Some of My Work

Morning all, just been updating my Audioboo profile. Don't know what it is? Well, it's social networking site of sorts where you can upload audio files of your work for all to listen too :D

I haven't updated mine in a while so this morning I added a couple of extra clips from works that I've done recently. One's a short showbiz news bulletin that we have to do at work every day! They're really good fun to do actually because you have to be a bit jazzy! Plus it's a nice break from reading the days serious news stories.

The other is an exclusive interview with the former UN Chief of Ops to Sarajevo - Larry Hollingworth - during the Bosnia Serb conflict. Speaking to me from over the phone from his New York hotel, he provided a fascinating insight into the personal relationship that he shared with Ratko Mladic, the former General who's now on trial at the Hague for War Crimes. He was a really nice guy and provided a super interesting interview subject, so I thought I'd share it with you all ...

Anyway, let me know what you think and why not check out my other Audioboos too ... I especially enjoyed the Paint Story. Just copy and paste the link below and you'll be magically transferred to my page!

http://audioboo.fm/LukedeCosta-Journo

Bye for now gang!

L

The Return of a Champion - Serena Confirms for Eastbourne

It's been a tough past year for the 13 time Grand Slam Women's Singles Champion.

After thrashing Vera Zvonareva in the Wimbledon final last year (6-3, 6-2) the former World Number 1 has suffered with injuries and health problems. In a rather curious case she stepped on broken glass in a restaurant (hello lawsuit) that caused a significant injury forcing her to withdraw from the Hopman Cup and Australian Open. As she continued to rehab her injured foot we then learned she'd been rushed to Hospital for emergency treatment for a Hematoma and Pulmonary Embolism on her lung!

Was Serena's career in crisis? Many would have said it was the beginning of the end of a truly incredible career.

Her 11 month absence from the tour allowed old players to forge their comebacks, injured players to regain their form and young players to develop and flourish. The tour was different, more competitive and flooded with fresh faces trying to make their own mark in the WTA.

TODAY, amidst months of speculation she's announced her comeback and will play at Eastbourne ahead of title defense at the Grass Slam the following week.

Let me start planning my trip to Wimbledon, I can't miss this .... Welcome back Serena.

Hello there ..

Good Morning and Happy New Year.
An extended absence once again, I've been sunning myself whilst sipping on Mojito's and strolling through national parks - and then I awake from my slumber! ..

Christmas and New Year's seems like light-years ago now we're into February - the month for lovebirds. Evenings are getting lighter and the sun's shining more often which is a treat.

I hope you're all enjoying the new year so far.

Catch you all later :D

Bye for now.
X

Shame on who? The students

THE PRIME MINSTER HAS CONDEMNED the actions of students that led to chaos on the streets of Central London.

The vote to triple University tuition fees came in with a majority of 21 in the House of Commons at around 5:35pm late yesterday afternoon, but the unrest had started way before then outside Westminster. Protest organisers and the Met Police had agreed to a designated route for demonstrators through the capital, many stuck to the route, many did not and this is when it kicked off!

Benches were set alight, the statue of Winston Churchill vandalised, windows smashed, rocks, wooden missiles, and snooker balls thrown, as-well-as fences uprooted and thrust toward lines of Policeman. And the Police are to be blame? Shame on you. The complaint coming from young demonstrators caught out is that Officers were heavy handed and attacked first. Not from what I saw, and I was watching the live coverage on 3 different news channel, the aerial view from the news-copter exposes students as the aggressors trying to push through Police barriers and relentlessly hurling objects toward reinforced lines and the cavalry.

I can understand their frustration - I was lucky to escape any hike in fees whilst I was at University - but acts of violence will not bring about change. Without question the Governments proposals are controversial and unfair for thousands across the country, but that doesn't give people the right to violent protest, peaceful, loud and vocal protest yes, but never violent. They're lucky no one was seriously injured yesterday.

Malcom X and the Black Panthers struggled to bring about cultural change during the civil rights movement in the US with their aggressive tactics. Martin Luther King on the other hand exercised great patience in his quest to change a nation ....... Who was more successful? Dr King.

Reality television I can stand

IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT ME or have read some of my Tweets or Facebook updates you'll know that I literally cannot stand reality tv.

Ever since the success of Channel 4's Big Brother television producers have bombarded our screens with similar cheap, dumbed down series and new age talent shows creating this mind melting utopia for people to immerse themselves in.

