Jun Dooz and his gang is coming and he's gonna kick ass!

Get ready to meet Jun Dooz, Bear Tender, April Fif, Cagouillette and more soon.

When? Whenever i feel like! work in progress. (yeah i'm lazy today but no one cares so it's cool o//)

Often, people ask me why i didnt go 100% to law as i do have a university diploma in that area. My answer is always evasive because first of all, it's not their business (unless it's a job interview of course) and second, i can, if i want to, become a penguin shaver tomorrow just because it's fun. Point is, there are many reasons why. But one of them is clearly because of this. Sorry in french but in short, it talks about this guy who raped a mother of two children one night at the jardin anglais in Geneva. The rapist, we find out today, was actually a multi-recidivist and has already committed crimes in Geneva.

Beside the fact that Geneva has become less and less safe, one must wonder why that kind of criminal is still out there after the 1st crime! Because he had the "human rights" convention on his back, and most of all, had a solid lawyer provided by the state each time. Also, because he's not swiss, the "law" allows us to kick him out of the country but guess what, we cant. Why? because his country doesnt want to get him back (why would they want to?)

So he's now sitting in a prison with 3 meals a day (with 3 different menus for lunch), cable tv (i dont even have cable), cigarettes, fitness, all the books he wants and chances are he'll be free in a few months (that's great, it's winter and getting chilly out there anyway). There's a fine line between justice and revenge but there's a point where tolerance becomes a concept and not an attitude anymore. Something needs to be done by the authorities before citizens of this town all become dirty harries ...

Cinderella, Snow white, Sleeping beauty, etc. All these little girls' dream and goals. Well, here's a spoiler, i'm having a good laugh at princesses. I mean, clearly they dont exist, the same way prince charming is a hallucination on crack. If they dont exist, why even bother hoping to see/meet one? People need to go on with their life. Women want the prince charming but they act like townboys, wearing pants and having no class/style, and men want princesses but act and, will i dare to say, are like pigs. So let's call it a truce.

The right philosophy i believe is if aiming for something that doesnt exist, why not go all the way? I say, why go for the princess when you can go for the queen? Queens have the real power. They have style, experience, authority and inner beauty. If they can also manage to keep the same body as Queen Rani of Jordan, then bravo! AND they're usually full of cash, their own cash! Princess have to wait to smell the green. Enough of whining spoiled princesses who keep screaming for a yes or no!

No, i dont have a mother complex, no this is not about relationship. It's about how we see each other, and expectations. People should start to stop seeking the holy grail and live a happy life 'cause that's the only one we got. Plus, i've always been fan of Alice in wonderland, not really princesses anyway...

As the US elections approach, there's more and more movement for both candidates. There's also a lot of hype around Barack Obama and that is mostly because he's black. I usually dont care about what the US does because if i had to, i would also care what is going on in all the other countries in the world and i'm simply not interested in getting depressed for this. So Mc Cain or Obabama, for me it's the same. I know there's an entire geopolitical impact based on the US but this is how things are and "hoping" something good doesnt mean it will come true.

What's interesting is all this fanboy attitude towards Obama. Granted he seems to be a good orator. Just out of curiosity, i watched in the background the McCain/Obama 1st debate on cnbc. I was surprised to hear Obama saying several times "McCain is right", or "my opponant is right"... what game is that? And yet, popular survey shows that Obama is leading the elections. There's something here to be analysed truely.

The other positive thing about the elections is the amount of creativity around them. Obama seems popular among intellectuals and starving talented left wing artists. Here's a blog that selected some of Obama's poster made by divers graphist designers. Some are boring, some very interesting. At the end of the day, whatever the outcome is for Obama, i hope his skin colour has nothing to do with it. Wait, that was hope... nevermind.

Have you ever met someone who talks to you for ever about unnecessary things? You know, these kind who think they're the center of the world because they have a gigantic ego and want to make you think the univers evolves around them? I have and i deeply hate them. They make me feel that murder could actually be legal. However, "society" tells me "thou shall not hurt people blabla". So i dont because i do believe in society: it is what separates us from penguins.

With time i have become less and less tolerant towards whining twats. They always have an excuse, it's never their fault. As if they have no mirrors at home and always want to be the center of attention. When i deafly look at them spitting words at a godly ratio, i actually have scenari in my head about how it would look like to shut him/her up. So far my best one is while that idiot talks to me on the street, a grandma passes by with an umbrella, i grab it and i stab him/her (not the grandma, she probably ran away already). I then make him swallow (that's what she said) the umbrella and open it. There you go big mouth.

Of course, i would be categorized as a "want attention" type when the police comes and arrests me, when all i want really is go low-profile. So i cannot do that. Instead i go "Sorry, gotta run, whatever your problem is, you obviously can talk your way out of it". Probably more stylish. These "social invaders" gotta stop. Same as the person i JUST met and s/he starts asking hundred of personnal questions: unless you're planning on offering me a job, stop bothering me. People nowday have no respect of intimacy, no style and would rather interfer with others life than taking care of their own. No wonder the ultimate luxury has become "empty surrounding space", bit like on the beach when you're looking for a spot where there's at least a 30m2 empty sand.

Once again, Apple has managed to innovate when we thought it couldnt be done. New laptops with, like any updates, better graphics, better screen, better memory etc. That's almost boring. However, the real breakthrough is the way they decided to make laptops. Unlike others such as Sony, Toshiba or Dell, and Apple before, they make laptops by assembling several layers of components together. What's new now is that Apple figured that it would be much more efficient in terms of resistance and weight to directly carv an aluminium bloc and make it into the shape of a laptop. Like a sculpture!

The result is a much more solid piece structure with a lighter weight. Brilliant! The screen is now made of glass with LED technology. The choice for these two materials are obvious: they're environmental responsible. Green is after all still cash. They reduced the packaging by 37% to 42% so that shipping would have a lesser impact on CO2 and finally, they got rid of all the toxic materials that most laptops still have.

Everyone expected a "sub 1000$" notebook (or netbook if you wanna be trend) but i've alaways thought it would be a mistake marketing wise. Having a "cheap" laptop could damage Apple's image. The brand must remain for a certain type of people who recognize the work behind their products. I'm not talking about they nuts who tatooe an apple on their neck, but those who could appreciate the confurtable way Apple products bring. Eventhough they lowered their prices to 700$ less, Apple is still costly not because of the logo alone, but because it's truely a quality product. I'm somehow glad not everyone is jumping into the bandwagon. You guys stick to Vista k bye.

These past weeks, it's been a rollercoaster at the bank. Not for me, for all the traders and account managers. If you read the news a bit, you'd knew that there's a big financial crisis right now. I see people eating lunch at their desk, starting early, finishing late. I sometimes glad i'm not a trader despite the attractiveness of the job. Dealing with other people's money is something i'd never want to do because i'd feel too bad if all is lost on a bad investment.

However, am i worried about my financial placement? Are you kidding, these past weeks i've been buying shares like crazy. Some big institutions were being sold for as much as $0.10 THE share! I am currently sitting on a big pile of either paper, or cash, depends how the stock market will react until 2009. I laugh at all these people selling like mad because they're scared about the situation. Some even sell with a big loss but all they want is to get back the little that's left.

It is difficult to predict what tomorrow's market is gonna be. Even top analysts cant say for sure, they can only have calculated risky guesses. I'm not the type who gets into trading easily. I like to buy a big bunch of stocks when i see a good deal. Usually it's with money i dont need so even if i lose it i can still pay my rent and food. There are several investment profile, i guess i'm in the long run one which is i believe the right attitude. Dont place all your money into stock market, dont get out when you smell popcorn, and sell when you double your gains. That philosphy allows me to live more than comfurtably in these troubled times.

Gufugumu has been going steady, slowly but surely having around 100 visits per day. It's not much but the line is still going up bit by bit. Two days ago, i check the stats and see a wooping 600 hits! I thought there was something wrong with my analytical tool. So i check the site referers and see that most of the traffic comes from a source site. Further investigation shows me that it's la Tribune de Geneve, the local paper. Someone actually promoted gufugumu on a forum!

