"For my unconquerable soul"

The Arrival of my NEW BLOG!!!!

2011-03-15T08:38:00.000-07:00

Thank you so much to my loyal followers of the Drawing Life with Light blog, it has been a pleasure. And it is going to be even more of a pleasure on my new blog

http://www.tarrynliddell.blogspot.com/

I have started a new blog to celebrate that I am in fourth year of my journalism degree and am on my way to re-entering the working world. The new blog will be more focused on photography and the skills that I have acquired and am still learning and yet to learn .... which is probably loads!!!!

So please come and join me (ie follow the new blog) and we can learn together!

The BIGGEST PINEAPPLE in the WORLD!

2010-10-05T09:48:00.000-07:00

The Big Pineapple in Bahurst

Photo by: Marcienne Koenig

Yes you heard me right! The Eastern Cape is home to the biggest pineapple in the world but alas it is not real......I know I was disappointed as well. But it is still a pretty cool thing to go check out especially when you randomly decide one weekend to go hug said big pineapple.

Hailing from the Eastern Cape since birth I have in fact visited the big pineapple in Bahurst once before when I was very young and my parents decided that it would be great fun to take their three darling children to see the pineapple. Why does it have a huge pineapple you ask? Well Bahurst is located in the heart of one of the largest pineapple growing regions in South Africa so it kind of makes sense.

Located in the small town of Bahurst you would think that the pineapple is their only attraction, but for a town of its size Bahurst has quite a few things going in its favour. Not only is it home to the biggest pineapple in the world but it also has the oldest licensed pub in South Africa, The Pig and Whistle. It even has an Agricultural Museum and once a year in December just outside of Bahurst a massive party by the name of Oxbraai goes down!!

All in all for a town with not many streets alot goes on and a visit would not be a waste of time. So next time you are sitting around with nothing to do go hug a pineapple in Bahurst!

The dreaded DEADLINE!

2010-09-10T02:11:00.000-07:00

Yes you have guessed it! It is indeed that time again when an application form is due. I have in my almost three years at Rhodes University filled in more application forms for one course than is needed to purchase a gun or adopt a baby!! Seriously though these forms are not good for my stress levels. Just take a look at Hammy here.....I know exactly how he feels. It is the way I look and feel after a portfolio deadline or when a application is due.

I have just handed in my application form for my Journalism and Media Studies 4 course specialising in photojourn so keep your fingers crossed for me.

Some more D-Seven delights

2010-07-22T04:54:00.001-07:00

D-Seven: A fresh Capella

2010-07-22T04:23:00.000-07:00

Francois, Eugene and Patrick

D-Seven is an all male capella (voice only) music group and man are they entertaining! You can not help but smile and be amazed by their vocal range and charisma. I was lucky enough to photograph D-Seven when they performed at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown.

Based in Cape Town they are setting stages alight and getting the crowds cheering, and I would not be surprised if soon they are pulling in even bigger crowds.
Singing their own cover versions of old classics and current hits they target all ages and are able to keep the audiences' attention.

At a time when tv shows like Glee are topping the most watched shows lists D-Seven will find their market becoming even more popular.
Now I know that I am a tad biased as I have met them and they are really good guys but their singing talents are definitely up there and I for one can not wait to see what the future has in store for them......

Raz and Patrick

Francois Swart

D-Seven

National Arts Festival in Grahamstown

2010-07-05T00:55:00.000-07:00

Those of you that read my blog when I do publish will know that I live in Grahamstown and attend Rhodes University. But one of the best things about Grahamstown is that it is home to the National Arts Festival! which means that every June/July Grahamstown is over taken by the arts of SA and even some international shows. And wait it gets better.......as a journalism student at Rhodes University I get the chance to work for CUEPIX a photo agency that runs during the festival and takes photos of all the shows that are on the festival programme!! Which is AMAZING! I worked for a sum total of 10 days that felt like months as my days were jam packed heading from show to show! I photographed over 32 shows!!! And managed to catch a cold but I truly had a fantastic time and am so grateful to have been afforded the opportunity to work during festival.
Not only did I get a press pass that got me into shows for free but I got to meet so many cool people like musicians, actors, directors, artists!

So watch this space as I will soon be putting up some of my photos and writing a bit about the shows that I attended.

Up early ......what to do?

2010-05-02T01:59:00.000-07:00

Here are some more of my early morning 'what to do when you are waiting around for people to arrive'. I really like them as they have much more colour than I saw in the morning, and I didn't even have to photoshop them. I like them just the way they are :) What do you all think?

Rhodes University in the morning

2010-05-02T01:51:00.000-07:00

So the other morning I set off all determined to meet the Photosoc (Photography Society) for sunrise photography and guess what no one showed up!!!! hahahahaha! So I got out of bed and waited in the dark for 40 min and no one turned up! oh well at least I got some cool shots! You live you learn hey :)

Swimming

2010-03-21T01:35:00.000-07:00

My project this week is a portrait of another person. So I am using my friend who is an avid swimmer!

Killing time in Photoshop

2010-03-13T12:49:00.000-08:00

As you can see I'm still working on the self portrait project but will be doing a portrait of my friend Rice tomorrow....exciting!

These are just some fun photo's that I have been messing about with in photoshop. They are a work in process.
Hope you all having a lovely weekend!

Midweek Morning

2010-03-09T21:14:00.000-08:00

Good morning one and all :)

I hope that everyone is up and your day is already in full swing!? U better be cause I will feel like an idiot if I'm the only one that has been up since 5 am this morning! Lately it just feels like there are not enough hours in the day to get all my work done. Think I need to learn some time management skills...who needs to sleep anyway! haha!

So the photos above are both self portraits....yes you guessed it! We have self portrait projects this week! These are some of the ones I have taken so far. If anyone has ideas please drop me a comment.

My week in photos

2010-03-07T05:24:00.000-08:00

So this last week our assignment for photojourn was an optical obstacle course. We were given a list of about 20 things and we had to take photos of at least 15 of them.
The above shot is of the stained glass in the Methodist Church in Grahamstown...one of the many churches! Grahamstown has like over 100 of them! WOW I know!

