Friday, October 24, 2008

reflection

Reflexive Piece

Unfortunately I am not entirely sure what to say about blogging, or how to reflect on "personal experiences" or "formative meetings" since I haven’t really been an active member of the blogging community, but I’ll give it a go. If I’m going to be honest then I will admit that blogging was always a strange and unfamiliar concept to me and it never occurred to me that it could be challenging or empowering.
When someone mentioned blogging to me I would immediately think about some girl sitting in the dark, all alone, with a box of kleenex, writing her personal memoirs down for the world to see. I didn’t see any point to it at all. However there I was, sitting in Eden Grove Blue with the words "Blogging: what is a blog and how do you go about it" staring back at me. I thought that I had come to learn about being a journalist and not about exposing myself to public humiliation.
Worse then the public humiliation was the idea of having to do group work. In my opinion when you work in groups you can be sure of two things. Firstly, that there will be people who will do nothing and who will never arrive for meetings. Secondly, that I am almost guaranteed to end up doing that person’s section of the work because I would rather pass then stand around shouting, "it’s the principle of the matter". So you can understand my lack of excitement at the prospect of been forced into another awful group work experience.
Then there was the problem of technical difficulty. I have never really been a whiz-kid of science; in fact I’m absolutely shocking when it comes to anything involving a two prong plug or, god forbid, technical jargon. So you can imagine my sudden flash of panic when people started shouting words like "widget" and "JavaScript" at me. To be perfectly honest a tiny part of me, and I emphasis that this was a mere fraction of me, wanted to spit in the lecturers’ eyes. It just sounded ridiculous, a blogging course in JMS1? I thought that kind of thing was reserved for the lucky few who made it into CompSci 2.
Added to this was the concern of genre constraint and the pressure of confining myself to one particular style of writing for the next five weeks. These challenges seemed insurmountable. This was made worse by the fact that I had to go to Cape Town for 3 weeks, which meant that I missed out on crucial information, on lectures, on group meetings and on the chance to really experience the blogging course in the same way that my peers did.
However I can say that when I did have the opportunity to sit down with my group I really enjoyed it. I know that my productivity was not what it could have been but there wasn’t much that I could do about it considering the circumstances. It was the mumps fault and had absolutely nothing to do with not enjoying the assignments or opportunities to write that blogging presented. I can say that in no way did blogging stifle my creativity. Briefs were always laid out in detail and highlighted the importance of what needed to be done and how to go about it and, although slightly stifling in the style of writing allowed, the topics of discussion were always endless.
Although I am not entirely sure what blogging has come to mean to me yet – I’ll leave that self-discovery for a time closer to my journalism exam – I will say that is a powerful form of writing. Sure it doesn’t classify as a part of the traditional media but it is still powerful and challenges its reader. A blogger is a public informant and writes to serve the reader in the same way a journalist might.
I will also say that that the lectures made this all that more bearable. Blogging really didn’t seem like such a hot idea at the start but they got me to a point where I honestly believed that it wasn’t such a bad idea at all. Hell, I even attempted to get my own private blog up and running but I soon realised the futility when step one bamboozled me. It’s okay though, I just found solace in my trusted pen and pencil.

Posted by opinionplease at 1:51 PM

live and let live

Opinion Piece

First year’s all about finding your feet, making mistakes and growing up, so why so many people have concerned themselves with alcohol and drug abuse on campus is beyond me. It’s been said again and again, you are at University to study not to drink away your parent’s money. Believe me, your parents would prefer you get it out of your system when you are 19 then to start at 39.
Anyway, who cares? If you want to drink then drink, if you want to smoke a hallucinogenic substance then smoke it, it’s your life and it’s your choice. You’re at university to discover the person you are going to become. If you have to get drunk and stumble around in a gutter with writing on your forehead to realise that nothing good comes from excessive alcohol consumption then do it. If you drink so much that you fight with your best friend and hurt them but it makes you realise how special they really are then do it .If you smoke too much weed and you can’t study and you end up failing a test but it makes your realise that smoking weed maybe isn’t such a good idea then do it. If you can realise all of these things without abusing addictive substances then give yourself a pat on the back and leave the people who can’t alone.
As you experience things you will find that you - hopefully - start to develop some principles, e.g. I can’t go out tonight, Hannah, I am writing a law test tomorrow morning and you know what happened last time. If you are lucky enough to have some principles then you stand by them, whether or not people accept them. I am sorry if I sound like I’m standing on a pedestal shouting down at the ignorant masses, but let it be known that I am a second year, that I made all of the aforementioned horrific mistakes but that I came out relatively unscathed.
All I’m saying is that first year is one of turmoil, of bad decisions, of awkward moments, of hilarity and above all of growing up. The only way you can ever know what makes you truly happy is by experimenting with everything you have at your disposal. It’s not anyone’s place to judge you or tell you what you are doing is wrong. If you want to pimp around in 90s get up then do it, if you want to scrape past on 50% that’s your choice, if you want to avoid Friars and alcohol and find other ways of making yourself happy then good for you.
Just remember that there is no other time in your life when you can act as selfishly as when you are young. Before you realise it responsibility will come knocking and that knock will send your youth fleeting through the window. So reserve your judgement and give your peers an equal opportunity to make horrific mistakes. If you never make them then you will never learn.

Labels: drinking, drugs, first year

Posted by opinionplease at 1:49 PM

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Out of your SPACE: Homosexuality at Rhodes

Out of your SPACE: Homosexuality at Rhodes-Concerned about You


First of all, my ignorant friend, it is in your best interest to understand that one’s sexual orientation is a personal and thus private choice. The gay people you speak of fight not to recruit people into their sexuality but, fight to be accepted by the society in which they form part of. How is a persons’ sexuality corrupting anyone in any way? It seems to me like you are the one with the problem. You don’t know who you are which is why it would even occur to you that a few words from a so-called senior gay student could influence you to be gay. You speak as if you live in some sort of place which fears being influenced by the “big bad gay world”. Wake up my darling the world is not there to tip toe around you nor are people here to babysit you. I don’t know whether you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years but gay people are not going anywhere. Your contradictory statements further weaken your argument. Your statements fall flat and add no substantial value to this world, let alone the university.

Posted by opinionplease at 2:40 PM

I am pissed off too!

My First Time: I am pissed off!!#links#links#links

You say, “These men didn’t attack me because they wanted to hurt me. They attacked me because they were cold, hungry and tired of being trampled on by everyone around them. They were tired of living in poverty, hopelessness and pain”. Is this really the reason these men attacked you? Did you ask them this before or after they did it? And the men who rape women before making off with their possessions, is this also because they are tired of living in poverty, hopelessness and pain? Are you suggesting that when one is in pain we should ensure that someone else experiences pain too? Is this the justice you are suggesting? A hurt for a hurt, a scar for a scar? And how does one go about selecting ones victims? Or does this not matter so long as you do not suffer alone. I am not suggesting that we should not try to eliminate poverty but poverty is not a good enough reason to hurt others. And no, they may not have physically hurt you but psychologically they did. And finally when you say, “You have the ability to totally transform every facet of your life and the lives of others” do you mean we have this control by using violence and knives?

Posted by Tough LOve at 2:10 AM

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Reflexive Piece
That day I arrived ten minutes late at the library basement. As I entered it, I could hear the audible sighs of relief from my group members. Io had made it. They were beginning to think I would not come, which would have derailed the group’s progress.”Welcome to blogging”, I said to myself as I joined the others. To be fair this term has been an interesting learning curve but it has not been without its hitches. My approach to academic work is relaxed as I often submit my work the day before it’s due. But group work put a stop to that. The work had to be done some time before it was due. Not to mention that my freedom was curtailed by the fact that I was constrained to a particular genre. But to be frank, I was really productive. I remember the assignment I did on a letter to my younger self. It attracted two interesting comments. I realise that my work would be scrutinised by a broad audience. And because of that, I had no choice but to work hard.

