February Notes From The Editor — To New Beginnings

I reckon it’s time we met. People are usually surprised to know that online publications such as Hype & Stuff have a team of writers, and an editor to steer the daily editorial content direction. Who could blame them, especially when sites such as this are often seen as little more than entertainment fodder or an aggregate news site of all things cute and novel? In some ways, they’re not wrong.

For us, we unashamedly embrace all things kawaii. We see it as an elaboration of pop culture in a zeitgeist where there’s a thirst for the latest and greatest of what to buy, what to own, and where to go. In fact, we still struggle to understand why every single Starbucks article we put out is so well-received. But the fact that I am using a Starbucks tumbler from their previous Christmas collection is a testament that their products are not just adorable but high in quality as well.

But I’m getting ahead of myself—we haven’t even been properly introduced. My name is Zat, and I’m the spanking new Editor for Hype & Stuff. Well, technically, I’m not entirely new, having joined last year in July but as a copy editor. Fast forward a few months and the boss, Seth (yes, he of SethLui.com), offered me this plump role as Editor, which I promptly accepted.

My writers and I hope to peel back the layers of fluff and filigree that obscure the heart of the matter at hand—a truth so often conveniently ignored, but too important to dismiss.

Who am I? I’m a lover of food, words, and the human condition. Where others see the undeniable facts and figures, I prefer to contemplate the story behind a condition, and in so doing, humanising the reason why we behave the way we do. It is this same principle that is the driving force behind the long-form articles that we do. With storytelling as our guiding light, my writers and I hope to peel back the layers of fluff and filigree that obscure the heart of the matter at hand—a truth so often conveniently ignored, but too important to dismiss.

We’re also all about experiences. Oh, how we love doing things. Walking the walk and not just talking about it. Why write about wrestling when you can take a class for it? Why write a commentary about quick rich schemes when you can attend a seminar about it? Why wax lyrical about the importance of mental health when you can talk to someone who has been institutionalised before? Instead of wondering what goes on behind an AA meeting, why not attend one? You get the gist.

Something new we’re doing moving forward is to set thematic topics for the month, starting with February. This month, we talk about love. In the words of Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and The City, “Real love. Ridiculous, inconvenient, consuming, can’t live without each other love.” We dedicate our long forms this month to stories and experiences that dictate our long-held quest to find love in all its forms. We talk about love intertwined with technology, heartbreaks, long-distance relationships, and dating services that feel dated in this age of online love.

Thank you, readers, of Hype and Stuff for liking our posts, sharing them, talking about it with friends, and disagreeing (at times rather loudly) with our opinions that you find wanting. We want more of that. Not because we’re glutton for punishment, but because the worst calamity is apathy and for you to tell us your thoughts and feelings is an indication that what we say matter.

Here’s to a fabulous 2020! And I promise a shorter, more concise Editor’s Note for the months to come. Fingers crossed.

Onward Fabulously,
Zat