Post-Valentine...

Phew! It's good to be back. I know y'all didn't miss me. Well, in case you didn't know, I'm as human as you are, and the last time I checked, bloggers aren't immune to typhoid. Good thing I didn't die though, eh?

So what did I miss? Aah, of course! Valentine Weekend. I didn't think any of you really need me to tell you what went down all around school, do you. Ok, maybe just the ones who travelled. Well, there was the ODE show on Saturday, which was probably okay, but I didn't attend so I cannot possibly pick out all the high points and low points, sorry. But from the publicity (I'm still seeing posters on buses, is there an encore about to happen on a date that has passed?) and eyewitness reports, both shows on Saturday and Val's Day in Eismann were on point. Of course, the rest of Obinze-Ihiagwa road was totally on fire. Pioneer Bar was packed to the teeth, Bombay (still not 100% sure it was him, but I did get the text message…) kept the party alive in Icebox, and even Solutions Bar, yeah the same ultra-dry-on-a-normal-day one, seemed to be busy. I heard there was an accident just after Phagdan Hostel involving an okada and a tipsy student, dunno how true that is. Jives was rocking too, and 24 Suites beside had a party going down too. What's up with them? Did they make a bet to try and lure students away from the more preferable spots? Whoever thought of that idea? Anyway, Eziobodo also had its share of fun, and no doubt the season was infectious. Between 9pm and 12am I think it's relatively safe to assume that 94% of the student community were out of their hostels and on the streets. Not a bad statistic, I just wonder what the remaining 6% were doing 'inside'…or why…

Well it's all over, and as reality settles in, school is back to normal. Well, maybe, except for this scorching heat. Aint there any lasting solution to this? And stupid PHCN's not helping matters. Pathetic. I have to go round with a portable electronic fan just to keep my body temperature in check. Mschew. But if you think the heat is annoying, then what would you call the school authorities? Why do we have to throw our academic details into new supposedly secure databases every other year? Now we're being forwarded to a new site with a ridiculously hard to remember URL. Just a question: whatever happened to a URL as simple as www.futo.com? Instead of annoyingly hard to remember crap like www.admissionhere.futo.doitnowordonotgraduate.yeahright.edu.com/toolong? I can remember filling online forms in my first and second years, waiting in long queues to obtain scratch cards to access those portals. What happened to them? The irony of it all is that none of these projects have actually helped to speed any other student-related process up. Examination results still emerge late, students' names and other personal data are still being messed around with. Pitiful. And stupidly enough, I just found out that the registration process is about as hard as you'd expect a typical Futo registration to be. Just great.

I guess that's enough gist for now. I'm just coming back so I haven't even done my usual newsfeed sweeps. So expect a more detailed post tomorrow, hopefully. Right now I think I'll go do lunch at Ofe's. Heard they've expanded and occupied Lacream Café above its former location. Neat. Wonder if their free meals are still on the table. And before you start jumping into conclusions, I aint that poor, lol.

Laterz.

Is 'love at first sight' real?

 Hey peeps...hope your week's progressing nicely.

I stumbled upon this article during one of my online sweeps of my favorite newsfeeds and decided to share it with y'all, especially in the spirit of the season we find ourselves in. Lemme know what you think about the concept, cos it's really a spot o' bother in these modern times. Enjoy.

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

Is 'love at first sight' real, and could it happen to you? If you are hoping to experience this age-old phenomenon while dating, read on to find out more about what it means and how to tell if you might have experienced love at first sight when you first met your dating partner, and whether you should even aim for lightning bolts when dating or simply relax and go with the flow.

Where does the idea of 'love at first sight' come from?

The concept of 'love at first sight' is thought to have originated in the classical world, where it meant an intense, passionate love delivered by the mythological character Cupid and his arrows when a person beheld the object of their affections for the first time. The Greeks described it as 'madness from the gods', and also came up with the idea of 'love sickness', a feeling of overwhelming longing and desire, arising when one of Cupid's arrows pierces the heart.

These days, while we may not imagine Cupid to be so intimately involved in our choice of dating partners, many of us still hold true to romantic ideas of 'the one' - the idea that there is one perfect partner for everyone - and to the notion that for some people it is clear who this one perfect partner is from the moment they set eyes on them. But are these concepts based in reality or are they just wishful thinking, and how helpful are they when it comes to navigating today's dating scene?

