By Victoria Taylor
When I look back at my first driving lesson, travelling at a ground-breaking speed of twenty kilometers an hour round my neighborhood, I can honestly say I wasn’t an eager driver. Of course, I’ve always wanted a license, but I was definitely in no big rush to learn how to get it. Read the rest of this entry »
By Kenneth Davison
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“If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail”
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That is a quote that I first saw in primary school in one of the teachers classrooms. At the time the quote had very little meaning or significance to me. I managed to pass through primary school fairly easily, with only Afrikaans threatening to hold me back (A trend that continued until matric).
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That quote surfaced again a few times in high school but it was only at University that I really began to appreciate the quote. Or in my case, be the quote. I started my first year the same as I did school and I know most people do this as I have spoken to many students in my time. You don’t know any different so why change anything, right? Well as it turns out, you do have to change (adapt) or you will find yourself struggling.
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The work load at University is much larger than school. I wouldn’t be surprised if my four subjects in first year covered more than all my subjects at school, over the whole school career. So while you read this, remember that there is a lot of work and you need to consider this when you are preparing and planning your life. If you don’t factor in the amount of work, you will find you either won’t get through it or you will have plenty of late nights trying to get through.
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There is an interesting situation that arises at University and is done by a few of the people that fail. This is one that I have struggled with and can’t understand. It is the annual protests by the students that failed (And some of their friends who passed), protesting because they failed. Granted this doesn’t happen everywhere and all the time but I have witnessed a protest for the people that failed.
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I suppose at University you can express yourself more and protesting can be fun (Getting into the crowd is quite an experience). But to protest because you failed, not so sure I support that one. It all comes down to that lovely quote at the top, failing to prepare. Rather than admit defeat and accept failure like most students, there are those that blame the University or the government for their failure. Most places will give you a second chance but if you mess that up then you really don’t have anyone else to blame but yourself.
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Another interesting situation this quote can relate to is the issue of student loans. I realize that not everyone can afford University, it is expensive but it will give you very advanced skills if you can keep up. Therefore it is important to go and a lot of students find themselves taking loans. The controversy with these loans is that if you don’t pay it back, you will be blacklisted.
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Unfortunately, these loans are not charity or people feeling generous. They are investments and they want a return of their money and skills into the country. If you find yourself needing a loan, make sure you read all the documentation before signing, some loans and bursaries require you to stay in the country or work for specific companies when you graduate. The loans will need you to repay, hence the name loan and not give. You must prepare yourself accordingly, if you take a loan, know that when you start earning you will need to pay it back. Sure, people have protested about having to pay it back, even if you drop out you have to pay, but they just get blacklisted anyway.
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Prepare for everything you do and don’t go into something until you know what you are getting into and you are sure you can handle it.
By Victoria Taylor
I feel like there is something wrong, deep inside myself, something has changed and become wrong. I can feel it; in the way that my hands shake more than they used to and in the way my head pounds. I can see it in the way I’ve lost weight, the way my face has become pale and marred by dark rings that now reside under my eyes. But the strongest feeling, the darkest one that I can’t seem to shake is the emptiness. I feel as if I’m going through my life one day at a time simply to waste it and wait for the next day to arrive. And the fact that I’m doing that makes me sad. Read the rest of this entry »
Self-expression is as vital to living as breathing. It is how we interact with others and the world. MXit IM is a next generation mobile instant messenger and social networking software application that allows you to chat anywhere on earth from your mobile or PC for free. It offers a fun and exciting way to communicate connecting you to a virtual universe of free and fun self-expression. It has removed barriers enabling communities to develop, grow and interact unhindered by demographics - and has swiftly achieved a youth cult status with its South Africa user base. Read the rest of this entry »
By Kenneth Davison
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This last week, a particular article grabbed my attention. This article was of particular interest because I have often been involved in debates regarding this particular issue and how it is not only affecting the country, but also the scholars that are in the schools.
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This article was a criticism of the South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) and how they are partly responsible for many of the problems in education. Basically, SADTU are creating problems as they do not punish problematic teachers but rather allow them to flourish. This is bad news for scholars as they lose out on education. Read the rest of this entry »
By Victoria Taylor
You never see the amazing things coming. They disguise themselves so perfectly, tossing aside the mask when you least expect it and revealing the most beautiful surprise you could ever imagine. Sometimes, they come far and in-between, other times they come in small clusters, giving so much at once it’s difficult to cope. But each one is always different, beautifully dressed in what it wants you to believe. And then, when everything seems too dark and you’ve lost your way, it throws back the cloak and shines the way through.
By Kenneth Davison
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It is now approaching the end of February and from what I gather it is only a few weeks until the end of the first block. That is varsity jargon to say that the first term has finished (For anyone wondering, took me a while to work it out). At the end of the first block there is usually a one or two week break which students can use to either catch up on old work or, more realistically, party and not have to worry about lectures the next day.
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The end of the first block is also the slight break before the second block. The second block is a tough block as it is often jam packed with lectures and it ends with exams. So between all the lectures you still have to find the time to study and still do well in the exams. These exams are extremely important, they are not just a big test or a test including all the work you have done, these are the exams that will determine if the University keeps you. Read the rest of this entry »
By Victoria Taylor
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Childhood shapes us
I took every horrible word you said to me, I took all your lies. I took the way you liked every guy I did and I took the humiliation when they left me for you. I took the way you spoke to me like a child; I took it when you wouldn’t speak to me at all. I took the fact I lived in your shadow and that you always had to be the centre of attention. I took your drama, your tears. I shared your pain, I carried your baggage and I kept your secrets. I took the changes you went through, the way you tore yourself apart. I took the stranger you became and I took the people you attached yourself too. I took it when you disappeared. Read the rest of this entry »
By Kenneth Davison
This last weekend has been quite a weekend for the big sports fans. There was the Super 14 rugby that started on Friday morning and the last game was completed on Saturday night. Then many of you are aware that the cricket test match started yesterday morning (a Sunday of all the great days to start a test match) and will be on until later this week. There was also golf, as there is barely ever a weekend without some golf on TV, and many of you probably follow the soccer so I don’t need to remind you that soccer is on all of Saturday and Sunday just about. Read the rest of this entry »
By Victoria Taylor
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I feel angry; angry at the world, angry at you, myself and at the people who left us behind. I’m angry because you let yourself turn into this, I’m angry because you didn’t rise above it. And I’m angry because you expect me to.
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I’m angry because you pushed me away from the things I wanted and into the things you wanted for me. I’m angry because it was my decision and you made it for me.
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I’m angry because you think it’s alright. Read the rest of this entry »