About BNE: HOT OR NOT

We get out and about with our notebooks and digital cameras in hand, giving our honest opinions about all that’s good, bad and ugly in Brisbane using a simple criteria – HOT or NOT.

This blog is all about being decisive and honest – there’s no fence-sitting here! It’s also a reflection of our lives and interests, hence sometimes there will be time lags in posts and you won’t get as many NOTs as HOTs because we don’t make time for events and places we suspect will be dodgy.

In general all reviews are conducted anonymously and at our own cost (or the expense account if we’re lucky). If that’s not the case we will indicate in the post. Come and meet the team!

About Jetsetting Joyce (Editor)

I’m a 30 year old Chinese-Australian girl living in inner-city Melbourne. So why am I writing about Brisbane? Because I spent most of my childhood and young adult life in the Sunshine State, and I visit my family and friends regularly and still keep in touch with what’s HOT and NOT in Brisbane.

I’m an intellectual property, IT and media lawyer by training, so in a way you could say I’m a professional writer and critic!

Things I like: eating cakes, Brancusi, refillable water bottles, cycling, fresh flowers, France, colourful scarves, Laduree macarons, strapless dresses, picnics, discount vouchers, Belgian chocolate, Anthony Gormley and yoga.

You can also check out my reviews on what’s HOT or NOT in Melbourne at MEL: HOT OR NOT – The decisive guide to Melbourne and London at LDN: HOT OR NOT – The decisive guide to London.

About CazM

I’m a 30 year old IT Sales Professional with background in Exercise Physiology.  More than a decade has passed since I finished school and I wonder daily what I’ll do when I grow up.  Currently I’m embarking on a joint real estate purchase with my other half MM (Meta Matt), who is lucky enough to have me as his newly appointed fiancee.  We’re going to test the boundaries by renovating in three months, organising our wedding in four months, showing up to our full time jobs and still maintaining our passion for socialising.  Add to that my enthusiasm for writing about what’s HOT or NOT around my home town Brisbane and I think the picture’s pretty complete.

Lucky for me, I get paid to talk to people and I have an expense account, which means every day I get out from behind my desk to sample the culinary delights around the city.  In my industry, business is often done over a beer or two, so there’s no shortage of trips to bars and cafes to chase the perfect amber ale.  Outside business hours, a lot of my time is spent pounding the pavement on foot or by bike, enjoying the scenery that this great city has to offer.

About Brek

We’re one of those annoying couples that do everything together. Metaphorically joined at the hip, over time our opinions, like our name (Bek and Brett), have merged to become one. We’ll be sharing our blogging duties, so you’ll never know which one of us is making all the spelling mistakes.

When we separate for our day jobs, we are an engineer and a lawyer. We like to think we have eclectic tastes and are willing to try anything. We’ve done a fair bit of travelling, and lived away from our home town for a few years, mostly in Cambodia and London. On returning, we were pleased to discover that Brisbane is growing up and becoming more culturally mature. We’re looking forward to sharing our experiences and our opinions with you.

About Yalin

Who am I? Born and bred in Istanbul, Turkey, matured (mostly) in the US, and now living in London. As your London film correspondent, I get around with an iPhone in one hand and a microphone or video camera on the other and see a LOT of movies.  That’s because I’m a movie buff who used to write long term papers during university on the characters or themes found in French New Wave cinema of the 60s.  Since graduation, I’ve felt the itch to keep writing so now I review films regularly when I’m not reading about screen writing, directing, cinematography or the use of cinema as a subversive art form.  If you want to comment on any of the films I’ve reviewed, feel free to contact me – I love discussing films.

About CC

I’m an ex-Aussie who now calls East London home. Skinny jeans aficionado, mosh pit veteran, classical pianist now electric guitarist and Glastonbury veteran, my day job is as a consultant but my passion is hitting the gig scene in London and reading NME from cover to cover. My motto is ‘with great musical wisdom, comes great musical responsibility’ and I’ll be bringing you news of upcoming HOT gigs in Brisbane.  I hope you like my picks!

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Come and say hello to the team at  joyce@bnehotornot.com. We’d love to hear your comments, feedback and suggestions and we’re very good at responding!