Author: Toni

A digital content consumer with a love for social media. Also a self-confessed geek, doggies fan, Harry Potter fan, and a tourist in her own city.

A thank you letter to JK Rowling

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Dear Joanne Rowling,

Thank you for writing Harry Potter. I know you have probably heard this a million times since that legendary first book was published back in 1997, and truth be told I didn’t start reading the books until a few years later, but your books brought back my love of reading as an adult. After I graduated from uni and started working, I had not read anything that was a real page-turner since high school, until I read Harry Potter.

I love underdog stories. I am drawn to stories where the catalyst is an ordinary person, who is destined for greater things, and that’s what made me fall in love with the books. Growing up in Australia with Italian born parents brought with it lots of advantages – there was always an abundance of food, Easter and Christmas lunches would match that of the Great Hall at Hogwarts – but it also meant that I was very different to the majority of my friends – the food I brought to school was different, the cultural values were different and the rules that governed the household was different. Seeing Harry’s humility and desire to be just like everyone else is something that resonated with me, and seeing the importance of having accepting friends was something that I was lucky enough to have growing up – just like Harry.

Thank you for writing characters that we can all identify with – we all have a bit of ‘Neville Longbottom’ in us, Hermione’s strength and determination (making it acceptable to be the ‘smart girl’) and Ron’s jokes.

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Thank you for giving an adult a reason to dress in witches robes on Halloween.

Thank you for your input into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, which I am embarrassed to admit brought tears to my eyes when I first saw the turrets of Hogwarts Castle. I love butterbeer.

Thank you for making reading a past-time again.

Yours sincerely,

Toni C.

Ravenclaw.

Why Uluru is the heart of Australia

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Uluru

Uluru is more than a rock in the red centre of Australia.  It is the country’s spiritual heart. Believed to be more than 700 million years old, it holds a powerful presence, that has to be seen to be believed – it was not until I jumped off the tour bus to bask in its giant shadow that I realised the true meaning of this. I felt an instant connection with this land, despite being first generation Australian born of Italian born parents, it is almost like Uluru has a maternal energy, one that holds on to you long after you leave and makes you feel like you are part of its long history, whatever your own origins.

Uluru represents many things to many Australians. The indigenous Australians believe the rock is a sacred place, much like a church, where for millions of years tribes gather to perform rituals even to today. Climbing Uluru is possible but discouraged for this reason. They believe the rock was formed during Dreamtime, and ancient carvings and paintings adorn the side of the rock, telling stories from more than 10,000 years ago.

Uluru

My favourite experience at Uluru and what I believe is must-do is the Sounds of Silence dinner. Imagine eating canapés as the sun sets over the majestic Rock, and then walking along a walkway which expands to reveal your dining room for the night – a large open plain on the red desert, decked out with tables with white cloths – under the stars. Nothing can prepare you for what happens after your three course dinner – a buffet of Aussie delicacies including crocodile and kangaroo –  your waiter blows out the candles that adorn each table and all of a sudden you are sitting in the desert, in the shadow of Uluru – with only the star light overhead. An astronomer then explains the many constellations complete with telescope for those that wish to see Saturn or other visible planets. A breathtaking and unique experience for every traveller.
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Located in the Northern Territory, getting to Uluru is easy. Direct flights to Uluru operates from major cities around Australia – and the Ayers Rock Resort, holds a range of accommodation options, with free airport transfers from a camping ground  to deluxe hotels. Activities around the resort include a Guided walk around the gardens with Indigenous guide through to frequent sunrise, sunset and day tours to Uluru.

So don’t delay – the spiritual centre of Australia awaits.

Why the Kardashians have more business sense than you think

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They are the family at the centre of more Entertainment news than the Royal family. In fact, they are the Royals of Hollywood – or to be specific, Calabasas, California. And they built their empire through a series of business savvy, strategic business decisions and controlled news streams. But how exactly did they do it and do they deserve more credit?

Here are 4 reasons why the Calabasas family are so darn media smart.

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Source: http://girlshideout.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/kardashians.jpg

  1. Controlled news messages

Each time there is a proposal, wedding announcement, new baby or even a new business venture, the news is broadcasted via one of their now numerous businesses – their TV show Keeping up with the Kardashians which is in its 11th season, their clothing lines or their individual social media accounts. They give themselves the scoop, before it hits mainstream news. Fans, media and the public are kept on tenterhooks until the news is released on their own channels. Last month the Kardashians released a series of individual mobile apps, one for each sibling, each designed and tailored with content and branded individually to each Kardashian girl. How was the app launch announced and promoted? Via the TV show and individual accounts, all cleverly cross promoted.

2. Diversifying

Khloe just announced her own TV talk show, Kocktails with Khloe. Kourtney, Khloe and Kim launched their Dash stores years ago, the youngest girls – Kendall and Kylie have their own fashion label with Forever New and Kim nearly broke the App store when she announced Kimoji – her own Emoji icons. They are involved in multiple show spin offs – Kourtney and Khloe take Miami and I am Cait with Caitlin Jenner, there are the nightclub appearances and Kim even has her own App game.

kardashian-app-launchSource: http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/kardashian-jenner-family-divided-after-6458532

3. Innovation

This year each Kardashian female released their own digital news hub, with regular tailored subscription content.

4. We can relate

No matter how rich they are, we can all relate to that sibling rivalry, sisterly fights, being embarrassed by your parents and even setting each other up on dates or simply telling each other when they are being losers.

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Source: http://giphy.com/search/keeping-up-with-the-kardashian

They have built a $65million brand empire on a business model that no one else has yet mastered, as much as they are mocked by the high-brow of society, the Kardashians have shown that they have more business sense than people give them credit for. And they did it their way – the K Way.