The Rise and Rise of Languages….

Hey chaps! Hope Monday sees you well, but I guess most of you, especially the first years in SOSC and related faculties have already been greeted with a rude shock…

Yep, it’s real. French and Igbo languages have been added to the aforementioned schools’ curriculum in place of Engineering Drawing, which has been sacrificed. In a Technology college? They might just cordon off those faculties and call it an Evan Enwerem University Extension! Amazing! Didn’t we have enough of these languages in secondary school? Or has some bigshot wiseguy politician decided that his ward needs to have less to worry about than carry engineering boards around? I must confess, when I heard a rumor about this change during the holidays, I obviously did not believe it. It sounded like a huge joke, but now it’s probably a nightmare. And believe me, from initial responses from most students, it’s obvious that boys are not smiling. On the comic side of things, I’m just wondering how those guys who used engineering drawing assignments as a method to get close to their “prey” would cope. They’d have to completely revamp their strategy, I think. But how? I’d give you one tip: Learn French, it’s supposed to be the language of love. The only snag is you’d probably have to teach the babe too, lol!

Anyway, lectures are in a hectic full swing right now and the campus is finally abuzz with activities, which is good to see. And it’s also particularly gratifying to welcome the new completed buildings (and the uncompleted ones too). I guess BCH peeps would be smiling long and hard at their new building which has a surprising unique entrance. Well done indeed, VC. EVT students may have to wait an extra semester or two before their building gets done though, although it seems to be taking shape fairly quickly. And could somebody tell me what those buildings on your way outta school through the back gate are for? Cos I’ve asked around and everybody seems to be oblivious to the fact that there are building projects going on there. Maybe cos of the new road, everyone’s just flying past.

Talking about the road, I think some form of safety precautions should be implemented as soon as possible. Accidents have already started occuring as predicted. I think speed bumps are in order, though they ought to have been built when the reconstruction was going on, not long after. We want to get to our lecture halls not just on time, but also in one piece, thank you very much. It’d be sheer madness if a road that we’ve been expecting for so long suddenly turns from a blessing to a curse.

Finally, am I the only one who’s noticed the constant rise in the Acceptance fee?

Laterz….

Hall Of Mercy or NYSC Camp?

Hey y’all…

Lemme get this straight first of all, what’s with the insistence of lemon green and orange for NYSC colours? Orange? Couldn’t they find something better?

Well that was what Futoites were treated to on Monday and Tuesday, as the voters registration volunteer thingy was going on at the Hall of Mercy. It was a sea of corps members, all milling around the place like students waiting for a joint lecture. And it was really funny seeing them bolt into both Halls when the “invigilators” (lol!) were ready for them. And not to sound degrading, but all this rush for what? A couple of ten thousand bucks? Oh well….over to you, Jonathan.

Apparently, from the official school calendar, we ought to be in our fourth week of lectures, and some departments have actually started lectures. So beware, cos the word on the street is that attendance is being taken seriously in order to drive all y’all holidayers out of home and back to where you belong. It’ll be interesting to see how the calendar pans out considering the fact that we have a couple of breaks and that little spot o’ bother called election sometime in April. Will we be too fast and finish before then? Or will they take us for a joyride and ask us to come back after the elections (when our brains have obviously lost their lustre) for exams? Trust Futo na, lol.

Ok, let’s face off campus. Could someone please tell the owners of shops in Ihiagwa and Umuchima that they do not have to wait until somebody dies before they decide to open up for the new year? Everywhere is still closed and this is the 11th day of the new year! Haba! And what’s with particular kinds of food stuff being scarce? Onions are hyper expensive and you can’t even find the rest. Imagine I went out today and searched the whole of Ihiagwa market square but I couldn’t find an egg to buy. Really!

And then it looks like Landlords are really outdoing themselves to get new customers for the new year. Old lodges are wearing new looks, like Solutions lodge which has a new coat of paint, and Phagdan Hostel, whose name has even been changed to Access Lodge (hope I’m correct?). And since Umuchima has been pitied finally and electricity has been restored, it looks like it may just have been saved from the mass exodus that was planned by the student population earlier. That is depending on if most haven’t left already. It’d be a big shame to see thriving lodge businesses go under, but the electricity issue is really something that ought to have been fixed a long time ago. So I guess they’ll just have to deal with it.

So, anything I’m missing? Hmm if there is it’ll have to wait till tomorrow. I got a 10am lecture and this final year ain’t beans. In fact it’s my new year resolution not to miss any of my lectures. Oops! Missed one yesterday! Oh well…

Later peepz!

