Dear Diary,

Personal media use and Production Diary;

Figure 1. Graphical representation of my media usage over 10 logged days.

The chosen categories of media that were logged create an accurate representation of my media usage over 10 days (as represented by Figure 1). Figure 1 suggests that the medium most used is texts/calls followed by iPod usage; then Facebook, Tumblr and Other (internet usage). These most used mediums of media have in fact been accessed by my iPhone. My interaction with the media takes place mainly ‘on the go’, accessed through apps and accessories on my iPhone. About a month ago I upgraded from a basic phone to a smart phone and joined the 44.2% of fellow Journalism students that owned one. The acquisition of an iPhone has completely changed the way I interact with the media. For example, before owning a smart phone, I would read the newspaper daily to check the headlines of the day. However, Figure 1 shows that my newspaper usage has been reduced to a fairly low amount with my internet (other) usage being fairly high as this is now where all my news reading occurs. It is this convenience of Sydney Morning Herald and The Age applications on my smart phone that has turned my bus trip to university into my news reading time. Furthermore, my usage of ‘Free to air’ television is fairly low; however all of it consists of watching part of The Project in the evening. I still read the print copies of the news paper on occasion; however the majority of it has all been moved to electronic mediums. I am a person that needs to be entertained; I have a short attention span and I find it hard to listen to full programs about facts and events. I am part of the growing demographic that appeals to shows like The Project where I can be informed with the news as well as being entertained, thus explaining my use of ‘Free to air’ television. Comparing this to the survey suggests that this use of electronic mediums for information is common among most students and it can be said that this demand for both information and entertainment is shared among other journalism students.

My usage is mostly using online and smart phone where as it seems that most students use that television broadcast for this. My relationship between ‘old media’ is slowly decreasing as it is being replaced with ‘new media’, in particular Web 1.0 and 2.0. This media usage is not uncommon (I have a pretty similar media usage to the rest of my peers with 71.1% using television and 67.8% using the web to gain access to the news) especially when it comes to Journalism and Communication as I do not rely on newspapers for news anymore, instead I use the internet and sometimes television. I do however, believe that if I did not own a smart phone and have the easy access to the internet; my interaction with print media may be different. Furthermore, this relationship to media can be linked to the idea that I, along with most of generation Y, have a demand for instantaneous information and the internet (and smart phones) allow access to this. Instead of waiting for the headlines in the Courier Mail the next day, as soon as I hear news, I can research it and be informed immediately. 

Figure 2. Graphical representation of media production over 10 logged days.

Our media usage and production depends on the behavioural patterns of the consumer. Depending mostly on our likes and interests, our usage will change. My relationship with books as a part of ‘old media’ only still exists because of my interest in theatre and as a Drama student, am required to read plays weekly (displayed in Figure 1). However, without this interest I highly doubt this relationship would exist. Furthermore, as I enter University life, I have had little time and few opportunities to spend time with friends from high school, and as I value these friendships and wish to stay in contact with these people, I use text and calls to remain connected with these people (displayed in both Figure 1 and 2 the prominent use and production of Text/Calls).

Example of my use of media in response to journalism. I tweet and blog my thoughts.

My internet usage and production is not the same as the majority as noted in the survey. Most users spent most of their internet usage on Facebook, Emailing and general surfing. However, when I use the internet I am mainly blogging; mostly through Tumblr and Blogger (see Figures 1 and 2). From this it can be said that I use the internet as a source of writing publication and a medium in which I can personalize and utilize to express my views and my reactions to the media. I use blogging as a way in which I can write my thoughts regarding news issues and as such, there is a direct correlation between my media usage and production. I produce most of my media in response to my consumption of it. When I read about a certain issue in the news, or come across something online that strike a chord with me, I turn to blogging and express my views. This shows my behaviour patters behind my usage and production of media and shows that my relationship with journalism is not one sided; when I consume media, I sometimes feel the urge to produce and contribute. 

Figure 3. Percentage graph of media usage.   

      

Figure 4. Percentage graph of media production.

