It always fascinates me how our children constantly challenge us and lead us to try new experiences we might never have considered ourselves. Take my daughter, for example, who’s now eighteen. As a child and young teenager, she would beg me to accompany her on the scariest rides at Movie World – like the Superman Ride… And I did.
The queue for the Superman Ride was long, but my fear made it move quickly. I was dreading boarding the carriages, convinced I’d become that one in a million chance statistic who was left hanging upside down mid-ride due to a technical failure. Of course, that never happened and I felt such an adrenalin rush from the G-force factor that once the ride was over, I immediately wanted to do it again and again.
From a tiny tot, Veronica has always had a passion for movies. As she grew older, that developed into a love of horror films. It didn’t really surprise me because I’d been the same at her age, until I saw Friday the 13th which took gore and blood-spattering to such an extreme level that I was put off horror for life. Veronica has since seen that too and declared it to be ‘lame and dated.’
So naturally she was over the moon with excitement when she saw the ads for the Cinema Nova Monster Fest – a 2-week celebration of horror films at the Carlton venue.
She booked a couple of sessions to see with friends but there was one experience she wanted to share with me. The ALL NIGHT MOVIE MARATHON screening of FIVE back-to-back Nightmare on Elm Street films. Really? A WHOLE night of horror starting from 11.30pm sounded spooky enough, let along having to endure ONLY Freddie Krueger in all his gluey-faced glory, mauling his victims for more than eight hours…
But she caught me in a moment of weakness, when she’d been dealt one of life’s disappointments. Wearing her sad face and asking ever so sweetly, I got sucked in.
The event was last night.
Now here’s a spooky photo. Just before the screening, I took this on my I-phone and because it’s not hugely flattering for Ronnie, I might not have posted it – but check out what my flash did to the eyes of a couple of the other patrons… That’s not regular ‘red eye’ – that’s just weird… It was a spooky start.
Like the Superman Ride, I was dreading this experience too. Not just because of the horror I knew would make me jump and squirm, but because of the SLEEP DEPRIVATION… I haven’t been drinking much coffee at all lately, but last night I had three large cups – straight, strong and black.
I was pleasantly surprised by the festive nature of the screening. There really was an air of excitement among ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ fans – some dressing up, others bringing bags packed with goodies, drinks and even dressing-gowns to get them through the night. There was also a trivia quiz at the end of each movie with prizes and lollies being handed out.
And it’s much funnier watching horror classics with diehard (‘scuse the pun) fans, because they will laugh uproariously in the most gory of moments because an actor’s bad line or lack of acting ability has since become infamous. (like Nancy’s mum in the first Nightmare movie – just appalling…)
It was also a wonderful irony that the movie’s major promotion line is ‘You’ll Never Sleep Again’. In the middle of our session, that’s kinda how I felt…
I had warned Veronica I might not be able to last the distance till 8.30am this morning. Even though she initially insisted she wanted to stay for ALL the movies, she agreed after the third movie – at 4.30 this morning – that our bums and legs were numb enough to warrant an exit pass. Thank God!!
(Although I am now on a promise to borrow DVDs of the movies we missed to watch at home.)
I finally fell into bed just after 5.30am. But the most horrific part of the experience was by far and away the DAMN BASTARD FORK LIFT DRIVER AND CONSTRUCTION WORKERS who revved up motors and power tools in our street at 6am and woke me up just half an hour later. Timing. Now that’s when I REALLY wanted Freddie Krueger to make an appearance.
Now, don’t you agree I deserve a Mother of the Year award???
Yes, sorry Mum, but it really is ALL your fault. If it hadn’t been your birthday, I wouldn’t have taken you and Ken (my step-father) out to lunch to one of my fave cafes, Little Ox. And if I hadn’t taken you out to lunch, I wouldn’t have smashed my FIT FIX Diet Plan to pieces. I hope you accept all the blame. Even though it’s your birthday.
To be honest, I suppose I should thank you, rather than blame you. Having stuck to the diet plan for nearly 12 days, I was bound to break it sometime and what better excuse to break a diet than needing to celebrate your birthday.
So yes, dear readers, I lied yesterday when I listed a simple serve of supermarket chicken tikka on the food plan. I knew damn well I was going out to lunch. Still, those of you who are putting this diet to the test need to know what I WOULD have been eating, IF I’d stuck to my word… Which I completely and whole-heartedly DID NOT.
It’s a bit hard when everything on the menu at Little Ox is so mouth-wateringly tempting. My number one choice is usually from the All Day Breakfast section – grilled corn fritters with ham, mashed avocado, salsa and a poached egg on top – just scrumptious. But with my diet in mind, I thought I’d go for the grilled chicken and quinoa salad instead. With part owner and chef Simon Winfield at the helm in the kitchen, I knew it would be delicious.
