beautifulworld’s posterous

In case you've been hibernating even after the 12 days of Christmas, it's been snowing in Britain.

Amazing how a variant of H2O can cause such havoc. Schools are closed, traffic comes to a halt, reduction in workforce productivity costing the UK economy gazillions. All worded ever so nicely as doomsday messages on newspaper front covers. You'd think it was the sky, not snow that was falling.

It's not about making light of the situation. The beautiful world people have also been affected by the weather with various stages of flu-like symptoms and commuting inconvenience. Weather reports of more snow and ice over the weekend is making me nervous about my non-refundable train reservations for Monday's return to uni.

While the weather does interfere with our normal routine, there's no harm in looking at it from a more positive and realistic perspective. It's not everyday we get snow like this, so what's a few days of weather-related inconvenience within the entire year? The wintry weather is also a great way to bring friends and/or family closer together with some hot comfort food by the fire. Make the most of every silver lining you can find in the clouds.

As the saying goes, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. When life gives you snow, make a snowman!

Rebekah

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When we posted our Christmas cards out this year, I made a mental note to find a way to wish a Happy Christmas to all the people with whom we usually just tweet (and may not even have an email, let alone a postal address, for!).

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It's that time of year again when Christmas will soon arrive. Decorations and songs of yuletide irritation joy that permeated the shopping malls in October morphed into a frenzy of activity in December when the spirit of buying is strongest. Ads everywhere reminding you to give the feeling of Christmas to the ones you love. TV chefs come onto our screens, showing non-cooks how to whip up a fabulous feast that will have their loved ones raving about into the New Year. All this is to be done by spending more money at the shops on presents, ingredients and cookbooks that will inevitably be replaced by the latest TV chef offering next Christmas.

But Christmas is also a time for family (and friends). Or so I'm told*. Which is why I think it's timely to recount a heartwarming tale in celebration of our beautiful world family's first Christmas.

* This is what happens when everyone else in beautiful world is too busy working for the greater good in the run up to Christmas. No one, apart from the non-British part-timer who grew up celebrating Chinese New Year, not Christmas, for over two decades, has the time to write about family and Christmas.

The beautiful world family Christmas lunch in Paris

It all started a while back when the beautiful partners had a brainwave and thought we should all have our celebratory Christmas lunch in wintry Paris. With all in favour, Hanah proceeded to sort out the Eurostar tickets and restaurant reservations while we counted down the days.

The day finally came last Wednesday. Making sure I'd get to St Pancras before 9am, my efforts for catching the 5.57am train from Bournemouth to London was rewarded by Hanah and Simon with a nice large cup of hot chocolate, while waiting for the rest of the beautiful people to make their appearance. Hugs all round as Adam, Chris and Ashley met us at the departure hall, with Teri, Hannah and Rachel making a fashionably late entrance as we were about to board the Eurostar.

Rachel, Simon, Adam and Hanah decided to kick start our Paris day trip with an onboard board meeting, while the rest of us concerned outselves with more frivolous stuff. I was somewhat relieved that half of us was working on our holiday, because it made me feel less guilty about doing my essay as I'm listening in on the banter going on between Teri, Ashley and Chris.  Despite Ashley and Chris proclaiming they'd rather Teri swapped seats with Hannah for some peace, I reckon they rather enjoyed taking turns poking fun at Teri. The conversation floated around loo-shaped Sudoku puzzles before Chris produced a granny puzzle book for our collective enjoyment.

Like other families on vacation, a break from the norm gives each member a chance to discover everyone else's quirks and dysfunctions. I found out on our attempt at a crossword that there's a certain protocal in doing crossword puzzles with Chris. Like only using one ink colour when writing the crosswords. And doing all the Across words first before proceeding with Down words.

Upon arriving at Gare du Nord, we split up threeways to cab down to the restaurant. Methinks the Parisian cabbies sensed our inability to speak French and collectively decided to take their breaks while Simon, our most fluent French speaker manage to bundle himself along with Chris and Ashley into a cab. The rest of us survived the Metro and map reading before we all finally sat down on the same stretch of table for our festive lunch.

Everyone took a while to decide what to eat, while the staff assembled a vegetarian menu so Adam could eat. Rachel pointed out I was worse than her when it comes to choosing what to eat off the menu.

Maybe. But where I grew up in Singapore, there is no such thing as having to choose just one to three things off a menu. Buffet eating is pretty much a national sport. The only choice there is to make is deciding which item to eat first.

As the saying goes, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. When in Paris, bring on the escargots, fried frogs legs and crepe suzettes!

I think its important to immerse yourself in the culture of the place you're in. Food is a part of that culture. Besides, the look on Chris and Ashley's faces when I dug out the first snail from its shell is priceless.

It's a well known fact that ethnic Chinese people like myself eat just about anything and everything. Nothing is taboo when it comes to filling your stomach. If you believe that, you believe in Santa Claus too. And there's a reason why there's a holiday every year in his honour.