Now, to understand this, one must go back a bit and check the situation. Geneva had a non-smoking law that passed in february, applied in july this year. 3 monts later, the law has been removed by Bern, arguing that there's no legal structure to back it up. We're now working on a proper law to propose to Bern so that smoker can go freeze outside. Point is, people enjoyed these 3 months of non-smoking and are now looking for non-smoking restaurants (which by the way most of them remained non-smoking). That's what the forum was about, finding non-smoking restaurants. Fortunately, i had the reflex to put back the smoking information on Gufugumu. Luckily, most of them didnt go back to smoking.

The result was that several people knew my site and redirected others on it, hence the massive visit. Of course, the spike did not last and it went down to... 300 yesterday! Remember that i never advertised Gufugumu so this is purely out of control... and free. My visit rate has now triple. This of course implies that i give more effort to the blog which you here have a sneak peak of the new logo (for the blog) as i'm starting to have somekind of loyal audience.

Interesting article today in the paper (sorry only in french). Basically, people get married less and later in life. At the same time, the divorce rate is jumping on the roof. The numbers went from 1969 to 2006. For now, 50% of marriages are doomed. That's 1 out of 2. In 1969, only 1 out of 4 was a failure. Also, interesting fact, 65% of the time, divorce appears between the 4th and 15th year of mariage. So, before the 4th and after the 15th year, the couple is "safe". In other words, you have to live 11 years with the divorce sword above your head. The article goes on but that was enough for me to make up my own mind.

The church, the made of honor, the cake, the band, the guests, the honeymoon... seems like people are not so eager to rush into marriage. And how could they? Everyone around is getting divorced. The older you get, the more you see people splitting up. I blame lawyers. Divorce is a big legal business and it is of course in their interests to have as many people divorcing as possible. Lawyers know that a couple, after a certain time, will divorce. It's bit like having a haircut, you gotta go. So i think i'm not risking too much saying that it's a profitable business that will still go on.

I personnally dont believe in mariage. IF it would be extremly hard (that's what she said) to get divorced, then yes, marriage would mean something. Otherwise, it's just a big show for your parents and guests. In terms of administration, it's true that it's better to be married for the kids if you got any. Otherwise, i dont see the point. Have you been to a wedding party? People get over excited and believe you feel as happy as them when all you really want is go home and get rid of that annoying suit, but noooo you have to stay until they bring the cake so it's like the time stops and you finally hit on the made of honor who somehow is always sexier than the bride. Talking about the bride, why does she cry like a baby all the time? Where did that "girl power i'm-so-tough" attitude go???

As the head of web, i receive many CVs of people claiming being "webmasters" or "web dev" gurus. Most of them, have no diplomas or at best, a little paper-certificate from some bs school. Wannabes, or in other words, clowns. Today i received one that actually looked ok. I went online to check his work. I didnt even stay 5 sec, i closed down the browser. For obvious reasons, i'm not gonna put the link here but take my word when i say that guy made all the web mistakes that exist and worse, i didnt even need more than 5 sec to see.

We've had a bunch like these in early 2000 before the internet bubble exploded. I've seen many who thought they could be computer web programmer because they knew around Frontpage or Flash. At that time, it was not only ok to BS, but also ok to charge a ridiculous amount of money for a simple html page. After 8 years, the web has of course dramatically changed and it has now become a real profession with a degree at universities. Even simple web designers who used to be in charge of graphics only are now able to code in AJAX or PHP minimum. And the more we advance, the more the web becomes demanding, i know it, i have to work hard to keep up with the pace (that's what she said).

But that's a good thing because it's a natural selection. It seperates the professionnals and the clowns. Most wannabes think that web is all about designing and art... it's a part, yes but only 10%. The rest is project planning, architecture, coding etc. SO when i receive a CV of some clown saying he has no web diploma and his portefolio came from the nineties but he's an "artist"... sorry but go get a real degree. I hate clowns, they never made me laugh, even when i was a kid o//

Today, one of our collegue started to wear a dress at work with high hills shoes. Somehow, it was a subject of conversation among males. We're simply too used to see women wearing trousers and dressed like men. I mean, all that woman revolution, burning bras, voting rights and all that nonsense stuff.... for what? The right to wear trousers? I mean, if you had to get something from men to show you're equal, at least be it something comfortable.

So i actually asked my collegue why a dress all of the sudden. She said she was tired of the lack of feminity she sees around and wanted to feel like a woman again. That was the triggering point of a large debate with my other collegue (who's a bit feminist by the way) who thinks women should be equal and therefor, should wear trousers like men. I SO wanted to reply but for the sake of office harmony, i didnt want to start any drama.

I believe women should be more feminin. I'm not saying they shouldnt wear trousers, but time to time, it's good to remind the society who's the man, and who's the women. We're converging into a unisex civilization were kids will be mentally confused on who's daddy and mum. Being equal doesnt mean you have to be like men. It means you deserve recognition in whatever you do, be it cooking, cleaning or shopping. Do not deny that, it's part of the woman's gene along with crying and giggling. Society and feminists are trying to morph your original nature into a man-like way of living. I'm suspecting a global conspiracy to raise an army of women who will take over men civilization as we know it. Good for us that women cant lead, we're still safe for a while!

I dont often talk about video games here. First of all because it's geeky and second, i like to remind myself how i'm not a big loser playing world of warcraft after my dayjob as my only hobby. Yet, i grew up with video games and people my generation can often recognize themselves because we have the same references. I'm not the pong, pacman type ALTHOUGH i did have a MSX and early Amiga. Some of you might remember "Kings' valley" or even "Altered beast".

Anyway, video games have much evolved since that 3 pixels interface, we now have fancy 3D simulations, online communities spending a retarded time in front of their computer. Back to Warhammer online. Did i play it? no. I for now have better things to do in life than trying mmos. Doesnt mean i havent heard or read from it. People say it's a realm vs realm game. So in other words, it's a big battle field between factions/races. So nothing new, you have an avatar, you raise it to a top level, get some gears and go fight. I have played enough games in my life to understand it without wasting my time playing.

Warhammer reminds me more of the little lead figurines my brother and I used to paint. That was fun because we did it just because it was fun to paint. We didnt not play war or stuff like that. Just painting. It's more peaceful (probably even more geeky) but somehow, i miss that time. This brings back the thoughts about video games and what they bring to you. Some fun? sure. Would you put on your CV you have a lvl 60 priest troll? I guess not.

Geneva got its own apple store. The opening date is expected to be the 25th of September 2008. I dont understand how it couldnt come earlier. People dont seem to understand geneva's potential. Years, years, years ago, i said geneva ought to have a Muji store, a Starbucks coffee and an apple store... that's 2 out of 3. Was i ahead of their marketing/project team? Maybe, maybe not. I live here so i'm a bit more aware of how it works.

Something amusing about apple and how they always want to keep things secret. There were not official statement that a store was coming, during construction, they hid the door with huge black wooden panels. Then, when it became obvious that they were preparing a store, they put an apple logo. Then a week earlier, they put "coming soon". Who are they kidding? The community knew from some time now that 25.09.08 was the launching date. I love the internet.

So before work i went down there to see how it looked like. I expected another usual apple store like i've seen in london, ny and tokyo. Yup, was the same. Next to the terrasse, i saw gathered, many people i've seen during the recruitment process. Were they here to check out too or did they get the job? Anyway, the store opens at 17h so i'll have a look tonight. I'm somehow much less excited than expected. Proof that i'm not a fanboy?

Today, Google with T-Mobile and HTC presented their "iPhone killer", the G1. Oooook let's see. First of all, when you enter the competition in any area where a dominant product is already in place, you dont call it the "X killer". Doing that, you only give more credit to that product, here the iPhone. Second, if you're cocky enough to call your phone the "iPhone killer"... be sure it kills the iPhone.