Figures 3 and 4 show the dominance that the internet plays in my media usage and production. This corroborates with the survey of my peers and suggests that they use the internet more than another other form of media, being at least 2-3 hours a day. My media usage and production is similar to what is suggested by the survey. My majority of media usage is through ‘new media’ in particular, the internet. I no longer rely on print media to access information and news but instead use the internet and my smart phone. This pattern suggests and supports the idea that people seek to be informed almost instantly and the internet supplies their demand, where there is always a delay with print media. This information also suggests that with a large majority of students aged 17-20 using internet as their primary source of information use and production, that it seems this is where generation Y’s relationship with journalism is focused on. Furthermore, I believe this is where the focus of journalists should be to their consumer as there seems to be little consumption of ‘old media’ but rather a boom in the use of ‘new media’. Even though this may enhance the decline of print and ‘old media’, from the patterns seen in the survey, and assessing my relationship with journalism and communication, there is now little demand for such media, but rather a demand for instantaneous information with ‘new media’.

Raw Data:

Media Usage Log

Media Production Log

Say Cheese;

"A picture has no meaning at all if it can't tell a story"

After four weeks of attending Uni, lugging bags from lecture to lecture, making friends, getting stressed and living a completely changed lifestyle, this quote is what has struck me most. I like photography, quite a lot. I've never been trained or anything, just dabbled with cameras and editing, but this quote has completely changed how I view photography, and especially photo journalism. 

I love photos more than anything because you can make something out of nothing at all. You can take the most mundane items and facets of life and turn them into a mesmerising photo. It is this finding the extraordinary in the ordinary that I admire, and wish I was better at. The photos I've taken don't tell stories though, and that is soon about to change. I loved this lecture, I've learnt a lot.

Bruce went into detail about what makes a good photo. Framing, Focus, Angle, Exposure, Timing and 'Capturing the Moment'. Capture the moment...interesting...This lecture keeps getting better. The Golden Mean, all these new concepts introduced to me are making so much sense. Ever since I came out of this lecture I've been flicking through newspapers and surfing news sites online and ever single one of these aspects of a 'Good Photo' is being used. It's good to know that I'm being taught real things that will help me be successful in the field of Journalism. 

People engage in photos. They connect with pictures. That is why this photo journalism is as, if not, more important than the text of journalism. People connect with emotion and pictures convey emotion more than any word can. The story found in the picture is where this emotion resides and that's what makes a good photo. 

Through this lecture Bruce displayed various photos that 'Capture the moment' and show this emotion. However, I don't think he showed the right photos. There are so many more photos that have made me sad, and have ripped my heart out.

Two lights from the former site of the World Trade Centers shine for the 10th anniversary of 9/11.(Reuters / GARY HERSHORN)

Firefighters of Ladder Company 4 — which lost seven men on 9/11 — perched together on their aerial ladder, watching a news bulletin in Times Square declaring that Osama bin Laden was dead on May 2.Source: lens.blogs.nytimes.com

Billy Stinson comforts his daughter Erin Stinson as they sit on the steps where their cottage once stood on August 28 in Nags Head, N.C. The cottage, built in 1903 and destroyed by Hurricane Irene, was one of the first vacation cottages built on Albemarle Sound in Nags Head.(Getty Images / Scott Olson)

A phone hangs off the hook on Wall Street.(Reuters / LUCAS JACKSON)

A distressed bride attempts suicide in China after her fiance abruptly called off their marriage. Still in her wedding gown, she tried to kill herself by jumping out of a window of a seventh floor building. Right as she jumped, a man managed to catch and save her.(Reuters / CHINA DAILY)

To me, all these photos sum up everything that we were taught in the lecture. They encapsulate so much in just one shot. The timing is perfect, the angle works in all of them, the framing complements what they are trying to say, but most of all, they all tell a story. Just by looking at these photos the audience can fill in the gaps. They can learn so much about the events just by one still image. These photos are what I think photo journalism is all about. All different events in 2011, but all of which are equally powerful and moving. 

I wish I could be this good.

Send me a Text;

Lecture 3;

Fast...

         Flexible...
                        Complete Control...
                                                            Portable...
                                                                            Searchable....
                                                                                                    Dominates online...


