Yadda Yadda Yadda

Yes, I succumbed and am reading the Twilight series. It certainly is trashy, but enjoyable enough. I'm enjoying the trashy novels! Yes, I am hanging my head in shame... They are nothing super awesome, but worth a read. They are very quick reads, easy to get through fast.

It was that time of year again! Australia Day always marks the best day of radio for the year. Triple J's Hottest 100 song countdown! This year all 10 of the songs I voted for made the countdown! Whoo! These are the ones I voted for and where they came in on the countdown.

#100 - Dukes of Windsor - It's a War
#87 - Jack White & Alicia Keys - Another Way To Die
#45 - Muscles - Ice Cream {triple j live acoustic version}
#43 - Laura Marling - Ghosts
#36 - Death Cab For Cutie - I Will Possess Your Heart
#27 - Josh Pyke - The Lighthouse Song
#23 - The Living End - White Noise
#15 - Cut Copy - Lights and Music
#8 - The Presets - This Boy's In Love
#1 - Kings of Leon - Sex on Fire

I managed to get 1 & 100! There were lots of other awesome bands that made the countdown I didn't vote for like Birds of Tokyo, The Grates, Flight of the Conchords, The Killers, Cold War Kids, Faker, Lily Allen, Band of Horses and many many more! You can check out the list for yourself here. Just click on the link that says 'Launch HTML Countdown'.

A short film done by a guy I taught back in '04 when he was in year 11.

I got to meet an internet friend a couple of weeks ago. I love that. I think the internet should be a supplement for life, not a replacement for it. I've been chatting to this woman from Brisbane on Facebook called Rosemarie and she came down to Melbourne a couple of weeks ago so we caught up for a drink. She's been chatting to Lachy too, so the three of us all caught up. Lachy, Rosemarie & I met at a bar on Chapel St and had a ball together! Lots of fun!
Unfortunately she was here under bad circumstances. Her sister had died and she was here for the funeral.
You know how when you first meet people it can be awkward? You exchange the usual questions and find you run out of things to say coz you don't really know each other. This wasn't like that at all. It was fantastic! It felt so comfortable and conversation really flowed. It was like we'd all been friends for ages. I love that!
Here are some photos from our catch up:

Yet more photos a comin'! I had a great Christmas with the family and a great new years with the friends. Lots of fun! Some of these photos are from a Christmas party, some are from new years down the beach.

Well it's that time of year again! My friends & I always head down to Philip Island for new years. I'm off tomorrow for 4 days. Should be lots of fun! We're staying in a workmate's house right on the beach! Whoo!!! See ya all next year! I hope you all have a wonderful new year filled with all the good stuff!
Always look on the bright side of life.

Food for thought:
The internet should supplement life, not be a replacement for it.

Well it's that time of year again. Trees, mistletoe, presents, lights and carols. Although I don't know anyone who has ever hung mistletoe... I'm singing in the Carols by Candlelight choir again this year. Lots of fun! We've been rehearsing each Saturday morning for a while now. I'm not so keen on Saturday morning practices I must say... But it's been fun getting into the Christmas spirit. And now we have rehearsals every night this week leading up to it with the orchestra and soloists. I enjoy singing in the choir, but it's also fun watching some of the people take the choir waaaaay too seriously! We matter, sure, but we are the least important part of the night and some people have no sense of perspective! Mostly those who've been doing it for 15 - 20 years. I swear the sopranos think the higher the note you can sing, the better a person you are. Hilarious! So anyway, Christmas Eve is the night if you want to watch us on tv. Live on channel 9 from 8pm. I think it's repeated at lunchtime on Christmas day too.

