iSnack 2.0, the new Vegemite

I've blogged on Marmite v. Vegemite before but I couldn't leave this unmentioned. It is too good!

Vegemite (the somewhat similar but totally inferior Aussie version of Marmite) came up with a new recipe, mixing cheese spread and Vegemite (I know, gross!) and ran a competition to name it. And the winning name was iSnack 2.0.

How ridiculous is that?! Further proof: Marmite is better than Vegemite.

I'm becoming Australianised...

G'day,
I haven't posted many musings lately on Oz versus UK life and I wonder if that's because I'm becoming more and more Australian? On Saturday night, I met a friend of a friend for the first time. We'd both heard of each other through the mutual friend, but when I went and introduced myself to him, he replied: "You can't be Jen! If you're Jen, how come you haven't got a Pommy accent?"
I'm also getting a bit tired of the friends in the UK who demand that I "stop talking in that Australian accent, you sound like you're off Neighbours" when I have a phonecall home. Seriously, I haven't completely lost my grasp of the Queen's English but my voice is slipping deeper and deeper into an English/Aussie hybrid. Funny thing is I'm worryingly proud to sound a bit Aussie. Don't tell anyone.
My dad's gonna be heaps pleased, no worries.

Sex and the City movie jewellery from Oz!

Listen up, Pommy girlfriends, if you want to (shock horror) take some fashion forward tips from Australia! This lady's Samantha Wills, a seriously cool jewellery designer from Sydney who was the cover star of the July issue of my magazine. Word on the street is that SATC stylist, and the woman responsible for Carrie Bradshaw's look, Patricia Field, recently bought up a load of Sam's pieces for the new movie. Wow. SJP could end up wearing the Serendipity necklace which I myself own. I can really see her wearing it, so my money's on Carrie in Samantha Wills! Check out the amazing collection at www.samanthawills.com.au

Pommy pants!

Tonight, I'm off to my friend Amanda's themed birthday party. Her nickname is Pants (don't ask), and over here that means trousers. So everyone has to wear some crazy pants and I decided to give mine a distinctly British feel! What do you reckon?

One word: cricket

OK, so I don't understand and have no interest in cricket, but I couldn't let the fact that England won the second test in the Ashes go unmentioned on this blog. Done!

Christmas in July

Thought I'd tell my Pommy readers about a strange phenomenon that happens in Oz this month: Christmas in July. All over Sydney (where it's currently winter, remember) people are having festive 'fake' Christmases all over the place! How bizarre!

Here's Wiki's explanation: "In the southern hemisphere, Christmas in July is the name given to social events with a winter Christmas theme, as July is generally the coldest month of the year. Midwinter 'Christmas' or Yulefest is an unofficial Midwinter/Yuletide related celebration followed by some families, mainly those with a English or European background in Australia and New Zealand during the wintertime (which in the Southern Hemisphere falls into the June-July-August period). There is no official holiday, and the date of observance varies from place to place and even family to family, though it is often around the time of the shortest day or winter solstice, which in the Southern Hemisphere is June 20 or 21."

Now, I haven't been to any Christmas in July celebrations but I have a plan to celebrate my birthday (July 1) next year with a Christmas theme. Seeing as I've gone from having a sunny UK birthday to a wintry Oz birthday, I might as well at least cash in one the festive theme, right?

Experiencing my first hot Christmas here last year was a little odd and I really missed huddling around a roaring open fire, drinking mulled wine (well actually, I still did that anyway) and getting layered up for a big walk with someone's dogs on a frosty morning. I can't complain though, as this Christmas two of my best Pommy friends are coming over to celebrate with me and I'm sure we'll add a few UK Christmas traditions into the mix. I'll happily not cook turkey again though. Bring on the seafood!

Even for OK! this is extreme bad taste

UK trash mag OK! has run pictures of a dead (or near as damn it) Michael Jackson in the back of the ambulance on the cover of its 'tribute' issue. Do I need to say anymore? Just hideous.

Don't they think they'd sell as many copies with a nice picture of him alive? More likely (and the scenario I hope will happen) people will refrain from buying it in disgust. Low just got lower.

Homesick for Wiltshire weirdness

Yesterday was the shortest day of the year in Oz, and the longest day of the year in the Motherland. I'd never thought about how that would be the case on the same day until then.

In the UK, and particularly Wiltshire where I'm from, the Summer Solstice (as it is there) means the wonderful crazies and pagans come out in force to dance around and worry the police at Stonehenge and Avebury (OK, so crazies isn't a very politcally correct term but I'm not in the UK anymore!).

Having lived just down the road from Avebury Stone Circle all my childhood, I had the pleasure of witnessing these usually peaceful gatherings for myself. And let me tell you, they don't call it Weird Wiltshire for nothing!

There's something very magical about Stonehenge and Avebury though. You've gotta love that mystery and today, I miss you Wiltshire! With your stone circles, crop circles, ancient burial mounds, inexplicable Silbury Hill and UFO sightings, you will always be home.

Another Scottish Gordon's in trouble!

This time it's Mr Ramsay, not Mr Brown, after his rather disparaging remarks about Aussie TV presenter Tracy Grimshaw, who he described as looking like a pig. Gordo's here for the Melbourne Food and Wine Show and stirred up publicity in his usual less than polite style. The Aussies are not happy at all! Read more here.