Wired mag has a short summary of the G1 which you can read here but if you dont want to bother, keep on reading amazing houchuen. First thing that strikes, the look. Let's face it, this is a boring phone. The shape design was a good idea, but nothing new as Motorola already came up with that. The G1 is a bit bigger, heavier than the iPhone and YET, manage to have a smaller screen (3.17' for G1 and 3.5' for apple) but i'm not gonna have a go at the screen since you CANNOT playback movies on it. There's also a lack of multitouch technology, which is what makes the iPhone fun to use. Oh and there's a physical keyboard if you slide the screen. I know there's a demand for it, i still think this is retarded. About the OS, people were expecting and thrilled to have an "open source" OS they can twick around. Guess what... it's not THAT open. Some restrictions were made.

So why the fuss? Because there's an entire community out there who literaly hates Apple and their iPhone. Sorry to say that they make more noise than harm. The iPhone is selling like hot cakes, their Appstore is a killer and dont even come to me with looks. Google OS will be interesting to see evolving because like microsoft, they do have the cash to hammer the market. But they will going to have to get a better hardware, which is a problem Apple simply doesnt have. Steve Jobs often quotes "If you really believe in your software, make your own hardware".

I'm a music retard. Let me explain. The older i get, the more back in time i go in music. Yes, i have always listened to the Jackson5 or even the Chiffons but on a timeline, not only i'm getting closer to oldies, i'm also moving away to "what's on Mtv" nowdays. Actually, it used to be a time when someone turns Mtv on, there would be (spoiler alert) ... music. If i now check Mtv by accident, all i see is reality shows. Funnily enough, i used to watch that channel a lot until they started to air "the real world" like 4x a day.

Back to music. I cant stop feeling old when i listen to some new artist on the radio which i dont know the name of both the singer and song. Especially when one goes "what?? you dont know her??? omg lol". Oooook right i dont know her. Clearly i can feel the gap getting wider and wider. Do i care that i cant name the latest Mtv music award song performance? No. What I'm really wondering is that in 1 or 2 generation, will Britney Spears be their Aretha Franklin??? That would blow.

Also, talking about music, STOP buying CDs! I mean, i checked at FNAC the other day, a Gloria Gaylor CD, it was CHf 38.- !!! I went home, checked on iTunes, CHf 15.- !!! Ok ok, i dont have the plastic case and booklet, BIG DEAL! Saving plastic (which buy the way is oil), paper, shipping and store profit is equal to 38-15= 23.- !!?!!!??! Let's not even talk about the ecological aspects. Plastic + paper + shippment. No seriously, buy your music on Virgin, iTunes, Sony etc etc. Also, if you want to buy just one song, CHf 1.50! Let's face it, not 100% of a CD is good and you sometimes buy it just for half of the songs, sometimes not even. The disc industry is still trying to ripp you off. Whoever still using physical CDs must be retarded.

Just as i thought i figured out why men cheat on women, some swedish dude in some institut thought it would be a good idea to hammer me with his scientific theory. Basically, i believe that men cheat because we're low. We clearly separate sex and feelings, just like pigs (i mean, pigs are cute and funny but let's face it, we all like bacon). So when men cant get what they needs at home, chances are pretty high that they'll go look for it outside. Add to that, the fact that we live in a temptation society with poster of half naked women, bimbos on tv, free porn on the internet etc etc. Men, weak or not, are more tempted.

This is also the reason why men cheat more than women. Women, are not low, they dont see sex as a way of living (except pornstars) but when they have kids, procreation is then not necessary anymore. It's a fact that Men think about sex more than 50 times a day while women less than 5. Also, women would get back to you differently in a more sneaky way but mostly likely, with no sex involved.

Anyway, Hasse Walum from the Karolinska Institut in Stockhom Sweden (yah, i know), found out that there's a gene in the male body that affects the vasopressine which is a hormon that influence the sexual attraction. That swedish guy also says that some men dont have this gene (probably the pro-feminists) and that even if they do, there's a way to remove it. But then, if you take it off, the question is the following: women (who think too much), will they think we stay with them because we like them or because science stops us from comparing? hmmm dilemma dilemma...

Went to BD-fil in Lausanne this weekend to meet one of my alltime favourite author: Thomas Ott. He's actually a filmaker who draws very dark stories. Here's an example of his art. Unlike many comics authors, Thomas Ott starts with a black sheet of paper and fills in with white. This technic is perfect for the dark/morbid atmosphere he creates. Most of his stories could be a twilight zone episode, the dark and white ones obviously. Unfortunately, he doesnt produce a lot but if that means we get quality at the end, that's fine with me.

This comics convention is getting bigger and bigger every year. Not that i'm a big fan of convention, i usually only go if i see someone i like. But it was nice for once to see Thomas Ott and have dinner there. Too bad Lausanne hasnt passed the non-smoking law yet, this is something we get used to it too quickly, not having smoke around.

Talking about comics, automatically brings the topic of mine and where it's at. I have been very busy putting in place gufugumu because this time, it's really a big website coming up. But as soon as it's in place, i'm getting back on my storyboard. I still draw but nothing worth posting here so far, mostly sketches.

As expected, Apple came up with new iPods at the Music Keynote in San Fransisco. Everytime they launch something, one goes "that's the best one" and yet they manage to always improve the device. So what's new? Of course, the player got thinner, more colours, better battery life (24h audio so they say) and basically, the same shape of version 2 but same screen as version 3. So the best of both worlds. It's got the same acceleratometer as the iphone/touch and an amusing fonction where you shake the ipod to shuffle the songs.

Many people think i'm an Apple fanboy. I must defend myself, i am not. I do like what they make (come on, who doesnt) but what fascinates me is not Apple per say, but the fascination people have for the company. I've read the book the Cult of Mac by Leander Kahney and i must say, Apple fans are nuts. This is probably the only company in the world where fans actually saved it from once bankrupcy. There's something magnetic in Apple, almost dramatic that makes the crowd love it even when they're treated like cows.

Also, this fascination for Steve Jobs make me ask whether he's a CEO or a guru. I give credits where credit is due, he's a brillant orator (and as a marketing point of view, i encourage you to watch his keynote presentations), but how is that enough to have people sacrificing their afternoons, days, weeks to queue in front of a store of a piece of device??? Yes the iPhone is awesome and i love every bit of it but worshiping a company is a bit freaky. Maybe one day i'll explain how my Apple group seminar recruitment went.

Switzerland has always been proud of its neutrality. I do wonder how one could get neutrality. I mean when you think about it, it's a kickass statut! It basically gives you the right to be protected and not being involved in anything. "Hey Swissies, we need your army to help us kill twats in some exploitable poor countries!" - "Sorry cant do, we're neutral" - "damn Swiss! *eats chocolate*". Even during WW2, when all countries in Europe were fighting like crazy (except the french of course), Switzerland could kick back and enjoy their fondue while watching people killing each other in the name of love.

HOWEVER, we've been hearing a lot about Switzerland lately, especially abroad. Worst one is probably when our foreign affaires department minister went to Iran with a veil on her retarded head. We're clearly destroying Switzerland's neutrality and this is very dangerous for our security. There are two kind of school about neutrality. The first (right) one is to let people kill each other -> dont know, dont care, we're neutral. You're welcome to open a bank acount in our country but if you need "help" outside, move your ass and start working instead of fighting each other like kids. The (wrong) second one is to get involved everywhere there's trouble. These people believe they're neutral because they help BOTH sides. Here's the news: we cant help everyone because we will never be neutral to a side if we help the other and vice-versa!!!

We cant please everyone, it's the law of nature: mankind is NEVER happy with what he's got. We should stick to true neutrality and never get involved. We dont need to pay for other's stupidity. We do business, we welcome tourists and we move on to our lives. Being noisy and feeding egos with outside issues never solved anything. Our government should first solved problems inside the country rather than acting like jesus.

Our world is directed by logos. The samples i've put on the left, i'm sure most of you all know them. The egyptians and chinese (any iconographic writing system) knew that we understand images much better than words (a picture = a 1000 words anyone?). This is why a logo is so important for a company and also why some spend millions in order to have a visual identity that strikes out.

