Nature be Dammed!

By Kerry-Leigh East

Scratches, long grass, irritation, dirt, snake holes share a common factor of being part of nature of which I, Kerry-Leigh East am not a fan.

So seven of my friends and I decided to study at the pool on Saturday only to find out the pool was closed. Not to be easily put out we decided to go to the dam behind Chris Hani House. Donning big sunglasses, shorts, sun-block loads of enthusiasm and handbags we ventured into the wild.

The flag post for danger was having to get into the dam area through a small hole in the side of the fence. Now naturally if there is a fence it means we are not meant to enter, however enthusiasm seemed to override logic at this point. Confidently we continued our adventure.

As beautiful as nature was I could not help feeling uncomfortable striding through long brown grass with the sounds of insects unseen surrounding me. After jumping over streams, being severely scratched by unfriendly tree branches and clambering up steep banks we decided it best to give up. AND we had not even reached the dam. Needless to say after fears of being lost in the wilderness forever we found our way back to civilisation with a few scratches and much more respect for nature.

Nature shall remain beautiful and pristine from the comfort of my bedroom widow untouched by humans.

"Blogs are dead. Write a book."

Sara Garrun

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Looking for a blog with a temper? Rant-a-view has razor-sharp wit and controversial topics. This blog is for readers with chutzpah!

Rant-a-view is a blog that very simply has done what its title says it does, it rants. From angry outbursts about Obama’s unfulfilled promises to the conniving ways of women, Rant-a-view has most certainly got a temper. The views of the bloggers are candid and unpretentious, and although objectivity may not be an evident characteristic of this blog, it was never their intention.

Rant-a-view opposes the way media has been used in so many instances to confuse, indoctrinate and pacify the public who greedily drink it up without a second thought as to who the source may be or what the effects of such media content are. Alternative sources of information are presented by the bloggers of Rant-a-view to counteract this kind of mainstream media, and as they have said themselves, they are in a fight against the large corporation’s dominance and control over almost all facets of the media.

Yet, even with their antagonism towards conventional or mainstream media, rant-a-view has managed to keep the tone of their blog somewhat upbeat, making sure their temper has not turned into a forum for sulking students. They have done this by merging their dislikes with razor-sharp wit and an almost satirist sense of humour. Simple posts such as "blogs are dead. write a book" are what keep readers coming back for more, thankfully, as without it this blog would have become cynical rather than controversial.

This blog will appeal to others who are weary of the clichéd writing styles of today and the news agencies whose agendas are not always to bring the public unbiased, well-researched news. This blog is for readers who are as spirited as its writers are, and for those with real chutzpah!

A Pieace on Paper

If you are at all interested in what young women and a guy are getting up- which you should- then The Paper Trail09 is a treasure chest for your curiosity. There's a hybrid of creativity that makes the thought provoking issues covered on this blog relevant to the young people it caters to, who thought that the current buzz around Obama's Nobel Peace Prize would critically be taken on by first year students. Don't be fooled these aren't nerds, they party hard to- if their pics are anything to go by. Not many blogs on the net can capture the essence of their post through a picture, further very few blogs are have the graphic visual elements to keep you following their post.

If you thought varsity students were boring snobs, then these young and vibrant citizens will prove you wrong. A definite favourite post is titled Too Faat??? the topic of weight and weight loss has been covered expansively, but I kept coming back to read this post because not only was it well written . But the author expressed them self articulately and shared a piece of themselves on the matter so well that I was comfortable with what I was reading and could relate to what was being said.

The best reason that this blog would get a 5 star rating from me would be the wide variety of topics covered, there's a definite sense of creative freedom. Every post talks to a different part of life.

Reviewing Reading, Writing and Chatter

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When I first looked at the blog Reading Writing and Chatter, found on http://readingwritingandchatter.blogspot.com/ I thought, Wow, that’s a lot of pink. Is this supposed to be a blog for girls or females only? However, when I took the time to further analyse the blog and read some of the writers thoughts, I realised that their discussions and their posts were quite relevant.
I found it really interesting that they had had so many posts since they recently came into existence on blogspot.com. Their different stories make the four contributors of the blog seem very diverse in their thinking. They average stories relating to politics and just general thoughts. I specifically enjoyed the posts “Bitches Brew” and “Kids in JOZA”. I found that their blog was easy to read and it was relevant to current issues and an interest to those just wanting to hear other people’s thoughts. I would however consider changing the colour a bit as it gives a perception that the blog is very female dominated in thought and in access and that is not very inviting to others who might want to read and comment on the blog. Too much pink.
Overall, I would give a 7 out of ten for this blog.

It's all in the name...

There’s a saying from a wise person from a few hundred years ago about “It’s all in the name”

and how true it is for the name is the first thing which attracted me to this blog. Note Pads and Deadlines… Any journalist would be able to relate to this as journalists lives’ revolve around taking notes and meeting deadlines.

The spiral bound note pad layout of the blog is yet another feature any journalist would recognise with each new post appearing on a new “page” of the note pad. Easy to read and user friendly overall. The slightest problem occurring with the bog archive as it was difficult to discern the grey typing against a black and grey tweed.

What was most interesting about the blog was the riveting and diverse content which provided a twist to each topic addressed. An article such as “In the interest of reconciliation” is just one example of the topic addressed which is pertinent to South Africa and journalism students as a whole.

