Blogmas - December 4

The hunt for the advent calendar continues...

Blogmas - December 3

I know that I've started a few days late but I was working on Sunday and Monday - no one wants to read about that, do they?

Men's Lifestyle Magazines MA Journalism Dissertation

So one of my current projects is a dissertation for my MA Journalism degree.

The Update

The degree is over, my work experience ended and I now have very little to do...Help!

The Return to the Gym

I often wonder if sometimes I should actually be trusted with money.

The Casino in Monaco

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, I recently went to France with a couple of friends to visit our friend.

The Bin in Barcelona

You are probably reading this because the title tingled your curiosity. The Bin in Barcelona, it sounds like a story of epic proportions.

The Awkward Wait For A Cab

Yet another awkward story brought to you thanks to my very awkward life.

The Supposed Shoplifters

Whenever you are invited to a birthday party, it is important that you buy a present. However, my friend and I were posed with the dilemma of what to buy our friend's mother whose 50th birthday it was.

The Behaviour of Friends

I worry about my friends. I really do worry about them.

The Realisation About My MA

It's been brewing in my mind for a while but last night when thinking through all that has happened over the past year, my thoughts were solidified.

The Driving Decisions

Whenever I am not at university or working, my parents summon me to go round to the cornershop and purchase the day's newspapers.

The Lessons From Blogruary

It's the second of March and blogruary is over. So what have I learnt from the month long project?

Blogruary Day 28: The Trip To London

It's the last update of Blogruary, but it's a good one!

Blogruary Day 27: The Character Flaw

I've begun to notice that I have an aspect of my personality that is most likely to bleed me dry of all my money. In the words of Conor Maynard, "I just can't say no".

Blogruary Day 26: The Class

As Blogruary draws to a close, I find myself running out of things to write about.

Blogruary Day 25: The Writing Class

Monday is a strange day at university, we start with a shorthand class then have three hours off before rounding off the day with three hours of law. It makes for a topsy-turvy day.

Blogruary Day 24: The Headache

Despite going to bed at a reasonable time on Saturday night, I woke up today feeling tired and fatigued. I can't say I was looking forward to going to work.

Blogruary Day 23: The Netball Match

In an exciting twist, I went to see a netball match today.

Blogruary Day 22: The Bloc Party Gig: Part III

Another day and another gig. This time it would be the twelfth time that I would witness my favourite band, Bloc Party, perform live.

I woke up after the previous nights events tired and it took until my afternoon shower that I felt awake. I walked down to the train station to meet my friend who was coming along with me.

After a short train journey we had made it to Earls Court via a brief stop at a quaint pub where we brought ridiculously named ales such as 'Hair of the Dog'.

We soon made it inside the venue which was massive. It was easily the largest venue that I had seen Bloc Party perform in.

The support bands couldn't have been different. The first, Old Men, were awful. The second, The Joy Formidable, were fantastic.

Eventually Bloc Party came on yet I was sadly stuck near the middle of the arena. The sort of area at a gig that is populated by people who wish to be further towards the carnage and those who just want to stand and nod along.

After another impressive performance, I left content but it took a long time to get out of the venue. Trying to get 19,000 people out of one building is a difficult task at the best of times and it reached a stage that required the police to control the number of people coming in and out of the tube station.

We decided to try and walk to another station and we passed a lady who asked us whether we spoke English. We replied honestly and said yes.

She then proceeded to tell us that she had run out of gas. I didn't quite understand her story and frankly stopped listening until I heard her mention the name of a town situated near Kingston. Why would she travel all this way to get gas?

My friend stated we had no money and she quickly left.

I didn't quite understand what had gone on until my friend explained she was probably a drug-addict.

I knew that gas story was slightly weird.

Blogruary Day 21: The Club Gig

I went to McClusky's last night for the first time in about two years, yesterday night.

Blogruary Day 20: The Rest of the Day

It hasn't been the most exciting of days, so I decided that perhaps it would make a nice change to blog about the rest of my day ahead.

Blogruary Day 19: The Fire Alarm

Today seemed like a good day to get some work done but as always happens, things got in the way.

Blogruary Day 18: The Room

There is a computer room at university that is specially assigned to Master's students. Today, it was taken over.

We had a three and a half hour gap in between classes today so, determined to make the most of the time, we planned to go to our usual room.

After an editorial meeting, we set off to the room only for a class-mate to inform us that the room was taken.

How dare these random room thieves take our room! It was specially designated to post-graduate students but here was a class taking over.

We eventually found another room but it wasn't the same. It didn't have the atmosphere that our usual room had.

I went back an hour later to see if it was free where I ran into another class-mate. Yet another class had taken the room for the hour and time was running out until my next class of the day.

