To Finland, to Finland a green summer awaits

On Wednesday I'll be having a home coming of sorts. I head on this pilgrimage to the other side of the world to soak up the sun, the smell of birch trees, clear light blue skies, placid lakes and the tickling grasses that grow on the water's edge to reconnect with something more poignant than a location where people know how to pronounce my last name.

(Ok so this isn't the view from the actual family summer house at Lehmijaearvi but the similarities are there: the tall birch trees, the swim across the lake to forest on the other side, the beguiling rocks in the water and if this where the summer house the refurbished sauna inside a small wooden building would be to the left)

(This is a typical shot of blueberry pie - made even more amazing if you go to the forest yourself and collect your own wild blueberries, well at least enough and you don't eat them all before you get home. Note the quintessential glass plate, a definitive example of national design ideology - I've grown up with these, carted across the world by my mother.)



What is that I'm seeking? Perhaps it's my new favourite cafe to sit in for hours with a good book and people watch while sipping dark, aromatic coffee and eating blueberry pie. Or it could be people watching at Senaatintori, attempting to capture the perfect photo of young sailors in their first uniforms. Maybe it will be poring through Ancient Greek history books or Asterix comics in Akateeminen Kirjakauppa and reminding the adventurer inside to wake up?


If there are any takers for a Helsinki city stroll/catch up in the next couple of weeks just drop me a line.

A week in the life of a journalist

This week I've been completing my TV news praxis. At QUT this means I work in a live newsroom with an experienced COS (chief of staff), national and international EPs (executive producers), camera operators, sound recordists and incredibly talented editors and a 'back of house' team to deliver news to a deadline.

From Brisbane's flood recovery on Day 1 to the unfolding saga that is swine flu and the Renewable Energy Forum in Brisbane today it's been a busy week for local stories.

Where ever you are I hope you're enjoying and accessing your news outlets.

Eurovision is BACK!

On Friday night the first of three spectacular days of singing, dancing, neighbourhood voting and quirky hosting will begin.

National pride and national costumes will be put on the line in the race for the best song out of 42 participating countries.

If Australia could somehow enter, I'm sure it would be in with a chance (technically any dual nationals from Australia can enter, like Gina Gee for the UK back in the 1990s).

You can check out the whole thing as it streams live on the net.

In my role as an assistant producer today for QUT NEWS, I also managed to put in a story about Eurovision, with backing music from one of the countries, into our half hourly bulletin broadcast on 4EB FM. The power of the AP!

And now the news

It's news time again at QUT.

This is news gathered, compiled and presented by students for the public on YouTube and on 4EB FM. It's also news to be graded on which means that the pressure of the newsroom, morning story round up and deadlines are very, very real.

This week I'm part of a trio who'll be anchors and weather presenters and in a few weeks time I'll be the one hunting down stories and filing for radio and TV.

Bulletins here I come!

A revelation of timing

It's week one at university and it's been with great delight that I've been able to walk into classrooms and be given a fresh jolt of thinking. Lecturers are amusing and eager, administrative staff only too happy to please and the town criers of orientation week willling and able to hand out logo prolific merchandise to jousting students. How long will the enthusiasm of young and old last? Hopefully long enough to get through the semester.

The other delight of rejoining university with a smattering of professional experiences both in Australia and overseas is to relive those 'aha' moments. There's something quite humbling and comedic about reflecting on your previous working styles and realising just how 'young, fool hardy, naive, brave and out there' your thinking and actions were.

Happy Year of the Ox

Laozi on an Ox by Zhang Lu (1490-1563)

Happy Spring Festival

For the Australians out there this means you get to celebrate two momentous occasions at once: calendar's often aren't that generous so enjoy!

For those who believe in second chances: here's to New Year's resolutions mark two

My how we've grown

A photograph is more than just an image, it's a way for you to look back into your past. You wipe away the lines imprinted on your face. For some that hairline comes back. The light that is now a mature beam from your eyes is re-engineered into a bright spark. But the same smile can always reappear, even after a number of years.

So here's to you my friends and old comrades in change, Dexter, Lucy, Pierre, Petr, Joey, Regula, Birtan, Juan, Dan, Asia and Stefano!