Goodbye 2010, and thank you

What a year. 2010 has been a beautiful struggle - the most successful and distressing year of my life.

I'm certainly one for nostalgia, a sentimental soul since childhood - keeping every travel ticket, bit of notepaper, and obsolete (sometimes even broken) object, as all things held a sense of meaning; I'd feel a lump form in my throat at the thought of letting a piece of time slip away unchartered. Perhaps it was the budding journo in me.

But with maturity, I gained a sense of balance, and have since developed the gift of goodbye. Letting go is a fact of life, and a practise I become increasingly adept at by the day.

However, before I let go of 2010, I'd like to say how pivotal it has been in my life. Obviously, it was the year I discovered Catch22 - one of the best things to ever happen to me - and the catalyst for launching my career as a writer (have quit the day job now, so it's official).

It was also the year I lost the closest person to me to cancer. A gruelling and emotionally taxing experience for my family and I, I couldn't envision us emerging on the other side of that experience. But we did.

So as 2010 slips from my grasp, I ask you: what are you letting go of at the start of a new year? And those things that you're taking with you, are they worth it?

For some, New Year's is a waste of time and nothing special; I agree that every day is an opportunity for change, but why not seize December 31/January 1st as a benchmarch for measuring your progress?

Whatever you choose to do, congratulate youself for completing this year and challenge yourself to be in a better position this time next year, when there will no doubt be more to weigh up, hold onto or let go of.

Happy New Year!

Trainee of The Year 2010 :)

STOP PRESS!!!!

Now, in journalism, for a story to considered 'newsworthy' it must be new and current (no surprises there)

Well, this isn't exactly brand new information, but it's new enough.

I was named Catch22's Trainee of the Year at their annual Gala!!



Yes, that's me - alongside Charlene White of ITV News and Catch22 founder Tokunbo (it takes a lot for me to post pictures of myself in the public domain, so you know I must be proud).

I am extremely honoured and humbled by this; it was totally unexpected (luckily by the time my name was called to appear on stage I had changed into a half-decent pair of heels and left my hightops in my handbag!) and I feel super confident after the Catch 22 tutors felt my portfolio of work deserved a 98% Distinction. Thank you all so much.

It took all my self-restraint not to end up like this:



But the boost it has given me is immeasurable. I'm using this moment as a springboard into a new year with new goals; accolades are great, but we can't rest on old laurels forever. Onwards and upwards!

Thanks again guys (blush)

Work Experience: Company Magazine

Company Magazine. A memorable mix of fashion, beauty, and the fashionably beautiful.



It’s the campaigning heart of Company that I find so inspiring – admittedly the other stuff kind of blows by me – amidst a bunch of fabulous stylistas my lack of fashion-forwardness may have been more than mildly offensive.



However, Catch22 put me here to work, not to “work it honey!”

Let the journalism begin.



Week one consisted of researching for the FYI section of the magazine - a quick run-down of the best ways to spend your time out and about, at home or online. I also spent a whole day trying to track down the tie from Channel 4 show The Inbetweeners; as modelled below:



Thanks guys. After hours of wild-goose chasing we finally found it at Topshop just across the road, and had it 'called in' for free. Wow, if getting freebies is that easy, I'm definitely in the right business.

I also interviewed a Britain’s Next Top Model evictee...

(chocolate, model's own)

Wrote copy for the website:

http://www.company.co.uk/fashion/news/london-fashion-week-carboutique?click=main_sr

...and watched from the window in hysterics as a (rather poor) David Beckham look-alike was pursued by an eager stampede of Soho-ites desperate to grab a glimpse of the imposter.



The rest of my time at Company was pretty varied, with tasks including a search for funny (or, rather, revolting) sex scenes in novels, wacky guiness world records broken this year and searching high and low for a female coctail blogger (surprisingly difficult, irrespective of the British booze culture - don't look at me like that, you know it's true). Following the theme of reticent drinkers, I had the somewhat challenging task of finding some young boozers willing to disclose embarrassing stories about drunken behaviour, not to mention a detailed list of the amount they drink per day around Christmas time. So yeah, nobody got back to me.


C'est la vie.



Back to the free stuff. There are treats galore for employees at Nat Mags to sample – each day my inbox was rammed with info about giveaways and taster sessions, everything from live Ken Hom cookery to Nintendo Wii demos; free samosa rolls from local restaurants and jars of Kate Moss jam (coming soon to a posh supermarket near you).