Lunch was extremely enjoyable. Good food, great company and free-flowing conversations, reminded us of how lucky we all are to spend a large part of our working day with people we actually like. The fact that we don't get to do this more often than we'd want to, deepens our appreciation for the rare and special occassions we have together.

The beautiful world family split threeways once more to explore different parts of Paris. Adam, Ashley and Chris were brave enough to go all the way to the top of the Eiffel tower in freezing temperatures to take some lovely pictures.

Rachel, Hannah and I decided first floor views from the tower were enough before escaping the cold with hot chocolate and a cab ride back to the station. Our cab driver became an impromptu tour guide, pointing out several attractions along the way that sparkled in the evening sky. When the cab drove past the main shopping district, we all agreed that Teri, Hanah and Simon did the right thing by exploring the shops instead of trying to conquer the Eiffel tower in extremely cold weather.  Reuniting once more at a cafe near the station, glasses of mulled wine warmed the souls and kept our spirits high.

On the return journey, we ended the day on a high with more random conversations, as well as Adam, Rachel and Hanah concentrating on solving one of Chris' granny puzzles after taking the mickey out of him for bringing it along.  No family Christmas vacation is complete without a giant Toblerone, and we all shared the one Simon bought before getting off the Eurostar. Everyone was happy and went home with shared memories of a wonderful day in Paris that will stay with us long after next Christmas arrives.

Happy Christmas, everyone!  May your festive celebrations with loved ones be as special and joyful as the one the beautiful world family was lucky to have on a wintry Paris day.

Rebekah

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In preparation for tonight's event (the fifth NFPtweetup and our 1st birthday celebration!), we thought it would be nice to create a mosaic of all of @NFPtweetup's followers - including most of the people and organisations that have been involved in, engaged with, and represented at, NFPtweetup both online and at the physical events, and some more besides.

Here they are:

We're looking forward to seing many of these people - and, no doubt, a few more, tonight.

Rachel

Get your twitter mosaic here.

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Every week, I hop on the train from Bournemouth to the West Midlands on Friday and do the reverse route on Sunday.

On Friday, I swapped the long train commute for a passenger car ride, courtesy of BF. We were listening to Wave 105.2FM, eagerly waiting for the station to morph into Kerrang - the other 105.2FM.

Drive time DJ was telling his co-host about his latest discovery. After watching an Armani Code ad on TV, he realised he's been using the feminine version of the fragrance for the past 2 years. The banter continued, with DJ wondering what using a feminine fragrance says about him and whether or not he should slap on some Brut or Old Spice instead.

I can't remember the exact phrasing, but DJ's question after that was somewhere along the lines of, "Does Brut even exist anymore?"

The lines were open for the public to have their say, and Peter from Bournemouth was the first caller.

"And what is it that you do?"

"I'm the marketing manager for Brut."

Howls of laughter ensued. The DJs couldn't believe they're getting first hand information about Brut's current existence.

Peter was most forthcoming with his information. He told the DJs that Brut was alive and well, and doing even better than before. Brut is now targeting a younger audience and they're responding well in terms of sales. Now that Christmas is coming, their sales are also at a high. People are buying Brut as gifts for the real men in their lives.

"So it's not for men like me, who use women's fragrances?"

"Brut is for real men."

After the friendly dig Peter took at the DJ, he offered to send some Brut over so DJ could try on a real man's fragrance for size. More laughter ensued, ending the conversation on a high.

I loved it. This, to my MA student brain, is pure marketing genius!

Peter was alert enough to spot an opportunity when he heard one and took it. When he spoke, it was with a friendly, yet professional tone of voice that sounded accessible to the hearing public. He was mindful of promoting the brand, who it was for and how it's gaining popularity among current consumers. This went some way in changing existing attitudes that the brand is for a geriatric market and is no longer relevant. He also brought it into the current context of Christmas gift buying. This could get some listeners who have never thought about Brut into thinking about buying Brut for Christmas. Peter's offer of goodwill to send the DJ some Brut products is good relationship building with a familiar voice on one of the South's more popular radio stations. Also, if the DJ tried the products and liked it, there's room for another Brut mention on the airwaves in the future.

All that promotion for the price of a phone call. The cost per thousand for this is virtually peanuts!

What I loved most about the impromptu on-air promotion was the immediate nature of it. Everything is moving and changing at a much faster rate than ever before. Without a swift response, the moment and opportunity to do something really powerful with your brand is lost. The people responsible for your brand should also be given enough trust and flexibility, if they are to do their job well which sometimes go beyond their normal duties.

If Peter was required to give 48 hours notice to the media department before going on-air, none of the drive time listeners would've been thinking about Brut long after the DJ's passing remark.