As far as I'm concerned shows like XFactor, I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, Britain's Got Talent and Masterchef are worthless trash. Yes they can be entertaining, but surely that's as far as it goes? But the public just doesn't seem to see that. If people took more important issues - global warming, human rights, civil war and injustice - as seriously as they do these shows I'm sure we'd get a lot more done in the world.

But, hold the phone .... One show unlike the rest that has changed the landscape of reality TV is the BBC's Apprentice. Intelligent aswell as popular Lord Sugar's search for his newest recruit trumps all other mindless reality TV with one swift swoop. Instead of watching an overley dramatic karaoke show The Apprentice offers a slick programme fronted by a group of highly skilled 'go getters' who use brainpower, creativity and leadership to win.  It offers similar entertainment values such as contestants, drama, documentary filming and a panel of judges ... What more do reality junkies want? Oh yes, that's it .. Celebrities, flashing lights, shiny costumes, adverts to plug their forthcoming tour and an endless amount of endorsed products to give air-time too during breaks. We've been watered down to expect so little from TV these days trash programming has become the norm and the obsession with celebrity paramount.

Since when did it become so easy to get on TV for being stupid? A generation of bright minds lost to cheap telly, an exaggeration, sure ... But if only more reality shows could take a leaf out of Lord Sugar's book and create something that doesn't appeal to the lowest common denominator, we'd all be more inspired and actually learn something of value that doesn't revolve around designer clothes or the latest celebrity sex scandal.

Entertaining no doubt - mind melting ... Without question

Power over Policy - Lib Dems cheat the next generation of students

This post may seem out of date but I wrote it before the protests on my other Blog - decided to move posts over now :D ..


**



A LAST TRUMP ON THE BUGLE students make their way to the capital to protest against the rise in tuition fees.

Thousands of students and lecturers will blanket the country in a new wave of protests today as they continue to fight against Government plans to triple the cost of the price of University. 

The Deputy Prime Minster Nick Clegg signed a pre-election pledge earlier this year - with the Liberal Democrats - saying his party wouldn't raise fees until the next general election - this pledge clearly wasn't worth the piece of paper it was printed on.

Of course the Lib-Dems have been forced to negotiate and abandon some of their policies from their campaign manifesto, but something they were adamant about was abolishing tuition fees, a policy which gained them a lot of support.  Students and lecturers are furious Clegg's backed down and abandoned their policy for a share of the pudding with the Conservatives.

Currently the cost to study at a University in England and Wales costs just over £3,000 - Scotland don't charge their students. New proposals would see the cap raised with the maximum charge shooting up to £9,000, a far greater amount.

Many argue it'll discourage bright teenagers from poorer backgrounds applying and in the long run, damage our countries future by depriving us of the next generation of academics, lawyers, doctors, businessmen and women.


Some people support the hike because they believe the taxpayer shouldn't have to subsidize fees and students should pay for it all themselves, plus they won't have to start paying any of it back until they're earning over 25k and can afford to - a fair point, but here's the problem.

The sheer worry of having extreme amounts of debt upon graduation is massively off-putting especially when a degree doesn't guarantee a job at the end of it. Even if you don't have to pay it back right away, knowing that sooner or later you're going to be paying off masses of debt for years to come is fairly disheartening.

There's no doubt that loads of youngsters want to go to Uni for the experience and it's these people that we need to root out and close the gates to - cut the waste. If we're looking to save money shut down bogus courses like Surf Studies and Comedy Performance.

A good point raised to me was by someone saying, if the Coalition insist on taking more money students should be asking for more contact hours.

Like any story there are two arguments to support either side, for and against ... It's certainly difficult to agree with the Government on this one because it'll have so many negative effects especially on social mobility.

I was fortunate enough to escape any rise in price of a higher education and have an undergraduate and postgraduate degree. But if I were 18 again, and fees were tripled, I'd be looking for a job ... Not looking to cripple my future with debts.

Government Ministers vote tomorrow.

Television inspired football memories

I'm talking TV today, more specifically the outstanding US hit series Friday Night Lights. I can remember eagerly awaiting the Region 2 DVD release of the first series which was shown on ITV 2 back in 2006 or 07. Having missed pretty much the entire series on television I literally couldn't wait to get the box-set and absorb all the American High School football drama that I'd heard so much about.

The game of American Football has played a fairly big part of my life since the age of 17 - weird right as soon as I live in England! But there was always something about the classic Gridiron game that I found deeply interesting and full of intrigue. I say to people ...... "it's like a game of chess, and you'll never understand it if you don't give it a try".

