Monday, March 10, 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: 

What’s it like getting a Coronavirus test?

Everyone has heard about the coronavirus test in one vague way or another. We’ve read about it in the news, watched Trump call them ‘overrated’ and...

Turning twenty in my bedroom: the illusion of being older

Turning twenty in lockdown has exposed even more just how performative the rituals we take for granted are.

Lockdown Eats: Shakshouka, five ways

Shakshouka is the ultimate comfort food. It is indulgent, filling and satisfying all in one! It is uncertain where the dish originated; some food historians argue it...

Maccies After Midnight

her mascara was running into the corners of her fake mustache, which had clearly already weathered a serious storm

Lockdown Eats: Galette Recipe

on the table today is a somewhat ersatz, rustic, rough-and-ready tart

Gastronomy and Gratitude

Returning to work after a three-month break would be difficult in any industry, but for the all-consuming nature of the hospitality industry, restaurants reopening and the prospect of returning to work must be additionally alarming.

Instagram and BLM: Is it better to say the wrong thing or nothing at all?

The oppression of human lives is not a trend, and should not be treated as such

Trinity: A Term out of Touch

The components of Trinity 2020 were approximately 15 zoom calls and a pervasive sense of disappointment.

My Thoughts

CW: racism, police brutality In all honesty, I don’t think I speak about race all that often with my friends...which is actually pretty surprising given...

Trinity in the time of pandemic

Scraping dredges of hummus with my last-but-one piece of flatbread, my first year at Oxford ended with an anti-climatic sigh as I clicked ‘send’...

The legacy of banana bread: how coronavirus transformed my relationship with food

It speaks volumes that in the midst of a pandemic, we are still so scared of getting fat.

Review: Florence Given’s debut book Women Don’t Owe You Pretty

Florence Given sells feminism as what it is: freeing and utterly delicious. She affirms and articulates precisely the points it feels so hard to put your finger on sometimes.

In Conversation with Ken Loach

CW: Racism, antisemitism Kes (1968) – Miner’s Working Men’s Club. Rhythmic close shots of faces, the pub is filled with big smiles and small chat. The...

“It could have been worse”: the danger zone of sexual harassment

Implicit in every catcall is a recognition that my existence in your world is limited to how much voyeuristic pleasure you can derive from my body. You are reminding me that by leaving my home I am apparently consenting to being sexualised by total strangers. It is symptomatic of a wider culture whereby female existence can be seen as a medium for male gratification.

In Conversation with Kris Hallenga

In 2019 Kris Hallenga posted a letter addressed to her past self on the CoppaFeel website, recognising a decade since she had been diagnosed...

Let’s not be complacent: sexual violence is everyone’s responsibility

The truth is that someone can be a nice guy, a soup kitchen volunteer, a stranger or a trusted female friend, and still inflict violence on another person.

Black trauma porn, slacktivism, and chicken soup for the activist soul

TW: racism, police brutality, racial violence The torrential online aftermath of the murder of a black man: posts mourning fallen black victims, names added to...

‘Please to buy my apology’

If you follow as many foodie accounts on social media as I do, then seek help you’ll no doubt have heard the furore generated...

Tales of the pole: building strength and self-love

Sharing a video with my grandparents of me pole dancing over Sunday Lunch was not an experience I think either party envisaged. There was...

Cherpse! Eve and Thomas

Eve, German and Spanish, LMH, 2nd Year First impressions? He had a very impressive bookshelf! Did it meet up to your expectations? I am no good...

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