Writing is quite challenging, even more so on a blog where it has to be constant. When we got the assignment brief, I got a sinking feeling in my stomach. I felt that it was too constraining, as was the character of the blog. But when I sat down to think of stories, I surprised myself. There were a great many stories I could come up within the context of the defined character of the blog. And imagining my work being read by an audience enhanced my determination to come up with creative ideas. But I sometimes had problems at the formative meetings. Our tutor was quite helpful and the group was really cooperative. But I felt as if I could say more or come up with more yet when someone came up with a ,suggestion, I felt bad about contradicted them, so I kept quiet, even though I thought the one I had was quite brilliant. Generally, I went along with what the group deemed to be the best thing.
They say life is a journey with different stages. At each stage you grow in a certain way. I regard this course as one of the stages of my life. In terms of personal growth, I could not have asked for more. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give myself an 8. Personally, I learnt to work with a group of different people of different backgrounds and how to get along with them. The members of my group were quite fun. Some had a hilarious sense of humour, some took on the role of the wise ones, and some were feisty and hardworking and other characteristics. They did have an effect on my personal growth. Professionally, I learnt to be an opinionated individual.I can now stand my ground on any matter, which is a useful attribute in any academic field.
I love freedom. To be free one of the best things one can achieve. I always believed that reporting demanded one to have a certain n amount of freedom. I must admit that initially, I did not like working within the confines of genre. There was an assignment brief to adhere to, the blog character to consider, not to mention the imagined audience. But this experience taught me that it can be interesting to work in the confines of genre. You can direct your energies top that particular genre and produce maximum results,. Well, for me it worked that way.
Before this course, I had never heard of blogging. To me , journalism was concerned with the print media and television. But I realise now that blogging is a form of journalism. Journalism has to do with disseminating information to the public. Ands a great proportion of the public now uses the internet, particularly the young. Since blogging is used to disseminate information on certain issues to these people on the internet, I consider it to be a form of journalism. Though now the journalism is between lay people, those who previously exclusively relied on television and the print media. I have learnt that blogging is indeed journalism, though this time around it is a type of journalism restricted to accredited professionals.
For me, the first year experience has been unbelievable. From academics to love, from social functions to other interesting things, I’ve seen it all. So it was a bonus to have a theme about surviving first year. There was so much to talk about. Besides my own experiences, there were the experiences of other first years. This was a great theme indeed. But since nothing is wholly good, there some weaknesses with the theme. Rhodes is not all about first years only. Since I was constrained to the theme, I had to ignore other interesting issues. Even Grahamstown itself had many interesting stories to offer. A broader theme would have made it easy to blog about just about anything and ensure that the blogging is ever interesting. There are so many things you can write about one theme. Like everyone else, I did try my best though.
One of the drawbacks to laziness is that research seems to be a lot of hard work. But since I was blogging to a potential audience, I had no choice but to research. I mainly researched by interviewing fellow first years. Sometimes I picked up things from conversations. And I corroborated the information with some internet research. Io learnt that research is necessary for a good story. I did extensive research on my stories, though in the first days it was superficial. With sources, I had no problem at all. First years are generally a willing group of people. But I had to be careful with how I used the information they gave me, since it would be read by a great number of people.
Everyday we learn new things. Blogging taught me a lot in terms of writing. In terms of organisation, I became a master. I could say I almost made the genre mine. I experimented a lot when I was blogging, tackling first year issues from different controversial angles. I overcame the fear of calling a spade a spade. To be frank though, I had some ethical concerns with the content some of my peers placed on blogs. In my culture, some things, like sex, are spoken off indirectly. I was initially shocked by the blatant handling of some sexual issues in relation to first years. But I got over it.
It has been an interesting course, no doubt about that. A valuable learning curve. A wonderful experience. An insight into a wholly different aspect of journalism. A period of growth. What more could one ask for? For me, the course was in way life changing. To abuse the words of Julius Caesar, I came, I saw, I blogged. And in the process, I learnt a lot.

Posted by Anonymous at 7:13 AM

Exe's and oh's

Well my friend and I were chatting yesterday about the laws of attraction. She decided that at every point in our conversation when the topic turned to members of the opposite sex that she was going to stop our conversation. Needless to say our convo was very stunted. It happens everywhere and it appears that everyone hates their exes aswell. Well at least I do and so does someone else.



http://lonnaslife.wordpress.com/2008/10/17/exes-and-ohs/#comment-9



Go check it out.

Posted by Tough LOve at 2:54 AM

Let's try this once more!

http://www.stuff.co.nz/blogs/girlsguide/2008/10/07/dream-a-little-dream/

That is the blog address; just like that with no php and stuff after the slash. Enjoy.

Posted by Tough LOve at 1:08 AM

The girl's guide

Here it is again:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/blogs/girlsguide/2008/10/07/dream-a-little-dream/wp-comments-post.php

Posted by Tough LOve at 1:02 AM

Yay a blog that speaks to me.

I found an awesome blog that I can relate to! It was a "tah dah" moment. Here it is,

http://www.stuff.co.nz/blogs/girlsguide/2008/10/07/dream-a-little-dream/wp-comments-post.php

"But she's also a pretty average New Zealand girl, with too many shoes, a student loan, and three guys as flatmates. Her blog follows her thoughts and experiences about work, friends, entertainment, and all the things that make up a twentysomething's life" This is how Jane Yee describes herself.

She chats about boyfriends, exes & issues girls have. So I guess as the name implies it's a "girls guide". Sorry guys.

Labels: blog, boyfriends, girls

Posted by Tough LOve at 12:55 AM

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Looming and Glooming

Labels: happy, sunshine, terrific, travel

Posted by 24hourpartyperson at 3:12 AM

Monday, October 20, 2008

THE opinionated piece

Being a first year at Rhodes is like being thrown into a lion’s den while you are still a small gazelle. The gazelle is young, usually timid and cautious. It makes it worse when said gazelle is female. The lions get ready to pounce and their targets are the first years. Seal-clubbing is an epidemic here at Rhodes and seems to affect you or people you are friends with.

Being a woman on this campus, especially a first year, is a conundrum. If one is shy, you are perceived as a prude. If one is not, you are flirt and/or a slut that must want sex. A woman that is sure of herself on campus is stayed away from as if she is radioactive. On many occasions, friends of mine have been offered to be taken back to boys’ residences out of the blue by drunken groups of second or third years. Hardly a perfect example of a first date or a wonderful reflection on the boys here at Rhodes. However, when one turns down these drunken seal-clubbers, they are verbally abused and then slated by that group of boys by being called a “bitch” or worse.

It seems that no matter how you act, you are still prey to the seal-clubbers. It is no small wonder that our House Committee warned us about them at the beginning of O-Week. What makes it worse is that there are some first year women who find themselves in that situation and follow through. It is their first time here, they get a little tipsy and their judgment is clouded. They want to fit in and therefore don’t mind the attention being given to them by older boys. I have no problem with getting involved with someone but it should be on your terms and with whatever you are comfortable. The sad outcome of seal-clubbing is that the first year is left used and taken advantage of. Whenever she sees that boy she will be reminded of the horrible mistake that she experienced in O-Week. The boy will smirk and become a legend among his friends.

Along with seal-clubbing, there is “puppy-training” – something a member of my blog group unfortunately experienced. She was told she was a “puppy” by the third year she was involved with. Thus, she was treated as such and realised that the third year needed a lobotomy. It may seem humourous to call a first year a puppy but there is the fact that she was degraded to being an animal next to this third year who was vastly superior in his mind. This makes absolutely no sense to me and seems that those who resort to treating first years with such disrespect and disdain need to be sent to charm school faraway from females.

Turning down these seal-clubbers or puppy-trainers is hard because sometimes one thinks they are normal, sweet boys. There is really only one thing a first year can do. She must be sure of herself. It doesn’t matter what car he drives or how much he convinces you that because he is older and therefore wiser so you must hook up with him- do not. There is no room for seal-clubbers who only want to exploit first years. No one wants to look back at first year and only remember being a target.

Labels: lesson, O-week, opinion, seal-clubbing, student life

Posted by 24hourpartyperson at 1:04 PM

I can’t avoid it any longer. I can’t keep on putting it off. The exams are knocking on my door. So, whether I want to or not, I have to devour my books with a vengeance. Being an advocate of relaxed reading, I was ready to start reading for exams during swot week. Then I happened to reflect on the work I have to cover before the exams. One of the drawbacks to doing a Humanities course is that you always have a huge amount of reading to do. I realised that I could not cover the necessary material in the space of a week. It’s just too much for me to handle. So I’m pulling out the stops and kicking off my exam preparations. From today, no more movies or soapies. It’s time for serious business. I just remembered I’m on a scholarship which is never renewed if one fails. I wish I had kept reminding myself of that fact throughout the year. I’d probably have worked harder. But since I managed to scrape through last semester, I have a decent short at passing well. And I promise God that if I pass, next year I’ll start reading right from the beginning of the year.