I put the money where my mouth is (that's what she said) so i placed the gufugumu logo next to these big brands. First thing that strikes me immediately is the simplicity of the work. The simpler the logo, the more you can let your imagination work. The challenge being to keep your audience in track of your targeted niche. Gufugumu is about food and beverage. I had a contest where I asked people to guess what it means based on the name and the logo. Some amazing answers came out. One suggested that it is a pacman-like drinking (but we dont see the glass). For the story, the shape obviously reminds us of a "G" but the fact that only 1/4 of the circle is use shows that it's all about the number 4 (4 words, 4 sets of "o" etc).

I often get complimented on the logo. People seem to understand it at the first sight as a "G" and then, when they look closer, they start to see things. However, a logo is not everything. And simplicity is not necessarly the key. Check Starbucks, Coke-cola etc... complicated fonts, packed details and yet, 2 huge economic success. So although there are certain things to avoid (bad taste being one), success has no rules. I'm sure feelings have a lot to do in order to see the big picture and probably one of the reasons some companies succeeds without really knowing why.

Pollution is a big debate. With the oil going nuts and the ecology parties machine-gunning the medias, we almost feel bad to be around planet earth. I'm gonna have a go at the green terrorists. I dont think guilt should be a way to make people behave properly. We've been acting as if we didnt care about the environment but fact is, no one ever educated us to be that way. I was born in the seventies and capitalism only took off during the eighties. I dont blame my mum at all, she's even less aware of the ecology disaster that is upcoming.

However, one should be very careful about general knowledge. Wired had an extremly interesting investigation about what we believe is environmentally friendly. You'd be shocked to read that for instance, cities are "greener" than countryside habitats. etc. Also, yes, it's important to take care of the planet and all that BUT, the fuss people like Al Gore are making is really overdue. I invite you to watch "ManBearPig" from Southpark season 10 with Al Gore.

I personnally do my share. I recycle plastic, paper, use friendly lightbulbs and even bicycle. I stopped working for the pollution industry (honda) and am about to sell my motorbike. It's not the max but it's what one can do everyday. At one point, you should ask yourself if this is not just all part of a cycle. Eventually, things will get balanced again. This is why we have disease, wars etc. Human kind is so stupid that earth knows that at one point, we'd be cancelling each other. I hope that my next life as a rat will have more excitment than this one.

Today i decided to disappear from facebook. Why? Many reasons but the main one is because i cant stand anymore this "love me - watch me" website. "Hey nick, you're full of BS, you have a website of your own". Ok let's not be smartasses here. I make a difference between a social network and a dumb website. Mine doesnt connect to anyone (except for the link page but that's promotional, not narcissism). I get what facebook is trying to do and that's fine. It's just not for me. Am i anti-social? I think not. I simply chose not to be bombarded with unecessary information all the time. It's great that people want to share "what they're doing"... I simply dont really care that you bought an apple or kissed a penguin.

Facebook in a way was fun because it linked back some old friends. But after the "how's it been doing?", you move on back to your normal life. The concept "friend" is also biaised. Those with 1356136134 friends always made me laugh. I'll stick to my 5 max friends, thx bye. I think i'm probably one of the few who actually deleted "friends" when other in my surrounding kept adding. Thing is, people got so into it that actually got mad that i deleted them. MY argument is that if you're my friend, you simply know it... no need to have a social network interface. So if you were on my list, don't worry, i most likely dont hate you yet.

On the other hand, i'm discovering more and more linkedin. It's like facebook but for business. There i have an interest in promoting myself and growing a network. Is everything in life about profit and interest? Of course not. But facebook brought unhealthy mixed feelings and to some case, a waste of time. And i think it's time with a certain age that it's good to be a bit more humble. People thought that with my godly ego, i'd be the facebook king. People obviously dont know me.

The 2008 Olympic games are now over. I must admit, i did not watch as much as i wanted, probably because it occured at a lonely time last week. I did watch some volleyball, but i missed all that big mofo swimmer who eats like a cow and won a billion gold medals. Point is, people rather focused on human rights in China than the festivities. First of all, they dont understand the concept "there's place and time for everything". The Olympics is probably the only time when/where all nations fight in peace. The gathering is a celebration and the image it reflects is supposed to bring hope to all people.

Guess who didnt think so: the pro-tibetans. Those extremists thought it would be a great idea to take advantage of the Olympics to voice their opinion about how Chinese are lame to attack Tibet. Anyone is of course free to say what he wants... AT HOME! We're talking about China - Beijing. We're talking about 6 dumb whites extremists. We're talking about Olympic times, probably the ONLY time when Beijing is most filled with security and cops. So yeah, blabla noble cause poor tibetans blabla ooook i dont deny that BUT at one point, you gotta ask yourself: if these people are dumb enough to believe they can make a difference by acting stupid, is there a reason for ME to be associated with them? Spoiler alert, the answer is no.

It gets better when you read that the 6 retards who got arrested are americans. In a blink of an eye, the US government calls China for "the respect of the human rights and freedom of speech". I wished China would reply back with "Sure, we'll trade your 6 clowns for 6 prisonners in Guantanamo k xie xie bye". The apotheosis reached Switzerland where people usually hate China for the way the country is ruled and hate the US because of divers reasons. The Swiss could not decide and agree who was more ridiculous. Good joke. I personnally will remember these Olympics as having the most beautiful stadium ever. That birdnest is a piece of art and just because that, i give China two thumbs up! (one for the stadium, the other up the pro-tibetan extremists' ass).

It's been few months now that I've been working for the bank in Geneva downtown. I used to work at redneck's land, ie, the industrial zone. I cant find words to describe this no man's land as there's nothing to describe. Imagine an empty box, put some ugly buildings, fill the parking lots with cars (french licence plates, sometimes Vaud, rarely Geneva) and you pretty much have the industrial zone. Lunch break there looks like a funeral and i could count the places with one hand (that's IF you have a car) and since most people have to check-in and out for work, you got only 1 hour sharp to eat. *joy*

SO, compared to that crap hole, let's see. Working downtown is simply more exciting because there's more dynamism and mouvement. Ideas are floating, you just need to catch them. Lunch break is a real break. I could count at least a dozen quality food places around my building alone. If you want to do some shopping after work, shops are down the street (real shops). I have lost 5kg since i started working downtown. Why? because i simply dont take the bike or bus anymore, i simply walk or use the bicycle. Bonus: i live 5 minutes walking from the office meaning i'm home when i get out of work... priceless.

This of course implies that you also live downtown, or else you're just another commuter stuck in traffic and polluting around. Working out town is not necessarly a bad thing if the employer knows how to choose the location and the facilities. Let's check Reuters, it's located outside of Geneva town BUT it's nearby the lake and the building is modern and confortable. The cafeteria at Reuters is actually very good and people enjoy eating at their workplace. There's an interesting article in last month's Wired comparing quality of life in countryside and downtown, ecology wise, one might think that green is better but they managed to show that many ideas were simply wrong. Living/working downtown kicks ass and i do feel bad for people stuck in traffic jam and get isolated among cows and industrial background... oh wait no... i dont give a damn.

"You think James Bond would pick up the bill?" That's what my dad used to say. I was brought up to treat a girl like a lady and now, we're in 2008 and it's girl power. Women have top paid jobs, fully independant and sometimes, even manage men at work. They of course pay their own bills, have the "snap-snap-attitude" and are in control. If a men wants to pay for their meal, they feel offended as if they're being treated as.... women.

And YET, if ANY of these women were to have diner with James Bond (Sean Connery, Daniel Craig... pick one you like), they'd probably melt when he throws his platinum from his majesty on the check plate. WHY WHY WHY? Obviously, money is not the issue as these women do have it. Is it the attitude? James Bond is well known to be a gentlmen and at the same time, he treats women like sh!t. And women seem to LOVE it! Confusing?

I once again fully blame the feminists for this. There used to be a time when men would hold the door to their ladies, pick up the check or even offer their jacket if it's bit cold. Thanks to the feminists, women now feel insulted and bad when a guy tries to act as ... a man. And yet, there's still hope. Women all want a prince charming. No matter how tough they act, they still wait for a comfortable shoulder. This is why i know the feminist movement is a joke and that they belong to the circus.

Btw, go watch "In Bruges". Excellent movie!

