The HIV scare....

Ok apparently we have a serious health crisis on our hands. 47% of first years infected with HIV? Now that’s a serious statistic. Which by my opinion is a bloody lie and a cheap way to instill fear into the minds of students and try to deter them from vices like sexual immorality. Or some concerned politician is scared that his daughter might lose her virginity to some randy folks before she writes her first paper. As if. But before you start jumping into conclusions, let’s review a few things.

First, imagine you were a Jambite, and you walked into the Medical Center for your first ever health check on campus, and they tell you they have to take your blood to check for your blood type and other necessities. Then you hear weeks later that there’s a survey that says that almost one in every two jambites that did the same blood test is HIV positive. Wouldn’t you panic, and feel bruised that your privacy has been invaded? I mean, ain’t that scary enough to get some UNICEF guys on the scene? This is a youth environment; the possibility of such infection spreading if it was actually true is staggering. I don’t know about you, but if it was actually true, I think I’d try n confirm if I am one of the fortunate ones. But to think the university feels it okay to just announce such news and expect it not to incite a sense of uneasiness in everyone is just pure ignorance. I was walking along with some friends yesterday on our way to Sunic, and we passed a young girl just near the FCMB ATM trying her best to run away from some guys who were apparently making fun of her. It was obvious she was a jambite, her shoulders were drooping so low from hoisting Engineering Maths and Anusiem textbooks in her knapsack all day. And yeah, she looked geeky, that always makes things much more obvious. So back to the gist, my friends and I got up close and realized that the boys had already assumed she was HIV positive and were throwing jibes at her because of it. How annoying, I must say. Which brings me to this point: why make a public announcement of something that’s best kept private? I don’t think I’d like my doctors telling the whole world I’m HIV positive, or I have cancer. Let me tell those who I’d want to know. Condemning a whole group of students is just like smearing them with DO NOT TOUCH stickers. Which is not fair at all. Now everyone’s preaching fidelity. It takes a disease as common as HIV to get everyone to behave themselves, right? But trust them FUTO boys, they don’t care. And why should they? They use condoms, don’t they? And besides, disease no dey kill Africa man, abi?

Anyway, on to some more less death inducing gist. Arsenal fans mournfully announce the death of their favorite club, Arsenal FC of England, who, by all accounts, is going to be Messilessly slaughtered by the giant dictator from Spain, Barcelona FC. Burial takes place on Wednesday at its home, Emirates Stadium at Ashburton Grove, England, GB by 7:45pm Nigerian time. She ain’t survived by nobody. Signed, Arsene Wenger, longtime Manager and greatest maga in the footballing world. Ok, so I lied about the death inducing gist part, lol. But it’s a pity, as soon as I heard Arsenal was going to play Barca, it was like someone had driven a 10 inch nail into the heart of every loyal Arsenal fan. Sorry folks, maybe next time. Work on those new junior staff quarters building units has apparently stopped for no real reason at all. Word is that work was so frantic before cos they were trying to get them commissioned during the convocation. When they realized they couldn’t make it, the contractors must’ve gone back to sleep. They had better finish it and hand it over for use before vandals decide to have a field day. And I’m not even going to talk about Futo-Ihiagwa road again. I could actually bet with anyone who wants to that that road will not be repaired in the next 3 years. Any takers?

And that’s about it, folks. Sorry I’ve been really epileptic with my posts. My internet service provider’s almost charging me in millions and I still haven’t found any maga who’s willing to pay, lol.

Laterz.

Table for Two?

Personally, I think black tie dinners are way more glamorous than grooving parties these days. And that, my friends, is a fact that was proved last evening at Jives Exclusive, Umuchima, as the LivingWord Sisters pulled out all stops to celebrate their Sisters' Week. It had everything you'd expect from a semi-formal gathering….oh yeah, except a red carpet, but we can forgive them for that, can't we? Started a bit late, but it was worth the wait. Most came single, but those with couples really did their thing. And did they all dress well! It was like the Oscars right here in Umuchima. And a boutique must've run outta business trying to provide gowns for all the ladies, cos they all stood out magnificently. And leading them and arguably the best dressed was Nnenna, their coordinator. That felt maroon dress she wore looked simply gorgeous, and she does have the grace behind the swag, so in my opinion everything fit perfectly Talk about leading by example, lol. There were the VIPs and the Regulars, but frankly I didn't see any real distinction between them except for the seating arrangement. Food was good, service was kinda poor. Fruit salads in cups came first as appetizers, and then the main course, with juice and…wait for it…sachets of pure water. What da hell? From where did that fall from? Glasses were too expensive? For that hefty ticket price? That was an absolute no-no. And apparently serviettes were in short supply and guests had to beg for them before they were distributed. Oh come on, if you want to create the dinner environment, then there're some things that are basic, like a properly set dinner table. That wasn't the case here. The entertainment was ok, but too much talk, I guess It didn't take guests too long to become more interested in themselves than what was happening on stage. I wouldn't blame them anyway. It's difficult to remain focused when you have really attractive ladies sitting all around you. So as a scorecard,
Organization – 60%
Concept Uniqueness – 90%
Entertainment – 40%
Attendance – 70%
Red Carpet – 0% … lol!

