One of the biggest risks of working in such a male-dominated ad agency is to lose touch with your femininity. Advertising is already quite a masculine industry (it kind of sucks to admit it, but it’s true), and for a woman to be successful, it seems like you have to grow a set of balls (or two).

I am not the most girly-girl to begin with – makeup has never been part of my daily routine, I rarely wear skirts, and I spend a maximum of 5 minutes in front of the mirror each morning, 15 if I go somewhere "nice". You can call me a low maintenance gal.

Recently though, it has reached an all-time low. If I had a beauty column in some magazine, this is probably what it would look like.



I know, more like Diary of the Slob.

And, I would be the least flirty paper doll ever.



Zero accessories. Zero anything. I guess I just don’t care anymore, who would I dress up for anyway if I am working overtime practically every day and every weekend?

So yeah, being surrounded by rowdy lads all day long at work has made me lose touch with my second X chromosome. FINE, fart and poop jokes are funny from time to time. Dry hump your equally male co-worker and I might release a tiny giggle. Burp in my face for all you want, and I really will not feel offended at all. I can be quite a guy’s gal.

It is when you finally get a great girl’s night out that you notice how much you have missed it, and how as a girl, you need that in your system. I haven’t had one in so long. The great Grey’s Anatomy Thursday nights at Anne’s apartment in New York, the yummy nights with Anna and Blake on South Beach, and the little Sex and the City moments in Shanghai with other ex-pat gals seem so long ago.




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A night with Heidi
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Talke and her friend Stela invited me to go to their friend Hilke’s apartment to watch Germany’s Next Top Model. This invitation was just too good to be true, so I just bailed on work, and GOT THE HELL OUT OF THERE.

After stopping at the supermarket and picking up some CRUCIAL INGREDIENTS, off we went to Hilke’s. I have to say, girls here really know how to decorate apartments – from what I’ve seen, they are all so stylish, quirky and cool.



A beautiful lamp – such attention to detail.




Cute little kitchenware make me go into a RAGE OF JEALOUSY!




Hilke was already waiting for us with quite a setup: a delectable salad with oranges, peanut sauce, mushrooms, greens, beets, and who knows what other deliciousness DOUSED in vinaigrette; strawberries; and olives. We were late. :!

So we got right to work on dinner! And by "we" got to work, it meant that while:



Hilke managed the pizza dough,




Stela chopped the tomatoes up,




and Talke buttered up the baking pan,

I walked around taking pictures of them slaving away while being COMPLETELY USELESS. gaaaaaaaah…




Cheers!




This was when I realized that I hadn’t watched German TV at ALL since I arrived in this country 3 months ago. And Germany’s Next Top Model was the perfect show to start with since not a single BRAIN CELL was needed to understand what was going on regardless of the language barrier.




So we settled down with our piping hot pizza and a glass of red wine in the lovely living room.




DRAAAAAAMAAAA!




Oh, you know that episode… When all the girls get extreme makeovers to start their impending quest to be Next Top Model. Tears are shed EVERYWHERE, just like this poor girl who cried her eyes out in the toilet as the hairdressers took her extensions out. Then she loved herself as she examined her new PLATINUM BLONDE PIXIE CUT in the mirror, and German sass overflowed.

Yay, Gina-Lisa!




Nope, no Tyra Banks here. Instead, Head Model In Charge is none other than Heidi Klum. Her voice in German isn’t as whiny and squeaky as it is in English, but she is just as annoying. Talke pointed out a good "cross-marketing" moment, when a Seal song played in the background during a particularly emotional segment.


And what is the natural thing to do after watching a group of skinny-minnies shake their minuscule booties up and down the catwalk?







Stuff our faces with creamy chocolate-chocolate chip icecream, of course! While watching the 10 top most Scandalous Moments ever.

You got to love German TV when you get to see R. Kelly’s sex romp with a 14 year old when you least expect it! *blush*


And what could possibly be the PERFECT ending to such a wonderful girl’s night? Just like the perfect "end gag" or "twinkle in the eye" moment that is so loved in German advertising (according to what I have learnt so far at JvM) Hilke responded by WHIPPING OUT HER ACCORDION!




Hilke taught us the basics,




Stela played with a jolly spring in every chord,




…and then Talke surprised us all with a contemporary twist on a Beethoven classic.




Then I closed our little JAM SESSION with an aura of bright-eyed innocence of memories of yesteryear.



THIS is the true future of Girl Power, folks.


It was a great night, and now I’m looking forward to the next girlie-outing: SHOPPING! Really… sometimes who cares what ad campaign is going to win the next Gran Prix at Cannes?





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Easter
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So here I am, working on Good Friday. But it’s all good, because yesterday we got a special visit.



Easter bunnies with Easter TREATS! It is a custom over here at JvM, where a member of the board and Carlos, our maintenance guy dress up and spread happiness to the whole agency. I got really excited, and being the big LAME-O that I am, I asked for a picture with them!

Someone should have SLAPPED me and said: "This ain’t DISNEYLAND you FOOL!"

And I would have retorted: "Oh, it’s even better than Disneyland… it’s even better…"




GET IN MY BELLY!