changing majors

final. BOOM. the end. BOOM. conclusion. BOOM. three days left. BOOM...

the time has come, the walrus said, to think of many things. Of shoes and ships and sealing wax, and cabbages and kings. And why the sea is boiling hot, and wether pigs have wings

and perhaps for us third year media students, the time has indeed come to think of many things, of sand and tans and sunny days, and umbrellas which sing. And why exams have to come first, and wether my phone will ring!

the time has come oh fellow students, that our life is changed once more. I started this blog by looking at things that change, whether physically, emotionally, intellecutally or spiritually. Changing Majors is far more than changing my course next year, or changing my job. Changing Majors is about changing your life, what you major in as a person. It's about making change happen where you know you will see growth. It's about believing in that and making it work. For me, Changing Majors is about changing a lot for next year, but changing how I see myself, how I know others see me, and making positive changes for the better. at the end of my degree, i have been given a chance to make a change, not just in one thing in my life, but in many areas, and i'm willing to embrace that and make the most of it.

I hope you are too thinking about many things, about studying and exams, but also about freedom and revelation. about living life to the fullest, and embracing challenges and working through issues. Think about where change can help you in your relationships, your attitude, and the way you approach life.

Thank you for making this blogging seminar a real interactive semester.

All the best for exams!

kimberley

I went to the UCT Sports Awards Dinner in town last night in anticipation of good food, good company and some awards being handed out. But actually something else happened that I didn't really expect...

To start from the beginning, the UCT Sports Awards Dinner is a super formal awards ceremony for everyone who has excelled at UCT sport during the year. Each club is represented by a few members and committee members and awards include Sportsperson of the Year, Club of the Year, Performance of the Year, Best First Year, Team of the Year, Service Awards, Club Leadership Awards, Honours and Colours Awards and a few others.

Club of the Year went to the Waterpolo Club (even though I was hoping by some chance my Netball Club would make it, I conceded that they were just too good!) Both the Guys 1st and Ladies 1st teams won Intervasity Summer, Intervasity Winter, SASSU championships (South African Student Sport Union), and came first in their league, and both teams ended up sharing the Team of the Year Award! Performance of the Year went to Mountain and Ski, who summitted a hectic mountain in Patagonia, first time since 1964! incredible.

Sportsperson of the Year last year went to a girl from the Chess Club, yes I know, I can hear you all going, 'Chess isn't a Sport!', but then again she was U21 African Champion, She came first at SASSU, She made WP number one and represented South Africa in overseas tournements. hectic hey? makes you think again. Anyway, the Sportsperson of 2006 went to this girl from the Squash Club, who won everything and achieved everything you could possibly do from squash.

But what was the most amazing thing of the entire evening, barring being incredibly impressed with the talent of our UCT sportsmen and women, was our guest speaker Ernst van Dyk. He won the award for Best Disabled Athlete in the World recently for winning countless marathons and winning gold medals everywhere for wheelchair racing. He has won the Boston Marathon, New York Marathon and many more. He has represented South Africa all over the world as a disabled athlete and has excelled so amazingly at his sport. It really just made me realise how when one has a dream and dreams it big, anything is humanly possible He was born without fully developed legs, and promised his father at the end of matric that he would be the best wheelchair racer in the world. And now he is. He completed his Sports Science degree at Stellenbosch, and for the practical components he couldn't do, he decided he would take 0. he still got over 60% for the course and was accepted into honours. He is just a real testimony to positivsm and living your dream to the fullest. I think he was so inspiring to all of us sportspeople who were rather dumbfounded and struck amazed by his achievments, from a disabled farm boy who became the best in the world.

and so, after all the awards were handed out, after the rowing boys whose table we sat at decided to start talking to us, after some STUNNING food and wine, I left proudly a UCT sportswoman and realised that success is totally relative to your expectations.

I cannot wait for the 31st of October. I am seriously considering doing something rash and exciting that deserves attention after a semester of staying in, not going out, and only been to the beach like three times. It is the official end of my BA degree and to tell you the truth, I cannot wait.

I'm so over mishandelled department information, extra essays that creep into your schedule at the last minute, the SAME lecturers/tutors/administrators/convenors who manage to stuff something up at least three times a semester.