The below photo is a creative shot of the Rhodes University clock tower through the bicycle frame (which is a artwork we have on campus). I tried to get the clock tower and frame reflected in a friend's glasses as I thought it would look awesome. It came out ok, although the actual frame in the top right hand corner is very distracting.

The next photo I tried was to show 3 sides of a cardboard box. What do you guys think? I like the shadows that the tree puts on the box and the red fruit adds colour

This one is my interpretation of the soles of my feet.

The camera obscura in Grahamstown is one of the only ones in South Africa.

My new house friend

2010-03-07T05:11:00.000-08:00

Everyone say hello to Alex! He is my neighbour's cat who has decided that he likes to frequent my house.

He is absolutely adorable though as he likes to be loved. As soon as you get near him he rolls onto his back so that you can rub his belly!!! how cute is that!!!!

souls of your feet :)

2010-03-02T13:24:00.000-08:00

Feet

2010-03-02T12:57:00.001-08:00

Texture and colouor

2010-02-16T22:22:00.000-08:00

I decided to put this photo up for today as I took it this morning in my room. It is for a photo exercise that I am doing for class but I really love the vibrant colours and the texture of the cup and the cushion.

Remember when choosing colours that a colour that is opposite to the colour of your object on the colour wheel will help your object 'pop' out!

Also when taking a picture in which you are comparing texture make sure both the objects are in focus. As you can't compare if you can't see :)

Have a fabulous day!

365 Project

2010-02-16T11:31:00.000-08:00

The 365 project has begun!!!!!

And this is my first photo - it is of St Peter's Chapel which is located on St Peter's Campus of Rhodes University.

Happy 2010!

2010-02-14T06:24:00.000-08:00

Now I know it's been a while but yes I am still alive! My holiday was spent in the 'lovely' town of King Williams Town (oh and by lovely I do mean deathly boring). But the good news is that by staying at home the whole holiday and not spending money I managed to buy a new camera!!!!! and yes I am totally doing a happy dance right now! haha

I am so excited for this year as not only do I have a new camera, but I have also started the photojournalism part of my degree at university! I have actually spent a good portion of my afternoon outside working on a framing exercise for class on Monday.

Oh and I have decided to do a 'One photo a day' project. Basically it means that I will take at least one interesting photo a day and post it on my blog for your entertainment ( and my practice).

As soon as my internet at home is up and running again which should be later this week I will start the project - so watch this space!!! haha

Snippets from the London Park scene

2009-08-27T13:59:00.000-07:00

Hyde Park skaters learning to take life at a different speed.

While in Regents Park many prefer a more aquatic mode of transport.

And those at Greenwich Park like to sit still and watch the world go by.

Surrounded by the beauitful architecture of the Royal Observatory, Maritime Museum, Greenwich University and the Queens House you can't blame their go slow attitude to life.

And to top it all off in Regents Park its a squirrel's life!

Grosvenor Square

2009-07-14T04:58:00.000-07:00

A day by Waterloo Bridge

2009-07-08T01:06:00.000-07:00

Well despite it being summer in the UK yesterday was pretty rainy and quite dreary but I still went out and tried to take some photo's. You know the old saying waste not, want not :)
As you can see I have been playing around in photoshop adding a little bit of colour to some back and white shots. The top shot of a very smart gentleman crossing Waterloo Bridge is still a work in progress but I thought I would put it up anyway....you know what the hell and all that jazz!

As always in London there is an abundance of men dressed in suits. This gentleman was taking cover from the rain. I thought that the juxtapostion of the suit and the graffiti was interesting and deserved some attention.

Along the Thames close to Waterloo Bridge there is an area where BMX bikers and boards show their stuff. This is one of my favourite places in London to go take photos.

CeCe's Wedding

2009-07-08T00:54:00.000-07:00

As promised here are some of the photos that I took at CeCe and Allan's wedding! Once again CONGRATULATIONS!!! and I hope that the two of you are having a blast in Vietnam.

I carry your heart with me

I carry it in my heart
I am never without it

Anywhere I go, you go, my dear;

And whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling
I fear no fate - for you are my fate, my sweet

I want no world - for beautiful you are my world, my true

And it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant

And whatever a sun will always sing is you
Here is the deepest secret nobody knows

Here is the root of the root

And the bud of the bud

And the sky of the sky of a tree called life;

Which grows higher than the soul can hope or the mind can hide

And this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart

I carry your heart

I carry it in my heart

—-E. E. Cummings

Up to speed

2009-07-05T16:14:00.000-07:00

I am officially a free agent! For about the last month I have been clocking major hours in the library and cramming my head full of streams of information in order to face the dreaded exams.......and now they are finally over! To be exact technically I finished on the 20th June already :) So all I have to do now is cross my fingers and hope that I passed all my exams!!!!!!

And as most students do I spent the first 24 hours after my exams partying it up with my friends in Grahamstown one last time before we all parted ways for the holiday. After a quick 10 day stop at home I flew to Johannesburg where I got to spend almost an entire day mulling around O.R Tambo airpot. Not exactly my idea of fun but arriving at Heathrow on 1st July and seeing my sister was well worth the waiting :)

So as you might have already guessed I am on holiday in London visiting my sister and catching up with friends! It's been an extremely busy weekend with my sister's boyfriend, Luke, passing out on Friday in Plymouth at the H.M.S Raleigh. Don't worry huh? was also my first reaction when I was told that almost straight after getting off the plane I was to board a train for 4 hours to get to Plymouth to attend a passing out ceremony. Basically Luke has joined the British Navy and a passing out ceremony is his graduation from basic training.

After a quick 24 hours in Plymouth I had to shoot back to London to organise the final few details for my trip to Claire's wedding which was on Saturday. The journey back to London almost went pear shaped when I nearly missed by train because we lost track of time at supper and then I (like an idot) went to the wrong platform. Likely I run fast when I need to and still made the train. All in all despite the hardly anytime to breathe I am having a blast being back in London.

Well I think that just about brings you all up to speed on me and the happenings in my world. I took loads of photos at both the wedding and the passing out which I will be posting tomorrow once I have sorted them out. And I am still in London until the 22nd July so I intend to have heaps more photos and stories to share with you all soon! So watch this space!

