Day Four: Seven things that cross my mind a lot

1. Am I crazy?
2. God, I hate this song!
3. Oh shut up! Your life isn’t that bad?! Go away!
4. Ohhhh prettyyyy :)
5. POLS1201......please no
6. Oh one more drink won't hurt, right?
7. How long ‘til this is over?

Day Three: Eight ways to win my heart

1. DON’T be materialistic, there's more to life than money.
2. Be comfortable with who you are, it's very sexy.
3. Make me laugh! And often!
4. Surprise me.
5. Take an interest, engage with me.
6. Be open minded, because I don't walk a normal road so you need to open to my outlook on life.  
7. Be fun to be around. Simple as that.  
8. Accept that I make mistakes and am at times a mess, but think I am perfect in my brokenness any way.  

Day Two - Nine Things About ME!

1. I have over 100 pairs of shoes....don't judge me :P
2. I am the youngest sibling in my family, and the only girl.
3. Cain Toads scare me. I'm deathly, horribly afraid of them; their little beady eyes are just so freaky!
4. Half my neck has freckles and half doesn't. There's no real explanation, I'm just weird like that.  
5. My favourite movie from when I was little (and still today) is "The Nightmare Before Christmas". I was a strange child.
6. Every minute of every day I wear 2 toe rings, 9 anklets, five bracelets, one claddagh ring and a 7 lucky rings necklace. All of which are silver and have some meaning to me.
7. Halloween is my favourite holiday, even though it isn't traditionally celebrated here in Australia.
8. I love to read the secrets on www.postsecret.com
9. My favourite alcoholic drink is a mystery to me! I asked the bartender for the drink the girl in front of me had (it looked good) and never got it's name! :( So I have been searching for over a year trying to find my favourite drink.

Personal Media Use and Production Diary

PERSONAL MEDIA USE AND PRODUCTION DIARY

For a period of ten days, all students in JOUR1111 were required to log their personal media use and production. Prior to this, all students also completed a survey regarding our media use.

My personal media use and production over a ten day period is recorded in the following table and graph.

Table 1 – My Media Use and Production Over A Period of Ten Days.



Graph 1 – My Total and Average Daily Media Use and Production.

Impact of State Election on My Media Use and Production

Graph 2 – My Television Use Over Ten Days.

The graph above shows that I don’t usually watch much television. Days eight, nine and ten can be considered anomalies for me, as my usage went up to 60 and 70 minutes, and then spiked to 180 minutes.

I noticed that my significant change in TV viewing was part of a wider pattern of altered media habits over days eight, nine and ten. A similar trend of increased media use can be seen in the amount of time I spent receiving and initiating phone calls (25, 45 and 60 minutes respectively) and reading news online, peaking on day ten to 90 minutes.

These trends can be attributed to my intense interest in the Queensland State Election (which occurred on day ten of my ten-day period). My interest peaked on Election Day night, when I was keeping up to date on the progress of seat allocations for the different political parties. This saw me watching the multiple channels of the televised coverage of the State Election in an attempt to follow the LNP’s crushing victory over the ALP. I was continuously checking online news reports in case there was information released online that hadn’t yet made to it broadcast television, and talking on the phone to friends and family to see if they had heard information that I had not on the political arrangements of my state.

My trend of increased use of television, online news and phone calls could be reflected in other journalism students, as many of us like to be informed on current issues. Whilst only 5% of my peers stated in their surveys that they watch 3-4 hours of television per day, I would speculate that many more than this would have watched this amount of television (or more) on Election Day, for similar reasons as I did, and would have increased their use of online news and phone calls also.  

I believe my media use, particularly over the last three days studied, demonstrates my relationship to Journalism and Communication – when there are breaking events that I find interesting, relevant and important to myself and those around me, I like my media to be real-time, as television and online content is. This way, I know that the information I am receiving is as up-to-date as possible.  