I blogged about it on my mag's website here.

Rightly or wrongly, I still think he's a very sexy man...

Yes Gordon, you should look worried

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. What has happened to British politics while I've been out of the country? When I left the UK, Mr Brown had been Prime Minister for a mere 8 months (the recession was just a rumour) and he was already making a bad impression. Now, less than two years into the job, it's looking distinctly likely like he's not going to have it much longer. No need to comment on the state of the economy...

I never thought I'd say it, but a Conservative government could be the only way out of this mess. As a friend of mine said the other day, will the last member of the Cabinet please switch the light off on the way out?

Thanks for the long weekend, Liz!

This is a long weekend in Australia with Monday a public holiday in celebration of the Queen's birthday. Pretty amusing really when you consider the English don't get a day off for their own Queen's special day, but we never were a very patriotic nation.

Many Australians would love to see the country's movement from a constitutional monarchy to a republic but they don't seem to mind having the day off in honour of their head of state.

Personally, as a Pom in Oz, I enjoy the links Australia has with the UK, however old fashioned and irrelevant. Just don't let the British Government have anything to do with running this country and you'll be fine!

Running for a great cause

This beautiful little man is Baby Will. Very sadly, he died 18 months ago, aged just 9 months. Last year I ran the 14km City 2 Surf for the first time to raise money for the amazing Naomi House Children's Hospice where they looked after him and his parents, my friends James and Jo.

This year I'm doing it again and I would be very grateful and touched if you would be kind enough to sponsor me at www.justgiving.com/jenrunsforwill2 using any major credit card. Thanks in advance.

First day of winter

You'd be forgiven for accusing me of posting yet another gratuitous photo of my god daughter Genevieve but COME ON, she's adorable!

Anyway, the point of this post is to 'welcome' the first day of Winter in Australia. I've been here for 15 months and I still can't get my head around it being winter in June and July. My birthday's on July 1 and I always—without fail—had sunshine on my birthday. Not anymore!

Meanwhile, in the Motherland, I've heard disturbing reports of people complaining it is "too hot". Bloody whingeing Poms...

A fitting representative for the Queen

This is Quentin Bryce. Apart from having a very cool name, she is the Governor General of Australia and today she opened Sydney's new Google offices as I and the rest of the Sydney media looked on.

It strikes me in a country often seen as bit behind the times/racist/sexist, she is a wonderful example of true girl power. She is Australia's first ever female GG. Her Excellency's role is to represent the Monarch (that's our very own Queen of England) in this country and she exercises the "supreme executive power of the Commonwealth". She very much reminded me of Queen Elizabeth, with her fabulous matching skirt suit and shoes (emerald, or perhaps Google green?) and was truly the epitome of ladylike.

The Google offices themselves were of course, amazing and I am now suffering from severe workplace envy.

What a swine...

This cruise ship, carrying 2,500 passengers and crew, is currently in the middle of swine flu hysteria. No surprises here in a country so paranoid about what—and who—it lets in, that I had to have a chest x-ray to get my second visa, just in case I had tuberculosis, riddled as the UK is with that particular disease...

This is also the country whose Customs quarantined the mulled wine spice a friend sent me at Christmas on the basis that that highly dangerous substance allspice was banned under quarantine law. (Although further investigation by myself on the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service website has in fact confirmed this to be wrong, but whatever). And let's not even get started on the fact that, as a Pom in Australia, I can't give blood, just in case I have mad cow disease. Fine, I'll keep my blood!

Whingeing aside, there is actually a serious point to this particular blog on Anglo-Oz comparisons. Easy as it is to mock Australia's paranoia, it's something fellow island the UK could probably learn a thing or two from. It's nothing new that immigration in the Motherland is through the roof and that it has a reputation as a pretty easy place to just turn up and start claiming welfare. Better still, have a couple of kids and get a heavily subsidised flat thrown in for good measure. I'm happy to have to prove I'm a useful, skilled, working, tax-paying addition to Australia. Just saying...

It's so not cold!

It's my second Aussie winter and yet again I'm amused by the amount of clothes people have started to wear because it's so "cold". I guess being a Pom, I am used to much worse weather conditions, but I wouldn't even call it chilly yet. I keep getting asked: "Aren't you freezing?!" when I continue to come into work without a jacket. We're talking the 15-to-20 degrees mark here. 20 is a virtual heatwave in the UK!
I must say, I'm really enjoying this Sydney weather. It's sunny and crisp, the leaves are changing colour and falling, and there's not much rain. The view from my balcony looks particularly lovely in the mid afternoon light.
And really hot all the time gets a bit boring... (OK, don't slap me, those of you in the Motherland!).

I'm back!

I've been back in Oz for 48 hours and the jetlag is still very much with me, but it's about time I updated on my first trip back to the Motherland since I moved here. And what a wonderful visit it was! I caught up with so many people and did so much that I barely had time to breathe, but I absolutely loved it and definitely made the most of the quickest three weeks of my life.

