Media blitz...

This week was supposed to be the calm between the storms. How wrong that turned out to be. The University distributed an e-mail to all students highlighting the changes that will occur once VSU comes into effect. By some method, The Australian newspaper managed to get wind of the closures of 2 bars in our university. They came over on Wednesday to get interviews and photos. This is a pretty big thing since this newspaper is a national one meaning you can get it all across Australia and it is one of the more reliable newspapers as opposed to our "tabloid-like" local paper.

The article appeared today in the papers and all the other media outlets jumped on the bandwagon. I was woken up by a call about media contacting the office. As I was getting ready to go, I was barraged with non-stop phone calls requesting interviews. I did a phone interview with Radio Adelaide and the ABC. ABC Radio then contacted me for an interview to happen in 30 minutes in the bar! I had to reject it as it was just imposible for me to make it. All the other calls arranged for an interview later in the day. I got to the office and had another interview on the phone. Then I headed off to the City West Campus for interviews with ABC News and Channel Ten. I still cannot understand why the ABC need 3 different interviews with me. Pretty silly in my opinion. Anyways, we had both interviews consecutively and it was good that the bar was pretty well patronised and the students they got gave good comments. Overall, the interviews went well. It's unfortunate that the scope put on the issue focused on the loss of cheap beer. There's so much more that's going to disappear! At least ABC News managed to get in some comments about the loss of our non-commercial services. Still, it would have been better if they didn't make it seem as though all that is important revolves around beer.

All this was crammed in with 3 other meetings for the day. Then I came home to record my news interviews. The thing is, I don't have a VCR or something to record off the tv. The only option was to record the tv from my digital camera. It worked ok. For some reason though, the tv image was clear but the viewscreen for recording was flickering. Magnetic interference perhaps? Oh well, I had to make do with what I have. I uploaded both the interviews on YouTube. Here they are:

Channel Ten News coverage on bar closure at UniSA City West campus (click me)

ABC News coverage on bar closure at UniSA City West campus (click me)

I don't listen to the radio so I couldn't get those interviews. Anyways, there's my 15 minutes of fame. Though not exactly 15 minutes!

Falling into place...

It's been a really busy week for me. I've been spending more hours than I woud like in office. Required though as the countdown draws nearer to when VSU kicks in. I managed to get certain things I wanted approved through 2 Council meetings without difficulty. It required a lot of work to get to this point. A lot of debate and arguments as well. But it worked out in the end.

It's interesting how the principle of democracy works. When we want to have good discussions and a sort of watchdog to monitor decisions, we encourage a diversity of representation from various groups. When we want to get things done on the other hand, we want to ensure that we have representation mainly from our own group to avoid wasting time. Selective democracy in a way. I personally like having debates about issues and arguing over them to ensure that I can be comfortable with the issues once they are resolved. However when it comes to making urgent decisions quickly, I can't afford to spend weeks arguing over the issue. Call me a dictator but it's the bureaucracy that renders many decision-making bodies impotent. Sometimes things just need to be done in a dictatorial manner to be most effective.

Regardless, now that we've gotten the important things over and done with we can focus on actually getting a referendum going to accept the changes. It's going to be difficult rallying students to vote but it is possible to get the numbers. Just requires effort and commitment from everyone involved. Things should settle down after that.

Haven't had a real chance to enjoy my holidays yet. It's just been flat-out work. Hope I'll get some chances to relax soon. Got to get away from the hustle and bustle of work and the city. I'll be in Perth in July but I'll need to take some time off in the meantime as well. Even if it's for only a day.

Celebrated a friend's birthday last night. The usual: dinner, dessert and then drinks. I was half-dead throughout the night from fatigue. Fridays are sort of like a pit-stop. However at the same time the fatigue built up throughout the week catches up to me on Fridays. Oh well...

I'm snowed under with work but recently there have been opportunities knocking on my door for more work. One in particular is something I would love to take-on. An opportunity that in any other circumstance I would jump at and take. But certain things have made me reconsider. Not with regards to the job itself but also the climate and the people I would deal with in the job. We'll see though. In case I change my mind.

Done but just begun...

I'm finally over and done with my placements. It went well. Ignore the fact that I only spent four whole days with my preceptor and had a total of 4 different pharmacists guiding me throughout this period. I must say that it helps a lot to have supportive and friendly staff working with you. I had a good time and learnt a lot more than many friends who told me about their experience.

It's quite a relief finally being able to have a holiday. I didn't have one since the beginning of the year and started these placements right after my exam. The only problem is; I've ended my placements only to have to get back to work in the Students Association. I have a long backlog of work to do and it is entering the critical period of the VSU reforms. I'll soon have to arrange my trip to Whyalla and all the other UniSA campuses. It's diffiult getting the message across to so many students who don't undersand the reasons for the changes and want to maintain the status quo. I'll need to mount an intelligent campaign to ensure that everyone understands why these changes are necessary.

Regardless, I'm having a raher relaxing time now. I'm taking as much opportunity as I can to rest and refresh myelf for the battle ahead. It seems that all my life I have been fighting some battle or other. When wil it all stop? The problem is, I guess I'm the one putting myself into these battles. It's good though. Keeps me motivated and sharp. Never a dull moment!

It's interesting to see how different people cope with these battles. Not many people face their challenges like I do. Some attempt to run away. Some try to ignore the battle and pretend it doesn't exist. Yet others are so affected at the prospect of the battle that they spiral into a void of pain and sorrow. Why is it hard to face these battles head on? Probably because humans are configured to settle into routines and form patterns. We find it difficult to head into something we cannot expect and control. Yet, we cannot progress and succeed unless we choose our battles wisely and fight to the end.

I should make a longer post since I haven't blogged for a while. The FA Cup Final is on now and I just love football. Guess the longer post will just have to wait till the next time!