Work Experience at the BBC!! What a week

Hello everyone!!!

So this week has been totally crazy. I started my work experience at BBC Essex and my gosh it has been such an amazing week. I've learnt so much. I've been able to sit in and watch the shows going live on air, both in the producing studio next door with the big window separating it from the studio and briefly in the studio. So exciting. I've also been in the bulletins/newsroom studio watching the news be read out live which was really interesting. 

I've done some research, rang people to ask them questions and to come on some of the shows and watching how everything works in order to make a radio show. My gosh it's soooooo interesting and amazing fun. 

However, Friday has to be the best day I've had there. I was looking for themes, stories, anything really that could feature in the mid morning show. Browsing through I found one and told the one producers of that show and he loved it and told me to tell the main producer who also loved it and said we would use it as a talking point on Monday! Well, being the easily excitable person I am I couldn't stop smiling all day and worked with the producers to sort it all out! At about 3pm, one of the producers suggest we went on the streets of Essex to ask people their opinion on what we were doing and....they asked me to go out to do it!!!! I went with my microphone and asked as many people that would let me. It was so exciting. I felt so grown up and clever. It was seriously so awesome. I couldn't stop smiling all day. To give me that responsibility, I mean, I just feel so honoured that they trusted me. So, if anyone wants to listen and hear me on the radio...yes me, on the radio, tune in on the BBC Essex website. You can listen live there. It will be from 9am onwards. I'm not sure what exact time and that's if my clips were actually okay. 

I was going to ask someone to take a picture of me with the microphone but I didn't think that was professional haha! I will try and get a photo by the end of this week.

Then, to make Friday and even better day, I went to TGI Fridays with some friends for Alex's 20th birthday. She has a blog too: http://honeyteaandbiscuits.blogspot.co.uk/ check it out, she has some of the funniest stories to tell. They make me laugh so much :) she's written a post about it so if you want to know the details in full I'll leave you to read it on there; it's her birthday after all not mine :) 

 Rhianna, me and the birthday girl with her mass load of balloons

I'll give you a brief overall summary though:

• We went to TGI Friday's and had cocktails (not me, I was driving, responsible adult that I am, ahahaha jokes, I'm really not which you are soon going to learn when I go back to uni and will have many stories from there to share with you all showing how immature I am)
• There were a lot of balloons involved...A LOT!
• The best burger in the world - Jack Daniels one
• Too many laughs at how 'tipsy' Alex was
• A free chocolate birthday cake
• Trying to spot the oldest person in Chicagos...

It was a hilarious night, so much fun :)

This weekend has been a mishmash of trying to sort everything out for uni on Saturday as I have another week at BBC Essex so don't have the days to sort it out :)

So excited for this next week AND to be back at uni. I will no doubt keep you up to date with my moving in day as there is bound to be some disaster that will happen. 

Much loveeeeee 

xxxx

London 2012!

Like pretty much everyone else in Britain at the moment and around the world, I have been totally and utterly obsessed with London 2012. How amazing has it been? I mean, I am not the biggest sports fan in the world, far from it in fact. I was that kid in P.E. lessons that used to "accidently" trip over so I wouldn't have to do it or make up some amazing excuse. It was not my strong point and I was very put off when we were swimming one day and the fire alarm went off. I have never been so embarrassed when I ran out of the sports hall in front of hundreds of other kids in my swimming costume and a towel...

So yeah, sport and I do not get along. However, I have never spent so many hours sat in front of the T.V. watching nothing but sport. From the moment I saw the opening ceremony I knew I had to go. I sat up every night waiting for the tickets to come on sale but of course I wasn't lucky enough or one tickets was £400+ and being a student, I don't have that kind of money to throw around. Watching everything on T.V. though was just as exciting. I have a new found love for the funny walk race they did, my gosh my friends and I were killing ourselves watching that. I suppose the thing that surprised me the most was how much I loved the track events. I was engrossed. My gosh watching Mo Farrah and Jess Ennis was just amazing. Lets not forget Bolt too. That man is a machine!

But, like every other girl in the world, diving was by far my favourite. My love for Tom Daley has increased even more. I almost cried during the sychronised diving. It's not just me that finds it so hard to watch, mainly because I'm worried they will hit their heads on the bloody side of the platform? I'm terrified for them. I watch through my hands so if something bad does happen I can quickly shut my eyes. It's traumatic but so amazing and beautiful at the same time. When I found out that my mum and step dad had tickets to see Tom Daley and had not got one for me, I did almost cry; my favourite Olympic sport AND Tom Daley. I was not impressed haha! 

