Team Girl With a Satchel will be back on January 10 officially, with sporadic bursts of blogging in between.
GWAS Meet & Greet
Betty Oxley, 74, and I bonded over a love of Anne of Green Gables in a fruit shop recently, so she invited me into her home – an unassuming cottage on Mount Tamborine with a menagerie of animals and soft toys to keep her company – to show me her book collection. "I'm glad I'm not the only one," she confides, after I share that my personal library, too, consumes a whole room.
Shop Talk: The Satchelnomics of Sales
Shop Talk: The Satchelnomics of Sales
By Liz Burke
While our festive countdown is just about done, there’s still one extra window to open on the retail Advent calendar. For some, quite sadly, Christmas Day would be more aptly titled Clearance Eve.
However, retailers have had a less fun build-up to their “most wonderful time of the year” experiencing an incredibly slow Christmas shopping season in one of the worst years for the retail sector in decades.
By Liz Burke
While our festive countdown is just about done, there’s still one extra window to open on the retail Advent calendar. For some, quite sadly, Christmas Day would be more aptly titled Clearance Eve.
However, retailers have had a less fun build-up to their “most wonderful time of the year” experiencing an incredibly slow Christmas shopping season in one of the worst years for the retail sector in decades.
Media Study: Marta Wohrle on the high standards of blogging
Media Study: Marta Wohrle of Truth in Aging on the high standards of blogging
"Fifteen years ago, if I had had a great idea for a magazine it would most likely never see the light of day unless, by some near miracle, a major publishing company decided to back me. Now, if I have an idea for a new media property, I can find some open source content management system and for very little money have my own Web site." - Marta Wohrle
Like many of my blogging contemporaries, I'm at a four-year crossroads with the development of Girl With a Satchel – to fully professionalise the blog, to take it beyond its hobby-horse beginnings into a fully blown media brand, might mean turning it into a slick looking website with all the SEO bells and whistles, which, of course, has been on my To Do List for some time.
"Fifteen years ago, if I had had a great idea for a magazine it would most likely never see the light of day unless, by some near miracle, a major publishing company decided to back me. Now, if I have an idea for a new media property, I can find some open source content management system and for very little money have my own Web site." - Marta Wohrle Like many of my blogging contemporaries, I'm at a four-year crossroads with the development of Girl With a Satchel – to fully professionalise the blog, to take it beyond its hobby-horse beginnings into a fully blown media brand, might mean turning it into a slick looking website with all the SEO bells and whistles, which, of course, has been on my To Do List for some time.
GWAS Note: The gift of giving
Imagine if every child in Australia were to request something for a child in a developing country on their Santa's wish list, and likewise we adults? What a nation of generous givers we would become!
My in-laws have already started this tradition in our family, of supplementing $50 of our usual Kris Kringle allowance for a gift or supplies for someone less fortunate. This year they gifted me $50 of library books to equip two volunteer teachers in Bangladesh teaching literacy to children through Baptist World Aid. Husband was gifted $50 to assist families in Zambia generate income through pig management. Of course, there are numerous charitable organisations that could use your financial support – I personally find that whatever cause I choose to give to speaks to me on a personal level at the given time, which doesn't make it conditional, but more genuine. By tailoring the gift to your loved one's interests, as my in-laws' did, we can surely cover a lot of ground?
Happy gifting!
Yours truly,
Girl With a Satchel
Girl Talk: Reflections on turning 30 (and why I'm no Kate Moss)
Girl Talk: Reflections on turning 30 (and why I'm no Kate Moss)
When Kate Moss turned 30 in 2004, she ushered in the new decade with a lavish party based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Beautiful and the Damned, a decadent tale set in the 1920s full of sex, drugs and orgies. Her party guests – including Naomi Campbell, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sam Taylor-Wood and Stella McCartney – brought along bags bearing the names Tiffany, Cartier, De Beers, Bulgari, Agent Provocateur and D&G, and the birthday girl wore a sequinned dress, her hair in tight curls and her signature smokey eye.
My 30th birthday was a little different.
The party was dinner at my favourite Malaysian restaurant at Burleigh Beach, I wore Country Road and Zara and my hair in a ponytail, the gift bags were labelled Pandora, Myer, Typo and Prouds, and the guests included my adorable nieces and nephew, two BFFs and husband's family. There was dancing – in the car, before Husband pulled out his bung knee – but no drugs or orgies.
It was short, understated and sweet.
