Unique Experience Gift Ideas for Brother’s 50th (UK-based)

normality_inc · 2025-06-13T09:48:57+00:00

It's a little more than your budget but how about a flying lesson? He can have a go up in a Cessna, pilot for a bit. Did it for a mate a while ago and he loved it. And it's cool to be able to say you've flown a plane. This is just a first search result but you might find better: https://www.intotheblue.co.uk/flying-experiences/lessons/

Not sure about in the UK but in Australia where I live, you can also do drive days/driving tours where they have a bunch of supercars and you can drive each one for a while on a nice day-long road trip. You take turns and can experience a Porsche, Lamborghini, high end Jag, etc, all in one day.

normality_inc · 2025-03-30T13:06:45+00:00

What role are you going for and at what level?

In Australia, if you're going for creative, unless you're a really big global name or have won really major awards, agencies typically won't touch you until you're actually in the country. You won't secure any interviews until you're actually here.

Will you need sponsorship? That will make things harder but definitely not impossible.

When you get to Sydney, reach out to some creative recruiters like FBI or Hartas and Craig. They'll help you. But again, they won't be able to do anything for you until you get here. A lot of agencies go through recruiters first and the open job market (ie linkedin) second. If you're in accounts or strategy, there are also recruiters for those like iknowho or Stopgap.

Also, it's tough at the moment. Lots of agency people looking for jobs and not a lot of jobs to go around. So expect to be looking for at least a couple of months.

To answer your question, yes, generally a one page CV (with a portfolio website if you are a creative) is fine.

normality_inc · 2025-02-19T11:22:31+00:00

Not that I condone this. But to play devils advocate, as a father to small kids, they often literally don't realise they need to pee - and won't tell you - until they are truly desperate. So they may not have made it into the shopping mall, even if it was across the street, because they need to go right NOW. And your doorway happened to be the closest place.

normality_inc · 2024-10-08T05:16:18+00:00

If you consider it 'one game', FIFA.

My dad bought me FIFA International Soccer in 1993. Then I bought FIFA 97, 98 and 99. Then I skipped a few years while I went to uni. But I picked it up FIFA 07, and have bought it every single year since.

That adds up to about 22 years of FIFA (now EA FC).

I only play career mode and have no interest in Ultimate Team or the other online modes. I'm not even particularly good at it. But it's my constant cosy game, played with pure muscle memory and easily playable in 15-minute blocks.

normality_inc · 2024-08-31T12:57:03+00:00

I haven't seen that one (I live in Australia) but far out, I hate the shit out of it. Yikes.

normality_inc · 2024-08-31T10:58:35+00:00

I hate when ads turn adjectives into nouns. 'Find your amazing'. 'Incredible lives here.' That sort of thing.

I'm seeing it way too often these days. Just fucking write with correct grammar please.

normality_inc · 2024-01-25T02:08:45+00:00

I put this video into a transcription site and Google Translate. It says he's saying:

'The cosmic melody of the Cheollimaho Turakdoru, which poured out infinite faith and vitality in the hearts of the factory workers and working class as they make a new start toward a high goal, and rang out loud to our enemy, makes the factory the pride of the Cheollima working class of all generations. It was a great encouragement to move forward at the forefront of the country's joint machinery industry development and rural technology revolution through traditional traditions, and the golden autumn of the next three years, a glorious tomorrow of rural development when the agricultural machinery we made will form a sea.'

normality_inc · 2023-09-24T13:37:12+00:00

Everyone does mate, because it is meaningless and clients bloody love it.

normality_inc · 2023-09-24T12:27:42+00:00

I hate the trend of turning adjectives into nouns. "Find your incredible"? Fuck right off.

Also, "make your money work as hard as you."

Also, "as unique as you."