Text plays a major part in everyone's life. It can take many forms, has an exponential amount of uses and we use it everyday. As we entered the 21st century, text became to quickly evolve and adapt to enter the technological and demanding world in which we live. This lecture by guest speaker Skye delved into this, discussing the role that text currently plays in the lives of both journalists and society. 


The inverted pyramid was the focus, and how we manipulate text in order to create an article. She then went further and how the same story can provide the same information, but through various forms of text. Now the topic of 'Text', you would think that would instantly put anyone to sleep after 10minutes of listening, but it quickly became apparent that to learn the uses of text is integral part of the journalism course. The use of short, sharp, catching text is important for the headline. The inverted pyramid is then utilised. The Five Ws and H are used in the lead/first paragraph. Then additional 'body' information follows. This is the method in which text should be utilised when writing a story, of any kind really. 


Then the whole concept of text for different modes was touched on. The use of text in a print article is pretty simple, the typical headline and inverted pyramid style writing. However, it's a whole new world when it comes to online text. Hypertext is what Skye called it. From one story, there are five hyperlinks that will take you to all facets of the story, covering different angles, opinions and sides of the story. Online, you need much more than just one journalist to write one article. Furthermore, with online publications, journalists must be aware that with one article, it can be shared around the internet. The headline and lead of the story can be shared around other sites, such as Twitter and Facebook, and because of this the manipulation of text when writing these pieces must be used in the formulation of the headline and lead. Short, sharp and catchy; or else it fails. No pressure or anything. There is a whole wide world of journalism that exists on the internet, and text must be manipulated specifically to this.


When entering this course I took interest in mainly online and television journalism. But after this lecture I've realised there's a lot more to online Journalism than I first thought. It's not just writing a story online any more, it has become a whole Hypertextual web of information that must be kept updated and deliver all aspects of one story. I guess that means there are more journalists constantly working online in order to set up the stories within the story, and therefore, there would be more jobs. However, print right now seems a lot more simpler and easier and it's sort of opened my eyes a little bit to what would be in store for me, depending which mode of journalism I wish to pursue. At the moment I'll remain open minded, I've only been here for a month, but online journalism looks rather daunting.

Disowned.

Teeth cleaned, bed ready, bag packed. I was ready to go to sleep. My sister comes into my room. "There's someone at the door asking for you." This is at 11 o'clock at night, what would this happen? Who goes to someone's house at this hour, let alone ask for me? As I stumble down stairs to find out what was going on, I discovered a broken boy that was my friend Tom. Head down, bag slumped over his shoulder he whispers under his breath to me, "Can we go outside?"

Tom is one of my best friends, but he's troubled. He is Asian, and I don't mean to offend or anything, but he comes from a cliché sort of Asian "Why-you-no-doctor-yet?' family. He is an only child and his parents unleash all their pressure on this one poor child. Tom does his best, I can vouch for that, but nothing is good enough for his parents. I genuinely worry about him, I fear for him.

So here he is, outside my house in the middle of a Wednesday night. His parents wouldn't let him in his house. They would just ignore his bangs on the door, they refused to answer his calls and they completely locked him out of their night. He got home at 6:30, after spending time with a friend he hadn't seen in months. 6:30!? This is even before Home and Away starts and apparently this is "too late" in the eyes of his parents and requires a lock out of the house.

I have never been sure what to do with Tom. He's told me stories before, at first it was unbelievable the things he would say. "My parents confiscated my door from me," he said with a smile one day at school. But then it got to a point where everyone would say "That's Tom's parents," as if it was expected. He does not exaggerate. Everything he tells me is true. It's gotten to a point where I just don't know what to do. What does a friend do in such a situation?

After banging on the door for a good fifteen minutes, he decides to set up camp in the patio behind his house. He got out his iPad and started doing quizzes for Uni. BANG! The door swings open. Vietnamese is screamed at his as he watches his dad fling his iPad into the garden and his phone scatter across the brick. "Disowned..." That was the only word Tom says he can remember from the out burst. Disowned.

