80 Reasons Why I Love the ABC

Today is Aunty's 80th Birthday. With all of the well-wishes flooding twitter for our much loved public broadcaster, it got me thinking about my fondness of the ABC and from where it all stemmed. Being a 1980s child I grew up during a great era of ABC for Kids television. In my teenage years, Heartbreak High was a big hit and when I started to discover music, Rage and Triple J kept me company into the early hours of the morning.

My first television audience experience was The Glasshouse. My first radio "Outside Broadcast" I attended was Robbie, Marieke and the Doctor. Triple J presenting Powderfinger Live at the Wireless for Aus Music Month in 2005 was an unforgettable concert experience.

More recently, I've met some great friends united by twitter and the wonderful 612 Brisbane. Last year I had a childhood dream come true, doing a series of concert reviews for Brisbane's top Breakfast radio show with Spencer Howson.

Today got me thinking about the countless entertainment the ABC has provided me and what a big part of my life it's been. Here (from my first to most recent) are my 80 reasons why I love the ABC.

Note: Given I'm 26, half of the list are comprises of children's television shows.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RM4VhmoUHFQ&feature=player_embedded
Remember these?


1. Gumby
2. Sesame Street
3. Fireman Sam
4. Babar
5. Johnson and Friends
6. Aah Real Monsters
7. The Ferals
8. Widget the World Watcher
9. Trapdoor
10. Rugrats

11. Captain Planet
12. Banana Man
13. Freaky Stories
14. My ABC Kids mixed cassette tape - (first cassette I owned).
15. Blinky Bill
16. Roger Ramjet
17. Budgie the Helicopter
18. Inspector Gadget
19. Lift Off
20. Round the Twist

21. Madeline
22. The Secret Life of Toys
23. Art Attack
24. Mr Sqiggle
25. Banana's in Pyjamas
26. Brum
27. Playschool
28. Daria
29. Gogs
30. Heartbreak High

31. Secret Life of Alex Mac
32. Rocko's Modern Life
33. Funny Bones
34. The Funky Squad
35. Raggy Dolls
36. Noddy's Toyland Adventures
37. Postman Pat
38. Mr Bean
39. Faulty Towers
40. Thomas the Tank Engine

41. Saved by the Bell
42. Super Ted
43. The Late Show
44. The Micallef P(r)ogram(me)
45. Good News Week
46. John Safran's Music Jamboree
47.The Glasshouse
48. Spicks and Specks
49. Enough Rope
50. Stateline

51. Rage
52. Frontline
53. Lano and Woodley
54. Black Books
55. Long Way To The Top
56. Countdown
57. Love Is In The Air
58. Adam and Wil (Triple J Breakfast 2000-2004)
59. The Chaser
60. The Sideshow

61. Lawrence Leung's Choose Your Own Adventure
62. Triple J Live at the Wireless
63. Triple J Like a Version
64. Hack
65. Gruen Transfer
66. Robbie, Marieke and The Doctor (Triple J Breakfast 2008-2009)
67. Media Watch
68. 612 Brisbane - too many names to mention here! The lovely Kelly Higgins-Devine, Tim Cox, Richard Fidler, Kat Davidson, Warren Boland et al.
69. Breakfast with Spencer Howson (612 Brisbane)
70. Hungry Beast

71. Everyone's favourite weather lady, Jenny Woodward
72. Spotless/  Shannon Lush
73. Making Australia Happy/ 8 Steps to Happiness
74. The Cook and the Chef
75. Father Bob
76. Adam Hills in Gordon Street Tonight
77. The ABC Shop
78. Doctor Who
79. Dig Music
80. iView


What are your favorite things about the ABC?

Review: An Evening With John Cleese (20th Feb 2012 QPAC Concert Hall)

When I heard that John Cleese was headlining the inaugural Just For Laughs comedy festival at the Sydney Opera House last year I purchased two front row tickets in a heartbeat. From the moment I was old enough to understand what comedy was, John Cleese was the person who I understood comedy to be. 

I grew up with parents who were fans of Monty Python. Many occasions the family would sit around watching various Python films. Each school holidays Monty Python Live At The Hollywood Bowl would be rented out from the video shop. And the ABC repeats of  Fawlty Towers never got old! I was probably the only kid in primary school who knew all the words to the Bruce's Philosophers Song and had a MP school diary and wall calandar. 

It came as a big disappointment last year when Cleese's hosting of the Just For Laugh's Gala fell far short of what I was expecting (and not through any fault of his own). He had limited stage time between the other comics and his material for that night only consisted of his "Bitter Divorce Sketch" which gets a bit tiresome after you see it repeated every couple of weeks on pay television.