This could be either very long or very short. The short version: AWSOME!!! The long one: Christopher Nolan placed the mark very high with "Batman Begins". The reboot of the Batman franchise was necessary after the several failures (wtf batgirl). Batman Begins is clearly the darkest and best version of the superhero. Frank Miller's Dark knight has been loyally painted by Nolan and played by Christian Bale and this is not even a matter of taste anymore. If you didnt like Batman begins, you clearly have poor judgement of what a good movie is.

We therefore thought "that's it, this is the best batman ever!" until now. 2h30 of pure Gotham action! Batman here, Batman there... BUT, like all the articles on the net, the Joker is what makes "The Dark knight" fantastic. Heath Ledger, despite the tragic death, deserves recognition and a post-mortem academy award! You thought Jack Nickolson was good (and you're right)? Wait to see Heath Ledger; he makes Hannibal Lecter look like a boyscout!

"The Dark knight" is so much more than a superhero. Batman is first of all popular because he clearly has no super abilities (well, he's super rich if anything) and that makes him the most human of all. Torn like the Joker, true nemesis and with Darth Vador, probably the best incarnation of pure evil. The Joker doesnt care what's right or wrong. He just "want to see the world burn". The film is NOT a popcorn movie (doesnt mean you cant eat popcorn). The plot is rich and diggs deep (that's what she said) into our social abilities towards good and evil. Without being a batman fanboy, i can say objectively that Nolan has done a superb job, so did the actors. They're now talking about Angelina Jolie playing Catwoman for the 3rd one... can't wait... rawr!

It is very difficult (at least in Geneva) to find a good restaurant that has it all; which is partly why i started the gufugumu "service". Food, service and decoration, all are important. Today, another step towards lameness has been reached. I read in Tribune de Geneve (sorry, only for French readers) that more and more restaurants are making tap water billed! The article gives the example of a restaurant in Eaux-Vives called "A tasca do primo". These crooks dont make you pay the pot, they make you pay 3.- PER PERSON! We're not talking about mineral water, we're talking about boring tap water.

The twat defends himself saying "yeeees but you know, we have to pay salary for the person cleaning the glasses, filling the pot etc" waaaaah BS-me more please. I dont fully blame the restaurant owners though. The reason why they make you pay tap water is because more and more people start to not drink bottled water. Why? For ecological reasons. Dont get me wrong, it's a noble cause BUT ecology has to be free otherwise, how in the world can you make people act the right way? For most of us, money > ecology. I do my part, as long as it's free. Even if it takes me some effort, i'd still do it but paying for tap water, no no and no.

So be careful, check the menu good and if you DONT see a price for TAP WATER, then you can order it. (most of the time, it's handwritten). IF you see a price, then go to another place. Clearly this is a veeeery bad long term strategy for restaurants. I need to update gufugumu and see if i'm gonna incorporate that information on restaurant files.

Fetes de Geneve - This saturday was the closing ceremony of the festivities and as the tradition requires, we had a big firework. This year, it's been decided to go by the lake on a fancy terrasse to watch my taxes vanish in the air. It was gorgerous! It may not seems that way but the geneva fireworks is one of the biggest and best done in the world. It used to be an international fireworks competition but not anymore; the other competitors probably gave up as we kept winning.

It's been said that each shooting cost an average of 22'000.- Swiss francs which is approximately the cost of a minicooper. Last year was a good fiscal year so they decided to go cocky and launch even more fireworks. This is probably the only time of the year where geneva is at peace. Fireworks always reminds me of starwars when they blow up the death star. This is a very lame article, i'm boring myself writing about it so i'm just gonna cut short and advance on gufugumu. (btw this picture was taken with my iPhone. Pretty good huh...)

Little bit of news from gufugumu. Why? because first of all, having as many links as possible drives traffic and highers the rank on google. Second because after only a few months up, i wanted to talk about how it's doing.

Gufugumu was born as a project to do with friends but turns out i'm pretty much alone on it now (except 2-3 people). The launch was a mini-success as the word-to-mouth did its job. The website started with 5 restaurants, it now has 12. Again, it's not about the quantity, it's all about quality. I have seen collegues at work bookmarking gufugumu because things happened exactly how i expected: they like one place, they want to try the others.

As the summer is ending, i'm already thinking of a new version with a different concept. At first, the gumu (or good mood) was meant for music BUT turns out that it takes way too much time to handle the restaurants AND looking for bands. SO the concept will change and it will kick ass! The traffic has been suprisingly satisfying. I dont do any marketing for the site (except here but hey...) and still, i now get a regular 100+ visitor per day. Majority is of course returning visitors which shows the website is being used as a restaurant address book. I also get lots of compliments on the logo whenever people see my business card or the website.

The new version will be ready for some AdSense as i'm testing it here. I now understand how exciting it must have been to have a real startup during the internet boom. I chose the safe path of having a job and getting gufugumu up as a hobby and already i can feel the thrill! (that's what she said)

I noticed recently that i hate songs that have poor rimes. The best example i can come up with are the rimes in "oo" or "ou". Like "you know it's true, i love you" or "you know what to do, it's true"... etc. Bit like the "together, forever" crap. I know they're meant to go well BUT it's cheap and lame. I mean there's so many ways to rime with "you". For instance, there's "blue, view, grew, tattoo, bamboo, shampoo etc".

So instead of a boring "i love you, it's true", we could go "i love you, like a matching tattoo". Singers nowdays lack in creativity. It's rare to find a band that can play with words. The Killers are a good one. But again, those who use cheap rimes usually make lame songs. Madonna is a good example of poor word choice. She's lucky to have good sound (sometimes)

I'm one of those who always gets more attracted to the sound than the lyrics and people say that both are important. I dont agree. Music is obviously more important. Take a good song, take off the lyrics, you still can enjoy the tune. Now, reverse the process and listen to the lyrics only (not sung), you get a boring poem. Case closed, spoiler alert, i win.

You may have noticed that today, i added a Google banner on my site. Oooooh noes!!! nick is broke and needs moneeeeey!!! ... no. The reason why i'm adding google banner is not because i'm a cheap bastard (which i'm not... well i might be a bastard but not a cheap one if anything) but more like to test the feature. I know i know... i'm a bit behind, google banners have been on for ages. I have always hesitated to place a banner because an ad free website is so much nicer. But again, it's part of my daily job to mix functionality and esthetism. So i took it as a challenge to see if i could make a google banner fit into my "look and feel" - that's what she said.

First impression: i'm never gonna be rich with a google banner on houchuen.com. Let's face it, this website is not meant to attract a huge audience. Second, even with numerous visitors, it would take a lot of page views to earn only a few bucks. So why do people do it? Because they're cheap bastards. 5$ probably wont cover their hosting fees but it's still 5$. I have the priviledge to have a website for fun (unlike some "friends" thought, it is for fun) so i'm able to test web technics and not making any money with it.

This, however, will allow me to get used to the banner and see if it could be applied to a bigger project. My mum always said that "it's ok to be a criminal, but if you choose that path, at least be a big one and not a lame thug". SO, when i'll see the potential of that banner, i will come up with a real business plan and eventually, do what i have always wanted to do, work whenever and where ever i want.

I'm currently responsible for recruiting a graphiste-designer. This time, i alone am responsible for looking for the right person. I thought i knew many people who could tool with Photoshop, Indesign etc but it seems that most are only "playing" with these softwares. I'm receiving some CVs of people auto-proclaming themselves "Graphist-designers"... I'm sure they believe they are. I dont. It seems like an easy task to find a graphist but it's actually pretty tricky.

Having the "power" to recruit someone automatically brings the topic of "networking". What is the difference between hiring an incompetant friend or knowing someone who could do the job? Well obviously both are networking but the first one is pretty much pathetic. Why? because someone with skills might not be recruited just because someone else with no experience knows the recruiter. The second one is different, still it is favouring someone BUT if that person is skilled, then why not. As for me, i would rather give the job to someone who shows me s/he is motivated and has the capacity/skills for it. The more i gain experience in the business environment, the more i see things go with networking. I, for example, out of 3 jobs, was once introduced (but the "networker" came to me, not me to him, i actually didnt need a job at that time). Then there's the question how far the networking goes. Do we just warn the person that there's an opening? Or do we, in addition, influence the HR praising the candidate?