School news….Sunic's got some competition. A new eatery's just opened up right next to it, offering almost the same floor space size and meals. I think the only difference between the two is probably the wall color, or yeah, and that ridiculously funny name the new one has, lol. Marketing strategy, anyone? Well, as it's just opened there're less than 10 seats available, so I think we' should give them a bit of time to get their act together before we start patronizing them. Left to me, a stronger air conditioning system would be the best way to lure people away from the great Sunic. Church programs are springing up everywhere, but I guess none has been able to match the awesomeness of Jabulani 5 that happened last week Friday. I'll still have to cover that event personally in another post, but I'm doing some scouting first and gathering my notes, cos a concert that big would definitely be with its controversies too. Some digging should solve that, lol. The mini garden at the front of SOSC Extension's started taking shape, I wonder if it'd turn into the new "Love Garden". I doubt that, but it's nice to see someone actually thinks about landscaping the area. The tenants at Bus Park have been evicted from there, and most of them have already switched to Plan B, and set up shop just opposite the road. Wonder if they want to build real stalls for them. That's thinking smart.
Alright, gotta bounce. I'll catch all of y'all later after I've finished this knitin'. Painful Stuff.
Laterz.

Too many graduates....

Saturday kinda came and went real fast in my opinion. Of course everyone and everythin' (even the sun) was in top form and in their best element. You cant blame 'em, it aint everyday FUTO holds its convocation, is it? I wasnt surprised to see the convocation ground packed to the teeth; at a point it became difficult walking talk less about finding a place to sit comfortably. And here we were thinking the ground would provide a reprieve for the whole human traffic situation we've always been experiencing during events like this. Let's face it, Senate road is too small. I think it should be dualised (Ohakim, anyone???? lol!) Anyway, it was nice to see everywhere with a new fresh coat of paint. But wait, am I the only one who thinks the senate building looks ridiculous? Bright orange and bright green at the sides? What in God's merciful name are they thinkin? Is it that hard to find a decent designer to consult? Well, food was plenty, with absolutely nobody to eat. I think everyone anticipated how unmerciful the sun was going to be and decided they weren't going to face its wrath. And unfortunately, most of the drinks that arrived cold just couldn't withstand the blazing heat. So if I were to choose between the blazing heat at the Convocation Ground and the pumping graduation parties in the evening, I think I would've preferred a blend; bring the food and drinks to the music, lol.

Well, I'm glad that's over. It's back to school like it's never happened. And the most significant change so far would obviously be Hall Of Mercy. With the philosophy of Arsene Wenger who thinks a player returning from injury is like a new signing, it's almost as if we got a brand new lecture hall. But, ahem...sliding windows? Aren't those kinda dangerous? A frustrated examination candidate could just become suicidal after his paper has been torn and fling himself outta the window. At least iron bars would make the place a bit safer, don't you think? But damn! Did they renovate that place! I mean, the tiles on the stage are a thing of beauty. And though I do not think we'll ever use the airconditioning units around, seeing them there just adds more beauty to the whole place. Let's hope they shift my lectures there, maybe we'd all study harder with that kinda tushed up environment, lol.

Anyway, onto some news...looks like Afrihub really wants to put up a fight with its tentative drive to ensure that it is absolutely compulsory to do its programmes. Arrgh! Serious waste of money and resources. For crying out loud are we not in a technology school? It should already be assumed that everyone is computer literate, and not force the ones that fully are to go back in time to learn wat a USB drive does...sheeeesh! Couldn't they offer some more professional packages? Maybe collaborate with a networking firm and provide Oracle training for those interested. We wouldn't mind paying more. I think it's infinitely better than paying 5K to learn what you already know. And also, the NYSC Batch A 2010 list is out, pasted at your regular venue. Hope none of y'all get posted to Jos, heard they've started killing people like chickens again. And for you Jambites, this is the scholarship season for all y'all, so you gotta stay rooted with your ears open cos opportunities have started flying about. Heard AGIP's is on the roll right now, with a deadline of March 31. So if you're feeling kinda broke but you're kinda smart, it wouldnt hurt to try, would it? And for those of you who think it's too late to register on the NUC database, don't worry it aint. Just meet any of the businessmen round campus to help you out, but be really careful on who you're giving your personal data and documents to! FUTO has its own share of Yahoo boys, so don't be a maga who must pay, lol.

Events-wise, I've just noticed a new poster out....Jabulani 5? Aint that the praise concert series from CASOR? Oh, so it's on Friday? And the publicity's everywhere on facebook. Hmm, that is a must see...wonder how they'd make use of the new upgraded facilities in HOM, dats if they even allow them to use it in the first place....more details on that much later.

Phew! Enough post for you to waddle through today, huh? Well, let's see what more exciting gist this our oh-so-boring school can cook up. Laterz.