End of an era or a fresh start?

After four months of making the weekly commute to London, next week will be my last. My internship, which at times seemed to have gone on forever, has finally come to an end. It does only seem like a few weeks ago that I started down there and I am only now really feeling comfortable in the office. However, I feel I have gotten to the point where as an intern, I cant really learn that much more, but what I have learned is loads.

I started back in November, for a small charity/development organisation called World Emergency Relief (WER). WER is mainly aimed at helping disadvantaged and impoverished children form around the world by setting up various projects as a means of sustainable development. They are a really good organisation who are very committed to helping children around the world. I have felt really fortunate to be able to work here, as the people have been great and made me feel part of the team. Coupled with the fact that I have been given proper work to do rather than just admin duties I am really grateful for the opportunity they have given me.

One of my tasks has been involved in writing various news articles for their websites and other online resources, a couple of which have been published on Reuteurs Alertnet. It is down to my work here that I have found I actually enjoy writing, especially from a more of a journalistic viewpoint. I have also found that I have made a real contribution to the work they do overseas, especially during the Haiti crisis.

I believe that internships, with the right companies, are really good for helping young people like me gain some work experience in the field that they want to move into. I know there are lots of arguments for and against unpaid voluntary work. My mum recently showed me an article her neighbour had showed her in the Mail. Now you know my opinion on the Mail so we wont go into that. But it basically was against internships pointing out how companies exploit graduates. I do believe there are some bad internship programmes out there and some interns are treated poorly, but in all of the cases the article highlighted I didn’t understand why the intern didn’t just leave. For me there is more to life than worrying about getting a good reference, especially when you feel someone is taking advantage of you as this article argued. As long as you know the company and know exactly what they are expecting of you then there should not be a problem. Half the reason for an interview is for them to assess you and you to assess them in a way, find out what they are about. From the outset, WER made it clear that they always had interns, what my role would be and that unfortunately there would be no job at the end. I knew that I was doing them a favour, by working for free, but at the same time they were doing me a favour.

Obviously I was only able to do the internship because I mates in London whos flat I could crash at a few times a week. This is where the argument against internships comes in, arguing they are only for people who can afford them. Well, Ive been on the dole throughout and only just got by, maybe it is more of a rich mans role, but I think it is achievable but only if you have good friends who are willing to put you up for free!

Im not going to miss the commute to London every week, or sleeping on a mattress on the floor, or constantly being skint. However, I will miss spending time in London and hanging out with some of my best mates. I enjoyed the work I did, but I enjoyed more just getting away from home, as bad as it sounds, but at 24, Im sick of still being at home. I think London is a great city, such a vibrant atmosphere, and so much to do. I cant wait to move there, if I ever do. For now its back to the pub full time and the continuing search for that elusive job!

Get your groove on!

Here's a little taste of some of the music I like, just in case you didn't know! This set is by a DJ called Umek playing out some sick techno, why wouldnt anybody like this...

DanceTrippin 129: Umek @ Space Ibiza from DanceTrippin.tv on Vimeo.

Smoking doesnt cause cancer...Facebook does!

My friend Ben recently posted a link to me about an article written in the daily Mail. Now being a liberal left Guardian reader I tend to take a cautious approach about the truth behind the stories of this crappy excuse for a newspaper. This article that he highlighted for me enshrined the fact that this paper is utter shite, 'How using Facebook could raise the risk of Cancer'!!!

The article argues that by spending hours a day in front of the computer on social networking sites can alter your genes which can make you more susceptible to illnesses such as cancer and heart conditions. What are they going to publish next, that wanking too much will actually make you go blind!

What annoyed me most about this article is that it only briefly mentions the link to cancer once. It was a classic Mail headline, there to grap your attention and get you to read there drivel on what they actually believe is a worthy piece for news journalism. The article is in fact mainly about how there is less face to face social interaction in the current day due to social network sites.

I have more respect for papers such as The Sun and Mirror, at least they don’t pretend to be truthful upstanding newspapers delivering quality reports. I think Ben summed up the paper nicely:

‘[i’m] starting to think that the daily mail is aware of what they write and is written by a really subversive comedy genius satirizing the people who believe what they write...or their mental cunts!’