Happy New Year Folks….School Year, that is…

Hey peeps! Happy New Year! So who missed me? And none of you even called! No fair!

Well for those of you who have been genuinely concerned, I’ve been outta touch for quite a while. Unfortunately I can’t tell you why, but all I’d mention is that it “had” something to do with my health. Don’t worry, I’m perfectly fine now, and locked and loaded for the New School Year. Remember, it’s all about hot gist emanating from different corners of the FUTO, reported just the way I see it and in my own opinion. So if you don’t like it, I suggest you take it up with my sponsors, lol.

Well, I just breezed into school over the weekend, and I must say the harmattan winds really gave me a chilly welcome. Weather reports confirm that they’d be around for awhile, so I’d suggest you come with your mufflers and duvets, cos it’s gonna be a cold January. Maybe a hot flask would do wonders too. And there’s a loooooooong surprise waiting for those of you who haven’t been to school in a while, especially those coming into school from Ihiagwa back gate. Won’t tell you what it is, but I’d tell you it’s something most students have been waiting for a very long time but never ever expected it to finally arrive. Think you already know what I’m talking about? Come to school and see for yourself….wink!

The environs are still drier than the humid weather. Shops are not open, even though students can be seen trooping in with their luggages and frowning faces (lol, y?). But there’s good news for residents in some parts of Umuchima. There’re two new transformers located in different parts that are now supplying good stable electricity. So I guess the lodge landlords have something to smile about, as business would probably sneak back up this year. The popular areas are Onyia Towers area, and also Legacy Suites, notoriously known not to have had light for over 3 years.

Nothing much else to report, I’m still shifting through my news sources, which are plenty, since I’ve been gone this long. And please pardon me if you do not have daily updates yet, I’m still trying to tweak this my BB (Yeah, just had to get one, sigh, lol) to perform exactly as I want it, and that may take some time, since I’m not that gadget crazy. But here’s to a fruitful new year to all my readers, I hope to keep you entertained as much as possible with this my totally pointless opinions about school happenings as they happen, but for now, lemme keep twiddling with this twitter thingy….anybody got a manual?

Laterz.

Easter Waffles…

Well happy Easter folks! It's the reason for the season, the resurrection of our dearest Christ and his selfless heroics in wiping away all our sins by His blood. Left to me I think this is actually more important than the day He was born, but that's just me anyway.

So, school's empty. And for those who stayed back, well I guess there could still be a lil activity for all y'all. Hostels haven't closed up despite initial rumors, and bukkas are still in full swing. Off-camp seems remarkably quiet, but still has the occasional okada swishing by, especially in Umuchima and Ihiagwa. But that was to be expected, wasn't it? Everyone's expected back by Monday, and not necessarily because school resumes the next day, but because there's a little matter of scores to settle between the giants Barca and the midgets Arsenal, lol. Let's face it, after the shocking results of last week Wednesday, a serious agenda of payback is being put in place in Spain for the Victors turned Visitors. Since they could not bury them in the Emirates, the Catalan Assasins have vowed to strike them down for good at home base. Let's just see if they'll keep true to their word. And moving on to the other competition, for those of you who say it should really be called Man Rooooonited, you may probably be right. After losing to Chelsea over the weekend, their title chances look to have taken a serious beating, and also their ego. Good for em, we're in Easter. The last things we want to be hearing of right now are Devils.

Something for the socialites, especially ladies: I hear there's gonna be a new boutique/salon/recreation center opening soon around the Umuchima area that promises to be much more than anything Owerri town has to offer. Just got the scoop from the supposed owner's brother (He drives a 2010 Prado, serious! And the owner is a lady) and he sounded really excited about it. Something to do with tapping into the vast customer base FUTO has to offer. It promises to be massive, with hair salons, manicure and pedicure sessions, even a spa. There's even talk about expanding to accommodate a gym and a pool. Don't get too excited, nothing's really confirmed yet, but if it sure is good intel then it's possible we'll soon be in for a mega treat, and the choice hangout spot may finally shift from Pioneer Garden. And what's more? They're promising really affordable prices, nothing will be to expensive. Sounds neat, right? Let's see if it's just a smokescreen or something's really gonna give. I'll stay upon that scoop and bring you updates from time to time. Just remember, you heard it here first, even though it's unconfirmed.

Alright, gotta buzz off. There's a little matter of an Easter chicken that requires my attention, and right now, my tummy dictates my every action, lol. Make it a memorable Easter, folks, cos after this break it's gonna be officially a month to exams. So books all the way!

Laterz.

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.