Making changes

As Little Women’s Christmas approaches tomorrow the last of the Christmas trees will be taken down and the decorations put back up in the attic for another year. Christmas cards will be swiped from the mantelpiece leaving it looking rather bare. The fairy lights, dancing Santas, singing snowmen and the crib will all be put back in their boxes, now that their job is finished for another year.

Reality has returned with a bang as the first working week of the year officially kicks in. Those of us who over-indulged during the festive season are probably feeling a little bit sorry for ourselves. Too much food and too much alcohol have left many of us feeling lazy, sluggish and less than motivated.

But January brings with it good intentions and resolutions for the coming year. ‘Dry January’, a 31-day challenge to give up alcohol after the booze fuelled festive season, is a common trend many people undertake after Christmas. However, like new year’s resolutions, sticking to a strict no alcohol regime can be difficult, especially in the cold, dark Irish winter when a hot whiskey never seemed so tempting.

If you’re considering saying goodbye to Jägerbombs, shots and the famous pints of black stuff for the next few weeks then here are a few tips to help you in your cold turkey state.

• 1    Avoid the pub

It might seem like an obvious thing to do but avoiding the scene of the crime is a fool-proof way to keep any temptations you may have at bay.

• 2.       Two’s company

Going cold turkey on alcohol is zero craic. It’s minus craic if you’re the only one out of your group doing it. Persuading a friend to avoid the booze for a few weeks too will make missing out on nights at the pub a little bit easier. He or she might even thank you!

• 3.       Bye bye turkey tummy

Saying see-ya to alcohol can mean great news for your waist line. As alcohol contains a significant amount of calories, not consuming it can only be good for you and your body.

Adopting ‘Dry January’ to the rest of your lifestyle and diet can also have significant benefits. Replacing fizzy drinks with water, chocolate with fruit and takeaways with a properly cooked nutritious meal will all have positive benefits on you, your energy levels and your body. Over-eating and drinking at Christmas time can make it hard to cut out all the bad stuff when we’re used to it. But it can also make us motivated and determined to see change within ourselves; both physically and mentally.

With Operation Transformation also returning to our screens this week, will this year’s leaders inspire you to make any changes this year? 

New Year, New You?

It’s that time of the year again. As December draws to a close, and with that 2014, new year’s resolutions are at the forefront of many people’s minds. For most people the start of the new year is symbolic of the start of a new them; a fresh beginning, a time to make new goals and a time to forge better, healthier habits.

New plans to join the gym, lose the turkey tummy piled on over the festive season, cut back on alcohol or give up smoking once and for all, all seem so achievable on January 1^st. But, as the new year sets in, the novelty can quickly wear off.

Once the crimbo holidays are over and everything returns to normal high hopes of going for a run every morning before college or work become a challenge; eating healthier meals becomes difficult as hectic work schedules get in the way and the fear of trying something new suddenly sets in. Before you know it you’ve forgotten all about the promises you made to yourself at the beginning of the year. Life gets in the way and, once you miss one day of practicing your new year’s resolutions it can become increasingly difficult and daunting to keep the motivation up.

According to Time Magazine the most commonly broken new year’s resolutions include:

• Lose Weight and Get Fit
• Quit Smoking
• Learn Something New
• Eat Healthier and Diet
• Get Out of Debt and Save Money
• Spend More Time with Family
• Travel to New Places
• Be Less Stressed
• Volunteer
• Drink Less

Clearly keeping resolutions can be challenging so why not do the opposite? While some people view January as an opportunity to start afresh, others view it as a cash-strapped dull and dreary month. Committing yourself to giving up something you love can be hard at the best of times; never mind in January! For those struggling with low will-power, doing the opposite and making a to-do list is a positive alternative. Don’t deny yourself. Instead, plan ahead. Be proactive for 2015. Make a list of all the things you want to do (within reason!) and let 2015 be the year you do them.  

Forget the ‘New Year, New Me’ drama. Call me cynical but, just because it’s a new year, doesn’t automatically make you a ‘new you’. Whatever you decide to do, setting new resolutions or making a to-do list of all the things you want to achieve in the next year; none of them will happen unless you make them happen. A little bit of motivation can go a long way and only you can do it.

Happy New Year everyone! 

Limerick Voice comes to an end

And that’s a wrap!