I'm over the Humanities faculty. I'm sick of the same routine, and the FAM and ELL course codes. I'm done with Arts 209 and Petros's office, and cannot stand the sight of the Film and Media noticeboards.

Do I sound like a third year media student in her final semester? well that is what I am, and even though I have loved the past three years studying what I enjoy, and meeting new people, it is definitely time for a change.

And so, even though I'm not going overseas, or becoming a glamourous intern for the December holidays, I AM going to enjoy chilling out, doing the beach thing, gloating after graduation in that I, yes ME!, have a degree, and yes its a Bachelor of Arts and I'm proud of it...

And next year, when I'm (hopefully) doing my Marketing Post Grad, I'll probably miss those lazy undergrad days....But Right Now, all I'm thinking of is the end of Tuesday the 31st and time for some fun (before exams start anyway)...

Did you sit up in bed suddenly this morning? Did you have the sudden realisation that today everything could be different? Did you remember that Today is (gasp, shock, horror)… Friday the Thirteenth? (Enter drum roll: dum dum dum daaah). Recollections of Christina Ricci as Wednesday creep into my mind, with the Adams Family in all their freakish glory. Black cats, ladders, salt over shoulders, umbrellas indoors, and wedding rings on unmarried fingers…

These cultish superstitions have been a part of everyone’s life growing up, where old wives tales, outlandish fairytales and myths and legends freak out little children and scare them into becoming superstitious adults with a penchant for glancing over their shoulder every five minutes. Personally, I think it is absolute rubbish. Bad luck is not something that I revolve my life around or try desperately to avoid. So your friend has a black cat with yellowy/greeny eyes, do you now try not make eye contact with it? Do you walk backwards and out of sight of it when you see it in the passage? Do you stop visiting? So its raining and you rush indoors to find someone still struggling with putting their umbrella down. Do you freak out and leave the building and stand in the rain? Do you exclaim at the top of your lungs, ‘that’s bad luck!’ and mutter under your breath, ‘I’m glad it’s you and not me’. Your friend asks to try on your ring and puts it on her wedding finger. Do you have a fit because now she will never get married? Do you never put it on again for fear of bad luck in relationships for the rest of your life?

As far as I’m concerned superstitions belong in the medieval era, not in 2006. Rather, go find Absolute Truth and let your life be guided by that. Enjoy your Friday the Thirteenth, don’t go trespassing under any ladders now…

MRS South Africa recently exclaimed on the weekend that she was going to: "Paaaiint the town Orrange!" in full Afrikaner (no offense) dialect, her coiffed blonde hair shining and swaying in the breeze, and standing on the sidelines at the recent Cheetahs/Sharks semi-final clash at Vodacom Park in Bloem.

Whilst the Orange Cheetahs ran onto the field and consequently ran the poor Sharks haggard, scoring about four tries in only the first half, MRS South Africa gazed smilingly around at the packed stadium, the glorious sight of thousands of orange flags waving hello at her.

The girls on the sidelines were doing a great rendition of a cheerleader routine in short tank tops and revealing shorts, but not coming up the scratch on the Bulls Babes who defiantly helped their Bulls Boys to a runaway victory against WP at Loftus a little earlier in the day. The Bulls girls, kitted out in cowboy hats, shortie Daisy Duke shorts and tight white shirts, screamed and shouted their way to victory, giving the dear old men in the front row a wonderful view of the game. Meanwhile, back in the Free State, MRS South Africa had matched her orange tan to the supporters tops and was victoriously waving at all, knowing her presence at the game was sure enough to win the match.

It seems like the rugby fraternity has yet to break out of the entertainment mold of combining hot girls, beer and boerewors when staging domestic rugby competitions. MRS South Africa wasn't the greatest celeb they could have used, but MISS South Africa was away trying to win gold at MISS Universe and couldn't be there to wave her orange flag. The Bulls Girls are only contracted to perform in blue cowboy hats and therefore the orange meisies from down the road just had to do. But, the day was a success and the Orange Cheetahs emerged victorious from the bites of the Sharks, running streaks ahead, girls in tow.

Therefore it seems like our rugby teams will only ever remain the heroes they are if a group of hot nublie young things throwing sparkly pom poms remain their most ardent supporters. Bring on the Final this weekend at Vodacom Park where the Blue Bulls Girls take on the Cheetahs finest Lady Guys to battle in out in neon lycra, cowboy hats, and oh yes, some rugby on the side.

