A Cunning look back of the last year and give my thoughts of what happened.
Evening all,
As like last year on my note page on my Facebook account, I thought that now is the right time to look back at a unforgettable year for me over the past year which without a shadow of a doubt saw some real highs and a few lows.
so here we go:
January 2012:
A really quiet start to the year, did make a few job enquiries as i started the year off continuing to be unemployed but sadly nothing was coming up for me so i continued my work working as a newsreader and radio presenter for my hospital radio work. i was approaching being with them for a year now and I have really enjoyed the past year with them.
February 2012:
This is where things start to turn for the better as with a little bit of luck, i was given the opportunity to be a sports journalist and write for the Medway Times website for football matches involving Gillingham FC. I continued this for the rest of the season and the feedback i was given for my work was really helpful to make my work more better and more informative and opinionated. It continued right through to the new season as well and with my new iPad, it got easier for me to do my job as well as i did it from my seat in the ground. but later in the year things got better.
May 2012:
Things got really good for as for the first time since 2010, i was offered a job to work with Paul Simon in Strood as a sales assistant. It was quite shocking but to be honest, after the interview, i had a gut feeling that I was going to be offered a job to work. But little did i know who difficult it was going to be to do the job. I had to learn a lot about selling stuff i have never sold before in my life but after a lot of training and patience, i did manage to sell some stuff and it very rewarding to get some decent pay in my account.
But also this month was the Rugby League festival i was covering for both the Medway Times and the Kent Sports News as well. After i had some excellent interviews with everyone who was involved, the weekend finally came with some excellent weather on the Saturday but bad weather on the Sunday. But the event was a complete success for the Medway Dragons, but also for the London broncos as well. The game at Priestfield was also my first game where i was given full access for the press box at the ground and the whole game was a great way to learn what it was going to be like as a proper sports reporter. after the game i learned a lot from the weekend and i was very pleased with the feedback i got from the work i did.
July 2012:
A big month for as i was going to hit the big 30, but before that, I was given an opportunity to help, work and learn with the BBC again as I was given a chance to work with the team at BBC South East Today. i was there from the start of the day and i tried to contribute as much as i can to the team for the news on that day. I gave them a hint that Gillingham will announce the mew manager either on the day i was there or the day after - sadly for me and for Neil Bell it was the day after i was there that the new gaffer got announced, just my luck - but also i went out for a 'live link and report' with Jon Hunt - an exceptional journalist - for some new pylons which could blot the landscape near Ashford it was great to go out for a story as it helped me understand what it is like to be out on the patch as a reporter. Overall i did learn a lot from the day both in the newsroom and out on the patch.
However personally, i didn't think that i did enough good work to persuade the guys at BBC SE that I deserve a chance to be a reporter. I felt that i upset sports reporter Neil Bell by telling a story which did happen but not on the day it happened, i felt that i disappointed the production team especially Sue Nicholson, Quentin Smith and Jon Hunt that i did not contribute to the days news and i let all of them down when i failed to get information for a possible interview as well. so despite the positives there were a lot of negatives as well. but i still learned a lot from the day.
I did manage to cheer myself up as i celebrated being 30 although there were no proper celebrations due to some food poisoning which ended up me throwing up in a toilet of my local curry house - lightweight i know - but i did mange to celebrate with the annual Gillingham game 'near enough' on my birthday which was fully enjoyed in the sun at Priestfield. Then it was time to enjoy my day at the London 2012 Olympic Games. I only managed to get tickets for the archery at Lords, but still i enjoyed the day out in London in the rain at Lords and the atmosphere was pretty good and I got to see some great action as well. afterwards i went to Hyde park to catch the evening's Swimming action and it was enjoyable to watch especially when Chad LeClos beat Phelps in one of the swimming finals. I did feel bad that i could only afford one day at the games but still it had given me the taste to try and go for a Rio 2016 job so i happy i went in the end.
