Well that was FUN.

When I thought about half term a few weeks ago, being at Channel 4, in the papers, on the TV and on the radio didn't particularly spring to mind and appear on my agenda, and I can safely say that this week has been the most mental week of my life.

Monday, 12pm - The press released was announced and I could finally tell people that I'd won! Well, that was the plan anyway. The flaw was that Hamley's has ZILCHO signal and therefore my fragile phone was completely useless , and I had to spend an hour amongst hundreds of hyper screaming children. That giant store is HELL I tell you, HELL. Although the lego Buzz Lightyear was very impressive and caused me to "Oooohhh" like the little aliens in Toy Story. Once we'd been released we fought for a table in Strada and I screamed and exploded inside at all the tweets and texts. I was in the Guardian. THE GUARDIAN. After consuming so much food that I actually thought exploding was imminent, we saw Sister Act ('MAZEBALLS), I lost my phone back, and got picked up in a posh car to be taken to Channel 4. OMGOMGOMG. We met lovely Amy who took us to the newsroom and introduced us to everyone, before going to the GREEN green room, getting my make up done, and being on the news live with Jon Snow. No biggie. 

Tuesday - I faced my laptop and 50 emails *smugface*. Okay well most were from Facebook but DON'T RUIN MY FUN. I was well into the 1,000 followers on Twitter (er, WOW), was answering phone calls all morning, answering emails and had to write my first blog for the C4 website. I didn't even get that stressed during my GCSEs. Thankfully friends were on hand to whisk me away to Costa where we gossiped for 4 hours and ate a lot. Such is the life of a teen.

Wednesday - Up at 6am *6amface* to be interview on BBC Essex, who were LAVERLY. Home at 8.30am to nom on shaushage and onion sandwiches and be confused about my daily routine *wasupat6amface*. Another blog on the website before I was :Oing and HXGWTRVBMGXKTUBing at Paranormal Activity 2 with my bezzie. Babies + dogs + demons = !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. Oh and I got a response from a Government minister about my Uni fees blog, which I was very thankful for and understood the points he made even though my point still stands that we still have to pay back all that money even if it is in the future, and with jobs hard to obtain and other prices rising such a transport it's going to make life difficult for us teens. *cough*

Thursday - I spent the whole day at Channel 4!!! Writing for their website, having a go at presenting, going on an interview with Alice Cooper, sitting in the gallery and general pottering about. T'was amazing and everyone there is REALLY lovely. And they knew me, they all knew who I was. Er, OMG. The best bit was sitting in the gallery while the 7pm show was going out. So much stuff goes on with timings and interviews and different cameras and links and changing stories last minute. The atmosphere is tense and I've got tons of respect for that lot cos I would just freak out and run away at the first sign of things going iffy. And Jon and Krishnan were cracking the jokes in between features, I feel you should know this.

Friday - My first free day and I grabbed it with both hands and did NOTHING. Apart from try and fail to get Take That tickets for 7 hours. Tsk.

Saturday - I planned on doing school work, but I obviously didn't get any of it done. Mum's fault. She wanted me to go to Brentwood with her shopping. Ahem. Then I dressed up as a geek, no effort needed there then, and went to Kiera's party to get abused the whole night about my knitting (oh HA HA HA HA HA) and listen to PhoneShop quotes for 4 hours courtesy of Rob. There you go Rob I mentioned you so if you scare me at the Halloween walk tonight I'll have no choice but to punch you in the face, okay?

Sunday - Today. Last day before back to school. How marvellous. *stares at messy room and unfinished essays* Sigh. 

Apart from all the amazingness within the surreal events that I've had thrust upon me this week, I've learnt so much as well. The main thing I've learnt is that journalism isn't as easy as I once thought. I've spent a full day in a newsroom where they work bloody hard preparing for the night's programme and there's a hell of a lot of pressure on them to get it right. Of course, yes, it's fine when you can write when you want and about whatever the hell you like, but when you have to write every day of the week about a subject you might not know a lot about, it's tough! 

It's even tougher, with a tad of emotion in the mix, when your writing is being displayed to the world on a mainstream news website. It's all lovey dovey when you're just writing on a personal blog to readers who already like your work, but I got a smack of reality this week when I mistakenly read the comments. Some people can be vicious. But you win some you lose some. Not everyone's gonna agree with you or laugh at what you've written. 

But I've learnt something about all this that I never even realised before. I've had emails from strangers telling me that I've inspired them to do something. Me. A normal 17 year old with a random blog. Teenagers have started their own blogs because of me and that is cheesily one of the best feelings in the world, knowing that you've inspired others. Yes, you may gag at me now. It just proves that ANYONE can change someone's life, you don't have to have done something brilliant or be famous, you can be an average person. Like me. I'm no one special. Just a moody weird rambling teenager. Sorry to disappoint. X