It seems like when we start anything, there is usually a visible and tangible climatic point at the end of the tunnel. Take our school valedictory service. At my school, Matric year was all about the dance, and on a lesser scale, perhaps the 40 days celebration, the fashion show and our matric sleepover. But suddenly all that is done and over, finished and klaar, forever a memory, and then you are faced with the daunting aspect of actually leaving school (a place you’ve lived in for 12 years).

Valedictory was the crowning moment for all of us. We arrived, breathless and excited, a little anxious I must admit, in our informal outfits. We were allowed to come dressed as anything you wanted, be it a character from a cartoon, movie, fairytale or book, a real life person, something that doesn’t actually exist or something you made up the day before.

My best friend went as Cruella de Ville, and myself as Elle Woods ala Legally Blonde, complete with pink skirt, jacket, box hat, shoes, bag and dog. I looked like a candyfloss Barbie, but hey, it was my final year, my final day and my final song to sing and do what I wanted.

After breakfasting with the teachers we sang to the school, got sung to by the school, as prefects we sang to the matrics and thanked everyone and anyone for helping us get where we were. Quick change, back into brown and cream uniform, and formal valedictory started. The sudden rushing from one to the other, tissues crumpled in my pockets and quick mascara checks meant I hadn’t actually realised the enormity of the situation. In under an hour I was going to hand over my prefect badge, receive my Old Girls’ certificate, sing, cry and leave. Leave. LEAVE!

And so I left, and really I guess it wasn’t so bad. It was a huge climatic end to my high school career, and anyway we were all going to Clifton 4th to go party and then to Springboks (remember when that was huge) to celebrate 5 years of high school finished. And then exams would start the following week, so really it wasn’t so terrible.

But as I ended varsity yesterday at the measly time of 10am, I drove home and started watching Napoleon Dynamite, becoming rather absorbed in the lunacy of American school systems, when I remembered today was the day of my brother’s own valedictory service! Screaming 5 minutes down the road and parking illegally, I slipped in the back entrance and sat crouched against the railing in the balcony watching a very reminiscent scene take place below. Except it was a sea of blue and not brown, there were boys, and my brother sat pretending not to be excited. Yes I cried when they sang ‘That’s what friends are for’ and when they all marched down the centre aisle pouring out into the quad, a huge blur of blue and white adrenalin, to the sounds of ‘Chariots of Fire’.

And so I realised, that yes, there are some moments in life that you will take with you forever, and at the time it seems that nothing can beat that feeling of approaching freedom and the realisation that you’ve done it! It seems that when you enter into something in life, there will come a time where it builds up to crescendo and ends in a culmination of everything you’ve achieved. But when it ends and the door closes, there always is an open door at the other end of the room. As we approach Graduation in a couple of months, for some it means overseas, for others work, and for others more studying. For a few it may remain a mystery for now. Where is your next door taking you?

I’m feeling happier these days… change is in the air. The sun wakes up earlier and goes to sleep later. The grass isn’t so wet in the mornings, and coffee at 7.30am might be a little too hot on the palate. I can wear slip slops, sunglasses and shorts. I can bring a smaller bag to varsity with less in it because I’m missing my afternoon lectures to go to the beach. I don’t need cumbersome jackets or scarves. My gloves are lost behind my boardshorts in my cupboard and I’m eating more cold food. Hmmm, I think Summer has made her appearance.

However, something is disrupting her debutant ball; something is jarring the air meant for soft orchestral music as she dances across the grass. Something is stopping her from being appreciated in all her sunshine rays of glory. Or someone. Or someones. Guys in skirts bound the plaza, holding bright posters with a picture of themselves on it. Girls plaster posters of themselves to the pillars of Jammie Hall. Others clutter up the notice boards with pictures delighting in their wondrous achievements and future splendours.

Summer valiantly tries to get the attention back to herself. She continues welcoming the guests to her arrival, sprinkling butterflies over Arts Block grass and sending rays of sunlight through the windows of lecture halls. Something, however, is stopping her revelling in the attention she deserves. After hibernating for a few months whilst Winter chased students through puddles and whipped them into a frenzy with high winds, she was biding her time for her entrance. But something is thwarting the most highly awaited arrival in over 8 months! Students dressed in white uniforms, brandishing cardboard and boxes implore others, who are hurriedly moving away citing library demands. Orange, yellow, blue and green posters accost one in the passage, the colours of Summer and her cousin Spring being used for other purposes.