After arriving home (not even having enough time to unpack our suitcases) from our Sydney Just For Laughs trip I receive an email from QPAC with presale for tonight's show, eager to give my comedy idol another go. I'm so glad I did.

Image courtesy of www.qtix.com.au

The first half of the show was hosted by the delightful 612 ABC Brisbane Drive Show host Tim Cox. Tim was a great interviewer, took interest in what Cleese had to say and prompted some great stories from the comedy legend. During the first half we saw the side of John Cleese that most of us are unfamiliar with; his parents, being bullied as a child, growing up, going to university and his pre-Python days which were filled with the soon-to-be-big names of British comedy as we now know it. The relaxed chat between Cox and Cleese was accompanied by various photographs that felt to be lifted straight out of the Cleese family photo albums.

I was surprised to learn that the comedy of Monty Python was not at all improvised and was all finely scripted. Just as surprising to hear that Cleese foremost regards himself as a writer first and a performer second. This being more prominent in the second half of the show where he takes to the stage solo to discuss the psychology behind black humour, the script-writing relationship between him and writing partner Graham Chapman and the inspiration behind Fawlty Towers. 

What I loved about the show was it's overall vibe. I can only describe it as like being in a giant lounge room with 1600 comedy fans sitting around watching clips of your favorite comedy sketches. Cleese gave personal tales of his behind-the-scene experiences shooting and writing some of his popular works and the crowd hung off every word. A bitter-sweet highlight of the show was hearing Cleese recollect the death of Graham Chapman followed by clip of the eulogy.

My only criticism of the show is that it ended fairly abruptly. Or perhaps that was just me not wanting the show to end at all as I could listen to him for while and not tire of his countless stories from a career that has spanned for over 40 years and is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

Tickets are still available to An Evening with John Cleese for his seventh Brisbane show on Monday 27th February. Click here for more information.

My Weather Anxiety

I sat in the hallway, torchlight in one hand and mobile phone in the other. I always remembered that strictly speaking the bathroom was meant to be the safest and strongest part of the house but that side of the house was currently being belted with hail and debris and from the sound of smashing glass I had a feeling anywhere near a window probably wouldn’t be safe. So the next option was in between a door frame. I had a mattress nearby in case I had to hide under it. I had been through a couple of bad storms in my life but I was completely unprepared for the 110km/h winds that were roaring past our house. The sound of smashing glass, roof tiles breaking under the force of tree branches and hail stones. It felt like a bad dream and for a few minutes I thought I was about to die. 

Wild weather is just a part of Queensland life.

Fear is a funny thing. It can drive you in the ways that you couldn’t imagine and on the other spectrum it can paralyse your being. I think anyone who has been through some sort of natural disaster would understand this. For me The Gap storm that occurred on November 16th 2008 made me realise this.

While the storm itself took about 20 minutes to pass over us (longest 20 minutes I had experienced for some time) it had lasting effecting on my mental health. Initially after the shock I thought I was fine. Within minutes was outside helping neighbours clear broken glass, rubbish bins and tree branches that had been strew over the road. I thought I was dealing okay with everything with a few minor exceptions. I don’t think I slept that night (but I don’t think anyone in The Gap did). Many of the roads to and from the suburb had been cut by tress and I was forced to stay at home from work for a couple of days until roads were clear and buses could get through again. Heck, I even had some nice moments at home with the other half; playing cards by the candlelight and listening to the radio with a couple of drinks.

It wasn’t until I returned back to work and saw military workers cleaning up the streets and saw the devastation with my own eyes that I started to absorb what had actually happened. We didn’t have any electricity for four days so it took some time to see what sort of damage was out there. The nights without power weren’t good. The darkness started to make me feel anxious. The lack of noise and traffic (except for the occasional emergency vehicle and endless choir of chainsaws) made things worse – everything was very eerie.

When the power came back on again life started to get back to normal. Besides from a few broken windows, some flooding and broken roof tiles there was no damage to our house – unlike some people who not only lost the roof over their heads but also lost a lifetime of memories. I remained a bit of a mess for the remained of that summer. During the autumn and winter months I felt fine and it wasn’t until about that following September when an ad came on TV about upcoming storm season that I was hit with a wall of dread. My stomach would start somersaulting at the mere mention of a storm and I would be physically ill. Any strong wind gusts or heavy rain would send me into a state of anxiety and paranoia. I began obsessively checking the BOM website. I realised I needed to see someone.

