On the up: That blond girl
On the down: The lack of media opportunities here

A lot of work has suddenly exploded, and it's all due, like, YESTERDAY. I sort of panic because everything has to happen NOW, then I get into this state of paralysis and end up not doing any of it.

I've been proofreading a book this whole evening. Feels like I've worked through an entire encyclopaedia already, and then realised I'm only halfway through. arg.

So I took a break, put mud on my face (because I looked in the mirror recently and saw that my pores are as big as Hoover dams) and got on Facebook. Again. Because I'm so addicted.

I found this girl that I worked with for two terms on our campus newspaper. She, effectively, taught me everything I know about journalism (which is probably not very much, but at least helped a few non existent skills to grow somehow, secured me a job at a newspaper and got me job offers from Bazaar).

She was totally scary, because she had this way of telling you how to write a news story in under two minutes, and then expect you to go out and do it 100% polished and find some real exclusive shocking angle. I'd never written a news story in my life, so it was a big massive confusion for the first two months and I dared not ask her to repeat anything twice for fear of her giving me a scornful look.

She really knew her shit though, and had been writing for newspapers since forever. She knew all the right questions to ask, who to ask, how to dig up the dirt, how to corner people, how to write, what angles to write, how to be controversial, how to up the ante for a boring story about university facilities.

She was bloody amazing.

And when you wrote a good story that she liked, she smiled and said, "Good job!" which would TOTALLY MAKE MY DAY. Even more than getting a first for an essay for my degree. (Really, what with the 16 hour days on campus because of the paper, you would think my three-year degree was the extra-curricular activity).

And you know how you always sort of picture journalists as real low-lives, with no lives, bad mousy hair, dowdy clothes and yellow teeth from all the smoking? Well, the annoying thing was that she was also totally gorgeous. All blond, and freckles in the right places, and a perfect size 8, and big boobs. And dated this hot, hot Brazilian guy. And had heaps of friends, who were also all gorgeous and popular and were the captain of this, chair of that, head of this, president of that.

I think I was probably really infatuated in the way that I just totally wanted to be her because she was just this totally fabulous journalist and could always get away with being rude and almost-obnoxious because she had this nice face and because the whole campus knew she really knew what she was doing.

Now I find out on Facebook that she's the news editor for a paper in England. And she's only 27. I am so insanely jealous!

PS, go look at the newspaper we worked on here Isn't it gorgeous? And so much more creative and intelligent than the stuff we get here!