Room 101

Did Big Brother Australia become Room 101?

I am a self confessed lover of Big Brother. It took me severals seasons to get into the show, and during those first few seasons, if asked, I vociferously denounced it as debased, lowering the standards of television in Australia. And yet I hadn’t even watched it at that stage. And if truth be told, if one didn’t want to, one didn’t even have to watch the late shows thereby eliminating any exposure to the sexual exploits that occurred when twenty young men and women were confined in a small enclosure with nothing much to do.

And that (the eye on the small enclosure) is what eventually got me interested. I liked watching the psychological aspect of the show. How people acted and reacted to situations under a microscope. The fact that it was a controlled environment rather than simply an eye in someone’s home (now that would be boring) made it even more interesting because BB forced their reactions and emotions. He didn’t force them to have those emotions, but he forced them to respond, due to lack of other stimuli, to given situations. Situations he set up.

For anyone who has read Nineteen Eighty-Four there have been moments (apart from the obvious 24 hour watch and Big Brother himself) that have, I think quite cleverly, made a nod to George Orwell’s masterpiece. Just this season the ‘hand grenade’ diverted focus from the evictee to another (a Housemate) thereby diverting punishment and, taking it a step further, allowing the originator to be free. Then there was the ‘game’ on Friday Night Live where Housemates heads were lowered into a tank of rats. Both nods to the climactic sequence of events in Room 101.

But these clever moments aside, did BB jump the shark? And if so, what was the defining moment? The infamous turkey slap incident? The stereotypical personalities in the House? HMs knowing how to ‘play the game’? Gretel becoming available to industry? The complete format change this year?

I suspect it is a combination of several of those so there isn’t really a defining moment. The turkey-slap incident simply confirmed to BB haters that it was a vile and lewd program that should be removed from the airwaves, putting the program once again in the news for an act that didn’t really define what the show was all about. But there were plenty who thought it did. And whilst Gretel’s leaving opened up the format change and change of hosts, and seemed like a new beginning, it was in fact the beginning of the end. Kyle and Jackie O didn’t have a prayer’s hope of pulling it off. Love her, or hate her, Gretel she was switched on… to the HMs, to what the viewers wanted, and to the fans. Something Kyle and Jackie O are not.

And here’s the rub. Fans are fickle. We ended up hating Gretel last year because of her favouritism. But we wanted her to stay. And we certainly didn’t want Kyle and Jackie O, whose touch in any television show is almost instant death, even before they hosted BB. (Yes, I am conveniently putting Australian Idol and Kyle’s involvement to one side because that show’s success doesn’t depend on him, whereas BB Eviction largely did).

But here’s the bigger twist. I love BB the show, and BB himself. I love the manipulation and his dialogue with Housemates. He is funny, he is mean… he is strict. I love that he is strict. But this year BB eased up, just a bit. And I didn’t like it because they got away with murder. And yet…

This year, for the first time ever, I thought it went too far. HMs were heaved into an emotional morass on more than one occasion and several times I truly felt uncomfortable watching their raw emotion. And all the more so knowing that it was forced upon them. BB truly got inside them and manipulated their reactions to the extreme. He forced them to lay aside their masks and be reminded of their own faults, failings, fears, all for the scrutiny of the public - because there is no mask they can safely wear in the House. Big Brother CAN control you as a HM no matter what barriers you put up. Because eventually he can get to you. That is what Big Brother is about. And that is what George Orwell was about. And it reminds the viewer, uncomfortably, of that totalitarian state - that state where we really don’t want to go. And here’s the irony. In previous years I didn’t think past the fact that it was simply good audience viewing. This year, however, I was more than ever acutely aware that it wasn’t even necessarily ratings driven either, but that every manipulation was done strategically and precisely to increase voting.

And I felt cheated this year. Largely because I felt the HMs were cheated - they are the one’s put to the sword - and this year for nothing in return. Prize money was an embarrassment and HMs deserved more than a poxy trip to Asia (nothing at all against Asia, but let’s face it, Australia to Asia isn’t exactly asking BB to put his hand into a very big pocket). I am left with the feeling that BB was surprised that the format changes didn’t work. But he was cheap. And he (the producers) cheapened the show by cheating both the HMs and the fans. And that’s why the fans switched off. I often feel that free-to-air television stations treat their viewers with contempt. Just perhaps, though, I am wrong about who has the power. Yes, we fans cried a single collective tear at the demise (and the power of Channel 10) in axing the show. But we didn’t like what we saw and we turned off. Maybe the power is with the fans. Maybe this is what we needed… and subconsciously want. We want a better show. And we deserve a better show than what we got this year. Television networks have to come up with the goods because the public isn’t stupid. And in the end I agree. We need a rest from BB because they can do it better.

