My illustration of exams

Immature students

If you think that Uni will be filled with smart intellectual beings who speak in only philosophical terms and wear only suits and smart-casual wear, then I am sad to report that you thought wrong. I remember thinking that Uni will be awesome because I would be leaving the land of the immature to travel to a well-refined place of study.

But upon arriving at Rhodes I saw that nothing had changed. People still hung out in their cliques, people still played stupid and mean jokes on each other and people still enjoyed laughing at others’ misfortunes. I thought I was high school again. That’s how bad it was.

You would think that Sociology students would be able to debunk the normal and try to go beyond the appearance of a thing and find its meaning, but apparently not. In one of my Sociology lectures the lecturer played us a song called ‘Dear Dickie’. The students did of course did not listen to the song but instead came up with lame toilet humour jokes to throw at the lecturer upon the songs ending. This made me question the future of the country since these people will be the leaders of tomorrow.

Will they come up with a cure for cancer with the aid of Vodka and Cain?
Or will they be elected President with their beautiful jokes and dancing skills? (Wait its already happened ala Jacob Zuma)
All I know is that I’m not looking forward to the future…

Sleeping quarters

You have three options to where you want to spend your sleeping time. Home (that’s if you decide to study at your home province), University residence (Res) or digs (an apartment or house outside campus).

Home:
Living at home when attending Uni is the reasonable thing to do, that is, if you’re studying near home. It has the luxuries of home-cooked meals, your room and plus it’s cheaper. So for example if I had decided to study at UKZN I would have stayed at home. But thank the Lord that I’m not and I don’t have to live with my mothers gripe 24/7.

Res:
Some say that staying in res is like living in a 5-star hotel. I say that those people have never stayed at a 5-star hotel and the closet they’ve come to one is a motel on Point Rd in Durban. Res can be fun at times with the friends and the constant jolling. But really when it comes down to studying the noise factor can be become a problem.

Digs:
Apparently living in digs is the epitome of cool. That is if you enjoy eating canned food and cheese rolls for the rest of your Uni life. Living in digs can be cool because there are no annoying sub-wardens and inter-visiting hours but digs is also a lot of work. You have to buy your food and then cook everyday, you have to drive to Uni everyday and you have to be wary about the security of your premises and on top of that you have Uni to deal with. Though if you can do that then go for it.

Choosing where to live during your varsity years can be a mission since there is no option that has all negatives and no option that has all positives. So I say choose the one which you think will best advantage you.

Time to Reflect

Approached with the task to reflect critically upon the last five weeks of my blogging experience. I found it necessary to start from the beginning in order to convey my last thoughts about it. Learning the theories of narrative, genre and ideology last term with Priscilla Boshoff. I thought the move to teach blogging in term four was a brilliant one. As it made me use the theory that was taught to me in a more practical and technical way. Although many of my fellow classmates were disheartened by the course and accused it of not being real journalism since anyone could do it. I thought blogging was the future of journalism as it demands just as much attention to detail such as broadcast and print journalism.

When I heard that we had to work in a group to produce a blog that caters to the needs of first years. I was slightly disappointed as I have not had previous success when it comes to group members. Most of the time my group members would leave me with all the work to do while they enjoyed their weekend. But this time was different. Being put in a group with three of my dear friends: Chris, Thirusha and Dean. I had high expectations for the blog as we all had similar tastes in music, design and humour. Therefore this made it easy for us to get along in the meetings that were held. Usually Dean would make himself a cup of Milo and the rest of us would joke about the posts we would put on the blog. These meetings were informal but they got the job done in the end.

The same can be said about the tutorials where our tutor, Nicole Hyman, would advise us on the tasks that were due in the week. She went beyond the call of duty and arranged extra tech meetings in the JMS (Journalism and Media Studies’) computer labs just so we knew how to sort out the layout and gadgets of the blog. Nicole was an immense help to Fresh Meat’s success. As her never ending faith in us gave us, well me any way, the desire to excel in this blogging task.

The work load this term differed extremely from the last terms of JMS. The tasks were always coming in and I really don’t recall a moment where there was no JMS assignment due that week. Many people complained about this as it affected their other subjects but really I did not understand their whining. I remember one week when I was faced with a 1500 word Politics assignment, a three page Politics tutorial, a three page Sociology tutorial, two English paragraphs and a JMS2 application form to fill out. This work load did not stop me from posting about ten posts that week and also completing an opinion piece for JMS. Therefore I felt that my productivity of my blogging was efficient and I went beyond the call of duty to write extra posts for the blog.

The story ideas for my posts came mostly from everyday life of being a first year. Everything could be used to illustrate the life of a first year as I obviously am a first year and could relate everything to a first year level. Therefore I thought the genre of the blog did not limit my ideas for the blog and its posts. The choice to make surviving first year the theme for the blogs was a clever one. As students did not need to exert much intelligence as the ideas for stories and sources to interview were right in front of their faces. Though I must admit interviewing my friends for sources was a daunting challenge as they could afterwards see the result of my questioning. Although in first term I was faced with writing a profile about a fellow first year. This profilewas different as that fellow first year could read what I wrote about them which could lead in that person not liking what I wrote and eventually not being my friend anymore. Though later I realised that judging and criticism is a part of a journalist’s life and I had to get used to it.

The fact that my assignments had the potential to be read by any one who had internet access frightened me as I knew that my writing skills were not up to check. This made me work on my grammar, punctuation and spelling which in turn even positively affected my English grades. On the negative side the colloquial style of all my posts also boiled over to my other subjects. Once I found myself using the term ‘on the ball’ to describe South Africa’s Foreign Policy over Zimbabwe in one of my Politics tutorials. My tutor was not impressed. Therefore the fact that I was given total freedom in my writing technique disadvantaged me in terms of my other subjects which demanded critical and concise writing.

Blogging has given me the opportunity to express my self better. Before I used to think that my opinions did not matter as I thought they were the same as everyone else’s. But after reading many of the other blogs out there I found that my opinion differed. Blogging has given me the incentive to voice my opinions more critically and clearly. This has helped me grow as a person and also a professional journalist. On a scale of one to ten I would say that my personal growth due to blogging deserves a seven. It has taught me how write a story about relatively anything and also conduct a very structured argument.

In terms of research I found that hyperlinks and trackbacks were a great alternative to writing down reference pages. Hyperlinks were fun to play around with and attach to the actual subject matter on my blog posts. An example of this is when I mentioned something about a student in a lecture proclaiming that they were Jesus. I found an interesting web page that gave the definition of Jesus and made it a hyperlink to the post.

All in all if I had to evaluate my blogging experience I would give it a ten out of ten. My group was awesome, my tutor was awesome and the blog was awesome. The lectures on the other hand, Alette and Sim, need to be more organised in their task assignments. The explanations of what to do in the tasks were clumsily written and did not give much insight in what to actually do. But other that that my blogging experience has to be one of the highlights of first year at Rhodes. With the cooperation of my group members Chris, Thirusha and Dean, I hope that Fresh Meat will carry on delivering awesome advice to those first years out there.

