Tumblr.

Asides from this blog, I also have a tumblr. Rather than call it a blog though I feel a 'collection of pictures, photos and general pleasures' is a more suited title for what I have created.

I like to browse tumblr, not so much to waste time, more to chill out and appreciate the beauty of the world, to gather inspiration and be calm. 

I think it is important to have releases in life that allow you to do this, whether it be music, reading, drawing, running...just whatever really. What ever lets you come back down to earth and realise that beneath the horrible tragedy our world is so often painted to be with thick, black, unforgiving paint is there is still colour and life and wonder.

When I browse through the pages I have accumulated since starting it last year, I find it very difficult to choose favourites as they all in some small way mean something to me or are photos I find quite incredible.


Here are a few...



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Define Necessity...

 

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Necessity:

 

 '...something necessary or indispensable; food, shelter...'

 

essential

requirement

imperative

vital

 

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A New Love...

 
Recently I have discovered the beautiful wonder that is the soulful music of Birdy.
Still so young her songs are something to behold and are the soundtrack to my morning on this last day of Autumn, 2012.
 
Such sounds often get my mind thinking, particulary of friends of mine who I know would also enjoy them. Those that jump to mind today as I sit at my desk in my little college room in my tiny pocket of the world in Brisbane Australia, are those travelling throughout Europe in their gaps years. Them there is always Jas who has lived in England since we were 16.

First off though I will tell you of Mel. At home we live a mere 5 mins over the hill from one another. Having done the majority of the significant things in my life with her by my side, saying goodbyes at the start of this year as she tripped off to Italia to Au Pair was nothing less than hard. 7 months on however, I am glad to say she is having an absolutely awesome time and has been to more places then I could have ever hoped she would get to in her time overseas. We skype every so often and try to keep each other up to date with the different lives we are leading this year, I don't know how well I would deal without skype actually. We are both people who enjoy being involved in things, particularly stuff that incorporates helping other people. She is my colourful love and I miss her dearly.

Here are some of her photos I enjoy immensely...
 






 Inez is the next lovely lady who comes to mind as I sit here listening, writing and thinking... Also in Italy for some time to Au Pair and travel, Inez is my earth child friend. She grew up very close to me as well and is a very unique and intelligent person. We share a love for social justice and the environment and I really hope that next year she chooses to come to UQ to study as well. Based in Torino, Nez has also already seen many marvels of Europe and one day I hope to travel with her around South East Asia and India as I class myself an bit of an earth child as well.

Oh did I mention she has an eye for photography amidst all that other talent...
 
 


 

 
 
And then there is the beautiful Jasmine whom I miss more than I can say. Jas and I became friends in year 10 at school, young little 16 year olds. After that year, her and her family moved back to England where they are from and she has been one of my best friends ever since. I have never met anyone as alike to me as Jas. We are so similar it sometimes scares us but I love it. Whilst it is hard to skype as often as we would both like, everytime we do its like it has been no time at all. She has a very interesting life, living in England it is alot easier to get to other places see. Having just finished school she is soon to begin her Cardiff University adventure which I am beyond excited for her about.

Here are some of her snaps :)



 



If ever you wish to see me excited it is whenever I receive mail, the good old fashion sort, from any of these girls. I love to get and read letters and postcards and need to sort out some time soon to write my replys as they are long over due.

It is interesting to reflect on these girls and how different their lives are to mine at this point in time. It is my dream to one day too travel the world and whilst it may not be right now I know that at some point around the corner I will get my chance. Until then, I am happy to grow and forge relationships with the people around me and listen to the likes of Birdy and Daughter and continue to dream...




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmLNs6zQIHo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lT67liGjZhw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p856dtR4mms


 x.peace

JOUR1111 - Lecture 6

Commercial Media.

Going into this lecture on Monday I cant say I was overly enthused. Reflecting on it in hindsight however has allowed me to wrap up my thoughts on it.

