Tuesdays at the Rhondda Leader

Hey guys,

These past few weeks have been most eventful; uni, work, uni, work, uni, work. I did bring my nan up to see the house I’m living in, and to meet my girlfriend’s mother – it went well, as I thought it would. University is so demanding right now – my imagination isn’t working and I have so many stories and poems to write…not much longer and the essays will start pouring in. 
      I don’t even have a day off in the week; just weekends, but I still have homework to do then. I’m never in uni for a full day, but then I work evenings; in the cold nights you just long to be in bed, doing nothing. The latest I finish is 2pm – Apart from Tuesdays..when I’m in 5pm-7pm…Yay! A night off work! In replace for two dragging but comical hours of Writing Fiction – the only class that I’ve story ideas for. Tuesday days are hectic too – not really in a bad way though. Each Tuesday I go to the Rhonnda Leader – thought I’d return after my week in June ‘08.
      I got my name printed in the paper last time; The Observer more than the Leader. This time round though I’m working with just the Leader, and I’ve been out on the streets of Porth asking people their opinions on; the Credit Crunch, and whether boys are harder to parent than girls. Today, I was sent with another reporter to speak to the people who organise and fund the Poppy Appeal to help soldiers to live, get jobs, etc. Only thing is…it was pissing with rain, and it was freeeeeezing cold, but ya know, it’s great. 
      Another amazing thing I done today was finding out more about the shorthand that reporters use… just bought a book on it, so I’ma get reading when it arrives. What a great thing to have on your CV - employers know you’ll get all the info in the time you have. It looked like Egyptian to me, when Chris squiggled away.

No puedo esperar volver a Espana en Diciembre! Can’t wait to go back to Spain in December. Getting a little better with Spanish too; because, I’m finally practicing online with some Spanish friends. Only thing is…I can’t do the squiggle above ‘n’ and all that stuff.

Back to reality

Hey all,

Aw, what a couple of weeks. I’ve disappeared on you again! I’ve been away. Really, if I’m thinking about a career in writing and Journalism, I should try to get online when I’m away as well. Me and my partner spent three wonderful weeks in Spain, visiting friends. We spent two days out of Benidorm – the place where we were staying, and where our mates work.
      From 6am, on the morning of the 18th September we were awake, driving in the back of Maria Jose’s car, heading for Cheste, in Valencia. We were on a road trip, stopping along the way, seeing the real Spain, driving to see Madonna in concert. It was a hectic day; we had to wait all day in the heat, in the blazing sun. Lotsa flies, fags and funny smells – the germy air inside the porta loos, used by thousands of sweaty, screaming Madonna fans. I’ve never seen so many people, or experienced the Spanish way of gigging.
      When the first set of gates were opened, Emma and I peered from the car park – we’d gone for a cool down in Maria’s car, we couldn’t handle this weather and the lack of air to breathe. We thought we’d pass out! I stood up higher and I laughed, “Woah, look at them all running.” The queues were shortening and crowds of Madge’s followers sprinted, battled, to get nearest to the stage. After watching for a while I had to lie down.
      As we’d been waiting in the midday sun for ages, and we still had to wait until 10pm for Madonna to come on, we wandered around and parted from our friends. Maria is a massive fan, so she waited in the queue. One of the runners. Me and Em walked the whole first section and bought lotsa water, sat down, pissed behind trees, felt sick…we also had the car keys, so we’d just go back for food and shade. The carpark was getting fuller, and the pee-tree had people picnicing by it, so if we needed to go, we’d have no other choice but the stinking porta loos, that I believed had all sorts of germs and STIS. True though! Think about how many people use those things. There’s never toilet paper, or a sink to wash your hands. I survived by using lemon wet wipes that me and Em had found at a resturant we ate in the day before. We took alot of them, especially for the porta loo occasions.
     Enough of holiday talk. My second year started on Monday, and even better, I’m back at the ‘Rhondda Leader’ every Tuesday, just to help out. I’ll be updating my site soon.