Some people dont mind beeing intensively networked. I would. I can't look myself into the mirror knowing i've done nothing to get the job that someone else could have needed. And people say i'm someone who doesnt give a damn about others... tsss ;)

I've just finished another design book called "Sixties design" from Philippe Garner in the Taschen edition. The more i read and learn about design, the more i find out that many times, people have no clue what it is. Many think that it's just a bunch of colours and shapes to make things "pretty"... but no because that's purely subjective to taste. A "designer" for me is someone who "create something functional that has a concept behind".

The web is full of aweful design and again, i'm not talking about colors or shapes. There are certains rules about mixing colours but then we talk about "bad tastes" (or no taste... as you prefer). I recently discover the site acquire mag and i was so happy to finally see a website that has the navigation menu on the RIGHT! Yes, for a long time i have been designing website with a right-side menu. Why? because when i design something, i need to think about functionality. Since the majority is right-handed, it only makes sens to have it on that side. The reason why "designers" place menu on the left side is purely historical; early days of the web, the screen resolution and the lack of browsers flexibility made us have menus on the left because it was the "fixed" side.

The term "design" has been diluted to many medias and it's been recognized that one has to have an artistic side in order to produce good design. More and more, things have to be not only functional but also beautiful. This is precisely WHY many think they're "designers". Because beautiful is subjective and we all believe we do things tastefully when most of the time, they simply achieve to reach cheapness or what i call "art-tuning" (still is "art" but a crap one). Apple is a good example. Their products are "design" because they're FUNCTIONAL and THOUGHT-OF. The look is only 10% of what makes the hardware / software "design". BUT, people dont see that because they dont USE Apple, they only see them in stores. Ignorants.

It's been bit more than a week that i've had the iPhone in my pocket. Although there are millions of reviews on the web, here's what i think about that piece of hardware: yes, it's awesome! No need to talk about that excellent multitouch screen, it's already been praised more than needed. I've tried other touch screens and no, no no and no, they sux! Apple managed to make mutlitouching fun!

When the first iPhone launched, i still remember the anti-mac going "what? no keyboard??? what a stupid phone!". Now that version 2 is out, we clearly see the advantage of having a 100% keyboardless phone. Some applications can now be added / downloaded without having to modify the keyboard. Those who went "BUT WAIT! How am i supposed to dial in my pocket???", i'd tell them that if you call someone in your pocket, he wont hear you. (unless you're a mutant and your mouth is on your thighs - oh and dont come with the "ear-bud" accessories, no one wants to use one).

Now, don't need to walk around with my iPod touch and a mobile. All in one! The voice quality is clear and unlike what i thought, it's a very confortable phone to talk with. Some people whine about the battery life but for me, it's not an issue. My iPhone is docked at the office and at home so i'm always full of juice - that's what she said...

Finally, since Apple opened their platform, 3rd party dev are going nuts and offering their iPhone apps via iTunes. Apple's business model is a killer! They dominated the music using the exact same pattern. 1st -> get a sexy mp3 player, 2nd -> offer the music platform and 3rd -> feel the green. Brilliant!

A friend showed me today a link about the Totoro Forest Project. Dont come to me with a "what's a totoro?", you'd be welcoming my foot. The creator of Totoro, Hayao Miyazaki, has been an active witness of the Sayama Forest near Tokyo. That forest is also called the "Totoro Forest" as it was there that he got inspired with the character Totoro and the well-known movie "Tonari no Totoro".

Urbanisation has finally reached the border of the forest and the area is now in great danger. There are two things that annoy me here and they go into two opposite directions. First, we're obviously too crowded on this planet and i believe it's time we start to send some people into space (especially the whiners and the feminists, although many will fall into both categories). Secondly, this Totoro project will for sure drag lots of people and most of those are the nerdy otaku anime fans who probably worship Hayao Miyazaki like their god (i'd put them into space too). BUT, talk about the amazon and there you have... no one except Sting who got lost in the jungle.

This again clearly shows 2 things to me. 1, we're selfish bastard as even in our environmental conscience, we defend project that are dear to us (the otaku anime wastes) and 2, we keep expending cities and placing more and more buildings around nature. Dont get me wrong, i love Central Park in NY BUT, that's also because it's very particular. The Totoro forest would most likely die due to entrepreneurs and real state agents. I hope that project will save the forest as much as other places in the world that are being screwed up.

This topic is not about Julia Roberts although she does contribute to all this nonsense! I'm talking about these stupid movies like "My best friend's wedding"... There you have Cameron Diaz, very girly and pretty / cute, wearing dresses and all the feminin thingy that come with it. On the other side, you have the "hometown boy" girls who would rather hang around with guys and drink beer. She most likely despise girls like Cameron Diaz (which she does in the movie) and wear trouser jeans.

If by now you havent seen where the nonsense is, keep reading. So where are located the guy between the two types of girls? On one side he's got his "princess" and on the other, his "best-buddy". BUT, where it goes all wrong and makes me want to punch the head of casting, is that they chosed Julia Roberts for the "boy-like" role!!! JULIA ROBERTS!!! Hellooooo we're talking about 1m80 of glamour bright toothpast smile and long wavy red hair!!! Julia Robert is like having the best of both world. GUESS WHAT, THAT GUY CHOSES CAMERON DIAZ!!!! I'm simplyfing the movie but that's the main line.

We're living in confusing days and girls who used to be clearly girls have become men-like and vice versa. These androgyn guys make men also asking where the line is between both genders. It's also very disturbing for the kids... who's daddy? who's mommy? Dont know how i got to that but damn i hate feminists!

Oh well, i did not get the first version of the iPhone unlike many thought. Main reason is because i actually go straight legal with Apple products so didnt want a crap hacked iPhone that didnt even have 3G. Now that the version 2 is out, i can go nuts. Swisscom decided to open their stores early this friday for the launch, at exactly 06:30 am. So at 06:25 i was on my bicycle riding towards the shop naively thinking that "come on, this is geneva, i'll be one of the first". How wrong was i as i saw the queue going all the way to the end of the street sideways... I didnt even stop the biking, there were 100s of people waiting. So I decided to go further to the other big swisscom store... same thing. By then, it was 06:50 so i started to ride home knowing i would never queue for a phone. But as i was going back, i noticed a light on near Bally store. It was the Phone House store that apparently decided to open very early as well. Parked my bicycle and went in... 3 PEOPLE ONLY WAITING!!! Got my iPhone pretty early, went to Starbucks for breakfast, gg.

iPhone 2 is the first iPhone in Switzerland, Apple decided to skip Chocoland for their first version. After a few minutes playing with it, i can say the phone is all i dreamed of EXCEPT for the 2MB pixel camera. That's a shame, i expected a 3.2MB at least. I still will wait to see how the battey goes but so far, it seems pretty strong. The contact application gives you the desire you orderly rearrange your phone books, put pictures etc. Overall, i'm pretty pleased with the phone. To all who think it's dumb to spend that amount of money (300.-) for a phone, maybe they should go hug a cactus as the iPhone is clearly the iPod of the cellular phone (it is actually an iPod too!!!). Just for info, that picture was taken with the iPhone.

Came out December 2007. Why am i writing about it now? Because i recently read that Newline Cinema got bankrupt. They've been bought by Warner, another fat lady. Newline distributed some great movies; must i remind you the excellent "Lord of the rings" from Jackson? After that epic trilogy, there were loads of "fantastic-not-for-kids-but-still..." movies such as Harry Potter, Narnia Chronicles etc etc. Then there were talks about Pullman's novel adaptation on screen with a luxiurious cast of actors such as Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Ian McKellen. Must be good right? Then you read that the director will be... Chris Weitz... aaaaaah wtf is Weitz? Let me refresh your memory : American Pie, anyone? So Chris Jackson-wannabe Weitz wants to do an epic movie. Newline's first mistake. Well well well... IF you're eager to have a movie bringing a financial return, maybe you should have a real director in charge? The result is a crap movie that cost +200 million dollars. You read me right, 200 millions. Newline expected 30 to 40 millions the first weekend, it did less than 10.