I played at College and University (England) and never looked back. Whatever you've seen in American teen films about their beloved football ..... it's all true! And students and coaches over here do the best they can to replicate the ethos and attitude of an American High School team - meaning American Football has become the best organised game at University in the UK because of this Americanisation. Here's a short list of the types of things you can expect from a University team in the UK that make them as American as can be ...

American terminology - pants, "my bad" - hard work, too many practices, weight lifting sessions, cheerleaders,  player cheerie parties, dating cheerleaders, over-eating, protein shakes, going away to football camp, the best equipment and uniforms, encouragement to study on and off the field, respect - yes Coach, no Coach, Sir - how to be a leader, a great team-mate, confidant and overall .... Proud to represent your University and go through thick and thin with your mates, day in and day out. It's the notion of "All In". 

Being "All In" is in my opinion what makes playing the game so incredible - it's like an extended family for life.

 << Pre-Season Football Camp October 2006

All of the aforementioned brings me back to my original point which was talking about the TV Series Friday Night Lights. I guess I just wanted to explain that I made some terrific memories playing the game at University, which is why I enjoy watching the series so much.

I don't want to bore you with another 3 paras so I'll cut this post short and post again later - this time it will actually be about the TV show :D

A tribute to a true British heroine

Dr Karen Woo was one of 10 members of a medical team shot and killed by militants on August 5th during a health care mission to remote villages in northern Afghanistan.

Like many, I was saddened by the news of this cowardly attack on the unarmed group of aid workers.

Much can be said about the groups extraordinary efforts in their attempts to help those men, women and children, who've been let down by their own people - courageous, selfless and loving.

Left in their remote towns and villages to battle poverty and disease, whilst their countries so called leaders distract themselves with fighting in tribal regions and martyrdom in the cities.

Dr Woo's quest in Afghanistan was fraught with danger. Anyone who knows anything about the war-torn country will understand that a nomadic aid mission across the region presents a valuable target for those considering westerners Infidels. The miserably poor valleys of Nuristan, one of Afghanistan's most remote, beautiful and dangerous provinces is where the group were stopped and taken to a quiet woodland to be killed.

We should be immensely proud of people like Karen and her fellow team members. Instead of honoring overpaid celebrities and football players we should be paying tribute to the selfless people and charity organisations who care enough to make a difference in this world.They are the real modern days heroes. I hope  that one day, I can be at least half the person she was.

A lasting thought which family and friends can find solace in is the fact that Dr Woo and her team were leaving the region when they were attacked. Meaning, they had successfully achieved what they set out to do. Provide care to those who need it most.

In her last blog post before her death, Dr Karen Woo. 

"Ultimately, I believe that the provision of medical treatment is of fundamental importance and that the effort is worth it to assist those that need it most."

R.I.P

Reporter Shift - Friday 6th August - Assignment 2

I readied myself and packed up the equipment for my second lead story assignment of the day - by this time the girls on Sales had dubbed me the "Death Correspondent".

In brief, just under two weeks ago from the day, a family of four had been found dead at their home in Fordingbridge - Mum, Dad and their two daughters aged 1 and 2. Although speculation pointed to the father as the killer, not alot had been proved. All we knew was he had died from hanging and the mother had died from stab wounds - the postmortem results on the two young girls were returned inconclusive.

We'd reported on the tragic event from day one and it was only right to continue following the story closely, even if we didn't think any new info would be turned over. So I went to the funeral of the mother and her two girls that rainy afternoon on August 6th.

Unlike the ceremony for Major Bowman I wasn't allowed into the procession, the media were instead herded into what I've come to call a "cattle pen" outside, across the street - not that I wanted to go inside anyway. By this time I'd pretty much accepted that this day wasn't really going to cheer up! By the days end I'd tripled the amount of funerals I'd attended in less than 24 hours.

What did make this assignment exciting was the fact that I was working LIVE and on location. Just how news reporting should be, no mater how big or small your station. Gathering what little info I could find from people in the local area, people at the post funeral gathering in the hall, and from what I'd absorbed with my own eyes.