Summer is sullen. She decides to pour her graciousness onto the oblivious masses and suddenly her sun raises its temperature. Students arrive, early, chatting about the posters and the colours and the strange people walking about campus demanding victory. Out of the blue Summer launches her attack. If they did not notice her when she arrived the first time around, with Spring leading the way by slowly and beautifully opening like a butterfly out of a cocoon and bringing magical dust onto the heads and shoulders of whom she touched, then she would bring them to their knees, sweating and stripping off garments, acknowledging that she is the true queen of the seasons. She does so, and suddenly the focus on the photographs, manifestos and clever pay off lines of those beaming from the walls, has finally shifted onto her. People move into the shade, get cooldrink, wear skirts and bikini’s to varsity. Lecture halls stand empty; Clifton is looking fuller that it has been in a few months. Coffee stands stand vacant and bottled water sales climb.

Summer quietly rejoices. She has regained the foothold. She has the power, the acknowledgement, and the respect. She has succeeded in her 2006 debutant ball and finally won the attention back from those damn SRC campaigners. Really. What bad timing for them.

After having thrown a successful braai slash party slash social gathering last night (in the aim of celebrating Heritage Day slash National Braai Day), I decided I was allowed some couch time to drink coffee, wear my pyjamas till noon and watch VH1 with my mind in half-conscious mode. Until I realised I was watching VH1 Top Ten at ten. And usually it revolves around the top ten songs of a band, or solo artist, or some or other grouping, like boy bands (viva the Backstreet Boys) or rock stars with bad hair-do’s.

But today it was VH1 Top Ten WORST MUSIC VIDEOS EVER. I don’t think I can describe to you the utter humiliation I felt for those poor people in the videos performing in yellow Lycra all-in-one suits on rollerskates. From Rod Stewart wearing an open chested tight and nasty suit, to some unknown 80s band wearing silver star-spangled ‘space’ suits, with big hair and bad props singing how they fell in love with a starship trooper to the number one song, which was the original “When the Lion Sleeps Tonight”. Picture a fake jungle, a guy perfectly shaven with a leopard print leotard slash skin on, dancing tribe men, smoke and two girls in colonial garb being captured with a fish net. Where they get these things I honestly don’t know.

So I switched to MTV and got the Top Ten news stories of the hour, E-Entertainment! was playing the 10 Ways to become Superstar Skinny, and I thought, no. I cannot do this anymore. My mind was not alert enough to watch anything else and so I switched off and watched the rain wet all the washing outside. Then I realised how often I make lists to fit my life into. Top Ten outfits I could wear to that 21^st tomorrow night; Top Ten things I absolutely have to get done by tomorrow at 8am; Top Ten ways to get someone’s attention; Top Ten people to invite to a dinner party; Top Ten friends on my Myspace page! The list goes on…literally. Maybe it’s just easier to box things to organise my life better, to make things run the way I want, to have endless post-it notes on my walls, in my bag and on the fridge.

But I guess if I have to narrow it down to at least one Top Ten list, it would have to be “Top Ten ways to make my life function better”:

1.) Always eat breakfast in the morning (even if it is at 6.30 and it’s the last thing you feel like doing)

2.) Do exercise five times a week (just go to the gym. Do it. Do it now. You will be rewarded [you can have a Kauai smoothie before you leave] Yes, I’m going)

3.) Catch up with what’s happening in your family’s life (who is your brother taking to his Matric dance; what mom bought last weekend; how dad’s work is going)

4.) Only miss a lecture if you’ve got all your bases covered (you can get notes online or from a good and friendly mate)

5.) Find a part-time job that doesn’t cut into your own ‘me’ time (i.e.: something that doesn’t become a part of you)

6.) Connect with those people you might haven’t seen in a while (do coffee vibes, movies, drinks, dinner, the list is endless, make your own worst music video)

7.) Spend some time with yourself (treat yourself, buy yourself something, have a long bubble bath, order take outs from a sushi bar!)