*shakes self* Focus woman! Enough with the free stuff and back to the writing. I pleasantly surprised the editorial team with my effortless ability to adopt the ‘Company tone’ when writing for the website – ("Like OMG, she writes like someone who actually owns an aviator jacket!!")

Now, this is gonna shock and disappoint a lot of people, but I don't actually own an aviator jacket *hangs head*

My final week was spend trawling the net in search of a beautiful house to be featured in the Back to Ours home showcase section. Special shout out to Kate at Catch22, real proof that the support from Catch is never-ending - as interiors are her thing I knew she'd be abale to help me out...and lo and behold, she recommended the fab home of print designer Jane Foster.



I also got to write an article for Nat Mag's internal newsletter the 'Broadwick Tweet', spreading the word about Catch22 (go team!)

A special thank you to Company's lovely Editor Vic White, the ever-attentive HR angel Tammy Platyes, features editor and multitasker extroardinaire Lena DeCasparis, and the rest of the editorial team.

I'm sure another great journo will be slotting into my space at Company soon, probably one who owns a pair of Manolos (whatever they are!)



She's hired!

:-D

Hot Rox

Live music is my second love – although we aren't as close as we used to be, left-field hip hop produced by the likes of genius J Dilla (RIP) will always have my heart, but in recent years acoustic guitar, keys and kick drum own my ear.

It’s been a while since I went to a show and was wowed by an act though, and the cynic in me - noting the contrived pretty girl with tomboy-influenced Shoreditch uniform and pseudo Winehouse annunciation prototype that is currently doing the rounds - had grown a little tired of ‘the scene’.

But at this year's Croydon Summer Festival I saw an artist who, despite ‘the scene’ was simply ‘an artist’. And a flipping great one at that.

Meet Rox – though you may have done already.




Wow. Standing up front at the open air stage after shimmying past drunken revellers, mums with prams and teen girls posing as the Saturdays, an unexpected treat in the form of Rox took hold of the stage and grabbed the audience’s full attention.

Blasting my (undue?) cynical expectations out of the water, this songstress melted my heart with her crystal clear vocals and excellent showmanship.



Singing renditions of Bob Marley’s Rock Steady, and a reggae-inspired version of Dreams by Fleetwood Mac, alongside her own original material including recent single ‘My Baby Left Me’, her smooth vocals sailed effortlessly above the crowd, rested beneath the afternoon sky and were underscored by sexy swaying moves punctuating each beat of the band’s percussion.

Vibrant stage presence with sincere crowd interaction, her performance was a pleasure to experience. This girl simply has it. Beauty, talent and confidence – but most of all, talent. The natural kind record execs can’t prescribe.

I don't quite know how to feel about her vocals when recorded (do a little you tube-ing and you might agree that, by comparison to the live stuff, the texture and clarity of her voice are a little lost on wax) so maybe I'd do better to hold out for an unplugged album? (A little something to think about, oh ye of Rox Management...?) Until then, her debut album Memoirs is out now.

One thing is for sure though - when live, Rox rocks.

Check the excerpt of her performance at the festival below - the quality isn't great and there were other standout moments in the set, but I’m happy somebody was less awestruck than I and actually thought to record some of this (you tube, we love you)

Work Experience: Trinity Mirror Part 2 - Concrete Jungle (but the glass is pretty...I like shiny things)

WEEK ONE


Artificial. Stunningly constructed and breathtaking in its….unnaturalness. That is the first thing that hit me upon emerging from the jubilee line, pausing on the brick terrace and beholding the glass menagerie that is Canary Wharf. The people pottering by uniformly, the polite and empty clink of breakfast cutlery during business meetings al fresco at Carluccios and the glittering office blocks - silver towers shooting floor upon floor into the sky; both imposing and beautiful at the same time.


And despite the deliberate injections of nature...



...the glaring artificialness is inescapable. Surrounded by construction sites, Canary Wharf is like a scientific experiment on a remote island in the Pacific, built by a mad control freak playing God, like a corporate version of the Truman Show.


But beyond the impressive surroundings, I was most impressed by this guy.


Soothing guitar music from a busker near the station’s main exit, and a nice morning note:


Quite. What a perfect beginning to Trinity Mirror mark two. After entering 1 Canada Square, slightly confused about who to report to and feeling a little lightheaded after the 22 floor elevator zip up to the Daily Mirror offices, it struck me:


Toto, I don’t think we’re in Chertsey anymore!


