Wanted: Christmas spirit.

Last night as I was sitting in the car, staring at all the non-existent Christmas lights, I turned to my Dad and stated, 'It just doesn't feel like Christmas.'

It usually doesn't take much to get me in the festive spirit, I love present shopping, and if you sing me a carol, it'll be in my head for days. I love the Christmas period, otherwise known as December. I love seeing a Santa everywhere I go, I love those annoying tunes, I love those crappy movies, and I love the 'togetherness' and seeing all those people you haven't seen for months at the annual Christmas parties.

There's something about this year, it's just not right. I don't like the fact that basically everything is open on Christmas day, I don't like the fact that I walked around Highpoint the other day for six hours and only heard two carols, and I definitely don't like the fact that I feel like a scrooge.

Maybe I'm just in an awkward period, too old to really get into it, not old enough to have kids to help leave out Santa cookies and milk (or as tradition in the Stewart household, Beer and BBQ shapes).
Whatever it is, I have eight days to shake it, and I'm determined for next year to be bigger and better. I think I'd cry the day I felt too old for Christmas.

Although, this morning, this did brighten my day. Thank you Sandi Sieger.

Does anyone feel the same? Do you think people are beginning to take Christmas for granted?

I'm nineteen, and my parents pay my rent.

Living in my own little bubble for the last week (and how heavenly that week was...) has meant a serious lack of blog reading and media interaction. This morning, I woke up, blew the dust off my laptop, and got ready to read everything I'd missed (oh, and avoid the ninety-odd emails waiting for me). This little beauty of an opinion piece, and its five hundred comments, is what caught my eye.

http://www.mamamia.com.au/weblog/2010/12/im-23-i-live-at-home-and-heres-why.html

                        I was trying to put the actual piece on this post, but blogger is being a pain-in-the-arse

So, apparently Lucy is lazy, spoilt, ungrateful and a whole bunch of other names which basically translates into a no-hope-Gen Y-leach-on-society.
Guess what? She's not.

I'm nineteen and I live at home, most of the time. At home, I live with my Mum, my Dad, and occasionally my twenty-one-year-old brother. When I live at home, Mum or Dad cook dinner, Mum does my washing, and if I want to go out for dinner with the girls and have a few drinks, Dad will drive me. I don't pay board, but I can stack a dishwasher and I can follow a recipe.
I usually have a hectic Monday-Friday uni schedule, so I also live in a small, two (kind-of-three) bedroom, flat about five minutes away from uni during the week, with my brother (who pretty much lives there full-time). And, my parents pay the rent.

No, I don't come from an insanely rich family.
No, I don't demand money from parents. It's actually the opposite. The number of times I've started to pack my car to drive up to house #2 for the week only to have a fight with my Mum about the groceries she's bought for us, is off the scale.

I'm in a crappy $14 an hour job that I've had since the end of school. I come home on weekends to work, AND to see my parents, because let's face it, I have the best relationship with both of them. I've tried to get a better job, to help my parents out with money, but no-one wants to hire a basically unavailable uni student who lives in two places.
My brother earned (he doesn't have a job at the moment) quite a bit more than me, so is able to help my parents out with bills, and he also gets rental assistance from the Government, money which goes to my parents.

I'm not stupid, I do realise how lucky I am. But, do not call me spoilt, ungrateful or a "typical Gen Y".

I come from a close-knit family on both sides, and it was a natural instinct for my parents to offer all the help they're giving their children. They don't live in poverty whilst my brother and I live in 'luxury'. We ALL live comfortably.

We live in 2010- an era where people are so different and unique that you can't stereotype them to their generations. So what if my parents what to help me and my brother have the best start to adult life as we possibly can? It's their choice and they're happy to do it. I'm driven, I work hard, and I'm determined about the path I want to take, so why can't I accept the help my parents want to offer me, without being labelled something I'm not?

When uni is over, when I have a hex debt that will make me ill, when I have a career, when I fully move out, when I become an adult, I have no doubt my parents will be by my side, ready to help. When will that be? It could be in a few years, it could be in ten years. But nobody is pushing me, especially my parents, who are happy to take it as it comes.

So before you go to call me spoilt and naive, and you continue to hassle Lucy, how about you don't? Because you're not us, you're not our parents, and you don't decide how we live our lives, just like we don't decide (or judge) yours.

Now, I'm going to sip Martini's beside my insanely huge pool and light a cigarette with a $100 note, all whilst my parents clean my room and do my laundry.
*If you don't realise that last statement is sarcasm, you have to get out more.

Hairspray (The Musical!) Review

Last night— after getting lost because of Melbourne CBD’s ridiculous street signage to find cheap parking— I saw Hairspray. The musical is being performed at Melbourne’s Princess Theatre, which isn’t my favourite theatre, but it gets the job done.


After a spot of shopping at South Wharf and a bite to eat in Chinatown, S and I were ready to take out (uncomfortable— one of the reasons I’m not a fan on the Princess) seats and enjoy the show.

I haven’t seen the original 1988 movie, but I’ve seen the 2007 re-make and I know all the music (even the ones they annoyingly decided to leave out of the re-make).

I was really excited for the show, and as it was a Tuesday night, I was expecting an understudy or two, but we were lucky enough to be treated to the full regular cast. But as the curtain call ended and everyone started to leave, S and I turned to each other, both of us left incredibly underwhelmed.

The opening number, Good Morning Baltimore, is supposed to be big, loud and set the scene. Unfortunately, it does none of the above. Jaz Flowers, who plays Tracy Turnblad, has a booming voice, and looks great on stage, but was stiff in the opening number. At first I put this to the fact she is a relative newcomer to the stage, but as the play progressed, I became more and more disappointed with the choreography. I was really excited to see (Hairspray choreographer) Jason Coleman work his magic, but well, he didn’t. There was a lot of standing still, but in saying that, there were some moments that were ‘wow’, like You can’t stop the beat.