What is happening with 'love at first sight'?

According to research, the intoxicating sensation of love at first sight can, in fact, be explained in a scientific way as a response of the ego to social signals. A major aspect of the experience is thought to be that our narcissistic side responds powerfully to the notion that someone is attracted to us.

Along with being attracted to a person's appearance, it is possible to tell almost instantly due to minute changes in body language if they are interested in us and to be affected by that, too. Studies have shown that, on a very basic level, we are attracted to people who are attracted to us, and this is a major factor when choosing dating partners.

'When will waiting for 'the one'... be done?'

As this quote from fictional love and dating expert Carrie in Sex and the City illustrates, for many the concept of 'the one' is unhelpful, and the idea of 'love at first sight' can be, as well. If you are unsatisfied with anything but lightning bolts and absolute certainty from the offset that you and the person you are dating are a perfect match, you may reject endless perfectly good dating partners and never find a life partner at all.

In these circumstances it would, arguably, be better for those who want to share a life with someone to ignore ideas of 'love at first site' and 'the one' when dating, in favour of a more practical approach: 'I can see myself being very happy with this person'. In the end, it's up to the individual to decide.

Valentine Blues....

First of all, welcome to the Love Month. Get ready to spend big, guys….

And I'm serious, because that special day of the month is already upon us, and the whisperings have started. Single girls have begun searching, unsatisfied girls have started looking for replacements. Adverts are going up all over Facebook and SMS inboxes, it looks like they're really serious this period. 13 Days left, ladies. Enough time to make that day worthwhile with some guy, I suppose, so get crackin'. And the guys? Word on the street is that Les Broke Desperates have started cutting out money from their school fees, hoping to put em back later. Now that's a bother. That extreme? Wow! She had better be that special, either that or the returns in investment should be as great, lol! All in all, it's definitely going to be a month (or rather, 13 days) of real frenzy, where a large percent of the student population end up making the wrong decisions. And the stupid thing is that you'd have to live with yourself after that. And what's more? Valentine's Day falls on a Sunday. A non-school day. Was this all planned???

It's been a slow and kinda depressing past week, so I really hope things will pick up. Lectures are supposedly starting this morning, but that's not gonna happen, at least not vigorously, so for all y'all who still haven't entered school yet, maybe you could still do with skipping a day or two. Hostels are finally open, so all you off campus squatters should be off to your residence halls by now. Project Seminars and Defences are all but over by now, and I've already started witnessing streams of graduates on their way out in search of the next adventure I guess the next time we'd be seeing them will be in March for convocation; that is they that make it without any 'extra' academic problem. I thought they'd be noisier than they actually were in terms of after-defense parties, but I guess the stress finally got to them, eyah.

Anyway, there's talk of Year One orientation to be commencing this week, so Hall Of Mercy would be a perfect place to go 'fishing'. I mean, the whole first year student body will be in one venue at the same time; chykers tell me, who's got it better than that? Gotta get up there myself, I'm sure there's some juicy gist I could pick up from a scenery like that.

Enjoy your week, folks. Laterz.

Big Phil makes it happen + Monday chats

The big boys sure know how to throw a party, huh?

It was a little over 5pm on a calm Sunday evening. All was quiet; birds chirping quietly and fishes swimming noiselessly. It was turning out to be a quiet end to another uneventful day, as was the norm, but things were about to change. In the space of seconds, the atmosphere of the otherwise peaceful Oguta Lake Golf Course suddenly came alive as a convoy of cars sped in majestically. A party had begun, just like that. The roll call was impressive too, consisting of the crème de la crème of Futo, mostly Umuchima residents. Trust a slamming party; girls were in abundant supply, and so was the booze. At the center of the stage was Iheoma Ogbonna (PMT 400L) whose boyfriend, the onetime EEE DOS Ejiogu Philip (now graduated) had organized the event as a special birthday surprise for her. It worked, as she was all smiles throughout the day. The party rounded up at Kinky's Bar in Ikenegbu area of town, just beside Timasy. Interesting way to spend the evening, I must say, for the chronic socialites it was definitely an event that shouldn't have been missed. But before you say anything, let's do some ratings:

Organisation: 70% - Twas good generally, but sources say most guests for the 'surprise' were misinformed and got there too early. Imagine sitting and watching absolutely nothing do nothing. Boring! And then it's not everyone that made it to the after party at Kinky's.
Dress sense: 80% - Everyone looked good and ready to party. Some were exceptional, few could've done with a stylist appointment 2 hours to game time, lol. But the swag was definitely there.
Environment: 80% - Not sure how romantic Oguta Lake is, the only thing cute about it is its natural environment just by the lake, but Kinky's made up for it, though the dance area was observed to be quite small.
Drinks: 120% - What wasn't available? Um, soft drinks anyone?
Success Rating: 92% - I'm sure if every attendee was asked if they would love to do it over again, the answer would be a straight yes.

So Phil, big ups, man. I guess you and your crew have set the stage for more parties to spring up. And if you did this all for that honey at your side, she sure is damn lucky to have you.

In other news, it seems registration and fees payment in school's proving to be more hectic than usual. Is it just me or is everybody trying to collect a tip for services rendered? Haven't you been paid salaries? Leave us alone! Seriously, hasn't anyone actually looked into refining the system to make all these payments much easier to handle? To think some people are content to watch students suffer like this, kinda makes me wonder who actually is going to heaven, lol.

Plus, it looks like Eismann is already gearing up for the "love" season that soon will be upon us. Valentine's Day is still about 3 weeks away and there're already neon lights outside with a Val message. You had better have a couples night or something to entertain us oh!

Laterz peeps.

Saturday Blues...

This morning I did something I had never done in ages. Jogging. Trust me, I didn't get very far before I was panting heavily. I think I'll just stick with computers and video games.

With the absence of absolutely nothing else to talk about, lemme mention a new school landmark that got me thinking. Who knows what those observatory-like buildings just beside the new Chemical Engineering building are for? I have absolutely no idea what it is and what it's going to be used for. It's just like that SOHT building with a round section that had high voltage cables sticking out everywhere on the floor. I think the most unbelievable rumor I heard was that it was going to be used for large scale nuclear research and its health implications. I just thought it'd be a video game center, lol. So anyone with info about the observatories, could you let us know? Or you could just take a wild guess and be creative about it. And while you're at it, you could also guess what the new building just beside EVT's building beside Sunic is. So many besides, huh? Well live with it until their names come out.

Finally, I heard the school calendar is out. Havent scoured my usual channels for it because MTN decided I've been doing too much surfing, but I'll post it in my next post. Now find something creative to do today. Word has it there's no school for the next two weeks at least. And please, easy on the flexing. Me I'm going to study, and study hard. How many of you believe that?

Laterz.

THE GRADUATES IN BLACK....

Help! The suits are everywhere!!!

It's like there's a Bankers' Convention happening all week on campus. Everywhere I look, there's someone in a suit. And we're not just talking off-the-road-aba-made-suits here; we're talking some high classy fashion, glossy, trendy, well tailored, crisply finished suits. All walking over our beloved school. And they just keep getting better the more you look. It's as if everyone's trying to outshine each other in some sort of invisible competition.

Have no fear, we're not being invaded by aliens from Jupiter trying to disguise themselves and deciding that suits are best in concealing their laser zapper weapon thingies….it's just Project Time, that lovely time of the year where fresh graduates submit their "projects" for review and defense. A period that truly brings to an end all academic related activity on campus and heralds the "hustling" final moments, trying to get your result correct and making sure your name does appear in that convocation booklet with the right degree beside it. I love Project Time (as I have aptly coined it) because everybody now looks smart and "responsible", really cool to see. It's like the consciences in everyone just decide to bare itself in the open. Everyone appears good, trustworthy, from the same background bordered on good ethics and human values. Pity it isn't all true, but what can we say? All fingers are not equal. But you know what's really funny? Being approached by a "Clear Bag" (my own cool name for Jambites) and being asked if FUTO has a dress code. Yes folks, one dude I was trying to help give instructions on where to pay his fees at SOSC did ask me that. I almost fell over laughing.

