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.
Showing posts with label kingston university. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kingston university. Show all posts
Monday, 11 February 2013
Thursday, 7 February 2013
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.
Tuesday, 5 February 2013
Blogruary Day 5: The Cycle to University
I've begun to notice that my walk to university is a tiring and lengthy affair.
Wednesday, 14 November 2012
The Time When I Fell Off A Chair
It was a simple Wednesday afternoon at university. I had finished my Public Affairs class after an interesting, if relatively dull, trip to Surrey County Council.
I had just found out that there was a branch of Subway on campus, and in an attempt to cure my hunger, I headed over to the fast-food outlet.
After walking back to the postgraduate cafe to devour my Italian BMT, I waited for some people to leave their seats so I could sit near my friends.
I confidently strode over to the now vacant chair with a sense of urgency and a wanting to eat this warm and juicy 6 inch sub.
I sat down and subsequently tumbled onto the floor. The floor gave way like a flimsy piece of paper.
Embarrassed and humiliated, I looked at the broken chair on the floor with a look of puzzlement to give off an air of control over the situation. I hoped my face looked like one of passing the blame onto the chair.
My friends were laughing like hyenas and I stood in a passive-aggressive manner. The chair had let me down like a disappointed father.
The manager of the cafe gave me the e-mail address of the university cafe manager to complain, yet I have still to do this and tell of my anger.
Whenever I go to sit on a chair, I now have to check time and time again to ensure my safe sitting can ensue.
I had just found out that there was a branch of Subway on campus, and in an attempt to cure my hunger, I headed over to the fast-food outlet.
After walking back to the postgraduate cafe to devour my Italian BMT, I waited for some people to leave their seats so I could sit near my friends.
I confidently strode over to the now vacant chair with a sense of urgency and a wanting to eat this warm and juicy 6 inch sub.
I sat down and subsequently tumbled onto the floor. The floor gave way like a flimsy piece of paper.
Embarrassed and humiliated, I looked at the broken chair on the floor with a look of puzzlement to give off an air of control over the situation. I hoped my face looked like one of passing the blame onto the chair.
My friends were laughing like hyenas and I stood in a passive-aggressive manner. The chair had let me down like a disappointed father.
The manager of the cafe gave me the e-mail address of the university cafe manager to complain, yet I have still to do this and tell of my anger.
Whenever I go to sit on a chair, I now have to check time and time again to ensure my safe sitting can ensue.
Monday, 29 October 2012
The Drunken Job Offer
Thursday was a busy day for me. I handed in my first university assignment and I had to do a mock NCTJ exam in my multi-media reporting class. Once the class was over, all of us MA Journalism students did what journalists do best.
We hit the pub.
Fast-forward two hours and it was 6pm. I was chatting away after a number of pints of Fosters and then suddenly my phone started ringing.
I looked at my screen at it was an unknown. I didn't answer rationing that if it was important then the caller would leave a voice-mail.
To my surprise the caller had left a voice-mail. I popped in my headphones and listened to the message.
I took my headphones out and gasped. I pressed the call back option and I walked outside the pub.
The call lasted roughly ten minutes and I can't really much apart from the core details. The reason for that is that I was fairly tipsy at the time.
As you know from reading this blog, I am currently studying for a Master's degree in Journalism. I am paying £5,800 for this privilege.
The call I received was from confectionery giant United Biscuits. They were offering me a sales job worth £28,000 a year.
I applied for their graduate scheme last year when I was unsure what direction my life would take. I reached the penultimate stage but am now considered worthy of a sales role with their company.
In my drunken haze I said I would call back if I wanted to take the offer but I've yet to.
Essentially, I have turned down £28,000 to give a university £5,800 instead. Am I mad?
We hit the pub.
Fast-forward two hours and it was 6pm. I was chatting away after a number of pints of Fosters and then suddenly my phone started ringing.
I looked at my screen at it was an unknown. I didn't answer rationing that if it was important then the caller would leave a voice-mail.