30 Days to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-06-01T00:11:00.000-07:00

Swot week is upon us and in 7 days time I write my first exam - classic civilisations! So this is my mission.........

Four exams - 8th, 15th and two on the 20th June.
Mission object - PASS ALL FOUR!
Destination - the 20th June After exam PARTY :)
Incentive - I fly to London on the 30th June!

At the end of the exam tunnel there awaits a Boeing 747 that will be taking me to visit my sister and friends in the UK! And I can't wait!!!!!!

The sun going down over Surrey Docks

Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament

Classy Colours Rocks!!!!

2009-05-21T10:31:00.000-07:00

In my last post I mentioned the radio show that I am involved in as part of my radio course in journalism. Well I'm in the Classy Colours team and we ROCK! here is our marketing poster which will be put up all over campus on Monday!
Anyone out there listen to RMR? If you do make sure that you tune in for your show on Friday 5 June at 9:00!!!!! Thanks to the team Sizwe, Sarah, Kate, Jane, Kirstin and Simnie for all their hard work and a great posters!!

The Daddy's Rich Kids show is another one of the second year journ shows that a good friend of mine is doing. I helped them with their poster by taking the photo's, which if I might add came out great as well!

And then it rained...

2009-05-21T09:58:00.000-07:00

Weather is a great metaphor for life - sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad, and there's nothing much you can do about it but carry an umbrella.

~Pepper Giardino~

Picture by: Sally Munro

I officially have ten days until exams start! How on earth did that happen? Last time I checked exams were weeks away and I had plenty of time to finish my end-of-term essays and start studying. But as I have found out there is nothing more sneaky at Rhodes then exams!

With three essays and a radio show to do before I can even think about exams the forecast for the next ten days is looking pretty grim....

I have spent the last few nights up at the radio lab with my team Classy Colours trying to get our show ready for the practice run that we had today with our tutor. Sleep seems to be a distant memory and both the radio and writing labs at the journalism deptartment are beginning to resemble scenes from a zombie movie as students who have not slept in days fumble about in an attempt to complete work by the dreaded deadline (Appropriate name if you ask me!).

Tonight I'm taking a break from the journ only to start my politics essay on Athenian democracy which is due Monday. Ah the life of a student.....sometimes I really do think studying is harder than working! And to top it all off on my way back from Pick n Pay (I went to get yummy supplies to get me through the peckish hours around 3 in the morning) I passed all these people who are going out tonight.....how I ask you? Don't they have work? Or am I just slow!?
When I got back to my room my friend Janine had emailed me some photo's of a thunderstorm that passed over Cape Town this morning they instantly brightened up my day as they are gorgeous! I also found the quote which made me realise that there will always be good and bad weather and all you can do is invest in a good umbrella!

So it is with that in mind that I have decided that I am going to stop moaning about all the work I have left to do and just get on with it! Because you know what the old saying says when it rains it pours.......so I guess I'm going to give dancing in the rain I try! Wish me luck!

Dropping bread crumbs

2009-05-13T22:43:00.000-07:00

Any One Tree Hill fans out there, well I'm a huge fan I love how the show has given music such an important role. The music added to narration that always manages to inspire results in the show being a cut above the rest.
While looking for a quote on the internet I stumbled across this one from One Tree Hill that I would like to share with you all as I don't know about you but I have been feeling very lost this year...

Lucas: And Hansel said to Gretel, “Let us drop these breadcrumbs so that together we find our way home because losing our way would be the most cruel of things.” This year, I lost my way.

Nathan: And losing your way on a journey is unfortunate, but losing your reason for the journey is a fate more cruel.

Peyton: The journey lasted eight months. Sometimes I traveled alone; sometimes there were others who took the wheel. And took my heart. But when the destination was reached, it wasn’t me who arrived. It wasn’t me at all.

Brooke: And once you lose yourself, you have two choices: find the person you used to be or lose that person completely.

Mouth: Because sometimes you have to step outside the person you’ve been and remember the person you were meant to be. The person you wanted to be. The person you are.

The possiblity of dawn

2009-05-13T13:54:00.000-07:00

Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark.

And the hopeless swamps of the not quite, the not yet, and the not at all.
Do not let the hero in your soul perish.

And lonely frustration for the life you deserved but never been able to reach.

The world you desire can be won.

It exists.

It is real.

It is possible.

And it is yours.

---Ayn Rand---

The view from my bedroom window this morning after the few hours (that being 3hrs) sleep that I managed to squeeze in before I had to get up again. Things this term at Rhodes are just crazy! The old saying "so much to do and so little time" has never been more true!

But I must admit that when I wake up to a view like this it is hard not to be hopeful about the possibilites that dawn holds for us all.

So today is a new day and tomorrow will be another and as Ayn Rand says it exists, it is real, it is possible and it is yours...

Scotland

2009-05-10T04:11:00.000-07:00

Edinburgh Zoo

Scotland

2009-05-10T03:07:00.000-07:00

Down memory lane.......

Why is it that whenever you have work to do your mind begins to wonder. I should be thinking about Greek sculputre and how the nude has developed of the years or even about the Levellers and the English Civil war.....BUT alas I'm thinking about my last trip to Scotland and how I would love to go back. Maybe after lunch my mind will be more co-operative!

Protection. Cannons positioned within the castle walls keep the city safe.

Who you looking at? Edinburgh Zoo.

The City.

A moment caught ...

2009-04-22T08:54:00.000-07:00

As you can see the photo's didn't stop when we got to Wimpy. Luckily I have friends that aren't camera shy and are such good sports.

I really love this photo of Rice! I particularly think that her eyes are awesome! Hope you like them too.

Elections 2009

2009-04-22T02:28:00.000-07:00

Rhodes students up before 7am on a public holiday now that is not something that you see everyday! But as most of you well know today is no ordinary day.... it is ELECTION DAY 2009.
Voters all around South Africa will today exercise their democratic right to place an X next to the party of their choice.
So at 6:30 this morning I dragged my lazy bum out from under the warm covers and headed down to the Rhodes Drama Department to vote. As it turns out I was not the only student who had the same idea about voting early as there was already a sizable queue! The queue was buzzing with the chatter of friends and one keen student even brought along his guitar to keep boredom at bay. After waiting almost an hour and a half I finally put an X in the appropriate box and walked out feeling like one of the people that make our country democractic. It felt good!
And to put the cherry on the top I was informed by a police officer that Wimpy is giving all voters a free cup of coffee!!!! WOW now that is what I'm talking about!!! Students LOVE free stuff! So off my friends and I went to Wimpy to fulfill our daily caffine requirement free of charge.
Now this is what I call a good day!