The setting (those who are familiar with the Princess Theatre will understand) was displayed on backing screens; there wasn’t actually a ‘set’ per se. It was also cartoonish, which worked to a certain extent because of the fun, up-beat nature of the musical. However, after a while, it just gave me a headache. In my opinion, the backing screens mixed with tangible setting pieces would have worked much better.

A major positive for the musical was the casting. They all worked well and cohesively, as you would expect, but my absolute favourite was Esther Hannaford who plays Penny Pingleton. She is a breath of fresh air, and absolutely hilarious. Trevor Ashley (Edna Turnblad) and Grant Piro (Wilbur Turnblad) are also stand outs, and the Tuesday November 23 audience were treated to something a bit special from these two. During (You’re) Timeless To Me, this two ran into a bit of trouble. I’m not completely sure if one of them forgot a line, or a move of some-sort, but at one stage Ashley turned his back on the audience trying to hold back his laughter, the two over came it well however, and involved the audience. There are also a few familiar faces in the cast. Jack Chambers, winner of SYTYCD 2008, plays Link Larkin. He isn’t any Zac Efron, but the boy can dance and sing. Motormouth Maybelle is played by Cle Morgan, a top twelve contestant from the first season of Australian Idol (She was good, but not as boisterous as Maybelle needed to be). I also spotted another SYTYCD finalist, Heath Keating, in the chorus. Although, I kept a close eye on him whilst he was dancing and showing off his amazing technique, I couldn’t help but worry he was going to break his ankle again!

The Without Love number was a big disappointment, again I look at the (lack of?) choreography to be the reason why. But, the thing that shattered me the most, the thing that I was looking forward to was (Come So Far) Got So Far To Go, which wasn’t played. In the 2007 film version, the song is played during the credits, so I was expecting them to do it for curtain call. And it would have been a perfect song for curtain call. S and I were shattered!

What sums up the show most was during curtain call. Piro was trying to get the audience on their feet; a few jumped up enthusiastically, a few stood up reluctantly, a few stood up because now they couldn’t see, and many remained seated.

Hairspray is worth seeing, the highs do outweigh the lows, however, don’t set your sights too high, or you will leave disappointed.

It’s okay though; S and I drove home pumping Hairspray tunes with the windows down, and had an extra loud sing-a-long to (Come So Far) Got So Far To Go.

This, is why I had cornflakes for dinner.

I had cornflakes for dinner tonight. Apart from the fact I forgot about the whole if you drink a glass of wine you can’t drive thing, I’m broke. And I blame the twenty year old bubbly blonde girl who was in front of Myer today.


I went shopping today with a uni lovely to celebrate the end of the year, and to spend the cash I don’t exactly have. It was all going swimmingly; I’d brought clothes, shoes and jewellery. But then, we got hi-jacked. She jumped out from her little stall like a three year old on crack, and grabbed our hands, telling me I have beautiful nails (C’mon, I’m a nineteen year old girl; I never tire of going to a manicurist and having them rabbit on about how ‘beautiful’ my nails are). From that moment, I was pretty much hers.

Because this girl (woman, maybe. Nope, I’m going to stick with girl) had us eating out of the palm of her hand, and she “liked” (yes, I’m using DOUBLE talking marks) us, she offered a deal.

We got three of these little beauties for $100. They’re usually one for $70, but she offered us two for $100 and then decided to throw a third one in “free”.

They are pretty nifty; they include a nail buffer, nail file, cuticle oil and lotion. And they make my nails really shiny.

I’m a sucker for bargains, most of the time I can’t justify spending money on something that isn't on sale. Today, something evil happened. I’m excited to use the stuff, it smells fantastic, and the couple of nails that the (very good) sales girl demonstrated on, look awesome. But, I still can’t believe I spent so much on this little baby. It’s for the good of my nails though, right?



Please help me justify having to have cornflakes for dinner because of this baby. Please?

I can't wait...

I can't wait... to relax.
I can't wait... to read the books I want to read.
I can't wait... to write things I want to write.
I can't wait... to go to Sydney with two of my besties.
I can't wait... to spend Christmas with my family.
I can't wait... to be at home.
I can't wait... to overdose on mangoes.
I can't wait... to see all my friends.
I can't wait... to get a new job
I can't wait... to spend endless time at the beach.
I can't wait... to have a glass of vino to celebrate.

                                                       I can't wait...


I can't wait to be here again. Thank you summer...



Q&A with Martin Flanagan

On Wednesday October 13 a couple of us from Hotch Potch were lucky enough to sit down with Martin Flanagan. I also got the incredible opportunity to interview him.
Due to the size restrictions of the magazine, I wasn't able to post the full interview. But he gives some incredible answers, and the full interview is well worth a read:

Q&A with Martin Flanagan

Australian journalist and author Martin Flanagan is best known for his sports writing in popular newspaper, The Age. During Flanagan’s recent trip to Ballarat, to talk at a Ballarat writer’s conference, he had a chat to Hotch Potch about journalism, books, football and why aspiring writers should ‘just do it’.
 

Considering you graduated with a degree in Law, how did you get into writing?

It was something I always wanted to do from the time I was seven or eight. And I sort-of never really believed I could do it. When I was at University, I did what you’re doing, I got involved with the University newspaper and I was playing with the University Football club, and I used to write match reviews for them, and noticed a lot of people at the club liked what I wrote, so it sort-of encouraged me. And I had a brother, who was very good to me, and he always collected everything I wrote. That was a great act of respect from him and it caused me to have more respect because although I’ve always wanted to be a writer, I didn’t know anyone, who wrote, that was interested in the sort of writing I was [interested in] and I didn’t know I’d be able to become a writer.

 What was your first piece of writing published?

Ah jeeze, it would have to be something I did with the Uni footy club. But I did write a political piece around the time of the dismissal of the Whitlam Government, which happened in my last year of law, and it happened during my final exams. And I remember writing a piece for a supplement they put out but other than that, it would be the footy stuff. But I did write a play that was performed by a group of drunks [laughs], I don’t think it was a very good play, but a few of my mates would put it on.

