Category Archives: Opinion

Bali dreaming… time to get away.

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I’ve been dreaming about this for some time… returning to one of my favourite places on earth – BALI.

Bali

Bali

And now finally, the day has arrived. I’m just about to finish some last minute packing, hop in the shower and jump on a plane tonight with the kids. Sadly, Fletch has to stay home to continue working on Neighbours, but hey, I’m lucky enough to have my sister, Jill, and several friends heading over to paradise as well, so I won’t be short of company.

But I thought I should warn you this time. Last year when I went on holidays, (to the U.S., last July) I fully intended to Blog every day about stuff, but then found it all too much. Every day I would chastise myself for being slack and every day I would vow to tap something out, but time slipped by and it never happened. Eventually I just gave up. Happily, I must add. I mean, why take a holiday, really, if you’re not going to have a rest? And I did write two summary travel Blogs once I got home.

The problem is, I really do love writing, so I may WANT to Blog. Or not. Which is why I’m saying – there may be a BIG gap between entries – but I’m just not going to commit to anything. At least this time you’ll know why.

Given the crew I’ll be hanging out with, no doubt there will be plenty of stories to tell and I always enjoy sharing travel tips, so let’s see.

Me wearing a neck brace

Me wearing a neck brace

 

At least one piece of travelling advice from our last trip has been taken on board by our son, Tom. He saw how much I benefitted last year from taking a neck brace on planes when travelling long haul economy. It’s the BEST way to keep the head stable and be able to nod off and have a solid nap without waking, feeling like your first stop off the plane has to be at the chiropractors. They really are SO much more effective than those useless travel pillows sold at airports. And they’re only about $10-$15 each. So now Tom and I will be sporting matching neck braces for the journey!

 

Don’t worry, I won’t wear it by the beach. The sand’s a good enough cushion for me when lying horizontal. And if you’re wondering about the weird colours with that pic above, it’s because I finally found a solution to publishing crap photos of myself. Edit the bejeezus out of it with colour distortion and it hides a multitude of sins. Perfect.

Now, if only I could do that to my body when I’m on the beach…

Farewell for now. Bali, here we come!

Bali sunset

Bali sunset

 

Searching for Skin Care’s Holy Grail by Carolyn Palliardi

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Fourteen years ago while breastfeeding my son I witnessed what I thought was a miracle. Well, yes, my son was a miracle but that is another story for another time.

In the early days when he couldn’t control his arms, he’d often scratch himself on his face –   his tiny, perfect nails leaving teeny, weeny scratches. By the next breast-feed this barely obvious wound would be completely gone, like it had never happened!

Emmanuel

Emmanuel

If I hadn’t been so absorbed in his every waking moment, I may have blinked and missed it. I remember thinking to myself, ‘If you could bottle what was in breast milk you would have the holly grail of face creams.’

Today, I’m still as passionate about discovering all things new and wonderful, as I was when I was the long-standing beauty editor of Victoria’s biggest selling newspaper and its’ colour magazine.

So while researching for my new grooming products business, I’d often be distracted by a link or site, which would lead me to the most amazing places. Six months ago a new product was being promoted through some American doctor’s vitamin newsletter. I clicked, followed the link and couldn’t believe my eyes.

theCream

theCream

 

I swear I have finally stumbled upon the Holly Grail of skin creams. A cream made with colostrum simply called theCream.

For those of you that don’t know, Colostrum is the first secretion from the mammary glands after giving birth, known as foremilk and it is very rich in antibodies. The literature and studies on it’s miraculous benefits are endless and worth a read when you get the chance. The list of ailments it’s said to cure is even too long for this short blog.

 

 

Now the company that makes theCream gets its colostrum from New Zealand cows. In fact, the creator Denie Hiestand was once a successful New Zealand dairy farmer.

It is said that bovine colostrum is the universal donor and New Zealand grass-fed bovine colostrum is recognized as even more powerful than human colostrum.

I always knew I could perform miracles...

I always knew I could perform miracles…

One of the great things they say on the company literature is that they don’t have to kill or hurt any cows to obtain it. It is produced every year voluntarily after calving by happy New Zealand cows. It the ultimate renewable health resource.