However the larger scale operation didn’t give me small-fish-in-big-pond syndrome – I quite liked looking around to see desk upon desk of busy journos. After a health and safety tour a la Nims the security guard (below) I was given an ID card and told I can use the office gym whenever I want! Yay!

Back at the office, although prepared for a spectator experience at TM HQ, I lucked into sitting next to a really nice lady who made sure I had work to do. Week one included re-working press releases into stories about impatient British shoppers, mobile phone addiction, drink driving, the cheapest pay as you go tariff available and the fact that some insane people have already began their Christmas shopping. Some of my work was published, which was a nice feeling – no bylines but hey, whatareyougonnado? "Fo'get about it" (shrugs) I’m still happy.

Here are my teeny-weeny contributions :)



http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2010/08/04/end-of-line-for-queues-115875-22462484/



http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2010/08/05/drink-drive-youngsters-on-the-rise-115875-22465926/

Also, the whole Naomi Campbell blood diamonds thing was breaking news. But you’ve heard enough about that already I’m sure.


WEEK TWO

Next stop – features department. A news feature is a funny thing – unlike an in-depth magazine feature it skims the main facts but does so conversationally, while retaining a newsy tone.

Confused? Me too.

Even so, I managed to research a few feature ideas, forwarded them to the features editor and got some positive feedback. However, the idea he wanted me to write up had been done by the Daily Mail a month before!!!!

Typical rookie mistake, but we live and learn. And fortunately he asked me to write up one of my other options instead, which was encouraging.


Still enthralled by the surroundings in Week two, I got a little snap-happy towards the end of the placement; even passing tourists were eyeing me pityingly.

The final two days at TMHQ were quite non-eventful; the mood was heavy (maybe because of the impending redundancies) and few staff were actually around.

After pestering everyone for some work to do one of the news reporters asked me to write up a story that he had already done – then we could compare and see if my technique was right.

Here is mine:

A teenage burglar who could have put his felonies behind him has ended up behind bars, despite a 'last-chance' offer from a lenient judge.

Bradley Wernham, 19, who was given a chance to turn his back on a life of crime, was jailed for five years today following a string of crimes and a failed rehabilitation programme.

After being spared a prison sentence last October, he somehow dodged 17 counts of theft and burglary and, instead of jail time, was handed a three-year community order. The young crook has a staggering 660 crimes on his record, and has handled an estimated £1,100,000 worth of stolen goods since the age of eleven.

Wernham was sentenced today to four and a half years for the original offences, plus an additional six months for yet another crime – attempting to burgle a house in January this year.

He was able to give jail the slip in 2009 due to a new scheme Essex Police were trialling - education, training and close supervision by the Probation Service instead of prison, a scheme which the judge described today as “innovative”.

Praising the scheme, Judge Christopher Ball QC blamed Wernham’s immaturity for its failure. He told the teenager, of Chelmsford, Essex: “You cast yourself as a victim and you’re not. The public are the victims of your offending and you are responsible for it - no-one else.”

Wernham smiled as he was led away to begin the sentence.

And here’s what the subbers did to his:

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2010/08/05/one-man-crimewave-bradley-wernham-jailed-by-the-judge-who-let-him-off-115875-22465784/

I think they deserve the byline!

So, exiting the main reception, heels clicking over marbled flooring and ready for the Wizard to send me home, (perhaps in a courtesy porsche from the neighbouring tower block...? No? Ok cool. A girl can dream...)


some encouraging words from Eric the security guard reassure me that with hard work I can achieve a lot in journalism. Thanks buddy!


On my way underground, thinking about how truly unforgettable the experience had been I was compelled to reach for my video phone… and then….



Seriously, what are the odds??! Some things are just fate….

Work Experience: Trinity Mirror Part 1 - Welcome to Jamrock...I mean Chertsey

WEEK ONE

For those who are down with Damien Marley's 3.38 minute depiction of life in Jamaica, forget it.

Not that there's any reason Chertsey would remotely be anything like Jam-Down, but Damien does reference the Jamaican districts 'Cornwall, Middlesex and Surrey' during the outro to the song, and Chertsey is in Surrey, right? I'm just saying.


Anyway, the sun was certainly high in the sky radiating heat not far off tropical when myself and co-Catch-ee Hermione stepped into the office of the Surrey Herald, for our two week regional installment of the Trinity Mirror experience.

After a looooong train journey up to North Surrey, where the train zone is 'Twilight', we settled into our temporary journalistic abode.

The receptionist was delightful (shout outs to Susie)



and the team, busily hitting deadlines for an impending publication, had little time for small-talk (as professionals rarely do), yet the atmosphere was undoubtedly welcoming.