Blog Production – A New Form of Media Becoming Easier to Use

Like 63% of my cohort, I did not have a blog before I started JOUR1111. I noticed that my blog production decreased over the ten day period. I believe this trend occurred because I become more confident in my blogging abilities and became able to produce a quality blog post in a more timely fashion. As there is no survey information available for the amount of time my peers spend blogging, I am unable to compare the amount of time I spend blogging to the amount of time my peers spend blogging per day, however would envisage that if such data was recorded, a similar trend of decreasing time spent blogging by new bloggers would be seen. Such results would confirm a general trend in media use and production of media users becoming more adept over time at using new sources of media.

Graph 3 – Blog Production Over a Ten Day Period

Day One: Ten things you want to say to ten different people right now

Before I start I just wanted to say that I feel a little like this (^) so that is why it has taken me so long to post this blog. Okay, so here we go!

• My life would be so hard without you my little four pawed best friend. But please don’t chew my new shoes; I’m rather fond of them.

• Mut and D, I can’t say thank you enough for everything you have every done for me. I am standing in front of you as the young lady that I am because of the lessons and sacrifices you have made for me. Thank you and I love you both to the moon and back.

• My bootylicious friend! We have had some amazing times together, we have cried over broken hearts, we have triumphed over huge obstacles and I am thankful everyday that I have you in my life. Things might seem tough right now and for that I am sorry, but I know that your life is going to be filled with wonderful, amazing adventures and experiences. Please don’t let this time dim the beautiful radiance which is you.

• MEOW ;) The day you sat behind me in grade 9 math, I never knew we would have the friendship we do. At times I think I am corrupting your goodness, but then you say something sarcastic and witty, and realise why we are such good friends! But I do fear that people will take advantage of your lovely personality at times. Also, one day a guy is going to come and sweep you off your lovely feet, so, as hard as it is, be patient. MEOW. 

• Little Gremlin. What do can I say? You constantly surprise me. I am so glad I have gotten to know you so much better over the last few months, I don’t know if I could have survived starting uni again without your encouragement and support. I may tease you about a certain Possum, but know that it’s all in jest and that you two give me hope. And thank you for making up silly little songs to buoy my spirits when things are getting a little too frustrating.

• We’ve travelled down a really hard road, we’ve cried over hospital beds, laughed over silly stories late at night, and said goodbye more times than I care to remember. But you’ve never stopped being a huge part of my life, and I don’t think (or hope) you ever will not play a lead role in the “Story of Laura”. I love you, which is a hard thing for me to say, but sometimes I think that even if you love someone, sometimes you aren’t meant to be in love with them. Be strong Cherub, you’ll get through this, I know you will :)

• Thank you for always being there for me. You’re home has always been open to me, which I can’t thank you enough for. I wish you good health and happiness in the coming year, and hope that everything picks up in the coming months.

• I wouldn’t be where I am without you. Thank you. And please don’t have another heart-attack that was a rather unpleasant experience which I do not wish to repeat.

• You’re my brother. You protect me from evil groping guys at the RE and cover for me when I almost burn the house down attempting to cook. You’re gone from this strange boy into an even stranger man, but I’m still very proud of you. Also, you owe me money for that carton of beer I bought you.

• I wish that it never happened some days, wish that you were still with us. But if I changed that moment, a thousand other moments would change too. I wouldn’t have done all the things I’ve done, or met the people who have become a huge part of my life. But I also wouldn’t have experienced the pain of losing you far too soon. I guess, I just miss you. I hope that wherever you are, you’re happy and no longer in any pain.

My Ten Day Challenge!

Day One: Ten things you want to say to ten different people right now.

Day Two: Nine things about yourself.

Day Three: Eight ways to win your heart.

Day Four: Seven things that cross your mind a lot.

Day Five: Six things you wish you’d never done.

Day Six: Five people who mean a lot (in no order).

Day Seven: Four turn offs.

Day Eight: Three turn ons.

Day Nine: Two photos that describe your life right now.

Day Ten: One confession.

I RETURN!

Hello My Lovely Followers,

How are you?