I love this quote on their advertising as it resonates with my beliefs. ‘We use “quantum physics” and energy field concepts to create the most bio-active, natural beauty cream. We don’t use water as a base. Everything is built around Colostrum as the main active ingredient.” In fact 75 percent of the cream is pure colostrum and the rest is natural. See the list of ingredients below:

  • Coconut/Palm
  • MSM
  • Tocotrienol Vitamin E is a long chain molecular complex from Rice Bran oil.
  • Organic Aloe Vera
  • Sea Meadow Foam Oil
  • Apricot Oil
  • Emu Oil
  • Hydrogen Peroxide
  • Hemp Seed Oil
  • Silica
  • Organic Bentonite Clay
  • Zinc Oxide
  • Colloidal Silver
  • Blueberry Seed Oil
  • Orange Peel and Vanilla Oils
theCream for men

theCream for men

 

And the good news is that theCream is not only for women. There’s a men’s version too which has a slightly different formula due to the thickness of male skin.

There are some wonderful claims on the website (no I haven’t tested them all just yet!) but I highly recommend you check them out – especially as this cream might also improve everything from your sex life to the gums in your mouth.

I’ve been using this cream for six months and I’m a convert. I love the way it feels, makes my skin look and improves my energy. I occasionally alternate it with the snail cream I bought a month ago because I couldn’t help myself as the idea of snail slime in skin cream got those journalistic desires flowing again. But that story is for my next post.

 

 

If you’d like to know more about this product, which you can buy online for $59.95 US, visit this website:

(Carolyn will be back with another guest blog in a couple of weeks. Thanks Carolyn!!)

 

 

Who will be my first Guest Blogger?

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So here comes the next phase in the life of this Blog – and I couldn’t be happier! Time to ramp things up a notch and bring you stories from Guest Bloggers – sources who are far more qualified than me about particular topics.

My first Guest Blogger, former beauty and fashion editor at the Herald Sun, Carolyn Palliardi, will be posting her first story tomorrow. And it’s (excuse the pun…couldn’t resist) a BEAUTY!! Yep, Carolyn has discovered the HOLY GRAIL of skin care creams and you’ll find out all about it tomorrow.

Co-founder 808 Dude - Carolyn Palliardi

Co-founder 808 Dude – Carolyn Palliardi

The Best Beauty Products Tried and Tested

The Best Beauty Products Tried and Tested

You may remember reading about Carolyn in a Blog I posted last week, introducing you to her new range of grooming products for teen boys – 808 Dude. Carolyn continues to work as a freelance writer and her fascination and knowledge of beauty products is endless – whereas mine is more skin-deep… She is also the co-author of the book The Best Beauty Products, Tried and Tested.

 

 

Not only will you benefit from Carolyn’s expertise, her contribution will give me more time to pursue my other writing projects – including a film script – more about which I will share with you in the near future.

Welcome Carolyn, to the team at The Official Website of Jennifer Hansen!

 

 

 

Who was the Greatest Gatsby?

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Did the weekend slip on by and you still didn’t get around to seeing THE GREAT GATSBY? If you haven’t already, this really is one movie you MUST try to see on the big screen. It’s such a visual feast, you won’t be able to savour its full aesthetic glory on a smaller screen once it disappears. While its’ success means GATSBY is likely to be on at the cinemas for a while, you don’t want to risk missing out.

Baz Luhrman's The Great Gatsby

Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby

There’s been much debate as to whether Baz Lurhmann’s latest offering is ‘all style and no substance’, or whether it’s a work of genius. I’d say it’s somewhere in-between. Largely because I’m such a huge fan of the book. Having studied it at an academic level, I’m very familiar with all the famous lines and phrases so anything short of perfect is going to be difficult to judge. Other critics roll their eyes at people like me and bemoan the fact that being old-fashioned traditionalists, we can’t truly appreciate Luhrmann’s masterpiece.