When I left Sydney I felt almost anxious about how I would feel when I got 'home'. Would I suddenly be hit by homesickness and not want to come back to Sydney and leave my family and friends again? And, if that was the case and I then decided to move back to the UK, how would I cope without my lovely Aussie friends? Talk about worrying about things before they even have a chance to happen! And that didn't happen of course. As much as I loved every second I spent with the many special people in my life over there, I didn't feel any urge whatsoever to abandon Australia for the UK. I'm not going to win any prizes for being a Great Brit, am I? I think I left my patriotism at the airport.

Talking of airports, the first thing I saw on arriving at Heathrow was a massive pink and glittery banner reading: "Welcome back, Jen!" being weilded by my lovely, grinning dad and my best friend/unofficial second sister, Danielle. At last, I got my Love Actually airport moment! It was fantastic. Second impressions of London were not so good, struggling with my 21.5kg suitcase up and down stairs on the Underground with not a single gentleman or offer of help to be seen. Then onto the dirty Tube carriage which stank of BO and burgers and was full of miserable-looking, unfriendly (and in some cases, unwashed) people. Yuck. Luckily when I arrived at my aunt and uncle's house in their leafy suburb, it was all pleasant again and dinner with them and my long lost little sister Kate, was great.

Then followed three weeks of meeting and greeting friends I hadn't seen in over a year (I'll have to summarise or this will be the longest blog in the world). Highlights included the wedding of one of my best school friends Bonnie and her now husband Phil in Cardiff. A beautiful bride and a great day all round, plus two nights in nice hotels with my sister and plus-one for some quality gossip and catching up.

Then there was meeting my quite frankly GORGEOUS six-month-old god daughter Genevieve, aka Bob (don't ask), for the first time. A relaxing two days in the country were spent hanging out with her, her mum (my good friend Kelly), dad and brother Roan. Three year-old Ro's vocabulary had increased one hundred-fold since I last saw him and even when he would bang on my bedroom door at 6am shouting "Auntie Jeno, is there a monster in your room?" he was still adorable. Sort of....

I spent the most time with aforementioned best friend Danielle, who, amazingly, took two precious weeks' leave from work to spend with me. We had a great time and I can't wait for her to come over here and spend Christmas with me and our friends Matt, James and Jo.
Then there was the girls' day out to Paris with Lucy and Ruth. It's amazing how much (food) you can fit into one action-packed day! Fantastique!

Around 40 wonderful peeps turned up to my Back From Down Under Party at a Covent Garden bar and although I felt like I only spoke to each of them for about 5 minutes, I was really touched to have so many there. If only the music hasn't been quite so loud (I'm showing my age).
So many lovely, memorable times were spent with people inbetween, I can't possibly list them all. Suffice to say I left feeling incredibly lucky to know so many great people who are great friends and great company, many if whom went out of their way to spend time with me.
The only regret I have is not having met baby Troy (although I did see his mum, Lou when she was a week from 'popping' so I almost did!) before I left.

But it's good to be home. The most important thing that trip taught me is that Sydney is home now.

The god in godmother

One of the things I'm most looking forward to when I'm back in the UK is meeting this gorgeous girl, Genevieve, aka Gen/Vivi. She was born in October and I was DELIGHTED to be asked by her mum, my good friend Kelly, to be godmother. What an honour! Now Kelly and Vivi's dad aren't particularly religious and they won't be having a christening. And good on them I say. I think that's better than all those hypocrites who don't believe in God in the slightest and have a christening in church for the party and some nice photos to keep for when Junior's older.

When I told someone the other day they asked if they'd be having a christening while I was in the UK. I explained the situation and they then proclaimed that I wasn't really a godmother at all. Pft! Like most of the people out there who are godparents believe in God and really look out for the religious and spiritual education of their godchildren? It doesn't make it any less of an honour to be picked for this special role, especially when I'm on the other side of the world.

I for one am taking it very seriously (and we'll leave my religious leanings out of it because this is not really about that). I will be watching this little one grow up with genuine interest (as well as sending her excessive amounts of cute new clothes and toys by airmail) and fondness. Her mum bandied around the words "good role model" and I hope I can live up to that. I'll be that exotic Auntie Jen in Australia who sends the best presents for her birthday. But I also hope I can teach her a thing or two about what it means to be a positive and independent kind of gal in this day and age.

Will you look how cute she is?!

Feeling kinda homesick

My little (25 year-old) sister will be meeting me at London Heathrow on Friday lunchtime. We haven't seen each other for 13 long months. I'm convinced it's going to be the kind of Love Actually airport moment I've always hankered after, unlike the tears when I left. Can't wait.
It's funny, I've been here in Oz over a year and I've not had many moments of real homesickness. But now, knowing I'll be back in just a few days, I'm remembering all the people I'm missing and how much I miss them. And I'm already dreading saying goodbye to them again at the end of my three-week trip.
I love my life here, much more than my old UK life, but living on the other side of the world is tough. I think it's easy to forget just how far away you are and then, faced with a 24-hour plane journey (ugh), it brings it all back into reality. If I'd stuck to my original plan and not fallen in love with this country, I'd be home by now and there'd be no going back to visit, then leaving again. It's going to be a real test and I think it will make me realise whether I love it here enough to leave all those people behind again. Because if I didn't, I'd sure as hell miss all my friends here, big time.
There are a lot of things to consider when you move overseas. And if you had to make the final decision whether it would be forever before you made the move, few would do it. But you just have to take a chance sometimes and you never can predict what's going to happen.
On the plus side, only three more sleeps until I leave! Yippee!!!