 How did you break into the writing field?

I spent a couple of years roaming the world, and when I came back I was trying to write a novel. I landed a job writing scripts for children’s radio with the ABC, I went for a job as a journalist for the ABC and didn’t get it, I then got offered a job at the Launceston Examiner [Tasmanian Newspaper] and took it, I had no idea whether I’d like it or not. I got into it and loved it, and the great thing about journalism is that it makes you go places you’d never otherwise go and it allows you to meet people you’d never otherwise meet. That’s very good for me. That’s what I love about journalism.

 If you could only choose one topic to write about for the rest of your career, what would it be?

I would hate to be put in that position. I’m best known as a sports writer but it’s interesting that in the history of sports writing, most of the well known sports writers have written about sport and something else. The great cricket writer of the early 20th century was Neville Cardus, he wrote on cricket and classical music. Then there was a guy called John Arlott he wrote on cricket and wine, and there’s another great sports writer called CLR James who wrote on politics and cricket so I have vigorously resisted as a journalist, ever being boxed in to one particular pursuit. And in terms of my books, I’m always trying to do something a bit different.

Talking about your books, what was it like writing The Line with your father, Arch Flanagan?

That was pretty enormous. I loved him a lot, I admired him a lot. I knew him, but I didn’t really know him, because I didn’t know about his experiences on the Burma Railway. I knew something about what it meant, but to write a book with him, meant I had to enter that relationship and that reality in a very real way. Dad didn’t really know if he wanted to do it, and when it first came out he was quite shocked, but when they were on the Railway, a lot of blokes were dying and my father would have made a great journalist, he reports very accurately and honestly. There’s no elaboration or exaggeration. Gradually, the widows of the men that had died, and children and grand-children would contact us. I got a letter just the other day, and one sentence in Dad’s book was all they knew about this particular bloke, and that was when it became very powerful. And then the thing that really chuffed me was that my daughter, who was teaching at Ballarat Clarendon College, taught it. So it was three generations, and in fact my daughter knows it better than I do, because once I write a book, I never look at it again. But she can tell you all the chapters, and she’s got insights into it I don’t know, that’s a wonderful thing.

 What are you working on at the moment?

I’ve just done a book with Richo [Richmond Football player, Matthew Richardson], that was a joy. He was a joy to work with, and that’s the honest truth. He’s not interested in footy books, he doesn’t read them. He has no interest in the gossip and he doesn’t speak negatively about people, and he didn’t want to say anything that would hurt Richmond [Football club]. So we just wrote a book about the game as we love it and that has just come out. I’ve also had a novel I’ve been working on for about five, six, seven years, so now I’ve gone back to that.


What’s that one about?
That’s a very hard question to answer. I’d need a lot of time, and probably a lot more tape then you’ve got.

What do you think is the appeal of your writing? Although you are predominantly a sports writer, your writing is enjoyed by many people including non-sports fans.
The biggest compliment I’ve had about the Richo book was from a woman who wasn’t interested in sport and she found it interesting. To me, sport is a common language. When I was younger, I hitch-hiked through other countries, and I couldn’t speak a second language but if you can speak the language of sport it’s just amazing. Sport is my second language, to me sport is like dance, it’s a language of the body, and if you can speak it, it connects you to people from all different backgrounds, all different walks of life, all different literacy levels. To me sport is a very basic way of writing about people, and if I were to walk into Ballarat as a journalist and walk up to people and ask them to tell me a story, they’d be ‘who are you?’, ‘why should I tell you?’, but with footy, it’s just this vast community and once you’re in it, things just happen. I spent a year with the Melbourne Footy club observing Jim Stynes and his battle with cancer, and Liam Jurrah, a traditional Aboriginal player. You’d have to go back to something like the Aboriginal cricket team that toured in England in 1867 to find a story like Liam Jurrah’s.


I just enjoy talking to people, I love stories, I love people who can tell stories, I love listening to them and everyone has a story, the only question is whether or not they want to tell it. People’s stories are a sacred thing, but with Richo he was great, he didn’t care what I wrote about him, but he cared about the other people around him, and so that was the arrangement we had about how we’d do it. My people are Irish, and in traditional Irish culture the story teller was a really important role. That person went round, carried the stories for the group. Years ago an Aboriginal actor said to me that the difference between white culture and Aboriginal culture was that in white culture the artist existed in opposition to the group, but in Aboriginal culture the artist is the spokesman for the group, and the story teller’s a bit like that. I get a real kick out of doing a story on someone; it’s a bit like a pencil sketch. And I get a real kick when I know I’ve got the likeness right. I just love it. But sometimes it isn’t always what the newspaper wants, so I have to work with them.

 You don’t actually follow a football team, do you find that helps?
I spent 1993 with the Western Bulldogs and I wrote a book on them, and in the course of that year, I went from taking footy for granted to seeing it as culturally fragile. I love its ‘Australianess’, I think it’s a great athletic invention, and I barrack for footy. I love the game; I love the places it takes me. I just love it. That’s how me and Richo came together, that’s how we feel.

In terms of your career, is there anything you regret?

Not really, I’ve been very fortunate. I’ve been lucky, Newspapers are a dying form, and I got to experience twenty-five years of them. I got offered a job from The Guardian in London and I didn’t take it, but I don’t regret that because I wasn’t as interested in England as I am in Australia. Journalism is a battle, it could be easier than it is sometimes, but in saying all that, I’ve had a good run.

 Does the idea of ‘death of print journalism’ worry you?

Yeah, it does, it worries me a lot. The internet strikes me as being millions and millions of highly individualistic perspectives, whereas newspapers imply community, and I believe in community. And you can’t have a long career in newspapers if you can’t speak the common language.

 Do you have any advice for young writers trying to break into the field?