This is not the last you've heard from me

Lesh

My Blogging Reflection

These past five weeks of blogging has been a new experience for me as a whole. In the past I have always been against blogging despite many of my friends trying to persuade me to start a blog. So at first as expected I was very angry of being “forced” to start blog. However my group decided to start this blog in the hope that it would help future generations of first year students to better and more easily navigate the long and hard road of first year university. Although we have thrown in a little tongue and cheek every now and then. Probably the best part of this blog was working with my friends Lerusha, Thirusha and Dean whose combined creativity has made this blog both possible and enjoyable.

At first I found it very strange and weird that we were studying how to blog for Journalism and Media studies. This is because I always thought that blogs were for attention seeking people with too much time on their hands who write about their insignificant (and often very boring) lives. Sure enough my travels on the internet in search of decent blogs did in fact produce numerous blogs created by attention seeking people with too much time on their hands concerning their insignificant lives. However I also found numerous blogs that reported on events around the world. I found bogs that reported on everything from human rights abuses in Zimbabwe to the growing international economic crisis. So it is now clear to me that blogging can in fact be a tool in which both amateur and professional journalists can spread news around the world. Now I believe that studying blogs and the skill of being a good blogger are an important part of being a journalist.

Being an inherently lazy person who loves to do the bear minimum and with no plan to go into second year Journalism (I am going to major in Politics and History) I had little enthusiasm to work hard on this blog. But not wanting to disappoint my friends and teammates (blog-mates?) and most certainly not wanting them to fail on my account (thus not getting into second year) I have tried to work hard and consistently. Although being mortally afraid of both Lerusha and Thirusha might have also made a slight impact in my “encouragement” to work hard. I do appreciate that the Journalism and Media Studies lecturers gave us a large amount of personal freedom. Yes, some of the posts were set by the lecturers but we could always manipulate and mould the subject into something we enjoyed or found interesting. To make it even more enjoyable we could also post anything we wished to and the subject of the post did not even really have to concern first year university experiences.

Personally most of the inspiration for the posts that I posted were conjured by Lerusha and Thirusha who are far more creative than I am. However they all came from either past experiences or personal knowledge. Some of the posts were factual while others were personal opinions. Some were extremely serious while others were for comic relief. However I do believe that all of our posts fitted together perfectly like one of those large puzzles one has hidden away in a cupboard. Although I usually despise working in groups I really enjoyed both the people in my group as well as working with the group. I feel as though everybody has contributed a little of themselves to the blog itself. We have all brought something important into the blog which makes the blog itself a projection of four different but interesting people.

Finally this blog would not have been possible with all the help given by our Journalism and Media studies tutor Nicole Hyman. She gave us large amounts of help and encouragement during our tuts. However she also went beyond the call of duty on many occasions to help us with setting up and improving our blog. And all this in the last weeks of her final year of Journalism and Media Studies as well as final months in South Africa before she moves to Israel, best of luck dude.

Overall the blog was rewarding and fun to do. I am extremely pleased with its final result. Having watched it grow from a single post with no background into something completely awesome has been great. I feel like one of those over bearing parents that adore their children to much. Well played team we all did a great job.

Till we meet again.

Chris

Exam time stress...

Ahhhhh it’s that time again. Time to find those reading glasses, those cups to entertain friends with your impressive tea-making skills and unfortunately those text books that double up as a murder weapon.

Believe it or not Exams are here and the only way they can go away is if you write them. So I’m sorry to say that the secret is not going work here guys. Here are some tips to make your studying experience and writing of the exam less painful.

1. Remember those times when your mum would knock on you room door constantly to check if you’re not dead and that you’re still studying. That knocking was probably the main initiative that made me study for finals last year, if it wasn’t for that knocking I wouldn’t have achieved the way I did. But the knocking is now gone and there’s nothing forcing you to crack open the books. Unless, that is, you are blessed with extraordinary folks who bring you back home for SWOT week. But if you’re not then you’re forced to deal. So my advice is that you be your own mum. Set restrictions on yourself and stick to them Like only be distracted for at least and hour then after the second hour commence with the books.
   


2. Make sure you take three pens to the exam venue. These are Uni exams therefore they expect Four 4-paged essays in 3 hours. So take my advice and take the three pens. Or else I’ll be laughing at your ass when you’re high and dry and can’t write your next two essays. It’s happened to me before so I believe I have the right to laugh.
   


3. Have a break, Have a Kit Kat. I never understood that slogan but nonetheless take the advice and chill. I good break time activity is to play 30 Seconds with some friends. It sharpens the brain and improves the general knowledge. Who knows it may even help in those essays.
   


4. Last but not least have a cup of tea and listen to music after writing an exam. Research suggests that tea and music together are great stress relievers and they calm the mind. Therefore with a calm mind you can get cracking on the next exam.
   

With this, I wish you first years the best of luck with examinations. May you rape them before they rape you.

You say Goodbye, I say Hello

ATT: All those perspective first years out there…

So you have decided to leave the comfortable nest you call home to commence your tertiary education in a far off land. On the one hand you’re friggin’ excited to finally leave the folks, the annoying siblings, and the senile grandparents but also you’re a blue little smurf cause you have to leave behind those best mates from high school.

Leaving home can be traumatizing for everyone but face the facts you have to leave one day other wise you’ll become that sad loser who lives off PS2 games and mum’s spaghetti till their forty. But unless you get kicks from that, then be my guest and be a hermit at home.

I remember telling myself before I left for Rhodes that I wasn’t going to cry at the airport and I was definitely not going to miss the Durban family. Rhodes was my chance to start a fresh and detox my past away. I thought I would be happy. But the airport day came and I found myself balling my eyes out and wiping my cousin’s snot off my sleeve. The flight attendants were quite worried by may state when I boarded. As soon as the plane took off I wanted to go back. I indeed wanted to go UKZN and not a place where I don’t even know the name of the province.

Arriving at Rhodes was a huge wake-up call. I was lost and I didn’t have any friends and my bag felt like I was carrying the dead body of Hitler. Being dropped off at a boys res I thought they had mistaken me for a boy. Since it has happened many times before. But to my relief the boys just stared and pointed me to the right GIRLS res. I thought I was never going to fit in and make any friends.

But looking back on it now I see what a fool I was. Uni is guaranteed to be fun though it does have its fall backs sometimes but nonetheless it is fun. You will have some sort of friendships and even make friends for life. So don’t be afraid to take that leap and talk to the loner by the dustbin they might be the greatest person you’ve ever met. But also they could be a murderer so be cautious.


From left: Yours truly, Thirusha, Niki

You see I do have friends... The picture above proves that. No, i did not photoshop the pic. That's just sad.. like the loser who lives with thier mum till thier 40.