This isn't the first time something like this has happened to Tom. But where do I start on the other stories? He's been told to walk home from Church, a good 7km away from his house. While he was still attending, his parents sometimes decided not to take him to school. His dad even walked out of his high school graduation because he didn't recieve an award.

One chilling story that still haunts me to this day, Tom was telling me, he was having a...well let's just say 'heated argument', when it reached a point where he screamed "I WANT TO KILL MYSELF" and the only word that his dad could muster was "Good".

I told Tom that he was staying the night. He unpacked his uni gear that he'd be lugging around the neighbourhood for 2hours trying to find my place in the dark and then I gave him something to eat. We tried to forget about it, played music and what not. We were gunna start to get some alcohol into us. But then as the clock flicked over to midnight a car beeps his horn and I hear half English, half Vietnamese being shouted from the driveway. I think my brother summed up the situation quite nicely when he muttered, "The fuck?". Reluctantly Tom left. Head down, eyes directly to the ground he shuffled his way to his dads car.

It's a sad moment when you realise your friend doesn't even have a 'home'.

Tom you're always welcome at my house.

I just don't know what to do. You're my friend; how do I make it all better for you?

Come Out Me Bro;

I was going to write a blog for lecture 3, but then I got bored. It was a fairly boring lecture. So I decided to apply for the National Young Writers Festival. The NYWF is a annual festival held in Newcastle, NSW in late September/early October. This festival brings together the nations young creative writers of all types of writing. From poetry, to books, to scriptwriting, to plays, the festival is a way for these writers showcase their work in a new forum. Panels are also held for the writers to learn from each other and gain experience and connections.

I applied for my first solo stand up show. Oh, for those who don't know and are reading this, I do stand up comedy. Long story.

So I've decided to write a show and submit an application for a performance spot and panel member at the NYWF. If accepted, I hopefully will be performing my stand up show that I wrote called 'Come Out Me Bro'. I also had to write a bio about the show in 100 words. This is what I submitted.

“Are you gay?” 

Nick Robertson has been asked this question way too many times. From his friends, family, teachers at school, even himself. It’s now time to set aside all doubt about his sexuality. 

Nick is coming out. Coming out as straight. 

Nick is flamboyant, loves musical theatre, and says ‘fabulous’ a bit too much for his own good but he’s straight? Join a heterosexual man as he journeys through the gay world, trying to find his place and hopefully; a girlfriend (but let’s not get a head of ourselves). 

Performing to sell out crowds at the Brisbane Comedy Festival, State Finalist for the Melbourne Comedy Festival’s Class Clowns (‘09 & ‘10) as well as opening Brisbane’s first underage open-mic room Young Blood Comedy, Nick Robertson performs his debut show ‘Come Out Me Bro’.

Hopefully my application is successful. In the mean time, I should study.

Me? A Journalist?

Lecture 1;

I walked into a theatre for a lecture? Surely I'm in the wrong place? This can't be right. There are people here, but...it wouldn't be a lecture...Your timetable says it's here, just find a familiar face and sit down. EMMA! Okay, you've found someone, you're in the right place. Now sit down, listen, and don't make a fool of yourself.

Anxiety was how I entered the first Introduction to Journalism and Communication lecture. I am always worried I'm in the wrong place and will make a fool of myself, but I settled in fine. It was as soon as I sat down in the ridiculous comfy chairs and the lecturer began that I felt at ease. It was then I realised that I had to actually take in content. Okay, was not ready for that, what is this? University or something?

"YOU ARE THE JOURNALIST!"

This first lecture was a basic introduction to journalism. What it is; quotes on journalism, and a brief overview of the semester ahead. This was a whole new world to me. I picked the Journalism course based on my love of writing and interest in the media, but when I was met with all this information about journalism, it opened my eyes. I felt as if I was meant for this course and life. 

"I know of no human being who has a better time than an eager and energetic young reporter."
-H.L. Mencken

After sitting through only 50mins as the whole concept of studying journalism encompassed, this quote stood out the most to me and really hit me. Because walking out of that lecture room/theatre I felt this is the life I want to strive for. After being given a taste of what a journalistic life could be like, I think this is what I'm going to strive for.

