Unisa Student X

Dec 3 2011 10:20pm   - The Beginning 

Hello World,

Welcome to my page, this is where in the coming months I will be revealing the life of a Unisa Student. Since I wish to remain anonymous I shall not introduce myself. I would like rather simply to say that who I am is of little importance.  It is of course important to me, but not to you. What I hope will be important to you is what I have to say.

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Dec 3 2011 10:40 pm  -   Beginning of A Late Early-Life Crisis 

I shall soon be registering once more for a Post-Graduate diploma in Marketing Management at Unisa. I was supposed to have finished this years ago in 2007. I think that when you are under thirty ( which, I am, just) 5 years seems like a very long time. It seems strange to think that I will soon be 30. I can remember thinking when I was five how long a time 5 years was. It seemed incredulous to me then that I would ever be ten. Excuse me............ I feel an early midlife crisis coming on.

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Sunday December 4        Julius at Gym

I am writing this entry one day in advance, so right now it is actually still Saturday the third of December 2011. I don't expect too much of interest to happen tomorrow so I thought no harm would be done by writing this now. Then perhaps tomorrow I can see if what I thought would happen does.

Tomorrow is a Sunday and its probably a day that many use to catch up on their Unisa studies, or at least it would be if it weren't the end of the year. I don't particularly like Sundays. There is no real reason for this dislike except perhaps that nothing much ever seems to happen on a Sunday. I'll probably end up doing some shopping and then make my way home and try to prepare food for the entire week in advance. Tupperware is a marvelous invention. During the week there is no time for cooking. Oh, I must also go to the gym tomorrow I feel this lessens the Sunday blues. Last week, I think it was Tuesday I could have sworn I saw Julius Malema at Virgin active.

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Sunday 4 December 2011 - 21:39    The 0.5% , 50% off Sale 

Today was almost as uneventful as it was expected to be. While I was doing my shopping it struck me that there is comparatively little to do in Johannesburg. Maybe this is why all the shopping centers are always unpleasantly busy over weekends. It often seems as if many of the people there are there because they have nothing more entertaining to do and nowhere more exciting to go.

After I had finished my grocery shopping I was enticed into a popular clothing store by a huge advertisement outside which read something like, "Massive Christmas Sale 50% off"  - When I went inside it was soon revealed that there was in fact a 50% sale, the catch, however, was that the sale only applied to about 0.5% of the shop's merchandise. I guess this was their plan all along: lure them in with a "sale" and when they realise that there isn't really a sale they will buy something to compensate for their initial disappointment. They didn't get me this time.

Tomorrow it is: ready, steady, register. Its not a big deal and I'm sure it won't take that long but I have been putting off my Unisa registration. Procrastination is the thief of time. If time is money then procrastination will not pilfer any more of mine.

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Monday 5 December 13:14      Tragedy in Traffic 

I tried to register on the Unisa website. Unfortunately as a student returning after quite some time ( 5 years) I was a little confused about the entire process. The Unisa website mentions both application and registration. Apparently you are supposed to apply before you register. I could not find out where to apply to register so instead I sent an e-mail to Unisa explaining my confusion. I also have no idea which modules I still need to do to complete my qualification. I guess they will be able to tell me this following a quick glance at my academic record.

On the way to work this morning I passed a traffic circle called Stef's circle. There are multiple neatly constructed signs which say " Stef's circle - Speed Kills Beautiful People." I'm sure you may have seen similar such memorials on the side of highways. These are usually marked by white crosses. Now, I completely understand the sentiment with which friends and family erect these "memorials" but is this really necessary. Apart from the illegality of such memorials (unless the municipality grants permission) I feel it inappropriate to have such macabre decorations adorning public roads. Yes, "speed does kill beautiful people" but is this something I wish to be reminded of  daily as I pass the traffic circle.... No.  Now, my reason for this is not that I want to ignore the tragedy which such untimely deaths are accompanied. It is because I empathise that I am negatively influenced by such reminders of death and tragedy...........Just a  thought..............

Tuesday 6 December 14:10               Going in Circles

I got an auto-response email from Unisa which said they will get back to me shortly regarding my query. At least I know that someone or something has read my email. I know I ranted a little about traffic circles yesterday but I think I would like to do the same again. Its not that I have anything against traffic circles...No, I have something against people that do not know how to use them. It seems simple enough (unless I've got it wrong). You give way to the vehicle to your right whether it is in or directly approaching the circle. Of course the "approaching" part requires some personal discretion. A car hundreds of meters away would technically still be approaching to the right. This, is besides the point, however, as it seldom that
motorists wait for others to enter the circle. Usually it is an over eagerness to enter the circle which causes angry gestures. Why is it necessary to have traffic circles anyway........ I am old enough to remember when there were no traffic circles in Johannesburg.

Wednesday 7 December 14:45  -    Talk To Yourself 


Hello Fellow Unisa students. Writing this journal of my life as a Unisa student is proving quite a lonely task. Writing ones thoughts, observations etc. without knowing if anybody else is ever going to read them is like talking to yourself. Why then are people that talk to themselves in Coffee Shops, Bars and other public places thought to be insane at worst and "eccentric" at best. Yet, people that keep journals or write diaries - never intended to be read by anybody else, are regarded as thoughtful intelligent individuals. Just one of the many injustices of our society I suppose.

This is a pity because I rather like the sound of my own voice and believe I have many insightful and intelligent things to tell myself. Psychologists and the like are always droning on about talk therapy and the talking cure. If, however, they promoted the inherent cathartic qualities of talking to yourself  rather than to them they would be out of a job.

These are tough economic times and maybe the middle class's dependency on psychologists must come to an end.  I think that people would in fact be psychologically more balanced if they talked to themselves (aloud) everyday. If you, like many Unisa students have a long commute to and from work use this time to your benefit. Don't listen to John Robbie, Darren Simpson or especially (Gareth Cliff). How can anything that these semi-celebrities tell you really be that important. (and more important that what you need to tell) yourself.

So, tomorrow as you drive to work have a conversation with yourself. You may just get to know somebody very interesting.

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Monday 12 December 2011  20:00   The Power of Now

The start of another week has ended. Isn't it strange how some days blend into each other and then one week blends into the next. Weeks become months, months become years, years become decades etc. etc.

A while ago I read that book, the Power of Now. As you might have guessed from the title, the book stresses the importance of now and how it is really all we have. Why then an entire book had to be written to express this one point I do not know.

It would be nice if we all we really had was now. The actual, "now" is not usually all that bad what makes it bad is the thought that it may go on forever or if the actual now is good then the thought that it may end makes it worse.

To live completely in the moment means to have no worries about the future and no regrets about the past.

Not sure why I've been thinking about this maybe its got something to do with imminent end of year.  Perhaps I should take up philosophy.

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