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

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.

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.

To go, or not to go

The list of pro’s and con’s of attending a university is endless therefore only three pro’s and three con’s will be discussed. The question of whether college is useful or a waste purely depends on the mind of the individual. Though after weighing the ups and downs of college there will be a decision.

It is a common ideology that obtaining a piece of paper that took you four years to read for will ultimately get you a top notch job that will keep you from going bankrupt and even earn you enough money to buy furniture from the Mr Price Home catalogue. This is conventionally seen as a pro. They say knowledge is power and university is most definitely full of knowledge so if one wants to know the reasons behind necrophilia, university is the place for you. Last but not least there are many foreigners that attend well known universities therefore if you can’t afford to travel just come to university and meet the people from your favourite holiday destinations.

The downsides of university that it’s not cheap and it could cost you an arm and a leg just to get through first year. Therefore knowledge can be power but it doesn’t come for free. Another bothering truth is the fact that after spending twelve years of your life in school you have to spend another four or five years studying even harder. Finally you will be asked to write a 250 word "paragraph" with an introduction, body text and a conclusion only to find out that you will
receive an ‘S-’ (tht's a fail in English 1 language) no matter how hard you try to fulfil these requirements.

Although the idea of university seems great and that the joys of finding a well-paying job will be achieved there’s still a burning question as to ‘Is it really worth it?’. Judging from previous experience university can be a bother at times but all in all tertiary education advantages you in the long run. Therefore University may seem as a waste at the start but only later will you realise how important it actually is.

A useful tip:

Now as I was laboriously dragging myself down to the printing labs, I shared a thought with myself. This thought was a thought about one of the absolute banes of my life at university. I thought to myself, that I should give you prospective students some clear warning in advance about this specific thought. I thought that it would save you a lot of time and effort and probably prevent you from being late on the odd occasion. I thought that it would save you from; waiting in lines for an open computer, waiting for printing credit to come through and from waiting for your stuff to print. Now this thought of mine was to advise you, all you prospective students, that having a PC/ laptop and a printer is essential! It will help you so much in the long run, take it from me, not having a printer SUCKS!

That’s me for now,
Dean

Wear Sunscreen

OK, so my title has the same name as that profound song, "Wear Sunscreen", if can even call it a song, it's just a weird man talking about wedding anniversaries and doing the funky chicken. But that's beside the point, the point I am trying to make is... wear sunscreen. Summer is upon us and you may all think you need the sun, so you and some mates go and have an awesome time in the sun around the pool. The thought is in the back of your mind... "I should have worn sunscreen," but do you listen? No, of course you don't since when has any student listened to their better judgement? What you do is you have a wonderful day in the sun and continue on with your day. Until... now this is where is gets good... until, several hours later you can barely move and you have your friends plastering your body with lotion and after sun. So guys and girls, it is really not worth it, rather wear a low factor sunscreen and enjoy your time in the sun whilst catching a hot tan and not being scorched!

That's my bit of advice for the day!

Cheers Folks :)

Create an Identity

You know that age old saying that it's best to just be yourself and then the friends will start flowing. Well it's not true. Well not true to an extent. Here at University in order to be known and stick out from the rest you've gotta be a ninja.

It's very easy to just fade away into the background at University because there are just so many people. Well here at Rhodes University there's 6000 students but places like UCT and WITS cater for over 20 000 students. Now that's a hell of a lot if you compare it to dear old High School.

Therefore my advice to you is that you create an identity for yourself that you love and if you love that identity then people will be drawn, like a magnet to metal. But don't get me wrong I'm not saying that you have to be fake and walk around being all sad because you feel that you're not being honest to yourself. I'm saying that you have to compromise here and there in order to make new friends and then after wards when you know that person better you become more you. No don't tell me that's being fake because it really is completely normal. I'm sure everyone does it. Or maybe it's just me.