8.) Engage in something that will challenge you mentally, physically or emotionally (do the hard sudoku in the paper, enter a 10km race, do something for the community)

9.) Take care of your spiritual self (investigate, learn, pray, be challenged, love, grow)

10.) Have fun doing everything! (Make sure you’re smiling, laughing and enjoying it all…)

If your top ten is looking like the worst videos ever, maybe even start with making a list of how you can change that.

Peace guys hope the long weekend was good and heritage day was something you thought about x

after reading alia's blog about jihad and her take on her faith, it made me realise how people are often very ignorant of religion and spiritual things, probably because they are scared about what others will think, scared of the unknown, and maybe even fearful that there might be something greater than themselves which they have not yet encountered, feel ready to encounter, or maybe even want to.

taking a leap of faith into the unknown is something that is against virtually every single human notion of what is real and tangible. for something you cannot see, for something you cannot touch... why should you believe? it goes against our own existance, which relies on the visual, the verbal, the material and the ability to feel.

i understand there are plenty of people out there who are turned off by who they call the 'converters'. ok, so maybe you're just not interested and they just are so flipping persistant and irritating that all you want to do is take a flyer to make them go away. but maybe they are doing what they are doing because they have something to share that they see as fully worthwhile and eternal. maybe they too are scared of what people will think, scared of taking a step of faith, scared of reaching out. But they're stepping off the ledge in any case.

it is so easy to gripe about things that we don't really understand or know about, like the current situation in South African politics, what really happened when Hansie Cronje's plane went down, the reason why the Springboks keep losing... and maybe why spirituality is so hard to get, accept, decide and live.

The other day I was discussing with a group of girlfriends, who are in the circle of trust regarding relationships, misdemeanour activities and boys in general, about the notion of future husbands. So that guy you know, who you met on Arts block grass (Legally Blonde), at a party (Uptown Girls) or in the Laundromat (40 days 40 nights), could very well turn out to be your future husband. Or he could be a passing phase, someone you dote on for a few weeks or months, until the spark fades and he begins to look like every other guy. Back to square one.

So we continued the debate as to where or when we would meet him. We concluded future workplace (Bridget Jones), as a waitress between jobs (My Big Fat Greek Wedding), or at someone else’s wedding (The Wedding Date). Then again, you never really know until something, call it what you want, I prefer a nudge from up above, makes you realise that this person could indeed be The One (not the Matrix).

And so, the discussion began leaning toward some more personal experiences or inside knowledge regarding so-called Mr Rights, and we had a few interesting examples. Someone had met her Mr Right at a funeral, another one in a lift, and another after his rugby ball had hit her on the head and she passed out. Call it magical, but there is something great about meeting someone in the strangest of places (Forces of Nature), making it work amid adversity (Meet the Fockers), and living to tell the tale (Mr and Mrs Smith).

And so we concluded that future husbands were a hidden breed, only appear usually once in a lifetime, and often don’t reveal themselves right away. So whether you taunt him (How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days), turn your back on him (Superman Returns), or even think he’s gone forever (Pearl Harbour), it doesn’t matter, because future husbands are willing to fight great odds (There’s Something About Mary) in order to gain your love, affection and lifelong commitment and treat you like a beautiful star.

Guys, future wives exist in the same vein, if it’s meant to be, you will get her, get to kiss her, and get to carry her off into the sunset (Return of Zorro).

Maybe it won’t always work out the way it should in the movies: meet, get together, break up, miss them, reunite, [insert movie kiss], end. But at least you can give it a shot.

reading the newspaper has always been a breakfasty kind of thing to do in our house. its part of the make-tea-make-breakfast-switch-on-radio/tv-etc routine. although, having a first period lecture on monday morning means that sometimes i miss my newspaper time, but i still catch up later, being the good and dilligent media student that i am. But sometimes my newspaper reading does not include pouring through Africa News, the business pages and the political experpts and opinions. quite frankly, it sometimes (more than often) is restricted to things like the bottom of the front page for the quirky little article, inside page two for the celeb photo news quickie, flip a few pages till i reach the letters and weather, and end it off with a glance at the sport before i settle infront of my Kellogs being amused by Calvin and Hobbes and Madam and Eve. am i really using my mind? my intellect? my three years at varsity studying media? or maybe is it just because it's early?

