Bellingham Web Design and Marketing Firm Nettle Tea Design in Bellingham WA

Hey Darlings,  So those of you who have been faithfully reading The Blog Beast know I recently returned from 2 months of hurtling the force of my body without brain through Asia.  You could call it, “the idiot’s tour,” or “an experiment in making bad choices,” or simply, “bitch-slapped.”

We had all our stuff stolen, two other robbery attempts, several stalkings and heaps of scams.  Bla bla bla… Most of the time we were at fault.  Ahem.

But there were benefits to this.

For one, my negotiating skills became more dangerous than their rabies-fueled street dogs (who, by the way are irresistibly cute.)

Let me tell you how. Read more…

The following is a guest post by Bellingham freelance writer and editor Hilary Parker, a word whiz, the managing editor of Northwest Business Monthly magazine, and an all-around professional asset.

Let’s give her a warm welcome, shall we?

In her post, Hilary discusses the balance in a website between design and substance, and how words can make your business sparkle.

Enter Hilary…

Read more…

Last night I watched a preview for Julia Roberts’ new movie, “Eat, Pray, Love,” and nearly gagged.  Inaccuracy always has this effect on me.

The preview showed Julia, in an expensive white pant suit, cycling by herself through a palmed forest in Bali, with the vapid expression of a movie star who has only been exposed to the 5-star hotel version of Bali.  Then shots of her with a wise old Balinese man who gives her what looks like some spiritual break-through.

What’s wrong with this depiction?  Well, it’s totally false, for starters.  In reality, her white pant suit would be a catastrophe of sweat and dirt, she would be chased by three men on motor scooters yelling, “transport?” and if she entered an old man’s house he would stamp his foot and tell her to get back to “tourist territory.”

Movies are sneaky, eh?  And disturbingly effective in shaping the world we believe to be true.

Let me tell you my story of the real Bali.

Well, my posse and I escaped to Bali after having all our passports, credit cards and money stolen in Thailand…  Read more…

Thailand.  Renowned for delicious food.

Also a place where, somewhat comically, restaurants hold on to their brand like its a slippery fish, out of control, doing back flips in the dirt.

What follows is a mini case study of restaurants’ branding in Bangkok & Chiang Mai.

But first, let’s talk about the food.

Coconut milk shakes.  Papaya, watermelon and bread fruit in the morning.  Fishy, oily Pad Thai tossed in a wok before your eyes, served with a side of green onions, red chili flakes, a mound of white sugar and lime.   Read more…

It is just too much.

In Thailand you see everything from hardware to dental floss to flights being advertised by submissive, beautiful Thai women giving the wai.

At first it is cute.  Then seriously redundant.  Then disturbing.

Imagine in the states, or whatever country you are reading from, if everything was advertised by Barbie.  Wouldn’t it creep you out?

Here are the many problems with Thailand’s overuse of sweety-pie pretty girls in advertising: Read more…

In my last post I talked about how some Thai masseuses stand out in their overstuffed market by singing.  Now I’m talking about prison massages.  Say what?!!  That’s right, I got a massage from an inmate.  And it was good.  Reeeeal good.

Massage in Thailand deserves more than one blog post for a couple reasons:  Firstly, it’s a major business here.  Secondly, it’s one of the main ways I’m spending my time, so opportunities for business analysis (when I’m not drooling on my pillow getting my owies pummeled out) are boundless. Read more…

How did I pick my first masseuse in Thailand, after being cat-called and pawed over by 100?

By a surprising marketing method…

It was quite a remarkable experience for me.  My background in professional singing has imprinted on me a fascination with the human voice.  But never have I heard it employed as irresistible marketing quite like this… Read more…

One of the first things I noticed in Thailand was, wow, their graphic design is way more advanced! 

By this I mean the *average* graphic design seen in print ads, television commercials, billboards, etc. 

It was prettier, smoother, more appealing.

Then, steaming one day on a Bangkok train, I allowed one such graphic design-pimped commercial sweep me away…a commercial for Mister Donut.

Now, I feel confident in proclaiming that donuts are one of the most unromantic things in the world.  Read more…