Elect the Dead, my personal review

When I first got to Rhodes University this year I decided I needed to get myself a treat so I went down to the local Musica and got myself Serj Tankian’s new solo album Elect the Dead (which Lesh now owns). I found the album to be really good with such great songs such as Empty Walls and Honking Antelope. However pure System of a Down fans like me might found themselves a little disappointed. While the album is good to me it should be brilliant like the band that spawned it however it seems Serj is not as good as I personally thought he was without the help of his former band mates. Still I think it’s a must for any metal fan out there.

And then he said "Let there be samosa's and coke" and for a time it was good

In my opinion nothing is better than a eating a steak but a coke and samosa from the Kaif is better than nothing, therefore a samosa and coke from the Kaif is better than a steak. So when I am hungry and have a break between a lecture or the dining hall lunch was not particularly good then I just head down to the Kaif and buy myself a samosa and coke. It generally gets me going if I have just pulled an all nighter (which I am doing now so guess who is going to the Kaif tomorrow morning). It make things better it only costs R10, 50. Sometimes if I am feeling particularly hungry I through in a cup cake for desert. If you are the type of person that likes variation when it comes to his food you have up to three types of samosa, chicken, beef and vegetable and one can get a sprite or fanta instead of a coke. If you don’t really like the Kaif there is an alternative. Rather go to the Blockhouse and get your vital samosa and coke there (the cupcakes there are even better). So hurry on off and go get that samosa and coke.

WITS-Changing your Future by Challenging your Mind

Location: Johannesburg

Telephone: +27 (0) 11 717 1000

Website: http://web.wits.ac.za/

Faculties: Commence & Law, Engineering & the Built Environment, Health Sciences, Humanities, Science

Tuition Fees: R9660-R32800 (depending in degree)

The University of Witwatersrand or Wits as it is commonly known is great and internationally respected university to go to. I myself nearly went to Wits but chose rather to get away from home. One of the great aspects of the university is the volume of subjects one can choose from with everything from Health Sciences to Humanities. Interestingly enough Wits is well known for its in-depth and sometimes pioneering research that takes place in South Africa.

For people living in Johannesburg the university is easily accessible provided one gets up early enough to beat the early morning traffic. For those of you who are unlucky enough not to live in Johannesburg there are 15 residents to choose from.

Although be careful of huge size of wits. Many of my friends who go there have found the place to be very alienating at times. They get up in the morning, drive to Wits, go to lectures, eat lunch, go to more lectures and the drive home. This while not talking to anyone or socialising at all. With such big lectures and so many people making friends can be hard. Just try not to get lost in the sea of students.

Britney Spears Blog Comment

I am a huge Britney fan! I am from South Africa and am studying journalism at Rhodes University. For an assignment I am meant to comment on a blog which relates to one of my blog posts on our group blog project for our course.

I frequently mention Britney in my blog posts and often remark on how hot she looks nowadays. I absolutely idolise her, and have had since I can remember. I have grown up with the sounds of Britney; she is most definitely an integral part of my life.

I am so glad she is back on track again and I just want to say she is looking super hot! I love her so much and the Womanizer video rocks.

You can check out my post at:
http://rufreshmeat.blogspot.com/2008/10/womanizer.html

Best of luck for the future, Brit!

You can see my blog comment at:

http://www.britneyspears.com/2008/10/socialite-life-britneys-banging-bod.php

Market blog comment

Hey there fellow Coldplay fan

It’s really sad that in this day and age the best music in the world is relatively underground and the radio stations refuse to play the tracks.
Therefore we are bombarded with the annoying overtones of Timberland and The Pussy Cat Dolls everyday when we tune in to the radio, Mtv and other well-known music websites. Grrrr it’s annoying. If I have to listen to another play of that Pink track and her desires to be a Rock star I may break my radio. But I’m broke and a student’s life is tough.

Since you like Coldplay and I like Coldplay. I would recommend you to my assignment blog:
http://rufreshmeat.blogspot.com/2008/10/cd-review-time.html

Be free to criticise and peruse.
Keep up the awesome work...

Original post can be seen at:
http://saulk.co.za/2008/04/29/coldplay-jumps-on-a-bandwagon/

CD Review time

Being a first year you are literally bombarded with all this information about courses, faculties and other on-goings of the University. All you really want to do is chill and enjoy the scenery but there are these annoying SRC people telling you that they want to give you a tour of this and a tour of that and explain their philosophy about Jesus. You tell them to piss the @#$%% off but they don’t understand the French sadly and continue harassing you. So you just walk away from the madness.

A way to calm down after a SRC attacking is to listen to music. It is a proven fact that music reduces stress by 75% (how, wow). Coldplay, in my opinion, are one of the best bands to listen to if you’re having a rough day. So let’s review Viva la Vida…

No one's been more painfully aware of Coldplay's mellow ''Yellow'' aesthetic than the band itself: Frontman Chris Martin once joked to EW about ''driving a Bland Rover.'' It took a while to do something about it, but Viva La Vida, their fourth and best album, feels emboldened at almost every turn. Jonny Buckland's guitars howl insistently; Martin has discovered sub-falsetto vocal registers; and a stark, recurring string section lends an edge. But none of these developments dampen the group's essential melodiousness: Even with this MO, Coldplay can't help but do ''pretty'' proud.

The band's new producers are Brian Eno and Markus Dravs — of U2 and Arcade Fire fame, respectively — so you won't be shocked when, at its most poundingly anthemic, Viva sounds a little like The Unforgettable Funeral. Despite how long Coldplay have been dogged with that U2-wannabe tag, they're clearly not feeling defensive about it. (The nearly vocal-free opener, ''Life in Technicolor,'' for one, is a dead ringer for ''Where the Streets Have No Name.'') But the group also cannily borrows from different sources. The pipe organ powering ''Lost!'', a lament about spiritual bereftness, will remind indie rockers of a trip to the Arcade. The dissonant guitar jam in the trifurcated ''42'' finds Buckland turning on the Radiohead. Several tracks echo John Lennon's vocals or Beatles-period orchestration, including the dark, antiwar teaser single ''Violet Hill'' and, most deliciously, ''Yes,'' an uncharacteristically sexy seduction tale on which the violins switch from ''Strawberry Fields'' mode to a Middle Eastern motif.

Other songs satisfyingly elude easy comparisons. Hidden track ''Chinese Sleep Chant'' is a guitar-based charger that would be an instrumental were it not for Martin wailing incomprehensibly in the beautifully sludgy background. The ebullient ''Strawberry Swing'' (my personal fav) throws Afrocentric guitar atop one of those Eno/Dravs soundscapes. Even Martin's keyboards — which had come to feel like an antiseptic drag by 2005's uneven X&Y — get put through revitalizing sonic paces. On the blissful ''Lovers in Japan,'' (my second fav) it brings to mind an old music-hall piano; on the hymnlike ''Reign of Love,'' it transforms into a cathedral instrument.

