My bonding expeience with Billy Blanks- pain, sweat and almost tears...

I have always been a very sporty person and there is very little I have never done before. Incidentally, however, I have always found people who revolve their workouts around a video instructor absolutely hysterical. So I decided that this is this would be a wonderful experience to put my prejudices aside and give Billy Blanks and his Tae-Bo exercises a chance.
So my friend hauled me out of bed at 6:00 on Monday morning, I wiped the sleep out of my eyes, put my running gear on and with “I would much rather be sleeping” running through my head, I began my workout. Let me tell you that this exercise was no joke! It was by far the most physically challenging thing I have done in ages. It was filled with punches, upper-cuts, leg lifts and scary movements which I never knew my body was capable of doing. I worked muscles that I never knew I even had.
The most amusing part of the whole ordeal was when we really began to sweat and Billy Blanks stops his workout and began to motivate us. I wished he could have heard me swear at him but I must admit that had to giggle, because there is nothing funnier than a very oversized and sweaty man telling you to “dig deeper” and to “find your inner power” so that “you can succeed in life.”
And yet while every muscle in my body was working, and I found the rather large group of very muscular women in the video rather absurd and somewhat intimidating, I actatualy had an amazing time! My two friends and I now have an exercise group and we brave Billy Blanks’ workouts three times a week. This new experience really added to my life and I am now a total Tae-Bo expert.

Going for Gratifying Gold

By Caelyn Woolward

For this assignment we were required to immerse ourselves in an unfamiliar environment. One thing I can say very proudly is that although I have been in Grahamstown for just nine short and wonderful months, I believe that I have experienced quite a bit for the average first year. Of course I have no evidence to back up this claim but the many late nights and the hours of non-stop have to count for some thing. Despite being here for a while, doing community service, I am ashamed to say was not one of my priorities on my “to do” list.

When I was given the opportunity to help paint Noncedo primary school I decided that since it was nearing the end of the year I should pay my dues and do something worthwhile. At the time this was more of a duty, after that day it became a privilege. Noncedo Primary, located in the middle of Joza is one of those schools plagued by gangs and violence. Most of the children live in dire conditions and the school is their only refuge, despite being next to a shebeen.

We arrived at the school almost an hour late as a result of car trouble and because of the complicated task of having to navigate through the winding and dirt-ridden streets of Joza. For almost an hour we painted the school, picked up dirt and litter around the border and proceeded to help the give the children juice and, chips and biscuits, for which they were very grateful. After that is when the fun really started. Playing with those is one of the most productive things I have done all year. Not only did I have fun but I also saw just how much they appreciated the attention being given to them. All the volunteers were besieged with requests for piggy back rides and ring-a-rosy.

When it was time to leave we found ourselves surrounded by little kids not wanting us to move. The funny thing was, we did not want to leave either. It was so rewarding to see just how much a simple hug could mean for these kids. There was always that moment of weariness when we saw men coming out of the shebeen, dogs and cows in the road, women shouting at their children and little kids running across the road yet we would do it all again in a heartbeat. It was not the safest place to be but it was the most gratifying. Going back to Noncedo is definitely on my agenda for next year

Confessions of Caelyn...

By Caelyn Wolward

I reviewed the blog “Confessions of a Journalism Student”. From the moment I saw the black background and catchy purple cursive writing I was surprised. It was clear that the people within this group had put a lot of effort into their blog.
The entries were relatively well written despite the usual spelling and grammar mistakes. The posts were interesting yet I would have liked to have seen more spontaneous entries instead of just the assignments we were given.
It was clear that this blog stemmed from the creative minds of a group of particularly interesting and hard-working individuals. To see that these immensely talented writers were able to put as much effort into their work as they clearly do in having a ball is inspiring. I thoroughly enjoyed having a look at the pictures, there were pictures of the bloggers drinking, having fun and partying yet there were also pictures of them in the dining hall and at the desk displaying their hard-working demeanour.
This variety and diversity is what grabbed me. The writing however, is a bit simple and too easy. Granted, this is aimed at teenagers but I would have liked to see a better knowledge and understanding of the topics that they wrote about.
Another important factor is the headlines. I am pleased to say that all the headlines in this blog managed to grab my attention even though the text following these blogs were not as gripping as the headlines. One of the most important aspects of a blog is the way it looks. It is the first thing that one notices and if the blog does appear appealing then it is more likely that readers will return. This blog definitely fits these criteria.
To see what the people in the first year journalism class managed to achieve in such a short time has made me realise that Rhodes truly is harvesting some of the most talented journalists on the continent. It is just a pity that the majority of the entries were assignments; it would have been nice to get a viewpoint of what journalism students really find worthwhile writing about in the world.

Are they really wanna-be journo’s?