And it was. I truly meant to photograph the plate up close with all its artistic swirls of aioli for you to see, but once it arrived on the table, I was so keen to see how it tasted, I’d eaten almost half of it before I remembered I was supposed to be taking pictures.
Sorry.
Again.
Then it was time for coffee and dessert. Mum and Ken sensibly declined the offer of a sweet treat but how can you have a birthday celebration without cake? So I went ahead and ordered a selection of wicked indulgences anyway… It’s much better to have a small taste to LOTS of things than just ONE dessert – right?
And don’t forget the cream on the side! Double clotted preferably… Starting from the back, that included a mini peach Melba, a caramel brownie and a melt-in-your mouth slice of passionfruit cheesecake. I was in heaven…
So yes, as you can see, I really DID smash up the diet plan. I can feel my jeans getting tighter as I type. Damn, and I WAS doing so well. But heck, it was worth it. It was my Mum’s birthday after all.
This is a quickie update because life, work, and social commitments are gathering pace… making it harder to stick to the straight and narrow when it comes to the FIT FIX Diet Plan, let alone blog about it.
I talked about ‘cheating without cheating’ on the food plan yesterday, eating those yummy Double D lollies, but last night I did genuinely cheat. Being under the calorie count for the day and after having a whopping THREE alcohol free days straight, I thought I could relax with a glass or two of chardy at the end of the night while watching TV. But of course, once the alcohol takes effect, the will-power plummets…
I was STILL hungry. Now, I didn’t break any of the so-called ‘rules’ here, but I did go overboard with a massive NUT BINGE. Pistachios and cashews. I didn’t weigh them, just hoed right on in – handful upon handful… God knows how many calories that would have added up to – hate to think.
That, combined with a lack of exercise, meant the scales plateaued today – hardly a surprise…
The next three days will be challenging too, with lots of social events booked in, so I’m hoping all my good work won’t fall in a heap. The most important thing is to make a PLAN – try to stick to it, and if you fail, start all over again!
Having said that, here’s the plan for tomorrow. And I don’t need to detail Saturday’s as that’s my day off – yay!
Breakfast – Uncle Toby’s instant oats with berries
Snack – Hard-boiled egg
Lunch – Chicken tikka pieces (about 125g + 166 calories) I buy it pre-made from the supermarket and heat it up in the microwave. Simple.
Snack – small tub Tamara mixed berries yoghurt
Dinner – left over chicken patties and papaya salad (recipe listed in Wednesday’s blog)
RECIPE – Papaya Salad
I green papaya
I bag coleslaw from the supermarket
1/2 cup roasted cashews, crushed
3 spring onions
1 red chilli
handful fresh coriander
1/2 cup fresh basil
It felt like I was cheating on the FIT FIX Diet Plan big time last night, eating a decent share of lollies, but in fact, I didn’t break any rules whatsoever. You see THESE arrived on my doorstep the other day – a box of sugar-free Double D treats.
It wasn’t on the diet plan, but I was under my calories quota for the day and joy, oh joy, the scales still went downwards this morning. In fact, I have to say I’m pretty up-myself about the success SO FAR on my self-devised FIT FIX Diet Plan.
Just take a look at the My Net Diary weight loss chart on the right and you can see for yourself, there’s a steady downward trend happening. Now I just have to keep going until I reach the goal weight of 64kg. I’m sure the fact that I’m making myself accountable to this Blog is part of the success too, so I’m going to keep blogging until I get there!
I’m always on the hunt for low-cal sweetie options too, so the gift from Double D arrived with perfect timing. Just when I was getting bored with my regular stash of diet-friendly treats, they’ve brought out a new selection of lollies to choose from.
Being obsessed with chocolate, I instantly gravitated to the Choc O Jelly Rounds…
But daughter Veronica snatched up the Mint Chews before I had any say in the matter and they proved a big hit with her.
There’s also Fruit Drops, Butter Candy Drops and Aussie Gummy Bears – all made using the natural sweetener, Stevia.
Double D is an Australian owned company too and lists all the lollies as being 99% fat free, gluten free, cholesterol free, low GI and dental friendly. Guess that ticks all the boxes!
Let’s take a look at the food plan for tomorrow. Remember, Thursday is meant to be a low calorie day, so drink lots of water and herbal tea! The total calorie count for tomorrow is only 473 calories – which is close to the proposed amount in the 2/5 diet.
Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl and cook in a pan as you would small pancakes or pikelets. In the Dukan Diet book, fromage frais is used instead of Fruche, but it’s almost impossible to find in Australian supermarkets. Hence, this is the ONE instance where I allow a product that contains more than 5% sugar, because there just isn’t anything else out there that works. But I am open to suggestions if you have any!