"People may expect too much of journalism. Not only do they expect it to be entertaining, they expect it to be true."

-Lewis H. Lapham

This was another quote that I liked about the lecture. This is what I believe about journalism. A growing trend in society, people want the news, but they find it boring. To me this is where shows like The Project emerge from, this want of entertainment, but the expectation of being informed. This is also, if I had my way, the type of journalism to get into. Coming from a performing background, I love to entertain, and this sort of programming or something like column writing is what I'd like to do.

The Project 

Essentially, I like the idea of being a journalist. I like the idea of creating reports and stories that are both entertaining and informative. This is what I hope this course will bring me, and by the sounds of it it will. This blog will allow me to continuously write and later assessment will allow me to incorporate other creative aspects of journalism. This lecture didn't have much content to teach, but I did learn a lot about the nature of journalism and the fact that I think it's right for me.

Out with the Old, in with the New;

Lecture 2;

As my first week of University came to a close I took a gander at my UQ email account and as expected there were many emails from my various lecturers. Most of it was generic stuff, but there was one email of particular interest. It was from the infamous Bruce Redman *cue dramatic music*. This email was informing Jour1111 students that the L1 time had changed from 5pm on Monday to 4pm on a Monday. Now a funny little fact, my Drama lecture is also that exact time. This isn't a problem for most, a simple solution would be to switch to the other lecture on offer, but it just so happens that that lecture is at the exact same time as my Fren1010 contact.

The plot thickens.

So now I have to watch all the Jour1111 lectures online and type a blog about it. This is weird, reflecting on something I didn't actually attend. But none the less, I shall give my greatest attempt.

New news. There's such a thing? I guess it's something I've never really thought about. Although I don't really give much thought to this type of thing and I think that's what a lot of people my age do. They take for granted various aspects of their life, giving it no second thought. Whenever someone now wants to check the news, see the headlines or find more information about global issues all they have to do is type two words into a search engine and they receive all the information they could possibly want. What's the use for Newspapers? What's the use for magazines? What's the use for anything other than a smartphone or tablet?

I have a fear that all paperback products will be redundant in 20 years. The smell of a new book. The feeling as you flick past the few pages. The richness felt when sitting on the beach with a book and coffee. I'm afraid my kids won't be able to experience this. Instead they will have to download a replaceable copy of classic literature onto their cold, metal tablet as they scan their way through it. But I digress...

New media. A whole new world exists for journalism as we stand at the forefront of a boom in technology. There is so much potential that exists for the supply of news from all over the world and the aim to reach this potential will never cease until it is achieved. But where does that leave old media? I do believe the inevitability that aspects of old media will slowly become obsolete. New media is growing at a fast pace, will old media keep up? Or will it be left behind in the 20th century with walkmans and floppy discs?

The web will continue to grow. We have seen the information web of Web 1.0 morph into the Social web 2.0 and current society faces the Semantic web of web 3.0. A majority of this lecture focused on this. Focusing on the evolution of what new media is currently and the web itself. But I believe that there was a distinct lack of talk about the role of the consumer and the affect new media has on them. When dealing with web 3.0 the consumer was touched on, when referring to the hyperlocalisation for news.

That was what I want to know more about, the whole role that the consumer plays in this evolution of media and the ramifications for them. Positives and negatives were mentioned in the lecture about Specific Content Delivery, but again, they dealt with the effect on strictly Journalism. Granted this should be the focus, but I think the consumer should've been dealt with more. Enough with my inquisitory rant. I shall find this all out myself!

THE DEATH OF JOURNALISM.

No. Not even for a second. I do not believe we will see the 'death of journalism' any time soon. As long as people want to know news, there will be journalists supplying the demand. In one of the first lectures I sat, we were preached the values and characteristics of journalists, and they will not let journalism die. Granted there may be a slight struggle for journalists, but they will squirm, wiggle, and fight their way to continue the industry. Or....so I think....

外语

I like language. Language intrigues me. I like learning about language, I like learning different languages and I like to use language as much as I can (Yes, that's a different way of saying I like to talk).