Throughout, allusions to love, death, ghosts, and God emerge — yet the overriding theme remains Martin's mostly endearing insecurity. Take the title track (now a single, pimped in an iTunes ad), on which he imagines himself as a paranoid monarch. ''Who would ever want to be king?'' Martin asks. ''Revolutionaries wait/For my head on a silver plate!'' The confident majesty of the music, however, belies how he and his band mates have invigorated their rock-lite reign. Protestations aside, the singer can rest assured that it's still good to be the king.

How not to make a water filter

Here at Grahamstown the water is not advisable to drink without boiling, bleaching or filtering it first. Therefore people just buy the heavy five litre bottles of spring water at Pick ‘n’ Pay. Yes, it is a mission to lug those bottles from town all the way to res but it is water and unfortunately it is a necessity. Well unless, that is, you prefer to take a juice bottle to dining hall and fill it up with the manky orange liquid they call juice. Yeah didn’t think so.

So one day my friend was telling me about this time when she went to a survival camp and they were taught to make a water filter to drink the watery liquid from the river. All you needed was a two litre empty coke bottle, cotton wool, sand and rocks.

· First you cut off the bottom part of the coke bottle.
· Then stuff a wad of cotton wool by the nozzle part.
· Then after the cotton wool, add the sand.
· Then after the sand, add the rocks.
· Then place the bottle in an upright position and were ready to go.

This procedure was relatively simple so I was psyched to try it. I followed her instructions carefully and was in glee with the results. Though all it was, was a pretty little water feature in my room and the real test was to try it. I filled it up to the brim and watched the purified liquid drip drop out of the cotton wool. When there was enough water to fill a glass I called my friend to try it. She gave me hesitant looks but took a brave sip nonetheless.

The Verdict: It tasted like sand…..

So there we go you guys, when you find other alternatives to this Grahamstown water saga. Please be sure to let me know. Hmmm I wonder if the bleaching thing really works?

This is the magnificent water filter in all its glory. Well really its more of a water feature then a water filter..

The University of Pretoria (UP/TUKS)

Location: Pretoria
Telephone: +27 (0)12 420-3111
Website: http://web.up.ac.za/
Faculties:
- Economic and Management Sciences
- Education
- Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology- Health Sciences
- Humanities
- Law
- Natural and Agricultural Sciences
- Theology
- Veterinary Science
- Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)
Tuition Fees: Anywhere between R10 000, 00 and R50 000, 00, depending on your degree.

If you are "hetemal tweetaalig" then Tuks is the place for you. The University of Pretoria is a very traditional and what some would like to call a very Afrikaans university. However, it is one of the best Universities in the country, situated in the beautiful Jacaranda City. It has a particularly good Political Sciences department and one of the only places where you can obtain a Bachelor of Political Science degree in South Africa either specialising in International Relations or Political Science. Pretoria is the administrative (executive) capital of South Africa, so doing a Politics degree there is perfect because of all the departments especially the Department of Foreign Affairs.

The University has six campuses and a number of other sites of operation such as the Pretoria Academic Hospital. The University of Pretoria offers its more than 1800 academic programmes in two of the official languages, namely Afrikaans and English. The University is ranked as one of the top 500 universities in the world and is one of only four universities in South Africa to have achieved this distinction.

The party scene in Pretoria is hot! With an array of many different cocktail lounges and upmarket clubs to go to, and of course, everyone’s favourite, Hatfield Square, you’ll never get sick of it. Check out all the places to party and the specials at Tuks Life. However, if you get board of Pretoria, never fear, Johannesburg is not even half an hour’s drive away! UP is definitely a good choice for all of you City Slickers.

So... How was your night ?

It’s a Saturday and the one question on everybody’s lips is how was your night ? I am deeply fascinating by the responses that seem to come from my fellow first years. Most of them still have the permanent-marker battle wounds and the ink-poisoning Friars stamp on their wrist. They answer my question with suggestive glances and looks and I think to myself now what the hell is that supposed to mean.

But the reason they do it, I gather, is because they can’t remember thanks to the beautiful R25 Cane Train specials that go down at Union. So I ask myself why do these people carry on drinking themselves to a vegetable every weekend? Do they enjoy the blank spots in their mind, the bruises from falling down the stairs at Friars and the embarrassing "licking" pictures of them on Facebook? I tried to think what these people would do for entertainment if there was no alcohol to indulge in for them to their lose their mind over.

1. You could chill with your mates and watch a couple of Monty Python movies on DC. Then order some Ruanthai (the best Thai place in the world). 2. Smoke a hubbly and have fun laughing at your friends trying to blow circles.

3. If you’re one of those unfortunate souls who don’t own friends (like me) then take it easy and read a book. Read some Terry Pratchett and J.K Rowling. They always put me in a happy mood.

4. If you wanna dance then the hi-fi is just there. Just rock out in your socks. No ones judging.

5. Last but least you could do the inevitable thing and waste your time on Facebook. We know that your only true friends lie in that monitor of yours.

With those five points of entertainment I hope you will realise that there are other things to do then drink like a fish every weekend. I know drinking can be fun but OH MY GOSH DON’T YOU EVER GET BORED OF THE ROUTINE?

Place your bets please (Opinion Piece)

While sitting at on a bench at Union one night I couldn’t help but notice this boy positioned against the wall talking to this girl. From where I was seated all the tell tale signs of them flirting with one another seemed to be there. She would touch his arm while she spoke to him, try to laugh extra loud at the joke he made to let him know that she finds him funny, bat her eyelids and of course twirl her hair with her fingers. I ask myself why she is trying so hard to impress this guy. Did she not see the other two girls he tried his luck with earlier in the night?

Its situations like this that really grates my carrot because some girls would define a good night out as having way too much to drink and meeting guys. I don’t think you can call them guys they should be called hyenas or better yet vultures who prey on the drunk and naïve. Don’t get me wrong I’m not some kind of feminazi who wants to annihilate the male species so women can run around freely with unshaven legs while they burn their bras. I am just against the idea of exploiting others whether they are male or female to satisfy your hormonal or even sadistic urges.

It might seem like I’m being melodramatic but after hearing students talk about the games that some guys play like “hunt the grunt”, “seal clubbing” and “horse racing” it makes me wonder if am I taking this seriously enough.

As far as I know “hunt the grunt” involves placing bets on who can sleep with the most unattractive girl (according to the participants) during the course of the night. Another sport that has similar guidelines is “seal clubbing”. This is slightly different as instead of trying to sleep with the most unattractive girl they can find, the search is on for second and third years students to find a first year student to bed.
If being physically intimate with your victim is not quiet your cup of tea there is always horse racing. At the start of the year bets are taken on who people think is going to put on the most weight by the end of the year. It gets better: the winner of the horse racing contest gets a prize for his astounding achievements.