Read. Whatever your particular interest is, whether it be sport or a particular whatever, read the best writers in that field. For me, and journalism itself, the greatest writer is George Orwell. And if nothing else, read his essay A Hanging, a great piece of non-fiction writing. Even though there a seemingly endless amount of bad journalism, there’s also an endless amount of what they call good journalism, so educate yourself in the best, be passionate about it and take whatever opportunities come your way, just start. At the end of the day, I have no better advice than the Nike ad- ‘Just do it’.


Flanagan’s book, Richo, will be available in book stores in the coming month. Until then you can read Flanagan’s work in The Age.


Hotch Potch would like to thank Martin for sitting down with us and answering all our questions.

I'd like to keep my sanity...

The five things that will get me through until November 19 (aka the date of my freedom)

-Alcohol. Nothing beats a good cocktail with some lovely girls at then end of a hard week.
-One Tree Hill season six on DVD.
-Facebook and Twitter. Does that need an explanation?
-Glossy mags. A little slice of heaven. Even some trashy heaven if need be.
-Coffee. Coffee, coffee, coffee!

What's going to get you through lovlies?

It's well, you know, good.

Goooooood movie.
I laughed. I cried. I 'awww'ed.
I shall write on it now for Hotch Potch.
But you know what YOU should do?
You should watch it.
Do it do it do it!

A cup of coffee and a glossy mag

When I woke up this morning, I decided that this afternoon I was going to treat myself. I was going to curl up on the couch with a coffee and a glossy mag. Bliss.
5.30pm hits and I'm on the couch, snuggled in a blanket (isn't this weather crazy?), magazine in hand and coffee at the ready. Then it dawned on me, what on earth was I rewarding myself for?
Homework/ Study? I've done none all week.
Attending a full week of Uni? Not really, I skipped out of class early this morning and I've still got to drag myself out of bed for tomorrow mornings class.
The first issue of Hotch Potch? Again, not really. We put in all the hard yards before holidays, it's just a relief to finally have it out now.
My work with Juicee Gossip? Hardly, haven't posted anything in a while... Sorry guys!

So this is what I've come up with. I'm rewarding myself for:
Getting out of bed for uni and getting a manicure.

Good enough right?

Answer my questions and I'll answer yours.

Well this is exciting. The very talented Annelise (the little box of crayons) tagged me in a post. It's like chain mail, but good chain mail. It's answer seven questions, ask seven questions, which is always good because I'm never short on anything to say about myself (please note that was an attempt to be funny, I'm not a stuck-up bitch).

1. What are you currently obsessed with?
I have a very obsessive nature, I will find something (or in most cases, someone) that I have a fascination with and stalk the crap out of them (I'm talking social networking here, not like a real peep into their windows type stalker). At the moment though I'm obsessed with the Collingwood football club and reality TV.

2. If you could live in any era, which would it be?
The '90s. How can you go past the Spice Girls and Backstreet Boys? Or Nickelodeon.

3. What are you really, really good at?

Facebook stalking, as embarrassing as this is, I'm pretty much known to my group of friends as the Queen of it. I mean you're pretty good if you find a girl when you only know her first name and the fact she has a twin brother. I'm pretty good at procrastinating too. (Right now I'm at Uni.. 'studying').

4. When you were seventeen, where did you think you would be in ten year's time?
Hmm, when I was seventeen I was doing year 12, and convinced I'd be a journalist when I finished Uni. Don't get me wrong, that's still the dream, but I think I'm a lot more realistic about everything now. But I still have eight years to try and prove myself right.

5. What is your favourite 'guilty pleasure'?
Staying in bed all day with a bunch of DVDs and my laptop. And ignoring my emails.

6. What is one thing that makes you really, really happy?
I'm going to go all cliche on this one, but I just can't go past family and friends. My family has been through a lot the past year and it makes me happy to see how much stronger we've all become.

7. If you could live in any movie, which would it be?
What a toughie! There's so many! I really can't go past the Spice Girls movie, just, well, because.


Now, my seven questions are:

1.What's your most cherished memory?
2.Best/Worst and Favourite/Least favourite subjects at school or uni?
3.If you could make three wishes, what would they be?
4.What's the best thing you have ever read? (Book, story, article etc.)
5.Have you ever had imaginary friends? Who were they? (I used to pretend Captain Planet was next to me wherever I went)
6.You don't leave home without...?
7.What's your favourite comfort food?

And I'm sending them to these lovlies:

Annelise (right back at ya ;-])
Nicole (I'm aware you don't use your blog, but I will make you)
Katie
Tegan
Mel
Adelle
Matt Caldicott (I'm also aware the likelihood of him seeing/doing this is slim to none, but it's worth a shot?)

And yes I want you to do it, because I want to see your answers!
See, good chain mail ;-)

She's a cheap shopper AND dances to Spice Girls, my type of girl.

Today, one of my bestest friends is turning the big 2-0. Leaving her teenage years behind her and moving forward as an adult... ha!
I don't think there's a switch that you can flick and magically over night become mature, and heck, that's the fun of it all.

I love being with Nicole and acting like an utter fool, pretending we're about ten years younger than we actually are.

I love getting her drunk and walking to parties in thunder storms.

I love that she helps me with my make-up when I'm too drunk to do it.

I love being a kid with her. Watching Hocus Pocus and dancing to Spice Girls.

I love confusing people with her...

 

I DON'T love how good she is with graphics and computers.








But I do love the fun we have on her MAC.

           It's funny how one computer program...

Can entertain two girls for a whole day.

*I LOVE how we are the best bargain shoppers (despite the fact we won't pay $20 for uni pants ans the whinge about how we don't have them for the next year).

*I LOVE how she'll message me about the most random crap.

*I LOVE how we have the wierdest and wackiest inside jokes, and that people think we're idiots when we talk about it.

*I LOVE (and miss) playing basketball with her.

*I LOVE how she's going to look at this and think I did the worst job with photo and text placement.

