Rock Journalism

"Rock journalism is people who can’t write interviewing people who can’t talk for people who can’t read” (Frank Zappa)

Ever feel like when you are talking to a person, they are taking note of nothing you are saying and the walls are taking in more than but the person right in front of you. You take a step further by writing the exact details you told the person down so they will do it, but still they don’t take note of the message you are trying to convey. The saying goes those who can’t do, teach.

Everyone is not the same, most of us have become sensitised to the news around us. We are getting information from so many places at the same time, that it has stopped affecting us or even surprising us. So many things are going on in the world around us and most of them have a negative effect but they seem to have become the norm. We tend to overlook and miss what’s happening around us because we in society have become rocks.

Its just like talking to the walls, no one is listening. When we talk it has little action and if we read about it, its just another story. We carry a thought pattern that it would never happen or affect us but you never know it just might.

Imagine that

I recently heard a riddle about an item that you carry around with you everywhere and can never get left behind. You might be wondering what the item is well… it’s your thoughts. I used to think that a person is limited by themselves but discovered that you are limited by your imagination.

Each day we have millions of thoughts that rush through our minds -ideas, worries maybe even the simple thought of having to face another day. As children we enjoyed the adventures we conjured up in our imagination like the make believe tea we drank at our tea parties when there wasn’t even a drop of water in the cup or the imaginary friend we played with and placed the blame on when something went wrong.

I think as we grow up we loose our ability to imagine, to dream big things and imagine the unimaginable. We all have a super hero power - it’s just locked up in our imagination. Your imagination can take you anywhere, you just have to think it up and picture it in your mind. Right now I’m laying in a field of daisy staring at the different shapes I see in the clouds when literally I’m sitting in front of my computer screen at home doing anything but that. When last did you take a moment to think, dream and imagine. Imagine what you can think of, if you just took the time to use your imagination.

What motivates me …

Our motivation is dependant on the person we are inside, what drives us to go further in life and what makes doing something worth it in the end. When we are students our motivation is to specialise in a particuar area and attain the knowledge to pursue the carrer we want to. When faced with the heaps of assignments and tests, our motivation is to get our dream job and have a successful life.

We do face periods when we are demotivated and those are the times when people close to us support and encourage us to continue on in our journey called life. Our motivation is driven by the goal we wish to accomplish, what we are looking to achieving and what will get us there even when we face the rough periods. Our motivation in rough times can be to improve on the situation and prove to ourselves that we can do it when we commit ourselves to it.

I can’t be sure what motivates me but getting one thing done which takes me a step forward to attaining my dreams (and God’s purpose) for my life is motivation enough. I have a good support system and I want to leave my mark in the world and reach my greatest potential.

Personal autonomy – how far does it extend?

Personal autonomy is having the power to make decisions rather than being controlled by someone. We all have the freedom to think and make decisions for ourselves. What we think is best for us in a situation can be influenced by another person be it a friend, our family or even a particular group we belong to.

When we grow up we need to be responsible for what we do which includes the decisions we make and then the consequences of those decisions. When thinking of the word personal, the first word that comes to mind is all things that are considered private. Our personal autonomy depends on ourselves and the degree to which we allow other people into our lives determines how far it extends but ultimately its up to us.

I once hear the saying you can’t go wrong at getting better at the person you are. The same goes for one’s personal autonomy, sometimes it’ll extend a great deal and at other times it will be limited. It’s up to the individual, at times we need to be man (woman) enough to stand on our own two feet, take a risk and make a choice. Other times we need the help of those close to us, either way we determine the extent of our personal autonomy.

Bunch of animals

We as humans would never refer to ourselves as animals in an everyday situation. We’ve all heard the story of evolution that illustrates the development of human beings starting from the ape. Maybe somewhere deep inside of all of us, there is an animal which reveals itself in those pressure situations. I do think that there are times when there is the right and wrong way to go about doing something such as standing up for what you feel strongly about and believe in. What took place at CPUT in August was a clear example of the wrong way to go about it.

If there is an issue you disagree with, it’s best to go to the heart of the problem and speak directly with the people it involves. At times you do need a united front as the students at CPUT did. The influence of a united voice on an issue is making great breakthroughs and people are being heard when they stand together, this doesn’t mean that standing united has to have a violent approach. The problem was that not all CPUT students knew about the issue and furthermore destroying property and endangering other students’ lives that are going to face the same problem of increase in fees is a reflection on letting the animal within free.

We are not a bunch of animals as we’ve been given the freedom to think and make decisions for ourselves. We should take the approach as humans to stand together when we need to with issues in life and do it in the right way.

10 Most unexpected consequences of being online.

You can fall in love, make friends and even do business with a person anywhere in the world.

You get information faster being online than via radio or television because it is constantly being undated. People are more informed important information and even unnecessary just for fun information.

Work is no longer 9 – 5 but 24/7, you tend to do more work after hours because you can do it online and the work load has increased.

People anywhere can even see into your life through you-tube videos as well as those gorgeous photos of yourself you put up in your Blog or Facebook/My space profile page.

People’s voices united through their opinions can make a difference on the topic they are discussing.

Privacy online is non-existent, people have access into your life depending on how much information you give out. A simple tweet or Facebook update can tell someone else a lot about yourself.

Life becomes even busier because life as a whole consists of so much more. (work life, social life, family life, online life etc)

Being online becomes a lifestyle you have to be part of.

People become the person they created online rather than the person they truly are.

If you are not online you are an outcast.

Everyday is a good day

Each day starts with the opening of your eyes and from that a new day begins. We may think about the many things that we need to get done, the situations we need to face and even dream of the happiest things that can happen to us in that day. We can think of every new day as the beginning of another chapter in our lives. Each chapter has significance and tells the story of the many days we have faced so far, the bad days and more importantly the good ones. We are the author’s to the many stories we create in our lives each day and it’s up to us to turn even the worse day into our best.

Everyday gives us another chance to show the world who we are, to make new memories and do silly things just because we can. We learn new things, spend time with friends and we might even have time to fit in doing what we enjoy most in life. Everyday is a good day because there is so much possibility to what we can do in that one day and as each new day comes, we have the opportunity to make it a good day.