Police keep a watchful eye over the queue of voters outside the Rhodes Drama Department voting station. Picture by: TARRYN LIDDELL

The atmosphere was festive as Rhodes students queued to place their votes in Grahamstown. Picture by: TARRYN LIDDELL

More ANC rally

2009-04-20T15:12:00.000-07:00

ANC rally

2009-04-20T15:08:00.000-07:00

Jacob Zuma receives traditional beads at the ANC rally held outside of Peddie. Picture by: Tarryn Liddell 17.04.09

COPE rally

2009-04-20T15:05:00.000-07:00

Work work work

2009-04-20T14:33:00.000-07:00

Dr Dandala addresses the press at the COPE headquaters in downtown East London. Picture by: Tarryn Liddell 16.04.09

As with most students I do not particularly like to give up my holiday in order to work unless some payment is invloved, but being a Journ student at Rhodes you quickly learn that giving up holiday to work for free is unavoidable. They give it the codename 'vac work' but in fact it is free labour or so I thought....

You see while last year I did do 'vac work' it was not all that different from the stuff we had been writing for journ class. I was interning at a local community newsletter so most of its pages were advertisments and fluffy pieces with only the occasional hard news story.

This year on the other hand I was fortunate enough to get a spot at the Daily Dispatch in East London. I can now truthfully say that I can see the value in 'vac work' besides free labour and I would go back and intern for them anyday. It was a interesting experience that opened my eyes up to the real world of investigative journalism.

Not only that but also a look into the day to day work of a newspaper photographer. I spent my Wednesday, Thursday and Friday last week tagging along with the Dispatch photographers on a range of stories varying from gangsterism, elections and general interviews. I have to thank Alan, Theo, Mlondolosi and Nigel who answered my sometimes annoying questions and allowed me to tag along on their photo jobs. You guys were fabulous!

These are some on my photos from the COPE rally which I attended on Thursday 16 April and the ANC rally on Friday 17 April.

Ex Eastern Cape Premier Nosimo Balindlela and Dr Dandala

Something a little fun on a Friday!

2008-10-30T22:37:00.001-07:00

Not that I remembered that it was even Friday until I turned on my radio. I have now entered the exam void where you have no clue whether it is Monday or Friday you just know whether you are writing today or not.

So here’s a little bit of fun for you all – it’s a can you guess what this picture is of?
Look carefully …..
HINT: the location is not what you should be looking at.

HAPPY FRIDAY !!!!!

A Calmness in the morning

2008-10-27T23:55:00.000-07:00

Despite the end-of-the-year exams being literally around the corner I woke up this morning with a deep feeling of calmness which I can't seem to explain. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that I fixed my radio last night and can now wake up to the lovely airwaves of 5FM once again or maybe I just had a really good dream...I don't know. But whatever it was it has left me in a great mood that I thought I would share with you all through a picture.
It's one of my own so I hope you all like it. It was taken at Cambridge University in the UK.

Have a great Tuesday!

Procrastination as a new age art form

2008-10-26T02:51:00.002-07:00

One thing that I have learnt to do really well this year is to procrastinate. Although it might sound like an easy thing to do it is in fact an art! A professional procrastinator is as stealthy as a ninja and as self destructive as a shopaholic at a sale! No matter how much I try and put my mind to it I never seem to get my essays done ahead of time but constantly end up writing them the night before. Some of my fellow journalism class mates like to think of this as motivation rather than slacking off as they say that they are waiting for inspiration to hit (otherwise known as last minute panic). I suppose that if I think of it that way I could rationalise that by waiting until the last minute I am teaching myself how to work in the real world of short deadlines and working under pressure. The only problem with that rationalisation is that I know it’s only half true and fuelled by a desire not to do my work. So in order to combat the progressing procrastination I recruited my friends to help me. One of the ways we now use to keep us working is to have scheduled midnight coffee breaks. We actually stumbled across this method by accident one night when we were pulling an all-nighter to finish off an essay (two in my case). I would never have guessed that a scheduled break would actually help me work but it does. After supper we all head off to our respective rooms to work and later meet up for coffee/tea and sometimes biscuits (yum yum). Seeing as we are all more than a little competitive it kind of acts like a competition to see who has finished the most work thus far. Therefore I don’t know if it will work for anyone else but I thought what the hell if it doesn’t work for you, you will have at least gotten a laugh out of this post.

Something different and old

2008-10-26T02:51:00.001-07:00

The world changes and supposedly evolves for the better, or so we are told.

Today has been dedicated to the revision of Greek sculpture for my Classic Civilisation class. While studying one sculpture in particular the Ludovisi Gaul Killing Himself and His Wife I remembered what my sculpture lecturer told us about the history of this sculpture and how the Greek’s treated their enemies. He told us that the sculpture is of a Gaul (a Continental Celtic people, who tried to invade Pergamon). It was commissioned by Attalus I to commemorate their victory over the Gauls. Now I know what you must be thinking because I was thinking the same thing when I first heard that. “Why on earth would he commemorate their victory with a sculpture of a Gaul slaying his wife and himself?” Well the answer is that in those days you would make your enemy out to be great, hence the Gauls are portrayed here as being noble. He has killed his wife so that she is not captured or becomes a victim of warfare and is killing himself as he knows that he has been defeated by his GREATER enemy. They wanted people to look at the sculpture and see the compassion and nobility, but on seeing this they would then feel the greatness of their victory over these noble Gauls.

Very different to the way the world works today hey? As people push each other down in order to look better. We just have to look in a newspaper or turn on the news to see how politicians prey on the weaknesses and mistakes of their opponents to make themselves look stronger. Is this the best way? Who knows maybe the Greeks were onto something?

Things that pass us by?