I must be getting old because that room has become more than a room. It has become my sanctuary at university. It has become my second home.

Blogruary Day 17: The Essay

I finally managed to finish off an essay that had been cooking for quite a while.

Blogruary Day 16: The Bath

I usually have a bath on a Sunday night ahead of a stressful week of degree week. However, I decided to mix that routine up tonight.

Blogruary Day 15: The Test

Today was dominated by a Shorthand exam that I was desperate to pass after my previous failed attempt at 80 words-per-minute. 

Blogruary Day 14: The Degree Dilemma

This has been a difficult week for everyone on my MA course. It has been a long and dragging week with little good news.

Blogruary Day 13: The Cinema Again

It's late again. I know, I'm sorry.

Blogruary Day 12: The Pull-Out

Part of the MA Journalism course that I am doing involves together a pull-out supplement to go with the university newspaper.

Blogruary Day 11: The Second Attempt at Cycling

As I've previously documented, I've started cycling to university. It was the start of a new week today so I thought - why not cycle every day?

It is a lot more effort than walking but it takes a lot less time. I woke up this morning after a generous lie-in and woke to the worst of news.

Blogruary Day 10: The Semi-Productive Sunday

One of my New Year's resolutions was to limit the amount of alcohol that I drink.

I declared that I would avoid drinking where possible and when I did, I would only have three pints if down the pub and four pints if I were going out-out. So far it has gone well and I've yet to wake up with a hangover or reach a state of drunkenness.

I was close to giving up alcohol all together, however, as I've recently gained a taste for ale and enjoyed exploring the length of breadth of all things ale, I decided not to go the whole hog.

Whilst I went out last night for eight hours, I didn't exceed my limit and once I had reached my golden number I drank two whole pints of lime and soda and a half-pint of Pepsi. This ensured that I woke up today clear-headed and ready to work.

After a well-deserved weekend lie-in, I got straight down to work by reading the Sunday papers. As a journalism student, I think I can get away with calling that work.

I had to act as a taxi driver for my dad and sister at different times in the day but I managed to write a blog, draft a cover letter and finish off my plans for another job application.

As I have another set of shorthand exams on Friday, I'm about to get down to practising my Teeline speed.

Oh, I also did my weekly washing. Aren't Sundays brilliantly boring?

Blogruary Day 9: The Night Out in London

This blog is late, but for good reason.

Blogruary Day 8: The Work Day

Today saw me wake up really late. I didn't wake from my slumber until 12:15pm which, trust me, is very late.

Blogruary Day 7: The Subway

The food in the canteen at university charges ridiculous prices for horrible, stale and bland food. This daily problem has been the bane of my life ever since I started my course last September, however, I was pleased to discover something that eased this pain.

Blogruary Day 6: The Cinema

There is ten minutes left of this day so this won't be spectacular.

Blogruary Day 5: The Cycle to University

I've begun to notice that my walk to university is a tiring and lengthy affair.

Blogruary Day 4: The Newspaper

I must be one of the few young people who regularly reads a newspaper daily, though I guess this is to be expected seeing as I'm studying for an MA Journalism degree.

Blogruary Day 3: The Meal

I usually work on Sunday afternoons but as I ended up doing a shift yesterday night, today the world was my oyster.

Blogruary Day 2: The Lock Up

I've noticed something worrying about my life. I don't particularly like weekends.

Blogruary Day 1: The Survey Man

The MA degree that I am studying is supposed to prepare us for our first full-time, proper, real life job. I say that because we have classes from 9-5 every day. That is apart from Friday, which we have off.

The Catch Up Blog

I should start off this blog with an apology, having not posted in nearly four weeks.

In that time I ushered in 2013 in a tiny, empty and run-down pub in Kingston watching the fireworks on television having not made it in time to get into a livelier, hipper pub.

The beginning of the year also saw me endure daily hour-long journeys into London to have a useful two-week work experience placement with The Sunday Times Travel Magazine. Whilst I will probably now suffer the consequences of not going to a local paper to fill my portfolio further, the opportunity to work at News International can only look good on my CV. I hope...

Since that placement finished, I have enjoyed not having to suffer a daily commute and I began what I call 'Homework Club' with my remaining friends at home. It's been a semi-productive two-weeks where the highlight has been writing 1/3rd of an essay due in for the end of May.

I've been studying my timetable for the coming term of my degree and I decided that it is best if I agree to just write off my life for the next three months. It is that busy, but I still hold out hope that this MA will be worth in in the long run.

As I realised that I perhaps didn't write enough last term, I have decided to write every day from February 1st. So in February, I will blog every single day. It will be termed 'Blogruary'.

So make sure to subscribe to the blog. I will see you in February.