As you may have noticed I have been absent for a little while. This is due to the TRUCKLOAD of university work that seems to have appeared out of thin air! Has this phenomena happened to any of you? Or am I just the luckiest girl in the whole world?? -_-

Anyway, I thought I would post the song that is getting me through every inch of university work, that is when it hasn't got me dancing around the house like a crazy person. It's a brilliant upbeat, want to shake ya booty song that I have NO idea what any of the lyrics to it actually mean. It's still good though.

So without further adieu, I give you...

Don Omar - Danza Kuduro

I hope it gets you through as much uni work as it's getting me through :)

World's Greatest Shave!

On Monday (19/03/12), I was shocked and angered after reading an article on news.com.au (http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/national/school-suspends-boy-after-shaving-head-for-charity/story-e6frfku9-1226303970981). A year nine student, a 14/15 year old boy, shaved his head as part of World's Greatest Shave in support of a friend battling leukemia. To me this is such a noble things for anyone to do, let alone a teenager whom is influenced by media more than any other age group. Would he be made to feel like an outcast for shaving his head? Would his peers respect and admire his decision to shave his head for such a worthy cause? I know that when I was his age, I wouldn't have been brave enough to do something so bold as to shave my head for fear of what other people would do, say or think of me.  

This brave boy was then SUSPENDED from school all because his hair didn't coincide with the school's "grooming policy", and will be made to wear a cap (to cover his head and his statement of support) until his hair grows back to within the school's acceptable grooming standards.

I wasn't going to post anything further than a tweet on this subject, speaking out against this school's behaviour, but I have heard some rather ignorant comments made about the World's Greatest Shave and those who participate in it, and decided that I couldn't keep silent on this topic anymore.

Before I go any further, here are a few facts about the World's Greatest Shave -

Almost 10,000 Australians were diagnosed with blood cancers and related blood disorders last year.

Although survival rates are improving, blood cancer is Australia's second biggest cause of cancer death.

The Leukaemia Foundation receives no ongoing government funding, so supporting this event makes their Vision to Cure and Mission to Care possible.

The money raised will go towards research, which is needed to find better treatments and cures for blood cancers.

The donations and sponsorship will also support patients and their families when they need it most, providing them with a free home-away-from-home near hospital during their treatment. It will also mean that the Leukaemia Foundation can transport them to appointments and provide practical assistance and emotional support, all free of charge.

(http://www.tranzworks.com.au/latest-news/47-worlds-greatest-shave.html)

To further prove to those ignorant people out there making comments on something they probably don't understand, I want to introduce you to a friend of mine.

This is S, or Batman. He's just a regular guy who did something extraordinary. He shaved his lovely locks "to help people", and in the process raised over $480.00!

I've been chatting with him over a few days trying to understand what prompted him to do something so selfless, and have been amazed by his big heart and desire to help someone else out; even if he doesn't seem to think it's too much of a big deal.

These are a few of the questions that I really wanted to share from our conversations.

What was running through your mind before they started shaving your head?
I didn't really think too much about it, it was just something I was doing and something people did for charity. 


And while they were shaving your head?
I was more concerned about the boys not shaving off an eye brow to really be concerned with what was happening on top.

Can you describe those first moments after they had finished? What was your first thoughts on the "final product"?
After I was like, "Oh, I have a shaved head, how on earth did that happen?" I don't really remember the thought process that got me there to be honest.

Have a lot of people come up to you and asked why you shaved your head? If so, have you told them you did it for charity?
Not really. Those who know me know I did it for charity but for those who don't, I'm just a guy with a shaved head. It's not that exciting or distinguishing from any other guy with any other haircut.   


Is participating in the World's Greatest Shave something you see yourself doing again in the future?
I probably would. The whole point of this was to get my friends to donate, if no one cares that I'm going to shave my head next year then I'll just be some guy with a haircut that helped no one. So basically if others are keen, I'm keen.


And my favourite question I saved till last -
Do you regret it?
Not at all! I got to help a lot of people doing it; it's definitely a great experience. 

