"Keep Calm and Carry On"

Hmmm yes, this wartime motto applies to both swine flu and college work!
Final major project is massive, so much organising and a nightmare, really must start on shooting script etc.
Very stressed at the mo, haven't slept enough, too much work and needing my BBC mate to come on msn and help me! Joy...
Short post cos I am tired, wish me luck for the next month etc...

Monday monday...

I'm actually doing some editing today! And for once, I'd much rather be playing on the PS2. My best mate and my boyf are beating the digital crap out of each other on Timesplitters 2 while I beat the physical and digital crap out of the worst edit ever, the one for my single camera drama for college. I can't wait till all this is over.

On the upside I know what I am doing for my Final Major Project, after I attended the talk 'A Tale of Two Lancasters.' I am going to do a documetary about the Lancaster - not only cos it's fantastic, but also cos it's close to my heart - my father, who passed away in 2007 aged 81 (yes, I know it's a bit odd that and my mum being 25 years younger) but my father was a midupper gunner in the Lancaster and was about to go to war in the middle east when fortunately the war ended. Only 4 of the original 7 crew of his Lancaster are still alive today, but since 1997 they've had a reunion every year, and I'm proud of my father and his crew and my heritage.

So, I am going to make a documentary about the Lancaster, using all the knowledge, passion etc I have and the contacts the family has. It's going to be awesome, I want to knock the socks off college!

http://www.gurkhajustice.org.uk/

http://www.gurkhajustice.org.uk/

scroll down on that page and sign the petition.

I don't see why the people who helped us win the war get nothing and lazy wasters/chavs get everything out of our stupid twisted goverment!!

Sign it and let's get justice! Takes only a few seconds. Do something good today!

4 units, 4 days, 1 girl...

So, nearly finished my experimental video, literally 2 titles to put on the end!
Those who've watched it seem to like it, so I can live in the hope I won't actually fail this unit.
But - I've still got loads of paperwork to do for this unit. And here's what I have to do before Tuesday. I have to edit my single camera drama (just horrible, I hate it so much) do all my pre-production work (haha) and production work (haha) and logging (rofl) and then an evaluation (no it's not funny anymore) THEN I need to finish my professional brief by handing in all my pre-production work (I was in bloody London when my tutor was supposed to send me the brief to do this!) and any other research and paperwork. After that I need to complete all the paperwork and research for experimental video and do an evaluation, then decide on a topic for my final major project, research the feasibility and submit my proposal.

ARGH!

But I'm in a good mood :D oddly!!

Not so good.

Right now I am feeling constantly edgy, anxious, stressed and depressed. I had a chat with my tutor today and although I have a lot to catch up on it's not that much and he is confident I can do it. I still feel really off balance at the moment, just really hoping my depression's not going to kick in for real. I am very tired from not being able to sleep which doesn't help, woke up at 5:30am this morning for absolutely no reason. Grrr!

Today was good cos I actually started on my experimental video, but everytime I move a clip or change any properties I need to render it out and it takes ages, and I'm gonna have to use some different footage cos this is doing my head in and seriously hampering my progress. I felt so down and stressed and had to take time out occasionally just because my head felt like it was going to explode from everything.

Tutor has handily made a list of everything I have to do this week, so I'll get working and ticking stuff off...

Can't wait to leave college and chill. Geez, if I can't hack college, I have no chance in TV! But at the same time I am doing something I struggle with and don't want to do at the moment which is nothing to do with my future career. As for final major project... been hampered by transport issues. Need to sort that out too.

Arrrrrrrrrrrggggggggghhhhhhhh!!!

Flight 666

Went to see the new Iron Maiden film tonight with my Maidenhead nutter boyfriend, we both thought it was awesome and I'm currently getting into Maiden. Ohhh yes :D :D :D

In other news, college are complete disorganised useless arseholes hell bent on screwing my future up, and my stupid non-working brain is finishing it off for them.

2 days to think of, film, edit, do paperwork for and complete experimental video. Fuuuuuuuck...

Byebye holidays... hello college :(

College tomorrow. SHIT.

I have an essay to finish (gonna start on that in a sec) and an edit to finish (do that when I get home on my iMac) if I'm not going to get my arse kicked out when I go back to college. I might have other work to do, probably an evaluation or two, I'll cobble something together for the Single Camera Drama edit.