Yes, these are just some of the games our fellow first years enjoy indulging in during their spare time. I’m not sure which I’m more repulsed by, the fact that people can actually do this as a sick form of entertainment or the fact that the people taking part in these activities are the future of our country. If these are the future lawyers, politicians and journalists of the country then we should be prepared for a pretty bleak future, if it could possibly get any worse.

JOY, JOY, JOY... TUTORIALS.

Tutorials. The most dreaded word along with DP (Dully performance certificate). Rhodes and some other universities like UKZN and UCT have tutorials to make sure that the students are on track and not on crack. Tutorials (tuts) are 45 minute talking sessions where you have to speak other wise you will be marked absent. You have to produce a typed out four page document that will only count 1.1% for your year mark other wise you will be marked absent. And, you have to deal with the fact that if you don’t attend these tuts then your DP will be taken away from you.


Before I start rambling on about Tutorials. DP’s are the imaginary certificates that let you write the June and November exams. Many things can be done for you to lose your DP’s for your different subjects. For example not showing up for tuts, not handing in assignments and not writing the term tests. Now that we know what DP’s are lets criticise tuts.

Tutorials are a waste of time and the only thing they do is make you some cool new Facebook friends. They are boring and they are most of the time not efficient. Let’s take my English tut for example; my tutor is one of those rare gems who have the talent of speaking in one tone all the time. If the world was crumbling and we were all to meet our doom he would probably scream in that tone as well. He wears only sport brands and attacks us if we say anything bad about Arsenal. The tut-lings don’t talk out of turn except when they are asked a question and so this makes for some entertaining commentary in my head. During the tut I try to imagine all the things my fellow tut-lings are thinking. I would share my thoughts on this but this blog is attached to amatomu.com and they don’t like my thoughts very much. So there I am trying to shatter the silence and boredom with my hilarious (well I think so) commentary in my head and he’s asking me a question. I pretend I’ve heard him and stare at my converse for inspiration then I smile at him with my retarded smile and say "I concur" He then smiles back and moves on to his next victim. The tut is over and he says that I’m really improving in this tut. I am surprised with this and laugh my self silly in my head and inform my tutor that his ultra cool tattoo on his arm is on the body of a Chelsea soccer player (He hates Chelsea like how Hitler hated the Jews). He looks at me as if I’m joking and when I don’t signal that the remark is false he starts shouting the F-word in his one tone voice. I in return just carry on laughing in my head and leave the castle of doom (the English Department).


With that story, I hope it suggested some cool pointers on how to survive tuts. And if the commentary-in-your-head doesn’t work then I suggest you move on to more illegal substances.

Can anyone say Crackling...

Stellenbosch University (Maties)


Location: Stellenbosch
Telephone: 021 808 9111
Website: http://www.sun.ac.za
Faculties: Agrisciences, arts, Economic and Management Sciences, Education, Engineering, Health Sciences, Law, Military Sciences, science, Theology.
Tuition Fees: Between 16 000 and R30 000


If you live for your pinotage and can effortlessly identify subtle overtones of gooseberry in a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, then you can’t go wrong with Stellenbosch University. You just need to visit this sleepy Western Cape town during the university vac to realise that it’s run by its students. In the off-season it’s a cosy spot nestled amongst vineyards and statuesque mountains, but come early February the handful of clubs overflow with Crackling binging students looking for a good time.


But it’s not all about the wine and jolling in Stellies. When the cops com a knockin’, you can always try your hand at the academic thing. With a wide selection of conventional and more offbeat courses, in English, Afrikaans and now also isiXhosa, there’s bound to be a course that appeals to you.


The university also has a proud sporting heritage, and with a rugby team that can strike fear into the heart of most opposition, you’re almost guaranteed to be on the winning team.
There’s a great selection of residences to choose from which are dotted all around town, and there’s even an entire shopping centre dedicated to students. And, if you find yourself yearning for the bright lights and beaches, Cape Town is just a short drive away.

It doesn't only teach Violence...

University of Johannesburg (UJ)

Location: Jozi
Telephone: 011 717 1000
Website: http://www.wits.ac.za/
Faculties: Commerce, Law and Management, Engineering and the Built Environment, Health Sciences, Humanities and Science.
Tuition Fees: Between 10 000 and R30 000

The main concrete monstrosity that has defined UJ is that place where most of the action goes down. Though despite its appearance it’s still a pretty cool place to hang out.

The varsity has campuses spread throughout Joburg, and you can now study in Soweto, Doornfontein or Auckland Park, with the East Rand Campus scheduled to reopen in 2009. Each of these has an impressive selection of faculties to choose from, including well stocked libraries and high quality sporting facilities. UJ places a lot of emphasis on sport particularly rugby and cricket, but there’s also the opportunity to get involved in plenty of others as well.

If traffic and fighting for parking aren’t your favourite ways to start a day of lectures, then you can move into one of UJ’s nine residences. There’s also the studentedorp where second-years and older students can stay, and for those who need a brake from class, there are various day houses. And, with Melville just a few minutes away from the Auckland Park campus, you could always head through after lectures and start your night.

RUN, RUN, RUN

"OH MY GOSH I have had like no sleep today"

"I feel like horse poo"


"Man I’m over it, you heard me, IM OVER IT!"


So there I am sitting in another fun filled journalism lecture right at the back, so I can be all emo. The lecturers are once again fiddling around with the technology in the front and I find myself ease dropping on other peoples’ conversations (yes, I am a loner, I sit alone). I hear the most random things like "I AM JESUS AND YOU’RE JUDAS SO BOW DOWN TO ME", "ARGGG I WANT RITALIN", "WHY, WHY, WHY AM I HERE, I NEED MY BED" and most of the time these conversations revolve around the work load that comes with University. So I thought I should advice you perspective first years on how to deal with the stress.


First of all don’t contemplate and worry about the work for a week. Because first of all you’ve just wasted a week on worrying and second of all your assignment deadlines have past. So instead of fretting I suggest that you just go ahead and do it. I know its easier said then done but just start writing and the words will just start flowing like fresh custard. Though if you’re one of those side-tracked wonderers like most I say take that Ritalin and then start writing.



Having a 1500 word essay, two English paragraphs, a four page sociology tut, a four page politics tut and a journalism application form to fill out is no joke. So the option of not sleeping and doing the work the night before is not good one. In fact it should not be an option at all. Though if you’re one of those who can pull it off and still be superman the next day then good for you I’m thoroughly jealous. But to those normal people sleep is a necessity and I think you should stick to those sleeping patterns other wise it’s just not pretty.



Along with the sleep and the Ritalin, Energy drinks and coffee are a must when trying to complete your assignment before deadline. I would recommend Red Bull or Monster. Though please I caution you to drink in moderation. Once I drank nearly two litres of the stuff and only slept at six the next morning, I was also considerably down and depressed.