So, however it happened, BB has certainly been set free from Room 101 and it is over. For now. I wonder though, what does indefinately mean?

Hippie Chick vs Techno Grrl

Technology… it’s like having a devil and an angel on my shoulders when it comes to technology. Hippie Angel says don’t do it, get back to nature, your soul will be the better for it. But Techno Devil is alluring with all kinds of shiny, bobbly gadgets. Mostly I want to be Hippie Angel but also know that I’m weak when it comes to technology. I don’t pretend to understand the complex technological workings of these gadgets. I just want them. In fact I can’t live without them. Computers, electronic diaries, digital cameras, heart rate monitor, computer accessories… but it’s the mobile phone that has my Hippie Angel and Techno Devil really battling it out.

I don’t need a phone. I actually resisted a phone for as long as possible. I don’t need a camera on my phone and I sure as hell (sorry Techno Devil) don’t need to buy the extra cabling required to remove photos from my phone. I do, however, need to own a phone. There’s a real thrill in unpacking it and setting it up and resisting the need to read the manual by just pushing all the buttons until something happens. I like the shiny sleekness of a new phone, and transferring my phonelist, and setting up the personal options… but that’s where it ends.

As a technological gadget the mobile phone must be the most annoying piece of technology ever.

People will risk their lives and those around them for the ‘right’ to talk on the phone while driving, they insist on texting me and then laugh at me because I can’t type out a response in 0.25 nanoseconds, they get annoyed at me because I refuse to meld it to my left hand like an extension of my arm to have it in all places at all times to be always contactable. But most of all it annoys me on the train. I don’t want to hear what exciting and funny ringtone you currently have, I don’t want to hear the high-speed clickety clack of your texting as I try and relax on my way to or from work, and I am really, really sure I don’t want to hear your conversation. Can’t you wait until you get to work to call your colleague? After all, you’re going to be there in another 15 minutes anyway. Can’t you wait until you’re with that person to tell them you love them? Do you really need to be gossiping about your friend behind their back at 7.45am.

I am really unconvinced by two things about the mobile phone… firstly that the companies selling these gadgets are really selling us something we need. It’s a ‘need’ they have created with clever marketing and the inability to buy a simple product that doesn’t have unnecessary options attached to it. And secondly, that anyone feels the need to talk about personal or awkward or highly complex business issues in public, whether it be on the train or in a restaurant or standing in line in a shop.

Isn’t it all about vanity because who really thinks that what they have to say is that important or interesting that we all want to hear them talking about it? When it comes to mobile phones I’m afraid I don’t want to hear what someone else has to say, or be always and forever contactable. I’m afraid Hippie Chick wins out…

Until I can get my hands on an iPhone that is.

The Last Post

Today I experienced both ends of the moral spectrum. And the fact that neither surprise me (although one did just a little) is really quite sad… when it comes to the bad end of the spectrum.

This morning Australia awoke to the sound of the bugle playing The Last Post. Today is ANZAC Day and most of us got up and thought about the ANZACs at some point. It’s hard not to as there are news report and stories in the paper, on the television, on the radio. There are images of past battles, many of Gallipoli. Stories of young men, not old enough to go to war. Bravery in situations that I cannot even imagine. We see images of the various wars. Of young men that have become old men. We see them at the service and in the march. And we remember, rightly so, what they gave for this country. This day is for them. But it’s also for Australia. Because we are proud of what they did for us.

Tonight though I got an email from an unknown source:

Listen to me carefully, i don’t know what your name is, but i’ll find you and i’ll cripple you, because this is you who tempted her!!! She has already gone to hospital, you’re next, this is evidence: [link removed]

Apparently this is a phising email and the link is to a porn image (apparently, I didn’t click it) but in the background the website tries to embed a virus in your system. After some searching on the internet I found this explanation.

This email, and it’s violent message, surprised me, just a little. But the fact that it didn’t surprise me a lot is what is really sad. Because I’ve become more or less immune to email spam and, therefore, the content of email spam. Over the years it has worn me down. We still see it because no matter what security measures we put in place on our systems ‘they’ always, somehow, get around it. So I’m sad on two counts - that I’m not all that shocked by it and, therefore, our tolerance as a society to this sort of behavior is increasing, and also because of the low ways in which someone will stoop to ensure that they ‘get through’ to our systems… and sadly into our minds.

Which is the path human morality will take - mateship and pride or violence and greed? And what if the answer is ’sadly both’? Does our right to posses, and our desire for, technology necessarily mean we are happy to co-exist with this sort of vileness? I fear that the answer may be yes.

The line between reality and reality

Anger, fear, sadness, loneliness, anxiety, despair. These are the emotions that are felt in every minute of every day when dealing with the death of a loved one. The intensity eases as the weeks go by but they’re there, informing your life, reminding you that you’re slightly out of sync with the world.