Richard's memorial night on Sunday was truly amazing. It was a wonderful night of people getting together to celebrate Richard both as a person and as a professional. It wasn't cheap, nasty, or downright boring. There were lots of tears and lots of laughter. We started off just having some drinks, then there were lots of speeches interspersed with clips of Richard's radio and tv work. He truly was a talented man! Not a bastard, adrift in a blizzard of cocaine. I've never laughed so much at a memorial before! It was dizzy stuff folks! Then we went back to mingling and listening to some of Rich's favourite music. Although I didn't hear one semi by the sea, not did I hear about the rains in Africa. I got to meet so many amazing people and share in wonderful stories of Richard. Everyone was not just lovely about Richard, but also lovely to each other. It was beautiful. There was so much love in that room. Awwww how good is this?! After all is said and done, Richard was one of the best. He will be truly missed.

You may take my license, but you'll never take, MY TEQUILA!


Richard at the save Get This rally last year


Richard & I at the Get This final party last year


Lachy Hulme & I at Richard's memorial night

Here is a great article that came out in an Adelaide newspaper on Friday.


RADIO star Richard Marsland's final phone call to his mum in Adelaide ended the way it always did: with an "I'm fine mum", and "I love ya, I love ya, I love ya".

But the wide-smiled "comedic genius" – dubbed the "nicest guy in radio" – was hiding a pain far deeper than his devoted mum could imagine.

IT was nine days ago and Richard had finished his last breakfast show of the year alongside hosts Pete Helliarc and Myf Warhurst on Melbourne's Triple M.

The talented broadcaster, known for his infectious laugh and witty one-liners, was meant to have dinner with former colleague Tony Martin and friends at a pub, but he never showed.

About 8.30pm he phoned his mum Alisson and they had a regular mother-son conversation, with Richard intent on finding out the family's plans the following day.

She secretly hoped the questions related to his penchant for surprise visits home to Adelaide. Instead, it was a final phone call home hours before Richard made a lonely drive to Shiprock Falls in Victoria's Dandenong Ranges where he was found dead on Saturday morning.

His grieving family spoke to the Sunday Mail this week, telling of his tragic battle with depression.

They hope it will help others recognise the warning signs and get help before it is too late. But most of all they wanted to celebrate the life of a comedian, writer, and radio host, whose achievements included writing for TV shows Rove Live, The Glass House and Newstopia.

And they want people to remember him for his kindness and love of making people laugh. Mrs Marsland and her husband Peter, of Gawler River, said their son had suffered depression and attempted suicide about 10 years ago but few people knew.

Even his closest colleagues were unaware what his sunny facade masked, with one describing him as like a "Berocca" on the breakfast shift. He recovered after extensive counselling and had been "happy and in control" ever since.

But professional and personal difficulties this year, including a relationship break-up, wore down his coping mechanisms.

He relapsed and reached his lowest ebb in October, telling his parents he felt "lonely and alone". His anguished mother said she had felt "very scared for him". She said he was concerned about what his future held in 2009 and talked about going on holidays for a while.

They flew to his home in Melbourne to support him, but, never wanting to worry his family, Richard gave no indication of just how low he'd sunk. At the Gawler River home where he lived for 14 years, his mum and dad both tearfully said if they had realised the true extent of his pain she would have "taken him away" and kept a constant eye on him.

"He never would have wanted to hurt anyone," Mr Marsland said this week.

"This was not an act of selfishness on his behalf, rather a loss to his recurring battle with depression. This was a way for Richard to get release from his pain and nothing else."

Mrs Marsland said the torment they were now going through was indescribable.

She urged anyone suffering depression to seek help.

"It's a mother's worst nightmare," Mrs Marsland wept.

"If someone is contemplating doing this, they should have spent the last three days with me, or the next three days. Everyone has somebody who loves them, if they are suffering depression or any sort of suicidal tendancies they need to know just how precious they are.

"There is always help if they just pick up that phone."

Even in the depths of their grief, Richard still had his family laughing.

Like the time he was asked to write about his life in Year 2, and duped his shocked teacher by his fanciful tale of being adopted in New York.

Or how, in his early days on community radio, he accidentally sent a series of expletives across the airwaves in Adelaide's northern suburbs.