I do not have a profound liking for commercial media, what drives it -advertisment, irritates the begeebas out of me. I much prefer to spend my time viewing public media including SBS and the ABC as I find their programs much more interesting and worthwhile as they seemt o teach me something of the world.

The likes of channel ten's 'Big Brother' on the other hand fail to encapture any sense of eagerness in me, even with the inclusion of one of my highschool friends as a housemate. If you wish to spend time that you probably don't have anyway on utter garbage then be my guest and go right ahead.

Whilst I can appreciate the occasional light hearted show every once in a while, rarely do I find myself opting for them over a good hearty doco or travel adventure story.

I found the statement made by C.P Scott from The Guardian, which raised the point of commercial media's first duty being to shun temptations of monopoly, to be quite interesting, especially considering I do not feel barely any do so what so ever. In the day and age in which we live, success, money and profits are at the heart of the commercial media's agenda and thus so are the monopoly's which pull its strings.

He went on to say how '...comment is free but facts are sacred...' I do quite like. I guess this is so because it aligns so well with the right to freedom of speech we have in this country and my belief in the presentation of the truth.

The fact however that '...profit over rides social responsibility...', as John McManus states, means that often this is not the prioriy of commercial media. Profit most certainly comes before quality as Prof. Michael Bromley comments, testament to this is the sinking of channel 9 to reinstate Big Brother onto our television screens, not that such a move was ever going to gain my viewing.

Another point Dr Redman raised was commercial media in the form of radio. I despise having to listen to 95% of the radio stations broadcast out there. Having worked for three years in a pharmacy that played ZZZ FM, the local commercial radio from the area I come, I cannot stand listening to it anymore. Astoundingly, I remember counting one day the number of repeats it got up to of a particular track which ended up being 6 by the time I finished one 8 hour shift. Hence my developed love for Triple JJJ which I feel is a station that really bases itself on its audiences and what brings them pleasure.

Until next time,

x.peace.

Intense. Powerful. Touching.

My Name is Khan

This movie is one I believe everybody should see.
It had me absolutely balling for about 2 thirds of the entire movie.
Heart wrenching and beautiful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uNDm6YfN2k

Home Is Where My Heart Is.

Home Is Where My Heart Is.

After reading through another students blog and their reflection on the statement 'home is where the heart is' recently, I was inspired to write my own thoughts.

Divulging how moving away from home at the start of the year from a town to the big city of Brisbane was everything he could have hoped for, a new life of of happiness without the urge to look back at all, he argued that his heart is not found at home whilst he will always call his home such.

Like him, I also moved out of home at the start of the year to start a new chapter in my life, at the forefront of which was pursuing my long awaited goal of going to university. Packing my bags I headed for the big smoke leaving behind my home, a farm on the Northern Rivers of New South Wales.

Whilst excited for the adventure at hand I was apprehensive as to whether or not I would fit into the city lifestyle and enjoy it as much as I had hoped. Truth be told the city is very very different from home. It has its positives - a vast array of cultural foods to spoil one's taste buds upon, diversity by way of the people you meet and easy access via public transport to places you may wish to explore. There are a wealth of resources at your finger tips and attending UQ, as one of Australia's best university's, is the epitomy of this in regards to learning and furthering one's knowledge. All in all it makes for an interesting place to be if only one bothers to get out and experience it.

At the same time though, I have found it very hard to be away from my family and the farm. I love living in the open spaces, going out onto the verandah and drinking tea, just looking and thinking :) Coming from a close knit extended family I have missed the contact I am use to having with them all and look forward to each time I am able to return which unfortunately isn't too often. Living at college on campus certainly makes this easier as I always have contact with people and things to do to keep me occupied.

I feel however that whilst my career may require my 'city livin' for a part of my life, I will one day return to the country, whether that be on the Northern Rivers or else where. It is such a large part of who I am and I dont feel I could ever just leave it behind without looking back, moving on from it as the blogger of the post I read admitted he had with his own home.