There are moments in your life that will never be forgotten. Five years ago there was a moment where I walked on to Victoria Parade into a blissfully sunny day. It was warm with a gentle breeze. The perfect day. It was a work day and there were people passing by as we approached the traffic lights to cross the road. They were going about their business, rushing back and forth, drinking coffee, talking, laughing, enjoying the sun. Oblivious. It was the weirdest sensation for me. I felt like I was encapsulated in a bubble, slightly out of sync with the real world. I could feel and hear what they were experiencing but they didn’t know what was going on in my world, in my husband’s world. The world continues with it’s everydayness. It looks like just another day. We were about to lose a loved one and no one else could feel the pain. Only us.

One moment ago I looked out the window at a brief ray of sunshine that had broken through the clouds and I felt okay for the first time since my dad died 10 weeks ago. I don’t just mean ‘okay’ though. In the past 10 weeks there’s been times I’ve laughed, moments I’ve enjoyed, I’ve ‘gotten on with my life’… I’ve felt ‘okay’. But through all those things you don’t truly feel any sense of peace and calm and absolute happiness. I’ve felt like an intruder, slightly out of sync with the rest of the world again.

That one ray of sunshine reminded me that there is hope that the feeling of absolute joy can return again. I look forward to it… it felt really good.

Why is?

What do clouds feel like? Why do they clump together in great big cotton wool balls? Why are they so white?

If you are asleep during anesthetic why don’t you wake up from the pain?

I asked. But five minutes later I didn’t even remember I’d asked. It’s better to think in terms of the bigger picture though. Imagine your whole body, the entire mass of it. And just one little cut. Per ratio of body mass the pain can’t be all that great can it?

But why was I convinced I would wake up?

How many years ago would it have been when this would have been a big deal. There wouldn’t have been that option. Even longer ago I wouldn’t even have known to check for a lump. Now all it takes is the decision to do it and the lapse of a week. And it’s gone. The only thing left to remind you is the big white bandage… oh, and some pain. But that can be alleviated too.

I’m happy I had the choice, and the knowledge to make that choice.

I’m even happier I didn’t wake up because of the pain.

Time wasting

I haven’t been keeping my blog up to date. Of course when I started it I never thought I’d make more than the initial posting anyway. But I found it fun so I made a few posts.  But recently I found Face Book and have been drawn to the dark side as it consumes endless hours of my time doing… nothing!  Now I need Face Book patches to wean me off the addiction.

I do take the occasional break from Face Book though and keep up with my friends blogs. And I’ve taken on the advice that my good friend over at Mawson’s Hut posted about titled “Inbox Zero”. Although I only got a third of the way through the video I managed to get some good tips out of it which I have implemented at work.

My work inbox usually sits at around 80-100 active emails. Anything I’ve completed is filed into folders so those 80-100 emails need actioning. After listening to Mann’s advice though I worked on his five point theory of ‘delete, delegate, respond, defer, do’ - and one of those must be done before closing the email - and I now have my inbox down to a much healthier and less stressful 35 emails.  I can even view all my emails at once without having to scroll down.  I’m actually quite impressed with this guy’s method.

Perhaps I should listen to the rest of the video - I might be able to get it to zero!

Back from the abyss

I had a blogging hiatus. I stepped into an abyss and had nothing to say. In terms of blogging my mind was blank. But a lot has been going on and I’m energised in a stressed out kind of way so thought I’d come back from the abyss and make a post.

It’s funny how when stress levels go up so does my ability to get things done. I’ve been reading my allergy handbook again though and am worried that I’m slipping back into the ‘hard charger’ role. The theory being that the ability to get things done rises with the levels of stress produced by the need to get things done. But something has to give… and my allergies are returning.

This morning I got up and felt awful, wondering if I was coming down with something. But I know what the real cause is… allergic reactions to all those things I shouldn’t be eating… but do. So, I have to go back on my anti-allergy diet. Or some people would just call it a health kick. Whatever it is it means no more coffee, sugar, additives, flavouring. Just fresh food.

However, because of how I’ve been feeling (physically) lately I’ve also been looking at what I put on my body, not just what I put in it. Both are important, but I’ve always ignored the outside. I just lather on more face creams or body lotion in the eternal search for youthfulness. I spray on toners and antiperspirants and perfumes in the attempt to smell sweet.

But what am I putting on my body? Petrochemicals and carcinogens.

I’m poisoning myself from the outside.

So in my search now for ‘complete health’ I am having a ‘cleansing’. Last weekend we started to cleanse the house by throwing or giving away a very large pile of belongings that just aren’t needed and are cluttering up our house… and the energy in it. I’m also throwing away as many chemical laden moisturisers and cosmetics as I can and replacing them with all-natural products, including make-up made from minerals. And my skin is thanking me for it.