The Limerick Voice has finally been put to bed. After several disagreements, numerous late nights and too many cups of coffee, the 2014 edition of The Limerick Voice is finished. And what a journey it’s been.

There have been highs and there have been lows but I am extremely proud of what we have achieved in this edition of the Limerick Voice. The dedication, talent and commitment shown by my classmates in both the BA and MA class, combined with the guidance and assistance from our lecturers, has to be commended and I feel honoured to work alongside such creative and talented people.

The experience of researching, investigating, interviewing, reporting, designing and publishing a newspaper has been invaluable. It is an experience no classroom or no lecturer could ever teach. I have gained experience I know will stand the test of time and build on making me a better journalist and for that I will be forever thankful.

My previous work placement in The Munster Express definitely helped me as I set out trying to make contacts, organise interviews and schedule photographs. The buzz of searching communities for stories, speaking to local people and visiting new places was all part and parcel of my Limerick Voice experience and one I enjoyed and benefited from very much. The thrill of putting pen to paper, (or perhaps keyboard to Microsoft Word as the case may be) and finally seeing my stories come alive on a page is a just reward for weeks of hard work.

Working as deputy news editor proved slightly more stressful than I had imagined but, in hindsight I am glad I accepted the role. Assigning stories, keeping track of different people’s articles, watching stories develop or fold, subbing copy and giving a helping hand has been an honour and an experience I know will make me a better journalist.

At times the production of The Limerick Voice was challenging and frustrating and, as with all group projects, there are always people who pull their weight more than others. This project (unfortunately) was no exception.

As is the nature of journalism there are times where you will work hard and put a significant amount of time into a story only to find out it has been cut. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed when I scanned through the newspaper last Thursday morning and failed to find one of my articles. It was a story I had assigned myself from the very beginning of the project and I was committed to getting it done. It took me weeks to get in touch with the source I needed to speak to and when I did (eventually) write up the article I felt it was a solid news story. To put time and work into an article and to then have it cast aside is disheartening but I am aware that this does happen in newsrooms.

As we neared the end of the Limerick Voice tensions were high and, at times, there was a lot of negativity both in the newsroom and at meetings. Although this is understandable I found it stressful and discouraging working in a negative environment. In saying that, no teamwork project would be complete without a couple of arguments. Coming out the other side of these disagreements is the main thing and, thankfully, we made it! Despite maybe wanting to throw the Mac out the window in frustration or scream at the top of my lungs when things went wrong, I wouldn’t have wanted to work with any other group of people. Although things seemed touch and go for a week or two, everything worked out perfectly in the end. As it always does. And we produced a pretty amazing paper too!

To next year’s class: I don’t envy you trying to top this edition of the Limerick Voice. It’ll be a challenge that’s for sure but a little bit of determination and a lot of hard work can go a long way. Best of luck!

Putting the 'pro' in procrastinate

There are certain things you find yourself doing at certain times of the year like shopping before Christmas or carving pumpkins before Halloween. As the end of November creeps up a lot of us now find ourselves procrastinating in the lead up to some all important exams. Feeling guilty about not doing anything when you know you should be doing something is a feeling many of us are oh-so-familiar with. You know the procrastination disease is eating away at your productivity when you find yourself doing the following…

Excessive Cleaning

Sweeping, hoovering, polishing and taking out the bins when you should be sitting in the library working on a 3,000 word essay is a sure sign you know you’ve got it bad. You’re willing to do anything, including tackling the oven or fridge with a j cloth and a bottle of Mr. Muscle, to avoid what you really should be doing. Don’t lie. We’ve all done it. We’ve all been there.

Daytime TV

Now this was ok to do in first year; acceptable even. However hours spent watching quality entertainment courtesy of Jeremy Kyle or Jerry Springer is not acceptable in fourth year when you have a presentation to worry about or you need to submit the first draft of your FYP. If you’re waking up in the morning excited about seeing the lie detector and DNA results Jeremy promised on yesterday’s show then you know you’re in too deep. Way too deep.

Tea Breaks

I’m all for tea breaks and taking ten minutes out but, every now and again, a cup of tea and biscuit turns into a Friends marathon and, before you know it you’ve watched seasons 1-10 and you’ve written yourself into the script as a seventh ‘friend’. You don’t need college anymore you’re just going to hang out and drink coffee in Central Perk where thoughts of assignments, essays and presentations don’t exist.