2008-10-26T02:51:00.000-07:00

I was watching the first episode of the new season of Heroes (season 3) yesterday and it had gotten to the voiceover at the end of the episode when I had the strangest feeling of déjà vu. Where had I heard those exact words before? Then it dawned on me…in English class of all places. They were reciting William Butler Yeats’s poem The Second Coming, which is in the Modernism section of our poetry book for this year. This got me to thinking about the workings of the universe as that was not the first time that something like that has happened. Now I might be talking absolute nonsense but does anyone else out there find that when they learn something or discuss something it finds it way into your life? Things like this poem which I never would have recognised in the Heroes episode had it not already been mentioned and discussed. I constantly find myself saying in conversations “my friends and I were just saying” or “it’s funny you say that because just the other day”. Makes me wonder if these things always passed me by and I just didn’t notice or if they only pass me by after I have become aware of them. Now I know it is probably the first explanation of these things passing me by unnoticed but I must admit that the more I toyed with the idea of your path in the universe growing and changing with you the more I liked it. To believe that things happen for a reason is a belief that many people use to make it through the day so I thought that this post would be some food for thought.

"For my unconquerable soul"

2008-10-25T14:26:00.000-07:00

Swot week has begun and soon all talk will be revolving around exams. Lucky for me my first exam which is English Prose is only on the 11th November but I will be needing that extra swot week to study for English, Journalism and Politics which are straight after each other (not so lucky). But I suppose the bright side of the situation is that I only write for 10 days and then I am done for the year. I began getting all my notes in order today so that I can tackle the task of revision when I stumbled across a copy of one of my favourite poems ‘Invictus’. I decided to put this poem up on the blog for anyone out there reading this that has not read this poem in the hope that it will evoke some sort of emotion from you as it does me.

The title of the poem ‘Invictus’ is latin for ‘unconquerable’ and it was written by William Ernest Henley. William was diagnosed with tuberculosis of the bone when he was 12 years old and had to have his one leg amputated below the knee. Despite his disease and living with a disability he embraced life and believed that his future was what he made it. I find this poem an inspiration for many reasons one of which being that he wrote it from his hospital bed. For me a strength of living life on your own terms and making your situation work for yourself shines through. Whether you like it or not I just wanted to put it out there as a reflection of how I am feeling about my upcoming exams.

Invictus by William Ernest Henley

OUT of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Keeping in touch!

2008-10-25T10:02:00.000-07:00

To keep in touch with friends can be difficult especially for students who attend a university not in or near their hometowns. Although I am originally from King Williams Town, which is in the Eastern Cape and only two hours away from Grahamstown I still found it a challenge to keep in touch. Especially with my school friends and all the friends that I made during my four years abroad. All I can say is thank goodness for the internet and modern technology which act as great distance and time minimisers.I would like to offer some tips to all the prospective students who will be flying the nest next year and will be confronted with the ‘keeping in touch challenge’ at university.

1. Mxit is an easy and cheap way to keep in touch with your friends as all you need is a cellphone and ‘wee’ bit of airtime to be able to get online and chat.

2. If you can score an internet connection that is awesome as it opens so many avenues of communication such as email, Skype, Facebook, chatting systems like Google talk and MSN, or you could even start your own blog to keep everyone up to date on what is happening in your life.

3. A calendar can come in very handy (in the case of power failure) to remind you of birthdays as no friend likes it when their birthday is forgotten.

4. And of course there is always the good old faithful letter which can be written and posted.

These are just a few of the tools that I used to tackle the challenge of distance between friends. As they have worked for me this past year I highly recommend them to you.

Whine into Water - radical journalism

2008-10-23T15:26:00.001-07:00

Although all the JMS students were emailed by Rod to inform us about the JMS3 presentations that happened on Wednesday night I made sure that I went (even though I had an extremely long politics tutorial to complete) as one of my oldest friends is in JMS3 and therefore her group’s campaign was presented. She is in the Whine into Water group that used a radical journalism approach to try and create awareness on water quality and the Kowie River Campaign. Their campaign used the slogan “Out of Order” which was placed on numerous toilets within the Journalism department as well as in many residences on campus (including mine). Needless to say chaos and confusion ensued as people could not understand why so many bathrooms were ‘out of order’. Some people even got upset which I would think was the whole point - to achieve a reaction of outrage from the general public. That there are people in the Grahamstown area that do not even have running water is unacceptable. The posters that they used with the slogan “The ass end of the water” refers to the terrible quality of water that we have been receiving and is aimed at creating awareness. They even had a water point set up outside Pick ‘n Pay where they asked people to taste water from two different sources to see if there was a difference.
I really enjoyed their approach to the issue of water and water quality awareness as it was unavoidable and demanded a reaction. I recommend that you all go check out their site and become more aware!

JMS3 Critical Media Production

2008-10-23T14:38:00.000-07:00

The JMS3 students have been slaving away recently in order to complete their critical media production assignments. To explain this involved all the JMS3 students being divided into groups of twelve to thirteen people making sure that each group contained at least one or two designers, radio, TV, new media and writing students. Each group was given a topical issue of our local area of Grahamstown. They then had to put together a campaign around their issue. These campaigns were showcased on Wednesday 22 October at Barratt Lecture Theatre. To say that I was impressed is the understatement of the year. Some of the presentations were amazing in their use of audio and visual to get their messages across to the audience. Unfortunately I could only stay until 21:00 and therefore only saw the first six presentations which were Whine into Water, Take a Leap, Prof Greenthumb, Ukulima G’town, Common Ground and Green Inc. The issues dealt with ranged from promoting awareness on water quality, developing food gardens to the cow dilemma. Each group decided to address their campaigns differently so for example Ukulima G’town used a developmental approach. Their target audience was students followed by the residents of Grahamstown. They highlighted the initiative of starting a food garden as a source of sustainable food. Their campaign sticks out in my mind as they showcased a 12-year-old boy named Ganief Gamat Borez who puts his heart and soul into looking after the food garden at his school. The audio visual slideshow that they produced really hit home as someone much younger than myself was taking a stand and trying to support his mother and sister as the ‘man of the house’.

It really was incredible to see the final products of the campaigns. I think for the first time I realised how even as student journalists we can really make an impact and deliver powerful messages to the public if we work together.