Whingeing is good for business

Seems those Aussies quite like whingeing poms after all. The Whingeing Pom is the name of my 'work' blog on dynamicbusiness.com, and more often than not I use it to have a rant. It's so therapeutic! Psychological benefits aside, one particular blog got 1,800 hits in ONE DAY this week which is great news for our website. The page about me also ranks in the top ten pages (the homepage being the most popular, obviously) on the entire site this week. Who would have thought all those people would be interested in reading my rantings? Such is the power of the world wide web.

I must admit I have been heavily self-promoting the blog via social networking tool twitter (follow jenbishopsydney) and messing around on the internet chatting to people has now become a justifiable part of my job. That Facebook ban's still on at work though. Sulk.

I'm going to need a holiday after my UK trip

I've always known a lot of people. I'm not saying I'm popular, more I've been around—in the career sense—and met nice people worth keeping hold of after I've moved on from each job. This always means birthdays etc are big 50-plus people parties, sometimes in two locations (where I'm from, in Wiltshire and in London, where I know most people). So now, faced with 3 weeks back in the UK next month to catch up with family and friends, I'm having to plan this trip like a military operation. Thoughts of giving myself reasonable amounts of rest time to prevent burnout have long since gone out the window and somehow, despite my vow to only see the people who really matter, those 3 weeks in my Filofax are the biggest, multi-coloured, scribbled-out-then-written-over-again, circled, highlighted mess I've ever seen. And I like things neat!
To give you an idea, during this trip I have the wedding of a very dear friend in Wales, a baby god daughter to meet for the first time in Norfolk, an entire house worth of my worldly belongings to remove from a storage unit (and decide what to sell/chuck/store at Dad's/ship back to Oz), a big party in London, and quality time with my Dad, only sibling and other family to contend with. And that's before I see most of my friends. Phew!
All of this I am looking forward to immensely (apart from the dealing with my belongings part) but it is also instilling a kind of panic in me. Because even though I think I have enough days left to see all the people who matter, the realisation that I might only get to see each person once—twice at best—is already disappointing.
What I'm grateful for however is that I obviously have a lot of very special UK people in my life. And I already have a good few on this side of the globe as well. Can't say luckier than that...

Russell Brand on Jade Goody

Russell Brand blogged about Jade Goody today and it was an interesting post; honest, good natured, sensible, not overly sentimental and from someone who actually knew her, if only a bit. If you've been following this, I'd recommend you read it because it's real.
It made me consider a couple of things:
1. That I lost my mum to cancer, like Bobby and Freddie, when I was three years old, and how terribly sad that is for them; and
2. It is really not such a terrible thing that the general public took to this mere mortal. After all, she never did anyone any harm. She was just a nice, normal, working class girl done good. So what if she wasn't the cleverest? She was certainly entertaining.
As Russell sensibly points out: "One of the charges often levelled at Jade was that she was just a normal girl with no trade or practiced skills. Well people didn’t care and our heroes are not prescribed to us, we have the right to choose them and the people chose Jade. Fame has long been bequeathed by virtue of wealth and birth and this was the first generation where it was democratically distributed by that most lowbrow of modern phenomena – Reality Television. She was a person who, I think due to her class always had the propensity to irk people. When Big Brother 3 made her famous she was vilified in the paper and bullied in the house but through her spirit she won people back round and became a kind of Primark Princess with perfumes and fitness videos and endless media coverage – because people were interested in her. They remain interested."
For all his silliness, he's a smart guy.

Home news

Living on the other side of the world these days, it's always nice to see a bit of home news on the telly. NOT. Most of the UK news to hit these shores since I've been here has been about the dire state of the economy. Fair enough. That's big. But when something non-economic filters through you'd hope it'd be heart-warming, or quaintly English, or make me wish I was home. But no, it's this kid (above); Britain's youngest father at 13 years old, or so he thought. Turns out his 15 year-old baby mamma was sleeping with a variety of teenagers and a DNA test has proved this little guy—who would have been 12 at the time of conception—is not. Doesn't change the fact he was having sex—shudder—at the age of 12. He's 4ft tall, damn it!
The UK has a horrible rep as teenage pregnancy capital of Europe. Not only that, but a court made a ruling after the media initially went mental, that there should be no more reporting on this case, including the DNA results. Well guess what? The Mirror just went ahead and put it on their front page anyway! There's something else we have a bad rep for in the UK: our tabloids.
So there's no nostalgia and homesickness for me today. I'm just glad I met a Royal earlier in the week (did I mention I met the Queen's grandson?!) and had my British moment then.

Today I met my first Royal

Today I met the Queen's eldest and least well known grandson Peter Phillips, at an Australian British Chamber of Commerce Grand Prix lunch. How funny is that? I meet my first Royal on the other side of the world! 

