Unconventional neurosurgeon a hero to patients

DR CHARLES TEO is unlikely to settle into the establishment just because he is a Member of the Order of Australia.

The Sydney neurosurgeon was operating in France last week with a broken rib from skiing. At home he is grounded after losing his driver's licence while drag-racing another motorbike rider.

''I would hate to be thought of as a saint,'' said Teo, 53, who does not fit the mould of his conservative profession but is internationally renowned for his clinical and teaching skills.
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''This is an absolutely great honour, '' he said, ''but I don't want it to be interpreted that I can now sit on my laurels.

''I would like to dedicate it to the people I haven't been able to save - the poor people, and there are hundreds every year, who die from brain cancer and the people who are left with the burden of their deaths.''

Teo - Charlie, even to his patients - is a pioneer of minimally invasive techniques that reduce trauma, and operates on many ''inoperable'' brain tumours. Born and educated in Sydney, he spent a decade in the US and on his return set up the Centre for Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery at Prince of Wales Private Hospital.

Father to four girls with his wife, Genevieve, he spends much of the year teaching and operating around the world. He is the founder of the Cure for Life Foundation, which supports research into causes and treatments for brain cancer.

Teo's outspoken confidence has brought criticism from some peers, who complain that he gives ''false hope'' to those with terminal cancer. Yet he is a hero to thousands of patients.

''The thing I am most proud of is,'' he said, ''is that I have not accepted neurosurgical dogma. Through tenacity and an overwhelming desire to improve the lives of my patients I've pushed the envelope.''

The ''strides'' forward in his often heartbreaking field include a survival time for patients diagnosed with brain cancer that has improved from one year to two since 2003.

Teo gives credit to the team of doctors, nurses and assistants ''who make me look good'' and to his critics. ''I had to take the high road because it was the only thing that would save me.''

While grateful for his award, he is almost as excited about a lunch next month with the members of Abba, whose music often accompanies his surgery.

Susan Wyndham is the author of Life in His Hands, a book about Charles Teo.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/unconventional-neurosurgeon-a-hero-to-patients-20110125-1a4bm.html#ixzz1K4HZyLM1

Bullies - by Youcake Productions feat. Maria Tran

澳洲华人在澳洲媒体的形象

I don't actually understand cantonese but if you do, please let me know what they're saying, in the comments section.

Chinese in Australian Politics politicians forum

Chinese in Australian Politics politicians forum Sydney 8 Sept 2010 from Andrew Jakubowicz on Vimeo.

Asian models change face of fashion

Jessica Gomes

 A NEW group of Asian models from Japan, Taiwan, China and South Korea are redefining the face of international fashion.

They are not yet household names, but they are sharing international runways and starring in lucrative advertising campaigns alongside the world's highest-paid beauties.

Chinese model Liu Wen is the most successful of the group. From Beijing, Wen's trajectory started on the pages of the Chinese editions of Vogue and Harper's Bazaar. In 2008 she made her first appearance in Paris on the catwalk for Jean Paul Gaultier and Chanel. Recently, Estee Lauder signed her as a new face and she is the 10th-highest-paid model in the world.
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The Taiwanese actor-turned-model Godfrey Tsao is the latest to join this crop of mainly female models. Taller than most of his countrymen at 1.85 metres, Tsao has become the first Asian male to star in a menswear advertising campaign for the French fashion house Louis Vuitton.

Stephen Lee from New York's NEXT Model Management, which represents the Chinese model Shu Pei Qin, who is the world-wide face of Maybelline cosmetics, believes this is not a fleeting trend.

''There's been a very significant rise and demand towards the Asian look in the last five years, specifically from the Chinese market with its burgeoning economy and accessibility to a huge population. I do believe it's now an established market that will only grow as high-end products become even more accessible to the Asian population,'' Lee said.

In Australia, the Eurasian models Rachel Rutt and Jessica Gomes are redefining the sun-kissed blue-eyed blonde stereotype. Rutt is of Singaporean and British heritage and grew up in Japan before moving to Australia in 2005. The Sydney-based model has featured in campaigns for Sportsgirl, Saba, General Pants and on the pages of Marie Claire, Grazia and in Vogue Italia. Gomes was born in Perth of Singaporean and Portuguese heritage. Now based in New York, she has worked with DKNY and was the face of the Sean Combs Unforgivable fragrance.

Kathy Ward from Sydney's Chic Management, which represents Rutt and Gomes, does not like to label the pair. She puts their success down to the fact that they stand out in the crowd. ''They are both definitely in demand. Jessica has a busy schedule internationally and a huge following in South Korea and Rachel has the look of the moment. She's in high-demand for mainstream fashion media, advertising at Australian Fashion Week.''