Last but least make sure you have a couple of friends around for moral support so you can bitch and whine and they can make you hot chocolate when you’re struggling to find the right words for that conclusion. Though if you’re not blessed with such beings (like me) I suggest the counselling centre. They listen to you and don’t judge. Sigh I love the counselling centre.



Also don’t forget to party it up. All work and no play just makes University seem like work. Why would you want University to be like work when University is the thing that is keeping you away from work? When I say work I mean a job of course.

Why don’t you ask the kids at Tiananmen Square, was fashion the reason why they were there? (Opinion Piece)

Compared to the past the first year students and students in general of today are completely devoid of any thought processes that concern politics. In years past universities have always been dangerous to politicians as the brightest and most controversial youths grouped together and pooled their thoughts on political processes. However today the politicians have nothing to worry about university students, who now find themselves completely consumed by thoughts of making money or partying.

The spark that light this opinion piece comes from the lyrics of the song Hypnotized from the band System of a Down. The song laments that the teens of to day are completely apathetic to politics and compares the self indulgent teens of today with the teens of Tiananmen Square. As a History student its time for me to now give you all a quick history lesson. In 1989 between the 15^th of April to the 4^th of June thousands of students from around China gathered in Tiananmen calling for democratic reforms. However on the 4^th of the June the army cracked down on the students killing between 1000-2000 students. The idea of another incident like Tiananmen Square scares the Chinese authorities that it is now a forbidden subject in China.

Now I am not calling for first year students to rise up against the nation and die in the name of democracy. I am not evening asking them to take part in politics but just to be more aware of their political surroundings. The students need to be even more politically aware now than ever before. Nationally, South Africa is going through an interesting change in political thoughts and students should be more and more active in that change less it passes them untouched. Our old president Mbeki is out of a job, our old Minister of Defence is creating his own party and the elections are just next year. Internationally things are starting to heat up, literally. With the falling economies of the West, the rise of China, the Russian invasion of Georgia and lets not forget Global Warming there is plenty of political subjects to go around.

However when I ask for students to get involved into politics I want them to do it properly. The times when I have seen students get active in politics it almost makes me wish they did not for my sake, theirs and anyone else that comes into contact with them. First things first do a little research before getting into politics so that you know what you are talking about. Secondly don’t get emotional so when posting on the internet try not to write everything in capital letters to show how angry you are and don’t get emotional, it just puts everybody off. Thirdly choose your subjects and place of expressing yourself carefully. For example don’t post your political ideas on the “Save the Springbok Emblem” or “15 000 000 for Lower Gas Prices” Facebook groups or YouTube or something, it’s just not politically kosher.

So open your eyes and unblock your ears, put down your Fair Lady and FHM magazines, switch off the TV and get off Facebook and get politically aware. If you’re not going to get involved in politics then that’s great but just be aware of the changes around you so when you want to get involved you can.

See you on the other side

Chris

Skop die bal...

University of the Free State (Kovies)

Location: Bloemfontein and Qwaqwa
Telephone: 051 401 9111
Website: http://www.ufs.ac.za/
Faculties: Humanities, Law, Natural and Agricultural Sciences, Economic and Management Sciences, Health Sciences, Theology
Closing date for applications: 30 September

The University of the Free State has had a rough time this year, thanks to the thugs who made those racist videos. But they’ve been given the boot, the infamous Reitz residence is no longer, and the varsity admin are trying their damndest to make everything seem rosy again. hahahaha talking about the PR of UFS, have you heard the adverts on 5fm? It's just so ironic, Don't you think ?

Despite this history of the racial tension, there are a number of things working in the University’s favour. Their faculties are renown in South Africa for having the most back ground knowledge. They offer more than 20 sports at the varsity, and there is always some form of cultural activity on the go. And if you feel like expressing your opinion then you can do so through their student newspaper and radio station.

UFS also offers a wide selection of course from their six faculties. They have campuses in Bloemfontein and QwaQwa. If you’re feeling brave, you can stay on-campus in one of their various residences, which, at least on paper, have recently been subjected to stringent transformation policies. Though don’t take my word for it. In regards to the party life Bloemies are pretty chilled and like to just chill with a beer in their hand next to the braai stand.

Time to choose

YAY !Matric is almost done and its time to choose that awesome University that will cater to your every whim. There are many South African Universities to choose from and all of them have their own unique style and prestige. We (the Fresh Meat Team) will be briefly critiquing (by critiquing I mean the best party life) all the SA Uni’s for your convenience.


University of Cape Town

(UCT)


Location: Cape Town
Telephone: 021 650 2128
Website: http://www.uct.ac.za
Faculties: Commerce, Engineering & and the Built Environment, Health Sciences, Humanities (Undergrad and Post grad), Law and Science.
Tuition fees: Between R23 000 and R33 000
Applications close: 31 October (SA students), 30 September (International students).


UCT is consistently ranked as the country’s top research university, which means the guys running the show are a pretty smart bunch. But who really cares about such minor details when you’ve got the one of the most picturesque campuses in the world, an awesome student life and unhealthy long holidays to brag about?


UCT has mastered the proverbial something for everyone formula. They have regular cultural endeavours, a reasonable radio station and an impressive student newspaper, plenty of student and RAG run events, as well as a variety of sporting options. Although for the majority of the students, just walking up the steps to Jameson Hall is enough to warrant an afternoon sitting on them.


Residence life at UCT is also legendary, and there are 15 on-campus options to choose from, which are allocated according to how long you’ve been studying for. Most first years share a pokey room, and you’ll have to develop a tolerance for the greasy meals that are dished up three times a day from their dining halls. But, when this means living in a building with 300 other first years all looking for a good time, it all becomes worth it. Especially when you can go home during the vac with that much revered Ikey chip on your shoulder.

BA beats BCOM's ass anyday. (Opinion Piece)

It is a common assumption that doing a Bachelor of Arts (BA) at university is a waste and it will never get you that job where you earn almost R20 000 a month. All a BA teaches you is how to think critically, be lateral minded and write a 1500 word essay the night before. They also say that BA is the easiest degree at any University and that BA students are the ones who are living the good life since they don’t write five tests a week like their fellow Bachelor of Commerce (BCOM) students. They say that the matriculates who don’t achieve those distinctions at the end of those glorious twelve years go the BA root because they don’t have the points to do the ultimate degrees that lead to the obvious job positions in medicine, commerce and engineering.

Now you’re probably thinking who that ‘they’ is. There is no ‘they’ really these are all common assumptions that you hear through the grape vine about the devastating mistake you’re going to make if you decide to do a BA at University. Being a BA student I find that these assumptions are merely just assumptions. The ideology that a BA is a waste come from those who never studied a BA and are probably just jealous of our bravery to take on the degree that does not guarantee a job at the end of the road. Jokes about BA and their lack of financial benefit are numerous in quantity. Here’s just a taste of people’s naivety:

Q: What is the difference between a BA and a pizza?
A: A pizza can feed a family of four.