When I was introduced to him I was sure he looked familiar and was wracking my brains as to where I'd seen him before. When my friend told me I had been chatting to, and shaking hands with, the Queen's grandson (son of Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips and tenth in line to the throne), I said: "Ooooooohhhhh, that's it!"

He was thoroughly normal and pleasant. I have always thought his sister Zara was about the coolest thing to happen to the Royal Family—apart from the deliciously badly behaved Harry—and she always comes across as very grounded and modern. So it was really no surprise to find that this 30-something was so very unassuming and nice. Here he is pictured with his wife Autumn Kelly, being the first of the Queen's grandchildren to get married last year. Aaaw....

I've come over all British!

RIP Jade Goody

It's been reported by the BBC today that Jade died in the early hours of (UK) Mother's Day. How awful, whoever and whatever the circumstances, for someone so young, with two young sons, to die. I hope those little boys are well looked after.

I've been trying to avoid this hysteria/morbid fascination (what some media have described as our fascination with 'death porn') over a Big Brother 'star' who I do not know. But aside from it being really sad, this situation raises a lot of interesting questions about our society. I fully expect there to be some kind of national mourning in the UK like there was with Princess Diana (although not on the same scale) with people who didn't know her but felt like they did, turning up at her funeral to pay their respects. As sad as it is, I don't really understand that.

The media will of course go crazy, with every conceivable angle of the funeral and the boys' future scrutinised. Now I live in a country without tabloids as trashy as ours (which I won't pretend I didn't read from time to time in the UK, being a fan of celebrity gossip) I'm really starting to think the UK media is quite unique in the extent of its intrusion into people's private lives (and in this case we all know Jade invited it) and how we lap it up. I've not seen anything anywhere near like it in the year I've lived in Australia.

So here's what I thought of lovely Jade, who I of course didn't know, but saw more than enough of on TV and in magazines. She was happy and positive in the face of an awful situation, she looked out for her sons above anything else, she seemed thrilled to have married Jack, whatever your views on him, and she raised awareness of cervical cancer.

If you're one of those many Jade fans, why not make a donation to cervical cancer charity Jo's Trust in her memory?

How I 'cope' with the beach

So we all know I'm a bit of an English rose when it comes to the sun and the beach. I don't want skin cancer or the lobster pink look, so I slather on the factor 30 and try to keep in the shade. Today, I went to the beach in Rose Bay with my good friend Amanda. This is what we constructed, out of two golf umbrellas, to keep us out of the sun. You have to ask, what am I doing in this country?! Loving it! I came home with sand everywhere and one sunburnt (missed a bit!) shoulder but it was a good day!

Countdown to my return to the Motherland!

It's 20 days until I board the plane back to Blighty and I'm very excited. Apart from all the lovely family and friends I can't wait to see, there are a few things I am really looking forward to seeing/eating/experiencing again.

These include:

• Prawn cocktail crisps


• Proper English pubs


• The Queen's finest Royal Mail red letterboxes


• Stamps with the Queen on them (this is getting very patriotic, isn't it?)


• Underground stations


• Topshop, Whittards , Boots, Superdrug and WH Smith


• Fish and chips wrapped in paper and covered in VINEGAR


• The house where I grew up, which I've never been away from for this long


• The beautiful village of Heddington


• Trafalgar Square


• Big Ben


• BBC TV shows


• The Sunday Times Style magazine


• Marks and Spencers, especially the food!


• Heathrow Airport


• Black cabs
  
• Oxford Street, especially Selfridges

And most of all I am going to be devastated to see every High Street lacking a Woolworths. It was a British institution!

It makes you ashamed to be British

Still on the Jade issue, tonight I watched all the footage of her wedding and TV interviews on YouTube. Whatever your views on Jade, you'd have to have a heart of stone not to feel very sad about this whole situation, and whether you like her or not, she is a human being going through something devastating and choosing to do so in the public eye. Or so you would think. I read some quite frankly disgusting comments posted on those videos and have seen similar abuse on Facebook fan pages where the majority of people have left messages of support. Whatever your views on Jade, she is a human being who has not done anyone any harm and who has dealt with her terminal illness with admirable positivity and courage. To make nasty comments about an innocent 27-year-old mother who is dying through no fault of her own, is inexcusable. It actually makes me quite embarrassed to come from the same country as the kind of small-minded, disgusting people who are waging this hate campaign. If you don't like her, don't read about her or go to websites with the intention of being abusive. It makes me sick.

It's SO not OK!

It gets worse. The copy of OK! I picked up in Oz is different to the UK version which went one further. The UK edition was a black-bordered "official tribute issue 1981-2009" with the strapline "In loving memory". Publishers Northern and Shell have released a statement defending their actions and apparently Jade's family are alright with it. That's okay then. No it isn't! She is still alive! I don't care if she's made hundreds of thousands of pounds from this magazine which will go to her poor children, that's her choice. I don't care if Jade's mum thinks it's ok. And defending this action by saying this issue was a celebration of her "amazing life" is lame too. With all due respect, Jade is a reality TV star who was more likely being ridiculed by the press than admired until she became terminally ill. There's no doubt she is a lovely person but she isn't Mother Theresa. And she isn't dead either. It's all so wrong...