A generous sprinkle of rain continued to fall on us, rather appropriate to the sombre mood which had blanketed this usually busy market town. Whilst absorbing the atmosphere and spectating on the procession I was constantly making notes, scribbling words down on my pad and thinking about the tone and feel of my upcoming reports. I'm a rather messy worker and tend to jot down all my thoughts on pieces of paper with speech bubbles and arrows doodled all over the page! I like it :D  

Anyway, once I'd drummed together my rough scripts the work experience and I retreated to a local pub to use their power points. As I aforementioned this assignment was so exciting because of this "working from location" dynamic of the story. Racing the clock and working wherever you could - hood up and huddled over my pad opposite the church, squatting and scribbling, in the pub. This is how real journalists work, and I was loving it! ... Back to it, laptop on, script recorded on location, wireless dongle on, audio sent, call made to let the presenter know "it was in!"   .. One done, next, an extended update for the next news bulletin! It was all go! ..

I wish I had a photo of me from this day to add some colour to this post. But here's someone I greatly admire and I hope one day I can fulfill a similar role as a news reporter in conflict zones - Sky News Middle Eastern Correspondent Dominic Waghorn.

Reporter Shift - Friday 6th August - Assignment 1

A day to remember.

For a while I'd known what awaited me on this Friday in Salisbury. But little could prepare me for the two funerals I was attending for people I'd never met.

A while back my colleague asked if I'd feel OK covering a Military funeral at Salisbury Cathedral. Despite a few curious questions running through my head after she asked me I happily obliged and agreed to attend and report, like news reporters do.

A Major in the British Army, the occasion would be marked with full military honours at one of the most beautiful locations in England.

On the day - with the work experience girl at my side - it's fair to say I did feel slightly unsettled with a mixed bag of emotions. We turned with plenty of time to spare and we were herded into the media pen opposite the Catherdral doors. A gentle sprinkling of rain seemed appropriate to the sombre mood as mourners gathered outside to pay their tributes.

Funeral etiqutte is something I'm not very experienced in as soon as I've only ever been to one funeral in my life. This lead to me being overly cautious about myself, thus making myself feel a little uncomfortable in my own skin. I mean ... It's a funeral for the second highest ranking British soldier to have died in Afghanistan for flips sake! Anyway, spoke a little softer than usual, walked a little slower and generally toned it down so I'd seem ultra respectful - I don't want this to sound as if I'm not respectful because I am :D. I just wanted to be super calm to avoid nervous gaffs.

It wasn't until we took our seats inside alongside the BBC, ITV and the rest of it, that the beauty of the architecture that held up this magnificent structure grasped my attention. It was simply stunning! And the artwork mind-blowing! Soon it dawned on me ... I was sat amongst heroes and part of something special on this day.

Dazzled by the aforementioned I was soon startled by the sound of trumpets and the peaceful silence which followed as the coffin draped with the Union flag was slowly walked down the aisle to passing eyes. There must have been nearly a thousand people inside, over half in Uniform, looking smarter than anyone else it has to be said. And at the back there was me and the other journalists, impostors, sitting with our microphones trained at the speakers in a rather uncouth manner - candid, but we had a job to do. Safe to say I felt like an awkward sod though, especially due to the fact we had the riflemen sat behind us. Brilliant! I bet they thought we were rude.

Anyway, the ceremony was beautiful and certainly moving. Full of Army humor as close friends, relatives and colleagues took to the stand to pay their tributes. I especially enjoyed the feature of my favourite hymns, Jerusalem and Enigma (Nimrod Var). One pickle which I encountered was whether or not we should actively take part in the procession? Do we sing? Do we pray with everyone else? It seemed slightly inappropriate to do so as soon as were there not as mourners, but on a job. So myself, and the rest of the media teams chose to simply bow our heads during prayer, saying amen at the end. I read the words from the Order of Service and prayed and sang in my head so that the good Lord could see that I was doing my best to remain respectful and honor the dead :D 

As the funeral drew to a close, a moment of silence outside as a troop fired a volley of shots into the clouded sky. Nothing but the snap of escaping bullets and the smell of gunpowder allerted the senses. Complete calm ....... And for a brief moment, Salisbury stood still. Men, women and children taking a minute ............. To say a lasting farewell to one of Britain's finest.

Media whore

So its been a rather busy past few weeks in my camp - mainly due to the fact that I've been accepting freelance shifts left, right and centre without the slightest thought to my own well-being *sob*.

Not that I'm in any position to be declining work anyway because I never know when the work will dry up. Plus, I actually enjoy what I do which is something I'm sure half the population can't agree with - I feel very lucky in this regard. As the saying goes "find a job you love and you'll never have to work a day in your life'. These words of wisdom make perfect sense to me and I think about them often as I continue to make my first major steps in the world of broadcast journalism.

