Warm, Wise, Witty, Wonderful: Wendy.

Three weeks ago, my news reporting class at UNSW was required to interview local celebrity Wendy Harmer in a news press conference style. Wendy attended our lecture and our aim as students covering the piece was to report on the new launch of her website The Hoopla. The Hoopla is an interesting site and one that many would argue (including myself) boasts nothing majorly different to its brothers and sisters otherwise known as New Idea or Mamamia. Overall it proved to be a rather interesting interview, regardless of whether or not Harmer let her guard down or not. I certainly walked away with a much greater sense of respect and admiration for a woman of which I had only previously recognised as a well known name. Following is the article I submitted as part of my assessment - happy days.

~ 

Thursday 1^st September 2011

By Rebecca Mason

Fashion editor and opinion columnist Georgina Safe will perhaps now think twice before calling plus sized models both ‘fat and ugly;’ after the ‘whack around the head’ she received from the media queen: Wendy Harmer.

Harmer insists that online media ‘is the most fun you can have,’ and you can see how through the ease with which her opinion articles such as: Size Apartheid. We’re over it. reach out to the women within her latest project: The Hoopla.

With one of the most well known faces in Australian media, Wendy Harmer who has spent the last 30 years offering her opinion through the radio, TV and newspapers, has recently launched her new website: The Hoopla, aimed at the female 35+ age bracket.

Littered with Australian colloquialisms, Harmer, 55 exudes an excitement for her new website through the passion she displays for women alone and particularly those in her similar demographic.

“There are more women (aged) 45-65 than in any other age group…why wouldn’t you want to cater to these people?”

And that is exactly what The Hoopla aims to do. Fostering a balance between opinion pieces, recipes, and wellbeing advice; The Hoopla finds a creative platform that both connects and caters to mature Australian women, who quite simply, as Harmer puts it: “are not catered for in commercial talk radio and marginalised online.”

“It is a space I thought I could happily occupy,” and with the response of over 2000 comments on various opinion pieces in the short space of only three months, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

Happily married to environmentalist husband Brendan, with two young children, the online media sphere is perhaps now more than ever appropriate to her needs. Providing an example of the process of a typical ‘Hoopla’ story, Harmer described stumbling across fashion editor Georgina Sparks’ controversial article early one morning in the Sydney Morning Herald.  Sparks who wrote the opinion piece on her qualms with plus sized models was certainly in for a surprise when Harmer had her retaliating article published and online within an hour, rapidly attracting praise in the form of comments, twitter re-tweets and even multiple ‘Like’ s on The Hoopla Facebook page. Harmer assures us: “Now that, is really fun…and is as fun as it’s going to get.”

With an abundant record of highs and lows, Harmer exudes both a vibrant and animated personality reflective of the decades she attributed to both the stage and microphone, yet simultaneously also an unassertive humbleness accredited to her unpretentious and at times challenging childhood.

“I think that one of the hardest things …is to actually get to know yourself and have the courage of your opinions and say what you think and not let it bother you anymore. It has been a journey for me to get to the point where I am much (more) confident in who I am and what I think about things. The only person I am competitive with, is myself.”

With prospects to further her name in the Australian political sphere, combined with her popular children’s book turning into a musical; managing The Hoopla and keeping it active in the online media world remains a top priority in Harmer’s eyes. If there were an award for ‘multi-media-platform conquering’ this one-of-a-kind comedienne/journalist would have it sitting alongside her best selling novels: Pearlie and Farewell My Ovaries.

Over many decades, Harmer has made a vital contribution to the Australian media landscape and through The Hoopla -her latest project- has empowered women previously unacknowledged in the online world.

It is both exciting and inspiring to think of what we can expect from the queen of Australian media in years to come. Leaving a little to the imagination, skeletons in Harmer’s closet come only in the form of a sly and suspicious smile followed by a self-proclaiming… “I’ve had a fantastic life.”

I think I want to marry you.

Well maybe not you...but certainly Dallas Green from City and Colour. I know it has been a while since my last post but what better way to kick off my new bloggin' period than with a song that not only is wickedly inspiring but also so melancholic and truly and simply b.e.a.u.t.i.f.u.l. if you haven't already heard it...well I will forgive you momentarily. Get on it y'all!