Though if you're one of those people that don't want any attention and just want to fade away from the spotlight. Then be my guest and lurk in the background. Being involved in the livelihood of University may just get you some great credentials to put on that CV of yours. So take my advice and get involved in all that University has to offer because first year only happens once (Well normally).

Be yourself but not so much. No one likes it when you come up to them and say "Hi, my chainsaw is oiled up and your limbs look quite tasty".

So take it easy and don't come on too strong on people when you're making friends in that time we call O-week.

Peace, Love and Tequila
Lesh

After Thoughts

THIRUSHA!

Look here! You have forgotten to take your medication again haven’t you? I can just tell when you’re A.D.H.D. is acting up again, your eyes wonder, you constantly fidget with that button that is about to fall of you shirt and not to forget your concentration span that is shorter than a goldfish’s memory. Nonetheless we shall leave this discussion for when we are with Dr Pillay.

Now listen and try to retain these pearls of wisdom I am about to bestow upon you. The main reason you are coming to Rhodes is to gain independence and break free from the shackles of your parents so you will want to go out partying and get extremely intoxicated night after night. This is all good and well during O-week but sooner or later all those tequila shots are going to take a toll on your body. Don’t get me wrong no one loves eating half a loaf of dry bread while lying face down on the room floor trying to prevent themselves from regurgitating that cheesy macaroni you ate for supper, more than I do. However you need to keep in mind that you came to university to get a degree and there is more to student life than hoping aboard the ‘cane train’.

Prioritise, prioritise, prioritise. Write lists of what you need to do in order to manage your time and then write a list of your lists so you are extra organised. Okay maybe I’m being melodramatic but managing your time is what is going to determine your success. After you have written a ‘to do’ list you should make a list of things not to do comprising of these things:

1. It might seem like a good idea to impress your friends with your ninja drinking skills but do not mix white spirits with dark spirits because you will be spending the rest of your evening demonstrating your ninja vomiting skills to them.

2. Avoid Crackling a.k.a. Autumn Harvest like you would avoid the plague.

3. Never ever leave your drink unattended or accept a drink from that beautiful boy from Kimberly seven as you can always cure a hangover no matter how bad it seems but date rape is not something you want to experience.

4. Put down those Salticrax and cream cheese! When searching Pick’n’ Pay for food to fill your shelves try to buy food that is cheap and will fill you up.

5. Go to those introductory lectures during O-week so you do not end up doing a course in Ichthyology before you realise that you hate fish.

6. . . . Well, I cannot tell you everything now, can I? This is where my list stops, the rest is left for you to discover.
May the force be with you young grasshopper

O’ great one

P.S.: If you ever meet a boy named Kyle that tries to play Casanova with you, tell him to crawl back into that hole he emerged from.

In coming

Hello my pretties

I hope you appreciate the fact that I am sacrificing my drama lecture on Greek theatre for you lot and because I really don’t fancy being beaten up by the rest of the team who keep harassing me to do an introductory post. So here it is

Behold the blog that you have all been waiting for…..drum roll please……FRESH MEAT

No wait come back…

This is not a blog about meat preservation or how to get rid of your dead pet lama that’s been laying under your bed for the past three days. This blog is so much more. It’s the reason you are going to make it through the first year of university without any crutches or carpet burn. This blog shall be your friend, you will be able to confide in us, tell us your stories and we shall share our magical tales with you as well. Like that one time I drank a liter of milk before doing 10 liquid cocaine shots and wound up in bed next to some chap named Jose’ who was wearing a pink leotard. The moral of the story kids is after the 6th shot of blue vodka everyone is good looking so do not listen to your friends when they say that the mole on that guy’s chin is not that noticeable even though it is clearly evident that it’s big enough to have its own capital city.

Already you have learnt something new from my first post and there is plenty more in store so stay tuned because I do know where you live and I will hunt you down and force feed you canned spaghetti if you abandon us.

Usta la vista baby
Skippy