*I LOVE how she is my best friend.

        HAPPY 20th BIRTHDAY LOVERR GUTS. Don't grow up anytime soon.

And the winner is... Reality TV

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I el-oh-ve-ee reality TV. Especially when it causes controversy, and hasn't Australia's Next Top Model caused some controversy over it's time?
Remember Jodhi Meares' terrible live grand final performance, and then her utter no show? Good stuff.
Last night trumps it though.
If you haven't seen it, take a peek.




Sarah Murdoch blames whoever fed her the information; Foxtel blames Sarah Murdoch. Others say it was a sick publicity stunt. Who's right?
Really, who cares?
Look at all the publicity the show's getting. It's in every newspaper, on every morning show, in every news segment and on every blog (cough).
I think (eventual) runner-up Kelsey Martinovich took the news extremely well, and graciously. It's been revealed that Foxtel are compensating Kelsey with extra prizes, including a trip to New York. I feel for her, but I also feel for winner Amanda Ware. How the eff was she supposed to react in that sort of situation? And I'm sure her victory would have felt a little bitter sweet (at the time that is, by now I would suggest she's enjoying every moment of being the winner).

As always when something like this happens, social media when off it's nutter.
My favourite tweets on the situation come from Claire at @downtownnewtown who tweeted-
'Yo KESLEY Imma let you finish but AMANDA is the greatest TOP MODEL of all time. #ANTM'
and Brendan Maclean at @macleanbrendan who tweeted-
'In the end the real winner was a show that I wouldn't know existed had Murdoch read the correct name. #ANTM'

So what do you think? Honest mistake? Set-up? Do you even care?

When words fail

I'm a professional writing student. I want to be a journalist. I'm supposed to be good with words. But I honestly can't put yesterday into words and do it justice.

I was born into a Collingwood/Fitzroy family. It was my Dad's family that were (and still are) footy nuts. And although there was a bit of a divide in teams many years ago, when the Fitzroy Lions Football Club came to an end, it was one-eyed Magpies all the way.
I started going to the footy when I was nine, I've been a Collingwood member since I was ten. As cliche as it sounds, it's not just about the footy for my family. We're always together- My dad, brother, aunty, uncles and cousin. I wouldn't be able to tell you the number of times we've been to clinics, family days, parades and all that jazz.

Unfortunately we missed out on GF tickets, that is until a spare one managed to pop up on Friday night and my Dad wouldn't take it. He didn't take it because he gave it to me.
So what you say? Then you don't understand. It's more then a game to us, it's more then football. And my dad gave that up. For me.

Yesterday was amazing, there was only one thing missing. My family, and most importantly my dad. Here's to hoping we get tickets for next week.
There's one thing that's left etched in my mind from yesterday- one sound. The sound of nothing. The sound of shock, disappointment and dis-belief. The sound when that final siren went.

So when words fail, a picture can tell a thousand words.

ALL OF THESE IMAGES ARE COPYRIGHT TO THE AFL.
I CLAIM NO COPYRIGHT TO THESE IMAGES.
IMAGES FROM http://www.aflphotos.com.au

Oh, hello annoying status update

Oh dear, I haven't posted in AGES. But I promise it's because I'm super busy, and it has absolutely nothing to do with the fact I'm a tad lazy. Promise.
So because most of the news lately has been taken up with election talk, and that stuff confuses me to the high heavens (that's going to come back and bite me in the arse when I try to become a journalist), I really have nothing relevant to write about.
Has that ever stopped me though? (The answer is no, in case you were wondering).

I've noticed way too many times lately the amount of people splashing their personal lives all over social networking sites. When I say social networking sites, I'm just giving Facebook and Twitter a fancy name. I have to admit though I'm a sucker for watching a good bitch fight over facey. That doesn't make it a good thing! I don't particularly feel like reading about a certain year 10 girl's disastrous love life, and I definitely don't want to know what that boy I used to work with does in the bathroom in his spare time.
I haven't seen anything really bad on my own news feed, and I myself never buy into doing all that sort of crap.
A) Because it's stupid.
B) Because it's plain humiliating for the person posting crap.
C) Because it's stupid.
D) Because I have family on Facebook... One of them being my mother.
Oh, and did I mention it's stupid?

Pretty bad stuff has come out of it too. There are always those devastating reports about teens harming themselves because of something that was said about them on Facebook. And some of the groups some kids come up with? Sickening.
There's a police trial (I think it's under way at the moment, if it's not though it will be soon) about a bunch of Ballarat teens/young adults who made a Facebook page about the 'sluts' of Ballarat. I don't remember the specifics of the page, only that it had a ridiculous amount of members, and they had a list, yes a list, of local girls who they didn't like. I was (un)fortunate enough to see the group before it was shut down and the stuff posted on the group wall was disgusting.
It's not just Facebook being used to slander, anyone hear the latest Justin Bieber Twitter scandal? Beiber posted a boys phone number on twitter as an act of revenge. The tweet was only up for about 5 minutes or so, but enough damage was done with the boy receiving thousands of calls and texts. Apparently news stations were trying to contact him, but couldn't because his voice mail was full. Poor bugger.

What sort of unnecessary things have you come across whilst social networking?

Where is the line drawn?

Does the name Laura Dekker ring a bell? If it doesn't, it will soon.
She is Dutch. She is fourteen. She plans to sail around the world solo.

Picture From http://bit.ly/bQDxoD

Sounds a bit familiar doesn't it?

I was a big big big Jessica Watson skeptic when the Australian announced she was about to embark on a solo sail around the world. I think she did an incredible job, and I was really impressed the way she handled herself, and she honestly seems like a fantastic young girl. I still don't agree she should have done it though. I still think she was to young.
A US teen also tried to sail around the world this year- and had to be rescued from the Indian Ocean.