Anyway, some School gist, and it's all about dates. Classes start next month (WHY!!!! I'm bored already!!!) Matric is on the 27th of next month (after Valentine's? WHY!!!) and Convocation's on the 6th of March (dunno why I'm complaining, but WHY!!!). Valentine's on the 14th of next month (the biggest WHYYYY!!!!!!) and the new Petroleum Building beside Workshop 2 currently in construction for about 4years now will be completed this year (blatant lie as always, WHY!!!!!). A proposal that may see Keke Napeps become "the" mode of transportation on campus may be discussed next week (do I have to ask WHYYYY!!!!?) and 400L EEE's outstanding practicals, along with this surprisingly harsh harmattan weather, may never end (WHYYYYYYYY!!!!!!) lol! Ok, maybe I went a wee bit too far on the last ones. But it's good to know campus is slowly shifting into cruise gear. Even fellowships are starting up. I heard LivingWord's already off the block. If their successful Worship Service last semester is anything to go by, this group should be watched out for this year. And I hope the near adds new varieties to already routine stuff. Like praying that HOD finally adds some new electives to his courses besides the usual and all too familiar groundnuts. But he does a great job. I think he should personally be recognized by the SUG and school administration and offered a better vantage area in which to set up shop. Like the podium at love garden. Ok I'm just kidding, but do you know how many relationships he must've helped save? And that glorious scent that could cause a student just off an okada at bike park but already late for a test in SAAT to pause and demand 3 extra units? He should be considered a FUTO legend and a great asset to our community! He's a perfect example of how the real HODs should be running their departments, not sitting in their offices and allowing documents that affect the lives of students remain in the secretary's IN basket for weeks. Maybe Afrihub could stop making us have to cough out 5k for extremely pointless computer classes and come up with an effective computer based solution to that problem. Wouldn't it be nice if an email accompanied any hardcopy correspondence from another department? I don't think they'd be able to ignore those. Bottom line? We love our school, but we acknowledge the fact that there is lots of room for improvement. It's a new year, why don't we try and see how we could start making those dreams possible? Think about it.

On a signoff note, a tweak to this blog has been fixed and you can now leave your comments without needing be registered. So keep the comments coming, let's hear what you have to say. And is it just normal school resumption ginger or did PHCN make a new year resolution they're trying really hard to keep?

Laterz.

Monday Rains + Lodge Gist

And a very pleasant rainy morning to all of you.

Rain has been the main issue throughout the weekend, but it's not like we're complaining, are we? At least it's a welcome adjustment to the otherwise hot weather as we always know FUTO for. So we're looking at puddles of water and light showers all day, with temperatures still hovering over 45 degrees crazy heat, as usual, lol.

Believe it or not, I still haven't set my foot up school, and I've spent a good five days already. Don't worry, I'll remedy that today, so maybe there'll be an update of what school feels like, or you could just read up on that in tomorrow's post. But obviously, accommodation runs have been the order of the day ever since, and reports are suggesting rent rates are actually going up this time. Bummer, huh? And here we are, not even finished from rejoicing that school fees are stable for once. Doesn't really matter though, the rush is still on, and new lodges are being sapped up like they're fresh girlfriends. So for all y'all still searching, hold your 60k-90k ready just in case. I think the most expensive lodges still remain the same – Parliament in Eziobodo, Executive Suites 2 in Ihiagwa, and Arusi in Umuchima. Why Executive Suites is still that expensive, I honestly do not know Word on the street is that their tenants are unhappy with the services provided while still demanding such a high rent fee, so do not be surprised to see a mass exodus from there this semester. Maybe they could relocate to that new lodge opposite Ofe's Restaurant, Umuchima. I hear the lodge has its own transformer, bigger rooms and metal doors, yet goes for 48k. You have to be careful though, when I checked out the lodge, the finishing was so terrible that it looked like the vibrations from a 2KVA generator could crumble its foundations.

Looks like parties have started springing up. Trust Futoites, never a dull moment. Eismann Fries is set to be on fire this evening and it's an open door event, so that's somewhere you may wanna be. Besides, shayo plenty, but hold cash oh! At least I warned you. Pioneer is always on heat, and I hear there's gonna be a surprise addition to their repertoire this year, so watch out, ladies.
Aite lemme get outta here. Gotta go to school for the first time this year. Maybe grab me an unsuspecting Jambite and help out with accommodation with ulterior motives on my mind, lol. Later folks.