thank heavens for trovato and zapiro to keep me on the path of political, social and economic awareness. If you have never encountered Ben Trovato in his weekly column, i urge you to seek him out. the stories of his wife, his friend and his 'concubine' are enough to keep you laughing out of the door, and he throws in some zuma/manto/jake white comments to keep us all happy. as for zapiro, he wasn't the winner of the best journalist award in SA for nothing. he puts things into perspective in a way that i never really saw, or really understood from the long and often drawn out political articles.

so i think i will continue to TRY seek out the best challenge my mind can bear on a monday, or tuesday...or wednesday... morning, but if not, i know trovato and zapiro have got my back. lets throw some beetroot around.

its that time in the semester when we leave our varsity bags under our desks and go and play. yes, its officially our mid-term vac. (all of 10 days). but in order to celebrate our freedom, which actually includes some work for the first day back (typical)... here are some quirky sayings by the one and only JACK HANDEY... courtesy of Brett 'Fish' Anderson (www.myspace.com/brettfish)

hope the light-hearted reading has taken your minds off the blogging essay! (remember, you still need to do it!) cu all next week x

what is with guys in skinny jeans? more and more i have been noticing around campus these varsity guys wearing jeans that look like size 12/13 from the girls department at Ackermans. (they're probably young designers jeans from the ladies section tho) But seriously, stovepipes with tapered ends are just so seventies, and maybe the ladies can carry them off, but skinny guys with low fatte skinny lattes and skinny jeans is just a no no. *shiver*

other current clothing gripes:

• oversize gucci/versace/prada sunglasses covering half of one's face
• tennis tackies with boardshorts and a shirt
• mini skirts and ugg boots (choose a weather please!)
• wearing all white with a furry albino hood
• clippy cloppy high heels on campus
• tops that state: 'sexy girl'; 'kittens at play-miaow!'; 'don't touch!' . please. don't be desperate.

any more you want to add?

in celebration of blog day (someone had to much time on their hands with the whole 31o8 thing)...here are some arbitrary blogs which are not related, pretty cool, some wierd, and in aim of celebrating the world over that millions and millions of people now have online diaries. aint that cool. we spent all our childhood trying to hide our secret diaries, now we want them read...make me FAMOUS!

Nice

http://southafricaiscrap.blogspot.com/2006/09/tony-leon-says-uct-aa-admissions.html

wow, something really controversial. Check this out about Leon doing a bit of a badmouth about UCT’s admissions policy…and some other stuff. Seems like the writer has had some bad experiences living in SA, but if you want some controversy and want to let opinions fly…go right ahead!

http://www.prwatch.org/node/5105

interesting site on the murder of JONBENET RAMSAY, the 6 year old beauty queen who was brutally murdered about 10 years ago. Should we still be spending time on this case? When there are so many who die every day?

http://www.bestweekever.tv/2006/08/31/smells-like-duff-spirit/

American celeb site about the amazing things of Hollywood. Like Hilary’s new perfume, Paris’s new dog, and Britney’s new hair. Feast your eyes oh lowly ones! (It does rip them off a little too- so have a laugh!)

http://www.evangelicaloutpost.com/

A pretty rad site, voted best spiritual site...check it out, don't be afraid to let your opinions come out. It’s a real, chilled, and contemplative site that looks at issues social, political, spiritual, and humorous!

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendID=14637111&MyToken=0f9a7953-ea18-4524-98ee-b376598ae6a0ML

Brett 'fish' Anderson. The authority on Jack Handey jokes... check him out :)

Ok enjoy, sooooo sorry this is late but couldn’t find anything that really sparked my interest. Hope your minds are filled with amazing things…hehe!

if you take a photograph of something, and then put that photograph on your lap top, then alter it to add brightness, dim the amount of light, and make it black and white, email it to your home computer, print it off, make a transparency of that, use overhead to let it project onto a canvas, then paint it, and make the black pink and the white yellow.... what do you have?

hmm...

how important is it for us to have original copies, real documents, authentic information? or, are we as students immune to that, borrowing video copies, making endless photocopies of copies, downloading someone else's summary and tweaking it?

as media students we all know the score with copyright, ethics, etc etc...but where do we draw the line? where does borrowing a mate's cd become copying it? when does photocopying someone else's tut handin and rewriting it and handing it in become ok? is it ever ok?

tell me about your copyrite infringments... when is it okay to do so...and when did you cross the line?