I was a late bloomer, I didn't start talking for about twelve months after the average age for a baby's first words. But as soon as the first "Bye" came out of my mouth I haven't looked back. What I just don't understand is where language came from. How did it originate? Who decided what meant what? Why are languages so different? And why do these funny lines you're reading mean things? Words are a funny thing. Repeat the same word over and over again and it will loose all meaning. It will just sound like a sound; a meaningless sound. Who decided on the alphabet? Was there a group of men who sat down together and decided on this and then everyone just had to accept? Or did it evolve over time?

I have so many questions, and so few answers.

That's why I like Chinese. Chinese makes sense to me. I've studied Chinese for 5 years now, I even stayed in China for a while. I'm fairly proficient in the language, and I am by no means fluent, but I could survive in the country. Chinese doesn't have an alphabet. It doesn't use letters, it uses characters, it uses pictures. One picture to represent one syllable or sound. That just makes sense to me. How a character was derived was by similarities between what the character represented. Granted, this doesn't apply to every character, but it's a great rule of thumb.

This is the character for horse: 马。 To me, that looks like a horse. It is a simple representation of what a horse looks like. Doesn't that seem more logical than having the random letters h, o, r, s and e assembled together?

This is just something I think about. A lot. A bit too much. I just really like the idea of language and that's why I like learning languages. I topped my Chinese class in every year at high school and now I decided to learn French at university. They are so different, but that's what I love about them.

Thank you.

谢谢.

Merci.

Frank Woodley - Bemusement Park

The Lano and Woodley duo had the world in stitches during their twenty year reign over Australian comedy and after their split in 2006; fans were left in uncertainty as to what would happen to their beloved kings of comedy. However, as we enter 2012, Colin Lane sits with the girls on The Circle while Frank Woodley continues to destroy crowds with his own brand of physical comedy. Woodley brings his latest show Bemusement Park to the Brisbane Powerhouse for the 2012 Brisbane Comedy Festival and does not disappoint fans with his seemingly archaic comedy style.

Bemusement Park is Woodley’s second solo ‘stand up’ show since the split with Colin Lane and it is becoming increasingly evident that Woodley does not need a side kick on stage to leave an audience in an uproar of laughter. I purposely use the inverted commas around ‘stand up’ because what Woodley seamlessly does on stage is nothing you’ve seen before. He is able to blend together physical, anecdotal and musical comedy into one show that you never want to leave. He brings his own brand of comedy to life on stage, making something as simple as a change of clothes seem like comedy gold.

In this show, the audience first meets Woodley as he is dressed in a ‘Kathy-Freeman’ style running outfit, in which he immediately attempts to change out of. As he squirms, wrestles and swear his way out of the outfit, the audience cannot help but buckle over in laughter at his clumsy persona. He then takes the audience on a journey through his mind, each stop being as hilarious as the last and with a great control of various types of comedy, Woodley is able to keep audiences on their toes, not knowing what to expect next.

Currently working on his self titled television show Woodley on the ABC, receiving raving reviews by critics, 2012 already seems a very promising year for Woodley. His show highlights his mastery over physical comedy; however it is on stage shows like Bemusement Park where Woodley really shines. The show is what fans would recognise as ‘classic’ Woodley comedy and whether you are familiar with this, or you’re asking yourself “What is a Woodley?” this show will provide laughter of all sorts.

This show will sell fast, don’t miss out; sell your grandmother if you have to.


Review: ****

Frank Woodley’s Bemusement Park is at the Brisbane Powerhouse from March 1-4 for the Brisbane Comedy Festival, and is at The Comedy Theatre from March 29- April 22 for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. 

Paul Brasch's Brisbane;

The annual Brisbane Comedy Festival returns once again for 2012 as the Brisbane Powerhouse filled with comedy lovers of all kinds binging on the one month of comedy mayhem on offer throughout March. The most prestigious comedy event in Queensland attracts international and local acts from all aspects of comedy always delivering the gold, however Paul Brasch failed dismally in upholding the bar of expected from the festival.