Once again. Dallas Green...MARRY ME!

Oh how I completely endanger the integrity of my bank account.

At times I really feel as though my bank account should live in fear of my spending patterns. I really have concluded that it is not normal to play a game with your account to see how close you can come each week to a balance of $0. Most people usually have a base of say $2000...let's just say I like to live on the wild side. 
Regardless my point being this week's little endeavour is to destroy my balance with items from Topshop. I fear this is not the first time I have discussed this word on this blog and that in itself says a lot. My excuse this week however is that my birthday is quickly approaching and suitably I definitely need an outfit (inclusive of dress, shoes, and perhaps even extending to glasses and tights?)


So my shopping bag currently consists of beauty #1:

Hello pretty....


The danger with the dress is it is very exclusive and probably only going to get a couple of wears...however let me enlighten you with my next product which i like to pertain to being....diverse.

GAH need I say any more to express my utter lust?


My credit card is currently still in my wallet...but if I do make progress (which is looking promising) I promise this purchase will deliver all sorts of little luxuries.

You’re on your own, and you know what you know. Oh the places you’ll go.

I can safely guarantee you I have not ever thought into such detail of my own identity as I have this week. To the point where I am pondering whether the oxford jumper and pyjama pants I am wearing while I type furiously on my iMac whilst at the same time coordinating a sneezing fit contribute to what I shall ascribe as my self selected identity. Who would have thought that these effortless decisions I make regularly contribute to the way I am seen and my identity? Yet it is through these few personal characteristics and choices I make which create my self selected image. I strongly believe that while there will always be inevitable imposed factors attributing to a sense of identity the way the human race achieves uniqueness is through the carefully selected decisions in life that form their image and as a result their identity.

I believe my identity has been modified over 20 years by factors such as my family life, being the youngest of three girls with my parents I have always had a very stable upbringing which has allowed me to grow and develop freely. Decisions I have made have led me to taking a year off and spending that time immersed in a completely different setting in England and making my way traveling through Europe experiencing everything from the Notre Dame in Paris to bed bugs in Prague! Yet of course in order to make these decisions there were obvious imposed identities on me those being a caucasian Australian female coming from a very privileged background. I think in this case it is important to consider During’s idea that ‘individuals differ as to the degree of intensity in which they connect to particular identities,’ there are hundreds upon thousands of people who would share the same demographics yet it is the ways in which we connect to these particularities that divide us. With a strong maternal Lebanese heritage along with thousands of other Sydney-siders one would not be quick to associate me with that heritage as I go against any preconceived ideas or stereotypes commonly associated with Lebanese people.

A few days ago I was shocked to find out that in order to commemorate their daughter’s generation her parents named her ‘Like’…if you haven’t already made the connection it is clear that there is something lacking in YOUR identity yet I was astounded yet not surprised as to the extent of the profound impact Facebook is having on our lives. Literally governing our decisions it is becoming a common basis of identity for many people leaving not much left to be discovered by others. It is this imposed identity formation that does make it difficult to sustain a self selected image. Hearn’s article, “Variations on the branded self,” reinforces this idea where websites such as Facebook foster a “detachable, sale image or narrative of self.” Personally I have come a long way in regards to my social networking. From the days when I would write essays ‘about me’ on my Myspace profile to now limiting every piece of information of myself on Facebook I like to keep people guessing. I make a conscious effort to not be a pretentious and downright annoying newsfeed ‘polluter’ so I only update my status on strictly funny, emotive, or interesting topics which I feel reflect a certain part of my identity.

All in all, identity is a huge concept which I really don’t think can be defined but it is to me the associations one makes with others and the way they reflect an image they would like others to see of themselves. The common understanding is that identity is imposed however I still strongly believe it is what we make of our imposed and given characteristics or demographics that help shape our ultimately self selected identity.

The Cake Man

Sam taking a break from his non-stop
15 hour work day.

Mary, Alexandra, Kathryn: one would be easily forgiven for thinking these names belong to certain ladies but when inside the glass doors of a small shop in Lane Cove, these names belong to the chocolate, ganache, raspberry and meringue components of the overly popular cakes of Beligian pastry chef, Sam Campisi.