Home is definately where my heart lies and will always lie. Its in the people and the country side and the memories that make up my life there.

x.peace

JOUR1111 Lecture 5

The Visual Medium

Week five's lecture was quite interesting. Whilst it taught me some new and interesting facts about the use of the visual medium in reporting and writing, it also confirmed some of my prior assumptions regarding photos and moving imagery.

It was both shocking and intriguing to find out some of 2011's statistics in relation to vision in the media. Such facts as the average number of photos being uploaded per second to instagram being 60 was quite astounding and 72 hours of video uploaded every minute to youtube a little hard to comprehend. It just goes to show though that for the vast majority, people tend to enjoy the visual medium and what it has to offer - a vibrant, powerful and engaging way of telling a story.

"...a picture has no meaning at all if it can't tell a story..." - Eetu Silanpaa

In light of this quote I have found some of my favourite photos that I feel tell an intense story without any words at all:

So incredibly powerful. Such an intense photo that somehow screams and whispers a story at you.

Changing up the visual effects used when taking/editing photographs has a profound impact on the messages and stories it conveys.

 

Love the patterns this shot creates.

Another point taken from the lecture was the 'rule of thirds' when one goes about lining up and taking a photo. It is handy to understand what pleasures the audience so as to create the best shot possible as I feel all the above do.

The framing of a photo also came up as something which can be quite significant in shaping what story is told as could be seen by the shot captured at Jonathan Thurston's uncle's funeral of him receiving a hug. The gap in the wall perfectly frames the story, its shape suggestive of extra meaning behind the situation. The fact the young journalist captured this photo on a smart phone is also significant as it demonstrates how you do not necessarily require the expensive equiptment to take good and meaningful photos as is commonly perceived, just an eye for them.

I will finish week 5's lecture review with another of the quote Dr Redman included in his presentation as I find it quite poignant in light of everything thus far discussed.

'...if it makes you laugh, if it makes you cry, if it rips out your heart, that's a good picture...' - Eddie Adams

Aljazeera, Climate Change & Keeping an Eye on the Storm

After today's tute with Ali I decided to jump onto facebook and follow both the ABC and Aljazeera news sites in order to further broaden my daily intake of current affairs and issues affecting the world at large and my own, closer to home.

The stand out story of interest was for me the repot Aljazeera did on the Arctic ice cap shrinking to a record low. Whilst it was interesting to learn how the Arctic ice circle acts as the earth's natural air conditioner, it was alarming to hear of the severe consequences its shrinking has the potential to cause.

Also getting a basic and easily understood explanation of climatge change was good knowledge to gain, however it saddens me that this need be understood at all...why are we so abusive towards mother nature? The earth is not ours to do what we wish with and it isn't unbreakable and will eventually give way to our exausting, selfish behaviours.

In light of nature and the environment comes another breaking story I am following with interest and concern, that being the progression of Tropical Storm Isaac. As it verges on the edge of becoming a full blown hurricane on the eve of the seventh anniversary since hurricane Katrina, I can't help but feel empathy for the people who live in Louisiana and the anxiety they must currently feel. I will be keeping an eye on this one in hope of it fizzling out into nothing too bad or detrimental.

I wonder if its worth it...

 

I was browsing through the headlines of news.com.au and saw a story about this dessert.

 

 

 

 

 

The Golden Phoenix cupcake from Dubai's Bloomsbury Cafe is currently the most expensive in the world at $957!!

I think that is absolutely insane.

I feel like if you have that much money to spend you should be donating it to charity instead of using it to feed your face.

I cant deny though that it does make me curious to know what it would taste like.

It is presented with such extravagance and with 24 carat gold trimmings, no wonder it is a small fortune on a plate.

I have also always wanted to try an expensive dish with truffles - it is on my life list, however my idea of expensive is from about $50-$100, not nearly $1000.