Reviewed blog: Wannabjournos.
At an immediate level this blog is amazing! The layout and design is extremely eye catching and it definitely makes you want to continue reading their blog. Many of the names of their posts are extremely catching, consisting of play on words and enticing information. One of the most interesting of these is one of the reviews on a blog called, “The write side up”, the headline Sarita Pillay chose to comment on this blog was “Has write-side up got it wrong?” The writing is also very good. All of these writers have different and very interesting styles that are all very interesting to read.
On the down side, as wonderful as the layout is, it is very well organised but there are too many categories. It is so organised that it becomes almost too organised and complex. The categories are rather difficult to navigate around. What was a very interesting link was the link to all of their twitter posts. This is very useful and shows that they have put a lot of effort into their blog. The pictures are also very interesting and are very appropriate to their posts.
On the whole their blog is very fantastic and I will definitely follow this blog in the future because they have very interesting posts and opinions.

Breathing again thanks to Noncendo Pre-Primary School

Stepping out onto the dusty pavement I was greeted by a sea of tiny little snotty faces smiling up at me. Their arms out stretched asking to be lifted onto my hip. Being a student in Grahamstown we are confronted daily by people who have less than us, I think this is a huge understatement as they basically have no material possessions.
Gtown have many outreach programmes that help the upliftment of the location that contribute towards but I am ashamed to admit, have not. Maybe I was afraid to see what true poverty I would be forced to realise if I did help but last weekend I made the decision to get out of my tunnel vision and immerse myself in what would be one of the greatest memories of my life.
This was me now, stepping onto the pavement of Noncendo Pre-primary School. 60 little children aged three-six were pushing up against the wire fence which surrounded their quinte little school next to a Shabeen in thee location. Their excitement could be felt. They were adorable! Unloading the paint and brushes out the car I realised my own excitement.
The plan of the day was to paint the peeling walls around their play area. Taking their tiny chubby hands which by now were full of paint and pressing them against the cold walls and listening to them giggle and laugh while the played was one of the most enjoyable and grounding experiences of my life. Watching their eyes grow as we filled the table with sweets and biscuits. Standing around the table unsure what they were meant to do and eventually not one push or shove was made, each child shared with the next, no one got more than the other. This tiny community of children free of greed or jealousy humbled me.
As some kids played others came to get their hands washed of paint. Thorough the screaming and playing of the other children I felt relaxation and calm as I sat washing them. Before leaving a little girl, whose hands I had washed before, started washing the paint of my own hands.
Driving away I felt deeply connected to this new town I now live in. I realised that any expectations I might have gone there with would not have been met, they would have been way way way out done. In a way that can only be experienced emotionally.

Purple Knickers Back at You

The blog Purple Knickers is created by four female journalism students at Rhodes University. They blog on controversial issues surrounding the life of being a woman and students. The amusing name and the array pink in the blog give it a light hearted feel. But don’t be fooled, this blog addresses issues in an upfront and personal way. There is no fooling around; their opinion pieces address rape and the sexuality in the media. They have a no tolerance view towards males who dictate towards women.
Although they address the topics in such a serious manner they use satire in their writing which helps the reader not become to depressed and low down. The blog is easy to read and gripping. The pictures included in the blog are relevant and fun.
The post Rape Me Metaphorically is the deepest thought provoking post far overcrossing the line of acceptable conservative writing, and even so it deserves awards though and through. Tackling straight to the heart of representation of rape in the media, the depersonalisation of one of the most personal violent acts. The metaphors used to represent her feelings would touch anyone.
All in all the blog is a though provoking insightful look into the girl’s minds. The addition of a few light-hearted posts helps lit the mood. The blog is written to open the minds to feminism and the emancipation of women’s true sexual freedom. Read this blog for a deeply honest crucial look into the world of young woman and their brutally honest feminist opinions.

A Blog in a Billion

By Philippa Bradbury

The Number 42 is purple? How intriguing. The rather eccentric and allegorical name caught my eye immediately and I quickly followed the instruction, “Ctrl+Click”, and found myself transported to another world. The members of the group have formed an intoxicating maze of journalism topics and I found my eyes drawn to their array of headlines such as “What a load of Twitter!” and “When did beauty need a beast to be fashionable?”. Their posts portray their different personalities perfectly and, let us be honest; they are the most articulate bunch of girls! I was overwhelmed with the use of phrases such as “through beads of sweat and strained breathing” and “her Hooker high heels on display create a dubious persona”. It was hugely refreshing to see the English Language used so masterfully and I hungrily read on, and on, and on.

I was particularly engaged by their rather philosophical take on life and how the writers questioned what was going on in the world around them. They looked at people and the role they play, such as the infamous “fence sitter” who thinks that they are, in every way, brilliant. They seem to have taken new angles on what the word “Journalism” implies and have turned arbitrary observations into newsworthy articles. Needless to say, I am very impressed by their originality.

One can almost say that the blog welcomes a reader. With the bright colours and posts that seem to address the reader with the inclusion of “you”, one feels as though they wrote it just for, well, you. Indoctrination, I tell you. Or is it propaganda? Oh, what the hell, I will ask the writers of this blog, they are bound to know.

Enjoyment seems to shine through their blog and they have taken every effort to make it an opinionated, original and very “quirky” read. Good for them. To employ some of the writer’s words, “Fucks sakes, this blog is good!”