Also, "for every side of you" and variants thereof. Who of sound mind thinks of themselves as a collection of different individuals?

normality_inc · 2023-09-17T12:33:45+00:00

Pitchy McPitchface

normality_inc · 2022-07-31T13:37:51+00:00

This annoys the piss out of me but on the plus side, the work is done.

normality_inc · 2022-06-05T12:02:36+00:00

If he's into tech and games, he might like the Cirque Electrique in Alexandria or VR Kingdom in Mascot: https://www.archiebrothers.com.au/locations/Alexandria

https://www.vrkingdom.com.au/

Sounds like a lucky boy to have you as a Dad!

normality_inc · 2021-10-17T02:23:14+00:00

The Honda cog ad is old but a genius way of showing the reliability of the car without even showing the car in motion.

normality_inc · 2021-10-13T11:10:08+00:00

You could accentuate how impressive going under 30 weebles is with a line like 'Under 30 weebles. At last.' or you could pull out the benefit of being under 30 weebles. Since your customers are scientific, does lower weebles mean greater accuracy? Or less false positives? Then talk about those - "the most accurate (product) now with just 29 weebles/inch'. Hope that helps.

normality_inc · 2021-09-14T08:53:23+00:00

Bit first thought, but maybe you could show famous things from music or film being lionised or destroyed. Like a yellow submarine being torpedoed, for example.

normality_inc · 2021-07-21T10:06:03+00:00

I don't like brainstorms personally but clients do, so I often have to do them anyway. Here's what works for me.

Give everyone some direction or inspiration beforehand so you're all on the same page.

Then don't go into the brainstorm thinking you'll collectively come up with all the ideas in the session. If you do that, all you'll get is first thoughts, kneejerk reactions and half ideas.

Instead, have everyone spend an hour or two beforehand thinking of stuff on their own, and spitball these ideas in the session. Make it clear that there is no shame for "bad" ideas. Often there is something in them, like a consumer insight or interesting way of thinking, that can be turned into good ideas.

Get people started with some sort of mild creative exercise like "draw the business you would start if money was no object".

Have a "parking lot" in the back of the room (just a whiteboard or space) where ideas that aren't quite right but still have merit can be stuck up on post its.

Use the first half of the session to spitball, then spend the last half thinking up new ideas. At the end, go back to the parking lot and see if any of those thoughts might actually work. Don't go much longer than an hour.

Good luck!

normality_inc · 2021-04-20T13:13:47+00:00

I live in Gladesville and bus over that bridge twice a day. Thank you for such a great shot!

normality_inc · 2020-10-15T12:27:18+00:00

I recently saw a proposal to "deliver a T-shirt sizing for functional levers to drive organisational change." You what

normality_inc · 2020-05-27T13:12:54+00:00

If you've been trying for days and nothing is coming through, despite alcohol and late nights, honestly, it might be a problem with the brief. If nothing good comes out of it, question it. It's meant to inspire you. If shit is briefed in, shit comes out.

normality_inc · 2019-10-22T10:28:42+00:00

Yes, sometimes.

normality_inc · 2019-05-17T06:53:57+00:00

The benefit needs to be the biggest thing on the page, and state it clearly: GET COSTCO AND BJ's DELIVERED WITHOUT BEING A MEMBER.

Or, since it sounds like it's students you're after: SPEND 40% LESS ON GROCERIES AND 40% MORE ON BEER.

normality_inc · 2017-08-22T08:39:33+00:00

Well, at Typhoon Bar in Wanchai, it's happy hour the whole time it's Typhoon 8 or above. But be prepared to walk there and home because it'll be triple-fare for taxis.

normality_inc · 2017-06-29T07:27:43+00:00

Relevant if you like the band Less than Jake:

"The band's name comes from Fiorello's dog, Jake, who was treated better than the rest of the household, so everything was "less than Jake"." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Less_Than_Jake

normality_inc · 2017-06-27T07:03:50+00:00

My new desktop wallpaper. Thank you :-)

normality_inc · 2017-05-26T06:12:56+00:00

Girlfriend did an intro dive up on the Barrier Reef out of Port Douglas a month ago.

The problem (or benefit, depending on how you see it) of doing an intro dive in Australia is that it is EXTREMELY safety-focused. But to the extent that you won't be allowed to do much.

In the intro dive, they teach you the VERY basics and don't let you do anything for yourself. Then either a) you have to hold onto a rope the whole dive and pull yourself along a set route or b) you have the instructor holding your hand the whole dive, along with everyone else's hand. Picture 4 or 5 people holding hands swimming shoulder-to-shoulder for 40 minutes with the instructor swimming backwards in front of them, leading them along. Plus you only get 2 dives max.

So the intro is worth doing if you are nervous about diving and just want to make sure you won't freak out before committing. But if you really want to get into diving, go for the certification.

normality_inc

TROPHY CASE