Under the expert tutelage of Content Manager Suzy Talbot, the first week was a mixture of re-working press releases, researching and feature writing. The peeps at C22 had prepared us for this, the more involved portion of the Mirror placement, so I was happy to jump straight in with the tasks.

My feature remained a bit unfinished, as my contact at Surrey Police was a bit scatty. Nevertheless, we press on.

By the end of week one morale was high, with the bar for week two set even higher.

WEEK TWO

With a much shorter slog to C-Town (how did any London-based commuter ever survive before tfl journey planner?) the start to week two was promising. I was enjoying it so much that the fact I hadn't ended up here:


But here:


wasn't bothering me at all.

Departing from the news team, I worked in the Commercial Features Department and wrote an 'Advertorial' piece for a wedding magazine.

Advertorial: a clever sales tactic that makes you think you're reading a story, when you are actually being impregnated with thoughts to buy buy buy!

My piece was good, with minimal editing from the line manager (ahem) setting me in good stead for rest of the week, which consisted of posting stories on 2 of Herald's news sites, 'extracting' (won't go into detail - all you need to know is this was the most tedious and finnicky job I've done in life) and some vox-popping.


On the last day I accompanied one of the reporters to the above impressive building for a news meeting with the police, in the hopes of catching that pesky contact (who shall remain nameless - Let's call him 'Mr. Ripley') But the elusive Mr. Ripley remained...elusive. Even so, I completed the job without him, like all good journalists do (your loss, mate).

So, as the 5.29pm train raced back to Waterloo, slicing through the North Surrey scenery and sending images of Chertsey retreating rapidly into the near distance, I feel Trinity South has given me all I expected and more. The variety of work was the best bit - what will I miss? The slightly uncomfortable near-silence of the newsroom, the bubbly and helpful receptionist, the bench Hermione and I ate our lunch on each day and the stimulating, engaging tasks.

Oh, and the dodgy-looking car wash next to the train station.


Memories...(sighs)

The F-Word

It’s official - I am Facebook-phobic.



I was asked to set up a Facebook account for one of the departments at work this week; "No problem," I thought, "let's do it." I sat at my PC, found the site, registered the user name… and then it started.

At first it was the shakes, then a cold sweat, followed by a twitching right-eye and an unexpected voice that said “go on, find your boyfriend’s page and see if his profile says ‘In a relationship’ or not.”



I looked around and there was nobody there. Strange. Such a notion surely couldn’t have come from my own thoughts; I’ve steered well clear of social-networking politics since the days of Myspace, but things are moving on and here I am, being forced to jump into the spiders-web that is social networking, the potential maze of information overload that, in the wrong hands, can be a tool of destruction through tedious over-sharing of trivial nonsense.


A few weeks back on the Catch22 course one of our tutors asked us to join Twitter (follow me on the right, hehe) and I felt a thud in my chest, sweat prickling my palms and a muted voice within me screaming “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!”

At that point I figured I could have a problem.

But it was Facebook that got me shook – my hands were actually shaking as the searching began – typing in names and seeing faces from the distant past, the possibility that someone could look me up at whim, the peer pressure to divulge intimate details of my life right up to the brand of margarine I spread on my toast this morning – it was all too much.



So what does a Facebook-phobic journalist do in the ever expanding digital age? With social networking and futuristic gadgets galore becoming highly addictive for most, is it possible to overcome the fears of getting hooked and ‘search responsibly’ without being sucked in?



For a journalist, making much needed contacts without using social networking these days is like walking up 200 steps on the tube when the lift is coming - not impossible, but failing to use a major shortcut. So how do I overcome my Facebook-fear and reap the benefits of social-networks without getting 'too into it'? It’s a Catch22.

Or is it? Just when you thought I sounded crazy...

Newsflash: The University of California has revealed that highly addictive gadget-crazes captivating the world (including your new i-phone, sorry) are affecting our mental health - Data overload is impeding on our ability to focus and process information and, as result, the demand for Technology Rehab (I kid you not) is set to increase.



Aha!

That’s what I’ll do. Taking inspiration from the above, I’m setting up Facebook-ophobes Anonymous, a support group for those looking to overcome their dread of using the site, and all its affiliated networking trappings. Membership is free, we meet once a week and the group is a safe space to ‘discover solutions together’. Whatever your social networking issues, we have the answer. Let’s support each other people.



Ah yes, I can feel the love already...



P.S. For details on how to join, visit my facebook page :)