Tips for The infamous University favourite: The Drinking Habit

Oh, yes what would university be like without the drinks, parties and letting it rip in the name of good times. I quite liked this article because it is informative, and it gives people tips that they can implement on those 'epic' nights out.The style is not authoritative or discouraging about drinking, which is the same approach that my blog takes.
The article provides such as not mixing drinks and also making sure that people eat before they do drink.
The article also states a point that I had made about going out and having a good time but being able to remember what you did.The 'preventative measures' on how not to puke are a definite, there is nothing worse than being puked on! I think this is a great, informative article with tips that every university student can gain from.Rhodent’s take note!!
Check out the useful tips on:http://www.studential.com/articles/getarticle.asp?article=10

In retrospect: Looking back on the Blogging course

The end of the year is upon us, and it seems like yesterday that I came to Rhodes with a combination of excitement and nerves as I set out on my university journey, to live the ‘rhodent ‘ life.
This year has been a continuous growing process for me. It has been one that has been filled with moments of glee and pride, and knowing that there is nothing more rewarding than having a goal realised. These include having my first article published in the Oppidan Press as well working at RMR. While there have been frustrating and trying times, these have helped me grow as an individual and are indeed life lessons learned.

When looking at the journalism course, and focusing particularly on the blogging section, a number of mixed feelings arise. Although I feel that the course had good intentions, it ended up becoming more of a drag at times. I always try to maintain a good work ethic, and I like to get work done sooner rather than later, however with the blogging course I found it challenging to keep this approach constant. I always found that there was yet ANOTHER comment to be done, and I striking a balance with other subjects became difficult, because although the comments did not have to be long, they had to incorporate certain ‘genre characteristics, and I constantly had to bear in mind that I had to mention ‘Todorov or Propp, and ultimately it became monotonous. On the other hand though I think that the objective of the lecturers in piling up assignments served as practice because in journalism stories arise at any moment and routine is not something that you can really have.

There were times when feelings of apprehension and anxiety were plenty. There was always what felt like 10 things to do every week, and group work which meant having to work around everyone’s timetables. An example would be when we had to do the photo comic. It was fun to do but as I said, it meant having to work around group members timetables, and I also had to put other work on the back seat, to ensure that blogging took top priority. The course did teach me adequate time management and also that caffeine and Berocca are essential for those late nights, finishing the work I had put on hold for the blog. This course was five weeks long, but it has felt more like five months.
I know it seems harsh, but surprisingly I do think that blogging is a useful tool. It was nice to be able to write about issues and have an international audience to read the posts I wrote. In theory it is a nice and for leisure but in terms of blogging being a course, especially in the fourth term, which is exam term, this course was not an ideal. I do not feel that I learned any new substantial journalistic work, and I was annoyed at times, because I would go to lectures, and leave feeling I had not learnt anything new. I also don’t see where genre and narrative fit in with expressing ones views, so I found that I had to incorporate my opinion or construct it into a genre. Does that make sense? Surely my opinion is exactly that and should not have to be restricted because it has to incorporate structuralists? In spite of this I did enjoy putting my fingers to the keyboard and giving the world a taste of who I am and a taste of my thoughts. It is a pity that my thoughts were restricted though. I say this because each blog had to have a character and had to take a particular stance, my blog took the friendly approach. Having a blog character and even a specific target market can be limiting because I found that I had to first think of what I wanted to say, and check to see if the audience would be interested in what I was saying, I also had to be careful of how I said what I did; particularly on the seal clubbing topic. That was what I found to be disempowering and limiting about the blog. Another problem I had was the exhausted topic of ‘first year life’, that too is now an exhausted topic, that started in first term.
As I have said this course was time consuming, as opposed to other courses but I do feel that I was productive; if anything the course has reiterated the importance of productivity. I was productive and ensured that all my assignments were done and submitted on time. In terms of group dynamics, I was fortunate enough to be in a group with no ‘free riders’ and I did generate ideas regarding layout of the blog and during the photo comic production. I contributed to discussions at group meeting, and if my ideas were not used, we found a way of incorporating them into the idea that had majority support. This made for a good working environment and cooperative atmosphere to be in.
While interviewing I found that research is very important. What I said had to be substantiated with fact. With regards to the interview I found that I had to research my interviewee so I could get to know her better and to be professional. Although my interviewee was very candid about her character she however did not want her full name to be given, and this is where respect and ethics came into play and I only used her first name. In that way enabling me to utilise journalistic integrity and respecting my sources wishes.
I think that although blogging is not journalism, this course has taught me how to better handle stress and to strike a balance. I have grown in that regard and learnt the importance of doing things as soon as possible, which is what I like to do, and also been giving insight into the blogging world.
Andz

Comment on an opinion piece.

http://h-chickens.blogspot.com

I really had pleasure in reading your opinion piece. As a BA student it reminds me why I love the Arts and how it is important in my life. BA students, I believe are taken for granted just because we do not do “serious” degrees like Boom or B.Sc. As students of the Humanities department I do need to express that we are the heart of the world and with our knowledge of how humans emerge every other aspect such as economics and pharmacy are products of human creation and development.

As first years coming to university for a BA degree it is vital to learn about human existence and that they may have a more conscious mindset of the contemporary world to solve sociological challenges. I just hope that their parents are understanding and allow their children to express themselves in whatever they choose to study especially Humanities.