When Kate Moss turned 30 in 2004, she ushered in the new decade with a lavish party based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Beautiful and the Damned, a decadent tale set in the 1920s full of sex, drugs and orgies. Her party guests – including Naomi Campbell, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sam Taylor-Wood and Stella McCartney – brought along bags bearing the names Tiffany, Cartier, De Beers, Bulgari, Agent Provocateur and D&G, and the birthday girl wore a sequinned dress, her hair in tight curls and her signature smokey eye.My 30th birthday was a little different.
The party was dinner at my favourite Malaysian restaurant at Burleigh Beach, I wore Country Road and Zara and my hair in a ponytail, the gift bags were labelled Pandora, Myer, Typo and Prouds, and the guests included my adorable nieces and nephew, two BFFs and husband's family. There was dancing – in the car, before Husband pulled out his bung knee – but no drugs or orgies.
It was short, understated and sweet.
The Burke Report
While the blazing sun and a ridiculously excited phone call about a certain delivery (to be explained in "12 Days Till Christmas") was enough to get me out of bed this morning, the ALP’s been shocked with a tragic wake-up call to review their asylum seeker policy this week.
A boat carrying at least 70 asylum seekers, now predicted to be holding up to 100 passengers, was destroyed on Wednesday heading towards Christmas Island. The official death toll last night stood at 28, and it’s believed that 42 have been rescued.
Though the search is on with defence forces and flying doctors trying to recover those who were on board, there is little hope for survivors and residents say bodies could be trapped in underwater caves surrounding the site of the shipwreck for weeks.
Glossy Talk: Sometimes only gloss does a justice (Nicole Richie's Wedding)
Glossy Talk: Sometimes only gloss does a girl justice (Nicole Richie's Wedding)
There are a plethora of Nicole Richie in bridal regalia images online, as well as abundant lists of best and worst of this and that, which make for excellent office-time trawling as we creep up on Christmas (I am not list-averse... just wait). But some things are best presented in glossy form: for paging through over a leisurely coffee.
So I picked up this week's Who to admire the delicate lace work on Nicole's Marchesa gown (it's tulley lovely) and her excellent makeup and to read about her fairytale story (she walked down the aisle on Lionel's arm to "Ballerina Girl"!). Call me a sucker, but for Gen-Ys like myself, who have grown up on a celebrity diet in which Richie has played a starring role, this event surpasses Kate and Wills' pending nuptials (though I do harbour a soft spot for Wills and quite like her).
It may be a sad reflection on a culture invested too heavily into the lives of people who we don't know (or, rather, don't know us), but this is a positive moment in a narrative about a Little Girl Lost who found redemption (and style) and met a lovely guy and had babies and got married. Cliched, maybe, but some traditions, some occasions and some stories will always resonate positively with people. How can we not be happy for her?
Who has also done a commendable job of compiling all the pop culture, newsy and gossipy moments of the year reflecting all the goodness, and awfulness, of life.
Yours truly,
Girl With a Satchel
So I picked up this week's Who to admire the delicate lace work on Nicole's Marchesa gown (it's tulley lovely) and her excellent makeup and to read about her fairytale story (she walked down the aisle on Lionel's arm to "Ballerina Girl"!). Call me a sucker, but for Gen-Ys like myself, who have grown up on a celebrity diet in which Richie has played a starring role, this event surpasses Kate and Wills' pending nuptials (though I do harbour a soft spot for Wills and quite like her).
It may be a sad reflection on a culture invested too heavily into the lives of people who we don't know (or, rather, don't know us), but this is a positive moment in a narrative about a Little Girl Lost who found redemption (and style) and met a lovely guy and had babies and got married. Cliched, maybe, but some traditions, some occasions and some stories will always resonate positively with people. How can we not be happy for her?
Who has also done a commendable job of compiling all the pop culture, newsy and gossipy moments of the year reflecting all the goodness, and awfulness, of life.
Yours truly,
Girl With a Satchel
Girl Talk: Asher Keddie for Sunday magazine
Girl Talk: Asher Keddie for Sunday magazine
As I free-fall towards my 30th birthday (Saturday – eek!), I find I'm increasingly drawn to stories about women in the same age bracket; especially those without kiddies. This "In My Own Words" column (always well edited and worth a squiz) from Sunday magazine struck a chord with me – actress Asher Keddie (who plays Ita Buttrose in the upcoming ABC biopic Paper Giants: The Birth Of Cleo and also played Blanche D'Alpuget in the Network Ten telemovie Hawke) is extremely raw and honest, particularly about her character flaws, her self-conscious 20s and others' perceptions of her. How refreshing. Enjoy if you didn't catch it.
Clickity-click to enlarge the image.
