Looking back on 2006, looking forward to 2007

Are you looking back on 2006 with regrets or looking forward to 2007 with excitement? I'm the latter and I'll tell you why...

What I've learnt from this year is that you've got to make your own happiness. Compared to 2005 this year has been great for me because I've been myself for the first time in my life - living life to the full and not letting anyone stop me (within reason).

Tomorrow isn't really going to be a new start for me. I've had a lot of new starts in my life this year:

April: Becoming a Christian
June: Qualifying as a trainee journalist and moving back home
November: Getting my first full time journalism job and moving into a shared house again

I'm going to take everything I've learnt this year into next year to make 2007 even better than 2006. So what have I learnt?!

1. Be yourself
2. Make yourself happy - don't rely on others to do it for you - that's false happiness
3. If you're not happy with your life, change it. If you are then carry on doing what you're doing!
4. Live life to the full

Happy New Year and I hope it's a great year for you!

All I got for Christmas...

...was a Life Application Bible (and a few other bits). That was my main present and it's all I need really!

Basically it's The Bible with loads of extra information about the 'characters' and the locations things happened, map, fact sheets and stuff. It gives a commentary on The Bible verses as well. It's great!

I got a Chris Tomlin CD from my sister as well. He's a Christian musician who sings Stereophonics-style songs, but obviously praising God at the same time.

I went to Midnight Communion on Christmas Eve/Christmas Day which was really good. I'd never been before so didn't really know what it was going to be like. We sang carols, had a short sermon, prayer and of course Holy Communion. It was great and started Christmas off with the true meaning well grounded in me. I knew it already, but it was good actively remembering it.

Other presents:
HMV voucher from my brother
Money from my Dad and Nanny
Toiletries
Chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate!

I spent Christmas at home with my Mum, sister, two brothers, two sister-in-laws and my niece. It was really nice seeing my niece wake up on Christmas morning excited that Father Christmas had been! She's nearly 6 so most probably still believes.

We had dinner at about 3pm and then relaxed and, as most of my friends will have already guessed, I was one of the 11.4 million people who tuned in to Eastenders to see Pauline dying! (I can't believe I've just admitted to that...)

It's on to New Year now! I'm going to London to spend it with some of my Christian friends. I can't believe it's another year gone. A lot of good things have happened this year though. Let's hope 2007 is going to be even better.

Happy New Year everyone! I hope it's a really good one for you!

Christmas... what's it all about?

This is my first Christmas as a Christian and I have really been looking forward to it because of that. I have always known Christmas was all about Baby Jesus coming and how he grew up to be the Saviour of all mankind. It has always meant more to me than giving presents, but now I believe in my heart of hearts that Christmas story is 100% fact.

It was something my housemate said about Christmas that's prompted me to write about it. I was talking to him about Oxfam's buy-someone-a-goat presents for the times when you don't know what to buy for someone. For anyone who doesn't know, they're present for people in poorer countries so you're effectively giving a donation on your relative's/friend's behalf and showing them where it's gone.

Anyway, we were talking about that and he told me about his girlfriend's parents who have to spend a certain amount on them to make Christmas special! He said his parents would be happy with an Oxfam present, but it's all about the materialistic things for his in-laws. It's a shame Christmas is like that for some people - it really removes the whole meaning of it.

The run-up to this Christmas has actually been less hectic for me. The commercial meaning of it has completely disappeared as I see it in a whole new perspective. It's about thanking God for sending His son, not loads of shopping from dawn until dusk!

In my personal opinion I think Christmas should mean the following:
1. Remembering the moment when Jesus came into the world
2. Spending time with family - Jesus was born into a caring family and we are all part of God's family
3. Thanksgiving and I suppose exchanging presents comes into that, but is buying someone a £500 stocking filler really necessary? It goes a lot deeper than that.

Excessive eating, watching the Queen's speech and making sure you have made everyone happy by buying them the right thing is not what it's about.

If you have time can I ask you to read the Christmas story from Luke 2:1-20.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Doing what you enjoy...

Do you ever have days when you realise why you've chosen the career you have? I had one on Thursday...

I covered a story about Quarrendon School, a secondary school in a poor area of Aylesbury, which has been taken out of special measures. Here's the article: Head keeps promise to turn around failing school

I wrote that piece and then a couple days later went to do an interview with the headteacher for a feature for next week's paper. He is so enthusiastic about what he does and it is no wonder the school has been turned around. He took me on a tour around and I have never seen such well-behaved and respectful children! A boy who was about 13 opened the door for me! Maybe I'm just cynical, but that seems unusual for a teenager! Jonathan's (the head) aim from the interview was to change people's opinions of Quarrendon School and it definitely worked.

I didn't really have any preconceptions about it apart from that it has been failing and now it's ok again. What I didn't realise was how the fact it used to be a failing school has so much influence over its current perception in the community. The head said the children are just as determined as the teachers and governors are in showing people what they're really like. If you just go and look at the school and see it working as the Ofsted inspectors did and as I did, you see it in a whole different light. I have never seen a teacher who understands what his pupils' need before.

I love success stories and this was one of them. It's just great that I have the job of telling people about it! It was a day when I was reminded why I'm doing the job I am.

A week in the life of a Bucks Herald reporter

I'm going to start on Wednesday because that's the day after publication...

Visit The Bucks Herald website

Who's in the newsroom?

Editor, Asst editor, Dept editor x 2, 8 reporters and 2 sports reporters. The editor is very hands on and is much like a news editor in how he manages the place.

Wednesday: Out on patch digging around for stories
Thursday: More digging and following up stories. Council or court stuff as well if necessary
Friday: Still no anxious deadlines. More researching and writing and finishing some copy.
Sat/Sun: off at the moment (I think that changes when I've been there a bit longer)
Monday: Getting closer to deadline and tying up loose end with interviews and stuff. Not many new stuff coming in at this stage
Tuesday: Production day...

Morning - finishing off stuff and getting all copy into the basket.
Afternoon - really getting stuff finalised and subs (4 editorial jobs) start putting things on the page.
5pm: pages start coming out and the rporters have mostly finished copy so they check the pages for errors (sound familiar Cardiff postgrads???)
I like doing that because you get to see everyone's work and can correct them as well if the subs have change something that's not quite right.

Great housemates, great job, great time!

I've just finished my second week at work and it's really cool. I am realising how good the production days were at Cardiff. It's a bit weird getting used to the weekly rota. I sort-of have 2 Fridays because the paper goes out on a Tuesday so my working week starts on a Wednesday and then I have the weekend and finishes on a Tuesday. I feel like I'm slacking half the time, but that's because I've only got one deadline - Tuesday 4pm!

My housemates are really cool, but one of them is leaving... his work is taking him away and we're waiting for someone else to take it. He's here until next weekend. I get on with them all really well. Tania and I have survived a few shopping trips together and that shows something.

I'm trying out an Anglican Evangelical on Sunday. I think it will be quite lively, but by the sounds of their history they have had a lot of answered prayers. The Diocese were going to close them down about 20 years ago, but now they're growing and have got plans for a renovation to make room for more people. It's amazing how God works.