Week 4: Once upon a time there were....UFO's??!!

Last week's reporting assignment was about a news story about UFOs and a description about my favourite TV show which is ABC's Once Upon A Time.

News Article

UFO’s in Malta for political campaigns

By Charlene Mifsud

UFO landed in Marsa this morning at 6am, to the shock of people driving to work. Immediately after landing, contact to Maltese government was made and peace was assured. The landing was done; it seems, with the intention of gathering information on Maltese political campaigns and chosen billboard photos.

Descriptive Article

From Story to Reality

By Charlene Mifsud

‘Once upon a time’, in 2011 to be precise, an ABC TV show began. The evil queen unleashed a powerful curse on the entire kingdom and banished every story book character to our world. Ours is a world without magic and the characters don’t remember who they were. The town is called Storybrooke in Maine and the characters are trapped in time in our world forever. Only one person can break the curse and return everyone home, the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, Emma. She is brought to town by her son Henry, who she had given away. Henry will do anything to make Emma believe in the curse.

What makes this my favorite show is that it tackles many human characteristics such as love, anger, revenge and loss but with a fairy tale twist. It brings to light a heightened understanding of forgiveness, love, sacrifice and bravery.

Thanks to whoever reads this blog :)

Week 3: Morning glorious morning

This week assignment involved writing a very vague descriptive article with the only hint give being "Sunday morning". Well my piece may not necessarily be about a Sunday but it definitely involves a morning.

Descriptive article:

Morning Glory

By Charlene Mifsud

The crisp cold of night causes mist to rise from the earth. The cool light of the moon creates an eerie atmosphere and peculiar shadows seem to be all around. There seems to be a trickling sound coming from somewhere, it may be a nearby stream moving slowly through the night, the water drips one drop at a time through the pebbles that lie on its bed. All creatures seem to be waiting for sunrise to approach, in the meantime snug in their warm homes.

As the first rays of sun appear, warm reds and pinks fill the sky. The woods come to life, the leaves crackle as the heat melts the cold dew and insects slowly detach themselves for the bark of trees or leaves. Life unfolds as the rays race past trees, as if the sun is truly beating back the night just like the ancient Egyptians believed. 

Week 2: My work and the dolphins

This week I was assigned to write a descriptive piece with the theme being 'the closing time' and I chose to write about the end of my shift when I finish off from work. I also was assigned to write a news story which revolves around dolphins.

Descriptive Article

At Shift’s End

By Charlene Mifsud

For some months now I have been working at a restaurant in MarsaScala. My favorite part is when the time comes for the closing time. All is cleaned up and ready for the next day and I can go home. The sounds at the end of the shift is like music to my ears, the whirring of the dishwasher, the clinking of the glasses, the switching off of lights. The tables are cleared, the lights are spent and the doors are closed.

Sometimes I like to go down by the sea afterwards, and watch as another bustling day comes to an end. It helps me unwind. The flurry of the day melts into the crushing of the waves on the shore and the little lights twinkling in the sky keep me company. Later when I am on the road back home, I am at peace and ready for a good night’s rest.

News Article

Dolphins: looking out for them

By Charlene Mifsud

Should we be worried about the dolphins? They may look and act happy and carefree but difficult times may lie ahead. In the last two weeks, marine researches have been busy studying a pod of dolphins in the Mediterranean. The researchers first took interest in the pod last month just as summer was at an end, when one of the dolphins washed up on shore dead. After some tests, the dolphins were found to be suffering from an illness which makes it hard for them to breath. The cause of this sickness is still unknown and tests are being carried out.

Please leave any comments or suggestions below.

Week 1: My Street and Foreign Girlfriend

For the first week I was assigned to write a descriptive article about the street I live in and the lead for an article about the President of Finland having a foreign girlfriend. As said in my welcome note, the stories are all imagined by me and in no way try to creating misleading rumours about anyone.

Descriptive Article

My Street: What is and what isn’t

By Charlene Mifsud

Have you ever seen those streets filled with gorgeous homes with front gardens oozing with luscious greenery and intricate garden furniture? My street looks nothing like that! There are no children playing outside and no colorful or modern architecture that decorates the street. It starts off with a large pine tree that acts as a roundabout to locals and baffles other people who come upon it. Then you come upon a residential street filled with terraced houses and cars parked on each side. The road, it being Malta, is a little patchy.

At any time during the day you usually find someone outside either cleaning or using it as an excuse to gossip. Most houses have adjacent garages and a balcony. They nearly all have the same height, making the rooftops adjacent. Any greenery that can be glimpsed comes either from balcony pots or from plants peeking out from rooftops.

News Article Lead

Sauli Niinistö: foreign girlfriend enters the picture

By Charlene Mifsud

President of Finland, Suali Niinisto reportedly has a girlfriend from Malta, sources told us. The 24 year old girl was seen this Summer with Sauli in a secluded resort on the island. The two were seen in Malta during Niinistö’s two-week Summer break on the island. His wife was not accompanying him due to other family matters. No previous reports indicated any problems in Sauli’s marriage before this point. The president has so far refrained from giving any comment about the reports. 

Please leave any comments and suggestions you may have below.

Welcome

Welcome to my blog! My name is Charlene and I am a Communications student at the University of Malta. This year I am taking a reporting unit and we are asked to write something every week. For this reason I decided to create a blog where I can publish each assignment for every week. The articles written will be imagined by me and keep in mind these are assignments and this is all very new to me. However, I feel it will be advantageous to publish the articles and see what anyone reading may think of them. 

If you have any comments and suggestions, go right ahead and write them down! I would love to get some constructive criticism as I try to learn how a proper article should be written.

Thanks for your help and co-operation.

Charlene