OK! The ultimate in bad taste

A few people have disagreed with my comments on the media's treatment of UK Big Brother star Jade Goody, supporting her choice to invite the media to film/photograph/report on her terminal illness and to use this as a way of making money for her young sons. Fair enough. But I was appalled to see the latest issue of OK magazine, full of tributes to a woman who is still alive. Subheads include: "A life cut tragically short" and the cover says: "Inside Jade's sad final days." 

Hello? She isn't dead yet! So desperate are they to be the first to run a tribute to Jade that they haven't even had the courtesy to wait until she passes away. Nice.

Am I getting old?

When I was young (snort!) I remember looking forward to the weekend because it meant going out drinking, seeing my friends and doing stuff that was more fun than study or work. These days, my working week is so busy—and not in a bad way—that I count down the days to the weekend because it's my chance to recharge the batteries, get a pedicure, watch movies and (and this is my favourite new word since moving to Oz) chillax. Two weekends ago I even found myself having a mid-afternoon nanna nap on a Saturday! In general, I relish those rare nights in when there's no socialising, dinner or training session in my diary. Is this a sign of old age? On the plus side, I do think it's a very good thing to make time for yourself; time to be selfishly antisocial and time to do absolutely nothing.

Damn you, Russell!

So my friends and I went to see Russell Brand last night. We had great seats, but five rows from the front. Mr Brand was on fire. I laughed non-stop for more than an hour and a half. I even caught myself slapping my thigh with enthusiasm. The man is a genius where comedy is concerned, buzzing with energy, skipping around the stage at the Enmore, all skinny and crazy-haired. I was hoping that—reference previous post—I wouldn't find him attractive in real life. But oh no, it was worse! And I wasn't the only one. I saw queues of women re-doing their make-up in the toilets after the gig, ready to queue up and wait for something to be signed. And the rest. I get the feeling when Russell said something along the lines of: "If you're looking at me thinking he's all famous and stuff and I'm probably not good enough, don't! You probably are," he wasn't joking. But I'm far too cool, and too old, for that starstruck hanging around after a show lark, so it was home and to bed (alone) for me. My last thought is this: how does (as my friend rightly pointed out) Russell Brand make being an absolute so-n-so so very endearing? The answer is charm, and he's got it by the bucketload. It seems the Aussies are really taking to him—in no small part because of his appearance on Rove—which is a testament to their sense of humour. Almost as good as the Brits'!

What is it about Russell Brand?!

I really shouldn't fancy this man. My type is clean cut with no facial hair, at least 6ft, definitely NOT skinny, well educated, well spoken and with good manners (but a sexy bad side is a must, a la Hugh Grant in Bridget Jones. Grrr.). What a surprise to find I am currently single!

So, going back to the original point and trying not to get distracted by thoughts of Hugh, nevertheless lovely Russell is not my kind of man. At all. He has ridiculous hair and a funny voice, wears copious amounts of eyeliner and is way too skinny but there's just SOMETHING sexy about him and I'm actually quite annoyed that I have been sucked in. Maybe it's because he is hilariously funny and we all know the girls love that. But that hair?! Come on... Seems I'm not the only one to see it, what with him having been awarded Shagger of the Year (By whom, I have no idea!) the last three years running.

I'm going to see Russell at Sydney's Enmore Theatre on Tuesday night and, having just seen him on Rove, I am more excited than ever. If you tweet, then follow him at twitter.com/rustyrockets

Today's blog is sponsored by Emirates

Hello business class! Oh, how the other half live!
Today I had the pleasure of a rare jolly from work; a press trip to Auckland in New Zealand, courtesy of Emirates. I was picked up in a chauffeur-driven car at 6.30am (not so good) and taken to the airport, where I passed quickly through check-in, what with being business class 'n all. Then a comfortable flight to Auckland, French champagne (hideously expensive in Oz), yummy brunch, excellent cabin crew and a good film. At the other end we were taken to the Villa Maria winery for some fabulous food courtesy of the chef at Auckland's top restaurant and matching (and even better than the food) wines. Delightful! That was topped off by getting to see my friend Jo, former colleague from Newham who now works for Tourism Auckland. Small world.
Then it was back to the airport for a tour of a new A380 before anyone else got on it, which was interesting in itself, having the run of a big empty plane! Then back to the lovely Emirates lounge for more food and general swanking around before boarding the plane again. The problem is, ungrateful as this sounds, once you've seen first class (particularly Emirates' new A380 first class which has showers and everything!), business class doesn't quite cut it! But of course, it does really!
Back at Sydney Airport, my chauffeur was waiting to whisk me home, a very tired, but very happy girl who enjoyed seeing how the other half live. Note to self: must work on finding rich husband!

Cafes, bars, shops and lots of style!