Posted by Anonymous at 5:56 AM

I’m planning to purchase a computer for my good self, preferably a laptop. There is only one problem. Not a cash one. The problem is that I’ve never exactly seen eye to eye with technology and technical stuff. I prefer things to be read or written after a great deal of thinking. It’s much easier that way. To tell the truth, I had a hard time with the blogging part of Journalism. One of the reasons why I joined the Humanities faculty was that I expected it to be free from the technical hassles of technology, unlike faculties like pharmacy and other such funny departments. But blogging has proved me wrong. I had to learn how to take pictures, to upload stuff, to create photo comics and other things which I had hoped to avoid in life. I’ve realised there’s no escaping technology. One just has to keep up with the times. Right now, I use my cell phone for making and receiving calls only. But I read from the manual that it has various other functions which I didn’t bother to explore. If I buy a computer, I’ll have to come to grips with technology and technical stuff. Oh, well, they say life is all about making sacrifices don’t they?

Posted by Anonymous at 5:44 AM

Thou shalt not steal. This is one of the ten commandments in the holy book called the Bible. At least for Christians it’s the holy book. Whatever the case, the rule makes sense. After all, stealing is not exactly a healthy thing to do. Legally and otherwise. I was talking to this female friend of mine from Milner and she was looking very sad. She told me that someone had taken part of her milk and poured water into the container to disguise this fact. The milk had been in the res fridge and there was no way of knowing who had done this bad deed. Another lady told me she once caught someone red-handed stealing her juice in the fridge. I realised that this is a common problem. In my res, you leave food in the fridge at your own risk. I came to the conclusion that here are a great many people who break the commandment which decrees that we should not steal. It is one’s choice to follow rules. But it’s not good to break rules in a way that affects other people. Did not the holy book say ask and thou shalt be given? If one is in need, one must ask. But I doubt the need as everyone is fed in the dining hall. If you are not full, you can go for seconds. People should be able to place food in the fridge without the danger of it being stolen or tasted by someone. Just remember,thou shalt not steal.

Posted by Anonymous at 5:17 AM

As the song boomed from the DJ’s booth a mass of bodies invaded the dance floor. Within seconds, I was a witness to the spectacle of people implementing numerous gyrating positions in the name of dancing. Since I can’t dance I was reduced to a spectator. The venue was Equilibrium and the time was around 5pm and the day was Saturday. It was my second time at Equilibrium and I was there for he same reason as the last time. For a Bua poetry function. This time it was a braai hosted at the famous Equilibrium club. Or is it infamous? Anyway, besides the sumptuous, juicy meat along with the rolls and delicious salads, the dancing was the most enjoyable part. The only problem was that I was enjoying watching people dance because I can’t dance. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’ve tried to dance but my body is just not flexible enough. It’s too rigid to dance. I always feel out of place when people take to the dance floor. I’ve tried everything but to no avail. I’ve practised by myself but when I’m in public the moves fail me. I’ve even had a few people who can dance try to teach me but it hasn’t worked. It seems I’ll have to restrict myself to being a spectator. Unless I want to make a fool of myself of course.

Posted by Anonymous at 5:15 AM

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Debate on opinion piece.
It so happens that you are a first year. And with your year long experience, I don’t think you are qualified to have a concrete opinion on the drinking and partying culture at Rhodes. Just because you can handle all the drinking and partying doesn’t mean that this applies to everyone else. Did it occur to you that you could be the exception rather than the norm? For your own information, the articles that say that drinking affects younger people are based on careful research by people who are more experienced than you are and base their stories on fact. Alcohol consumption has become an issue at Rhodes simply because it is an issue. You can’t seriously tell me that all this fuss about the alcohol issue is just empty air? It is a fact that younger people are overwhelmed by their new found responsibility peer pressure induces people to drink and peer pressure induces them to drink. I should know. I’ve seen most first years on campus and they really don’t handle their alcohol and their grades are affected. I’m sorry to say so, but you are way off the mark. You are basing your argument on the mere fact that you can handle your drinking and partying quite well. That my friend doesn’t apply to the majority of those who drink. Drinking is really an issue here at Rhodes. Especially for the younger students.

Posted by Anonymous at 1:21 AM

Friday, October 17, 2008

I am of the opinion that the ANC, including those who are intending to split, are just a bunch of arrogant politicians. They do not have the interests of the people at heart. I mean, these guys are one and the same thing. Lekota may serve divorce papers on the ANC but he was fine with it until they recalled Mbeki. Now he claims that the ANC has lost abandoned its democratic principles. What does he take us for? When was the ANC ever democratic if the arms deal is anything to go by? Lekota was part and parcel of the ANC and he expects us to believe his proposed party will be anything different. He should give us a break. Anyway, the ANC is too arrogant. How can they just wake up and recall a president without the consent of the general public? I think the electoral system should be revamped. The president is elected by parliament and the MPs are deployed by the party. We need to have a system of direct elections instead of having the party appointing people. Maybe the politicians might wake up. They are too arrogant for my liking. They take the people for granted because they have too much power on their hands. They should be given a wake up call. I for one am fed up with arrogant politicians who think they can dictate to the public what they themselves want,instead of serving the interests of the public.

Posted by Anonymous at 2:58 PM

A true leader is one who rises to the occasion when the need arises. Whatever the circumstances, such a leader always does what he is supposed to do. I wonder if one could say the same about ANC president Jacob Zuma. For example, he has never publicly reprimanded Youth League president Julius Malema, who shoots his mouth off at every opportunity. The guy’s choice of words shows an alarming degree of political intolerance on the part of the person supposed to represent the youth of South Africa. And Zuma never objected to Malema’s inciteful rhetoric. This implies that he agrees with it. If that is not the fact, then he is afraid to reprimand Malema. And as a leader, he is failing dismally. People like SACP leader Blade Nzimande and COSATU leader Zwelinzima Vavi have vigorously attacked the judiciary everytime it ruled against Zuma. And the good president of the ANC never said anything again. And this is a man who will probably be the next president of South Africa. A man who is expected to lead the citizens of this country. Maybe I’m just a pessimist but the guy worries me. As ANC president, he has not led by example and there is no reason to think he will lead by example if he becomes the president of South Africa.

Posted by Anonymous at 2:37 PM

The ANC youth league president is one interesting individual. The words that come out of his mouth leave a lot to be desired. They don’t befit a man of his position. Julius Malema presents a bad image of the ANC. Killing, eliminating and smashing seem to be all he talks about. What about the issues that face the South African youth? Is that not what his position entails that he do? Malema seems to have forgotten the African principle of ubuntu, which is all about respecting others. The way he spoke about former head of state Thabo Mbeki showed utter lack of respect. I mean, this guy is more than three decades younger than Mbeki. Come on, even Zuma has never launched a public attack on Mbeki and vice-versa. Who does Julius Malema think he is? It’s about time that Malema really undertook his duties as a leader of the youth. It's appalling that such a vulgar individual is supposed to speak for the youth. I wonder how the ANC allowed him to be elected to that position. To me, Julius Malema is a disgrace who only serves to bring the ANC into disrepute. It’s about time that he was recalled and redeployed.

Posted by Anonymous at 2:21 PM

Comment on a photo comic.
Guys, this is a hilarious comic. I’m not sure though whether in terms of narrative structure your story is good. You must know a chap called Propp who came up with the notion ha a narrative must have characters like a hero, villain, donor, helper and more. Now, I think I can only identify the villains from this story? Who is the hero, the donor and others? Obviously, you have heard about Todorov. Remember he talked about the state of equilibrium? I would probably say equilibrium is before he guys joined Journsoc and it was disrupted by the villains who abused the funds. But there is no restoration of equilibrium. I might say there is a recognition that a disorder has occurred with the realisation that the money paid has been misused. Nevertheless, it’s quite a hilarious comic. But there is a strong absence of key Proppian characters that would make a complete narrative.