“It all started back in Belgium, I was 14 eldest of 5 kids, I was walking home from school and I see an ad in the door saying: apprentice wanted and I walked in and said how old did you have to be? He told me 14 and so I got the job. I went home and told Mum who at that point was working from 5am to 5pm that I was leaving school and going to help her out.”

The aroma of expensive coffee beans linger as Sam takes a seat and a break from his ritualistic 15 hour day to reflect on his journey. Brushing the residual flour off his hands and unbuttoning the top few buttons to his dirtied chef’s uniform his unshaven face breaks into a cheeky grin and those piercing bright blue eyes prepare to tell their story.
“The pressure of being the eldest was too much, from 10 years old I was looking after everyone and by the time I was 18 I cracked it. They were going to put me in a home. It was then that I got in touch with my Dad who was living in Australia and it was him who convinced me to leave.”
Not needing much more persuasion, Sam ended up in Tamworth with his Dad, however it was not long before things didn’t work out and with his poor english he found himself in the heart of Sydney knowing that he would have to make a life for himself here.

As Sam speaks there is not a flicker of a doubt to say that he is not Australian. “I taught myself how to speak English…I had no choice but to learn. I taught myself by reading comic books: spiderman, phantom.”

Being a fluent speaker of Italian and French and a self taught English speaker, the inspiration behind his story evidently becomes clearer. “I did it all for my Mum. I wanted to make her proud. I always felt inadequate.”

After working for 10 years in a nearby patisserie and consistently working for someone else, the freedom is endless for Sam. “I am being myself – I let my personality run wild….before you could see I was a bit of a larrikin but now there is no stopping me. I can do whatever I want.”

“After only properly opening the business two weeks ago having moved from my last cafe, here I am doing the business I thought I would do in a month’s time. I would say this is my biggest achievement.”

The self described “cool, sexy and strong” persona shines through the cheeky grin and it is not hard to see the gleaming pride behind it. For what seems like a life long effort of hard work, the best part is only just beginning. His eyes find mine and it only takes one look at his face to see how the fifteen hour days are taking their toll but then he is the first to acknowledge “this is my time – it is worth it.”

Un Bon Hiver?

In light of the atrociously cold weather that has beset itself on the unknowing residents of Sydney, what better way to praise it then with the glorious tunes of none other than Justin Vernon...Bon Iver. If you haven't already guessed, the band name Bon Iver which is otherwise always associated with Vernon himself is a sly purposeful mis-spelling of the french Bon Hiver. This relates directly to his self imposed four month wintry isolation in his Father's cabin in Northern Wisconsin in which he produced the songs which would make up the record For Emma, Forever Ago. 


Now that you know a little about my ultimate singer and songwriter, I believe it is time to delve into the purpose of this post and that is his latest cd the self titled, Bon Iver. Not meant to be released until mid-June, I somehow managed to secure a copy and what I can tell you is music like this is just meant to be heard. I often wonder that when I like an artist is the only reason why I like their newest tracks because I feel I have a psychological obligation or do I genuinely like them? 
This I can safely assure you is no obligatory listening. 
It is divine. 
He reaches absolute new heights through the album and each song has an underlying ambiguity which makes it all the more compelling. 


This is no proper review, only a confession of my undying love of Bon Iver. 


Due to be released June 21 2011, make sure to pay a little extra attention to Holocene.

Parlez vous français?

I have been asking myself this question a little too much lately as I near the end of my first semester of learning a language I have only aspired to one day be able to speak. Lucky for me, with a past 5 year knowledge of Italian combined with multiple trips to France last year, I have been able to grasp the broader knowledge of the language and have really connected with it (to the point where I resemble something like a 'teacher's pet' in my French class)...regardless I believe people are doing themselves a disfavor through not listening to the music of insanely beautiful Carla Bruni. Personally I believe it is through songs like Quel'qu'un ma dit which extracts an unknown passion of foreign languages for everyone. 
The first time I heard this was off the 500 Days of Summer album which on a completely different note is well worth A) watching and B) indulging in the music soundtrack.


Enough from me!


Now mollycoddle this...

I feel pretty!