Overall this blog receives 7.5 out of 10 for overall presentation, awareness of issues relevant to student journalists and simple readibility.

Quit Smoking... ?

I recently discovered an interesting piece on the web that discusses the reasons why people smoke. I was amazed at how accurately the writer described the benefits and the satisfaction a smoker receives from smoking and I thought, Wow, finally something truthful about smoking. Yes the consequences of our bad habit could prove to be fatal, but when you a smoker - you rarely think about cancer. In fact, I bet a study will show that people who smoke cigarettes think less about cancer than non-smokers do... ?


So I heroicly decided to stop smoking just for a day and see what happens. I imagined that I would be in great mental and emotional pain because when I run out of smokes, I don't care if the last R20 in my wallet was supposed to be for food, it's now going to be used to buy that box of smokes. Ultimately, forcing myself not to smoke for a wole day was going to be challenging.
Just a short historical review on the type of smoker I am; I wake up thinking of a cigarette and rush through brushing my teeth and washing my face so that I can have my first cigarette and only then do I jump into the shower. After every meal, I must have a cigarette. Before I go to bed, I must have a cigarette. When I'm out with friends, I must have more than one cigarette. So naturally I am far from what you would call a social smoker, smoking is part of who I am. Nevertheless, I gave this daunting task a try and was confident that I would make it.

I didn't expect to wake up that Tuesday morning with so much regret and remorse that I had decided to attempt this. Getting into the shower and getting changed took me much longer than it usually does because most of the time I was thinking of just lighting up that cancer stick! I felt like a bus just hit me and I still had to rush off to an 8:40 tutorial. It seemed as though everyone I saw that morning was my enemy. Seeing people laughing and happy while I was having a mental breakdown for a smoke just didn't seem fair. I endured it until my tutorials ended at 10:20 and I took that slow but angry walk back up to my res. Idecided to have a nap until lunch because there was absolutely nothing that I could do, without having a cigarette. I felt no motivation at all. The napping didn't work out at all. So I decided to eat. I ate and ate and ate and ate until 12pm. I walked to the dining hall with my long face and sat down with my friends. Before I begin to relate to you my burst of anger I feel it is necesary to first explain a few personalities that join our table for lunch. The one is famous for her randomness and her inabililty to say the right/ normal things in a crowd. The second is a BSC student who never comes out of her room unless its time to eat and even when she does eat, she talks about work. As soon as that last piece of chicken is down her throat, my mind melodiously sings to the whining sound of her voice that says: "Okay guys, I have to go now I have soooo much of work to do!" Now imagine not having a cigarette for the entire day and having these personalities rubbed into your face for lets say an hour, that's of course non-smoker time. For me, it felt like 3 hours, 43 minutes and 16 seconds! How could I not get angry. To the one I demanded she attend classes to improve her social abilities and to the other I declared she just stay in her room forever and learn science the whole day because really, she is wasting her time eating... the poor food also needs some attention! Are you wondering if I felt remorse? Not really, I felt it was appropriately said and well overdue.

Okay so lunch didn't turn out that well but now I was faced with the worst part of the day. I had just finished eating; more than I usually do, and I couldn't smoke. I went back to my room, avoiding every conversation possible with my friends because it all seemed so trivial. "Hey Aneesa, how is your day going?" Like why would you ask me that? Does it matter? Are you bored? Like why is it your business anyway? .. Was a typical response from me that day.

So I lay on my bed trying to me mature about this whole thing. I feel bad because I missed two lectures because I simply did not feel like going. I wanted a cigarette. I began to have these mental wars with myself about how this whole experiment is so stupid and that there was no point to it. No I thought, I can pull this off if I just push it till 5pm. But I couldn't and I didn't want to. I went to my mates room, demanded my cigarettes from her, went outside and lit that cigarette up like it was the best thing in the world. The best part is, it was 4:30pm! But it couldn't wait. I love being a smoker and I know that I will stop smoking one day, that day is just not today.

If you love smoking and you are tired people telling you how bad smoking is, please visit http://smokingsides.com/docs/whysmoke.html

Shabeen Queen

There's nothing more restricting than comfort, it destroys all chance of new discoveries and experience. That's what this weekend revealed to me, an idea that I have been against since the beginning of this year, in fact since I became of the partying age. Not once in my life did I think I'd find myself having a hell of a good time in a tarven.
Yes a Tarven! As a security a measure I left all the valuables I usually take out with me, the phone, the pears, the lip gloss and breath mint. I've heard doge stories about township night outs. When we arrived the place was already packed, and to my surprise there was order-people were queuing to get in, no one was being stabbed, no funky kasi brothers trying to get some and one was walking around with an open scalp.

The music kept me dancing from the moment I lay my foot inside till the break of down. I have been missing out on some good vibes all this while and there's no one to blame but myself, for being comfortable in my suburban comfort zone. Right now I stand proudly as shabeen queen wannabe, not only is that environment live and groovy but when there's a sense that the people around you have your back, everybody dances with anyone- without any funny stares. And unlike the town vibes, people in the township get down. As soon as exams are over and done with, I'll be taking the first taxi out to my little jam spot to dance away the exam blues.