Luckily for me, my dad saw my distress at not being able to go and bought tickets for the Paralympic Athletics on Monday. Can I just say I had the best day ever!!! Not only was everyone so friendly and happy, but the atmosphere was incredible. No one seemed upset or distressed. It was like being in a fairtale world. It was amazing. We spent most of the day soaking up the atmosphere and wondering around looking at the planting for my dad (he's into all that beeswax). AND IT WAS HOT!!!!! None of that rain stuff that we seem to get here a lot! Woop woop

When it got to 6pm, the gates for the stadium opened and ran to our seats. We were pretty high up but the seats were so good. We could still see everything so well done designers of the stadium! Good job (Y) 

Top: The Track and Field. Bottom: Me in the Stadium!!

We saw the wheelchair races which were just incredible. There was one guy from Team GB who was 49 years old and had only been racing for a year and came fifth in the final. How inspiring is that? It just shows what you can do if you put your mind to it. I was totally in awe of him and all the others. He got such a loud cheer. I also had the honour of seeing Mickey Bushell from Team GB get the gold in his wheelchair race. Everyone rose to their feet. It felt like a dream world, everyone so happy and celebrating with each other as if we had known each other for years. He, of course, was over the moon. He think he started crying in the victory ceremony. 

Our seats also meant that we were really close to the high jump. For me, apart from seeing Team GB, this was the highlight. It was the final for men who had lost one of their legs. Imagine trying to do the high jump anyway, let alone with one leg! I just can't say enough how much I admire and respect them for what they have achieved and how brave they are. 

I personally feel that the Paralympics do not get enough credit. I admit, this year has been amazing for all of them; Britain really has shown their support for them all and they are finally getting the recognition that they deserve. I just worry that it may not be the same in Rio or any other games for the future. Hopefully we have started something. I think they should get even more support than the Olympians in some way because they are representing not only our countries but those of us who are less fortunate too. They give hope for those who also less fortunate and if anything have to work even harder than Olympians. Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to take anything away from our Olympians; they too are incredible and wonderful people who we should all take inspiration from. I know for a fact I have been to the gym way more and I'm determined to join them out in Rio (fat chance of that happening). I respect them just as much as the next person and think the motivation and determination they have is truly awesome!!

My badges of support! GO TEAM GB!

Gosh! How could I forget. I was also there for the booing of George Osbourne! There was not a single cheer in the audience. I did not boo but I did laugh at the boos he got. The woman next to me was fuming, going on about how it was an outrage and that he was a normal human being. I must admit, it was a bit mean to do that in front of the whole world but it was a little funny. I think I would have burst into tears and run off the field. I'm surprised how well he took it. Good for you George!! I do feel sorry for him; I mean imagine a whole stadium booing you in front of the world. Awkwarddddd!!! He did well not to cry.

Overall, it was such an amazing and inspiring day! I hope everyone else has enjoyed the Olympics and Paralympics as much as I have and hopefully they will be bigger and better in Rio!! So going haha!

Much lovee

xx

P.S. My one complaint: the pasty stool didn't have pasties...cool, thanks for that!! Why be there if you don't have anything and get my hopes up for a cornish pasty??

An excuse to draw

About two weeks ago I got a text from a friend from uni asking me to make an A4 poster thing with the letter 'P' on it so he can make a collage for his girlfriend for her birthday (daaaaaaaaaaaw, what a cutie) as she's in America for her birthday without us all :( Sad time. He asked every single one of our group and some of her friends from home and eventually with each of our letters it should spell: 

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY FRANKIE". 

I know right, totally adorable and overly jealous that her boyfriend is that thoughtful to think of something so so cute. Sentimental, creative and cheap...idea and a half, right! 

After about two weeks of nagging me, I have finally got around to doing it today. I thought to myself that this was a massive opportunity to get my thinking and creative cap on. So I have :D Here it is:

Hope it's okay, if not I will make another one (I have way too much fun doing stuff like this). We all have to take a picture of us holding it so she knows who has done which letter too! I'll post a picture of the finished thing when I've seen it. Too excited to see what he does with it. 

After doing this, I've decided to get back into the swing of things when it comes to drawing and painting etc. so I am determined to do more, especially headshots of people. I first did this back at AS level when I did a painting of Ugly Betty (man I miss that show). They don't usually turn out like this haha!

Have you ever done something uber creative for a friend's birthday rather than buying a present?

Much Love

xx