Newbies and the NCTJ Exams January 6, 2009

This month is going to be a shitstorm for me. She says, blissfully typing away not at all procrastinating from revising the entire contents of the McNaes Essential Law for Journalists tome. Usually when facing terrifiying exams like this, before the 11th hour when I cram furiously I tend to just hide in the gym. [...]

Teeline Shorthand, a baptism of fire. October 1, 2008

Day one of training to be a journalist has just come to a close… or rather it came to a close nearer 4:00pm today and I have been both worrying away at my exercise book plus stuffing my face in response to it. Week one is solely Shorthand based – shorthand in this particular industry [...]

Masters, Manchester, McNae’s Essentail Law September 28, 2008

The blog has taken somewhat of a backseat during the past month or so due to the hellishness of leaving my job and delicious salary in favour of upping sticks to Manchester where I am currently studying for my MA in Journalism and my continued research in the bottoms of various wine glasses. Thusfar, neither [...]

Bloody-fingered Badfellas… coming to a kebab shop near you. July 18, 2008

Today I felt the overpowering compulsion to inflict gratuitous violence upon my poor little eyeballs and I popped Goodfellas into the DVD machine. I love that film! Scorcese manages to teeter between psychotic and hilarious spattering the screen with hideous amounts of blood, gore and cuss words. Now by today’s standards, Goodfellas is far from [...]

A Levels and a good Degree – what am I doing here?! June 7, 2008

Further to my previous post – Sellotaped Together Relationship – I feel it is imperative that I state that maybe, just maybe the inspiration for such an emotionally-driven blog (uncharacteristically so) was perhaps due to a hormone imbalance. I am not making an excuse but I have been a little wobbly recently. I think it [...]

Stop the Presses! Where’s the Tea? March 31, 2008

It takes a passion that can move mountains when a broke and debt-floundering graduate is willing to sacrifice regular work in favour of a weeks unpaid work experience at the local rag. I am not this person, luckily I have heisted my week of pencil-licking from my paid annual leave so I am if anything [...]

Journalism’s Joker of the Pack February 9, 2008

Journalism is a scary place. After amonths of fretting I have scored myself a place on a Journalism course at a reputed institute. The interview was hellish and I managed to muddle through just-about without crying or storming out. I didn’t even flicker my annoyance or distress. I wonder if this is how all journalists [...]