 

JOUR1111 Lecture 4

Radio.

I found this sound lecture quite interesting and easy to listen to. Both of the presenters that were interviewed had many valuable points to consider that not only relate to radio but telling stories in general. Coming from an area whose quality of radio is very minute, add intense with lttle music or stories of intrigue, I feel the advice each gave should be wrapped up in a parcel and sent to these stations.

I am somebody who very much enjoys listening to good radio and people's stories and so found myself scrawling many lines down so as to inform my own writing and presenting in the future, should my career lead me down such a path.  

That you have to be genuinely interested is certainly something I fathom as being of absolute importance. The point made that this applies to not just the person you are writing about or interviewing, but in those who are the readers and listeners of your work.  

Feeling as though one has a social responsibility to portray people with the integrity and truth they deserve is also a very poignant lesson to remember.

The fact that when it comes to sound media and the radio specifically, people are able to easily decipher the quality from the fake is something I find quite intimidating but also extremely important. I feel this has the effect of keeping people honest and requires them to be energetic and knowledgable about their topic of conversation.

I love, love, love that their are still presenters out there who advocate being human in this industry and to search for the full array of human experience and emotion as this is the way in which you will be able to most effectively reach an audience and speak to them, more than literally.

Lastly I would like to make reference to something the last interviewee said, that being '...don't give up. If you are hungry then strive for it...' He reminded me of my dad who also tends to like this life motto :) -one which I feel is particularly pertinent in the journalism industry.

Some other words of advice I quite enjoyed...

- Wordlyness - Read - Exposure - Expand Worldview -





...SO WHY?

...SO WHY?

Social justice and humanitarian issues are a huge topic of interest for me.
Without reports like this the western world would be more ignorant and naive then what they are already, hard to believe I know.
It is absolutely vital for the welfare and future of our brothers and sisters, who have no voice, to be helped by the media, journalists and citizens of our world. Equality is a hope worth fighting for.

Peace.x

I love graffiti like this. :)

Sick.
All blocked up.
Soo much uni work to do.


Note to self - need to blog for week 4 lecture.

Assessment 1 - Media Use Diary

Olivia's Media Use & Production Diary

Jour1111 - Assessment 1

   

Media. I has come to be extremely prevalent in my life and I didn’t realise just how much so until I recorded its use and production over a ten day period. I also had reservations as to what the results would show when comparing my media consumpition and production results as opposed to those of my peers, the stereotypical tech-savvy generation.

MEDIA USE DIARY

Figure 1 - Media Use (min)

Figure 1 - Media Use (min)

Firstly I find the amount of television the data shows I watch quite surprising. Just under 15 hours over 10 days seems huge for me. I don't consider myself a big television consumer. It is poignant, however, to take into consideration the fact the majority of my viewing was the Olympics. It certainly impacted my results as generally I like to watch the news headlines and certain current affairs shows including Landline and 60 minutes and not alot else.  

Despite this, comparatively to the 67.3% of the JOUR1111 cohort who listed they watch 1 or more hours of T.V most days, I do not watch a lot of television even with the increase in hours the Olympic Games had.

My pattern of tuning into the news and certain shows is definately a behaviour which has been influenced by my parents who play the news at home from about 5:30pm onwards. Having moved out recently has meant my own television consumption in this respect has decreased although I do, as I mentioned, like to watch it when I can.

Figure 2 - Media Use Visual Comparative Graph

The other medium I spend the most of my time using, which figure 2 shows, is social networking, in particular the site Facebook. As with 95.8% of my JOUR1111 peers, I have one Facebook account to which the majority of my networking time is dedicated.

 

Personally, I use it to keep up to date with my friends, particularly those who live overseas. Due to its nature, it does enable the occasional bits and pieces of news items but for the most part it is not where I tend to retrieve my dose of worldly issues.

I am particularly interested in telling people's stories in a journalistic sense and feel this media interaction is a reflection of that. I enjoy communicating with people about their lives and sharing views and opinions and thus find Facebook a convenient way through which to reach many people.