While listeners would remember him for his SAFM characters Tripper and Thorpy, two druggie teenagers from Redwood Park, these are the quintessential "Richard" moments his family treasures.

Mr Marsland remembers a man who was not embarrassed to kiss and hug his dad, and went to ante-natal classes with his mum as a teen.

"He was beautiful, loving, caring, talented, very sensitive, a gentleman and a gentle man," he said. "He was unbelievably apologetic, he was nicknamed "Mr Sorry".

He never wanted to offend anyone. Like he would apologise to the cleaning lady at SAFM for being in the way."

But he rued the fact his son was never given enough credit for his immense talent, and described him as like a "ventriloquist" – always making other people look good.

Despite effectively being a third host in some of his radio ventures, he was never officially recognised.

Triple M said after his death his role was to be expanded on the Pete & Myf show next year, but friends said had been told it would be cut back.

Good friend Ben McEachean, who studied journalism with Richard at UniSA, believed he never truly knew how good he was.

The film journalist recalls his friend sneaking off to Melbourne in uni days to perform stand-up comedy, but never telling anyone.

"I know he never recognised what other people saw in him, despite the successes he had, which were many and great," McEachean said.

"He was the funniest person I knew. . . but he had a low opinion of himself."

Facebook groups set up to honour and pay tribute to the music-loving radio personality have been flooded with messages of sadness, disbelief and thanks.

In an interview earlier this year, Helliar praised Richard as far better than "your typical anchor".

"Eventually, I'd like the show to be called Pete, Myf & Rich," Helliar said.

"He writes these amazing sketches that are cerebral yet accessible.

"But even after he delivers an absolute zinger, he'll take off his headphones and go, `Was that OK?'."

Marsland admitted to taping audience laughter from the first gag he wrote for Rove McManus, and comparing it to the laughter from the show's other jokes. He oozed talent from a young age, whether it was his creative writing, scrawling impressive cartoons aged 10, or making kooky movies as a teen. Sister Tammy laughs that he also wanted to be a clown – "and in a way, he was".

Richard lived at home until he was 28, and the special bond with his family was the subject of many Mail Men columns penned for the Sunday Mail.

He also wrote of his affection and admiration for his sisters Bonnie, 19, and Tammy, 35, describing himself as like "a mad magazine between two ornate bookends".

The former Christian Brothers College student with an encylopedic knowledge of pop culture got his start at community station PBA FM aged 16, then later cut his teeth on commercial radio at SAFM. It was there he dreamed up promotions like The Fugitive and joined breakfast crews on air, including Amanda Blair and James Brayshaw. He was later also a co-host on Channel 7's morning program AM Adelaide. His comedic talent would eventually become sought after by some of radio and TV's finest in Melbourne.

The highlight of his career was working with his hero Tony Martin and Ed Kavalee on the national Get This radio comedy show on Triple M.

Originally recruited as an anchor – announcing the time, cutting to the news – he became an unofficial co-host after his talents were realised.

Blair broke down this week as she spoke of how much she will miss one of her closest friends.

"From my experience, there is a darkness with any comedian, it's part of what makes them so good," she said.

"We all just want to remember him for the great person he was; warm, loving, generous, kind, funny, insightful and sensitive."

His funeral will be held later this week.

We lost a great man yesterday. Truly one of the nicest people I have ever met, and one of the most talented. He was brilliant at what he did and was loved by everyone who knew him, and even lots of people that had never met him. The world is poorer for losing you Richard Marsland. Rest in peace.

More photos of late

Today I went shopping for bridesmaid dresses with Naomi! So much fun! I'm her maid of honour in June next year. How exciting! I love trying on dresses!

Today is my Goddaughter's 2nd birthday! She's such a big girl now! I spent the day with Naomi (her mum and my friend) and Yuna. How fun! Now for some cute photos! Part of the present I got her was that blue and green dress. I also got her a massive monkey soft toy that looks very anime.