Posted by Anonymous at 1:57 PM

Opinion piece: It’s better to stay with your own kind when choosing a date.
Dating is a fickle game. It has its highs and lows, its ups and downs. It can be an enlightening experience. It can also be traumatic experience. But nevertheless, I believe it’s an experience worth sampling. I vehemently oppose the notion that it’s better to stay with your own kind when choosing a date.
Let’s face it. We are in an environment that has people from various racial and ethnic backgrounds. They are all interesting in their individual way. The thing is, it does not matter what brace your partner is. What really matters is what kind of person they are. If you find that a person from a different racial group has a personality that you like, then nothing should stop you from going for her or him. What maters is the heart. I believe that if two people like each other, they can overcome any hurdles in terms of racial differences. Besides, we are really not that much different as people. Underneath our skins, we are all human. That is a basic fact. If we are all human, it means we all have similar feelings in terms of romance. If I can date an African girl, then I can also date a European girl. Likewise for any other race. They are all human, and I can date them. There is no point in limiting yourself strictly to your own kind. When choosing a date, stick with what your heart tells you.
Personally, I like women. As long as a lady meets my standards, race does not matter. It is said that variety is the spice of life. That is a statement which I strongly believe in. Back home, I interact with my own kind. Then I come here choose to strictly interact with my own kind ? Certainly not. The point it’s fine to choose to date one of your kind. But it is not proper to rule out the possibility of dating across the racial spectrum. To me, it sounds like racism, discrimination of a person on the basis of their colour. While dating is a matter of personal choice, I believe it smacks of racism for one to say that they would never choose to date anyone different from them. It is a case of failing to accommodate people from different races. University is a place of diverse people. If we can live alongside each other as different races, then surely there can be dating across the racial spectrum.
Also, choosing someone from a different race is good, because it helps you learn about other cultures, which you might necessarily not have learnt about. What better way to learn about the Indian culture than dating an Indian girl? One gets exposed to other ways of life and thinking, which is an important factor of the university experience. It helps you to grow as a person. A person who is comfortable with people of any kind has a great advantage because the world is a global village, whereby one has to interact with people from various backgrounds. And dating someone from a different race and background is a good way of learning to associate with different people.
Of course, dating someone of a different kind, especially in terms of race, would present problems. This could include being shunned by your own kind, or even one of the partners being racially taunted. But I believe if you love someone, all this is worth it. We are here at Rhodes to undertake new experiences and challenges. To grow as individuals and learn the importance of tolerance. If I fancy one of those Indian ladies with their silky dark hair, it is fine. Or the Europeans with their blue, green, brown and other eye colours so be it. Or the Africans with their curves. If one feels that they would rather stick to their own kind, so be it. I feel that it smacks of intolerance and racism though. As for me, I say there is no problem in deviating from your own kind when dating. After all, variety is the spice of life.

Posted by Anonymous at 12:51 PM

I didn’t know Rhodes students were so interested in politics. But the attendance at the VC’s public forum suggested that fact. The lecture theatre at Barrettes was packed to capacity. If lectures were attended like that, I’m sure no one would fail. Anyway, the forum was quite informative and enlightening. There were three panellists, including Advocate Izak Smuts and Dr Steven Friedman, a well known political analyst. I didn’t get the name of the third panellist but he is a lecturer of politics in the university. These three men gave presentations concerning the state of the constitution and the general political situation in the country. The audience was invited to ask questions and share their views. I realised that the general consensus among the panellists was that there is no constitutional crisis in the country, in light of the redeployment of the president and the possible split of the ANC. But many in the audience begged to differ. The sense of unease was evident as many seemed to be uncomfortable about the prospect of having a Zama presidency. Nevertheless, it was quite encouraging to see the youth attending such a relevant forum. I also propose a toast to the Vice-Chancellor for coming up with such an initiative. Indeed, it was long overdue. It was about time that the youth had a space to adequately air their views.

Posted by Anonymous at 1:59 AM

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Opinion Piece - I hate group work!

The common denominator amongst all my teachers throughout my school career has been their obsession with the idea of group work and the ‘fact’ that when you get to university you are on your own. From my poodle-looking grade four teacher to my Mrs Trunchball-resembling Matric English teacher they all believed this idea, breathed this idea and brainwashed us with this idea. Their intention had been to scare us into working because if we couldn’t work well in a group then how could we possibly expect to survive university- working all on our own. However, they never knew that this made us want university work so much more. Except for the slackers, we all hated group work. Many of us still do. Well I particularly hate it, no despise it! And when I find myself doing group work in university I wonder how many other lies I was fed.

Knowing that this is an opinion that my friends and I feel strongly about, I decided that it would be the perfect opinion for my opinion piece. However when I went in search of fellow Journalism students who could back up my claim I found none who would back me up on paper. More accurately I could not find someone who had blogged about their hate of group work. I tried to coerce my friends into specifically blogging about this topic for my benefit but none would budge. Are you beginning to understand why group work does not work? People are unhelpful unless it’s for themselves and apparently splitting marks amongst the group does not count – it’s all or nothing. This is the society we live in.

This might explain why I am totally unsatisfied with receiving a shiny 52% for group work in the place of a mark, at least 10% higher that says Catherine’s personal work. When one is desperately trying to attain a much-wanted place in the Journalism two class, marks matter. This is my main objective and the reason that I strive for high marks. However another reason that some of my friends hate group work is the monetary value that firsts mean. When your parents are struggling to put you through university and you have pressure from home to get firsts in order to decrease your fees it is very frustrating to be put in a group with a spoilt-brat who actually doesn’t care whether they pass or not.

Some lecturers feel that this problem can be overcome by allowing students to self-select their groups. Now imagine that your best friend is a slacker but you are not. In this situation it causes tension to not choose to be in each other’s group but at the end of the assignment you are left feeling unsatisfied to be sharing your well-earned marks. This is bad but worse still is when you are not allowed to choose your own group. This is when you find yourself in the situation that my friend, a fellow Journalism student found herself in. She was so carefully chosen by her tutor to be in the same group as another male student in her tut. They would make a great combination, with some other students, to do the group work assignment of creating your own blog. Well let’s just say that it’s bad to have to share tuts with a guy who you lost your virginity to on one drunken night. However, it is horrible to have to work in the same group as him and to upload your photo comic late at night in the same room as the same gentleman who tore your heart out and now acts so coolly as if nothing happened.

There were some tension-filled moments with my friends when they had declined my request for them to blog about their hate of group work. It dawned on me however that the whole blog is a charming group work assignment and we can all read each other’s posts. It was beginning to make sense. I won’t blog about hating group work on my blog because I don’t want my group members to think that I don’t like working with them. Wait I guess it’s too late because I suppose that my opinion piece will be uploaded on my group’s blog for the world to see. Well, I do have some back up, it may not be from my fellow students but someone shares my opinion. I found a blog that shared my sentiments, but better yet, they give some tips on how to cope should you be so lucky to be assigned group work. Here it is, http://www.teachandlearn.ca/blog/2006/11/22/students-reflect-on-group-work/ and http://experienceyork.appsol.yorku.ca/wordpress/2007/04/02%E2%80%99s-5-group-work-pointers/.

Posted by Tough LOve at 2:11 PM

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Working Girl

Oh to be a working girl in this modern world. Studying for a degree is not half as glamorous as the guidance counsellor back home made it out to be. Tests, deadlines and creeps in lectures are not ideal. It’s kind of like going go-carting. Just when you turn around one hellish bend, there is a more intricate one up ahead. I am a tad apprehensive for when or if I finish this degree and get pushed out into the real world. I could be a hobo busking at Pepper Grove or a nurse or a cat lady. The choices are just endless. I am unfortunately not one of those people who were born with their destiny etched out into a clear and detailed map. I envy those people because they “just know.” And here is me trying to get a clue. However, I like surprises so I am open to anything Rhodes will throw my way. University is one of those periods in your life where self-evaluation and doubt is about as rife as tequila shots at Friar’s so I am not worried. My future is open wide. I don’t know where I’ll be or what I’ll be like after this but at least I would have had one hell of a go-carting ride through this place.