I dont like judging without knowing so i actually went to see it. Conclusion? The movie was poor, no rythm, actors seemed bored and that little main girl character was obviously badly lead by the "director". The "epic" battle at the end looks like a football game. The polar bears were cool (special effects by Walden) but again, for 200 millions dollars, i could also give a ring to Lucas and order some 230241 computer animators. So yah, the movie sucked. I know how it goes subjective with taste but numbers proved me right : the golden compass was a complete flop. Newline barely got it's money back, which of course wasnt enough so bye bye. Warner probably bought them for a tap on the back and the only reason is most likely to have the rights on Lord of rings. Best of best? That movie was supposed to be a TRIlogy... guess what? no 2 and 3 planned.

It's been sometimes that i have walked away from pollution, ie: not riding motorcycles and working for a motor company. So since i dont contribute to pollution anymore, i have also looked away from the motorcycle world. But the other day, a good friend showed me the Ducati 848. MAMA MIA! Che bella! There's no secret, Italians KNOW how to design. It is true that non-japanese motorbike had the reputation to lack in consistency and technology but the gap has been narrowed. I can see it everyday in Geneva, people working downtown and who arent rednecks drive Triumph, Ducati, Harley etc. I must say Yamaha is the sexiest among the japanese for the naked and Suzuki is by far the most aggressive looking for supersports. BUT, the Ducati 848 is just a storm. Pure lines, aggressive front, 20kg lighter etc.

Like all italians, it's a pricey toy but completly in range with the audience, meaning people working in finance or any high revenue. However, design has a cost so good design gotta be expensive. Plus, no need to mention that Ducati is the number ONE MotoGP world champion. I used to be in love with their Monster series but that 848 is just a dream. Japanese have a lot to learn in design from the italians (no wonder the last hornet naked was designed by an italian, proving me right).

Anyway, with the oil becoming more and more expensive (146$ as i'm typing), the earth being more and more screwed up, i'm glad to be away from motorisation business. I'm even thinking of selling my Gilera as a bicycle is all i need in Geneva.

Woot i'm back! As written previously, i was gonna place my website somewhere private with login access and all that stuff. Why? because i didnt want to "hurt" some people i knew. Then i thought "hmm, these same people are still ignoring me and acting like 3rd grade school kids so WHY should i have other people who actually like my posts to change their bookmark and have them go through the pain of log in?" That was stupid so i thought i'd just keep my original site, revamp a bit (doesnt hurt to keep the skills up to date) and keep doing what i like. At the end of the day, this is still my site so if you dont like the content, dont come / read.

I have talked to many people, mainly those who were enjoying my posts and conclusion was basically the same "it's ridiculous to fight over trivial things". Taking off the site for a while also showed me that more than i thought were reading me. Thank you guys.

SO, new website. I'm daring Georgia font. So far, i've only seen wired.com using it. Someone once said i'm not a "designer" (wtf is a designer in the first place...). Whatever, i think we all are in a way. Some are good and some sux. I LOVE my design. I always want to go straight to the point, be consistant and have thought out ways of navigating. Aftwerwards, the cosmetic, you like it or not is completly subjective. I'm gonna go for blueish-turquoise because it reminds me of summer. I'll change colours in Autumn.

Anyway, i'm back, lots to talk about. Got promoted (yes, already...), fêtes de la music, Batman coming out.... stay tuned!

This is my bicycle. Ever since i bought it, i kept having people either stopping me on the street and saying "man! nice bike" or even leaving messages on it going "waouh, what a great bike!"...

More about the bike. It's the work of a Danish designer company called Sögreni. It's got a Brook sit and no front brakes (torpedo system, meaning you have to bike backward to brake). The handles and the sit are of course in stylish leather and as for the structure, it's entirely made out of aluminium. More information on lifeiscarbon.com.

I got this bike in a shop called "The Village", probably named after the New York area. I'm also pretty sure that i'm the only one in Geneva (if not Switzerland) to have such bike and this is probably the reason why no one has tried to steal it yet...

About the price, was 1600.-, got it on sales for 800.-. Some of my surrounding cant understand why spending 800.- on a bicycle when you could get a modern one for 300.-. Well, like this Mastercard ad, a Selandia bicycle, 800.-... a compliment note from a total stranger, priceless.

Not because i dont post drawings that i dont draw anymore. I've been doodling a lot on paper actually. Meet Matt, from my new project GDKLLR. Again, about religion and clearly a tribute to Cobra! I cant tell you much about the story yet as i'm in the middle of the scenario but i think it's gonna be fun.

I used to draw with Adobe Flash because vectors kinda corrected my lines but this one is the first that i use completly Photoshop to make. The result is very satisfying, at least for me.I have also put some of the drawings on facebook. I thought might as well since many high school people asked me if i still keep up with my "art".

My account has finally officially ended. Beside a few moment, i can say again that it was a complete waste of time. Now that i dont have access to my toons anymore i realise even more how much time has been wasted in that game. World of warcraft, like other mmorpg make you pay a fee by month (around 20.-) so in order for them to make money, they have to keep you in the game as long as possible.

Now that i'm out, i can see why people are having a hard time to quit.They have spent so much time in the game customizing their character that they feel they own this piece of pixels... i know people who literally spend hours per day playing that game.

What did i accomplish these 2 years playing wow? nothing. 10% fun, 90% waste of time. Could have been better if i could have actually played with friends but most of them would rather solo. Leaving that game was probably the best thing i could do, virtually speaking.I have to commit myself to better choose my hobbies as life is too short to goof around for ever.

New York baby! Just got back this weekend. The dollar was equal to the franc so i spent a retarded amount of money there. Had the opportunity to meet my cousin from Oakland which is great.

I forgot how dynamic that city was. People often say newyorkers are aggressiv and rude but to me, from my own experience, they're great and fun! There's also this saying that they dont really like tourists simply because there are so many of them but often time, we heard "welcome to manhattan, enjoy your staying here" and that didnt only come from the hotel people. Tipping is still a bit tricky to me. Like Larry David once said in "Curb your enthusiasm", "one cannot have a conversation with a newyorker without having a financial conclusion" and that's true. I felt like i had to tip all the time.

Like i did two years ago in Tokyo, i made a journal on my day to day trip. You can find it here if you're interested journey to new york

In Newyork, the recession doesnt seem to have striked. People are going out, spending money, doing business etc etc. This is of course thanks to the tourists but the city that never sleeps seems to also be the city that never dies. I love Newyork, i'm gonna work my way to get a job and a place there.

Alright i'm getting pissed off at all this free tibet stuff. OK we got it, you want independance. Thing is, you probably wont get it because there's more than a billion people who wont let you have it. Yeah i know, it's tough and unfair and just to make things sure, i'm totally against the killing of innocent people. I started to do some research and actually found out that Tibet has been part of China for centuries, literally. In 1901, Tibet took advantage that the chinese government got unstable to auto-proclame independance. The bummer was that NONE of the international community approved it. That's right, it's as worth as me auto-claiming i'm the new president of the galaxy.

In 1951 China signed a document basically stating that "yeah Tibet is ours so back the f... up". That paper was acknowledged and APPROVED by the international commitees. IN ADDITION to that, the Dalailama who was in exile, said himself that "CHINA IS RIGHT, TIBET IS THEIRS". Many tourists also reported and saw tibetans going to monasteries and peacefully praying without being assaulted by the chinese military. I have nothing agains Tibet, it's a very respectful and ancient culture. What pisses the most really are westerners who in-the-name-of-democracy start these protests. What do they actually do as the olympic games are about to start? Well, in addition to have more "free tibet" stickers on their car, they signe "VIRTUAL" petition on the internet... wait they will also... BOYCOTT the olympics on TV... -dies-

After the olympics, Tibet will still be chinese, China is still gonna make money and all westerners-pro-tibet-wannabes will go back to their business almost forgetting about tibet. Tough reality, live with it.

I'm off to NewYork. Peace!