Mix all ingredients together. Roll into large golf-ball size rounds, then squash into a pattie shape with the back of a spatula. Spray with olive oil then bake in a moderate oven for about 25 minutes, or until brown. These are also great the next day cold when you’re allowed more!
After a stellar 42-year career as one of Melbourne’s most respected newsreaders, Mal Walden will present the news for the final time next week on Wednesday, December 4th. Yes, he’s finally relinquishing the Network Ten news chair for a life of travelling, writing and spending time with family and friends.
His departure from our screens marks the end of an era. But unlike most, whose exit from the industry is usually abrupt, Mal has been afforded a well-deserved, gradual parting of ways – kind of like two lovers agreeing to take separate holidays instead of enduring an acrimonious divorce.
‘I resigned last year when the station was in a bit of trouble,’ he said. ‘There were cutbacks and redundancies and it was very unpleasant. I’d had enough so at the end of my contract I didn’t want to go on.’
But Ten made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. They asked him to stay for one more year working just four days a week for the first six months, take a long mid-year break, then return and only do three days a week. How could he say no?
‘It was the best contract I’ve ever had in my career,’ he said. ‘It was a beautiful transition because it phased me out and phased Stephen in, and it was good. It got my head around the “what am I going to do with myself when I finally give it all away” question.’
For those who don’t know, former sports presenter Stephen Quartermain is set to replace Mal when he leaves and has already been filling in on Mal’s days off.
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I’m going to write up the rest of this interview in Q & A format, because Mal and I go back a long way and I like how the conversation between us still flows easily. We read the news together for more than ten years, becoming Australia’s longest serving news duo.
But enough with trips down memory lane. Let’s get back to that interview:
JEN: So with more time on your hands during the year, what have you been up to? MAL: I don’t know where the hours go. I make appointments, catch up with people and have lunches. Pauline and I might go away for long weekends, which was something I could never do before. It wasn’t that I was fed up with work. I was fed up with the ten to six Monday to Friday routine. That’s what I wanted to get away from.’
JEN: With only a few nights left to go, how are you feeling now? MAL: I’m feeling apprehensive. I’m feeling nervous. I just want to get through that final night.
JEN: Will you be able to say a ‘proper’ goodbye? Has it been discussed? MAL: No, they’re planning something and I’m not quite sure of the format, but I guess there will be a period at the end of the news where I guess I’ll say something like ”Thank you very much Melbourne for the last forty-two years.”
JEN: Is that the longest of any newsreader in Australia? MAL: No, it’s the longest in Melbourne. Brian Henderson has about three or four more years on me.
JEN: Was it ever a competitive thing for you, to be the longest-serving reader? MAL: No, because I would have been in my late seventies by the time I reached Brian Henderson’s record. I would have been too old and I don’t want to do that.
JEN: How old are you? MAL: There are three biogs out there. One has me at 67, one 68 and one at 69. 69 is the closest.
JEN: What will you do immediately after the bulletin ends? MAL: I’ll go back to the newsroom. The staff will be there and we’ll have drinks.
JEN: French champagne, I hope! MAL: No, I don’t think so! We only had French once and that was years ago, when we were winning the ratings. Remember?
JEN: Oh yes, I do… MAL: And it’s funny, but in all the years I’ve been reading news, out of 42 there were only eight or nine when we were number one. So it means you can survive in this business without being number one. They can put spins on anything. You know, I’m number one for married women with two dogs…
JEN: And what stands out as your career highlight? Apart from reading with me? MAL: Other than reading with you…(laughter) …the 1970s was the decade that was really the most defining decade of my life. I’d come back from overseas, I’d been in radio up till that stage, I approached Channel Seven for a job and an old boss of mine – Ron Casey, who I knew from radio days – said I can’t give you a job in the news department but come on as a booth announcer, and that’ll give you a foot in the door. Well, that very first night – June 6th, 1970 – at about a quarter to six – the late night newsreader was suddenly taken ill and they asked me to read the news. And I’ve been reading ever since.
JEN: Had you ever been in front of a camera? MAL: Yes, I had. In the mid-60s, I read the news in Tasmania.
JEN: What else made the 70s such a standout decade for you? MAL: It was defining for me because I got into television news. Two years after I read my first bulletin, I took a cadetship and then Cyclone Tracey hit and they sent me up to Darwin as a reporter. Because I got the first story out, I was then promoted to being a journalist. Then there was Balibo in East Timor and we were all vying to go there, so, but for the grace of God… Greg Shakleton went and that was sadly, his end.
JEN: How did that affect the newsroom? MAL: David Johnston was quite upset by the whole thing and gave television away, as an indirect result of Balibo. He just got so pissed off with what it stood for and all the cover-ups. David had an argument with the news director at the time one day, stormed out and never came back. They helped David establish a newsagency business, so when he went I became elevated to the number two newsreader spot. Before that it was Brian Naylor, then David and I was number three.