Labels: lesson, life, relax, Rhodent, student life

Posted by 24hourpartyperson at 6:16 AM

Moonlight walk and naked boys in the Jac labs

I was very excited to have something different happening on my Saturday evening. I’m tired of the routine evenings, Union, Rat, Friars or EQ. Therefore I was very excited when I got the email from Mountain Club inviting everyone to go on a night hike to view the stars and the moon with Astrosoc. It was still light when we headed off but after about an hour of walking the stars and planets began to show themselves. I have no idea where I was but it was away from civilization. There the very intelligent members of Astrosoc unpacked their telescopes and moonnfinder. It was amazing, we saw Venus, Jupiter, Scorpius, binary stars, some other stars (or maybe it was a planet) that I cannot pronounce let alone spell. It was so peaceful and the hot chocolate just topped off the evening. It was a warm evening and so nice to do something different for a change. However, I soon came down to earth when I stopped in at the Jac labs to check my emails when some screaming abruptly interrupted my soothing thoughts and a whole bunch of naked boys came running through the Jac labs. Very random! And just so unnecessary! It didn’t ruin my evening because I was on such a high but really. Those guys were probably looking for some excitement in their lives to change their Saturday evenings but couldn’t they just have gone hiking in clothes!

Labels: moonlight

Posted by Tough LOve at 4:09 AM

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Rain, Rain Go Away

It seems that with bad weather, come bad moods. Whenever it rains, all I can think about is Milo, my bed and cuddles. I really don’t understand how anyone gets the motivation to walk to lectures when there is mist, a biting breeze and rain spitting, pelting or hailing down on you. I get grouchy if I see a storm cloud on the horizon. I don’t hate the rain but I am sick of winter! I want to wear sandals and smell flowers and not have to unravel my scarf around my neck during lectures while it strangles me! I don’t know if anyone feels the same way I do but it is high time for God to give us a smidge of sunshine around here. I feel like a hibernating bear in a dark cave at the moment. I just hope that this doesn’t lead to people getting sick. I don’t think I could deal with another outbreak of panic in my drama queen res. On top of this, I have mountainous amounts of work to do when I all I really want to do is watch Entourage and burrow into my bed. But my relationship with my parents depends on me completing a degree so I should start on that now.

Labels: ramblings, student life, weather, wednesday, yawns

Posted by 24hourpartyperson at 4:41 AM

Journalism and Media Studies is one of the best courses offered on campus. At least according to me. It is not just theoretical, but involves a lot of practical stuff. It teaches one a lot. If I had not taken up Journ, I probably wouldn’t have known about blogging. Or if I was to, it would have taken me ages. In as much as Journ is great and challenging, I am not applying to get in second year. (One less person for those who desire to be there in second year). One might ask the question why my esteemed self won’t take Journ next year. Simple. I’m one of the laziest people on earth. Make no mistake, my marks so far have been good. And I’m confident I’ll ace the exam. But the workload gives me serious problems. A combination of Journalism and Law is not healthy for any sane person. In fact, it is almost suicidal. And I for one wouldn’t want to go through that combination again next year. So I have to say goodbye to Journ. I’ll miss the subject, lecturers,my tut group and my tutor. By the way did I ever write about my tutor? She is this….Well, she might read this blog so I’ll keep my opinion to myself. Rest assured though that it’s a good one. She must be the best tutor I have ever had. Obviously, it helps that she is a she. I really liked the subject called Journalism. I’ll miss it.

Posted by Anonymous at 3:07 AM

There is a certain group of people whom I’m associated with. I just thought it would be fun to analyse their characters. But I have to keep their names anonymous. Picture a tall, lanky guy who is struggling to grow a beard. Plays basketball and sometimes makes noise in lectures. This guy is the oldest in the group in question. He is also a former teacher, though I forgot whether he taught in high school or primary level. For some reason I think it was primary school. He loves using elaborate language with the odd wise word thrown in. Imagine a slim, pretty lady with a nose ring. Dark-haired and quite artistic. This is the craziest person in the group. Crazy in a normal though funny sort of way. She is so spontaneous. One minute we’ll be talking about something then she will burst forth with a crazy idea or sentence. She does things to my ribs, as I always laugh my lungs out. This other lady I can’t exactly make out. She seems to have a reserved side, but there’s a hint of an extroverted side. She does look a little fragile though. Even her voice sounds fragile. I was surprised to see her in the gym one morning. It made me think maybe she isn’t so fragile after all. In my opinion, she is the most hardworking member in the group. This other one is really reserved. Even the way she speaks suggests so. She seems to pick her words carefully when she speaks. She was absent for a while due to a case of mumps. The last lady is one full-figured person with a voice that can make angels weep. Though mine can too. She is quite jolly, and is generous with a smile and a hug. It must be all that gospel music. Anyway, these people belong in my blog group. Quite an interesting array of characters. Nevertheless, they are fun to be with.And they all have lovely smiles, though I'm not sure about the guy.

Posted by Anonymous at 2:28 AM

Monday, October 13, 2008

My limbs are so weary. A combination of night time study and early morning gym sprinkled with the odd movie in between with a little bit of socialisation on the side has worn me out. I wonder how I will even right the test I’m having. Life is really a drag. I‘m not looking forward to the exams. At least that’s the feeling I have right now. I’ve realised that life is unfair. I’m slaving at my studies while some airhead with connections is making money from some funny song. Or some jerk is making big bucks spinning vinyls at some sleazy club. Or, like one Miss Rowling of Harry Potter fame, some lucky person is penning a novel that will make them a millionaire. By the time I get my degree, such people will be far ahead in terms of material success. Maybe I should try my had at some of these things. Audition for Idols, Joyous Celebration or something. Or maybe come up with a brilliant script that will be made into a blockbuster movie. Then I’ll also be in the big league. But then, they say material wealth is not the sum of everything. As long as one is happy, life is good. Seems I’ll stick to dreaming. A pity. It wouldn’t be that bad to be mega-rich.

Posted by Anonymous at 11:53 PM

Sally and the Stalker

Posted by 24hourpartyperson at 10:59 AM

Unreliable, irresponsible = irritating

I know that I am forever looking at my watch to check the time and this can at times drive people crazy but it drives me just as crazy when people are late or worse they just don't show up. Whats worse is when you love some one dearly but they are just really unreliable (for the record I am talking about friends and family members and not about “lovers”). There is nothing more irritating than someone messing up your entire plan because they are too lazy or careless to make appointments. I live by my watch and by my intricate plans. What some people don't understand is that some people manage to do more than others because they manage their time properly and when others arrive late it completely disrupts the plans. It is just so frustrating. And it's getting worse. It seems that the less time I have to work with the less responsible the people I have to work with are. This is really annoying because “no” I do not want to cut back on the amount of activities that I do, I want other people to do the least amount that they are expected to do. I am really not asking for much. Punctuality that is what I am asking for. Oh, my watch says that I have to go now!

Labels: punctual, unreliable

Posted by Tough LOve at 6:40 AM

It's in the shoulders!

During my English lecture this morning a certain lecturer was trying to convince us that his understanding of the poem was more accurate than his. Considering that I lost all respect for this particular person a while back when he swore at us because some students had plagiarized. I was not one of these students and it’s not only because I was not guilty that I did not appreciate getting sworn at but I really expected that a lecturer at university would have a better word, what with his vast vocabulary after all these years of studying. He nevertheless swore again in this mornings lecture and therefore I decided that you really need to be careful about whose advice you take. Which reminded me of my friend’s fantastic advice. She is always handing out valuable life lessons, facts and some wonderful insights into life and I forget them if I do not write them down. So her life lesson for today is that, “it’s in the shoulders”. This was in gym this morning that she piped up. My response between my puffing was, “what?” She is talking about walking. She says that most people place too much importance on the hips when the shoulders play a far greater role in the way in which we walk. So the next time you wish to walk like a catwalk model work your shoulders and not your hips.

Labels: lesson, shoulders

Posted by Tough LOve at 6:24 AM

The horrible dream continues...

