shopping bill :)


2. The clean the house...again, another chore that really bores me. I can hardly pretend to like this. So what I have come up with here is to turn it into a exercise/cleaning session. Set the clock and go, go, go...get whatever I can get done in one hour and whatever falls out of my one hour exercise time, "Oh well??" Will just have to wait till next session :)


3. Finally paying bills. Some of my bills are automatic and leave me with nothing to think about. But then there are other bills where I have to log in online, or phone bank or even worse...speak to a rep to organise payment. So what I have decided to do for this one is, call up all outstanding bill companies and speak in a really annoying voice and speak and 20 miles per hour and try and see which company I can annoy most?? I'll have to work on this one because I still think this would annoy me more??

Twin Speak...Sales Assistants...what won't they say to get a sale??

Is it just me, or do the sales assistants of today seem to be getting dumber and dumber? I can't believe some of the things people will say in retail to either make a sale or keep one??

Frankie: Now I know I shouldn't generalise the entire 'retail community' because I have also been served by selling superstars. But let's face it. They're a dying breed. Today, it's more likely that you'll be served by young and very naive shop assistants.

For example, I will give you some of the latest retail escapades I have encountered and walked out shaking my head in total disbelief.

Shop One:

I recently bought a leather jacket and noticed that the cuff on one of the sleeves was all crushed and very thin and wearing through. Now, I know leather is an imperfect fabric and there will be differences in the leather. However, this looked more like a manufacturers flaw. Like for example, when I once saw a jacket which had the sheep branding stamp on the arm of the jacket??? Flaw I think so!!!

So I went to see if I could get an exchange of the jacket for another one but the shop assistant was adamant that the jacket was fine and that it was the natural look of the jacket? His explanation went something like this:

Shop Assistant:"Um have you ever bought a leather jacket before.
Me: Not a jacket but many other leather items like bags and shoes.
Shop Assistant: Oh well then, you probably aren't that familiar with leather then. You see, this is just the natural look of the jacket. The sheep this piece of leather came from probably lent up against a barb wire fence and hurt itself and scared it's skin. Or it could have even had a fight with another sheep. Yep, there's nothing wrong with this jacket
Me: You're a fucking idiot!!

Shop Two:
I walked into a shop and noticed this gorgeous silver bag that was perched on a very high stand so I couldn't actually touch the product. I asked the shop assistant if it was leather (yes, I like my leather products) and she replied,

Shop assistant: Um, well I don't think it's leather because, um there aren't any silver cows so um I think it is Pleather??
Me: Oh ok, thanks then?? (walking out the store and thinking in my head, "right, well it's news to me that there a paddocks full of cows running around with Louis Vuitton monograms all over their ass)????

What has happened to decent service and information these days????

Bella: Well I don't think this is bad customer service so much as just really stupid people. I recently read about a new environmental epidemic which could be the contributing factor to this. It's called the 'Bozone Layer'.

Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating.
Use: The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.

Twin Speak...The Human Parrot!

When it comes to people repeating themselves I can get slightly irritated. Human Parrots!!! Parroting and repeating themselves all day long...

Frankie: My partner's mum, Susan, has this habit of repeating herself or repeating what someone else says ALL THE TIME!!!

We had a get-together lunch the other day. We had steak, prawns, rice and salad. It was all very nice and everyone commented on the delicious spread, especially Susan. That's right! I shit you not...she repeated herself 7 unbearable times that the salad was lovely!!! "This salad is lovely, it goes great when you mix it with rice!" And just in case you didn't catch it, "This salad is lovely, it goes great when you mix it with rice!"

In the space of 20 minutes, she repeated at separate occasions the above phrase. It was ridiculous!!! What possesses a person to act like a parrot and repeat themselves that many times. Now, before you think of me as some cruel hearted person, she's not old, so it is not Alzheimer's. She is not mentally unstable. So WHY must she always repeat herself.

It drives me insane. After the 5th time she said it, I started praying that it was the last time I was going to hear how fucking fantastic the salad was. But no, I was lucky enough to hear it a 6th time and the 7th time, I involuntarily dropped my fork in frustration.

