Tuesday, March 11, 2025

Lifestyle

Reflections on the perils of overthinking

here is a lot to be said for blind positivity. On a good day, I’m a manifester, a big believer in my ability to speak things into existence. During my English A-Level, I had complete confidence that the crystals hidden in my bra would provide enough luck to snag me an A*. Today, I put great faith in words, relying on the same ‘I can do it’ that gets Olympic athletes across the finish line, to help me through difficult situations.

The fourth year: Oxford after your year abroad

I’m now in my fourth year, and as such, must grapple with the reality of my Oxford days drawing to a close. Granted, this is something that every student must contend with, and I watched on as most of my friends bade a fond farewell to this city where our friendships began when they graduated last summer. Yet there is something about the fourth year that I’m certain makes the final year even more strange: a sense of something already lost, of living in a moment that has already passed.

An evening at Pierre Victoire: French bistro dining at its best

Pierre Victoire has been here on Little Clarendon Street for decades – one of...

Being Cupid isn’t easy: What I learned from a term of running Cherpse

Now, having exhausted myself with these relentless pursuits, the job has been passed on to a new bright-eyed Cupid, and in my retirement I’ve become fondly reflective, and decided to curate my insights into this list: 

A-Z of Oxford’s outdoor eats from 12th April

The moment that so many of us have been waiting for since December has almost arrived. Picture this – the sun is shining, you’re...

Bops, BBQs, and Berocca: reflections on student drinking culture

CW: Mentions of alcoholism  In many respects, Britain and excessive alcohol consumption have become synonymous. Our ‘drinking culture’ is something that is regularly brought up...

Sponge Baker to Slater Creator

The sense of achievement I’ve felt making these recipes massively outweighs my actual creations – mostly ten-seconds-in-a-blender things – but I feel great about them.

The Love Language of Chopsticks

The custom of using chopsticks differs across cultures, across countries, even across households. But wherever you are, using chopsticks takes practice, patience and perseverance.

An Ode to the Zoom Dinner Date

Making the effort to get dressed up and treat yourself to some good food isn’t something we always feel like doing when we’re exhausted, but it's something I believe we should make the effort to do more often.

The Pret Phenomenon

For students who are endlessly in essay crises, balancing too many things or frankly just feeding their caffeine addiction, the subscription service was inevitably going to be a hit.

Writing a Life: Overseeing the Evolution of Biography

It goes without saying that the significance of identity is fundamental to biography. Yet this is perhaps one thing in the analogue times past—but in an age of unique self-representation, the role of social media as a tool of pretence and unchecked self-aggrandisement casts a shadow on the biographies of coming years.

Self-Care: A Capitalist Conspiracy?

Self-care is no longer simple, or completely about the self.

You’re Breaking Up!

my experience of dating during ‘Doomsday’ has been pretty much just as embarrassing, agonising, uncomfortable and fun as it was before the pandemic.

In Conversation with Jill Nalder

“It’s a bit of a whirlwind at the moment…” Jill tells me, “the response is a bit unbelievable.” She has just finished watching the...

Valentine’s Cocktails

"With the season of love (or loathing) already upon us, here are some of my more accessible, go-to cocktail creations with a Valentine’s Day twist. Perfect for enjoying with your pals, lover(s), even on your own (dare I say it!)."

Centre stage: Jiao Zi

Chinese New Year celebrations reunite the whole family, and as is often the case when Chinese families get together, food takes centre stage. Most...

Cumin in from the Cold – Three Winter Warmers to Alleviate January Blues

It’s unsurprising that when the temperature drops, we crave piping hot dinners, whether it be Vietnamese pho, Swiss fondue, or throat-tingling curries laden with fragrant spices.

2021’s Newest Food Trends

Any keen follower of the gastronomic world knows that the start of the New Year beckons micro-analysed predictions for eating trends. As we are...

Confessions of a productivity addict

I no longer feel like I’m wasting my time not learning French or baking more banana bread and I’ve accepted the beauty of organised fun.

We hae meat and we can eat: Burns Night Banquet

Haggis is hardly something to get excited about - when you hear dinner’s going to be offal stuffed into a sheep’s stomach, your mouth doesn’t exactly start watering. But as soon as you dare take your first bite, the divisive delicacy wins you over.

Clamorous Noise: The Music of Everyday Life

"It’s worth trying because it’s worth trying to find beauty in everything."

Michael(mas): Everyone’s Toxic Ex

Are my 10 lectures, 6 hours of labs and 24 hours of imposter syndrome worth it for a fancy gown that’s only going to make those friends think ‘god they’re a prick’?

Anyone Can Cook

If you walked into any Waterstones in the month of December you would have seen Yotam Ottelenghi’s most recent book, Flavour, piled high on...

Don’t knock Wagamama’s anglicised katsu curry

I am the human equivalent of a Greggs Katsu Curry bake

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