This made me think about the way some organisations work. With the need for clearance at many different levels and departments housed in separate silos (both physically and mentally), the environment doesn't allow for the possibility of any Peters working in them to take the initiative and roll with it. An organisation's best assets are its people and it's a wonder why more organisations don't maximise their potential. For organisations to remain as relevant today as they were a couple of years ago, their structures have to start changing to ones that will not only tap into their human resources, but allow them to grow.

Change can be a powerful thing. It took Peter less than 5 minutes to resurrect a brand that was long extinct in my mind.

Rebekah

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It looks positively cavernous!

We'll soon fill it up though... :)

R

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I came across a fantastic blog post yesterday by a recruiting expert called John Sumser, entitled 'Guerilla Candidate', and it struck a chord on several levels.

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This all began in January 2007. I’d just become Creative Director at an agency called Cascaid – a charity specialist – when I came across a story in a press release from Shelter.  It concerned a practice called ‘cuckooing’ which involved drug dealers befriending vulnerable people who had their own flats.  The dealer would move in, kick out the occupant (or worse) and turn the flat into a crack den.  

The cuckooing story leapt off the page and took root in my brain.  From nowhere the character of Frank began to form.  He was likeably-miserable bastard, ex-solider, a veteran of Northern Ireland, with the emotional scars to show for it.  Drunk.  Shut down.  Wandering round in ever decreasing circles in a cloud of cigarette smoke.  A man waiting for death.  

As Frank shuffled round inside my head, he bumped into Lynette – a teenage runaway.  She was the polar opposite to Frank – full of fight and optimism.  Bumping into her set off a chain-reaction inside him that he couldn’t control.  She was a poignant reminder of the daughter he’d abandoned when he’d left the army.  Suddenly Frank had a reason to live – so he could help and protect Lynette.  Only one problem – Danny, Lynette’s drug dealer boyfriend.  Danny was the kind of problem any writer would enjoy – a wheedling control freak with psychopathic tendencies.  Northern Irish of course – Frank’s nightmare past in human form.

There’s nothing like the excitement of a script that drops into your lap – seemingly fully formed.  Later that month, I found myself spilling the story over dinner to a producer friend.  As I paused for breath, she looked at me wearily: “Don’t write it.”  It felt as though she’d dropped a paving stone on my foot.

“Why the hell not?”

“It’ll never get made – it’s too bleak.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.  Bleak?  Bleak is good... isn’t it?

I told the story to several other people.  Same reaction.

In the telling, the story developed.  It had begun as a drama – very bleak drama – but it was beginning to morph into a thriller – a genre I hadn’t the faintest idea how to write.

The first draft went down on the page in a month.

I thought it was the best thing I’d ever written and sent it to my agent.  I also gave it to producer, Karen Katz, to read.

My agent gave me a full 30 seconds worth of glowing approval, before dashing off to deal with his high-earning clients.  I’m still basking in the glow of that moment.

Karen offered to take on the script and get it made.  A brave undertaking.

Cutting the story short, we found ourselves sitting in a coffee bar with director, Tinge Krishnan, whose wonderful short, Shadowscan, had won a BAFTA.  Tinge just ‘got’ the script from the first moment she saw it.  She had an instinctive grip on the characters.  She wanted to make it – immediately.  What writer could ask for more?

A little script development and we’d be there – so I thought.

Karen hooked me up with script editor Angeli McFarlane and the real work began.

Angeli has a brain the size of a planet and an effortless ability to cut through writer’s waffle and all attempts to fudge areas of the script that don’t quite work.  She doesn’t ever tell you what to do – working with her is like a psychotherapy session – she leaves you to reach your own conclusions about your piece.  Every agonising decision is your own.  

It was possibly the hardest 9 months of my life.  I finally understood the adage that ‘writing is re-writing’.  

I lost count of the amount of drafts.  Many times I felt lost altogether.  My head hurt.  My eyes stung.  I had repetitive strain injury in my wrists.

I thought the day would never come when she would say that the script was there.  When she finally did, I just sat there blinking back tears of relief and gratitude.

A few weeks later we were in the throes of worst recession since the war.  There hasn’t been a worse time in history to be looking for finance.

We were thrown a lifeline in the form of Microwave – a kind of X-factor style boot camp for movie scripts.  There are ten projects looking for finance, but only enough funds for four.

Microwave school lasts a week – with a pitch at the end.

If it all goes well.  If we hang together as a team.  If our budget ads up, if our script develops in the right direction, if we make the right impression – then Junkhearts will go though to the green light board in November. 

Then we will pitch again, against a whittled down group of projects. 

Simon

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• I can’t afford it (somebody with a little more spare cash than me will definitely donate)
• I ought to help, but I don’t like giving my bank details online (but I am willing to shop on Amazon!)
• I’m busy – I’ll do it later (I’ll forget to do it later).

• To know how much money is needed
• To know exactly what their donation will achieve
• To feel a personal connection to the child and the child’s family
• To feel that the problem is real
• To believe that they are part of the solution.

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