I've decided to stay home tonight, for real. I need to do all those pre-uni things like getting some paper and pens ready, packing my gym clothes and going to bed early. Oh, its all so boring.
But really, i'm looking forward to tomorrow. I'm getting bored of doing nothing and feel that i have become about 10 times stupider since last semester. But it always seems to be like that.
Tomorrow is News and Current Affairs. I'm hoping that it will be interesting. It should be. AND, and i get to see all my friends who have been all over the world, again. So it should be a good catch up.
Anyway, i am not feeling very inspired today. Wish me luck for getting back into the routine :) Write soon. Bec.
]]>I have been writing a bit over the holidays, probably not as much as i should have though. Ah well, i've got some awesome ideas and a couple of features in progress about my travels in South East Asia. Its a good sign that i'm starting to really enjoy sitting down and working on a piece of writing. I admit, it used to be a bit of a chore, but if you immerse yourself in what you're writing about, it becomes fun. Plus, it helps to write about things that interest you.
I think that is what i found a bit hard about Journalism 1 and 2. We mainly wrote short local news stories, most of which i was not particularly interested in. It was good experience, and taught me to be concise, but not im craving to let out my own ideas and styles.
I have sort decided that i would like to work as a feature journalist for a women's magazine. Not Cosmo or Cleo, but maybe YEN or Frankie. I started buying these magazines a few months ago and have found them a breath of fresh air. No more articles about what you're boyfriend is really thinking, but new original pieces about culture and creativity and all things original and interesting. I'm probably more of a feature writer than a hard news journalist, i think. I want to meet lots of new people and immerse myself in the creativity we have here in good ol' Oz.
I hope i can keep writing for this blogging project. I probably haven't written enough in the past few weeks, but thats what holidays do! They try and make you forget that there is a real world with work to be done and problems to be encountered. Nooo! I'll post soon, B.
Went to see the soccer last night with some friends from school and uni. It was great to introduce everyone and see my two groups of friends mixing and havinga great time. The result was a bit upsetting though.....Australia played so well! But, hopefully we will be seeing alot more Australian soccer in the future. I'm a bit of a soccer lover...i played at school and in a local competition until about a year ago, and haven't played since. But the world cup has re-motivated me to take it up again!
This week of holidays is a lot more relaxing than last. I worked 5 full days last week and it was so exhausting, alot more so than being at uni and working. I think it is the lack of change that makes it so exhausting.....being in one area for 5 full days. That's why uni is so great- you're always moving and doing different things in different places and meeting new people everyday. It's so much fun that you never get tired of it :)
This week im only working three days so i actually feel like im on holidays. I've been reading and writing and watching lots of movies that i really wanted to see. I recommend Hotel Rwanda, Everything is illuminated, jarhead and The Constant Gardener. I've also been watching a bit of anime, which one of my friends got me into a little while ago......i loved Princess Monenoke.
Hmmm...what else to say!? Im planning to write a big feature article about my trip last summer to asia. I'm hoping that if i work on it long enough and make it really great, i might be able to get it published. I'm also going to look for some work experience for the summer holidays. I would love to do an internship at one of the new women's magazines that have come out fairly recently....like Yen or Frankie J. I like the fact that alot of new magazines aren't just full of trivial articles like '5 ways to know your boyfriend is cheating.' Alot of new magazines are actually really cool and creative and the articles are really original and interesting.
But hey, that's enough from me for now. I really like writing this blog!
BEC :)
wow, it has been a long time......a long few weeks full of assignments. But, now i'm finished! Im lucky in that i don't have exams, so i finish quite early.....but still, those 3000 word essays are a killer! Especially if you leave them to a few nights before.....hehe
I always find it so hard to get all the end of semester work done because im looking forward to finishing uni! It's so frustrating when you have 3 days left of uni and you have to be writing huge essays and sudying for French and media law exams, and all you really want to be doing is chilling out.
But hey, i got it done, and all that hard work makes holidays that much sweeter.