Leonardo DiCaprio

Leonardo DiCaprio

I disagree. I absolutely adore Luhrmann’s visual interpretation. The fast-sweeping camera-shots, the pace, the music, the colour and energy that bounce off the screen is infectious. The parties are so uplifting and sumptuous, you just want to dive right on in to that screen and soak it up for real.
Of course, Luhrmann’s wife and production designer of the film, Catherine Martin must take enormous credit for her vision and styling. In one word – superb.

But there were a few niggling issues for me that stood in the way of perfection. At the beginning of the movie, there’s a scene where the character Nick Carraway is pouring his heart out to a psychiatrist, played by Jack Thompson. This was not in the original book by F.Scott Fitzgerald. And for me, it does not sit well with the character of Nick, who is the only stable and reliable character in the entire story. He’s NOT the sort of person to spiral into a mental wilderness from his experience. As the book’s narrator, he is a man reflecting on the gorgeousness of Gatsby; a man who has a fond admiration and fascination for this enigmatic character who invested so much in his dream. So no, I did not believe Nick would end up wild-eyed in a shrink’s office.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan

Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan

The other annoyance was the number of times Gatsby rolls out the phrase, ‘old sport’ in the film. We KNOW Gatsby loves to use the term as a way of trying to appear up there with the upper echelons of society, but it’s over-use in the film meant I felt like saying ‘GOT IT’ every time Leonardo uttered the phrase. It took me out of the moment.

Leonardo DiCaprio is indeed charming as Gatsby and Carey Mulligan gives a fine performance as Daisy. But they’re not the first actors to take up the daunting challenge of trying to bring to life some of the literary world’s most famous characters.

The first Great Gatsby from 1926

The first Great Gatsby from 1926

 

Apparently there was a silent movie version of The Great Gatsby, made in 1926, directed by George Cukor – starring Warner Baxter and Lois Wilson.

 

The Great Gatsby starring Alan Ladd

The Great Gatsby starring Alan Ladd

 

 

Then a second film came out in 1949, starring Alan Ladd as Gatsby and Betty Field as Daisy.  Released by Paramount Pictures, this one was directed by Elliot Nugent and produced by  Richard Maibaum.

 

 

 

The 1974 version of The Great Gatsby

The 1974 version of The Great Gatsby

 

The third version, and most famous before now, starred Robert Redford and Mia Farrow. Released in 1974, that film also had its detractors but was hugely popular, even making front page of Time Magazine. At the risk of sounding old-fashioned, this is my favourite. The chemistry between Redford and Farrow is palpable – something I found a tad lacking between DiCaprio and Mulligan. Okay, yes, I confess, I am a Robert Redford tragic, so I am perhaps a little biased. But I also loved Sam Waterson playing Nick Carraway in this version. AND the script was written by Francis Ford Coppola, which speaks volumes.

 

But the 1974 Gatsby was slated for being too slow and uninspiring – something you could never say about Luhrmann’s version. Again, I repeat, despite my niggling criticisms, Luhrmann’s is a film you really must see. I am definitely going to see it again.

There were also two version of The Great Gatsby made for TV in 2000 and 2002, but they had little impact.

I suggest you see The Great Gatsby as soon as possible. Then head to the DVD store and borrow the 1974 version with Robert Redford and Mia Farrow and compare the two. Let me know what you think. Who WAS the greatest Gatsby? DiCaprio or Redford? Leo has a twinkle in the eye, but for me, Robert carries the cool charisma essential to the character that IS Gatsby, to another level.

Robert Redford

Robert Redford

 

 

 

Why Mal Brough Still Needs to Stand Down

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It’s all a bit sad, really, when you look at the state of politics in Australia right now. A re-hashed sexist joke on a menu is making headlines around the world, and our politicians have become a laughing stock. Whichever story you believe – and there’s a dizzying amount of side-stepping and reversing on facts about MENU-GATE – the simple fact remains – that Liberal National Party candidate Mal Brough should step down.

Liberal National Party candidate Mal Brough

Liberal National Party candidate Mal Brough

Regardless of whether the Julia Gillard MENU MONSTROSITY was actually on tables on the night of a fundraiser for Mal Brough, or not – the shameful fact is, that the rest of the world believes it was.

