Mac Attacks

Working M-F at an office with a latest Mac didn't compel me to get a computer at home. Actually, I have an Mac G4 desktop at home that I use to watch DVDs and play music. This computer is fine but I don't use it otherwise because the desk it's sitting on is too narrow for me to work.

I see people using their laptops (mostly Macs in arty Williamsburg), enjoying a creative weekend morning at a local cafe, and I always wanted to be one of them. It simply seems productive somehow. As you may have noticed reading this blog, I am nothing of a professional writer. I am a non-creative office worker who likes writing and a bit of graphic design. To fulfill my intellectual, artistic hobby, I needed a laptop. Alas, the use of notepads and pens is ideal but too hard for the computer generation including myself. So the question was when to buy a laptop and which one. I have to admit that I didn't have strong enough passion to spend a couple grand to get a laptop. For me, the occasion was the business trip to Europe–It was also the moment that I realized I am a professional who needs to check emails.

MacPro was, with no doubt, my first preference. However, hearing more reviews about the new MacBook, I spent days of research on both laptops. Questioning myself, "Do you seriously need $3,000 MacBook Pro to fiddle with Photoshop and InDesign?" The answer was, at least at this point, No. But I encouraged myself by buying the black MacBook with bigger memory. I do plan to add more RAM memory which should help using photo-heavy applications for my graphic design projects. FYI: The new MacBook shares the same memory source for text and graphics.

Result: I have started this blog. And I do check my emails at home. I can watch DVD while my boyfriend sleeps in the other room where we have the desktop Mac. Besides the fact I couldn't afford a Pro, the shiny screen and the matte surface that easily gets dirty with finger oil (still I prefer the matte over shiny white), I am pretty, pretty, pretty content.

Cannes Ad Fest

In June, most of the ad people gather in Cannes, France, to attend the festival. And this was my first trip to Europe.

Ad freaks do care about the industry. But, more than anything else, they love to parté. Throughout the one-week festival, they party every night, and after party until 4, 5 am. I guess that's how they sustain their 'creativity.' I work in the advertising, sort of. But I don't care about this industry. Design folks are much cooler, by far.

Of course, parties serve as networking opportunities for a few people like those from small agencies. But for the majority of ad dorks, 'Cannes' is a vacation. For me, it wasn't. Staying with my bosses in a tiny apartment and sleeping on a couch was totally worse than working in the office without them. 7 am, my bosses unintentionally but loudly woke me up and left for a jog. An hour later, they woke me up again to take me to a farmers market. As much as I appreciated their hospitality, I couldn't enjoy this early morning tour after a late night of partying.

French people know how to eat. Fresh and colorful seasonal vegetables, flowers, olive, fish (not stinky), and cheese are neatly piled and you don't see rotten tomatoes or slimy greens like in American supermarkets. I was convinced this trip would satisfy my dining enthusiasm. Still, it's a tourist town. You have to choose the right place to eat. Key points in choosing a restaurant: waiter/waitresses, atmosphere, menu, price, customers. Between one that looked somewhat fancy "safety" place and a smaller, more quiet restaurant with old waiters, I chose the latter, with my support for a local and unpopular restaurant. Their food was absolutely fantastic. A dish like fluke meunié that tends to be simply blank and boring was carefully seasoned with herb and salt. They seem to use some north African spices down there as an accent. The sea bass with fresh tomato salsa was indescribably good. And the best part is, the portions are just right. I was fully satisfied in taste and volume at the end of the meal. Bravo.