You, Me and The N.H.S. Makes Three!

Well it's happen… about two weeks ago I ran out of the vitamins I take daily to keep me from getting ill and I woke up yesterday feeling like crud. I told myself no big deal, thinking I was just run down but this morning I woke up feeling like death. I ditched my morning class (bad girl I know) and made my lost way to the closest walk-in GP Centre which is only a few blocks away. For those who don't know what a GP is, it's a general practitioner. He or she is the doctor you go see when you are worried you have the flu.

The whole thing took nearly three hours. Yes, I said 3! But you have to figure you're walking into one of the busiest clinics in all of New Cross that aids in seeing those from Lewisham as well. Even though I felt like hell there was a cute little asian baby keeping me entertained for I didn't think about bringing any kind of reading material with me. Oops! My doctor was fantastic. She took into account my health history which is pretty important for a person with nearly no immune system. I was happy to hear I didn't require antibiotics for my symptoms. For I had caught my illness in it's infant stages.  However I was still given some medications. Three prescriptions for a total of £14.00 and no cost to see the doctor I was set on my way to school.

I have to say thank goodness I'm here in the U.K. studying for this would not have been an option in the states. I'm already feeling a tiny bit better but tonight I'm following doctor's orders with eating ice cream, drinking warm tea and watching Nurse Jackie. Studying can wait til tomorrow. Tonight, it's all about me and my monkey beanie.

The Pressure is On... Welcome to Your Masters Degree

Well the first official week of classes has come and gone and I have to say for studying Television Journalism, this is NOT what I signed up for. And I'm beyond excited! Many know I grew up singing competitively and according to my parents, I've always had an eye for the creative side of life. Never did I think being a journalist and a musician would coincide with each other. As a student in the MA TV journalism program my primary studies consist of learning to use various cameras, numerous editing programs and most of all, thinking outside the box.

Americans watch between a one minute and a two minute, 30 second video on whatever is going on in the news. This is known as a news package. Of course this is apart of my studies but so is the following…. writing, directing and producing music videos, making 30 minute documentaries, creating several short form films AND being commissioned to work with several well known organizations throughout the world on upcoming conferences and celebrations. This includes the world food crisis seminar in the Netherlands and the 50th anniversary of the N.T. here in London. It's all quite interesting when there is more than one news organization interested in purchasing the finished product from a few students just working on their little ol' masters degree.

As for those who are curious about class size and courses taken well here's the truth, I have no say in my classes chosen or their times. I'm in one of the most rigorous majors within the university. That means I am taking 10 courses this term (or semester as some know it to be called), 9 courses in the spring and 1 in the summer. I have a portfolio of works due the end of the spring term, a short film and long documentary due at the end of the summer and my dissertation is due by the end of August. Ugh. Soooo much work but I think if we keep getting commissioned for shoots than it will be pretty easy to stock up on our best work.

Speaking of best of's…. this video has to be one of my favorites for the basics when it comes to video production. Keep in mind it's over 20 years old. But the song is a classic by one of my favorite artist. ENJOY! :)

Colds, Clothes and Cigarettes

To all my reading friends (and friends in real life) my apologizes now but this is more of a rant piece or an overview if you will. While Britain has many qualities there are a few that are disheartening. First, the streets are dirty. That's right, I said DIRTY! During a conversation last week at one of the local pubs one friend ask another why people find it is ok to throw their trash literally in the street. His response, which makes quite a lot of sense was, rubbish (that's trash in British) is highly regulated and people know there are jobs in Britain that include street sweepers and rubbish collectors that they know someone will always clean up after them. Now I'm not talking about trash collectors as in the ones we have in the U.S., I mean people who actually walk up and down the streets of London picking up trash for a living. You are required to recycle here and could be fined if you fail to do so. There are bins to separate plastics, paper, cans, etc. Now I know those in California know exactly what I'm talking about but those in places like Georgia have NO idea. It's rather sad really.

Colds…. When I say colds, I don't mean the weather or people being sick (well sorta), I mean the spreading of germs. People DO NOT cover their mouths when they cough! Ok, I could just be a germ freak, that part is true but when I am less than five feet from you I don't want you coughing your lung up and into the back of bloody head! Didn't your parents ever teach you to cover your mouth!?!?!?!?
Which leads me to the next thing…. Are you from the states and weigh more than 110 pounds wet? Well you're fat and get out of my way! It could just be me but I think the hallways are a little small and people here can't decide if they want to walk on the left or right side so they just bump into you or they get in front of you and slow down to a snail pace. Actually I think snails move faster.

And while I have no problems with smokers, I realized I do now. Maybe I was naive about it in the states but I notice it quite a bit here. I'm cool if you're a smoker but I'm not a fan of it being blown in my face or smelling it every two feet within a five block radius. The one thing I find hilarious is the warning label on British cigarettes. Simply put, "Cigarettes kill." Well geez! Since you put it that way….

The last thing is fashion. Now I know I'm in one of the fashion capitals of the world but the 1980's called and girls, they want their high belly button jeans back. I'm really hoping this isn't the next fashion craze or that is completely misses the U.S. because I WILL laugh at my friends. Thank goodness the hair styles aren't coming back but wearing your jeans up to your chest with leggings underneath followed with low cut boots on your feet sure is. In fact I think the snap bracelets are back in style as well!