Well here’s some advice don’t tell people things that you won't like their comments on. So I told my one friend about my dream and she replied that perhaps my biggest fear in life is being content with marrying a man but knowing that I deserve better. This made sense and she continued that the other day I had been saying that I cannot believe that some women settle for less than they deserve. However my horrible dream continued when we joined up with some other friends. I told them my horrible dream and the one responded by saying, “You really need to stop harping on about your love life, get over him, go to friars and hook up with some random and be a skank”. I was like, “who are you talking about?” I mean I’m over my ex and I’ve been to Friars and had my rebound fun and actually it wasn’t after anyone from Friars that I got over him it was from another city and this was months ago. I was really mad now, how dare my friends laugh at my dreams. I hit back hard and discovered that it’s because her rebounds from Friars have not helped her get over her ‘lover’. I’m still lost as to the meaning of my dream so I am about to phone my mother and if she cannot give me clarity at least I can bitch at her for choosing funeral songs for my wedding!

Labels: dream, friends, horrible

Posted by Tough LOve at 6:22 AM

My most horrible dream ever!

I don’t think I have ever been as relieved to wake up as I was this morning; this after having the most horrible dream of my life. It was not a nightmare because it was not scary in the conventional sense. I was getting married. The day that should have been a fantastic day and a beautiful dream was horrible (I really do not have a better word to use since I do not have the vast vocabulary of my English lecturer). I was wearing this R80,00 dress from an alleyway store. That would have been fine with me but I was marrying a man who didn’t love me. I hardly knew him, I mean I saw him in my dream but I don’t know him and I’m not attracted to him. He has ugly teeth. They started the wedding march and I began my walk down the aisle but I was called back as my groom was not ready yet. The bride is supposed to be late. When I eventually did make my walk he was not standing at the altar, Oh and my dad was not walking me down the aisle? My mom had chosen the music and it was all funeral songs. Then halfway through the wedding it was like people were ignoring me on MY day, even as I tried to cuddle up to my groom he kind of moved away. This isn’t what made my dream horrible. What made it horrible is that I was okay with all of this. I mean I felt perfectly content, almost happy, to be marrying a man who didn’t love me. I have to ask people what my dream means.

Labels: dream, horrible, wedding

Posted by Tough LOve at 6:20 AM

The VOG concert was totally awesome for me. Firstly, the music was superb. Secondly, I saw the loveliest human being ever. Seriously. She was sitting in front of me. It’s a wonder that I managed to concentrate on the show. Being a poet, I can’t help but appreciate beauty. And the girl in question was in a class of her own. I won’t even bother describing her because I don’t have the kind of words that can help me do so. Suffice to say that I’ve never seen angels but I bet they look just like she does. Maybe it was fate that I should attend the event. A gospel event, where things are moving with the spirit of God. Surely it was ordained that I should meet her on this particular day. I’ve seen plenty of beauties but that one takes the cake. I wonder why I’ve never noticed her. I mean, I’m supposed to be a connoisseur of beauty. Anywhere, being a respectful Christian, I reserved my move for a time outside the realm of the spirit. There is no way I can forget a face like that. When I bump into her, I’ll tell her about those lovely eyes of hers that are deep pools of mystery among other things. I think I’m getting carried away. I just remembered my bad experience with an angelic beauty earlier this year. Still, what would life be without taking a risk now and then. Here’s to me and a successful conquest.

Posted by Anonymous at 2:56 AM

Picture a crowd in a wild frenzy, people contorted in various dancing positions as they gyrate to the sound of music. A crowd seduced by a cacophony of angelic voices, perfectly harmonious in the ultimate serenade. This was the scene at Saturday’s VOG concert. Those guys really know how to sing. Even though I can’t dance, I found myself moving to the rhythm. I daresay I was catapulted into the spiritual ream too. I almost didn’t get to see the concert. I went there in the spur of the moment and found out that the tickets were sold out. Fortunately, one of the ushers took a liking to my decent-looking face and produced a ticket out of nowhere and I was in. It was a show not to be missed. One of my fellow tutlings was doing her thing at the concert. She was the crowd favourite. A voice like hers can take a person to another world. I really had a great time. For those at the event, I think it will be the highlight of this year. At least for me it is. VOG delivered a smooth blend of music, from the contemporary to the spiritual. The show was the perfect spiritual cocktail.

Posted by Anonymous at 2:41 AM

You can’t miss them every morning. Clad in their jogger shorts, they run across campus in the quest for fitness. Or those with towels draped around their necks as they head for the gym. Most of the ladies will be headed for the aerobics or indoor cycling section. As for the guys, most head for the weights section. It seems a great number of people want to be fit. Actually, I’ve also joined the party. I decided that it wouldn’t be too bad if I developed a nice chest complemented by a rippling sixpack. Bulging biceps wouldn’t be too bad either. I figure it will do wonders for my confidence. The aim is not to become too big like those club bouncers. Just a little bit muscular. Enough to confidently take off my shirt on the beach or when swimming. But all this fitness stuff is a lot of work. Fortunately, I’ve got a little bit of fat on my body. I really wonder how those who are less dense or to put it bluntly thin, manage to build muscle. It should be really a lot of work. Next year, I might join the joggers. It’s a good idea to achieve all round fitness. After all, they say a healthy body equals a healthy mind.

Posted by Anonymous at 2:41 AM

Saturday, October 11, 2008

My friend was unfortunate enough to suffer from an attack of chicken pox. He had to miss lectures for a good two weeks, one of which he spent bat the sanatorium. He spent the other one at his home. Luckily for him he lives in the township. If it had been me, I would have been stuck in my res room with a very unsightly face. I remember the first time I saw him when he came bake from home. You see, I had not seen him since he got the pox. I could not believe my eyes. His face was a playground of unsightly spots. He was virtually unrecognisable. I had to struggle to stop myself from recoiling at the sight of his face. Make no mistake, he is my friend and I have all the sympathy he requires. But sometimes, you can’t help having reflexive reactions to some things. I couldn’t help thanking God that I had had chicken pox way back when I was a kid. My friend is a dapper ladies man who takes good care of his appearance. The pox has been a big blow to him. He feels he can’t charm the ladies anymore with the face he currently has. He even goes either very early or very late to eat his meals. That way there won’t be many people around to stare at him. At least there a signs that he marks on his face are disappearing. I just hope the medical experts are correct in saying you can’t get chicken pox twice because I spend all my time with this friend of mine. And I really wouldn’t like to look like what he does right now. My heart goes out to all those who succumbed to this infection. It is not good for one’s ego and confidence.

Posted by Anonymous at 7:58 AM

I think being shy is a kind of disease. And in a place like university, it is a hurdle to a great many things. I should know. After all, I am quite shy. Of course, my shyness sometimes depends on where I am and who I am with. Rhodes is quite a social place. The endless social events can testify to that. Not to mention the fact that you have to know your fellow tutlings. There is absolutely no way you can avoid being social. Sometimes I wish people could just communicate through writing. It would be a lot more easier for some of us. Not that shy people have a problem with talking top people. It’s just that they find it difficult to open up and talk. I once went to Equilibrium to attend a hiphop session. I must admit, mthe place has vibe. But I felt suffocated. I was uncormfotable with the crowd of people and the loud noise. I didn’t stay long there. The mistake people make is to regard such people as stuck up snobs who don’t want to associate with other people. That’s so very wrong. Everyone loves to make friends. It’s just that some of us find that very hard to do. We are all different. Let’s keep ,that in mind and bear with the shy. In time, they’ll come around. They always do. I should know. After all, I am quite shy.

Posted by Anonymous at 7:41 AM

My belly is aching terribly. I can hardly even move. These are the side effects of over-eating. Our res has just had a garden party. The food was delicious, the weather superb and the ladies were gorgeous and everyone was in a great mood. But this event made me wonder if maybe the social events are not too much in our residence. Just a fortnight ago we had what was termed, “the Winch fest”. As usual it was great fun. It was a wonderful braai where everyone was helping themselves to huge hunks of meat. I was full before I ate anything because of the sheer quantity of the food. This time there were no females around, unless, like me you brought a guest. It helped that my companion was not that bad looking. On Wednesday, there is the leavers dinner, in honour of those who won’t be in res next year. Not because they are going to digs but because they are graduating. I can bet that it will be a dinner like no other. But I am a little bit worried though. It seems these social events are becoming as bit too much. After all we re here to study. Asocial events now and then are fun, but week kin and week out? Somebody tell me there is a problem there. I don’t know. Maybe it’s good to constantly unwind amidst the studies. It could be a kind of therapy.