Whilst unlike 102 of the JOUR1111 participants, I did have a Twitter account before the commencement of this course, however I cannot admit to knowing how it worked or ever using it.

 

MEDIA PRODUCTION DIARY

Figure 3 - Media Production Diary (#)

As my media production diary and the graph below both make evident, I have a much more expansive and greater level of media use than production. This is what I expected the results would show before I began, not only for me but the vast majority of the JOUR1111 class.


Figure 4 - Media Production Visual Comparative Graph (#)

As the survey and my own data supports, generally people's relationship with media is one based on take, not so much give, terms. Almost 62% of the 167 people who responded said they didn't have either a Twitter account or blog before starting JOUR1111, yet 83% still manage to spend 2-6 or more hours on the internet every day. 

It is also interesting to consider my text message production over the ten day period. Whilst it isn't entirely a true representation of my average texting due to the fact that I ran out of credit mid way through, I do not find that I am an overall excessive text messager. I regard my phone as a means of necessary communication and tehrefore perform the bare minimum communication on it as possible so as to conserve money.

Whilst it is a relatively cheap form of communication, I prefer to use my mobile to make calls to home. This is indicative of my preferred choice of communication between people, conversing and face to face contact rather than through virtual means.

I also regard the fact I did not get my first phone until the beginning of this year as having an effect on this. It allowed me to develop a healthy, independence in relation to communication and media and as a result I do not rely heavily upon my phone as my primary communicative means.

This is shown when examining the survey as I am only 1 of 35 out of 167 who do not have an internet enabled smart phone which in turn means I do not have access to any of the apps they offer either. 

Unlike my JOUR1111 counterparts, my main source of news is not online ''newspapers''. Rather, I prefer to watch the news headlines on television, read paper newspapers or listen to the radio -old media. My radio consumption has been all but eliminated since moving however, hence it not being included in my media diary.

Main News Sources

Overall I feel my relationship with media and communication greatly reflects my personality and interests, as well as the behavioural environment I have grown up around. I enjoy communicating with people and keeping up to date with the current local and world news as well as listening to others' perspectives on them. Whilst I don't think I over use media it certainly contributes immensley to satisfying these things and if I were to decide to pursue a career in journalism I think I would need to become even more adept in it.

'...when the power of LOVE overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace...'

-Jimi Hendrix-



Ben Howard.

 
So incredibly beautiful.
Such a pure sound and if you listen to his original work and have any sense of taste similar to mine you won't be able to help but fall in love with his lyrics.


 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Men2J9uebI

Oh Little Lamby...

Oh Little Lamby...

After setting up my second twitter account specifically for journalistic purposes I have been able to follow a great number of news producers and now have a very healthy, if not slight onslaught, of feeds to keep up with daily.

After perusal of some of these today I came across a very cute and beautiful tale tweeted by 'ABC Rural' - here is a very brief rundown...

By sheer coincidence a dalmation breeder from the Barossa Valley in South Australia has recently added another member to her spotty clan - a baby lamb!! The lamb's own mother rejected the young sheep at birth but luckily fate stepped. As a result of its unusual yet gorgeous markings, one of the woman's female dalmation's who is currently not in pup has taken it in as her own.

A beautiful story of innocent maternal instinct and a lucky life.

The Book Thief.

The Book Thief.

 

By Markus Zusak.

After finishing this book yesterday I have to declare I think it is perhaps the saddest book i have ever read - and that is saying something because I like to read alot of books.

Set in Nazi Germany during WW2, narrated by death, it is the story of a young girl and her experiences during this time. Whilst I admit it took me a few attempts to really get into it, once you hit the quarter in point its difficult to put it down.

It had me swallowing back teary eyes and is definately a read I recommend. Whilst Zusak's writing style is quite unique and may not be everybody's cup of tea, the lessons he weaves into this heartwrenching tale are valuable to all.