October 2012;
The rest of the year after the Olympics and Paralympics were spent working at both Paul Simon and for the Medway Times/Kent Sports News as a sports reporter, But them luckily for me, I asked if i could be given the opportunity to work from the press box for the AFC Wimbledon v Gillingham. And after some phone calls, i was given the access to report from the game in the press box for the first time. I was pretty excited for the game so i went there and did my job as working as a sports reporter. Although i did my job pretty well, being with better journalists around me was very eye-opening. it was great to see guys like Ben Croucher (BBC Radio Kent) and Luke Caldwell (Kent Messenger) doing their jobs and other guys from the BBC Final score and Sky Sports Soccer Saturday there as well, i felt that i was like being a bull in a china shop. I didn't know what everyone was doing around and i acted like i upset Ben, Luke and everyone from Gillingham and AFC Wimbledon. I also learned a few things as well from Martin Weller - Gillingham FC Press Officer - which will help me be a better sports reporter in the future, so I'm glad and thankful for the access from AFC Wimbledon, I'm hopeful that i will be given another chance for press access soon.
November 2012:
Things went from bad to worse as from out of the blue, i was called into my managers office at work and due to to poor sales figures i was made redundant from my job with Paul Simon. This definitely upset me as i had made plans to use the money from work to help do stuff like learn to drive and help me get back on my own too feet with my own place. but i wasn't the only one who was upset. all of the staff were upset as they felt i was a key member of the team and to do it before Christmas was a low-blow for the company. But i respected the decision and i was promised of work when the market picked up again. but how long will that be is a question which remains unanswered.
December 2012;
Despite being made unemployed again, i was determined to see the end of the year with a positive attitude and with Christmas around the corner i decided to visit my mum in Torquay but this time though i was not a healthy man. At the beginning of the month, i started to feel a lot of pain in the right side of my mouth, i went to my dentists and they said that my wisdom tooth got infected and i need to have it out. but the antibiotic tablets didn't get rid of the infection. So whilst on my visit to my mum, i went to the local A&E to let them have a look at it, after a long wait and some x-rays, i was told that i need to have it out ASAP and i needed to stay in hospital whilst they took it out. Being my first proper time in Hospital did frighten me but i was pleased that it was being dealt with before i went home. After nearly a week in Hospital, i had my jaw relined and 2 of my teeth were removed due to the infection. I was pleased that it was all dealt with although at present i still have problems talking and eating but this will pass eventually.
Overall, a really eventful year with a lot of high and lows but it is one year i wont forget and my hope is that 2013 will be more enjoyable for me just as this year was.
JS
A really quiet start to the year, did make a few job enquiries as i started the year off continuing to be unemployed but sadly nothing was coming up for me so i continued my work working as a newsreader and radio presenter for my hospital radio work. i was approaching being with them for a year now and I have really enjoyed the past year with them.
February 2012:
This is where things start to turn for the better as with a little bit of luck, i was given the opportunity to be a sports journalist and write for the Medway Times website for football matches involving Gillingham FC. I continued this for the rest of the season and the feedback i was given for my work was really helpful to make my work more better and more informative and opinionated. It continued right through to the new season as well and with my new iPad, it got easier for me to do my job as well as i did it from my seat in the ground. but later in the year things got better.
May 2012:
Things got really good for as for the first time since 2010, i was offered a job to work with Paul Simon in Strood as a sales assistant. It was quite shocking but to be honest, after the interview, i had a gut feeling that I was going to be offered a job to work. But little did i know who difficult it was going to be to do the job. I had to learn a lot about selling stuff i have never sold before in my life but after a lot of training and patience, i did manage to sell some stuff and it very rewarding to get some decent pay in my account.
But also this month was the Rugby League festival i was covering for both the Medway Times and the Kent Sports News as well. After i had some excellent interviews with everyone who was involved, the weekend finally came with some excellent weather on the Saturday but bad weather on the Sunday. But the event was a complete success for the Medway Dragons, but also for the London broncos as well. The game at Priestfield was also my first game where i was given full access for the press box at the ground and the whole game was a great way to learn what it was going to be like as a proper sports reporter. after the game i learned a lot from the weekend and i was very pleased with the feedback i got from the work i did.