Posted by Anonymous at 7:28 AM

The Yawns

Labels: going out, mood, Rat, relax, student life, yawns

Posted by 24hourpartyperson at 4:26 AM

Admin City

Labels: admin, Rhodent, romance, student life, work

Posted by 24hourpartyperson at 4:23 AM

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Practice for my seal-clubbing in O-week!

Confession: I hooked up with a grade 11 while in first-year of varsity.

So it was my sister’s 21st birthday party on the weekend and I had been giving her trouble for a long time about the fact that there were going to be no hot guys at her party that I didn’t already know. Anyway, I was quite shocked when I arrived at the venue to see this very attractive guy standing at the bar. He has the bluest eyes, the kind that my friend would describe as “swimmable”, in other words you just want to dive into them. But while they were attractive enough to get a girls attention it was actually his tanned and perfectly toned arms that caught my attention. And the boy can dance. Now normally I cannot dance with guys for fear of being dropped or they are generally so useless that I want to lead. Surprisingly though I didn’t stop dancing with him the whole evening even when he was throwing me back. I put it down to feeling so safe in those beautiful strong arms. Yes telling my friend was not easy, although after seeing his picture they did back down except they kept going on about him lacking life experience. Yeah he was a bit stupid, he thought rice grows on trees until I told him that they pick it grain for grain. However, who cares because I enjoyed myself and I decided that seal-clubbing is not all that bad. For the clubbers that is.

Labels: O-week, seal-clubbing

Posted by Tough LOve at 6:13 AM

A form of art.
I’m supposed to come up with a hundred whopping extra posts so I can have an extra ten percent. Now, that is not a joke. Not at all. But this has made me realise something. Blogging is an art. Yeah, yeah, I hear someone sniggering. But actually, I believe this to be true. Imagine the art of weaving baskets. The weaver uses different strands of grass. But they all culminate into one beautiful basket. Same for carpets. Various strands of material make up this awesome carpet. Where does blogging fit in? A blogger takes various issues as he or she views them and puts their observations into words to create something worth reading.I mean, imagine having to blog about different things nearly everytime you blog. It takes a lot of artistic talent. The art of good writing. Weaving strands that are words into beautiful sentences that make up a good blog post. Now, if that isn’t art, then what is? That is pure art in action. Obviously, as in every form of art, there are those who excel in it and those who are simply not good at all. Either because they are naturally not good, (if there is such a thing) or they need to spruce up on their blogging abilities. Nevertheless, everyone should try out this form of art. It is fun. Really.

Posted by Anonymous at 4:20 AM

Academic Harassment?

I’m suffering from an enormous headache. I think I’m also depressed. My heart doesn’t seem to be in a good state. Some kind of disease? Actually, I’m suffering from academic harassment.
I’m just back from a sociology test. Tomorrow I’ve got to submit a book essay, of which I haven’t even started reading the book in question. If not for a slight problem, I would have had to do a mock trial at the law department tomorrow. What more harassment does one need? I had told myself that I’d be having around seventy posts by now. But little did I know that I would be so swamped by work I wouldn’t even have time to write a single blog.
Academic harassment? Actually it’s because of that disease, procrastination. I did not read for my sociology test. Except if I count the hour before the test. I was given the book essay two weeks previously. I just never got round to reading it. I knew about the mock trial since last term. I never bothered to do any research. See? I was about to lay the blame on those who give us work to do. Anyway, I’m an advocate of relaxed reading. I guess I’m paying the price.

Posted by Anonymous at 4:07 AM

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Welcome To Kaifology

It seems that, like mumps, there is another virus that has infiltrated Rhodes students. It is called Kaifvitus or being a Kaifaholic. I have, many times, woken up and told myself I will be at my eight forty lecture. I go and then I feel a huge sense of accomplishment. However, there are traps in my plan to be a better student. As soon as I step out of Eden Grove Red, I am greeted by various mates I haven’t seen in two days. It’s time for a catch-up, a samoosa and a smoke. As we all put it; “It’s time for Kaifology.” The kaif is an oasis and a death pit. Minutes there fly by like Hilary’s chance for president. Money dwindles as quickly as your Fanta being sucked through a straw. I have tried to make my leave by getting up and hugging everyone goodbye but a wall of newly arriving friends block my exit. I am trapped for another hour. I should really take Tae Kwo Do to make escapes more efficient. But I love the Kaif, the people that work there, the wobbly tables and even the bees that fly around my face. Where else can you hear about what happened at Union last night or get a sorely-needed hangover treat? Kaifology is a wonderful subject and I am one of its top lecturers.

Posted by 24hourpartyperson at 9:58 AM

Pride and Prejudice

Here at Rhodes, we are anything but a bland and flavourless bunch. One just needs to walk across the library quad or visit Jac Labs and witness the multitudes of students. However it seems that the way one dresses or presents themselves is a seemingly clear indication of who they are. There is the hippy stoner. He is peace-loving, semi-political but mostly smokes a lot of pot and wears hemp. The jock will be in rugby shorts, vests and slops. You can always find him at The Rat looking worse for wear and at your tut the next morning reeking of Sambuca. The preppy girl is caked in foundation, mascara and totes a big gold handbag on steroids. While you must be chuckling at some of the apparent stereotypes that you have encountered (as have I many times) I hope you don’t take all the prejudice crap to heart. True, there are many here that fall into categories but even I have pleasantly surprised by people I have prejudged. One such incident was a boy who seemed like a death metal-obsessed, dirty rocker yet when I spoke to him, he was eloquent, sensitive and insightful. So the phrase “labels belong on boxes” obviously has some standing here at Rhodes.

Labels: jock, prejudice, Rhodent, stereotypes, stoner, student life

Posted by 24hourpartyperson at 9:21 AM

Don't Curb Your Enthusiasm

Labels: bubbles, children, enthusiasm, experience, mood

Posted by 24hourpartyperson at 2:50 AM

Soundtrack of My Life

Labels: genres, jazz, mixture, mood, music

Posted by 24hourpartyperson at 2:38 AM

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Mind the Mump (s)

Labels: batty, hypochondriac, mumps, virus

Posted by 24hourpartyperson at 8:03 AM

Make Love Not War

Labels: facebook, racism, Rainbow Nation, slurs, student life

Posted by 24hourpartyperson at 8:00 AM

Comment on a profile
In Propp’s theory of narrative, there is always a hero seeking something. In this profile, the heroine is Phakama, a female student who is seeking a better life for herself.. The disruption she faced was the death of her mother. According to Todorov, before a disruption there is a state of equilibrium. The heroine’s sate of equilibrium was when her mother was alive. A further disruption is the reappearance of her father. The heroine had to overcome a lot of challenges, including growing up in an unsafe environment and having to survive on her father’s money, which was insufficient for the family. She also encountered racism in her first week at university. Studying is her attempt to restore the state of equilibrium, for if she does well, she will lead a good life. Propp holds that there is a helper who aids the hero. In this case, it would be the heroine’s faith in God which helps her through the hard times. If she does well in her studies, the state of equilibrium will be restored, albeit in a situation different from the first.This is because though things can be stabilised, they cannot be restored to their exact position.
I thonk the writer here has handled the subject quite well. He or she managed to capture the story of the subject without placing any of the writer’s inferences or personal opinions. In a nutshell, the story sounds authentic. Despite that, I would have loved to get the story of the interview itself, because there seems to be more of the subject’s story and little of the story of the interview. But all in all it
is quite a good, insightful and emotion-filled sort of profile.

Profile from • http://www.my1stime.blogspot.com

Posted by Anonymous at 5:34 AM

Monday, October 6, 2008

Yet another one.
Now I’m really worried. In fact, I’m really scared. These attacks on students are getting a bit too much for my liking. This morning, a fourth year student was raped by three people. This kind of atrocity boggles the mind.
It is a matter of urgency that something must be done. This is getting a bit too much. Two attacks in the space of a week. The safety of students is really at stake. Someone must do something and soon. If it means increasing the number of security personnel, so be it. I personally would feel safer if the number of guards was doubled or even tripled. Every nook and cranny around digs and campus should be under constant scrutiny at times. I did suggest that people find someone to be with at odd times. But it’s still risky. For instance, there could be two of you and three assailants. What is needed is really drastic action. I’m not an expert on security measures, but surely the powers that be can think of something? Enough is enough. The time has come for these culprits to be brought to book. And it is the university’s responsibility to do all in it’s power to ensure a safe environment for us. And so far, I don’t think they are doing much.

