Songbook 8

Is it just me or does there seem to be an almost ridiculous amount of really good new bands flowing out of the States at the moment? I have been really enjoying these guys recently, this is Grizzly Bear and this is definitely my favourite song, Two Weeks - it's been stuck on repeat since I heard it last week. Also I wouldn't mind tracking down this film, La Ballon Rouge with which this guy has made this beautiful video, I'm intrigued.

I'm hopeful that as Grizzly Bear stop touring in mid June they are going to be hitting the festival trail this Summer, I would love to seem them, preferably while I sip cider in the sunshine...hmmm, forever an optimist!

The future

Having finished (yes finished) my degree last week I am left with a lot of free time at the moment. I'm hoping this will be filled productively with more blogging, spending more time at gair rhydd and making plans for both summer (Argentina is beckoning) and the inevitable move to London.

I really hope it's inevitable - unfortunately it does depend on my getting a 2:1, which due to handing in my last assessed work last week is now out of my control! If I do achieve the revered 2:1 I will be heading off to the LCC (London College of Communication - as pictured) to study their MA in Print and Online journalism.

The decision to go there was a difficult one, having been offered a place on the postgrad courses at Bournemouth and here in Cardiff too. I dismissed Bournemouth fairly early on, not because I didn't like it but because I felt if I was to make a fresh start somewhere it may as well be in London. The Cardiff/London debate went on for some time - I'm sure irritating housemates, parents, friends and a couple of contacts from work experience, all of whom I was hoping would make the decision for me!

In the end I decided Cardiff's diploma in newspaper journalism, despite its fantastic reputation, was too narrow-focused for me. I've had a good amount of experience in newspapers: I was a volunteer reporter in Honduras, had a two week placement at the Times and of course three years in student media at University - and I have realised that I'm not sure I want to write the news!

The LCC is much more modern in its approach to teaching journalism - not requiring its students to choose to take the path of investigative or features journalism until the end of the course. I also like their general attitude towards their students - Gary Horne, the course director told me that just as he and the other teaching staff are working journalists he regards his students as such as soon as they walk through the door.

There are also the obvious advantages of being in London, not only home to many of the UK's biggest media companies but also a place where a vast amount of smaller ventures will be starting up and trying to find their place, all-in-all I think the big smoke will provide me with more opportunities.

I'm relatively blase at the the moment about the whole thing - my time at Cardiff coming to an end, starting a new university, moving to London (which must be twenty times the size of Cardiff!) I think it's because most of my friends are yet to finish their courses here at Cardiff and we are all looking forward to enjoying our last weeks at Uni without being burdened with scary thoughts about the future, many of us are also going to be descending on Glastonbury en mass to really see out three years properly!

Songbook 7

Some days, such as this one, when the weather is really awful and you have nothing better to do - the only option is put on a beautiful but melancholic song (Cat Power's version of Sea of Love preferably) and stare out the window at all the possibilities that could have been, had it not been raining!

Songbook 6

I always find lots of amazing tracks when I'm sitting in front on my laptop all day, especially when I'm meant to be writing an essay or four... This is a pretty interesting tune from a French band, see what you reckon.

Decisions, decisions...

I haven't written in a while as I have been very busy being probed, pushed and pulled at interviews for postgraduate courses in Journalism at Bournemouth, Cardiff and London...I've been accepted everywhere which is obviously lovely news but means I actually have to make the decision now! I think it's between London and Cardiff at the moment.

I'm 22

It was my 22nd birthday on Friday and I truly had a wonderful time! Mainly due to my lovely friends Alex, Kelly, Jamie and Dan coming to visit but helped along too, by the sun which meant we spent all day sitting outside the Pen and Wig supping pimms!

Getting political

I recently ran in the student elections at University under the ridiculous alias of Emma 'Burgundy' Barlow (see one of my self-designed logos above) aka. Anchorman, the role made famous by Will Ferrell. I was running for the position of Head of Student Media and gair rhydd Editor, unfortunately I did not win!

Despite the end result being incredibly disappointing, the whole process was a fantastic experience as well as exhausting! The very nature of student politics means you have to leave all inhibitions at the door - donning a ridiculous outfit and adopting a gimmick is a standard requirement and unfortunately decent policies and experience seem to feature as rather less important.

However, I really did throw myself into the week and a half long campaign. Presenting a speech and dealing with some difficult questions in an official 'hustings' evening was a great opportunity to start flexing my self-promotion muscles and was in fact my first experience of proper public speaking. I also visited the various schools throughout the University to make announcements at lectures and speak to fellow students while they sat in cafes and refectories - taking me totally out of my comfort zone. It was testing too, when students wanted to question my ideas and ask me about my own political views but at the same time was also immensely satisfying to learn that people were interested enough to talk to me about it.

One of my main policies was to get all of our fantastic student media, Xpress radio, CUTV and gair rhydd, working together. I felt this was important as other media-savvy students would then be able to work together and share their skills. It would also raise the general standard, for instance Xpress and CUTV could benefit from working with the more experienced writers of gair rhydd. It is of course, also exactly the way most professional newsrooms now operate and I really think my experience at the BBC and at Honduras This Week would have helped me to get a more convergent media department up and running.

However, one my fellow News Editors, Emma Jones was elected and I'm sure she will do extremely well. I had been really unsure about nominating myself for the job a few weeks ago but even though I lost I am convinced just the experience of campaigning itself was worth its weight in gold.