Here' s a photo of my friend Caroline and I in fab Melbourne restaurant The Press Club where we had some great Greek food. So what else do I love about my new favourite city? Well, it's the whole vibe of the thing! The shops (like Christine) are amazing and way better than those in Sydney. There's a cafe culture that's very Parisian and the place has a very European look and feel about it. It's more relaxed and, as my friend Laura rightly pointed out, you don't see many "orange stick insects with ironed blonde hair extensions" in Melbourne! Everyone's very stylish in a unique and less try-hard way and I like it. The bars (like The Supper Club and 1806) are amazing and all hidden behind nondescript doors, down dingey alleyways that you'd never visit unless someone told you where they were. And even the seriously cool ones are relaxed and friendly and people don't look you up and down to check out what you're wearing or who you're with. It's very...well..comfortable. I don't think I've ever gone somewhere for the first time and so quickly thought: "I could live here!" And once you've moved from London to Sydney, moving to Melbourne is nothing! I'm not ready to leave my friends and my job just yet, but it's definitely in my three-year plan, probably a lot sooner than three years! Watch this space! If you're coming to visit me from the UK, don't assume I'll be in New South Wales forever...

I'm in love!

I'm back from a packed weekend in Melbourne and I have some very exciting news to share with you all: I have fallen in love! No, not with a man (don't be silly!) but with Melbourne itself; a wonderful place where I would happily have stayed exploring for many more days, even if I was really in need of a sleep in my own bed (which is precisely what I should be doing now and not writing this!).
The Melbourne/Sydney rivalry is well known but they're such different cities, I think a straight comparison is impossible. Suffice to say though, most people who have been to both will quickly establish whether they're more more suited to one or the other and I, my friends, am most definitely supposed to be a Melbourne girl!
My Sydney life is fantastic and I've been lucky enough to meet some truly lovely people who I will not say goodbye to lightly. Plus, Sydney is probably one of the most amazing cities to live in the world. It's iconic, it has the harbour bridge and the opera house, spectacular beaches, hot weather and great jobs. I still get overwhelmed when I cross the bridge and look across the water (or indeed, from my balcony!) to the opera house, and I always feel just a little bit like I'm on holiday here (see previous rambling on how great life is in general).
But here's the thing: a lot of the things that people think are best about Sydney, I don't take advantage of. I don't go to the beach, I stay out of the sun and I don't like it when it gets too hot. You may indeed ask yourself why I'm in Australia at all! I'm not that sure either but it sure beats the UK! The other thing is, until I went to Melbourne for the first time this weekend, I had no idea how very 'me' it was and now I can't help but compare one to the other. More tomorrow...

I'm off to Melbourne

After work today I'm doing a couple of firsts: my first ever domestic flight and my first trip to Victoria. I am finally off to visit Melbourne, a city I've been dying to see since I got to Australia a year ago. I think I'm going to LOVE it. I'll let you know!

What the tweet?

Has twitter taken off in the UK too or is Australia, for once, ahead of the game? Everyone's starting to use social media to market their business over here and, as editor of a business magazine, and someone who wants to plug her mag's website, I had to give it a go. I'm still a bit twitter retarded but I'm getting there. I think. It's worth it just to follow Russell Brand's hilarious updates if you ask me. (Incidentally, I am seeing him live at a small theatre in Sydney later this month. Can't wait!) And Stephen Fry's worth following too.

Anyway, if you're tweeting, you can follow me if you like. twitter.com/jenbishopsydney

Social media really is changing the way the world works...

Does it help to be called Max if you work in PR?

Today's UK/Aus comparison: Max Markson and Max Clifford. The former is arguably Sydney's number one celebrity agent and the latter is London's. Which begs the question: does it help to be called Max if you want to make it big in PR?

Markson was representing both Hanson and Capper, mentioned in my previous Call this politics? post. While Clifford is representing the terminally ill UK Big Brother star (also mentioned in a previous post), Jade Goody.

Both obviously doing a good job then... :)

My other blog

I also have a much more sensible, but not neccessarily boring, blog at dynamicbusiness.com if you're at all interested...

Isn't it time for Jade to have a private life?

I have read with great sadness about former UK Big Brother star Jade Goody's battle with terminal cancer over the last few weeks, and as it becomes increasingly clear that the end is in sight, I'm finding it even more disturbing to read about it and see photos of her being wheeled into hospital in pain and distress. I also know enough about the British tabloids to understand that this will be the biggest story they'll be interested in right now; above the global financial crisis, a terrorist attack in Pakistan and anything political (unless it involves sex or scandal). I've also read that Jade wants to make as much money as possible for her young boys before she dies so they'll be well looked after, but really, doesn't there come a point where a bit of privacy and dignity is called for? This is not reality TV, this is real life. This is a young woman with two young sons who has a matter of weeks to live. It is incredibly sad and to have it splashed all over the front pages of the papers every day does seem rather morbid and in bad taste. I should note this is not an anti-tabloid rant. I'm well aware that Jade is working with the paps and journos and making money out of all the exposure. But shouldn't she want to draw a line somewhere?
A great deal of awareness of cervical cancer and the importance of smear/pap tests has been raised as a result of Jade's illness which is of course a positive, but so sad that something so tragic had to happen to someone high profile (who at the end of the day, was plucked from obscurity into the Big Brother House) for that to happen. I have always been a fan of Jade, however ridiculous and stupid she sometimes is. She is harmless, good fun and entertaining. I especially liked her stylish transformation from blondie to slimmed-down version with the cute brunette bob. And I hope, when the time comes, people will remember that Jade and her shrieking laugh and not bald Jade looking in pain, being pushed in a wheelchair.

Call this politics?!