My busy schedule has tested me in many ways ...... physically, psychologically and financially if we're being honest. The purse - cough, cough, man wallet - strings have had to be loosened for the daily hour commute to the studio. The physical downturn is really due to lack of food, it's extremely difficult to find an opportunity to munch on a sandwich when working the newsdesk. I try to sneak a cereal bar into my gob whilst writing scripts, putting in calls for interviews, answering the phone (usually to someone who wants us to announce they have a missing cat on air), editing audio, making sure the work experience hasn't fallen asleep and all the rest of it. AND psychologically, well ... I guess I don't have much of a case here, just thought it would sound good .... sheer mental strain! haha.

Anyway, in a nutshell I've been running the afternoon drivetime news shift at a couple of local radio stations for a few weeks now - covering for the Head of News who's ill - and I've been loving it. Just goes to show I'm perfectly capable of producing top quality news day after day, and to a high standard. Something which I haven't been able to demonstrate in a full time capacity to date. Soon I hope though.

Bye for now
x

Monday Monday

So I went to work this morning without hesitation although slightly dubious whether or not I was actually booked in – silly right? Yes.

Turns out today's my day off. So there's me, strutting into the newsroom, cool as a cucumber, waving good morning to the girls on Sales – all the while it would turn out my one hour car journey would be wasted.

Fellow news hound Martha wondered down from the studio after her read at 11 o'clock bulletin, began walking toward the news-desk where I sat, paused and looked at me in surprise of my presence. I returned her look of bewilderment and quietly said …

“I'm not supposed to be here am I .. I start my week tomorrow?”.

She nodded, we shared a laugh and I bailed

Fighting like a Beaver

Ok ok so I've been away for a while, but for good reason - kinda!

As ever I've been fighting like a beaver to secure additional freelance work and get myself out there. As you know I find myself booked to work for a few weeks which is great, but the comedown which follows is somewhat tragic.  Typically I'm a few weeks on and a few weeks off, thus the mind numbing boredom which ensues during my downtime in-between work is relatively depressing - perils of being a freelance.

BUT, in recent weeks things are picking up - a sense of optimism? Noooooo. Don't lose your head!

As my extended stint at Sky drew to an end I was expecting the much anticipated 3 weeks off work to follow on cue. Turns out I'm in demand, and although I still have days off the periods of doing nothing are a lot shorter :D

I've picked up some more freelance work with the Local Radio Group who own a tonne of commercial radio stations across the country. The two studios closest to me - Dorset and Salisbury - have begun offering me work and booking me for the coming months which is great - not simply because it's work, but they obviously like the work I do.

Responsible for the Drivetime news operation I've been handed a great deal of responsibility. Produce, construct, write, report and read the news! Whilst having to get my head around a completely new system of output (buttons and stuff). But I'm doing well and have obviously impressed or they wouldn't call me back .. Must keep it up! Just goes to show I have the skills and knowledge to get 'er done despite no one wanting to offer me a staff contract ..

AND that's not it .. I have an interview on Thursday for a full time job at Sky Sports News *excited* toot, toot! .. SO lets hope this could be the one, and finally I'll be able to move to the Big Smoke.

Bye for now
x

Festival Tiiiiiiiiimmmmmmmeeee!

So the time is near, Glastonbury Festival is just around the corner and I'm getting pretty excited. So excited in fact I've made my Glasto list of "things to take" - I like making lists.

The aim of the list is to quite obviously help me remember the essentials. I can't think of anything worse than rocking up miles from home only to have forgotten a key item. It's silly to think that this small scrap of paper with pencil scrawling all over it can offer me much in the way of reassurance, but god darnit it does!

Staring into space ...

So it's my first day working at Sky News, and it's been rather uneventful so far if I'm honest.

I'm a step away from the studio floor and I can hear the presenters reading the autocue so clearly I needn't turn the sound up on my desk flatscreen. Although I'm so close, I still feel so far away ..

My parting words for the new girl ....

Well, if i'm entirely honest I should say my parting essay perhaps. And for the HOT girl ..
I'm leaving my post as the weekend broadcast journalist for my local radio station. It's been fun and a terrific experience, and who knows I may go back in the near future. But for now I'm focusing on my upcoming work with Sky News which starts Wednesday ..