Just check online and you’ll see. It’s all over The Guardian and the BBC in the UK, The Huffington Post in the US, The India Times and in Canada. Makes you proud to be Australian, doesn’t it?

The 'alleged' fundraiser menu

The ‘alleged’ fundraiser menu

Just in case you haven’t read about it by now, the menu designed for this Liberal National Party fundraiser listed one dish as  “Julia Gillard Kentucky Fried Quail Small Breasts, Huge Thighs, and a Big Red Box”. Hilary Clinton copped a similarly crude Kentucky joke back in 1993 – except hers also included a line about taxes. It’s downright revolting.

 

The big question for me is why was Mal Brough apologising for the menu yesterday morning – denouncing it as ‘offensive and inappropriate’ – but then took another TEN hours to bring the restaurant owner into the scandal to claim the menu was never distributed on the night? Why didn’t Mal say that in the first place? The public can’t help but help question his credibility when such a time difference smacks of slamming the gate shut after the chicken has flown the coop? What kind of representative of the people will he be if he can’t manage a crisis and stop a tsunami of global outrage?

It was also the words he used to describe the ‘incident’ that were offensive. That the person who wrote the menu thought it was ‘humorous’ and ‘didn’t mean any harm by it’ massively downplays the seriousness of the offence. It shows support for the ‘Boys Club’ mentality, where it’s just considered a bit of fun and a joke to denigrate women and their body parts. Guys, really? Yes, we have breasts and vaginas and you have penises and back-hair, but can we stop laughing about it, get dressed, grow a brain and get back to work?

Regardless of your political persuasion, it should also be regarded as highly offensive to insult the head of our country – OUR PRIME MINISTER – in such a disgusting and sexist manner.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard

Prime Minister Julia Gillard

The Prime Minister says the Opposition should dump Mr Brough as the candidate for the Queensland seat of Fisher, over what she describes as a ‘grossly sexist and offensive’ fundraising menu. I’m not sure whether she’ll change her tune after hearing the restaurateur’s side of the story, but again, he spoke up just a little too late. Let’s get with the program guys – we all understand social networking, don’t we?

Even if the restaurateur’s story is true, many voters won’t buy it. To prove otherwise, Mal needs to hold a media conference with all guests who attended the function, swearing under oath that the menus were never sighted. And that will never happen. So Mal Brough, whether he likes it or not, has just served Labor a gold-coated ten-metre high croquembouche on a giant platter.

Christ, even former prime minister Kevin Rudd, for once, is publicly standing by his leader. At last, a small show of unity and respect, although no doubt the on-going and damaging rumours about a threat to Ms Gillard’s leadership will continue.

Like Mr Rudd, I’m highly sceptical of Mr Brough’s ignorance. ‘He knew what he was doing, he got sprung, he got found out, and now he’s trying to run a million miles away,’ said Kev.

What’s even more surprising is that Tony Abbott is standing by his man. He’s condemned the menu but says it shouldn’t cast any doubt on Mr Brough’s preselection for Fisher. REALLY? Really, Tony?

Liberal National Party candidate Mal Brough

Liberal National Party candidate Mal Brough

C’mon… Surely Tony must want to kick Mr Brough’s posterior from here to the furthest soup kitchen in Kentucky? His handling of the affair just gave Ms Gillard more ammunition to let the world know (again) what a sexist party Mr Abbott is leading. She described the menu debacle as following a ‘pattern’ from the Liberal Party.

‘Mr Abbott’s solution to this pattern of behaviour is not to show any leadership. I mean, he’s effectively stood by Mr Brough,’ she said.

There’s been strong condemnation of Joel Madden being busted with five grams of marijuana in his hotel. Not smart, but at least he had the decency to keep his misdemeanours behind closed doors.

Now there’s a scary thought. What would the cops find if they raided Mal’s place? I’m not suggesting a drugs scandal, but they might just uncover an ancient box set of ‘The Benny Hill Show’ lying next to the ‘Dummies Guide to Politics’.