The money raised by people like S, and many others, go towards an amazing cause. They have helped bring a little light into the dark lives of families battling this awful disease. They have taken the plunge and done something extremely brave; the least we can do as spectators to their bravery can do is sponsor or donate to the World's Greatest Shave. Just click here - http://www.worldsgreatestshave.com/ - it's simple, and can help change lives.

 

My Day Today -_-

And item number 11 should probably read - "GET A LIFE! (if you have time)"

It's going to be a fun day......

"If it makes you laugh, if it makes you cry, if it rips out your heart, that’s a good picture."

Week four reminded me of why I love photographs so much. Sometimes words just can't do a story justice.

There are only so many words to describe a smile, but can you ever perfectly capture the way it transforms her face? Or the way his eyes crinkle just a little bit?

How do you attempt to put into words those precious moments in your life? The moments that you see when your life flashes before your eyes?

 We can't always describe our feelings through words. Sometimes because no amount of words can justify the feelings you felt, you just hope a glimpse of that moment will allow others to feel exactly how you felt at that point in time. Sometimes because a moment is so precious, our clumsy use of words would tarnish it.

And sometimes, because a photo truly is worth a thousand words.

This Is What I Sound Like When I Try To Whistle....

The last post was a little "rarwwww" so here is something more "meowww" (or that's what my friend C would say anyway :P )

Procrastination Can Lead To Meaningfulness

Instead of doing my POLS1201 assignment, I began to listen to music and read, and then one of my favourite songs came on, which lead me to write this post.

The song is called "Anxiety" by Stilrize. Here is the video clip. Please watch it before you read on....it's kind of the point of the blog entry....

As I have said, this is one of my favourite songs. When a very close friend of mine was diagnosed with anxiety disorder (and a few other things), I wanted to know MORE. So I read studies, books, watched TV specials. They were informative, but they all described the how and why of panic attacks. Nothing described what it felt like to experience what my friend was experiencing daily, sometimes hourly. I wanted to know what made her cry and shake with fear. How could I? I didn't have what she was suffering with, and wouldn't know what it's like to have an anxiety attack unless I was diagnosed with the disorder myself.

My search for answers was becoming increasingly hard. Where do I look for something to tell me about the feelings experienced during a panic attack? Or just generally living with anxiety? Then I had a thought. Musicians have been talking about heartbreak for decades in there songs. Some artist, somewhere, MUST have written a song on anxiety....and I was right. It took a while, but I found a song. Now I have a clearer idea of what a living with anxiety is like, I may not know the full affects of Anxiety, but at least now I have some semblance of understanding.
Some of the lyrics of the song are very brutal in their honesty about what's it's like to live with this disorder.

"I wanna be somebody else for awhile to maybe get a little relief....I can feel it coming soon, scared to even leave this room"

People feel like they don't have to worry about anxiety because "it won't effect them". Well it can, and it could. My friend never thought her life would take the course it now does, I guess nobody every really does think their life will be so affected by something they can't see. But it was, and we've learnt to deal with it. It still amazes us our ignorant some people can be about Anxiety. Here are some facts for you, just because it "could never happen" to you....could it?

• About 10 % of Australians will be affected by anxiety disorders at some point in their life
• Women are more likely than men to report anxiety disorders (12% compared with 7.1%)
• The greatest numbers of people with a mental illness are in the 18-24 year age group.
• 14% of Australian children and adolescents aged 4-17 years have mental health problems. This rate of mental health problems is found in all age and gender groups, although boys are slightly more likely to experience mental health problems than girls.

(http://www.mindframe-media.info/site/index.cfm?display=85541)

The singer of Stilrize wrote this on his personal blog in relation to the song "Anxiety":

Trust me, I know this! Seeing therapists, and taking prescriptions just isn't enough sometimes. And sometimes you just don't know where to turn. I have struggled with severe Panic Disorder/High Anxiety/Depression for the past few years of my life, and it has been extremely hard to cope with at times. This is my way of expressing everything I have felt and endured.

I don't really have an idea of where this post was going till I sat here typing away about Anxiety. I think I finally figured out what I want to say.