So in the spirit of helping out the newby who will attempt to fill my shoes, here's the rather large note I left to help her on her way .....

Here are a few tips and words of wisdom which I hope you'll find useful as The Bay's new budding journalist. I'm certain some of the following is obvious and you'll have no trouble getting stuck in right away, but I'll scribble a few things down for you to peruse at your leisure.

So, the news operation at The Bay is a simple one, but as ever requires care and attention to detail. Especially when writing stories arising form court cases.

Unless I have a super amazing and reliable source with a story I tend to stick to reporting what the other local news outlets are reporting. Basically, this is what all news outlets do unless you're sitting on stacks of cash and can afford a tonne of talented journos like Sky and the BBC. So I mainly look at what the Daily Echo (Poole and Bournemouth), Heart-Fm, Wave 105 and BBC South are saying. It's the simplest way to gauge what's kicking off in the local area. Also check the Outlook email system for any interesting press releases which may be good to follow up.

It's entirely up to you what stories make the running order and how they are presented for the audience. As you know the weekends are busier on the local news side of things because of the football. When the season resumes we're keen to keep listeners up to date and on the button with all the latest action, results, injuries and all the rest of it. Who's hot and who's not if you like!

The teams to follow are most importantly Poole Town FC who are nicknamed the Dolphins. Sorry if I sound patronising, you may already know their nickname, either way, it's good to know when writing scripts to save you from mentioning the word Poole eight times in a story, haha. Wimborne Town Magpies and AFC Bournemouth Cherries are the other two we like to follow. They both have good webpages and in most cases you'll be able to keep up to date without even making a phone call. Poole Town on the other hand have a pretty lame website, so it's best to contact Mark Bumford who's their press guy. He's top quality and always willing to help. You can contact him on his mobile 07787600392. Also I'd suggest adding him as a friend on Facebook if you can. On occasion I've been unable to talk to him but found the game score updated on his status, always handy.

Wimborne Town are also very keen to talk to us and I speak with a chap called Ken Ferguson for the latest info and scores, his number is 07923473511. If in doubt, phone the club contact from the website and it'll take you through to the bar who are always good for the latest score. BBC Sport will always be up to date with the latest news from the Cherries camp. Speedway is also of interest to listeners and we get weekly emails from the Poole Pirates and Bournemouth Buccaneers so it's useful to give them a mention too.


ANYWAY, I'm sure I've put you to sleep or driven you to a bottle of wine, for this I apologise wholeheartedly, haha, Here's a little rundown of a typical Saturday.

Arrive, check the local news sites to get an idea of what's been making waves on our patch.
Figure out what stories merit a place in our rundown and who's playing who in the sports.
Write them up.
Print 'em out and dash into the studio to get my read on, at half past each hour :D
Banter with the DJ's and put the world to rights.
Make Rena a cup of coffee and generally chat about Female tennis players. FYI we share a mutual appreciation for Ana Ivanovic.

Local news doesn't really change a whole lot on the weekends with the exception of the sports, but obviously keep checking the Echo, Wave-105 page and the rest of it. Because if something does kick off they'll know about it.
And don't forget to check the police voice banks for updates on car accidents, crime etc.
If you can't move a story along for the simple reason, nothing new has happened, rejig the scripts after each read to try and keep them sounding fresh.

Hokay,I hope at least some of that was useful if not mind numbingly boring. Any questions feel free to drop me a line ladecosta@live.co.uk

Best of luck and enjoy!

Luke

Fitting in ..

Good afternoon Bloggers ..
It's a rather cool day here in Dorset. The sun's shining beautifully but it doesn't seem to generate enough heat for me to justify lounging outside in my shorts, not yet anyway ... Dangit! 

Speaking of shorts, the ones I speak of wearing right now are my old slim fit denims which I bought ages ago. I used to work at H&M back in my student days and I can remember buying these little beauties with my staff discount, ooohh yeaah! It would be fair to say that I was a bit slimmer back then, haha, and I literally slid into them a treat. The last time I tried them on (which was probably last summer) I was severely DENIED. They barely fit and were totally uncomfortable. Devastating to say the least.


Anyway, I remember saying to a friend just a few days ago that I really wanted to drop some pounds so I can wear them to Glastonbury which is only a few weeks away. And low and behold I gave 'em a go and hey presto! They fit and with room to spare, hahaha. I bet you're thinking "what a big girl". But hey, what's your beef?