I have no issue with these girls wanting to achieve something, setting their minds to a task and wanting to achieve it. What urks me is that all of these girls' families supported their decisions. There is support, and then there is stupidity. I'm sorry but these girls are just WAY TO YOUNG.
Dekker is FOURTEEN for crying out loud. It's just ridiculous.

At fourteen, all I wanted was to be allowed to go down the street with my friends after school. Or to go down to the shops by myself. Can't say I ever wanted to sail around the world by myself, but each to their own.
I think it's smart to have a dream, I think it's important to have a dream. But there are certain things that people need to remember- first thing that my head keeps screaming is safety.
If someone can explain to me how this is safe for a fourteen year old girl (let alone a twenty-one year old, or a forty year old) then I'll happily eat my words.

If I asked my parents if I could sail solo around the world, I'd get a laugh, a 'pull ya head in', and a 'sweetheart, you can do lot's of things. Just not this.' I love my parents.

I'm not the only one who feels this way, with this being taken to the Dutch courts. The Child Protection Council fighting against her decision (and losing... sigh). Read some more about it here.

I haven't led a 'sheltered life', my parents have always been fair and reasonable with me. And I honestly think that's why at nineteen I can call myself responsible and say I have a fairly good head on my shoulders (not to sound ridiculously stuck up or anything, which I think I seriously just failed at). So where is the line drawn? How can Dekker's parents honestly justify the decision to support their daughter on this?

Go back to school for a couple more years Dekker, then maybe look at the idea of sailing around the world solo. How about while your waiting you do normal fourteen year old stuff like stealing chocolate from the fridge and staying up past your bed time?

The worst sort of addiction. For bank accounts.

My bank account has been looking dangerously sad the last few months. And unfortunately, I have no one to blame but myself.
Actually I also blame my Aunty- because I get my spending habits and my ability to shop anytime, anywhere, from her.
I find that the problem is I buy things that I don't need and certainly don't have the money for.
I have weaknesses too, like any girl. I always need a new outfit when I go out (not generally a good thing when you happen to have five 21st's in two months), I can't go past a good bargain pair of shoes and finally cook books, whenever I go shopping (which is all the time) I treat myself to a cook book.
Treating myself for what you say? Good question, I wish I could answer it.

Until recently, I wouldn't call myself a shopping 'addict'. I'd call myself a chocoholic, a writerholic (I think I just made up a word), a procrasti-bakerholic (Ha, another one)but not a shopoholic.
Until I found myself shopping every single day of the week, and my bank screaming out in pain
So I'm taking some action of sorts- no shopping! For a week at least, that's a good start. And no buying things!
Except for food of course- I have some recipes calling my name.
Oh and except for the manicure I've already booked for next week.
Oh and except for the hotel room I'm paying for next Saturday.
Oh and except for the night out next week I'm going to have to pay for.
But apart from that, no spending.

See, I'm achieving some sort of happy medium, agreed?

The hardest bit is going to be not buying cook books! Angus and Robertson always have sales on awesome cook books! Hmph.
But I won't buy any... Until Callum wins MasterChef that is, because, well, I really want his cook book.

What sort of addictions do you guys have?

From bad, to worse, to plain awkward.

A few weeks back now, my email got hacked. Nothing major- from what I can tell it was just a virus, probably from a piece of spam I had accidently opened a few days prior. It was also my hotmail account, so (I thought…) it would have just sent it to a few friends- easy to email them again, apologize quickly and tell them not to open the previous email.
The thing about getting hacked is you never know it’s happened- unless you’re in the habit of checking through your sent items, or like me, you have a little guardian angel that sends you an email.

I was completely confused when I opened Annelise’s email and she first wrote-

‘Hahah, thanks but I think I'm all good for Viagra at the moment!.'

Um, what?

Further down she adds, ‘You were hacked?’

And it starts to make sense- horrible sense. I go to my sent items and what would you know? I’d apparently sent out two emails, about eight people receiving each one. I clicked on the first and it had been sent to a few friends, a few people from uni and my aunt. It was just a link, but I wasn’t going to be clicking on it anytime soon, like Annelise, I’m pretty right on the Viagra front.
So I wrote a quick apology, and sent it off, hoping most of them hadn’t checked their emails yet.
Annoying, frustrating and irritating, but not un-fixable.

Until, I checked the second email- And that’s where it gets awkward.

Again it was the same email, a link to a Viagra site. But the people this email was sent to were a little more amusing.
We have my grandparents, three high school teachers, three uni tutors and a website’s co-ordinator that I used to write articles for- at this point I want to go hang myself.

The issue isn’t that I was hacked- it happens to the best of us. The Viagra bit is pretty embarrassing, but again what can you do? The fact the email had no subject heading, and was just a link is annoying, but at least it wasn’t porn? No this isn’t the issue. But the email I received a few days later was definitely the issue.

Apparently the website co-ordinator (who I’m deliberately not naming, and deliberately not giving you a link to the site- because it’s just embarrassing for both of us) hadn’t checked my apology email and sent me this:

‘Hello Morgan,

Haven’t heard from you for a while but I trust all is well.

As you know, we’re a student site, so an article about Viagra isn’t something we’re looking for.

If you have any more ideas please email me again.

Regards….’

I nearly fell off my chair. I scanned my emails again hoping for another one from her saying ‘oh, just saw your other email!’

But no, nothing.

Awkward.

And damage control time- I replied with a lovely emailing, explaining the situation and explaining until I was blue in the face that I didn’t want to write about Viagra.

Note to all: Don’t open spam.

This is what happens when a political dead brain writes about politics…

How was your night last night? Did you go out for dinner, or watch a movie? Bad move. Last night’s ‘leadership spill’ was an epic political moment if I ever did witness one. I’m not going to delve too much into politics itself a) because I’m a political no-brainer and b) I don’t want to make a fool out of myself. But I am going to delve into the politics of the politics of the last 24 or so hours. Let’s break it down.