Library Breaks

Congratulations on making it to the library first of all which means you weren’t procrastinating. But now that you’ve got here you’re not sure what to do with yourself so, after ten minutes of intense Facebook creeping, you decide you need a ‘short break’. Library breaks are almost as dangerous as the aforementioned tea breaks. A so-called ‘short break’ at the library suddenly turns into a wasted hour gossiping with friends and, before you know it, you forgot what brought you there in the first place.

The Daily Mail

As procrastination goes, for many people (mine included!), it’s a guilty pleasure to scroll through the Daily Mail, catching up on all the latest celeb news and gossip. Dragging yourself away and physically x’ing out of the Daily Mail tab can be an ongoing struggle.

Now, if you'll excuse me I have a cup of tea to make and an episode of Friends to watch... 

A learning curve

As the end of the semester creeps ever closer I have found myself wondering where in the name of God the last ten weeks went? It seems like only yesterday we were sitting in the newsroom, without a care in the world, reminiscing and catching up on all our summer adventures. But time waits for no man and now, here, we find ourselves knee-deep in the production of The Limerick Voice.

Although things got off to a little bit of a slow start, the pace is gradually picking up and the newspaper is finally starting to come together.  

What I love about journalism is that you’re always learning and there’s always room for improvement. The Limerick Voice has, most definitely, been a learning curve. I have learned so much about this beautiful city of Limerick that I never knew before. I have discovered people and places I never knew existed and I have had experiences I know will strengthen me as a journalist. Most of all I have learned from the people sitting beside me in class who have worked alongside me on the paper. As a group project I have worked closely with a number of people on different issues who I have learned a lot from. I've learned how to handle myself in certain situations, how to portray to people what we are all about and what we want to achieve in the best possible way, how to get the best answers out of people and how to look for that all important unique angle. I have learned that the best way to get a story is to physically go out and about and talk to people; old-school style! With all the advancements in technology and social media, sometimes we forget that there is a world outside our laptop and mobile phones where we can actually go out and speak to people face-to-face. I have definitely found that this is the best way to get the information and story I want.

One of the main difficulties I have encountered is waiting on people to get back to me but I guess that’s part and parcel of the job. Constantly emailing and calling people can be disheartening when the person on the other side of the phone or the laptop is not responding. But for every person that doesn’t reply, there’s probably at least 10 others that might. A lack of attendance and a general lack of interest from some people has also been discouraging. On the other hand, the enthusiasm expressed by many others must be commended.

As with any journalism project we have met with barriers and I have no doubt we will continue to meet them until the paper is put to bed. Overcoming these obstacles has been a strong learning curve too. With less than two weeks to go before we hit the shelves there is a lot of work left to do but I am positive it will be done.

I am so proud to be working with some of the most talented people I know and I am so confident that this is going to be a fantastic newspaper.

Watch this space!

Nightcrawler

Every so often a film comes along that leaves a creepy, spine-chilling feeling in the viewer. It leaves the mind wandering, questioning, doubting.

Jake Gyllenhaal’s intense performance in Nightcrawler is hard to shake off even hours after the final credits have stopped rolling and the cinema has been emptied.

The movie opens with Gyllenhaal roaming around grimy night-time LA as Louis Bloom, an ambitious but haunting character. Gyllenhaal’s appearance is noticeably different as he transforms himself physically for the role of Lou by losing 30 pounds and appearing bug-eyed and pale.

Lou stumbles upon a car crash and, transfixed by the TV news crew filming the tragic footage of a burning car and injured woman, Lou sees an opportunity. He gets hold of a cheap camera, a police radio and, before you know it, he’s crawling the streets of LA seeking out the worst crime scenes the City of Angels has to offer. He sells his footage to Nina (Rene Russo), a local TV station news editor who tells him quite honestly; “If it bleeds, it leads”. After receiving his first pay check Bloom is like an addict; unrelenting and determined to do whatever it takes to feed his addiction.

