Selwyn CollegeSelwyn College

Discover People Photos Conferences Resources Alumni Store

More blogs > The Warden The President The Chaplain Jordan Watts More

Blogs • Kate Kerse

After-After Match Function

Posted by Kate Kerse on Wednesday, August 25, 2010 / 0 Comments

Initially I was going to use this blog to inform whatever followers I may have (yes, that's you) of what's been going on in Selwyn. However, doing that would make this a glorified calendar (not to mention boring for the author (that's me). SO, I'm going to run it by writing just whatever I feel like writing that day, a stream of consciousness if you like.

It's the after-after match function today. Each competition against Knox has a celebration afterwards- a 'courtie'. The Choir courtie was last night and it was, I can report, very enjoyable. Dressed to a variety of themes (mine as an alto was Chicago), there was a lot of sipping (chopping) of liquid, singing (yelling), and even harmonising (not harmonising). I mean I've only been in med school for a few months but I think it's safe to say that it has nothing to do with the mysterious symptoms of a sore throat and headache that I have today. Nope, definitely unrelated.

Another thing I'd like to do in this post is a wee shout out to a man we know as Dundas Dave. He runs the dairy and knows our names. Every time I think I might've forgotten the lyrics to pretty much any Boyzone/Westlife song I can pop in, where those CD's are always on. Every time I want a chirpy greeting and a bottle water (chips/chocolate), Dundas Dairy is right there. So thanks Dundas Dave.

Two Degrees of Separation

Posted by Kate Kerse on Tuesday, August 24, 2010 / 0 Comments

The new telecommunications company, Two Degrees, supposes that whereas worldwide any person is connected to another by six degrees, here in New Zealand we are connected by two.

I am inclined to agree with this. Being awake at a strange hour and persistently avoiding working on the genetics assignment I have due in today, I pondered this thought. I find that when you are thrown into an environment where you're living with a lot of people, you're bound to know someone who knows someone you know. And Selwyn is the perfect environment to prove this.

Just yesterday I was bored (read: again avoiding genetics assessment) and was just scrolling through photos of my cousin on facebook. And who should I find but one of my fellow returners! If that weren't enough, my neighbour this year went on gap year with a guy I went to intermediate with, the King to my Evil Guard No. 1 in the Operetta my intermediate performed in 2003. We're always having these tendinous connections thrown at us, only serving to prove what a mightily small world it is after all...

Just a thought!

Milk Challenged.

Posted by Kate Kerse on Friday, August 20, 2010 / 0 Comments

Today was another important event in the Selwyn Calendar, the annual Milk Challenge. Participants chug varying amounts of milk (2L blue or flavoured, 3L for trim) and then run around the quad. Unless of course you're particularly tough (or just aren't content with normal stomach function on a Friday afternoon), like one particular Selwynite who downed full fat cream. 700 grams of fat later, I'm guessing he wasn't feeling so wonderful.

Needless to say it was quite a spectacle. It's one of those things (which seem to punctuate the life of a Selwynite)- I don't understand why it happens, but I'll certainly watch. Also needless to say, I don't think I'll be drinking milk for a while. Or walking on or around the quad with bare feet.

Good Morning Dunedin

/ 0 Comments

And it has been a GOOD morning. I've just come back from signing a flat, which is good enough in itself. This is about the time of year in Dunedin where there's an explosion of flat signings, so its a relief to have one organised. AND, to make things better, I got back my favourite cup, a plastic one of the longest drink in town milkshake cups (arguably the best vessel in town), which I though I had lost.

What a way to start the day!

The next couple of weeks in Selwyn will probably be as big as the last couple have been! Selwyn ventured north to Christchurch last weekend for the annual sports exchange with College House. Sadly we didn't win but I hear it was an awesome time. Another big event of last week was the rugby match against Knox. If you want to know the score you can look pretty much anywhere in Dunedin (keep an eye out for purple chalk). Seeing as it was Selwyn doing the chalking, you can probably guess that it was Selwyn that came away with the victory! Congrats to all involved!




That Great Dilemma...

Posted by Kate Kerse on Wednesday, August 11, 2010 / 0 Comments

There comes a time in every year here at Selwyn where a great conundrum is mused over by many a fresher- to flat or to return?

Going through the trials of flat-organising myself (grouping, hunting, deciding, signing, the list goes on...), I can certainly say it was much easier to opt for the 'Yup, I think I'll return' option, but the decision was not a simple one. Flatting comes with extra freedoms but also cooking and cleaning and general being-more-of-a-grownup. Which is why many people decide to come back for a second year, something I can fully recommend!

In other news applications for next year's Blog Scholars are closing soon (if they haven't already), I'm sure we'll hear shortly whose words will be featuring here next year!

Blogging by Candlelight

Posted by Kate Kerse on Saturday, August 7, 2010 / 0 Comments

One of the things that makes Selwyn Selwyn is that a lot of strange things go on here; often this happens in the form of pranks. Sometimes you notice them, sometimes you don't.

That said its hard to forget you've been pranked when your lightbulb (and every other lightbulb in the building including hallway lights) has been taken. I'm now going to try and tidy my room using a combination of the light from my laptop, the glowing bar on my heater and one candle. If I actually wanted to tidy my room I'd probably be very unimpressed but for now I'll applaud the culprits on a very good prank.

Floor Missions.

Posted by Kate Kerse on Friday, August 6, 2010 / 0 Comments

Floor Missions have come and gone again. The crazy few days completing the mission as well as filming and editing the video of it was definitely in my top three Selwyn fixtures last year, and this year has not let me down. Our mission this year was to create a conspiracy and try to fool the public into believing it.

Needless to say, things got out of hand.

Three days, one ten minute video, a tub of marmite, numerous visits to other halls, one tell-all interview, several hours spent filming the same take, a mouthguard and a butter knife later we were finished, and the missions were revealed last Friday. A few hours holed up in our common room were totally worth it though, some of the material in the missions left me quite literally speechless. Winners on the day were Top Floor Whitehead (the winners last year for 'I'll do it like a truck', which I can say from experience was SO much fun to make), who this year made a compilation of their versions of popular YouTube clips. These ranged from some AMAZING beer pong tricks (see the aforementioned speechlessness) to Cat Massage (frighteningly accurate) to Beached Whales to Where the hell is Matt?, and many many more. Second this year was the Doll's Houses with their take on Bear Grylls, and in third was BFS, whose mission was to make a movie trailer.