This is more for the benefit of those of you back home, as everyone in Australia is already either laughing at or outraged by the current political 'battle' in the Queensland State Government. For the uneducated, Queensland is where Brisbane and the Gold Coast are and its residents don't have the best rep in terms of being classy or refined (I know several exceptions, before you turn on me, QLD friends!). Hence this photo isn't doing that reputation any favours. This guy is former Aussie Rules footballer Warwick Capper, who is fighting it out for the Beaudesert seat against Pauline Hanson, a former federal MP who last night had a complete meltdown on national television when a journalist dared to ask her a difficult question about electoral funding.

That's what's making the headlines, but I find Warwick much more amusing. Not only is he sponsored by men's magazine Zoo, which is allegedly paying for the bikini girls, he calls himself Australia's answer to Paris Hilton. I won't even start on the fact that Hanson once said Australia was in danger of being "overrun by Asians". Yes seriously, in this century, in a democratic, civilised country. And you thought UK political scandal was bad?

Not surprisingly, Liberal National Party candidate Aidan McLindon is expected to win the seat.

On Marmite

So here it is, the thing I miss most about the UK after all these months: my beloved Marmite. Don't get me wrong, I still consume Marmite but not with such regularity because one of those teeny tiny jars of it costs me about AU $12 over here. Luckily, some of my friends back home are still kind enough to send me supplies and (when Customs let it through) I'm ever so grateful. The problem is though, since Marmite 'cleverly' released its squeezy version, people opt to send me that instead of the good old-fashioned glass jar version because airmail ain't cheap. But it just isn't the same, it's too runny!

Which brings me to my next point. Marmite is not the same as, or even vaguely similar to, your Australian Vegemite. Marmite has a consistency like treacle and is almost black and very very shiny (it's a thing of glossy beauty) whereas Vegemite (which, although inferior, isn't so bad) is brown in colour, has a consistency like butter and is nowhere near as shiny, or as salty for that matter. So, while I can live without most things (notice things, not people) from the UK, I will never give up my Marmite. Just look at its old-school design! That branding hasn't changed in years and that yellow and red logo is almost as iconically British to me as red telephone boxes and the Union Jack. God Save Marmite!

If anyone wants to send me a jar (plastic or glass), you only have to ask for my address.

Why I really shouldn't be a whingeing Pom

I'm off work sick today. The less said about the preceding sleepless night and associated tummy troubles, the better. But sitting here on the sofa feeling sorry for myself I have realised something: I really don't have a lot to feel sorry about. I say this because I'm looking out through my open balcony doors at a beautiful sunny day and a priceless view of Sydney Harbour, the bridge, the opera house, etc (not showing off, merely commenting, honest!). You don't get much more iconic or well known a cityscape. I normally miss this morning sunshine because I am either inside my air-conditioned office or sleeping in at the weekend. It has a lovely yellow goldness about it that you just don't get very often in the Motherland. But speaking of good old Blighty, I also feel very lucky because in just 5 weeks I'll be heading home for a visit; not just 3 long weeks off work but a chance to spend time with my lovely dad and sister (the latter who I haven't seen since I left and am seriously missing now: cue tears at Heathrow!) and my many wonderful friends. I'm not sure how I'll control my excitement and fidgeting on the plane!

What with it having been my one-year anniversary of living here at the weekend, I've been doing a lot of soul-searching about my decision to come here, quickly followed by my decision to stay longer than the originally intended 12 months (and seriously, I didn't see that coming!). Living on the other side of the world from your family isn't easy, but I'm not going to pretend that living here in Australia is anywhere near a hardship. I love my job, my new Aussie friends, my flat, my more positive, laidback attitude and...um...the weather!

So what have been the biggest things of note since I moved Down Under?

1. I am now a total exercise and healthy eating convert. Sadly this doesn't mean I am suddenly skinny with thin thighs (never gonna happen without surgery!) but I am healthier, stronger, capable of running 14km (about 10 miles) non-stop, more toned and have a great way of getting rid of stress and anxiety and boosting my mood.

2. I have found a job I love (90% of the time) with a boss and team who trust and support my decisions and colleagues who are also, in the main, great friends.

3. I have had visits from many Pommy friends (Sarah and Chris, Dad, Ruth, Dean and the entire Valler fam, Lucy, Cousin Rob, and others).

4. Despite not being in the same country I've been asked to be godmother to beautiful baby Genevieve (aka Vivi) which I'm delighted about. I shall of course strive to be a great role model of adventurous, sassy, career girl living on other side of globe!

5. I live in a beautiful city with great weather (although more rain than I imagined) where I always feel a little bit like I'm on holiday.

Now I just need to find a husband ;)

I can't finish this ramble without a big shout out and thank you to my good friend Laura and her hubby Mark who, when they let me crash at their place for two whole months, made it a lot easier for me to settle into Sydney life and not have to rush into taking jobs I didn't really want. And also to Matt, who helped me be a better drinker ;)

Welcome!

On the eve of the anniversary of my first year living in Sydney, I thought I'd start this blog to keep you up to date with my new life Down Under (as if Facebook wasn't enough)! Please sign up if you're interested in following my ramblings. And I WILL ramble...