The Margaret-Thatcherterians of Our Time…

As people come in all shapes n sizes, so do 'library-goers' so let's begin…

First up are the 'entertainers', these 'kinda' have the 'coolest and loudest ringtones and where else to show off these catchy tunes than  the serine thatcher-environs where the tranquility just gives you the go ahead!...after all everyone gets to hear it because apparently their phones lack the silent mode! People in this category also want the whole world to know they are being 'YouTube bambwad' a reason for Nicky Minaj to seriously sound the alarm because there are certain little gadgets called earphones so that we don't have to suffer the agony of hearing what you are watching.

The 'consensus-terians' (excuse my English here),just happen to be in this category because others are in some category so they just had to fit in, maintaining the status quo.Their futile attempts of  visiting  the library every now and then to show off their 'intelligence' is based on the assumption that 'everyone goes there anyway', whose everyone by the way?somebody?anybody?

Some myopically hold on to the belief that going to the Thatcher-environs makes them true citadels of academic success, the only mark there is for excellence that there is little or no room at all for a social life, these are the 'straight-jacketers'.You can even notice that there is really little to say about this category.

Dreamers, on the other hand, are the ones you find aimlessly starring at the window and keep glancing at their watches every 5 seconds and basically anyone who passes by. If you sit next to them, remember you've been warned, you'll definitely be part of their wide range of optical nutrition.

Now when it comes to style or is it 'stylo',no one can beat the 'fashionistas' for they have it all together when it comes to  the matching all the way to the mixing and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that…everyone should make an effort but seriously wear your heels somewhere else and if you have certain soul ties to 'em   then get sound pads for them  instead. Also on a polite note invest in earrings that don't make everyone on the floor you are trodding on  think you are on the African Safaris with all the jingling!

The 'idlers' are one of a kind as they have the propensity of leaving behind 'notes' wherever they happen to pass as if to allude 'I was here too!' These are the brains behind the phone contacts asking for queer services and the common 'mind your business' in the lavatories, making one wonder who is supposed to mind their own business here.

Well there is nothing wrong with exercise. Definitely good for your health but when you do it in the library then you fall in the category of the 'hyperactive'. These well up with  buck loads of love for walking up and down looking for the 'best' sitting areas and are ever on an unending search for 'academic materials'. They also keep relating with their mobile phones for hours on end you would think it is the very air they breathe!

The next category is a little tentative to describe, maybe the 'know-it alls',may work for the kind that are in their own league, not the football one, but that of the Einsteins as the only reliable source they have ever known is google.com but their assignments usually mysteriously contain a long, and I mean a looooong list of reference books that date back to the dawn of creation. They have interacted with authors we have never even heard of or are yet to or just simply these authors do not live on this planet or universe or even in the Milky Way, our very own galaxy!...mmmh!quite interesting I might add.

The realists are a balanced bunch and although I am not to play favorites as a writer, I must admit that I find these ones quite compelling as they know and understand that education is more than books and do not exaggerate their visits to the Thatcher-environs as the very fabric that holds them here on campus. In a way they are flexible, know why they go to say hi to Margaret and generally just have their own styles of doing things.

Sadly, I end this article with two 'special'(and not the good kind of special) groups that am yet to assign a category to as even after taking their time to read this entire article they still don’t what 'Margaret-Thatcherterians' means, and for some strange coincidental reason may think I am bubbling about myself. The other group has 'heard' great, amazing things about 'Margaret-Thatcher building; but somewhat believe it is a celebrated academic myth for if you ask them to point it out you may suffer a mild heart plunge as they are not sure where to place it on campus. I'll assume two things here, that they never did Geography in high school so their sense of direction is a bit amiss or there is a great need for the 'orientation program' at campus to be very practical and actually involve students visiting every corner of the campus.

So which type are you?

Margaret C Tanui

What GF Are You?

A recent preaching by a certain pastor who shall remain unnamed here got me inspired to highlight the kind of girlfriends we certainly don't want to be here on campus. Let me elabostantiate :

First up is the 'academic girlfriend',oh, I see the ladies smiling but once am done explaining a frown will be plastered all over a few faces. If you are in this category it means a guy only hangs out with you because of your brains and only in the confines of the Margaret Thatcher environs and worse if he is your classmate only hits you up when he wants help with an assingment,asking whether there is a class or simply when he wants you to include his name in a group presentation and since you are such a sweetheart you do it out of love. Don't be fooled!

'If I was not with so and so I would totally be with you', If you have been on the receiving end of such misplaced words then I am afraid you are the 'futuristic girlfriend', the only problem is the word  'future' in your label is silent so you keep waiting for him to be single but wapi?!It will never happen, wake up and be with someone else!

If you are with a guy who is just recovering from a breakup, then be content just being the 'rebound girlfriend' as you are just a by the way as he hunts for another as he is full of silly excuses like :'it's not that I don't want to be with you, it's just that I am afraid to get my heart broken again. I don't think am ready to love again, just not yet'. And you said okay? I simply have no words for you.

'Uko wapi?Si twende Fracas ama F2?',this kind comes with many tags so it's either 'Friday/kadunda/hepi girlfriend', just pick one because after all you avail yourself yet he doesn't text or call you on the other days of the week.

Girl::Do you like me?

Boy:Yes,very much.

Girl: then why are we not together?

Boy: It's best if we are friends.