People don't choose to be affected by certain things, they don't ask for things to happen to them. Yet they still happen and the person has to figure out a way to deal with it all. It can be hard, painful and at times a little too much. There can also be happiness and laughter too. Sometimes it takes a while for people to rise to the challenges that face them, but with support and personal courage they can achieve great things. Sometimes people surprise you; sometimes they surprise themselves.

My Guilty Pleasure

My guilty pleasure at the moment is Boston Legal. It's fast-paced, witty, at times a little deranged but ultimately endearing program. The show also deals with public and current issues, in it's own unique way.

This clip, below, is Boston Legal's spin on the 2008 Presidential election in America. Although they deal with the issue in a "interesting" way, they still use valid points of argument. Take a look and tell me what you think.  

T1 - Setting Up Course Social Media

This tutorial was a lot better than some of the other introductory tutes I have been to. Ali, the tutor, seemed really approachable and kind. I remember from the Introductory Lecture,that I was SO jealous of her! The way Dr. Redman talked about all the places Ali had been.....it just wasn't fair! :P She seemed to have travelled everywhere, but the one place that I was really jealous of her going to was Romania! But I will digress from talking about travelling and jealousy, maybe I'll write another post on it later, and continue to talk about the tute.

We were instructed to create gmail account using our student ID number, then a twitter account, and finally a blog on blogger. Sounds easy doesn't it? Well it wasn't.

The gmail account set up went smoothly. The twitter account, not so much. I had to verify my account by using my mobile phone, which happens to be on it's way to phone heaven, so I didn't get the text right away to confirm my account with. Finally the text came through and I could move on to adding all of Dr. Redman's followers ONE BY ONE....no "add all" button, just an individual click, click, click process. FUN! -_-

Then came the blog. Personalising the blog was my number one priority. Meh, who cares about actual posts if the blog looks like crap! Are you getting that I can be a bit of a perfectionist? I don't want people to see a work in progress, I just want them to see the beautiful final product. So the whole drive home from uni I was thinking -

• What's the title of my blog going to be?
• What kind of background will I have?
• Do I need a colour scheme?
• What if I don't find anything that represents ME as an individual?
• Which font will I use?
• WHAT ARE THESE PEOPLE GOING TO THINK WHEN THEY REALISE WHAT I FREAK I AM?!

And so forth....

We also did an introductory mock interview with the person next to us. I was lucky enough to get to know Roxanne a little better. She is a lovely girl, who moved down to Brisbane from Cairns, specifically to go to University.

And that was my week one JOUR1111 tutorial.

A Bit Of A Rant and Some Public Advocacy

I have just spent the last 45 minutes doing COMU1010, homework question two. To those of you doing that subject you know the question is on Public Advocacy. For those of you who don't do the subject, the question we were asked to answer was the following -

From Communication: A Critical/Cultural Introduction p. 40:

"What counts as public advocacy? In what ways do you participate in public advocacy?"

I am supporter of gay marriage. Not because I myself am gay, but because I have dear friends who are. Does this change our friendship? No. All it really changes is that one day they will be able to come to my wedding, but at this stage, I will only be able to attend to their civil union ceremony. Not only does that sadden me because I see that their love is no different to the love a heterosexual couple experience, but it also saddens me because one of my friend's BIG dream is to walk down the aisle in a white dress and marry the person she loves surrounded by family and friends (and also jealous ex's if she gets her way :P) 

I have helped my friends make banners and posters to march on Brisbane, I have taken them to the airport to fly down to mardi gras in Sydney, I have signed petitions to support the legalising of same-sex marriages in Australia. I have advocated for their right to have the same rights as me. And yet Bob Katter has the right to air this derogatory advertisement which singles out a group of people?

Why has he got the right to do that, commission and air an ad which is oozing with hate towards one group of people, when my friend's don't even have the right to walk down an aisle and say "I do"?

This is the ad, I believe, that Australians need to see and support. This is the advertisement which I support.

Moving on to the second part of my rant - Mental Health Advocacy.