Inspiration amidst the nervousness

2008-10-22T04:17:00.000-07:00

A deep sigh of relief and I can literally feel the weight on my shoulders lessen. My JMS2 application has been handed in and I have officially finished my last essay of the year (not including exams of course). It would seem as if things are coming to close, which is brilliant in a way and not so brilliant in another. Although the stress of getting my JMS2 application done is now over the nervousness of whether I will get accepted has begun. This nervousness is made even worse when I think that I still need to write my final Journalism and Media Studies exam on the 12th November and wait until late December to early January to hear if I made it. The silver lining of the situation otherwise known as the brilliant side is that JMS1 is practically over and I am one step closer to getting to photojournalism. I got so excited on Monday after I handed in my application and took a walk around the Journalism and Media Studies building as it is filled with work by old and current journalism students. “This is what I will be doing in a few years time” I thought. The whole building inspires with its colourful décor and interactive layout. When I saw the T.V and radio studio I just wanted to go and play around. Then there are of course all of the labs, one for design, for radio, for writing and who could forget the photo lab. I saw this last door and just stared. You need an initialised student card to be able to get into the lab so I could not go in and check it out even though I was dying to. But at least as I left the Journalism building I was filled with hope and more determination than before. Now it’s just a matter of keeping my head down until the exam and then waiting…

2008-10-21T16:21:00.000-07:00

Another example of light painting.

Light Painting

2008-10-21T16:11:00.000-07:00

One of the most fun things that I have learnt to do with my camera since starting my self-study of photography has been light painting. Most people are unfamiliar with this technique but it has been by far one of the most interactive and fun techniques I have learnt. The setting for light painting can be anywhere as long as it is dark as you either need to take the shots at night outside or in a dark room. Then you need a light source, which can be anything ranging from a torch to a candle. Now if you have a camera like I do that didn’t exactly come off the ark but it is also not a NASA creation then you will probably require someone to help you. You will also need a tripod in order to reduce camera shake as you will need to keep the shutter of your camera open for as long as possible. My friend and I went to the fountain here at Rhodes University as we thought it would be a cool setting and dark enough to take the shot. I set up the tripod, set the mode onto ‘bulb’ under the manual mode and we were all set. My loyal and helpful friend who gave of her precious time to venture out into the cold with me was the light painter. In other words she was the one that stood in front of the camera and wrote in the sky with the torch when I said ‘go’. The trick we found was to move quickly and point the light towards the camera and not on the ground as the camera shutter does not stay open long and it needs to pick up the light. Simple huh? Which is why it was so much fun! The results look awesome and it is so easy to do. I recommend that you all give it a try.
Happy shooting!

The Rat Race

2008-10-19T04:33:00.000-07:00

To have your future hang in the balance of a motivational letter...how would you feel?

Well this is the situation that I currently find myself in as I am applying for a place in Journalism and Media Studies 2 (JMS2). With the application due tomorrow my nerves are fried, my fingernails nonexistent and my hair starting to grey! Journalism was the biggest reason that I came to study at Rhodes University. I gave up a career in London to come back to South Africa and take a chance on my dream of becoming a photojournalist. Failure to get into JMS2 is therefore not an option, but unfortunately that does not stop the debilitating feeling of nervousness that I am experiencing. I’m staring at a blank screen wondering how you translate your feelings into golden words that will completely win over the selection committee. I wish there was a secret password or a magic wand that I could wave to ensure that I get though. It is so strange how all my friends that do not take journalism think that I am being overly dramatic and have nothing to worry about. My grades are good; I have all the necessary things like my shadow week report etc and I have participated in a student newspaper so why would I not get in. They don’t seem to get how stressful the whole process is and how my future at Rhodes actually hangs in the balance of whether I get into JMS2.

While chatting to a third year JMS student at lunch today, who has just applied for fourth year, I realised that I will be this stressed and nervous at this time every year as you apply for JMS every year. It is the only course at Rhodes that is an absolute rat race, for a lack of another way to put it. So I guess all that’s left for me to do is put on my running shoes and get on in there and face the blank screen.

Wish me luck!

All work and no play

2008-10-17T23:31:00.000-07:00

One more week of lectures…

Two weeks until exams start…

So far at Rhodes I have found that people deal with the looming exams in one of two ways. They either step up the partying a notch or two using the excuse that they need to get it out their systems before exams start or that they need to go out now because in swot week they are buckling down to work. Or they start slowly reducing their partying in order to get a head start on their learning as just learning in swot week will not be sufficient. Neither route is particularly bad as long as you prepare and do learn eventually. Leaving my friend’s birthday party at 00:30 (early by any standard I’m sure) last night and waking up at 7:00 this morning in order to get cracking would definitely push me way over into the ‘reducing my partying’ category. But as I got up this morning looked out my window and realised that hardly anyone else is even up at that hour on a Saturday I began to think about whether I even made a choice or did it just kind of happen. I would have loved to have stayed out at the party last night and let my hair down some more but I was practically falling asleep on the dance floor as a result of an all-nighter I had to pull to get my politics essay done which was due for Friday. My classics essay and journalism 2 application which are due Monday has forced me to be up at the ungodly hour of 7:00 this morning. So I guess you could say that the circumstance of having so many deadlines for the weekend and next week have meant that I made a decision without even realising it.

All I can do now is pray that the exams go well and look forward to a deadline free holiday!!

Transcending Time

2008-10-15T09:03:00.000-07:00

In my previous post I talked about the different ways that you can experience time at Rhodes University. This got me thinking about how we as human beings experience time in relation to our emotional state. That reminded of an inscription in the park, Grosvenor Square, which is in Mayfair, London. In summer I would usually go and have lunch there as it is a beautiful park with statues and a gorgeous water feature. It is also located between the American and Canadian Embassies. It was for this reason that it was chosen as the resting place of a memorial garden dedicated to the victims of the September 11th attacks. In the centre of the garden there is circular inscription that says:

Time is too slow for those who wait,

Too swift for those who fear,

Too long for those who grieve,

Too short for those who rejoice

But for those who love...time is not

(Extract from "For Katrina's Sun-dial" by the American poet Henry Jackson Van Dyke.)