Now the above joke just illustrates people’s stupidity when it comes to their views on BA and its financial prosperity. Don’t get me wrong I also laughed at this joke though I felt terribly guilty afterwards. But in actual fact doing a BA is not a waste and the very reason that you think it is does not make you worthy of even reading this post. The truth is as you enrol in the BA you may be wondering what career paths are open to you. There are many jokes about the alleged uselessness of a BA because it is easy to see where a degree in engineering, nursing or commerce might lead but less obvious for Arts. In fact an Arts degree is, in many ways, the most valuable of all and BA students have one of the highest rates of post-graduation employment. There are limited openings for people with highly specialised degrees but BA graduates are not limited by narrow specialisation. The employability of Arts graduates is a reflection of the skills they acquire during their study and this needs to be more widely acknowledged.

Robert Reich, a distinguished American economist, was asked to identify the skills that would serve people well in the first decade of the twenty-first century. He suggested that people who could think in abstract terms, who had well developed conceptual abilities, who could think critically, who could analyse problems and create solutions, who had general research skills and who could communicate effectively would almost certainly be the most employable. He might have been describing the skills fostered during a BA. When employers consider a BA graduate for a job they know that the person has a range of skills and has applied them successfully. Employers today are looking for flexibility in their staff, they expect to retrain them for the particular task they want them to do, and that is why are looking for people who are intellectually flexible, have analytical minds and good communication skills. A student with a BA has shown they can think for themselves, can acquire and process information, can communicate their thoughts effectively and exercise initiative. That is exactly what employers are looking for and no career is closed to BA graduates. As Janet Holmes a Court told the Financial Review, for her company, "Arts graduates make the best employees".

To add on to the fact that the BA is in fact a great ‘employment degree’ (if you may call it that) it also is a lot more fun than those other boring degrees like a BCOM and a BPHARM (Bachelor of Pharmacy, shame their lives must suck counting pills for a living). There are a range of BA subjects that cater to your every interest and they are most of the time not tedious like economics or human kinetics.

So the next time you hear that BA stands for BUGGA ALL, or as my aunt may call it BATHA ACADEMIA, tell those idiots to do the research themselves before they start passing judgements.

RU A ZOMBIE ? (Our Comic strip)

The Social Constructs of Society (Opinion Piece)

The acceptance of being gay or bisexual is nowadays still a very controversial topic. Most heterosexual people or ‘normal’ people, as they would classify themselves, do not fully understand the concept of being gay. Being gay is often thought as being a sexual deviance or a psychiatric illness. That was the case, until recently, but now as people delve into the idea of being homosexual and start to understand what it means to be homosexual or have an attraction to the opposite sex people start to accept it more easily. But most people do not take the time to research and understand the concept of being gay and first foremost judge the idea of being gay on the social constructs that society has built up around the issue.

I say that that people should think before they speak or judge. Being gay is not something people can choose, it is just a desire or drive one has and can’t help. Personally I think that society, the stigma attached to being gay and the stereotypes which society naturally assumes come with being gay are actually detrimental to a non-straight person. This leads to the suppression of the gayness which more often than not has psychological side effects which include aggression and depression.

For most gay people trying to be straight puts a great weight on their shoulders, they live with the constant pressure of trying to conform to what is accepted to be ‘normal’. This constant conscious effort of trying to conform and the tiring weight on your shoulders can cause one to become passive aggressive and suffer from intense depression which could ultimately lead to one’s death by means of suicide, because a person of same sex orientation can never be truly happy unless they can respect themselves and are comfortable with their sexuality. I feel that the social constructs of what it means to be gay and the stereotypes need to be drastically altered so that people can lead a normal life. The only way of doing so is for people to begin to understand what it means to be gay and how a gay person actually feels, and what their unequal treatment and judgement actually is doing to a gay person.

This is obviously easier said than done, conservative families and the old social constructs which have been built up since the beginning of time, make it very difficult for society to readily accept being homosexual as being normal. However, society is slowly but surely evolving and changing, as it does with most controversial topics, to now start understanding and consequently accepting what it means to be gay. I feel that people should hold their judgement and just think first, think about the person and their feelings because if someone is constantly told they are not normal they will start to think they are not normal and something is wrong with them and ultimately start despising themselves.

Seeing a gay person as an equal is what ultimately needs to be done, because acceptance and equality are two completely different things. Most people may accept someone being gay but will rarely ever treat them as an equal. This is what I think the problem with society is. They need to look to the future and start seeing gays as the same, because as time goes on the lines between heterosexuality and homosexuality are becoming more and more blurred. And with this blurring one can only hope for the equal treatment, acceptance and understanding of what it means to be gay. The narrow-mindedness of society really angers me and I just cannot see why they cannot take time, in this day and age, to be more open-minded and start accepting gays and treating them equally.

Poverty in University

Universities are seen to be the place where the rich come to extend their studies so that they can get that degree and achieve that dream job so that they can earn more money. But this is slowly changing due to the Black Economic Empowerment programme implemented in South Africa shortly after the ANC took control in 1994.

In this BEE structure many Universities have to endure to a strict status-quo when accepting perspective students. This status-quo states that there must be as many black students as there are white students regardless of intellect and the capacity to cope at University level.
The consequence of this status-quo is that many students are getting accepted to University on the basis of skin colour and not academia intellect. This makes it hard for them to cope with the pressures of assignments and tests. These students who are accepted by race sometimes do not have the finances to support such an educational endeavour and so they look to financial aid and other student loans of that type.

Though the fact still remains that some poverty-ridden students are given the chance to excel at a tertiary level even though they would have never if it weren’t for the BEE system. Therefore the BEE system can be a blessing in disguise sometimes but ultimately the BEE system is like the reverse of Apartheid. Instead of beating the black people up, the government are giving them pity money.

Is the poverty of the previously disadvantaged ever going to be overcome?

The question raises quite a few debates but the decision to let the previously disadvantaged students into University on the basis of race and not intellect is not on. There are people out there who work their butts of to get University but they will lose their place because of something that happened years ago between the blacks and the whites.

Knowledge is Power...and also expensive

Picture this, you’ve just started matric and your guidance counsellors are going on and on about how important it is to extend your studies to a tertiary level. They constantly nag you to take the University application forms that are constantly coming in. And they constantly nag you to go to the talks of all the different Universities in SA such as TUKS, UJ, WITS, UCT, UKZN, RHODES and the list goes on. You have faith that you will do well and get those marks that will make those admin people of the Universities accept you. You even go out and buy the branded underwear of your perspective University.

This is all well and good but University is not like high school, as has been stressed a number of occasions. The work load is harder, the lecturers are not your mothers and the fees are quadruple the amount you pay at high school. If you’re sitting pretty and you parents can afford the fees then ‘YAY!, GOOD FOR YOU’ but to the peeps who don’t want to ride on their parents financial back because they feel bad, or maybe their parents just can’t afford it then never fear because there are always alternatives.