Amy x

My second day here

Well hello,
It’s my second day with the Rhondda Leader and Pontypridd Observer. It’s the deadline today for tomorrow’s paper. I must buy it, to get a copy of what I’ve done. Today’s going well and yesterday was good too. I’ve written about local events, Plaid Cymru visits, Rail crime, Welsh carers and ‘Give a Book Week’ – which is this week. It’s not like ‘The Sun’ and all those tabloid papers.
    At this very moment I’ve nothing to do. The editor is so busy that he can’t stop. So I’m waiting to be given my next task. I’m getting used to the wierd computer programs they use and where they store the stories. I’ve been reading other people’s work and they are great.
    One of the girls is reporting about the death of horses in the Valleya, who were shot with pellet guns on a farm. What kind of people…kids…do this? Who said it was kids? Anyway, it’s interesting knowing what’s going on around where I’m living.

Work experience with local papers

Hey all,
    It’s been a long time again, but that’s okay. It just means that I’ve been doing better things.
Today I’ve started work experience with my local paper – The ‘Rhondda Leader’ and ‘Pontypridd Observer’. It’s about 11:30am and I’ve wrote four pieces already. Happy me I’m going to enjoy it here. I’ll let you know how it goes and what happens mid-week.

I’m a rubbish blogger

Hey guys.
     I’m really not cut out for this blogging stuff. Most of the time I forget I even have a blog and half the time I just have nothing to say. I can’t wait to get out of Britian this July and September. Our weather isn’t very good, never has been. The sun is out at random times. Well, I can’t wait for the sun in Spain to be out every day, all day!
      With my girlfriend being very busy with her teacher’s training course I’m not very busy at all and I want something to do. I’m waiting for July to come when I will be working with the local newspaper for a few days. I’ve worked with a magazine for a week but I believe – it’s obvious – that newspapers and magazines differ. Magazines are usually editied and run by younger people, let’s say more laid-back people. Newspaper HQ’s however are full of older people – not older maybe, but more snobby. I spoke to Newport’s Argus about work experience the other year. I was told I had to dress-up ‘n’ all that. Fair enough, but the women I spoke to didn’t sound at all friendly and to work in a newspaper, you must be qualified. Oooo. 
      I’ve gotta run, my battery’s dead!

‘Mum’ burns a hole in daughter’s pocket….

Well, I’m sat here in my girl’s photoshop class that she teaches..It’s a Tuesday morning. I went home, I got bored and I’ve been feeling way lonely lately and I miss my nan and sister..well, my family in general. It’s been a lovely few days weather-wise. Amazing. Boiling. Other than the weather my last few days have been shit. My mum had £600 off me…cos’ she’s skint and terrible with finances. Now I’m skint though and I can’t do anything…I don’t want to do anything because it means taking cash out of my savings. My car is doing my head in and needs fixing. I also got a speeding fine to pay and that’s in the first year of driving! It sucks. The University have been houndin’ me for my electronic fob thing – you take the register with it… If I don’t get it back they’ll charge me. Am I made of money? My mum seems to think so. £600 out of pocket and a holiday to Lanzarote in July, then Benidorm in September, what a state.
      I’ve been writing another review, this time it is on the album ‘Ritual’ by Irish lyricist Jape (a.k.a Richie) I don’t know when it’ll be online though. I get more CD’s to review soon!

First review online!

Hey guys,
     You’ve missed me this week as I’ve been really busy – I’ve been working, getting merry at my local, meeting French people and shopping for my partner’s birthday. I mentioned in my last post about writing for an online magazine. Well, I’ve written my first three CD reviews and I have one more to go. Also, my first review on The Young Republic’s latest single ’Paper Ships’ has been posted on the site. If you go to www.noizemakesenemies.co.uk you will find it. The other two I’ve written are on the Welsh singer, Cate Le Bon, and the North London Indie band, The Tunics. These reviews should be up very soon! 
      This week is also gonig to be a hectic one. I have a meal to go to on Tuesday with all my old school friends, I have work and I desperately need a hair cut! So, keep an eye out for my next post and take a look at my music reviews online
    