I've been on holidays about a week now, but it hasn't really been all that relaxing. I'm trying to save as much as i can for when i got to France in 2008, so i have basiically been working full time at the clothes store where i work. It's so tiring being on my feet all day from 9-5:30, but i guess it is a change from uni and sitting for hours typing on the computer.
So.....i'm going to be working full time for a few weeks and then, lucky me, im going with the fam. to the whitsundays for a week. I'm so looking forward to getting away from this cold, cold place and into some warm, warm water. It will be a very welcome change!
And then......at the beginning of Auguust...semester two. It is crazy how fast time flies.! Semester 2 will be over in no time at all and then i'll be heading into my third year at uni. It is all a bit daunting. Plus, some of my friends, who are only doing three year degrees will be finishing next year. I can't believe how quickly time has gone since finishing school.
Anyways.....im going to be a bit boring and go to sleep because i have to work again tomorow!
I will keep more on top of this blog now that everything has passed and things are alot less stressful!
Bec :)
]]>Things are getting reaaallly busy as we are all getting closer to end of semester. I am looking forward to finishing the compulsory subjects i have had to do this semester and getting on to my electives next semester. I received some really good news this week. Basically, while I was away last summer holidays, the internet connection was really bad and so I had a lot of trouble enrolling. I enrolled for my journalism elective when I got back from being away, but the only elective that had space was editing and publishing 1. The subject sounded interesting and is probably good to have, but the only preference that I was really considering was 'print features.' I have been trying for the past few weeks to change my elective to print features, and on Monday I got news that I had been accepted! SO, now I am looking forward to next semester even more than I have been already!
Print features interests me because if I end up being a print journalist, I want to write human interest feature articles. I'm not really interested in hard political or financial journalism, more so about people and travel around the world. So, I'm hoping print features will allow me to develop some of my skills in those areas.
Another bonus about next term is that I will have, at most, only one big essay to write! French consists of small assessments throughout the semester, as does print features, and I am not sure about news and current affairs. It is such a big relief to have only one essay...I am the kind of person who would rather have lots of little exams or writing tasks than one huge, stressful, intense essay.
Write soon, B. :)
I haven't written for quite a while, mainly because i have been so busy! Everything seems to happen at once at uni! I only just finished a big block of assesments about two weeks ago, and now im preparing for the end of semester block. I guess i am lucky because journalism doesn;t have exams. But i do have HUGE essays to write, and not alot of time to write them.
One of the subjects i do is Comparative Social Change. It is actually an international studies subject, not a journalism subject. Basically, it revolves around different theories of social change as documented by various sociologists. Soo, for example, we have studied Marx' s theories of class stuggle, many theories of modernisation, theories about the environment and so on. I have decided to do my essay on women and modernisation. This involves about 3000 words about how development improves the position of women. Development means modernisation, industrialisation etc. I'm a bit into women's rights and gender equality, so i figure this is the essay that will interest me most. The other option was about how nation states can or can not control social change......blah blah blah. I hope you can see why i chose the question i chose!!!
So i have been getting into a bit of research tonight. I'm going to talk about women in Vietnam and in South-America and maybe Africa. I have become interested in Vietnam ever since i travelled there last summer. The articles i have been reading are really interesting.....women's groups in Argentina, reform in Vietnam....its all very inspiring!!!
So, that's just a little bit about one of my assesments. I always dread starting essays, but find that once i get into it, i really enjoy writing about things im passionate about. I guess thats why im doing journalism!!! :) B.
]]>LAW. Sounds horrible....doesn't it? Yeah, i was never interested myself....until this semester. To be honest, i have found 'Media, Information and the Law' a bit difficult, in that we have skimmed over heaps of topics, but have never really gone into depth about any of them. Apparently, thats what the subject is meant to be- a brief overview of media laws. But, i have found it a bit frustrating. It is hard to have intelligent discussions in a tutorial when you (A) don't know enough about the topic to say anything and (B) even if you do have something to say, you can't back it up with anything, so you feel stupid saying it.