I'm a born-and-raised Ipswich girl. And I am proud of it. Ipswich gets a bad name because we (Ipswich-ites) joke about it, and people who have never been here think we're serious. There is some truth in our words, never go to Bell Street if you can avoid it. Don't wander through the main mall at night by yourself if you are a young female. Things like that.

But suicide is rising in Ipswich. Depression and anxiety are very prevalent at the moment in my city. Is it because of the floods? Many would think so, but sources say no. All I know is this - suicide has doubled in Ipswich in the last year.

Suicide rates in Ipswich and Toowoomba.

(http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/ipswich-suicide-rate-doubles-but-floods-not-to-blame-20111102-1mv19.html)

I knew some of these people who took their lives. I did. I went to primary school with some of them, I was facebook friends with them, I experienced their lowest lows and spoke to them hours before they decided it was all too much. And now they are reduced to numbers in a graph. Their pain and suffering isn't shown in this graph. But we who knew them, still feel it. That empty hole inside of us, which we can never fill because they're not coming back, it just grows.

The rapper 360, is dating a girl I used to know. He sent out this heartfelt message on February 18 2012, which gives people a glimpse into the suffering we who have lost someone due to suicide feel.

So please, the next time someone who has never felt the pain I have felt due to suicide, tells me that depression and anxiety is "just an act, and all bulls#$%", I may just have to beat your head against a wall. It isn't an act. It is real. Just because you may not be able to see the sickness doesn't mean it isn't there. When you look at someone can you see their diabetes? Do you say that is just an act? Well if don't say diabetes is an act, why do you say mental health is?

I wear a youth beyond blue wrist band everyday to advocate for people suffering from mental illness to SPEAK OUT! To seek help. I write "LOVE" on my arms on TWLOHA day, to show people that they're not alone, and that they are beautiful and they are needed in this world. I advocate for mental health.

Before I finish this blog, I wanted to show you a poster I have on my wall.

I don't want to sound like an awful old biddy, but PLEASE before you open your mouth, think about what you're doing to say. Sometimes your words really do affect the people around you, and sometimes they can push people over the edge.

Here endeth the rant. 

Another day, another song stuck in my head

Having a song stuck in your head really isn't conducive to studying.

Sick of Kony Crap? Watch This.

When I first saw "Kony 2012", I admit I went a little blind and jumped on the bandwagon before I looked at the facts. Looking back, I was a naive fool.

The Invisible Children video dealt with Uganda and the strife it is in. Yet that video was made in 2003/4! Kony isn't in Uganda, and hasn't been there since 2006. In 2012, six years  after Kony left the country, a video goes viral about the "atrocities occurring in Uganda today" (quote taken from the Invisible Children site).

Is anyone else feeling a little betrayed and insulted?

Because I sure as hell do. I feel betrayed because I support the underdogs. I do the forty hour famine, I sent shoe boxes and (attempted) to knit blankets to send to Haiti. But I want accurate facts. Who I am supporting, why I am supporting them, what is occurring now, not six years ago in the area, what is the government doing to support this issue. And yet all Invisible Children did with their video is play on emotion. It had "facts" in it, which I can't find anywhere else on the internet. And that just insults me. Do they think people aren't going to look up the issue themselves? Do they just think we will support a cause without doing out own research?

Yes, Kony is bad man, I agree. He has done awful things to a lot of innocent people. But if an organisation is going to make a video to go viral, make it current. Make it with up to date facts. I don't think the people supporting the issue are wrong to do so, I'm all for people supporting things they feel passionate for, but I personally can't support this.

At least, I won't support Kony 2012 until more current information is given to the masses by Invisible Children.

Just the facts on Text Ma'am

I didn't make it to this lecture. I had gotten ready in a hurry which for a girl is a bit of a mammoth task. I blame Boston Legal, I just couldn't tear myself away till I found out who won the case. I was now semi-presentable, had all my books in my bag, hopped into my car...and it didn't start. F&$#! And a few other choice words which I won't repeat on my blog.

RACQ wasn't much help - they couldn't come till 3pm at the earliest. There is NO public transport in my suburb - the closest bus stop is at the primary school a suburb east of where I live. I was the only one at home, so I couldn't borrow someone else car. And all my friends where at uni or work. Fantastic.