I believe the latter.

Clubbers guide to.....Secretsundaze

I’m giving big credits to this event ,mainly for the sick location. Secretsundaz is best known for its daytime clubbing and Sunday parties where they play host to some of the best underground house and techno and where people go to have one last blow out before its back to work on Monday. They hold their events in unique and often open air locations, and this time it didn’t disappoint.

This was my first time to Secretsundaze and I was pretty excited having heard some good reports about it. The location this time was Central Point off Tottenham Court Road on the 33rd floor. I haven’t really done much daytime clubbing before, apart from festivals, so it made it a unique experience for me. The event is free but strictly quest list only; this is just to stop anyone going who just wants to get wasted on a Sunday afternoon. As such, it attracts quite a hedonistic and trendy crowd giving the place a great vibe and friendly feel.

Being our first time we went pretty early, around 3ish, to avoid any disappointment of not getting in. Once our names had been ticked off the quest list we took the express elevator to the 33rd floor where we were greeted by that familiar sound of bass thumping and bouncing off the walls. The venue can be best summed up, as one of my good friends puts it, ‘a scene’. The long floor was divided by the bar and DJ booth down the middle with each side supporting massive windows which gave the best views of the cities skyline. It blew me away a little having a rave in such an amazing location. One thinks of warehouses, tents, or grimy undergrounds clubs when thinking of raving, not high up with a stunning view of the city to gaze down upon. We were equally blessed with a perfect cloudless day which made for an amazing sunset.

The venue was perfect for me, its a pity the music didn’t do the same. Secretsundaze is where you are likely to hear an array of underground house and techno, however, this time they went for more of a disco feel. The music went in peeks and troughs, one minute there would be some nice techno thumping away only to be mixed in with a bit of disco. This was a little disappointing, and there were a few grumblings about the choice of music. However, im sure this is a one off, and for small nights like this to survive it is important that they diversify there events every now and then.

Despite the lack in good music, I had an awesome time. It was weird, but good, partying from day to night for a change rather than stumbling home when the sun is coming up and the birds are singing. The perfect day gave a real feel that winter is finally over and spring is here. Another few months and summer will be around the corner. I am very much looking forward to going to this event again, especially when it is in an open air venue and we really can dance in the sun!

Writers block

In the past few months, ever since I started my internship, I have found myself enjoying something which I never have given much thought to before, writing. This is something which I have surprised myself, having never being the academic type. Back in the old days of GCSE's I was way down in the bottom set for English, and even in my undergrad days I struggled to put pen to paper. However, as I have got a bit older, and maybe matured in a certain sense, I have found that I have increasingly enjoyed writing, whether it is for an essay, a diary or an article I have written. In a strange way I find it therapeutic.

I only really started writing outside academia when I went travelling. For the five months that I was away from home I kept a travel diary which ended up becoming an important part of my trip. In it I would record the various activities I had been doing, the things I had seen and my thoughts and experiences. I found writing it quite satisfying, and for me it seemed important to help lock down my memories of that trip.

Now well into my internship, I seem to have developed a bit of a bug for writing. Part of my role as an intern is to write articles on the various projects that my organisation does. These articles are then put on their website and other online resources, a couple of which have been published on Reuters Alertnet. Part of what I enjoy about the writing is the research behind it. When I was at uni, doing essays was at times a laborious process. However, when I look back I always found that despite the struggle it seemed, I actually quite enjoyed the process. This is true of my current situation, I enjoy researching the background to my articles, and I enjoying writing them from a journalistic viewpoint.

With this in mind I have decided to enter into a competition for a little known newspaper, The Guardian. It is an international development journalism completion with the entrants writing on one of the themes set. Now I am being realistic when I say I dont have a hope in hell in getting anywhere near the top. Despite enjoying writing, I dont consider myself to be that literate, and I struggle to write with the flow and ease that some people do. However it is a challenge, and I am looking forward to tackling it.

I dont know how long this new love of writing will last, my interests seem to come and go with the wind, but who knows, maybe ill just stick at this one for a change!