The Book Thief is definately extremely worthwhile and has undoubtedly made an imprint on myself and I'm sure many of the other 3 million people who have bought it.

A hugely significant write, well done Markus.

JOUR1111 - Lecture 3

TEXT

- a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z -

So, its all about the words. Never mind worrying all too much about the picture choice. Think TEXT.

 

What you write, its layout, presentation, style, colour, size...the list seems endless which leaves alot of room for being creative, something you will rarely find me complaining about :)

 

And not just in the core body of your writing either. The heading, it can be argued, is the most important of all you will put together. It must reach out its inky limbs and encapsulate the observer so as to ensure they become your reader.

 

Which leads to the poigant diagram...the inverted pyramid! Not something I was aware of prior to the lecture, I am able to reflect on just how prevalent it is in the world of written media upon observing newspapers and magazines alike. The idea it is vital to place the information of your writing in order of most significant to least is one I must keep in mind as I delve further into the journalism world.

 

What power TEXT has in this world. It remains the very fabric of what constitutes all the diversity of media that have been created, whether it be printed, visual, sound, words are at its heart.

 

As a result of yesterday's lecture I am inclined to always keep near a couple more tools of the trade so as to have the effect of enhancing my use of text and words as I go about creating and writing - a thorough dictionary and thesaurus. Indispensable!!

 

 

JOUR1111 - Lecture 2

Webs without spiders.

Lecture 2.

And to think, I had no idea the web has such a history that has led to it being what it is now.

Typical ignorance.

Anywho, it is interesting to learn of the way in which it has changed and morphed over time, particularly in relation to its focus. 

Starting out as Web 1.0 which had a much larger scope entailing advertisment and company interests, it has progressed to centre upon individuals.

This has in turn led to a quite considerable impact on news. With a substantial number of the world's population having access to the internet in their pocket or bag via a smart phone, ipad or the like, the demand of Web 3.0 to be a ready and accurate source of current affairs is undoubtedly going to affect old, traditional media as it is now coined (i.e newspapers, magazines, radio)

The latter simply does not have the capability to compete with the speed and efficiency of the new news. The ease with which news is now able to be accessed and its inexpense leads to the issue of entitlement - should it be a domain to which all have rights? And if yes, what is to become of journalism? Who will write the news as there will no longer be the money turnover required to fund the employment of qualified journalists.

This is an ineteresting and poignant topic of debate that does in fact need some quite serious thought and attention put to it. I

n the end it will be the public who decide, whether intentionally or not. 

JOUR1111 - Lecture 1

A New Course. A New Blog. Let's Go...

Lecture 1.

Woooo. And so it begins. My new blog. Slightly excited and scared I will fail at it miserably. The future be unknown however and so on I type. 

 

The concept Dr Redman proposed very early on in the lecture, the course philosophy, ''YOU are the journalist'', excites me alot.

 

Not being somebody who knows exactly what it is they want to do with their life as of yet, this idea gives me the opportunity to try journalism, to give it a go and see where it takes me. No judgment, harsh critic (well thats a lie, assessment does loom) and the freedom to go wild so to speak.

 

I absolutely love the extrapolation he went on to make after reading out the quote "I became a journalist to come as close as possible to the heart of the world" (Henry R. Luce).

 

Dr Redmans' suggestion that as a journalist one can delve into people's lives and be at the heart of histories, situations and stories is certainly something I would like to explore.

 

The prospect of what this course may have in store excites me. I look forward to learning more about what makes an article a 'gooden', a photo an eye catcher and a station the one you search for amongst the countless other rambles that seem to be allowed to be braodcast out there.

 

My goal is to hone in on my writing and refine my skills at the same time as letting my mind loose in order for it to create whatever it may feel.

 

Mmm the fresh taste of creative freedom, how I love thee.

 

Bring on Semester 2, jour1111!

 

peace.x