If that is your everyday conversation then you are the 'just friends girlfriend', he acts all sweet and treats like you are his queen but will never admit there is more to it.Run,run girl! And don't look back!potea!

If you have suffered in the merciless hands of a guy's fist once then he apologized and you quickly forgave him then he went at it again and you also overlooked it and now it is the story of your life then you are the 'punching bag girlfriend' as you allow it to go on and you are disillusioned by a love principle that 'Love is longsuffering'. A wonderful mantra but sooner or later there will be no face to bear that what you allude to love. Say NO princess and walk out!

If a guy compliments you only when he tastes your cooking then you are the 'wife-material girlfriend' as that is all he sees and is blind to the other things you are great at like books, talents and so much more. This kind of guy will only call you around lunch hours only to confirm If you have a sumptuous meal prepared so that he can just taste and be on his way.Madam,you didn't come to campus to be cooking for a guy whenever he barks, find another hobby!

There is a group that is little known in campus and if you are in it then you are the 'mysterious girlfriend' and don't think it's the cool kind of mystery, trust me you don't exist in his world. He has two Facebook accounts and you just know of one, his friends have no idea who you are and when you ask he says he is a private guy and he doesn't want to put you through the drama of his life and that his exes are very vicious and may make your life a nightmare.Miss,wisen up and be on your way!

'Baibe,you have like a punch?', If you usually received such messages out of the blue and you see to it that you do all that is required then you are either a 'Mother Teresa/Philanthropic/ATM/Mpesa girlfriend' as you simply love giving and it's like you never run out of mula or have some Intel with the World Bank and are loaded mbaya Sana! I don't know what to tell you, you simply don’t see that your financial generosity is what is keeping the relationship alive,goodluck with that especially if you host him in your room and let him pirate there all semester in the name of looking for a room and you go the extra mile to provide shopping and all that pertains to his upkeep at campus. I rest my case as I don't want to come between you and the love of your life…between you and your 'jitoleadness'.

I could go on and on but I pull my breaks here and let you gauge which kind you were because I believe by the end of this article you already ended these 'psychopathic trends' and let the past sink into oblivion. Be a lady of worth!

Margaret C Tanui

IRONY OF ‘OPENING DATES!’

You know you are in Moi University when everyone seems to have their own ‘opening date’, a statement I ‘heard’ or rather a comment I passionately contributed to in a recent Facebook update by Moi Uni Pals, a Facebook group. Call it comical, absurd or plain madness but coming to campus way after the opening date has become the ‘new common’, the order of every semester!
For starters, this being a public university, it is really not some big surprise. It would be a bit odd if it were a private university like Daystar or USIU where students not only start their classes as per the stipulated date but are able to book for classes and even secure their hostel rooms online days before the semester begins.
The worst times, and I believe I speak for many students, is the beginning of a new academic year where students even step on campus grounds after two months! (Halfway through the semester)
Most of us come to see our classmates when CATs begin and we get to know them personally when group assignments start checking in...that is when we realise that there is a Mbugua or an Achieng’ or even the reigning Miss Moi or the current MUSO Chair in your class! Many of us, especially those who are fond of missing classes and in some weird way their legs are allergic to campus grounds, examination times present the best opportunity to cram the little notes we have(if we have them, which is highly doubtful) and have to know our lecturers by name and also capture all the course codes!
For some, coming early to campus is too ‘highschoolish’ (don’t mind my English).Others just want to enjoy their freedom in totality and what better way than to flaunt rules! For the rest of us, we just cannot imagine being in school while the rest of our friends are still at home or some other place! Though all these reasons have some emblem of truth in them, there are more genuine reasons that we can all freely bank on. Like:
Mindset: ‘No one ever comes early, why should I change the tradition?’No wonder all inspirational speakers say, ‘it is all in the mind!’
Laxity: Classes hardly start on time and even if they did, lecturers usually give up by the 3rd day, after all, who wants to teach a class with 2% of students and 98% of empty chairs!
Time factor: We all know that our lives do not revolve around campus so most students attend to other more pressing matters like attachment, jobs and other academic commitments or just opt to stay home until classes begin officially which makes one wonder: ‘Are opening dates not official enough?’
This semester we were to report on 9th of this month. Were you there or I have just informed you now or a concerned friend had to post on your facebook wall in capital letters alerting you of a class in progress? Which begs the question...is this semester just like any other?
What is really the big issue here...is it that public universities are ineffective and full bureaucracy just like most government institutions or us...students, who largely set the pace and unknowingly set the tone for how things are run all academic year?
At the back of our minds we all know we are creating a certain kind of society, a way of life, a lifestyle that we are not even aware  of or are aware but just don’t have the time to really pause and think about it.
I’m sure that no one wants to be the employee who will always be summoned by the boss every other time for laxity or who will never be leaders for having the habit of always doing what everyone else is doing just to maintain the ‘status quo’!
Yet, we sometimes think success is about getting a job after graduating which pays a six figure salary to buy the most expensive car and finally have the chance of keeping up with the latest fashion like most celebrities! Well, guess what my friends, true success begins with good character, like punctuality and upholding rules such as honouring dates, because after all, it is the little things that matter. Remember:
1. Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself-Daniel J.
2. Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow-Clifford Stoll
3. Education is simply the soul of society as it passes from one generation to another-William Butter