There are a number of South African banks who cater to students in financial need. Standard bank has the coolest student loan agreements which cater to the students’ every need that they might have in University. Such as the Tuition fee, the accommodation fee, the sundry fees for those late night drinking binges and miscellaneous fees for those textbooks and fancy-over-the-top- clutch pencils.

Other cool Banks to check out are FNB and ABSA whose loan agreements are designed especially for the student and their odd behaviours and endeavours.
Although Student Loans sound cool and the easy way to go, they are a mission to pay back. I know a person who took a student loan when they were studying and they are still paying them off ….and their 30! So student loans should be your last resort. Many Universities offer Scholarships and Bursaries but that entails you to have some big brains up there. I’m not saying that you’re stupid but some of us are not so mentally inclined. But for those who are, Uni’s offer cool student bursaries based on you matric results and the more points you earn the more money is taken off your student account. Trust me its cool. I know I got like R17 400 of my student account jut because I did well in matric. So if I can do it then there’s damn well nothing stopping you from doing it.

But if those marks ain’t so good and you still aspire to wear those branded underwear out and about campus then Uni’s offer financial aid for those needy students. All you gotta do is full out a form and the rest is covered it’s as easy as that. Though don’t get me wrong they work exactly like a student loan but the marls you achieve in University depict how much you gotta pay in the end. So if you get a 60% aggregate then that’s 40% taken off the loan (which is probably just the interest).

They are many alternatives to fund your tertiary education so don’t let the price bring you down. All you have to do is hit the books and believe. I know its sounds gay but trust me being optimistic is way better than being a pessimistic when in financial strain.

My American Friends

A really cool thing about being in University is that you get to meet a whole bunch of new people and make a shit load of new friends. Now, the cool thing about first year is, it is when you start to develop the grounding for these great friendships. However, being in university doesn't only restrict you to making friends in first year, you'll make them throughout your university career.

This year I got the opportunity to meet some amazing people and make some awesome friends. And even recently I've made some new friends. The beginning of second semester was a time to say goodbye to some friends and a time to say hello to others, and that’s exactly what I did. I had the great honour of meeting two American exchange students who are here just for the semester and they have become like my sisters. I love them so much and really appreciate them. I am going to have an emotional crisis when they leave at the end of the semester. Now these two special people are Lauren Salois and Vanessa Arguello. Lauren is like my wise older sister who always has my best interests at heart, Ness (Vanessa) on the other hand, is my antagonistic little sister who I fight with a lot but always manage to resolve things quickly and whom I love dearly.

The point I'm trying to make is that being in University, especially first year, is where you will make some of the best friends you'll ever have and those who you will treasure dearly and will remain in your life forever. Just come to University being yourself and you are bound to make many, many friends! :)

From left to right: Lauren Salois, Vanessa Arguello, Dean Shuttleworth

Womanizer

After a weekend of immense and debaucherous partying I am finally in my room resting. I need to recover a lot of my lost sleep from a hectic week of Drama 1 practical exams and going out and getting lambasted three times in one week. However I stayed true to my "womanizer" label and, yes you guessed it, got with many people. Speaking of womanizer, Britney Spears' new music video for her song Womanizer was released on Friday! Oh my god! The music video is intense, she is so HOT again! WOW! She is completely nude in a sauna. However, YouTube, the bastards, have labelled the video as 'inappropriate' which is a bummer. I also went to a hall ball, or formal, last night; it was good fun except the food was, for lack of a better word, minimal. Anyway my weekend was amazingly awesome, and in true first year style I had a blast and can't wait for Wednesday! :)

Ciao

Carpe Diem

I know you guys have heard that phrase many times before and it can get a bit pretentious at times but seriously it does work.

When in first year you are literally thrown into the deep end. University is not like high school. The lecturers are not going to be you Facebook friends, your tutors are not going to be the comforting shoulder on which you cry on and the Warden of your Residence is not going to tuck you in at night and sing you a lullaby to sleep.

University as you've heard entails a lot of pressures and so the only way to deal is to go along with it. There's no use in wasting time and saying that you can't do it. Cause that's 1) ridiculous because you did after all make it into University in the first place and 2) Its just a waste of time to cry over spilt Milo.

Therefore take that infamous Latin expression to heart when you're faced with a Sociology test, an English Essay, a Politics Essay , a Journalism comic strip to act out and a Sociology Essay to complete in approximately 3 days.

As the expression goes "Eat, Drink and be merry ,for tomorrow we die".

Fingernails and coconuts

Lesh

P.S. Oh ya to those of you who don't know what Carpe Diem is, I suggest that you write Dummy on your forehead and run around like a zombie.

But seriously Carpe Diem means 'Seize the day'

So what are doing reading this post go grab that day by the ears.

La la la Loser

“Everybody looks the same when the lights are out” she chuckled as she pointed to the picture of her boyfriend Darmesh. Lauren Bailey describes trying to have a long distance relationship as being one of the toughest challenges she has had to overcome while at Rhodes University. When asked why she decided to leave behind the comfort of her home for Grahamstown she explained that she’s not a small town person but it was the intimacy of a small town that drew her to Rhodes University.

Despite coming from East London Lauren describes Grahamstown as being a “hole.”

Living in residence is the highlight of living away from home according to Lauren as you are able to spend your afternoons watching CSI with your friends before whipping out the “crackling” for predrinks just as you walk down the road to Stevies. The Buntu Steven Biko building is her favourite party spot and it guarantees you a good time while trying to make every second count before the clock strikes twelve. Another highlight of Stevies for Lauren has to be the dance routine performed on the stage by the drunken Jan Smuts boys every night.

Curious as to why she distastefully crinkled her nose when she said “drunken” Jan Smuts boys, I asked Lauren if she did not approve of indulging in alcoholic beverages until you where lying on the floor flopping around like a wet fish. It turns out that she does not drink unless there is a special occasion in other words she is like one of those people that call themselves vegetarians but go to Spur for the R20,00 burger special every Monday.

The air filling the space in her saggy jeans where her bum used to be is one of the things that are most noticeable when looking at Lauren, unlike most first years’ she was able to avoid what is commonly known as first year spread. Amazed by how she was able to do this while eating dining hall food for the past seven months I begged her to let me in on her secret. “Don’t ever eat the braised club steak as its most likely to be made from donkey or stray dog.” The fact that you will probably be more successful stabbing yourself with the blunt butter knife than you would be trying to cut the mystery meat is even more of reason to just eat buttered toast.

Aunty Lauren warns prospective first years that getting sucked into the party scene is something that you avoid as all it usually entails is getting high, sleeping and getting high again. (Now, now Lauren you say this like it’s a bad thing. A few wafts of nail polish remover every now and again never hurt anybody.) Before rushing of to her Legal Theory Lecture “Never put a sock in a toaster” were her words of wisdom shouted out at me.