Due to my incumbent association with public transport that has evolved this year I have witnessed some weird and quirky things which would make any normal person's brain tick but when it comes to my overly-stimulated mind it literally sends me crazy. I tend to be that person who is often found smiling to herself or in some special cases laughing or in extreme cases unknowingly mouthing a conversation to herself that is going on in her head. Here you are most definitely thinking wow she is crazy and to a certain extent I don't blame you. Today was one of those special types of days. Being the coldest day in Sydney for a long time, I had no complaints upon stepping on board my refuge Hornsby bound train yet it wasn't until I was sat down and started to unravel my multiple layers given the extreme stuffiness of the train's cabin that I saw my victim. This man would have been in his early twenties and of Korean/Japanese heritage. He casually pulled out his iphone and kept bringing it closer and closer to his face. Here I am, obviously intrigued as to what he is doing as this is the point where I am usually pressing the centre button and swiping furiously to unlock my phone yet he just keeps bringing the phone closer. Some people may not have any problem with this whatsoever but it wasn't until he started fixing his fringe and patting his hair when I realised that what he was doing was utilising his iphone as a mirror. I don't think I would be forgiven for bursting out laughing at this point...and luckily for me I refrained from doing so. It wasn't until this action repeated itself for the continuous 20 minute period that I really felt I could not contain myself any longer and little did I know I let a laugh that resembled a snort escape me. As you would guess I did receive looks I probably deserved but still I was just simply so shocked about how narcissistic people can be! I genuinely thought looking at your reflection in the train as it is pulling into the station was bad or even staring at yourself in the window when the train is going through a tunnel...but checking yourself out on your iPhone? 
I really hope it was worth it.

just how much am I willing to spend...

So as one might have gathered I have been lucky enough to have spent the majority (10 months) of 2010 overseas in England and it was there that I fell in love...no not with a handsome duke but instead with a leather clad bag with brass buckles and a style that can only be associated with chic oxford uni study girl. Her name is the Alexa and it was getting a bit ridiculous to the point I was considering not eating to save my petty monthly wage to buy it. My stomach clearly got the better of me and the Alexa lost that battle....so instead I am going to showcase my beauty here.

Please do not hesitate to look at the detail of my love...

So if anyone at all would like to contribute to my fund or who am I kidding this fund is non-existent...let me re-phrase if anyone is feeling like being a benefactor to a girl in need do let me know.

(RRP $2000)

We all know who would pull it off better...and just a hint I am not talking about Alexa Chung.

program(me) program(you)

Media we are being subjected to daily culminates eventually to be somewhat ritualistic in nature to the point we aren’t even aware of how much we have come to rely on it in regards to defining moments and time in our daily routine or ‘dailiness’ as Scannell puts it. Upon realizing this main concept within this topic of time I got thinking about my typical ‘media-day’ and was it inadvertently the component that determined my time of day or gave me the security surrounding the normal actions in my day? My initial interaction with media commences as soon as I wake up I turn off my alarm which sure enough almost yells at me what time it is as I slide my thumb over the screen to silence it…I then progress to navigate my fingers to the sneaky little blue ‘f’ icon placed at the bottom of my iPhone screen as even though I am still in my sleep stupor I manage to somehow check the notifications from the past 9 hours that I have been sleeping. Without a doubt this is the routine first 5 minute action I take every morning. For me, one could say that media has become a priority within my life…this morning routine is a prime example that it comes above my highest needs as a human being, considering I haven’t even eaten yet my day has already started –I mean considering this perhaps Maslow’s Heirarchy of needs might need to be re-adjusted to account for 21^st century media and technology – just a thought.

Regardless of the fact there are multiple studies which show that sleeping with your phone on next to your head at night lead to all sorts of cancerous dangers it does not stop me…nor does it stop anyone else I know…yet why is this? You would think that on the grand scale of things receiving a text message the minute it is sent as opposed to perhaps 6 hours later when you turn your phone on would not be worth a brain tumour. However this is the society we have turned into, time has become even more of a precious thing due to the media which regulates our usage of ‘our-time’ or on a more personal level ‘my-time.’

My interaction with my iPhone has turned into my primary media interaction. On the bus I will listen to my ipod, at uni I will use it for the internet and to check emails. At night occasionally if I am at home having dinner I will be watching the news with my family. The news broadcast has become a central part of our household. My Mum who cooks the dinner has always made dinner time to coincide with the 7pm ABC news bulletin as she knows that is when my Dad will be watching it.