Response to an opinion piece

The following is a response to an opinion piece published on
http://www.my1stime.blogspot.com/
Wow, what strong view. I am sure (myself included) that many people need a wake-up call. These are our brothers and sisters we are talking about. I will admit that despite all education I have received on foreign nationals, I still have xenophobic tendencies. It is a bad habit that needs to be stopped, and if we don’t become proactive in finding solutions then who will. I mean, deep in our darkest hour of need as a people, it was them who readily took in the leaders of the struggle, and this is the thanks they get?! I am in total agreement with you because I am sometimes hurt by statements made about them because some of my best friends are from Zimbabwe. So, like AIDS, or TB, or even racism, Xenophobia is a disease that needs to be cured, and it can be, if we can start with clearing comments such as the one about “lama zizimbana”.

Hairspray: Part 3

Hairspray: Part 3

Expectations and Fears!

Some may say that you have to go to university because you will not find a decent job without a degree. Some may say that you have to go to university because it’s the place where you will truly find yourself. Some may say that you should go to university because it will be the biggest party of your life! The point is that to so many people university represents so many different things. So what should the point of it all be? Is there a point, or are the next few years just an excuse to waste more time on parties and friends?

Well, as far as I can tell university is meant to be the culmination of all that you could hope for, and all that you are afraid of. It is a place where you can study things that interest you, that open your mind and challenge your views. But it can be a place where studying new and different things, on a more intense scale, becomes unmanageable. It seems to be the kind of environment where you are encouraged to be the real you, free from the world’s judgement. While simultaneously being the place where trying to find yourself becomes a tricky, sometimes dangerous path. Regardless of all these contradictions though, one thing reigns true… university is an experience, the type of experience that once missed, can never be retrieved; which ultimately makes it a once-in-a-lifetime chance to grab hold of life and let it take you for a ride!

Marianne Williamson so famously said once, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure”, and while this statement may hold true to many situations in any person’s life, it may not suffice for the life of a first year student at Rhodes University. I say this because arriving at University, faced with the chance to finally gain independence and live a life that is entirely your own, is both unbelievably exhilarating and paralysingly scary at the same time. Your family, the support system that has helped you build your life thus far, lead you into your ‘new home’, unpack your new lifestyle, and then turn their backs and leave you to the world of Grahamstown, the town that will throw you through the rollercoaster that is first year.

The famous trio of ‘sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll’ will follow you in all the steps along the way. The pressure of having sex as apart of your ‘varsity experience’ could lead you into a whirlwind of self-doubt and misbelief; drugs, if they weren’t already, could become a new way of life, a typical habit to make it through each day; and when you realise how many friends you’ve made, how many parties you’re hitting, you will feel like rock ‘n roll’s number one hit!
But I guarantee that this false sense of belonging and importance will be the very reasons you come crumbling down at some point. No, it’s not about being pessimistic, it’s about knowing that nothing that appears to be perfect is real, and when reality does sink in, it is highly unlikely that it will be idyllic.

So here’s what you have to do…
You have to realise that your deepest fear is that you are powerful beyond measure and that the secret lies in whether or not you embrace that fear, realise you are worth that power and that you have every right to find it in yourself. University is an experience, it is important to achieve a degree, and it is important to embrace the freedom of the party life while we’re still so young! The reason it’s an experience is because as you struggle through all the aspects of life at varsity, life will be teaching you valuable lessons. You may realise the lessons straight away, and you may only realise them much later on in life. Either way, as long as you remember that our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, you will find the person you’ve always wanted to be, and that person will grow to achieve every dream you desire.

Have the same flavoured ice-cream...

It’s better to stay with your own kind when choosing a date.

Of all the other topics I read, I thought that I should definitely write about the topic above. Leaving high school we have so many expectations and naïve hope. We come to university to meet a diversity of people with totally different backgrounds and cultures which we come to appreciate, but that it seems like it is not all of us. Some are open-minded and are comfortable with other races are not and I have come to realize that there is no real social interaction amongst races. One would assume the popularity of interracial dating in the twenty-first century to be proof of racism and its wounds being a thing of the past, unfortunately not.

It’s better to stay with your own kind because when choosing a date because people of the same race are already different, and dating someone from a different race is just complicating matters. Dating a different race means that you will have to learn about their culture, their language and background and it is not easy accommodating something totally different. Other races are not very keen on interracial relationships.

Particularly I think that black women are very challenged in society. First of all we have to overcome the patriarchal societies and now dating is a challenge. According to my experience I see a lot of white girls dating black guys (and these are not your average black guys, they are either wealthy or they are foriegners). But do you ever see white men with black ladies, no and I wonder why. Could it be our accent, or the texture of our hair, our Saartjie Baartman bodies or simply our dark complexion?? Who are black successful women suppose to date when black men are going for white women and white men going dating white women( even if they are ugly and intellectually disadvantaged)



I know that they say you cannot choose the one you love (personality). But I think that part of human instinctive nature is to have preference. When you see someone for the first time you see the colour of, you don’t know what kind of person they are and you start judging and I think that this is where the problem stems from. Dating the same race helps you at a happier life. You understand their struggles because you have to experienced or know someone who has experienced the same struggles.

There are just too many politics involved when dating outside your race. Friends and family may not approve, and the couple will constantly be challenged in their communities, schools and work places. Non-white individuals who date interracially are attacked on many fronts, one being the notion of "selling out."

When dating someone you have to be economically, educationally, socially, culturally, and most of all romantic compatibility and is very important and sad too but how is this possible to date interracially with racism still rife fourteen years after democracy. Most importantly dating someone in the same race can assist you retain your culture, beliefs and traditions without any disruptions or question why you have to do them. It is just easier to date your kind, less complications and less drama.