July 2012:
A big month for as i was going to hit the big 30, but before that, I was given an opportunity to help, work and learn with the BBC again as I was given a chance to work with the team at BBC South East Today. i was there from the start of the day and i tried to contribute as much as i can to the team for the news on that day. I gave them a hint that Gillingham will announce the mew manager either on the day i was there or the day after - sadly for me and for Neil Bell it was the day after i was there that the new gaffer got announced, just my luck - but also i went out for a 'live link and report' with Jon Hunt - an exceptional journalist - for some new pylons which could blot the landscape near Ashford it was great to go out for a story as it helped me understand what it is like to be out on the patch as a reporter. Overall i did learn a lot from the day both in the newsroom and out on the patch.
However personally, i didn't think that i did enough good work to persuade the guys at BBC SE that I deserve a chance to be a reporter. I felt that i upset sports reporter Neil Bell by telling a story which did happen but not on the day it happened, i felt that i disappointed the production team especially Sue Nicholson, Quentin Smith and Jon Hunt that i did not contribute to the days news and i let all of them down when i failed to get information for a possible interview as well. so despite the positives there were a lot of negatives as well. but i still learned a lot from the day.
I did manage to cheer myself up as i celebrated being 30 although there were no proper celebrations due to some food poisoning which ended up me throwing up in a toilet of my local curry house - lightweight i know - but i did mange to celebrate with the annual Gillingham game 'near enough' on my birthday which was fully enjoyed in the sun at Priestfield. Then it was time to enjoy my day at the London 2012 Olympic Games. I only managed to get tickets for the archery at Lords, but still i enjoyed the day out in London in the rain at Lords and the atmosphere was pretty good and I got to see some great action as well. afterwards i went to Hyde park to catch the evening's Swimming action and it was enjoyable to watch especially when Chad LeClos beat Phelps in one of the swimming finals. I did feel bad that i could only afford one day at the games but still it had given me the taste to try and go for a Rio 2016 job so i happy i went in the end.
October 2012;
The rest of the year after the Olympics and Paralympics were spent working at both Paul Simon and for the Medway Times/Kent Sports News as a sports reporter, But them luckily for me, I asked if i could be given the opportunity to work from the press box for the AFC Wimbledon v Gillingham. And after some phone calls, i was given the access to report from the game in the press box for the first time. I was pretty excited for the game so i went there and did my job as working as a sports reporter. Although i did my job pretty well, being with better journalists around me was very eye-opening. it was great to see guys like Ben Croucher (BBC Radio Kent) and Luke Caldwell (Kent Messenger) doing their jobs and other guys from the BBC Final score and Sky Sports Soccer Saturday there as well, i felt that i was like being a bull in a china shop. I didn't know what everyone was doing around and i acted like i upset Ben, Luke and everyone from Gillingham and AFC Wimbledon. I also learned a few things as well from Martin Weller - Gillingham FC Press Officer - which will help me be a better sports reporter in the future, so I'm glad and thankful for the access from AFC Wimbledon, I'm hopeful that i will be given another chance for press access soon.
November 2012:
Things went from bad to worse as from out of the blue, i was called into my managers office at work and due to to poor sales figures i was made redundant from my job with Paul Simon. This definitely upset me as i had made plans to use the money from work to help do stuff like learn to drive and help me get back on my own too feet with my own place. but i wasn't the only one who was upset. all of the staff were upset as they felt i was a key member of the team and to do it before Christmas was a low-blow for the company. But i respected the decision and i was promised of work when the market picked up again. but how long will that be is a question which remains unanswered.
December 2012;
Despite being made unemployed again, i was determined to see the end of the year with a positive attitude and with Christmas around the corner i decided to visit my mum in Torquay but this time though i was not a healthy man. At the beginning of the month, i started to feel a lot of pain in the right side of my mouth, i went to my dentists and they said that my wisdom tooth got infected and i need to have it out. but the antibiotic tablets didn't get rid of the infection. So whilst on my visit to my mum, i went to the local A&E to let them have a look at it, after a long wait and some x-rays, i was told that i need to have it out ASAP and i needed to stay in hospital whilst they took it out. Being my first proper time in Hospital did frighten me but i was pleased that it was being dealt with before i went home. After nearly a week in Hospital, i had my jaw relined and 2 of my teeth were removed due to the infection. I was pleased that it was all dealt with although at present i still have problems talking and eating but this will pass eventually.
Overall, a really eventful year with a lot of high and lows but it is one year i wont forget and my hope is that 2013 will be more enjoyable for me just as this year was.
JS