Yours truly,
Girl With a Satchel
As I free-fall towards my 30th birthday (Saturday – eek!), I find I'm increasingly drawn to stories about women in the same age bracket; especially those without kiddies. This "In My Own Words" column (always well edited and worth a squiz) from Sunday magazine struck a chord with me – actress Asher Keddie (who plays Ita Buttrose in the upcoming ABC biopic Paper Giants: The Birth Of Cleo and also played Blanche D'Alpuget in the Network Ten telemovie Hawke) is extremely raw and honest, particularly about her character flaws, her self-conscious 20s and others' perceptions of her. How refreshing. Enjoy if you didn't catch it.
Yours truly,
Girl With a Satchel
Glossy Preview: Vogue, O The Oprah Magazine, Marie Claire (American edition)
Glossy Preview: Vogue, O The Oprah Magazine, Marie Claire
American Vogue's January 2011 edition brings the not unexpected offering of new-year transformations and "Fashion 2011". Bonus inclusions are stories on fatness (notice the all-inclusive "Why we get fat"?) and "beauty secrets of women you envy", to get the year off to a positive start. Dear God, please don't let the "women you envy" include supermodels – because there's only one thing more patronising than learning model eating tips; and that's model beauty tips.
In the Natalie Portman cover feature, we get a glimpse into her eating habits, which were warped for the period she spent filming the "stylised horror tale" Black Swan, in which she plays an anorexic ballerina called Nina with lesbian tendencies and major psychological issues (see: "The Good Girl Takes on Her Most Provocative Role Yet" – is she competing with Anne Hathaway on this confrontational front?).
American Vogue's January 2011 edition brings the not unexpected offering of new-year transformations and "Fashion 2011". Bonus inclusions are stories on fatness (notice the all-inclusive "Why we get fat"?) and "beauty secrets of women you envy", to get the year off to a positive start. Dear God, please don't let the "women you envy" include supermodels – because there's only one thing more patronising than learning model eating tips; and that's model beauty tips. In the Natalie Portman cover feature, we get a glimpse into her eating habits, which were warped for the period she spent filming the "stylised horror tale" Black Swan, in which she plays an anorexic ballerina called Nina with lesbian tendencies and major psychological issues (see: "The Good Girl Takes on Her Most Provocative Role Yet" – is she competing with Anne Hathaway on this confrontational front?).
Media Study: Gossipy goodwill (Andrew Hornery on Lara Bingle)
Media Study: Gossipy goodwill
The Christmas spirit has spread to the gossip pages of the Sydney media. This Satchel Girl was delighted to open the weekend edition of The Sydney Morning Herald to find Andrew Hornery's column, "Why the bloody hell are they so mean?", on Lara Bingle, replete with apology for past commentary on "crimes against fashion and the occasional social faux pas". How timely. Yes, indeedy, not a moment too late to get on Santa's 2010 Nice List.
The Christmas spirit has spread to the gossip pages of the Sydney media. This Satchel Girl was delighted to open the weekend edition of The Sydney Morning Herald to find Andrew Hornery's column, "Why the bloody hell are they so mean?", on Lara Bingle, replete with apology for past commentary on "crimes against fashion and the occasional social faux pas". How timely. Yes, indeedy, not a moment too late to get on Santa's 2010 Nice List.
The Burke Report
While last week trying to strike up conversation with fellow Gen-Yers about media bad boy of the moment Julian Assange, they seemed about as dumbstruck as K-Rudd when confronted with the news of the embarrassing revelations concerning the former PM. Now, it’s all that’s being talked about.
Media Study: Bingle v Markson, Fraser-Kirk v McInnes, and sexism in the Australian media
Media Study: Bingle v Markson, Fraser-Kirk v McInnes, and sexism in the Australian media
Model Lara Bingle is out of a plum job this Christmas and so is publicist Kristy Fraser-Kirk. Both young, blonde and ambitious, they're the unfortunate poster girls for what happens when you put your trust in people who don't have your best interests at heart, and also for the maltreatment of women by our nation's media, more particularly beyond the ailing lad-mag genre.
Model Lara Bingle is out of a plum job this Christmas and so is publicist Kristy Fraser-Kirk. Both young, blonde and ambitious, they're the unfortunate poster girls for what happens when you put your trust in people who don't have your best interests at heart, and also for the maltreatment of women by our nation's media, more particularly beyond the ailing lad-mag genre.
Faith Talk: Tamara Lowe for Jesus
Faith Talk: Tamara Lowe for Jesus
This video has been doing the rounds in Christian circles for a while now, but I came across it this morning again; pertinent as it makes for a challenging precursor to the festive season (what is it we're celebrating again?), the Oprah frenzy (who are we celebrating?) and U2 (and how did he save the world?), too...