8.30pm(ish) 23 June 2010- Twitter starts

A friend tweets this. Automatically, I think about the BP oil spill. But no, I find on the skynews website there is going to be a leadership spill.
Uh oh, welcome to the world wind that is Australian politics.

9pm 23 June 2010-It becomes clear

Through newsbreaks, twitter and the Sky News website it all becomes apparent. It’s a leadership spill and basically that means Australia could have its first female PM. Just over two year ago Kevin ’07 was one of, if not the most popular PM (my brother says since Whitlam). Wow. How did it all go so wrong? How did the cool PM that went on shows like Rove go from hero to zero? That’s what happens when you try to fool your public, that’s what happens when you don’t deliver. The Australian public can be a volatile bunch.

10.20pm(ish) 23 June 2010- Rudd’s speech

Just to recap- politics aren’t my thing. But I sat up straight, listened intently and was 100% without a doubt impressed with Rudd’s speech. He was strong and determined and should have sounded like this throughout his entire term. Laurie Oakes reports that afterwards, Rudd breaks down.

Late 23 June 2010- The aftermath

Twitter’s going into melt down, new coverage is going bonkers and my hearts finally recovered. I’m confused and full of adrenaline.
What does it all mean? Check THIS out for a 2 min cheat sheet on what’s going on.

8.00am 24 June 2010- Leading up to

News coverage is bonkers (still) and everyone is discussing the possibilities. A hot topic- What’s Julia Gillard’s partner Tim going be called? Overwhelming support for ‘First Bloke’.

9am 24 June 2010- The vote begins

Or so we think…

9.24am 24 June 2010- No ballot?

Ben Fordham just revealed that a journo from The Australian has tweeted that Rudd has given Gillard the PM spot; no ballot vote. (I wonder what Barry Hall thinks?- Remember when she Gillard said "there's more chance I'll line up at full forward for the Dogs than topple Kevin Rudd")

9.34am 24 June 2010- Australia’s new PM

The federal secretary reveals Gillard was appointed PM unopposed; Wayne Swan elected Dep. PM unopposed. This means THERE WAS NO VOTE: Rudd handed it over to Gillard.



What happens now; we’ll have to wait and see. Personally, I think the Labor party have just secured the next election. Tony Abbott must be shaking in his boots.
(Julia Gillard should be having her first press conference as PM... any second... now)

An open letter to Alex Fevola

Dear Alex,

You don’t know me, but I definitely know you.
Sometimes I feel for you, I really do, because no one deserves to be in a cheating relationship, no one deserves to be lied to, and no one deserves to be humiliated in some of the ways you have been.
However, you do frustrate me to the high heavens.
People would sympathise with you a whole lot more if you didn’t go media hunting.
Glossy women’s mags (no matter how addictive the damn things are) are not a source of credibility. Dancing with the stars (could you just enlighten me as to when you became a star…?) will not help the general public forget that your (ex) husband cheated on you, sent a nude photo of Lara Bingle around and has a severe gambling problem.
You have three ridiculously cute daughters; do you think they need to see mummy and daddy on the news-stands every day?
Do you think constantly dredging up your (unfortunate) past is going to help?
No, it’s not going to.
For the sake of your daughters, your family and yourself- stay out of the media spotlight.

I look forward to not reading about you tomorrow.

Yours truly,
Morgan x

Reality TV... What has you hooked?

One of my earliest reality TV moments was from Survivor season one, and it includes a naked Richard Hatch, and yet so many years later, I find myself reality TV addicted.
I like all kinds of reality TV, everything from Survivor, to Project Runway, to Masterchef. Let me watch it from episode one and I’ll be hooked. It’s in that very first episode that I pick my favourite, and I go with them the whole way through until they’re eliminated. Then I usually crack the shits and watch the remaining episodes with somewhat of an evil glare.

So what makes reality TV so mesmerising? What makes it grab you, shake you by the shoulders, and not let you go?
Reality TV isn’t always a popular genre- anyone remember Big Brother? Even though it was successful, that caused nothing but controversy from season one. Anyone need reminding about this or this?And yet it still had its fans (admittedly I was one for the first couple of seasons).
I tend to find that people either love reality TV, or hate it. There’s no in between with such a confronting genre. And the main ‘type’ of person that dislikes the reality genre- the academics. Especially those who specialise in studying the effects these types of shows have on reality.
But why?
The media has always had a power of its audience; its influence often questioned. (Is it possible for media to actually cause this (?), people argue so).
Reality TV rose to its fame in the 2000s, and this is when audiences were at their worst and often passive. Meaning they sat there, and absorbed the information that is being fed to them. The rise of reality made audiences sit up and become active, and get involved within the program. This was by giving audiences power, the power to choose the fate of each reality contestant.
It’s difficult to argue for or against if this was a positive thing or not. You have those that argue it’s good; you’ll have those that will argue it’s not.
Is it safe to get so engrossed in a ‘reality’ show, showing ‘real’ people doing ‘real’ things in ‘real’ situations? I say this with Survivor in mind- a show that clearly doesn’t have a ‘this would happen in real life element’. In saying that though, is that safer to watch then something like Big Brother, which does have a better element of ‘real’; but because of this, could have audiences trying to copy what they see (turkey slap, anyone?). It seems much more plausible to suggest that people would copy what they see from Big Brother then Survivor- purely based on the ‘real’ element.
This is an entirely different issue though, and not the point of this post.

As I sat in a group meeting tonight, I constantly refreshed my twitter feed and followed every tweet posted with a masterchef hash tag (basically a Masterchef forum on twitter). This is because I couldn’t stand to not be watching the show, and even though I was taping it, I was biting my nails because my favourite, the one I’d picked at the start and followed the whole way through, was up for elimination.
Why I am so hooked on this reality show that I can’t even stand to miss an episode? And why Masterchef? It’s definitely not because I have a flare for cooking. My speciality is eggs on toast, but I must admit- I make them pretty damn good.
I find myself addicted to reality where other people make the decisions for me. Not to suggest I don’t watch the other types of reality, I just don’t vote.
But then why do I feel it’s outrageous when my favourite goes home?
I damn near wanted to cry when Matthew Caldicott was eliminated from Masterchef tonight. I have a few witnesses that could vouch for that too.
BUT WHY?
Do I know him? No. Can I relate to him? Not really. Does he have a ridiculously tragic story? Nope. Is he cute? Definitely. Just had to throw that last one in there, sorry.