Asian models have found success in the past - the 1980s model Tina Chow being one of the most famous - but ethnic diversity has long been a fraught topic within the fashion industry. The face of fashion is a homogeneous one, with those blessed with long thin white limbs dominating the pages of international fashion magazines. Beauties from eastern Europe, America and Britain are traditionally the highest paid models in the world. The top five female models today hail from Poland, Denmark, Netherlands, Russia and Australia (Melbourne's Abbey-Lee Kershaw). The debate, however, has mainly focused on the representation of black models. Naomi Campbell is an outspoken campaigner on the issue and in 2009 caused controversy when she told Glamour magazine that the fashion industry was racist. ''You know, the American president may be black, but as a black woman, I am still an exception in this business. I always have to work harder to be treated equally,'' Campbell said.

A Lanvin designer, Alber Elbaz, recently said he did not see colour when he was casting his catwalk crew. ''I use blonde, brunette, redhead, black and Asian models - I never do it to be politically correct.''

Elbaz may be speaking the truth or pulling expensive wool over our eyes. Not one luxury fashion house could deny that its bread is now buttered in Asia.

The bag Tsao is modelling, right, is called the Elvis but it is not only nostalgic Americans whom Louis Vuitton is hoping to draw into the store.

Both Louis Vuitton and Gucci have grown exponentially in China during the past five years. Gucci opened its first store inside the Peninsula Hotel in 1997 and now there are over 25 boutiques in 16 cities. Louis Vuitton first set up shop at the Peninsula Hotel in 1992 and now operates over 20 boutiques across China.

According to a TNS Retail Forward study Strategic Focus: China's Retail Landscape by 2015 China is expected to have passed the US and equalled Japan as the world's biggest market for luxury goods.''Everybody in the fashion/beauty industry recognises the importance of global markets, and currently China, Taiwan and South Korea are at the forefront,'' the make-up artist Dick Page told American Vogue last year in a story dedicated to Asian beauties.

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Thrown into the deep end, teenager's fears turn to smiles

KENNETH TO cannot remember all the details of his first day in the pool but he is certain he did not like it.
Born in Hong Kong, the Ashbury teenager - who made two finals at the world short course titles in Dubai this month - came from a family who could not swim and was scared of the water. ''My first real lesson was at Ashfield public pool with my older sister when I was about five years old,'' he said.

''I really didn't like the feeling of being in the water when I started so mum and dad got me into swimming lessons to conquer that fear.'' Despite his parents being non-swimmers, Kenneth, 18, said they had made his safety a priority.

It was after completing a swimming program in year 3 at Haberfield Public School that Kenneth's skills really started to develop. He is now considered a likely prospect for the London Olympics in 2012.

''If you're born in Australia or grow up in Australia, swimming is built into the culture, but trying to get people from other cultures to learn to swim is important, especially people from Middle Eastern or Asian backgrounds who don't really have pools or access to water,'' he said.

''I'm pretty sure all parents always want their kids to be safe, especially around pools and beaches in Australia. It is a vital life skill that every kid has to have from when you're young.''

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Little Sparrows Wins DigiSPAA Award

 Camille Chen's debut feature film Little Sparrows has won the SPAARTAN Award in the 2010 DigiSPAA feature film competition, part of the Screen Producers Association of Australia's (SPAA) annual conference.

Little Sparrows traces the emotional journey of three sisters (played by Nina Deasley, Melanie Munt and Arielle Gray) whose mother Susan (Nicola Bartlett) is dying of breast cancer. As the women gather to celebrate what will be their last Christmas with their mother, the film explores and reflects upon the individual journeys of the three sisters, the decisions they've made and their family relationships.

The film was shot on location in Chen's home state of Western Australia in December 2009. The world premiere of the film took place at the Sydney Film Festival in June this year and it also recently screened as part of the 5^th International Rome Film Festival.

DigiSPAA is a celebration of the use of digital media technologies in filmmaking. When asked to describe how digital technology influenced the production process of Little Sparrows, Chen says that the use of this technology provided her with "a different kind of creative freedom and versatility," allowing her to be "as unobtrusive as possible and almost pseudo-documentary in style" whilst remaining "drama-focused."

Chen describes the reception of the film both within and outside Australia as "overwhelming and positive. Whichever city we screen the film I constantly become amazed how people come to understand the film, particularly women."

When asked about the production process behind Little Sparrows, Chen says that one of her goals as director was to "inspire people to give the best in themselves. The energy we were able to experience during the shoot translates on the screen so well."

Chen goes on to describe the most rewarding aspect of the filmmaking process as the "fact that we self-funded the film which allowed us so much creative control", going on to say that the "beauty of independent filmmaking is the responsibility you have to yourself."

Little Sparrows has secured an international distribution deal with Paris-based international sales agent Urban Media International. An Australian release is still to be confirmed.

For more information on Camille Chen and Little Sparrows, click here.

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