Writing for ‘Noize Makes Enemies’

Good afternoon all,
      Yesterday I recieved an email from the editor of an online music magazine – ‘Noize Makes Enemies’-and I’m going to be reviewing CDs and MP3s for them! I also get to attend gigs, get on the guestlists and maybe even interview bands. I’m going to start slowly though – get the CDS, review, send them to Martin. Then, if there are gigs around here I’ll do ‘em, and take photos Fab!
      How’s everything else? I head you asking. Fine, fine. I was up until gone 3am this morning, listening to spanish CDs by Michel Thomas. I’m really into it – listening to the CD, pausing it, writing things down. I have to learn it before September, when me and the wife fly off to Benidorm for three weeks to visit friends.
      Off to the pub tonight – woohoo!- I don’t have work today, the place I work is closed double-days for bank holiday, but I don’t know what makes them so special. I’m not complaining though…

Are Wii obsessed?

Hello all,
    One question? Who has a Nintendo Wii? And how long have you had one? I’m a bit behind schedule getting one but I now own one of those clever little machines. What a bother though! My friend has one and we played on it all night, last night. She has three remotes, plus mine – which has no battery   You’ve probably noticed that it’s hard to sort out the controls! I didn’t know which ones were on, which ones were off, then I accidently shut down the console because Lauren said I pointed at it… It took like…fifteen mintues – no word of a lie – to fuss around with all of the controls. I was number one, then number two, then four… Where was the fourth coming from? Mine was dead! Complicated!
      When we finally sorted them out we played ‘Wario Smooth Moves’. Wow! What a game! I loved it and now I miss it and feel a little excited about setting mine up later on – though I don’t have that game Not a biggie though, it’s only £30 on play.com, I thought it’d be more. I bought my Wii for £150 from a friend. A very good price as I have two numchucks, one control, cheat books, the sports game plus Zelda and Metroids… oooooo! 
     I’ve never owned a Nintendo – I see you judging me – Well, I’ve just never had one. I’ve had a Sega and a PS one and I have a PS2, but that’s mostly used as a DVD player. I go through phases with it – sometimes I’ll play video games but I get stuck on them and give up, then sell the game I can’t complete. I loved God of War but I got stuck and sold it on ebay for a disgustingly lower price than I bought it for. I love driving games – the Burnouts – but I’m just never on them.
     Now that I have a Wii I’ll be fascinated with it for a while and I get to jump around like an idiot. The graphics are amazing. New graphics mixed with old pixelated graphics. You have scenes from other games appearing on ‘Wario Smooth Moves’, like Mario and Zelda. It’s just great fun and highly addictive – I think i could help me give up smoking.

What a long day…

Oh my God, what a long day it’s been. Had my Language and Society exam this afternoon and it went pretty well, then I had to rush to work, then when I finished I went to where my girlfriend works and helped her for half an hour. Busy, busy, busy. Now I’m sat being attacked my daddy long legs and gnats. I can feel them on my face. TV is great tonight, some thing about mail-order brides and wedding addicts. Have you seen that ‘Midnight Man’ with James Nesbitt? Wow, what a guy. What a story! That’ll be me one day, I’m sure of it.
      My girlfriend has been taking the mick out of me bigtime today, first of all I said – without thinking – that Mount Everest is in England and now she is laughing at my hand actions – I just seen an ad. for a programme on channel five at ten pm. ‘My car is my lover’. Wow. Five is good recently, it used to be old-fashioned. ‘Kidnapped Abroad’ is on soon to, about some tribe that kidnapped tourists, some of whom were not seen again. What happened!? Did they eat them?
      Oh hang on, there’s another… Muslim women smoking sheesha – if that’s how you spell it – in Egypt. The women are getting nervous because of the journalist’s camera crew. It’s looked down upon for the girls to be at the club smoking, they don’t like to be on television and the journalist now has to cover her ankle…
    I love documentaries. They look so fun and I’d be grateful of any opportunity to present one. Think of all the experiments and new sights and emotions. Follow me…