So I watched this lecture online!  It's a bit strange watching the lecture online. You can hear all these people, but you can only see the slides.

Skye Doherty, the guest lecturer, was really interesting to listen to. Being interested in print journalism, I think this is where I want to end up after finishing my degree (maybe :P ), it was nice to listen to someone who is already in the field. The fact that Skye sounded so enthused about print journalism after spending time in the area was reassuring to hear.

Skye spoke about the Inverted Pyramid in journalism, with the most important facts placed at the top (usually - who, what, when, where, why and how) and the least important facts placed at the bottom of the pyramid. If you're still having trouble picturing it in your mind, here is the slide Skye used to explain it to us lowly first year students.



I don't know if it was because I was watching the lecture online, or because I knew a lot of this information from my previous English studies at high school, but I found this lecture a little boring. It just seemed a little commonsensical. Talking about what text is, the inverted pyramid, where your eyes are drawn to on pages or screens.

That was my week three lecture blog. I realise it was a bit boring, and a little down on the lecture. So to brighten your day, here is a funny picture which kind of relates to text as it has text in it  -

New News

I would like to preface this post by saying - I don't come from a journalism background. I don't know journalist other than the ones I like to read. My parent's aren't journalist. I didn't study anything "journalism-y" at school. I came into this course knowing only a few basic things.

1. I like to write.
2. People say I am good at writing. I don't believe them.
3. I don't pretend to know anything about anything when it comes to journalism. I follow the news, it's interesting to me, but I don't pretend to understand the history of journalism or the way that journalism has evolved.

So with that being said, my second lecture blew my mind a little.

The idea of "Old Media" or "Traditional/Heritage/Legacy Media" is commonsensical. First there was newspapers, magazines, radio and television.

Then came light, I mean, the world wide web (dah dah dummm).

Here is where the lecture got interesting for me. Everything progresses. A child to an adult, a caterpillar to a butterfly, an idea to a novel. It's just a given. But when you break down the development to of the Web into it's stages, it's remarkable how far it has come, and where it is headed.

Web 1.0, was all about giving information, promoting businesses, getting products out there for the masses. Think - junk mail on a computer screen!

Then we progressed to Web 2.0, the social web. Everything about connecting with people happens here. You have facebook, twitter, blogs, (the life and death of) myspace, etc. This stage brought to us some amazing tools which has allowed things like the organising "the mud army" during the 2011 Queensland floods to occur. We have also seen through Web 2.0, things like Facebook party's go viral and cause mayhem. (http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/facebook-party-invite-mayhem-youth-could-face-jail-20110316-1bwi3.html)
Some of it's uses may not always be for good, but you can't argue that it doesn't have the ability to connect anyone and everyone. Have you ever met someone,who just so happens to know someone else, who is your best friend? Well using Web 2.0, this occurs a lot more rapidly, as connections can be made with just a click of a button.  

We are now on the cusp of Web 3.0 - software that answers multi-layered questions. And to be honest, the whole time we were talking about this, all I could think of is..... 

The lecture then spoke about how Web 3.0 will impact the rest of the news

• Hyperlocalisation.
• Specific Content Delivery - which is both good and bad.
• Paywalls

It was a pretty interesting lecture. And now I really want to watch the Terminator movies!

Stuck In My Head

So I have one of my favourite songs stuck in my head. And I thought, "What the hell, I'll put it on my blog!"

So here is Konstantine by Something Corporate! It may be long, but it's beautiful and if you've never listened to it I encourage you to take the time to. It will blow your mind.

"YOU are the Journalist"

As I waited for the introductory lecture of JOUR1111 - Journalism and Communication to commence, I, like any other shy 19 year old girl who knows no one else in the room, was texting my friends for moral support. While the noise of everyone else around told me others were making new friends and doing that awkward introductory thing, I was finding out about H's day at work, E's latest evil scheme, the lecture T was currently in and how C was running late....again!  I was immersed in my own little world, then everything around me when quiet....