Or why do people detest contestants? Search Joanne Masterchef in facebook and look at some of the groups that come up- they’re doozies.
I understand when people watch reality shows and relate to one of the contestants, but what basis do I have for Matt being my favourite? I don’t, I just chose him in the first episode (well actually, technically not true because it was top 24 episode) and it was decided, he was going to be my favourite.

Reality TV has a knack of drawing you in and making you completely engrossed from the get go. And once you give yourself into reality TV… there’s no turning back.
It has a power- a power that grips you about 6 times a week (ahem, Masterchef), or those select few shows that manage to grip you for one hour every week (ahem, Survivor).
They make you tweet your face off, they make set up day with your friends where you do nothing but watch YouTube clips of the shows and play the game on the Wii (that’s normal yeah?) they make you laugh, they make you cry and they make you fall in love. (Stalker love is not encouraged though).
They draw you in with emotional stories, likeable contestants and fun challenges.

I am… a reality TV tragic.
Are you? If so, what do you watch? How involved do you get? And why do you believe it has you obsessed?

Taboo- The idea of plastic surgery and young girls

The number of young girls turning to plastic surgery to enhance their looks is alarming, and honestly, quite disturbing. We live in an age where society is so transfixed on looks that every one forgets what really matters. And as ridiculously cliché as that sounds, it’s the truth and if you don’t think so, unfortunately you’re kidding yourself. Of course that’s not to say that there aren’t some really special people out there who are fighting to change this, and aren’t giving up any time soon.
The idea of plastic surgery has always been a bit taboo for me. There is a part of me that absolutely detests it. The idea of people changing their body because they don’t like the way it looks really gets on my nerves and sometimes I feel like strangling people like Heidi Montag (or Montag-Pratt, depends if you believe the latest gossip). The ‘popular’ (and I use that term VERY loosely) The Hills star has sent her body through the ringer. All because she wasn’t happy with the way she looked, and felt she needed to enhance herself if she was going to be in the public eye. Now I think she’s gorgeous before she had any work done. So why on earth did she? It was because she needed to be beautiful… duh. This sort of plastic surgery, I don’t agree with at all. I think she’s stupid, she’s going to regret it and it’s is the worst possible message you could send to any girls. And don’t get me started on the money aspect.

Before Image (http://www.honeymag.com/wp-)

After Image(http://www.layoutlocator.com/graphics/dldimg/d928cb8bc4d8422a84fbe949c6ca666d_heidi_montag-5370.jpg) Sorry for the long URL but it's being a pain and wont let me change it.

However, there is plastic surgery that I do agree with, and I can fully sympathise with the people wanting it done. Burn victims, abuse victims and other such people I can understand wanting to have something done if they’d somehow been disfigured. Then again, this is trying to get something back, not trying to have something that was never there. There are cases that warrant plastic surgery but who judges who is deserving of it and who isn’t? Well, not me, but I’m still entitled to my opinion. Which if you haven’t already gathered is that most plastic surgery is silly and most motives behind it is a personal gain for the worst.

This has been a subject widely discussed for years, but it caught my attention again in the last few days. Mainly because of 18 year-old single mother Ambah Young. She’s heading to Malaysia to have a boob job, and a tummy tuck, and, uh, a ‘designer’ vagina procedure (wow, awkward). This is because Ms Young gave birth to her daughter two years ago and has struggled to feel young again. I honestly don’t know how I feel about this. I don’t agree with it, but who am I to say that this girl isn’t seriously depressed and something needs to be done? The issue is that it is plastered across TV and in magazines that even after you have a baby, your body needs to be ‘perfect’ within a month. Thank you celebrities for fuelling this ridiculous need.
Also in today’s paper, it’s been reported that girls as young as EIGHT are going to beauty salons. And apparently there are a lot of young girls asking for a body wax. I’ll leave it at that and let you use your imagination for that one.

That’s disturbing. Where are these girls’ mothers telling them that they are beautiful in their own skin, and teaching the next generation that it’s not okay to change yourself just because other people want you to. It’s not only disturbing, but it’s downright upsetting. It breaks my heart to think that school aged children are so unhappy and depressed about their looks because some people thing they’re the Queen. Where are the people making sure that we don’t lose anymore girls because of low self esteem due to looks? Who are the people the young girls need to look up to? They are out there, they just need recognition. And they need to be seen as accessible by young girls (and boys).

Firstly, and one of my favourites, is the National Advisory Group on Body Image. This government funded initiative has the likes of Sarah Murdoch, Sports Minister Kate Ellis and journalist Mia Freedman on board. Now this is a fairly ‘big’ initiative and although it’s pretty much the best thing to happen in regards to body image in a long time, sometimes things a little smaller are best.
I’m talking local youth groups- which are amazing for promoting positive body image, and embracing the person within. These things are what is important.
I’d love to think in the near future, that people will actually take into consideration what’s on the ‘inside’ not just the physical. One step at a time hey?
Now this is where I make my plug. Lead On is a youth group that operates in a few areas around Australia. And I’m lucky enough to be involved in Lead On Ballarat. The aim is for youth to have fun, feel great and meet new people. In October Lead On Ballarat will have its first youth event- ‘Paint the Catwalk’. The event will promote positive body image, address the issue of negative thinking, celebrate individuals and promote youth. There will be a fashion show; featuring young talent, and modelled by all sorts of people from the community. There will be local bands, art work and lots of other surprises. Maybe even a celebrity or two.

Get involved- One person can make a difference.