Her another annoying habit is repeating what another person says. For example, we were all gathered at my partner's sister's house, we were all about to eat and the sister says, "everybody help themselves and start eating", and then on queue, Sally repeats, "everybody help themselves and start eating". Umm, hello, is there an echo in the room. Didn't someone just say that...

God, it's so annoying. I really try, I really do...but I just can't find a way ignore this one annoying habit!!!

Bella: I also find it annoying when people repeat themselves but not in the same sense as Frankie. I don't mind so much when someone repeats what they say in direct conversation with you. My husband's a bit of a ramble talker and often repeats himself or goes over small details in his conversation to get a point across.

What annoys me is when people constantly say and repeat what they are going to do, achieve, get to, over and over again. I don't think there is a character trait that annoys me more than....procrastinating!

I think I feel so strongly about it because at the moment I work in an environment where my superior is a bit of a procrastinator. I feel like we are forever having these endless meetings to discuss, discuss, discuss but we NEVER put into action anything we discuss. It shits me to tears! I get so over talking about things and I just want to do it. I am the kind of person where I will say what I'm going to do and then do it! Sometimes I just want to shake people by the shoulders when I here them saying about their life that they just didn't get round to it...or I was gonna do this and I was gonna do that. I just want to yell in their face "Suck it UP and get on with it!!".

Yeah..that annoys me a bit :)

Weird and Wonderful Weather

I arrived to work this morning to view these amazing pictures displayed on a news report online.

Sydney's Walsh Bay covered with dust.

Dust storm blankets Sydney. Two lone walkers on the beach.

Sydney's Bondi Beach

Red Sky

Bella: These images are of Sydney, Australia being covered in an amazing red dust storm. It's not everyday that a phenomenal natural occurrence like this happens and I found these images simply breathtaking. Almost apocalyptic but thankfully no harm done other than poor visibility in the city and a blanket layer of red dust over Sydney.

When I view images like this of the natural wonders happening around us it always makes me stop and appreciate the power of the world we live in. Unfortunately not all natural weather events like this are harmless as we know but I'm still awed by it's magnificence.

Twin Speak: System Crash!

Why is it that we have come to expect computers to have system crashes and therefore need regular maintenance and updates, yet when it comes to people, we're so unforgiving sometimes and expect so much more from one another??

Frankie: Every now and then I get to a point in my life where I need to take a step back, reevaluate and refocus my attention. I can sometimes let everything overwhelm me and get the better of me. It's one of my bad habits...dwelling on the negative and letting it get me down.

Occasionally, I need to 'reboot' my system and restart the system. However, I find that people can be so callous and unforgiving when it comes to the human error. The human need to relax, recoup and regenerate our strength.

I came to the point where I was overwhelmed by work, life stresses and other personal issues. My work and life balance was in disarray and hence leaving me to make bad judgments and errors at work, but did I get any understanding when I needed a break. No!

How come, it is totally acceptable to expect system crashes from our computers, the very hard drive we work off yet when it comes to human crashes, we are considered inadequate, performing poorly or in need of additional training rather than simply accepting that we all need to take a break every now and then and reevaluate our priorities and commitments.

Has it come to the point where we treat our 'computers' better than our human assets?? Are we desensitized to human error because of the advance of technology, convenience and the assistance of our silly computers?

Bella: We are our own harshest critics and I think the expectations placed on us in our lives and in today's society are becoming very hard to meet. We need to work longer hours, to pay bigger mortgages, to send our kids to better schools, to buy more modern amenities to make our life easier, only to have no time to use them or enjoy them because we're too busy doing other chores and housework because it's the only time we have!

It does get overwhelming sometimes. When you're constantly thinking how you're going to keep your head above water especially in these uncertain times.

But, I do take comfort and am grateful for everything I do have because I know that there is always a family or a person doing it tougher than I am. I feel for these people and can only imagine how much harder life really can be for some. For people that have no work at all or no prospects on the horizon, for families with sick children or family members to take care of, for people who have no mortgage to pay because the bank took their home or to people who simply can't afford to eat.

So I say, have your little system crash and your spak attack because you'll probably feel better after, take some time out but then go back out there with your head held high and know that you can only do what you can do and that's the best you can expect from yourself :)