To my surprise the caller had left a voice-mail. I popped in my headphones and listened to the message.
I took my headphones out and gasped. I pressed the call back option and I walked outside the pub.
The call lasted roughly ten minutes and I can't really much apart from the core details. The reason for that is that I was fairly tipsy at the time.
As you know from reading this blog, I am currently studying for a Master's degree in Journalism. I am paying £5,800 for this privilege.
The call I received was from confectionery giant United Biscuits. They were offering me a sales job worth £28,000 a year.
I applied for their graduate scheme last year when I was unsure what direction my life would take. I reached the penultimate stage but am now considered worthy of a sales role with their company.
In my drunken haze I said I would call back if I wanted to take the offer but I've yet to.
Essentially, I have turned down £28,000 to give a university £5,800 instead. Am I mad?
Friday, 12 October 2012
The Girl With The Same Shoes
As I'm now two weeks into my new degree, I've worked out that it only takes me around twenty minutes each morning to reach campus.
During the first week of classes, I was keen to make sure I was never late. However, I was turning up too early. I was always the first one to class and this made me fairly sad as I could have had an extra twenty minutes in bed.
I decided to do my calculations and I worked out that I could leave at half past the hour and grab a tea in the cafe before learning would commence.
However on Thursday, the laissez-faire bug hit me and I was late to leave my house. In a panicked mode, I forgot to gel my hair and I'm fairly sure I was wearing only clothes that were blue.
I sprung out the house, not literally, and I marched onwards to campus. I reached my super secret alleyway cut-through, yet there was a girl in front of me who would no doubt slow my rapid progress. You see when it comes to walking, I only have one speed setting. Fast.
Wondering how I would overtake her in a fashion that would make me look not creepy, I noticed something that was becoming all to familiar. She was wearing the same shoes as me.
The reason why I say it was familiar is because I discovered only a week before that my older sister had the same trainers as me.
I realise you may now be thinking that I have a fetish for women's trainers, but I assure you that I don't. They are regular, run-of-the-mill white hi-top converse.
"If I overtake her then she will see that we are wearing the same shoes." I worriedly thought.
I assessed all the options available. Overtake her quickly. Stay behind all the way to campus. Take my shoes off and walk in my socks. Going home and changing, perhaps?
I checked my watch and noticed that I would probably make my class, just, at the pace that I was walking.
"What did you do, Alex?" is the question that I assume you are now thinking.
Well, I stayed well behind the girl all the way to campus by walking as slowly as my long legs would go.
You'll be glad to know that I made it to class just in time with my reputation still in tact.
During the first week of classes, I was keen to make sure I was never late. However, I was turning up too early. I was always the first one to class and this made me fairly sad as I could have had an extra twenty minutes in bed.
I decided to do my calculations and I worked out that I could leave at half past the hour and grab a tea in the cafe before learning would commence.
However on Thursday, the laissez-faire bug hit me and I was late to leave my house. In a panicked mode, I forgot to gel my hair and I'm fairly sure I was wearing only clothes that were blue.
I sprung out the house, not literally, and I marched onwards to campus. I reached my super secret alleyway cut-through, yet there was a girl in front of me who would no doubt slow my rapid progress. You see when it comes to walking, I only have one speed setting. Fast.
Wondering how I would overtake her in a fashion that would make me look not creepy, I noticed something that was becoming all to familiar. She was wearing the same shoes as me.
The reason why I say it was familiar is because I discovered only a week before that my older sister had the same trainers as me.
I realise you may now be thinking that I have a fetish for women's trainers, but I assure you that I don't. They are regular, run-of-the-mill white hi-top converse.
I assessed all the options available. Overtake her quickly. Stay behind all the way to campus. Take my shoes off and walk in my socks. Going home and changing, perhaps?
I checked my watch and noticed that I would probably make my class, just, at the pace that I was walking.
"What did you do, Alex?" is the question that I assume you are now thinking.