I think that it is a profound statement that sums up the nature of time to perfection. Time is nothing but the manner in which you perceive it. If you are waiting time is torturously slow. If you are afraid time seems to surge forward at a great speed. If you have lost a loved one time stands still but when you are happy the moments pass swiftly by. Van Dyke suggests that the only instance that time is timeless is for those who love. Love transcends time; it will live on and be remembered. This inscription had a great impact on me as it not only made me realise that all the lives lost on September 11th will transcend time as they were all loved by someone but it gave me comfort to think that no matter what happens in my life the people that I love and that love me will always be there because even through death time can not break the bond of love.

Time is a strange thing...

2008-10-15T07:52:00.000-07:00

Time is a strange thing that at Rhodes can be experienced in many different ways. Sometimes there never seems to be enough time. I constantly see people rushing off to the next thing they have to do as our lives revolve around schedules of work. We don’t even eat when we are hungry or sleep when we are tired but rather only do these things when our schedules permit them. This seems like a crazy notion but it is in fact the honest to goodness truth. Then there are those moments when time seems to be endless. They usually occur during a particularly boring lecture or when you are particularly tired from either pulling an all-nighter or going out. You stare at the clock and can swear it feels like the minute hand is ticking in reverse.
I’m sure that a lot of people at Rhodes or anywhere for that matter can relate to these ways in which time passes. But none of these forms are more contagious or destructive than procrastination. It is the sneakiest way of experiencing time as it can often happen without you even realising. For example today I returned from my ‘scheduled’ lunch to find that I had an hour to kill before my next lecture. What to do with it? Was the first thing that I thought, sleep perhaps, work on my politics essay or maybe type a blog post? By the time I have come to a decision on what to do with this extra unscheduled time I realise that so much time had passed that it no longer mattered. This is a vicious cycle called procrastination and it is possibly the worst way to spend your time especially when you do have work to complete. The only problem is that procrastination is inevitable and, depending on how you spend the time, quite fun.
So it would seem that a majority of your first year at Rhodes is spent trying to figure out the best balance or mix of rushing off, sitting still and procrastinating that best suits you. I am currently still in the process of figuring this out for myself but as you can see from the blog post that I completed in my free hour I am slowly finding the best way forward for me.

The Wind Of Change

2008-10-14T15:25:00.000-07:00

Every morning I am woken up by my alarm clock ,tuned into 5FM, which I then listen to as the painfully long and often difficult process of waking up and actually getting out of bed begins. Once I have finally managed to convince myself that I have to get up and ‘no I can’t sleep for another five minutes’ I turn up the radio and the day begins to brighten. There is nothing like good music in the morning to get your day going. But this is not the only benefit of listening to the radio in the morning as it also keeps me updated on local and international news.

One of the news items that has been mentioned almost everyday for the past few days is that of Mosiuoa Lekota and the possibility of a splinter group being formed. Lekota the former Minister of Defence and a supporter of Thabo Mbeki is considering breaking away from the ANC as he believes that the party has become “arrogant” and there has been an “elimination of internal democracy within the ANC". On Monday night ANC President Jacob Zuma announced that Lekota had been suspended from the party as a result of his plans to leave.

I have heard many opinions about whether he will actually form an opposition party, whether the party will have support and if they could be a viable vote for the 2009 elections. Some people even think that it is disappointing how he is abandoning the ANC.

I on the other hand am actually less concerned with his reasons for wanting to leave the ANC and more with the implications that another party would have on the South African party system especially if it does gain support. South Africa is currently a one party dominated system (that party of course being the ANC) but what if another party had to gain support and be able to offer an alternative to the dominate party. For this exact reason I think that a splinter party is a good idea and is in fact healthy for our party system as a dominating party is a lazy party. Even if this new party only has an effect in the long term it will be worth it as the competition and debate that will ensue will be good for both the ANC and South Africa.

A Tornado in Grahamstown?

2008-10-13T14:56:00.000-07:00

As a first year at Rhodes University in Grahamstown I have heard the stories about how the town can experience all four seasons in one day but had always dismissed them as an urban legend. I did this because I only live roughly two hours away in King Williams Town and I could not believe that the weather here could be so different to my home. Well I have been proven wrong in a major way not only have I experienced the four season day first hand but on Wednesday 8th October a mini-tornado struck Grahamstown. And no you do not have to check your eyes or adjust your screen I did indeed say a mini-tornado. According to the official reports from the Herald

“A killer storm of gale- force gusts, hail, flash floods and lightning cut a swathe of destruction across the Eastern Cape yesterday, leaving a woman drowned and 65 people homeless”. http://www.theherald.co.za/herald/news/n01_09102008.htm

I did not see the mini-tornado myself but did manage to get caught in the hail storm, which for the record was not pleasant. Students could be seen making a mad dash for cover as the rain poured down swiftly followed by the hail. For the people who experienced the mini-tornado first hand it must have been a scary sight as most would have never seen a tornado before. I would imagine that many people were clicking their red heels together hoping to get home. Wednesday 8th October was the last straw for me and I am now a fully converted believer in the bizarre weather in Grahamstown. Who knows what could be coming next maybe snow or floods? All I know is that I plan to keep my eyes on the sky and have an escape plan in mind.

All in a day's work

2008-10-13T14:26:00.002-07:00

During this last week Tales from a Rhodent has taken up the challenge of becoming SUPERHEROES in the comic book world. You are probably looking very confused right now and wondering what on earth I am talking about, so let me start at the beginning. Our latest assignment in our Narrative and Genre course of Journalism is to create a photo comic using a website called Comeeko. We would be responsible for the entire creative process from coming up with an idea, storyboarding, photos and dialogue. I must admit that at first it all seemed extremely daunting. Especially as it had to be done as group work, which is probably the most loathed way of working on any assignment. The hellish task of finding a time to meet is the main problem and from what I hear most groups have had many more like people not showing up or pulling their weight. But I must admit that I am glad to report that our group, Tales from a Rhodent were awesome to work with. They made the assignment so much fun and, as you can see from our comic below, very fruitful. Our tale is one of how when your drink is spiked and transforms in an evil creature out to get you, you need to step up to the plate and become a superhero in order to defeat it. We wanted to send out a message that the spiking of drinks does happen and that you need to be alert and your own superhero. It worked out really well with Nonhle as our super cool hero and Sarah as the ditsy but awesome sidekick. The photo comic was shot at The Old Gaol and didn’t feel like work at all but rather a hilarious photo shoot with the girls. The facial expressions of our drama princess Nonhle had us all rolling around with laughter and brought the comic to life. All in all a great time was had making the photo comic except for the last step of loading it all on to Comeeko which managed to make our dialogue disappear three times! To say that it was frustrating is putting it mildly but we conquered the Comeeko monster and ended up with a really kick ass comic!