When I looked up, a man (who I now know to be Dr. Bruce Redman, my lecturer) was standing at the podium. He went through the obligatory "Introductory Lecture" - this is the assignment, it's due (...), it's worth this much, this is the semester plan...etc etc etc... 

But, unlike other introductory lectures I had attended, Dr. Redman had these really interesting quotes throughout his lecture. I don't know if it's because I am a lover of quotes that three of them stuck with me, or if it's because the words are so profound. The reason why doesn't matter - what matter is the fact that they did. By sharing with you these three quotes, maybe they will stick with you too. Maybe they will impact you the way they impacted upon me.  

"Journalism is never silent". I have always felt drawn to the "little guy", the people that don't have a voice, who's stories are never told because everyone always forgets them. Or because the stories would open up a can of worms that some would rather keep closed. As a shy person, I can choose not to make a fuss when I feel I have been done wrongly. That's my choice, but I also have the choice to rant and rave when I feel badly done by. Some don't have the choice to complain. But my nature will not let me sit back and watch people who don't have an option to voice their tales, or don't have the courage to speak out, suffer in silence. I want to bring into the light the plight of someone who suffers from depression, the hardships they have faced and still face today. I want to talk to the oppressed and make their words heard. I want their voices to carry over long distances and stir talk about their experiences.

The second quote, "I became a journalist to come as close as possible to the heart of the world", gives me motivation to fulfil my dream to travel the world! There is so much out there I want to see, touch, feel and experience. But there is also so much out there that I want to listen to, talk, and eventually write, about. I want to travel the world gathering people stories - from Australia, to China, to Argentina, to Egypt and back again! And if I get paid to do it, that's even better :P

I tried a year of psychology and never experienced the sense of wonder and excitement I felt in 50 minutes of my first Journalism class. I don't like locking myself into anything for too long, it makes me feel restricted and caged. I am locked in for four years of Journalism study, and I feel excited and hopeful.

This is going to be an interesting couple of years.....

Introducing The Girl Who'll Float Away

I thought that before I start blogging about lectures, tutorials and other such significant things, I should introduce myself.

Hi.

I'm Laura. This is me (see the picture below). If you see someone walking at Saint Lucia who looks like this, come up and say hello. I'm rather shy, so chances are you're going to have to be the brave one and initiate contact.  

So, I suppose now comes the part where I talk about myself....this is going to be a little painful as I am naturally a very shy person. So please bare with me and allow for some idiosyncrasies.

Age - 19 (12/02/1993)

Degree - Bachelor of Arts majoring in International Relations and Journalism
             - Bachelor of Communication majoring in Public Relations

Favourite Colours - Black, White and Grey (Yes, they may not be "colours" but saying favourite "shades" is just annoying)

Interesting Facts -

• My dog is named after the character "Rum Tum Tugger" from the musical 'Cats'. Isn't he cute?!

• I collect books of quotes and sayings, and have done so since I was 12. Here are some of my favourite quotes -

"Not all who wander are lost" by J.R.R. Tolkien

"A prayer for the wild at heart kept in cages" by Tennessee Williams

"Sometimes we think we want to disappear, but all we really want is to be found" by unknown.

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain"  told to me by someone very dear who I miss everyday. 

 

•  I am currently addicted to the show "Boston Legal". It's a very sad day for me when I don't get time to watch an episode.

• Next Saturday to Sunday I am doing "Relay for Life". It's an event to raise funds for the cancer council. Here's a link to the website if you want to learn more about it - http://www.relayforlife.org.au/

• My dream is to travel the world. I feel that there is so much to experience out in the world, and I want to do it all. I want to see the great pyramids in Egypt. I want to stand at the top of the Empire State Building in New York. I want to walk along the Great Wall in China. Swim in the clear blue waters of Greece. Have a romantic dinner in Paris. I want to do it all! And I hope that my degree with open up so many amazing doors which allow me to fulfil my dreams. It's for this reason that my friends say "if we don't tie you down, you'll float away from here!"

That's all I really have to share. I hope this is okay for an introductory blog.