It probably sounds like i hate this subject, but i really don't!!!.....
Anywayy.......I have started my final essay for Media Law....another big 3000 word whopper of an essay! I have chosen to discuss the new sedition laws (ooooh, very controversial) and i am really getting in to it. I have found it really interesting to research the beginnings of law.....for example, sedition laws were first introduced in 17th century Britain to protect the Crown. Interesting, hey!?
In case you have no idea about sedition, i will explain it breifly. Basically, in 2005, parliament passed the Anti-Terrorism Act (No. 2). The Act was very controversial because alot of different groups thought it impacted upon human rights and freedom of speech. Section 7 of the law refers to sedition. Basically, you have committed a crime if you are seen to be urging another person or group to overthrow by 'force or violence' the constitution and the Australian government. There are other parts to the law aswell, which relate to encouraging hatred between two different ethnic groups and so on. Alot of journalists have seen this law as a threat to freedom of speech. They are worried that criticism of the government may be seen as a seditious action.
SO, this is what im writing about! It might sound dry, but it gets really interesting when you become involved in all the arguments for an against the laws, and for an against freedom of speech....
I hope i haven't bored you too much! B. :)
]]>A friend and i were completely unhappy about the change and talked to one of the gym staff members about why fees had gone up so much. His reply was 'VSU.' Voluntary Student Unionism was passed this year, meaning that it is no longer compulsory for students to be a part of their union and pay union fees. Because of this law, funding towards union activities has and will continue to dramatically decrease. The increase in gym membership prices is just one example of how VSU will change Uni life for the worse.
Yes, i know, we don't all have to become a part of the gym to stay fit. But other uni funded programs will also suffer.
Student services such as counselling and child care will become harder to maintain.
Check out this link for more information about VSU. It was written a little before the laws confirming VSU were passed.
]]>Bec
]]>My name is Rebecca Isaacs, and I’m in my second year of a BA in Media and Communications (journalism) and international studies. It’s a bit of a mouthful when I tell people what I’m doing, but it is a fantastic course. At the end of my H.S.C. year I was, as are a lot of students, completely unsure of what I wanted to do with my life. My strength was in the humanities and not in the sciences. So, with a bit of help from my family, friends and school, I chose journalism and at the last minute, international studies.
I started French two weeks ago and absolutely love it- such a beautiful language and great teaching staff. My first year of journalism was a little unsure, but I have grown to appreciate what an amazing career I possibly have ahead of me.
Apart from uni, I have a lot of hobbies. I love running and going to the U.T.S. gym to stay fit, and I have danced my whole life. Touch football and soccer are other passions which I haven’t been able to pursue lately, but I’m sure I’ll get round to it soon. AND, the best of all- I got a skateboard for my birthday so now I’m trying to ride that around as well!
I honestly thought that if i started today the two tasks would be manageable, but i seemingly forgot to remind myself how busy my weekend and beginning of this week would be. SO, the moral of the story. It is NEVER too early to start doing anything. I know this because i once finished an assignment before the night before (its unbelievable, i know) and felt absolutely wonderful about it, being all cool, calm and collected whil everyone else was going a bit crazy.
Just thought i'd let you in on one of the best things you can do to make uni manageable. Procrasination is your enemy- don't give in!
Bec.
]]>After holidaying in Sydney and South-East Asia for the past four months, being back at uni is a bit of a reality shock! Its hard to compare lying on a beach in Vietnam to rushing around to lectures and tutes, to my job, to the gym and so on. BUT, don't think i'm being negative- i'm not. So far, second year (all three weeks of it) has been awesome, the main reason being that i will probably have an article published in the Union magazine in the next month or so. My first real journalistic experience!
Oh, and by the way, just in case you wanted to see a little bit of South-East Asia, check out my travel blog at http://journeyjunkies.blogspot.com
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