No, this is not a topic about tibetan terrorist monks peacefully assaulting the chinese government. I actually dont care about tibet being independant or not, that country would probably die itself anyway if they were on their own. Today's topic is way more interesting than people in robe having big egos.

I went to a sushi place with my friend Eric the other day and one of the chef was actually a white dude. We then had a discussion on how he doesnt trust a westerner making sushis. I can totally understand the reason behind but then of course i thought that was stupid... i mean, do i want my pizzaiolo to be italian? Funny thing is, the chinese being good merchants and all, quickly understood how popular sushis are and started to sell them in their chinese fast-food. The "chefs" are chinese but on the name tags, you can read "Massa" (it's with one "s" by the way), meaning they realised that for sushis, people want a japanese person. And of course, they also know that those "dumb whites" cant tell the difference between a japanese and chinese. We're all the same to them. Interestingly enough, if a chinese dude serves me beer in a pub, i dont find it awkward... Why is that? First of all, there are so many chinese, they've got to be somewhere. Second, as i said they're good merchants so they're involved in any type of business and finally, in the eyes or westerners, asians are "cool".

So to me, watching a white guy making sushis is as strange as seeing a western tibetan monk... there's something wrong as if the guy is running away from the cops and had to go undercover by stealing some poor monk's clothes. In the same category, i'm gonna have to place westerners who eat with chopsticks because they're at a chinese restaurant. I mean... chinese culture, 5000 years civilisation and blabla but since then, we've made the fork you know... Yaaay! nick is back! \o/

Finaaaaaally i'm out of Honda. I have nothing against the brand per say though I find their product completly not sexy but i give credit where credit is due, they had a good technology. But as for Honda switzerland, i must say things were a little bit chaotic. First of all, none of the people there had a web vision. I mean, the 80s called to get the business plan back. Nice people though, no harm.

There, i had to do everything, from print to web jobs which is fine, because it allowed me to learn some stuff. I guess it's the mentality there that was a bit an aversion factor. That and also the place of course. For a creative job, i think it's the last place where you want to be. The industrial zone is probably the least sexy place on the planet and yes, i'm including New jersey!

I now work for Saxo bank, apparently the number one online trading plateform in the world. Danish people, very nice too. What to say, i now work 3 minutes away from home BY FOOT, my OFFICE is on the 6th floor of a 7 floor building (yes i do see the lake) and i am now evolving in a much more profesionnal environment. People are actually hired to do what they learned to do. And financially wise, let's say i'm making almost twice more than in honda...

Until i find an even better job, this is perfect for now.

As I wrote before, World of Warcraft was 90% a waste of time while in Lineage2 i did live through an adventure. But everything has an end and after dominating the server, it was time to move on.

Age of Conan is coming end of May and it's also a mmorpg. I now have more experience in the mmo world and i can say that time management is mastered meaning i dont think i will spend hours and hours on a game again (well, Starcraft2 is not out yet).

For those who dont care about it, have a nice day. Those who do, I have taken some screenshots from the beta access here. This is dark fantasy, nothing to do with cute elven with tights. The bad motherfuka in the picture is my demonist. He's the kind who would wear a "dont piss me off" t-shirt.

OLOL!!!111 OWNED KK XIEXIE GTFO KTHX BYE!

Whoever knows me could expect me to brag about this. About what?

Yesterday was votation day and one of the proposal was to ban smoking to ALL the public places. The "yes" passed to how many? 80 f*king percents!!!!! That's right baby, take your umbrella and go smoke outside while i enjoy my meal k?

So Geneva is the 6th Canton in Switzerland to pass the law. Switzerland is already behind most euro countries where the non smoking law is already on. Next step is definitely to completly ban smoking... I dont get why this product is still legal. OOOOWNED!

This past couple of weeks have simply been crazy in terms of web work related. First of all, as you know (or not) gufugumu is up and running. That was a lot of work especially towards the end.

Since i'm also promoting june12 on gufugumu, i had to ALSO revamp june12.net. And of course, it's a web studio so i couldnt just do some simple web window... i had to implement some flash, work on photoshop etc etc.

Finally, since i'm leaving Honda soon (not soon enough) for a real job, i also had to put in place some sort of online portefolio of the work i've done in Honda. If you're interested, you can see it here. I'm gaining more and more experience on the web and that's something i'm really pleased although i know i still have so much to learn. My next project will be a website for John Gidding... he's an architect so it's gonna be tough to please him but hey... i love challenges.

I know what you're thinking... "boooh nick is gonna write something mean again because he's a sociopath and hates the world!" Well no, this time i'm gonna be nice to all the birds and give you this. Enjoy.

7th of February, Chinese new year! The only festivities i really celebrate. I believe in cycles and this is probably the most accurate one.

So this is the year of the rat... It's the first sign of the chinese zodiac. Let's check if we can actually learn something from it.

The Rat is a creative problem solver, imaginative (if he's creative, that's a given i'd say), hyperactive worker and respected for its resourcefulness. In other words, the perfect employee.

He's also Intuitive with ability in acquiring and holding on to things it values. So a good husband too it seems. You're a rat (that's funny) if you're born in 1900, 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960 and 1972.

Also seems that the year of the rat is also the year of renewal as everyone (and i mean literally everyone) around me is changing jobs (including me)... Coincidence? most likely but still fun though. Happy new year for those who care.

I was uploading some songs for my mum's mp3 (she wanted oldies and chinese songs) so i check the internet to see what's going on in the Taiwanese music industry. I see a news about David Tao who co wrote a song for people affected by SARS.

To be honest, i have no clue who he is but he seems to be pretty big in Asia. Anyway i check the song on youTube and there is the video. Hand in hand

It appears that it's an asian "we are the world" like. Again, i have no clue who these people are. I did recognize Vivian Hsu and Amei. Song is nice but there's this really annoying part where i would have changed the entire melody and now , when i hum or hear this song, i cant stop playing MY version of it. I can picture myself being invited (yah whatever) and telling David, "hey, wait at this part of the song you have to go like this, gimme this part to sing"... Thought it would be fun.

Anyway, this brought my attention back to some good chinese songs from Teresa Teng or Emil Chow (peng yo ^^). The Asian music industry often bores me except some japanese artists like KAN, Supercar or Spitz because they seem to always write and sing about the same things. Back to Supercharged!!!!

I had an interesting discussion with my brother the other day. I recommanded the movie "Sunshine" to my mum arguing that it was my top 5 movies ever. My brother said that having a top 5 is completly retarded as there's no way one can classify movies.

He was right in the sense that there are probably hundreds of movies which i like so how can i rank them??? So i tried to think of a top 5... impossible. I finally managed to make a top 10 and it was already very hard. Who deserves to be in, who's not. Obviously this is a very subjective selection. I choose movies that moved me and not necessarly the one that won 10 academy awards.

Other movies could have made it but where left at the 11th rank and so one, movies like the excellente Fight Club, Batman begins, Alien, Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain etc etc etc.

I of course recommand the movies on the left if you've not seen them. Each brought me a strong emotional reaction and that's basically all i ask from a movie.

This is it! Gufugumu is online. Well, not quite. I'm starting of with a little buzz marketing where i place a blog with some sort of contest. The question is simple... "what does gufugumu mean?".

To be honest, this is a test to see how fast the "word-to-mouth" spreads on the internet. Since this morning, around 15 people have given a comment which is more than i could imagine. I actually expected that amount in ONE week. So kinda good news.

Secondly, it's very interesting some of the answers people have given. It provides some feedbacks about the logo, the name... the overall identity which is great.

If you're somewhat close to me, you'd know the answer to the question so please keep it fun and dont reveal yet. The idea is that the person who gets the correct answer receives several prices including a teddy monkey from gin-gin.biz and a CD from paperlodge. You can find the blog at the following adress: GUFUGUMU

It doesnt really matter whether i fail or success with gufugumu. The important is that it taught me that almost anyone can become his own boss on the web. I dont know if there's a key to be successful but on this one, i'll trust Steve Jobs when he says "make something you'd want to use yourself" and that's exactly what i'm doing...