Not this time

"We really like you and your passion for news. Its been really difficult to choose between you and another applicant, I was actually considering flipping a coin, that's how close it was" ...

These are the gracious words which were supposed to soften the blow of rejection, and in some ways they did. To know that I was whittled down to the final two applicants was a welcome boost in morale. My pile of rejected applications stands tall, but recent interviews and feedback would suggest that things are starting to improve, and as my dear Mum would say "it's simply a matter of time" ...

When this time comes, it will be glorious ... Until then, freelance continues.

The best I've read in a long time ...

Morning! ...

So I've finally finished Barack Obama's book, Dreams From My Father. What can I say? It's simply remarkable. Each page is written beautifully with a careful hand, each chapter touched with words of wisdom and hope.

You know when you read a good book because the words speak to your imagination and it's impossible not to visualize the act before you. During his trip to Kenya I remember one scene like I read it yesterday, Barack was visiting his family for the first time. The dimly lit streets of Kenya seemed so peaceful in the evening dusk as families sat outside their huts chatting, and splitting a cold can of Coca Cola. It felt like I was sitting next to them, as a spectator, listening in on their conversation, relaxing under the warm sky. Here's one of my favourite extracts from his trip to Kenya.

"For a span of weeks or months, you could experience the freedom that comes from not feeling watched, the freedom of believing that your hair grows as it's supposed to grow and that your rump sways the way a rump is supposed to sway"

Reflecting on his life Barack takes you with him, back to his years in education in Hawaii and Indonesia. During his working years in Chicago he attempts to suppress his ongoing battle with identity by helping others with their own struggles. But as a young man he seemed lost. For him to truly understand his past and that of his ancestors he finally made the trip to Kenya, the land of his dead father.

I was surprised to read about the early struggles of the worlds most powerful man. Beyond doubt, Barack is inquisitive with a high functioning imagination. His thirst for knowledge and drive to meet the high expectations set by his father rendered him socially inept during his school and college years. But what he'd discover upon his coming of age trip to Kenya would reveal more about his father than he could ever have imagined, and in some ways it would set him free from the shackles he'd been wearing for so many years.

A must read people, the President of the United States sure can bring your imagination alive. Simply terrific.

Keep on trucking!

Yesterday I had an interview for a part time job. Well, an induction is more accurate. I should have known form the get go that this would be an epic disaster, any job interview/ induction which doesn't require any of the following is sure to be awful. 1. Completed application 2. Id 3. References 4. Statement of education and relevant experience.  I was blinkered by my sheer desperation for  standard part time gig. Now that I look back on it I struggle to actually comprehend what I was thinking, was I so silly to think this interview would lead to anything substantial?

Upon my arrival I was chauffeured into a meeting room which to my horror was already occupied by  other people like me, part time job seekers. I glanced around, gingerly doing my best to avoid any kind of eye contact with what can only be described as a bunch of reprobates. One chap called Dave was actually rather funny. His body, skinnier than a wicker of bamboo was covered with piercings and tatoos. He rather candidly explained that he had his own business as a battle re-enactment organiser, and he was only here because he wanted extra money to get inked some more, fair enough if you ask me. The rest of the room was made up of foreign students and kids barely legal to buy cigarettes, the kind of youngster who can't look you in the eye when talking to you.

As the team leader began explaining that the job role was tele-sales and door canvassing, I thought, you sod! The advert was copmepletely different. But, then again, this is what they do. Place a well worded ad to lure in candidates before they know what the hell they're getting themselves into. I should have politely walked out there and then.

He continued to talk about the roles, career, opportunities yada yada yada. But the only thing SCREAMING in my mind (apart from myself) was, how did it end up like this, I definitely don't need this, I'm well educated and well experienced in my field of work, nothing is worth this. Excuse the snobbery there, but it's the hinest truth. No way should I be mixing it up with these yahoos. He continued to talk, standing against a newly painted white wall which looked out of place surrounded by three old white walls, discoloured with the depression of underachievers. My mind wondered as I stared at the blue and red tiled carpet, it looked like over-sized pixels form an old Mario game. What was I doing here ..


I can honestly say that I'm definitely not going back there, but they have encouraged me to work harder, look to gain more experience, keep applying for Broadcast work, and extra freelance shifts. That one hour terrified me. Is this what my life could be like should I abandon my dream? I'm not going to stick around for that nightmare to continue, WAKE UP! ..

If yesterday wasn't enough inspiration to keep at it, than I don't know what is ..