Well, I stayed well behind the girl all the way to campus by walking as slowly as my long legs would go.
You'll be glad to know that I made it to class just in time with my reputation still in tact.
Wednesday, 26 September 2012
The First Week Of My Master's Degree
It's 8:30pm on a Wednesday evening and I'm as tired as a hibernating badger. I don't think I've ever been this drained of energy.
Why? Well, I am halfway through the first week of my Journalism Master's course. In this opening week we have a quick, intensive opening module about journalistic practices.
This has involved creating a group presentation, having lectures around law and ethics, going out into Kingston and finding a news story whilst there has also been the fact that this week has involved meeting lots of new people.
It's been an interesting week and I've already slightly changed my mind about my future career direction. I've suddenly lost all interest in becoming an actual bog-standard news journalist thanks to some pretty depressing lectures about newspapers and reporting. My interest now seems to be magazines, features and online which appears to be the more fun and creative side to the industry.
I naively thought the course wouldn't be too great a challenge or too tiring but it seems like this will be a heavy, intensive year ahead.
I keep telling myself that it'll all be worth it in the long-run if I can achieve my career aims as a result but I just wish I could travel back in time and tell a younger me to take media studies and then study broadcast journalism.
However, that would have resulted in not doing things, seeing places and knowing people that I have had the luck to meet.
Why? Well, I am halfway through the first week of my Journalism Master's course. In this opening week we have a quick, intensive opening module about journalistic practices.
This has involved creating a group presentation, having lectures around law and ethics, going out into Kingston and finding a news story whilst there has also been the fact that this week has involved meeting lots of new people.
It's been an interesting week and I've already slightly changed my mind about my future career direction. I've suddenly lost all interest in becoming an actual bog-standard news journalist thanks to some pretty depressing lectures about newspapers and reporting. My interest now seems to be magazines, features and online which appears to be the more fun and creative side to the industry.
I naively thought the course wouldn't be too great a challenge or too tiring but it seems like this will be a heavy, intensive year ahead.
I keep telling myself that it'll all be worth it in the long-run if I can achieve my career aims as a result but I just wish I could travel back in time and tell a younger me to take media studies and then study broadcast journalism.
However, that would have resulted in not doing things, seeing places and knowing people that I have had the luck to meet.
Tuesday, 27 March 2012
The Masters Degree
If you are an avid reader of this blog, which I love you for, then you will know that I am hunting for a graduate job for when I finish my Undergraduate degree at university.
Well, I'm pleased to announce that things have taken a massive change in direction.
I recently applied for a Masters at Kingston University studying Journalism. Whilst it is my dream to become a writer/journalist, I have been lured in by the massive salaries that the graduate schemes offer.
On Saturday, I attended an interview for the Masters. The first part was a current affairs quiz which I scored 14 out of 15 on. A solid effort, I think you can agree. Then I had to write a news story out of a series of quotes and information and finally I had to complete a sub-editing test.
As it turns out, I have been offered a place on the course which starts in September. I am most likely going to accept the offer and hopefully fulfil my dreams of becoming a writer.
I'm pretty certain that I'm probably going to be offered a graduate job now, that'll no doubt throw a spanner in the works.
Well, I'm pleased to announce that things have taken a massive change in direction.
I recently applied for a Masters at Kingston University studying Journalism. Whilst it is my dream to become a writer/journalist, I have been lured in by the massive salaries that the graduate schemes offer.
On Saturday, I attended an interview for the Masters. The first part was a current affairs quiz which I scored 14 out of 15 on. A solid effort, I think you can agree. Then I had to write a news story out of a series of quotes and information and finally I had to complete a sub-editing test.
As it turns out, I have been offered a place on the course which starts in September. I am most likely going to accept the offer and hopefully fulfil my dreams of becoming a writer.
I'm pretty certain that I'm probably going to be offered a graduate job now, that'll no doubt throw a spanner in the works.
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