Work I don't mind, the essays etc annoy me but that's part of a college or uni course... I just hate college as a whole... fed up with class members with a problem with me, fed up of corrupt and biased tutors and an evil head of department who'd love to see me kicked out - he tried to but then I went and got BBC work experience so he couldn't really justify kicking me out with that, lol.
I could go in to what college have done to screw me over and make my life harder, but it'd be a long list. I don't want a fuss, or sympathy, I just wish they'd fuck off and stop making a hard career path even harder. I'll do pretty much whatever it takes to reach my dream, including putting up with being surrounded by complete pricks, but it doesn't mean I like it, or it's necessary for them to be like that.

I just have to keep telling myself, a month and a half to go until I can walk out of college's doors forever, hopefully with a good grade! But after that I don't have a clue, I'm pretty scared about what happens after that, I have to get a job, bloody impossible in these current times, move out, etc etc, dunno if I am ready, well I guess I am, I really do want to move out and get working in the industry, but at the same time, I think it's gonna be very hard to get there!

Here's hoping...

Camcorder update

So it turns out the camcorder is fine, but the charger isn't! When not plugged in, the camcorder will turn on, but plug the charger in and it turns off, or won't turn on or charge. Took it to the Sony centre and they didn't have a clue why it was doing it! But I asked them to try it with a different charger, and the camcorder worked fine, so I just need a new charger, which they tell me will cost me £50. Geez almighty, my camcorder was £160 nearly two years ago! You'd think they'd be a bit less pricey. But at least Sony still stock them, which is good. They didn't have any in stock but gave me a number and model numbers, so I can order one on the phone - that's if I don't find a cheaper one on the internet at some point!

Camcorder has gone kaput!

Won't turn on, won't charge, and won't pop the tape out with the skate footage on! Gutted!!
Taking it to the Sony centre as soon as I can. :(

Skate video

So, the filming went ok yesterday. I don't think the guys laid down enough different and decent tricks, but we'll see what we can salvage. I also have some footage of some pretty good lil rollerbladers who wanted to see themselves on film, so I gave them my youtube username (lulijatheravengirl, I really need a less laughable one) and told them to keep an eye out for a general video of the day.

Thanks to Dave, Jacob and Richard the skaters, and Skegness skate plaza for being awesome and having such an open attitude to filming. The first thing you see when you walk in is notices everywhere going 'Warning, filming or photography may be taking place!' Most sports places ban non-commercial or indeed any photography/filming (CoughXscapeCough) so it's really refreshing to see somewhere that welcomes the filming of others' prowess (or not lol) at the sport. The main guy at the front desk even took my camcorder and charged it in a safe place so I could carry on filming with someone else's and not have to sit with mine. It's lovely to just be able to film and not worry about it. All the little kids loved it too - all desperate to be on camera!

Where. Am. I. Going?!?!

Just feeling very meh, I guess. Everyone's off to have a happy little party, orgy, whatever, all together in York, living it up, the uni life etc. Getting drunk all the time, sleeping with tonnes of random people etc etc. Or something like that. Whatever happens, I won't be there. I just wish I knew where I was going...

Everything's gonna change after summer. I have to move out, get a job... no idea where, either. Wherever will take me, wherever the work is. The only thing I know for sure, is that everything's gonna change. I don't know how, where I'll go... just, nothing's gonna be the same again.

And that's natural I guess, things have to move on and progress. I know I do want to start again, well, start a new chapter of my life, away from this area, in TV, my own life... but, I'll miss things about my old one.

I guess I'll just deal with it. After all, I want to be a video editor more than anything. Or I did. I think I still do, deep inside. I'm just getting bogged down by how life is right now. The future might not be less hard, or simpler - but it's one step further towards my goal - and therefore happiness.

Easter Eggs!

Ok, so I am posting a special blog post about... Easter eggs. Yes, I know loads of people get loads of eggs. Me? My mum never actually bothered/remembered to get me an egg. This year I saw a Mini Eggs egg. It was on offer at Tesco and (here's a random fact about me) I LOVE Mini Eggs. And it had a Mini Eggs mug! So I got it. :D

But that was just the start of the epic...

Egg #2 and Egg #3 came at the same time. Egg #2 - cos I saw it first - was a Top Gear one from my mum, thankfully smaller (I am gonna be so fat!) but it came with a Stig mug <3 amazing!!
Egg #3 is a Kit Kat Sensations egg from my boyfriend's mum - and yep, it has a Kit Kat mug.
Win, win, win.