JEN: Now fast-forward to the present. What do you think about the impact of social media on the reporting of news? MAL: I think it’s very dangerous actually. A recent example was the marathon bombing in Boston. They were all tweeting that the bomber was a Puerto Rican and was being charged, and the main media picked it up. Even 3AW ran with it, without any fact checking. There are no checks or balances with social media. But it’s only in the last few years when it’s come to the fore. I mean, it can have its benefits, like in the case of the murder of Jill Meagher, where everyone rallied, so it can be useful.
JEN: But I guess you’ve seen a lot of changes over the years. MAL: Oh yes. I remember in ’69 when man landed on the moon, the world stood in awe as Armstrong stood on the moon. But I was more impressed with President Nixon picking up the phone in the Whitehouse and talking to Armstrong on the phone. To me, that was far more dramatic than the man standing on the moon. That was something we had never seen. So suddenly satellites closed that gap between radio being first and television was on an even playing field. It took a couple of years for satellites to be used locally, but that was the first indication I had that satellites were going to revolutionise news. And they did.
JEN: When did you first get promoted to main newsreader at Seven? MAL: It was 1977 and I was filling in for Brian Naylor at the time. I was lying in bed listening to the radio thinking, I’ll be glad when Nails gets back because I want to go back on the road, reporting. Then there was a news flash where the reader said, ‘In news just to hand, Brian Naylor has resigned from Channel Seven and is going to Channel Nine. Seven management have just announced that Mal Walden is taking over.’ Then the phone rang and it was the publicity manager from Seven, Eileen O’Shea, and she said,’The general manager, Mr Casey, would like to see you in his office so come on in.’
JEN: And they hadn’t even asked you? MAL: No, and when I walked into the newsroom, all I could hear was people saying things like ‘Well, that’s the end of the ratings,’ which made me feel terribly insecure. And I didn’t even want the job anyway. I walked in Casey’s office and he congratulated me and I told him I didn’t want the job. So he picked up the phone and called in the finance manager. He explained that I’d receive $60,000 a year, which sounded great, but I still said, ‘I can’t take it, it’s not what I want to do’. Then they brought in the promotions guy who bought in a picture of a brand new RX7. He put his arm around my shoulders and said, ‘Mal, take this job and the car is yours.’ And I’m thinking of my clapped out car out the front and the $60,000 a year… So I said, ‘I’ll do a deal – allow me to read the news and keep on reporting too.’ Casey then suggested I not do general news, but do special reports. So we did that. And they promoted me as the only newsreader who was a journalist, to give me credibility. And it worked. I never looked back.
JEN: Now, after forty-two years of news reading being your life, it must be hard to imagine what you’re going to do with yourself? MAL: We’re going to take a holiday. Pauline’s got the bags packed already. She’s probably at the airport waiting for me now, actually!
JEN: After that? MAL: I’ve got nothing planned whatsoever.
JEN: Weren’t you writing a book? MAL: Yes, I’ve finished my book. It’s biographical. I’ve diarised every day of my life since June, 1961. I have fifty-two diaries at home. Every day there’s an article about a news story, a conversation I’ve had, interwoven with my personal life, from radio right through to this year. And of all the chapters, the last two are the most telling.
JEN: In what sense? MAL: About what’s been happening in the last few years at Ten. It’s probably a bit close to the bone. They’re pulling out of the slump now. But that bit will never get to print.
JEN: Will you still have an association with Ten? MAL: That’s on the cards. They’ve asked me to stay on for another twelve months as ‘ambassador’.
JEN: How do you feel about Stephen being your replacement? MAL: I can’t think of anyone more suitable. He has skills I’ve never had and they’ll channel those into promoting him.
JEN: Looking back, have you any regrets? MAL: Not one! Not one at all. I’ve never had to make any major decisions in my life. They’ve all been made for me. I’ve been hired, fired, promoted, demoted… The only time I ever made a decision, and it involved you, was when I was reading the weekend news at Ten. I had young kids (twins, James and Sarah) and a holiday house at Rye and Pauline said, ‘I need you at home on weekends, this is ridiculous.’ So I went and told management I needed to give up the weekend news and then you took the role, but three months later, they made the weekend news national.
JEN: And I was dumped off the weekend news. MAL: So had I not made the decision, it would have been made for me.
JEN: So let’s wrap this up. Just one last question. Who was your favourite female newsreader to have alongside you? MAL: Jen Hansen!
Of course!
So next week will be a major milestone for this icon of news. Don’t forget to watch Channel Ten news next Wednesday night to see Mal sign off for the last time. I’ll miss him on air, but I know we’ll keep in touch as we have done over the years. As for his future, I’m looking forward to reading that book. And there’s plenty of other options for him too. Heck, he may just even start a Blog…