After seeking treatment with a psychologist I now understand how to use avoid some of the anxiety that can come with the wild weather that we are prone to in Queensland. It’s good to be aware of the forecasts, take proper precautions and be ready for whatever Mother Nature throws our way. Finding a way to turn the negative unhelpful feelings into helpful “preparedness” is probably the best coping strategy I encountered.

A year after the Queensland floods (and on a day with a Severe Weather Warning in place) my thoughts are with those who have been affected by some of the horrible natural disasters we have had of late. Time does heal things to a point but talking to someone and finding out how to ease some of the anxiety really helped me so much. I didn’t lose anyone in the 2008 storm and my house was relatively unscathed. I was one of the lucky ones.

If you need help or just someone to talk to please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.

You can stand under my umbrella, ella ella eh eh eh.

Some tips that I found the most helpful:

1.  Be alert but not alarmed. No one has any control of the weather. Acknowledge that you can’t change what may happen but you can be prepared. Keep an eye on www.bom.gov.au and listen to 612 ABC Brisbane (our local emergency station) for all warnings.

2.  Turn the negative feelings into positive and helpful ones. Prepare a household emergency kit and have an evacuation plan in place.

3.  Remember we are all in this together. Remember that Ben Lee song? Well what he said. Weather is a “shared experience” so you are not the only person going through this.

4.  Talk to someone!!! If you need to: go and make an extended appointment with your doctor and enquire about a Mental Health Care Plan.

Centre of Clinical Inventions have some great modules and exercises for coping with panic attacks and anxiety. http://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/resources/infopax.cfm?Info_ID=44

612 ABC Brisbane have compiled a great list of links and other emergency resources. http://www.abc.net.au/brisbane/emergencies/

New year. New Goals.

It seems like every man (and his blog) are posting something profound about their new years resolutions. I think I might just do the same. 

In years past, I've never made any real/ concrete "new years resolutions" and I've certainly never written them down (let alone publish them for the rest of the internet to see). In 2011 I promised myself that on Christmas day I would be driving to my parents house in my own car and I did just that. The feeling of accomplishment was somewhat foreign to me, or it has been for the last number of years of my life. It felt so good that I decided this year I want to become a more goal-focused person. Life is too short and unpredictable to keep putting things off in the hope that one day you will magically wake-up and discover you've achieved all of the things you once dreamt of.

So today I sat down with a pen and a fresh notebook and I had a good long thing about what I wanted to achieve personally, professionally and as a couple. I wrote down activities I've wanted to do for a while (some fun, some boring) as well as serious goals that I intend to immerse myself into during 2012. I've realised in the past where I have gone wrong with my attempts and why so many new years resolutions don't come to fruition so I checked out a few different sources. This website The Top Ten Resolutions People Make has some handy advice & info on how to reach some of the most common goals.

Something else I've kept in mind is advice from celebrity personal trainer Michelle Bridges who often tells her 12wbt'ers to keep their goals SMART. That is, your goals should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-based.

With this in mind, I present to you my goals for 2012... 

1. Focus on my health & well-being. Inside and out. Mental and physical. Food and exercise.
2. Read more books. Purchased a Kindle - need I say more?
3. Start blogging and regularly maintain a blog. And I'm on a roll ;)
4. Get volunteer work at a community radio station. It's my dream job and it's time to start making that happen!
5. Start a vegetable garden & tend to our garden more. I want to enjoy gardening and have our yard as welcoming escape where everything looks pretty.
6. Become more financially responsible & budget.
7. Hug Brett often. Okay so Brett actually hijacked my list and wrote this but I left it because we should always pay extra attention to the people we hold close to our hearts.
8. Use my creativity and artistic skills. Using my Canon EOS 60D more and immerse myself in photography. Start creating with the polymer clay, continue making fascinators & cards.
9. Watch less television. Or maybe just be more smarter with my TV choices. Less repeats and mindless viewing, more new shows and thought provoking viewings perhaps.
10. Take up yoga and meditation.
11. Spend more time on & pay more attention to myself. Make it part of my day to tend my needs and treat myself regularly.
    
12. Get smarter. Improve on my spelling and punctuation. Learn more!
13. See more movies. A bi-monthly treat for Brett and I.
14. Plan, plan, plan ahead. Well you know what they say, fail to plan and you plan to fail. Time organisation has always been one of my weaker qualities so I'm trying to improve on it.
15. Say YES more often. A little mantra I've adopted in the last year which as had some amazing consequences.

Do you have any goals for 2012? How do you go about setting your goals?

Coming Soon!

Watch this space...