Posted by Anonymous at 8:52 AM

Procrastination
Someone once said that procrastination is the thief of time. Whoever it was knew exactly what he or she was talking about. Nothing steals time quite like procrastination.
Exams are around the corner. And for most, the resolution adopted is that of increased study. Easier said than done. Take me for instance. I promised myself that I would have a weekend of heavy reading. But so far I’ve not touched a book. The only things I’ve done is attend a res party and a church service. I quit watching soapies, hoping to get more study time. But I just used the time for going early to bed. I’ve been meaning to go to the 24hr library but I haven’t got around to it. I love my sleep. Sound familiar?
The reality is that the time wasted is time that can never be recovered. When the exams come around, the procrastinators are found wanting. It is a very dangerous disease that is hazardous to your degree. The only cure is getting things done. Otherwise, trouble beckons. The strange people is that this affliction is rarely evident when people want to party. It seems to apply to the academic life in the case of university students. Anyway, I promise myself to start being serious. On second thoughts, I can always start study during swot week. Or better still, during the days in between the exams. After all, as I always say, there is no hurry in Africa.

Posted by Anonymous at 8:52 AM

The Sound of Music
I love music. To me it’s is a language on it’s own. I listen to all most music genres, be it blues, rock, country, gospel and others. After all,, variety is the spice of life. People who restrict themselves to one genre are missing out. Music is one of my greatest loves. I write, compose and sing it. The sound of music is the sweetest sound in the world to me.
This being the case, I could not resist entering into St Peter’s Cathedral here at Rhodes yesterday evening. I was heading to the labs from my res, Winchester. My intention was to do some serious blogging. You know, the hundred posts thing. (Heaven help my quota!) I saw a group of people practising outside and they told me it was an evening of choral praise by Christian societies at Rhodes. Well, I decided to listen to the sound of their music.
Some people are vocal magicians. I had not heard such beautiful music in a long time. The Adventist society kicked off the evening and really proved that they are the kings of acapella. There was this one lady with a really sweet voice. I had to remove my jersey because the Adventists really made the cathedral hot. Various groups, including the Methodist society performed. I’m not sure about the Methodists because they used the clever strategy of getting the audience to sing along and we really could not gauge their performance as the whole cathedral joined their song, which had us all dancing.
But the highlight of the evening for me was a group called Voice of Glory. Those guys know their stuff. I was impressed by the lead vocalist in their first song, who made singing seem easy. She had a really powerful voice and she did crazy things with it. But I was really bowled over by a lady who happens to be a fellow tutling. She led one of the songs, which happens to be my favourite gospel song, Hlonolofatsa. Sotho, I think. I had heard she could sing, but I did not expect such a performance. But she really blew me away when she did a solo. “My God”, was all I could say. I instantly fell head over heels in love. With her voice of course.
Anyway, it was a blessed evening of praise and worship at St Peter’s yesterday. Rhodes certainly has loads of musical talent. I’m seriously considering forming a record label. Loads of talent would be at my disposal. Anyway, yesterday’s event proved to me that no sound can beat the sound of music. By the way Voice of Glory have a concert. I’m not sure whether it’s this weekend or the next, but there are posters around campus. Everyone should be there. Because see my fellow tutling will be in action. I never knew there were melodious voices in Journalism.

Posted by Anonymous at 8:51 AM

Religion and Academics
I really feel I’m in the spirit right now. I have this urge to loudly quote some verses or sing an uplifting chorus. I as if I’ll go to heaven if the good Lord comes today. Sound like a religious fanatic? It’s just that I’m coming from an inspiring service.
I attended the closing ceremony of the Students Christian Organisation. It was quite an event. Together with the Christians at Rhodes events, it got me thinking about religion and academics. I’m not a preacher, (at least not yet) but I think religion might be a good thing to mix with our academics, be it Hindu, Christian, Muslim or otherwise. I believe religion is good for our minds because it gives up hope. Whether it’s being reincarnated, going to heaven or whatever perks each religion has, it’s a good stimulus for people to live well. The drunkenness and orgies of partying which cost many of us so many marks would be reduced, if not wiped off all together if we all embrace one religion or other. Though I’m not too sure about Rastafarianism. You know, weed and things like that. Not that I have anything against it.
I’m not advocating any social order. But if we adopt the behaviour advocated by most religions, we would be better off. Nearly everyone would make it to second year, not to mention completing our degrees. But the problem is that such kind of behaviour is hard for most people to conform to. Hands up anyone who is for no sex before marriage. Doesn’t sound like too much fun does it?

Posted by Anonymous at 8:51 AM

The best study techniques.
I always wonder exams seem to give people the jitters. Even the most macho guys quake when exams loom over the horizon. I do shake a little myself. Anyway, the best remedy for passing exams, is obviously studying. And study techniques are varied.
Take my friend Itso for instance. He is doing a BComm degree. His favourite haunt is the 24hr library. He only comes back if he is going for lectures and during mealtimes. I hear that his marks testify to his extraordinary hard work. His technique is different to mine. Mine is called the relaxed study technique. You don’t study much during the course of the term, if at all. You read seriously only when a test is coming up and you study for it two days before. You write your assignments the day before. You write them straight onto the computer, without writing them somewhere else first. As for exams, you study for them only when they kick-off. Otherwise, during the term you will be relaxed and having fun. If you are me, you watch movies and soapies if you are not in a lecture. And if your lecturer puts notes on RuConnected, you bunk the lecture. It’s nice to work under pressure. Believe me, you will acquire multiple distinctions if you follow the relaxed technique. But be warned, kit is not for the faint of heart.
All of us have different study techniques. The trick is to find what works for you. You can do it Itso style, relaxed style or whatever style of studying you prefer. As long as it works for you, it’s fine .As long as you study, in whatever form, exams are a piece of cake.

Posted by Anonymous at 8:50 AM

The other day, I nearly had an altercation with a res mate of mine. Luckily, one of our peers separated us. The cause of our disagreement was the remote control. I wanted to watch a certain channel, but he was refusing to give me the remote control. As a result, I tried to take it forcefully. That’s when the problem began.
In my res, he who has the remote control is king. People here have various interests in terms of what programs on tv they like to watch. Some , like my man Jabs, are soccer fanatics. And if he gets the remote first, everyone is forced to watch soccer throughoutSydney can’t get get enough of MTV Base. And there are many others who love different programs. I always try to invade the common room pretty early. That way, I can watch whatever I want. Otherwise I’ll be forced to watch something I don’t like, or go to my room and try to study. Or maybe go to the library. All of which have never been particularly appealing to me. I think I’ll take the remote control and keep it in my room. That way, I’ll have access to the tv anytime I want to.

Posted by Anonymous at 8:50 AM

Summertime?
I am not an expert on Grahamstown weather. All I know is that it is really erratic. Cold in the morning, warm in the afternoon, breezy in the evening. You get the picture. I am really pining for my favourite season, summer. Back home in Zim, winter is only a mere two or three months long. But this side it seems to always winter.
Today gave me hope that maybe summer is in town. And a glimpse of what fun it would be going to lectures in summer, if it arrives before we go on vacation. Or maybe it will be summer when we open in February. Anyway today was a typical summer day. It was a beautiful warm sunny day. Waking up to go to lectures was not such a drag. When it’s cold, people usually miss the first lesson. My legal theory lecture was full, though it may have to do with the fact that there is a register to be signed.
The dress code is simply great, especially among the ladies. Most of them were dressed in short skirts and bum shorts. It reminded me of the miniskirt march earlier this term. I wonder why some say ladies should not wear miniskirts. I mean, they look fabulous in them. I personally wouldn’t object if the miniskirt became the official dress code of Rhodes females. It makes the lecture rooms quite interesting.
Imagine if we could have lectures at the beach during summer. The dress code being beach shorts for the guys and bikinis for the girls. No one would miss a single lecture. I bet everyone would pass with flying colours. I promise to lobby for this idea when I’m SRC president in 2010. The university would provide transport to the beach. Port Elizabeth is the best option I think.
I love summer. And ever it kicks in, I’ll make sure I attend my lectures. All of them. Who wouldn’t during summer?

Posted by Anonymous at 8:49 AM

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