As Bloom becomes increasingly obsessed with his new-found passion the film gears up a notch as he races to crime scenes before the police can even show up. He is ruthless in his profession as a camera man and is prepared to sacrifice everything to get the best angle and footage he possibly can. He recruits an assistant in the form of Rick (Riz Ahmed), a nervy homeless man who displays morals Bloom is incapable of.

Rick and Bloom crawl the city’s streets by night eagerly anticipating the next gruesome crime scene they can record. As Gyllenhaal’s character becomes increasingly consumed and equally infatuated with manipulating crime scenes and capturing the most gruesome footage he portrays a blatant disregard for ethics or morals of any kind.

Writer-director Dan Gilroy raises important questions about media ethics when tabloid journalism comes under fire as Bloom disregards the rules and embodies everything a journalist should not be.

Gyllenhaal is captivating in his role as the cunning Lou Bloom. He is the determined, albeit ruthless, antihero we love to hate. Credit must be given to the powerful acting skills of Gyllenhaal who manages to keep the audience on his side even as his character steps up his merciless and relentless tactic, resulting in appalled admiration from the audience.

Nightcrawler delves into the seedy, sleazy side of journalism and exposes a side to the media we sometimes choose to ignore. But this is Gyllenhaal’s show and he well and truly steals it with a brilliantly dark and cold-hearted performance depicting the often cruel and callous nature of modern day journalism.

Nightcrawler is in cinemas now. Check out the trailer here:

What to say when you have nothing to say...

It’s like running a marathon; you don’t go in unprepared. You train. You go running with the club, you do what you’re told, you practice outside of training. You eat the right foods; stocking up on carbs and saying goodbye to alcohol. You do all the right things and take all the right steps, but sometimes it’s just not enough. Every distance runner’s worst fear is ‘hitting the wall’. It can happen anyone, at any stage of a marathon, no matter how diligently you train and eat. And, sometimes, there’s absolutely no reason for it.

Writing’s like that sometimes. At least I feel writing’s like that right now. I’ve been struggling with what they call writer’s block for the last few days and I just can’t seem to shake it. I’ve well and truly hit the metaphorical wall. And, right now, it seems ten feet tall. I’m wondering will I ever get over it.

It’s not that I have nothing to say; in fact it’s the opposite. I’ve plenty to say but I just can’t seem to transport it from my brain on to paper.

I sat down yesterday to write and I had nothing to say. I literally had nothing to say. For anyone that knows me, really knows me, then you will know that this is quite unusual. I always have something to say. I love debates and people challenging my opinion. I love justifying why I think or feel a certain way. I thrive off stimulating conversation. But yesterday the creative juices refused to flow.

I had loads of potential things to blog about. I agonised over a couple of different issues making the news at the moment wondering which one I would go with. The ongoing debacle over the Irish Water charges, the irony of wifi outage at the Web Summit, Eva Longoria’s much-publicised trip to Dublin and the Anti-Victoria’s Secrets Runway Show that took place in New York last weekend were all topics I toyed with whilst staring at a blank screen.

The cursor blinked back at me from the screen willing me to type something, ANYTHING. I closed my eyes and magically wished that when I opened them there would be 500 words dancing across the screen. Of course there wasn’t. But I at least hoped I would have been struck with some sort of inspiration. Like the animated light bulb going off inside my head.

For someone who (hopefully) anticipates a career centered around reading, writing, reporting and investigating, this is a weakness I really can’t afford. Writing my way through writer’s block is a work in progress as I try to figure out the best ways of overcoming this tricky and oh-so-inconvenient situation. I’ve learned that the best written blogs come from articles you’ve read, stories you’ve heard or things you’ve experienced. Forcing yourself to write something for the sake of it, on a topic you’re not particularly interested in, is a recipe for disaster. I learned this the hard way after forcing myself to write an excruciatingly soul destroying article on a topic I had zero interest in.

I also find that literally stepping away from the laptop is a good idea. Writer’s block is often symptomatic with stress and sometimes you just need a break. Taking your mind off the task at hand by going for a walk or meeting up with a friend is a really good way of refreshing and re-energising your mind. If you have a deadline to meet though you may not have that privilege.

Sometimes the well really is dry and I have nothing to say. But, deep down, of course there’s always going to be something to say. There will always be politicians making controversial decisions, celebrities dominating headlines and events taking place that need to be covered. There will always be something to write about. I’m a journalist after all, isn't that what I do.