Egg #4 - well, since boyf's parents are away on holiday (they left the egg for me) we went to boyf's grandma's house for Easter lunch. And after a lunch involving eggs, boyf's lovely grandma gave us an AFTER EIGHT egg each! (Ok, so his family are loaded to various degrees in various ways) but After Eights - mmmm! And guess flippin what... it came with a mug.

So.. yes. I may sound sad. Or like I'm rubbing it in your face. Which I'm really not! Please, come and be my guest and eat my flipping eggs. I'm going to be fatter than a Chirstmas pudding! (Ok, wrong Christian festival, but yeah!)
It's just so... amazing... to get eggs and have people think of me. I would have gotten my mum one but she hates chocolate.

Incidentally - my boyfriend hasn't gotten me an egg. He's my real friend, for trying to keep me thin!
If you read this hun, I love you! For everyone else - thankyou, so much, I really needed some new mugs, but if anyone wants chocolate - get in touch! xx

I'm back in blighty!

I had an awesome ski holiday - Chamonix was great, my skiing improved loads and I was really ripping those pistes up. Now hating being back home, except seeing my boyfriend again, which is wonderful! But just trying to not get stressed again... still got all my work to do...

On the up side, I've been wondering what to do my final major project about, and as college won't pay for me to go to France and make a ski movie, I'm considering doing a documentary on the local horse sanctuary, Bransby Home of Rest for Horses. http://www.bransbyhorses.co.uk/

I love animals, horses rock,and I've adopted a Shetland pony from there called Rusty who is a day older than me! He's very sweet too. The charoty have been on TV in the past - Pet Rescue, I was told - but have no video on their website or anything - so could be a good chance for work for me and promotion for them.

I also have to make a video about the last working in-business windmill in the UK - I've had this project on for ages, but still no idea what to do for it! Need a director.

Ski Sunday!!

Well yes, it is Sunday and good skiing has been had! First 'fall' today - I just stayed on my feet, but ended up facing up the slope, skis in big V, hands on snow - tired and in heavy snow = not good! Been a lovely day though. The snow is ideal about 11am, and some great places for carving. Went on the train through the valley today - what a ride!! Found an amazing bargain ski shop too so going shopping tomorrow. Hopefully mum will come up the gondola and go snowshoeing tomorrow!
Right, going to order another coke and earn my right to use this wifi in this bar - tis rather good - watched Liverpool win in here yesterday - Irish bars in France FTW!

Editor en France!

Bonjour et bienvenue! Aujourd oui moi arrivee en Chamonix, et je fai du ski!
Ok, apologies for my REALLY bad French. Hello and welcome! Today I arrived in Chamonix and went skiing! All the rushing about has been hell but the hostel here is lovely - wish I was staying here all week - but tomorrow we move into the apartment in town. It's really out of the way up here, and the bus service is crap! Can't believe it, Chamonix and all! Anyway, the snow is ok, went up Le Tour today, was great, but I am SO SO tired and achey, haven't slept properly in 2 weeks, haven't eaten properly for 2 days, finally had a good meal tonight here at the hostel. Now drinking a coke and chilling in the hostel, had two hard fought games of scrabble with mum, after this hour of internet I am going to BED!! Sooooooo tired! Dunno if I will have internet for the rest of the week - need to find a wifi cafe!
Anyhow I shall go and internet and try not to fall asleep!
Jules

Skiing...

I'm getting very excited about it! I need sleep and I'm not gonna get it anytime soon, got a banging headache etc, but still can't wait to get on that plane... and sleep LOL. Bring it on. Just me and the mountain... perfect escape.
Now... to fit my camcorder and laptop into my hand baggage... and get it past the size limits...

Hi

Welcome to my blog. It may be updated, it may not be, I'll try not to be too overdramatic lol, but rather see this as a log for my progress towards my goal, a squee-ing ground for the good things happen, and no doubt venting space for when stuff isn't so good!

The sun is shining, the sky is blue, I'm happy for the first time in a month or so, I'm heading off on my ski holiday tomorrow... leaving behind all the college work I have to do! Oh well, will be done soon!

Something editing related? Well I am sat in college class watching everyone edit their experimental videos (do not get me started on experimental - suffice to say the assignment brief says it's a minority interest and there's no money in it - so WHYYYY?!) and yeah, anyway, looking around at everyone's videos made me think a lot of my class really are on acid!