Brasch is a Brisbinite through and through. Born and bred Brisbane, he declares his love for the city, but also his lack ignorance of its history. Brasch goes on a journey of discovering the roots of his home city; adds a stage, lights and a microphone and transforms it onto stage. He delves into the major events of Brisbane’s past, informing the audience of the city’s origin, floods, and lifestyle. I emphasise that point, he informed the audience. A comedian of his experience should be able to string together facts and dates with punch lines and laughs; however Brasch did not deliver, leaving audience members doing more learning than laughing.

Brasch describes the show as being 'the funniest and wildest history lesson you’ll ever see'. Where the wildness and funny is found in the show is unknown to me, however, as the show progressed this professed 'history lesson' became painfully evident. Sitting through this show I felt an eerie sensation of déjà vu as Brasch recited date after date. It hit me; I’ve encountered a similar experience in a year 9 history oral. The long winded, one hour show was comparable to a middle school assignment, with the only differences being the audience had to pay to watch, and he wasn’t graded (although if he was, I’d suspect he would only just scrape a C). Brasch lacked the essential ingredient in any comedy show; jokes. Too busy correcting the facts in the show, Brasch deviated of a path of funny and became lost in a world of numbers and places. I wasn’t sure whether I should be laughing, or taking notes for a pop test that could happen before the end of a show.

In the last ten minutes of the show, Brasch then began telling stories from his life in Brisbane, with a memorable story from his first job as a dancing banana at Expo 88; however it was way too little, way too late. Brasch should focus on more material like these stories. Material that is…actually funny.

Not every comedian can get it right every time, clearly this is one of those cases. This show was a real miss for Brasch and it’s unfortunate that it was this show that opened the comedy festival for the year. I hope it does not foreshadow what should be expected for the rest of the festival, or else this is going to be one long, disappointing month. Brasch closes the show saying that “as Brisbanites we have to be positive” and I am, the festival can only go up from here.

Rating: * 

They're Beginning the Beginning;

Day One: New place, new people, new impression.

Welcome to UQ, where you will learn, make friends and buy way too many Boosts.

Walking into the University of Queensland for the first time scared me. It took me right back to the beginning of primary school, looking up at all these big kids that surround you. Note to self, some of the guys have so much muscle they could kill you with their thumb. Stay Away! It's such an odd feeling, going from being a senior at high school, where everyone knows your name to being a first year at uni where you meet so many people that you can't even remember your own name.

I could do it this time; make friends. It'll be easy, we're all doing the same course, we'll have common interests, surely. I have made friends with two people. Sigh. As much as I tell myself it's easy, this whole Uni thing is just so daunting. But I'm not stressed, it's only week 2, I'm sure friends will come with time...I hope...

And so the day started with my FREN1010 contact. Everyone was so standoffish. It was as if before we entered the class we were told that one of us was an vampire and the full 1 and a half hours of the class was taken up with us trying to decide who it was. The ice was broken however when we were broken into groups and all had to sing a song in French. I am convinced that whoever wrote this song was either a mental patient, or a severe drug addict. One line read, and I quote:

"Stop! Stop! I have a headache! The Dinosaur!!"

Needless to say we laughed and got talking, this was where I made my first friend. It was then time to leave, we packed up, said our goodbyes (in French of course) and moved on with our days.

It's 4 o'clock. What time is it? It's Drama time. This was were Uni took a turn for the better. I fell in love with this subject straight away, however most of the lecture was essentially 'This is what we'll be doing throughout the term, but we won't actually do any of it today'. So it was quite tedious, but I still quite liked it. There are so many different people doing drama. And I mean, very, very different sorts of people...but let's not get into that as I am afraid I may offend...

And so we get to the reason why I even started writing this thing in the first place, JOUR1111, Introduction to Journalism and Communication. We were told we would have to make a twitter account and a blog (you're already there, so you're doing something right). For this reason I am concluding that I am doing the right course for me. I get to write, use the internet and make satirical comments in 140 characters or less.

This blog will stay updated as much as I can, at least once a week. It would be nice if you kept reading or else this is just sad.