Yours truly,
Girl With a Satchel
This video has been doing the rounds in Christian circles for a while now, but I came across it this morning again; pertinent as it makes for a challenging precursor to the festive season (what is it we're celebrating again?), the Oprah frenzy (who are we celebrating?) and U2 (and how did he save the world?), too...
Yours truly,
Girl With a Satchel
The Burke Report #1
After a great deal of speculation and discussion, the new faces of The 7.30 Report were finally revealed today; though, like Nine Entertainment Co. (formerly PBL Media), the show is getting a new name: "7:30". That's a lot of name changes to remember for one week.
Lateline anchor, decided girl crush, and all-round awesome lady Leigh Sales will continue the reign of the redheads, replacing Kerry O’Brien after his 15-year stint as the current affair show’s Sydney-based anchor, while political editor Chris Uhlmann will take on the role as The 7.30’s Report’s 7:30's political editor in Canberra..
Mags: Spectator's prescient ABC editorial
Mags: Spectator's prescient ABC editorial & another spectacle of political bitterness
Spectator Australia has a snarky piece by former Labor Party leader Mark Latham this week titled "Kerry O'Brien was never God's gift to broadcasting"; ironic given Latham was pilloried by the Aussie press for his turn as 60 Minutes reporter pre-election 2010.
Latham sticks it to not only O'Brien ("so full of himself, his questions...focused on the things he wanted to hear") but also Annabel Crabb ("scatological approach to reporting... commentator-cum-comedian") and the ABC's programming ("pretentious political and arty-farty programs"), using his poison pen to push the privatisation argument:
"In the name of social justice, a Labor government should be eager to privatise the ABC, using the proceeds to fund universal community services and infrastructure... Tangential pap such as The 7:30 Report, Four Corners, Q&A and Insiders would be among the first to go. If the inner-city mob want to watch these shows, they should pay for them through subscription TV."
Spectator Australia has a snarky piece by former Labor Party leader Mark Latham this week titled "Kerry O'Brien was never God's gift to broadcasting"; ironic given Latham was pilloried by the Aussie press for his turn as 60 Minutes reporter pre-election 2010.
Latham sticks it to not only O'Brien ("so full of himself, his questions...focused on the things he wanted to hear") but also Annabel Crabb ("scatological approach to reporting... commentator-cum-comedian") and the ABC's programming ("pretentious political and arty-farty programs"), using his poison pen to push the privatisation argument:"In the name of social justice, a Labor government should be eager to privatise the ABC, using the proceeds to fund universal community services and infrastructure... Tangential pap such as The 7:30 Report, Four Corners, Q&A and Insiders would be among the first to go. If the inner-city mob want to watch these shows, they should pay for them through subscription TV."
GWAS Media Satchel
Bits and (Anna Wintour) bobs from the glossy media beat...
- Summer's spectator sport of choice: media! PBL Media has rebranded as Nine Entertainment Co, incorporating Nine Magazines, Nine Television, Nine Digital and Nine Events; David Symons muses on a
Though he wasn't in attendance, Kwanten's fellow Home and Away alumni Chris Hemsworth won the 'Breakthrough of the Year' award, while other winners included Ben Mendelsohn (Actor of the Year), Xavier Samuel (Man of Style), Wyatt Roy (Politician of the Year), Josh Thomas (Comedian of the Year), Mark Webber (TV Actor of the Year and Matt Preston (Critic of the Year). Jack Manning Bancroft – CEO of Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME) and Young Australian of the Year 2010 – reportedly made a moving speech about breaking stereotypes of Aboriginies.
Pop Talk: The Oprahfication of Oz
Pop Talk: The Oprahfication of Oz
When Oprah declared, "You had me at the words 'Sydney Oprah House'," she evoked the type of collective euphoria we experienced when Juan Antonio Samaranch stuttered, "The winner is... Sydney". We are the chosen people, the special ones, the winners! You love us, you really love us! So, can we have a free car?
Oprah – with her 300 or so guests and 180-strong crew – hits our shores on December 7 as a formal guest of the government, in what's sure to be a frenzy of fandom, military escorts and media attention. As a precursor to her arrival, Network Ten aired a countdown special last night featuring Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman, with the Queen of Talk probing Urban about his alcoholism and finding peace.
Oprah – with her 300 or so guests and 180-strong crew – hits our shores on December 7 as a formal guest of the government, in what's sure to be a frenzy of fandom, military escorts and media attention. As a precursor to her arrival, Network Ten aired a countdown special last night featuring Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman, with the Queen of Talk probing Urban about his alcoholism and finding peace.
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