* x * . . . A t h e n ii x . . . * x *: x~The Jungle of Northolt~x

x...Welcome to Athenix...x

It's been 7 years since I first started to attempt to make my dreams of being a journalist come true. I was 9 years old and was still attending Primary School at the time. It was this year that I started my first magazine, "Black Cat", named after my favourite character in Spiderman - which I was hooked on at that age.

I don't remember where my exactly my inspiration had come from but I know that my inspiration changed throughout the years. One year, it was Chloe Sullivan from "Smallville", (who risked her life to get a story) the next it was Andy from "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days", being forced to write unimaginative articles, finding the man that she loves and then earning the right to write whatever pleased her - yes, alright, this inspiration was rather unusual, but it kept me going and kept the want to become a journalist alive.

Now that I am 16, I have realised that celebrities have not affected the dreams of becoming a journalist. My sisters are now what inspire me. My eldest sister, Sarawjeet, is as successful in her family life as well as successful in her career. My second sister, Arminder, has worked hard all these years and has an amazing talent for words and writing. My third sister, Ranjit, has a gift for art and design, as has her husband, and has recently published a book of her photographs.

I hope to one day show that I have inherited even a fraction of the talent that my sisters have shown. But until then, I am happy improving my writing, and starting from scratch.

Imagine that you’re walking through a jungle full of a million and one different species of amazing creatures that you’ve never seen or heard of before. Now imagine that these mysterious animals surround you, corner you into one edge of the room, as though they’re getting ready for the kill. Alright, perhaps I’m exaggerating a bit too much but for someone who has never been around that many kids before, that’s what it felt like.

It was my first day of work experience and I was nervous as Hell, so, naturally, I went off to work half an hour early – first impressions are always lasting impressions! – in my best jeans, favourite top and brand new hooded jacket. And don’t forget my sister’s thumb rings, the brand new watch was given, and the diamond love heart necklace that my mum and dad had brought me. Probably didn’t look as good as I thought that I did, but it was a start.

But then it happened…I walked into the nursery and was surrounded by nearly 30 kids all under the age of 5! – believe me, it seemed a lot more at the time. They all hugged me and then kept coming back for more! I remember nearly falling down as they all rushed towards me like a stampede of elephants. If I was nervous before, I was even more nervous after that! But the staff made me feel at home. I guess that you could compare them to lionesses; graceful, majestic creatures that look after the cubs (however annoying) and hunt the strongest prey (or in this case – cook the best meals).

Oh my God, the meals they fed me! Some of the tastiest things I’ve probably ever had (apart from mum’s curry of course! No-one can beat mum’s curry). I must have made their lives much harder, being a strict vegetarian. But they still always found something for me to eat whether it was pasta with Dolmio sauce or pita bread pizzas with salad. It was so funny when they discovered that I was vegetarian – the look on their faces. All that time they had been thinking that I was watching my weight because I wasn’t eating, but it turned out that I wasn’t eating because they were cooking meat! “The Nursery” has to be the healthiest nursery I know, especially with their carrots and cucumber snacks.

It was so easy to make friends at “The Nursery” whether it was with the lioness-like staff, the awesome children, all with their own personalities, and their parents, or the staff’s fox-like kids – sly but absolutely lovely and fun to play with. Everyone at “The Nursery” has their own unique personality and when you put them all together, it really is as though you’ve stepped into a jungle of wondrous creatures that you can’t help but be fascinated with. “The Nursery” is one of the most spectacular places I’ve ever been to – they make you feel like part of the family…like one of those magnificent animals that I compare them to.

By Gurpreet Kaur Sihat

x...Wall of Photography...x

My dad used to own his own Photography Studio called "Dev Studios" in Southall. I've been interested in Photography as a hobby for some time but only really experienced it over the past few months. I had forgotten to return the school camera before the Easter Holidays and in those two weeks.

I have taken over 2 thousand photographs of a million and one different things - my cat, Tigerlily, who modelled for me for 20 minutes before getting bored; a Robin who was exploring the snow, who also got bored of me after an hour; the beautiful Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport; and naturally, my gorgeous friends and family who all modelled for me in a variety of ways.

Hopefully, one day, I will find out that one of the things that I have inherited from my dad was his talent not only the love for photography.