Scannell deals with an interesting concept in his article that the news is constantly being broadcast in the ‘now’ and that this becomes a means for the public notion of time. Whether a it is a radio broadcast on the hour or a weather update every 15 minutes we know what to expect and we know it is the current time news. The media in this sense have an obligation to fulfill to the public hence are constantly being manouvered by public demand. A prime example and quite a surprising one at that is even when a day ago the top story has continuously been the crisis in Japan, today it turned to the viralRebecca Black song on Youtube. Whether or not the story is deserving to be number one is another question it is simply a prime example of the ways in which news broadcasting and time interact and show how it does indeed become 'linear and irreversible' as Scannell puts it in 'Dailiness'.

There are certain events and circumstances in my day and year which without I wouldn't feel as accustomed to my routine. It is from the constant news feeds on Facebook and Twitter that allow me to keep up to date with the happenings of the world and keep up with events as time is changing and not stuck on the stories of yesterday or even an hour ago. Time is this constant component that every action and interaction is based around and indeed through society, time has become fundamental to how broadcasting has become integrated into the motions of our everyday life.

she's always a woman

In an attempt to be overly dramatic and cliché I am going to use the phrase that 'there are actually no words to describe' just how much this song and indeed video clip mean to me. A concoction of nostalgic joy this video represents love in all of it's forms. I just honestly love it and think those in the world who may not be familiar with John Lewis (a very top end English department store) should not be excluded from what awesome values this clip has to offer. I saw the movie No Strings Attached tonight and for some reason it stirred up a whole mixture of emotion which somehow made me think of Fyfe Dangerfield and then those moments when I woke up on the couch in cold and snowy Cheltenham last year watching some glamorous television when sure enough this little beauty played and I was enamored... enjoy and try not to think that the song is originally by Billy Joel as honestly Fyfe Dangerfield pulls it off incredibly :)

when I close my eyes...

Upon getting out of my car this evening a young guy drove past in his 'zooped' up Ford Fiesta with his windows down and music blazing. He did the whole 'how you doin' type nod at my sister and myself and only after his car passed did we realise the music 'blazing' was in fact the rather famous one liner of 'when I close my eyes...you're everywhere' off the song by Leonardo's Bride "Even When I Am Sleeping." Naturally we couldn't escape the humour of the situation after we assumed to be pounded with the tones of Flo-Rida or the like... but that is what I like to call a little pleasant surprise. Sure enough it is now an hour later and I can't get the one-liner out of my head and in an attempt to discover the title of the song all it took was a 2 minute google search and there it was! Check out the cool old school video clip - awesome!

welcome bienvenue benvenuto wilkommen

After not having picked up a pen or attacked a keyboard for fourteen months with a creative blend of my thoughts I decided what better way to initiate my welcome back into the educated world with creating my own blog. With absolutely no expectations, and to be quite frank no clue as to what I am doing (what is a blog anyway these days!) I am entering into the unknown territory to broaden my new media usage. I am however hoping this will become a more enjoyable past time as opposed to an enforced one (of which - I will be honest - it feels like at the moment.) 

Up until last week I had not thought about the connections between my generation and the media to the depth that was explained to us in a lecture on Media Culture and Everyday Life. Stemming from the 'Facebook' generation I can safely say I would check my Facebook perhaps on average 30 times a day which is on paper simply ridiculous. I could almost assume I know everything about it yet when the foreboding word 'blog' was mentioned the fear of the unknown crept in towards me and I decided instead of letting it get the better of me (something similar to what happened with the internet and our parents) I decided to check it out. I have been pretty amazed by my findings over such a short space of time...

So join me in my little initiation to the blogger world as I create me own little e-path...full of little e-luxuries!

As of yet I don't have a strict focus of my little blog but I am assuming one will present itself at a later date.

And no I am not obsessed with the letter E it just essentially represents to me how I was amazed with just how big a part electronics and all the little bits that come with it play a part in our lives. From blogs, social networks, marketplaces - my world and I am sure your world too is turning virtual and we are constantly being e-mazed.