Some people might think I’m a nut. I believe I’m cleansing my soul.

It’s heating up

All the bizarre climate changes and occurrences have to have just everyone thinking about them don’t they? But who to believe?

In the weeks leading up to Christmas over 250,000 hectares of Victoria were on fire. The temperature was post 35 degrees Celsius, we are in the middle of one of our worst droughts in history in south-east Australia… and then it snowed in the Victorian alps in the middle of summer a few days before Christmas. It was a welcome relief to the 4000 firefighters. But it’s bizarre.

Last week the CSIRO reported that the drought isn’t a result of the Greenhouse Effect but rather they are simply natural weather variations. This was arrived at after studying 10,000 years of climate change. The scientist who reported these findings though believes that whilst it is true at the moment that doesn’t mean that in years to come the Greenhouse Effect won’t play a role in our climate.

A friend of ours read that (one or some) scientists are suggesting pollution from south east Asia is contributing to the Greenhouse effect and therefore to global warming.

But the more I Google the more my head spins. Who’s right? And how come I find the issues expanding – what was a search on climate change brought up issues such as Greenhouse Effect, El Nino weather patterns, drought, and even nuclear power.

We have to stop squandering water, reduce greenhouse emissions… embrace nuclear power plants. But why would I want a nuclear power plant plonked in Australia, in my backyard? Because it’s cleaner – so say the advocates. But why can’t we build cleaner coal stations? Because they’re expensive… and the nuclear proponents aren’t in there batting for more coal plants no doubt. But who can I believe? The scientists? The politicians? The industrial giants?…

Who’s out to make the biggest buck? (Oh, yes, cynical, cynical me.)

I listen to the news, read papers. I even read New Scientist occasionally. But I’m still hopelessly unintelligent when it comes to some… most… of these issues… so back to who to believe. I think I’ll have to read more, and I’ll have to read fast. These issues are building momentum quicker than I can research them. But I can try. I mean, I should try, shouldn’t I?

So, in the search for truth, this stack of books beside my bed is now my bedtime reading. It’s enough to give me nightmares I think.

Heat: How to Stop the Planet Burning (George Monbiot)
The Revenge of Gaia (James Lovelock)
The Weather Makers (Tim Flannery)
Making Globalization Work (Joseph Stiglitz)
Half Gone (Jeremy Leggett)

1, 2, 3, let’s jam

The Cowboy Bebop soundtrack has finally arrived from overseas months after ordering it. It came in at a hefty price but it was worth it, and still cheaper than AnimeNation or Amazon.

Tank, the opening theme song, Rush, and Spokey Dokey are among my faves. Of course Memory (Julia’s Theme) is good and Bad Dog No Biscuits makes me laugh as I can see Ein running down the street with the others in hot pursuit when I listen to it.

Speaking of Japanese influences, I was lucky enough to be in Sydney for the last two days for the Bryce Courtenay launch of Sylvia (but more on that in another post) and made my way to George Street to keep up with what’s happening with the big bookstores up there - always an interesting exercise. Because it was raining though I dashed into TGV and found myself inside Kinokuniya - a place I’d heard about but never seen. I happily spent the next two hours browsing through their anime and manga shelves - although I did manage to drag myself away and do some research on the rest of the bookstore as well. Their graphic design section is amazing and the designers at work would have loved it. One of the highlights though was finding mini plush Totoro’s, which of course I just had to souvenir.

Snap Apple Night

Halloween, All Hallow Even, All Hallows Eve, Samhain, Calan Gaeaf, Allantide, Hop-tu-Naa or even Pooky Night, or Snap Apple Night. All courtesy of Wikipedia which I love even if it’s not necessarily always accurate.

Tonight two groups of children came knocking on my door. They were suitably attired and endowed with buckets - no doubt in anticipation of lots of treats. But what is this practice? We all know what Halloween is - we’ve seen it a million times in American movies so I know what to expect. I never think to have treats in the house though, and I don’t even know what is customary for a trick. In my childhood any thoughts I had about Halloween were associated with scary images of witches and glowering pumpkins. But it’s not witches, it’s religious pagan tradition. And it’s not American, it’s European. Still, Wikipedia didn’t help that much because I still don’t know what I’m meant to do when the kids come knocking.

One thing I love about this time of year though is the change to daylight saving. Although put out by losing an hour last weekend, I love the fact that I come home from work with light still lingering in the sky. I love these early summer evenings. I love the smell of neighbours’ bbq’s. I love that time of twilight when the sun has sunk but the light is still hanging in the sky and the insects are flitting through the warm evening air. I love the view out to the distant hills through the gum trees from our back decking in the fading light. And I love that we live in a world of ipods and computers and widescreen tv’s but that every Sunday twilight now the firetruck still comes around ringing his bell for the kids.

Summer is here.