Locked with a Subscribers Key

In recent years, we've seen a major shift from reading our news in newspapers to getting our news online. Advances in technology now deliver our favourite newspaper on our laptops, our iPhones, our iPads and PCs- without the ink stained fingerprints. The latest news developments are literally at our fingertips. We have the opportunity to read several news sources on one issue and we're able to share stories that are important or relevant to our day-to-day lives on our social networks. But there are some people who don't altogether love this development: the newspapers and their journalists.

Sales on newspapers have slugged as we reach to our favourite news website for our news updates, resulting in a huge decrease in newspaper sale profits and journalists find their work posted for all to read for free. Personally, I love that we are able to read through multiple websites and read as much on an issue as possible.

My favourite online news source is the Wall Street Journal. For the past few weeks I've been on it multiple times a day reading about Japan and Libya to keep up with the latest as reported. But in the past few weeks I've noticed that more and more of their articles are locked with the subscriber’s key, in an effort for readers to subscribe to the online resources for a fee.

I sit on the bench here...

I'm cool with paying for the quality of information available on wsj.com; after all, I'm getting better content online than available in a newspaper. I know journalists travel extensively to bring stories to us, I understand that in an evolving world, newspapers are finding their new place and this all comes at a price to continue to deliver information....but I also think: shouldn't information like the level of radiation in Japan at the moment be made public for all the read? Shouldn't we all know about what's happening in Libya? 

With the Internet has come a deluge of information and we are exposed to and can follow stories like never before; shouldn't this information continue to be freely accessible for us all?....especially for those in Libya and Japan. It's important we have an idea of what's going on. In my mind, nothing is worse than a barrier to knowledge of what's going on in our global society. 

Mummy, where do ideas come from?

I love creating - from my marketing plans for university assignments to designing colours and styles for the swimwear line I will launch one day … and everything in between. Some days I find inspiration in the tiniest of quirks or colour schemes and regularly wake up in the middle of the night with a "brilliant idea". I scribble it down like a mad woman on the notebook I keep beside my bed in the dark only to wake up to bleeble-blabble written sideways.

Another place I find lots of ideas is in the shower. I think it's the time alone with the sound of water that lets my imagination free and I come up with more "brilliant ideas". You notice I am an idea generating power tank? I keep my ideas in a scrapbook along with magazine tear outs, newspaper cutouts, and photos of family, friends and sunsets. What I really want to do is put the canon camera on my Dad’s telescope and take photos of the moon too. But that's another story...

I find having this time to myself when I am free to create is incredibly important; and it is something I love to do. I hope you all have something of your own that you’re free to do with what you want and it brings you something extra special in your day.

 This is a photo I took in Tobago over Christmas, it's my favourite today.

Dame Elizabeth Taylor

Last night, Elizabeth Taylor passed away. She was the most glamorous movie star, an absolute fashion icon for decades, and will remain so for decades to come. She had a figure with beautiful curves, jet black hair, a quick witted personality, the world's most magnificent jewellery collection and a burning motivation to bring social issues to the attention of society. She had the strength of a great woman and would yell about AIDS; the need for research and attention before anyone would whisper about it. I think she was a true beauty.

"I've always admitted that I'm ruled by my passions." - Elizabeth Taylor

We Go Together Like Ra-ma la-ma la-ma ka ding a da ding de dong

I wish I had more time to spend with my friends. I am blessed to have some magnificent friends. They're all kinds of caring, wonderful, brilliant, hilarious and adorable. I love ringing one of my friends with whom I haven't spoken in a couple of months and picking right up where we left off....they say this is a sign of a strong friendship, and it's a heartwarming thing to do.

Since I’ve been back at university, I have found that the demands of my workload and desire for high grades come at the cost of my friendships. All I want to do on the weekends is have lunch with my friends, or meet at the Burleigh Beach for a barbeque, or shop for shoes (should have been number one on this list!). Then every weekend I find myself with my finance and statistics tutorial questions and revision.

Perhaps it's that I went back to university late, so while I go to class then study, my friends are buzzing in their careers, some have babies and some are off travelling the world. And tragically, the best way to keep in contact is on Facebook.

Then I think about my friends buzzing in their careers and caring for their babies, and I realise their time to devote to their friendships may seem too little to them too? It might be a factor of getting older and taking on more responsibilities as we grow....My friend works in finance on Wall Street while he tutors students through their final years of high school; he's on a basketball team after work while he also raises funds for a charter school in Harlem. ... How much time does he have to sit down with his friends and catch up I wonder?

Finding friends with whom you truly have a connection is incredibly hard to find. And finding friends like mine may be even harder. So, on this blog (that I know my dearest friends read) I write that I love you and miss sitting and talking with you and enjoying your wonderful company. And, I'd like to add that my books are no comparison to you and have not once replied back to me after I spend hours talking to them.

P.S And if you're that girl who lunches with her girlfriends on a Saturday and dances with your friends on a Saturday night, I'm green with envy.

This is me and some of my awesome friends in our drinking hats in Austria.

My Dad

On Friday, my father turned 50.

He decided to stick it to the man, boot work for the day and drive his boat over somewhere near New Zealand to go deep sea fishing. I like that.

My father is one of the kindest, loving, hilarious and loyal people I know. He's one of those people you learn a lesson from each day, and one of those men you want to sit down and talk to, he's the man I would want my son to grow up and emulate. He has wise advice and so much love for any situation I find myself in. He has dedicated his life to his wife and three children and shows us how much he loves each of us every single day.

When I lived in America for six months, all I wanted by the end was a hug from my Dad and I can tell you it was one of the best hugs ever. He has really big strong hands from working hard for so many years, they're great to hold onto when you're feeling afraid or you need some support. He's always there ready to hold your hand....and he always has been.

Tonight, I'm just going to stop and say thank you for the blessing that is my Jezzy-Bear.

Happy Birthday Daddy x

People Who Have My Job

What I'm about to do it set up a weekly blog post. It's going to be called "People Who Have My Job".

This week, it's my Brand Manager position that I'll have post-MBA. (Yes, I'm currently Pre-Undergrad...but don't worry, I'll get there).

A Brand Manager is the professional who loves and cares for the growth and evolvement of brands. An example of this is Ralph Lauren interior paint and home decor. Ten years ago, who would have thought that you would be choosing between Dulux or Ralph Lauren to paint your living room? Yet, the combination is magic. This was the brilliance of the Brand Manager.

So, back onto people who have my job...P.Diddy. Yes, he has my job. Did you know that P.Diddy is the Chief Marketing Officer and Brand Manager of Ciroc Vodka? He has turned the Ciroc brand into an A-Listing-Swagger-Bolsting-Party-Must-Have Vodka. Ciroc's event promotions with E! Network, Diddy's New Years Eve Party combined with their current television campaign in the United States has made Ciroc the smoothest liquor you can handle. He's also increased sales by 400%. Obviously we must account for the power of P.Diddy, but also how much fun a Brand Manager can have by living creatively, inventing and then injecting personality into a product and then watching it blossom.

Here's the current Ciroc television campaign, enjoy.

My Jam

Beyonce is my JAM. I've been dancing and singing my heart out to her since "Bills, Bills, Bills" in 1997. My best friend and I growing up would learn every dance to every film clip and sing our hearts out....15 years later, I'm still doing the same thing; I got Single Ladies down.

I love her songs and what she chooses to sing about. If you are a woman reading this, I know you've had your precious time with Beyonce up as loud as your car speakers can handle singing down the highway.. "to the left, to the left!". Who else sings about the strength of woman and how fierce we can all be better than Beyonce?...I say no-one.

On this Sunday, go get your freakum dress on, girl.