Photo Comic

2008-10-13T14:26:00.001-07:00

2008-10-13T14:24:00.000-07:00

The Hotness Monster

2008-10-05T10:04:00.000-07:00

Anyone who watches the television show “Greek” will know exactly what I am talking about when I say that I was smiling from ear to ear this weekend when there was a sighting of my Hotness Monster.
Now I know that most people out there are busy asking “The Hotness what?” and I can totally relate because until I saw the show I had never heard of it before either. Well to give you the cliff notes version Ashleigh one of the main characters on the show Greek (which is set at a American college) briefly meets this really super hot guy at spring break but as she does not get his name nor sees him again that weekend she begins to refer to him as the hotness monster. I love the term as it has just the right amount of humour and cuteness. So I decided to start using it to describe by own Hotness Monster much to the amusement of my friends who did not quite know what I was on about at first.
And so I began to think about how terms come about and end up being used. I googled “Hotness Monster” and guess what there it was…..in a dictionary if you can believe that! According to the Urban Dictionary website
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hotness%20monster
A hotness monster is a cute play off of the "Lochness monster". A hotness monster is a man or woman who is sizzling and near unattainable. He/she is the royalty of hotness. (Origin: Ottawa, Canada)
Urban Dictionary is actually quite an awesome website that has some funny definitions of words all of which are added by ordinary people like us. I love the fact that we live in a world that is basically a huge network of communication and creation. I can be in Grahamstown and chat to my friends all over the world via email, Skype and IM. A term like the hotness monster can be coined and put out there for all to understand. The world is no longer rigid but flexible and open to people’s creativity which in the words of Neil Armstrong “is a giant leap for mankind”.

The Ice-cream Run

2008-09-29T14:58:00.000-07:00

If there is one thing that any ice-cream lover needs to know in order to survive at Rhodes it is the Steers Ice Cream Run! At almost anytime of day and sometimes well into the night no matter how cold the weather students can be seen taking a stroll to the local Steers for some of the best ice-creams in town. I have myself just tonight been on an ice-cream run with the girls. It resulted from a spontaneous decision after supper that ice-cream was to be devoured at the anointed hour of 20:30. So off we went in the cold to fill our bellies with the ice-creamy goodness for no particular reason but to get out with your friends for some fresh air and if a tasty frozen treat happens to be involved – bonus!
I suspect that as summer starts to kick off (today was a brilliant warm day) and the Grahamstown cold begins to release its icy grip that these ice-cream runs will become more frequent. Which is great for my stomach that loves ice-cream but not so good for my body which enjoys to store the said ice-cream in all my love handles. At this point I think it would be wise to…..increase the number of times I go to the gym. Bet you though I was going to give up the ice-cream didn’t you. No such luck I’m afraid the ice-cream is too good and the ice-cream runs just too much fun.

Happy Eating!

Weekend Closure

2008-09-28T15:26:00.000-07:00

And so another weekend in Grahamstown comes to an end and yet again I did less work than I had planned too. It is amazing that no matter how good my intentions to get ahead of my work load are my rubber arm and fear of cabin fever always result in my coming short of par on Sunday evenings. Well no need to worry about that anymore as it is officially Monday morning - the start of the week and too late to cram anymore work in on the weekend . Which in student terms means that a whole week of lectures and tutorials lie ahead of me starting with my journalism tutorial in exactly 16 hours time.

The reason for my procrastination this weekend had to do with an awesome Friday night out, the ensuing hangover and my newly formed addiction to Photoshop. Friday night was a semi-planned girls night out that started with pre-drinks at res then out to Old Goal and Friars. It turned out to be a wicked night out especially since I was out with some new and old friends. I had such a good laugh. The drum practice that was going on in my head when I woke up on Saturday morning on the other hand was not as easy to laugh at…or at least not at first! The rest of the weekend was spent chilling with friends and playing around on my new toy Photoshop. And can I just take a moment to say that I am in LOVE!!!! It is so much fun to get creative with your photos and take them to another level! I have had it for a while but didn’t know too much about how to use it but with our latest journalism assignment I have been trying to manipulate my groups profile photos and so been learning a thing or two. I have put one of the group ones up for you all to see. Please feel free to visit the site http://www.talesfromarhodent.blogspot.com/ the girls are the best! And I’m not just saying that because I’m biased :)

Will keep you all updated and share any golden tips that I discover for any other Photoshop lovers out there. That’s it from me for now as my bed is seriously calling my name.

Sweet dreams to all you people in cyberspace

Welcome

2008-09-28T14:20:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my humble blog.

I’m afraid as you can see it is a work in progress but I promise you as soon as I find a uber geek to help me I will pimp it out for you all. So for now you will have to put up with my minimalistic amateur attempts.

For all of you out there reading this who do not know me. My name is Tarryn but you can all call me Savy (it’s a long story involving Pirates of the Caribbean and lots of beer). I am a Journalism and Media Studies student at Rhodes University in South Africa. I live in a mud hut and have a lion for a pet! Hehehe only jokes! I am in fact a regular student living in residence and working my ass off to make it into the 2nd year of Journalism so that I can study photojournalism.
You may be wondering why I would call my blog ‘Drawing Life with Light’ well the word “photography” based on the Greek φώς (phos) "light" + γραφίς (graphis) "stylus", "paintbrush" or γραφή (graphê) "drawing", together meaning "drawing with light." Hence my love for photography resulted in drawing life with light.

Photography is not the only thing that interests me. I also enjoy painting, politics, music, learning about ancient civilizations and people. Yes, people. I am fascinated by people: how we differ, how we think and why we do the things we do. So stick around and visit every so often to have a read and find out how life as a student is going and what it happening in the little old town of Grahamstown.