strike, mon gars, strike!
Quick word association: The French: “arrogant, lazy and un peu slimy?” “Rude, stubborn and un peu slimy?” But for all the disparaging generalisations of our trans-Channel neighbours we Brits love to keep, there’s one stereotype that remains irrefutable, that the French, young and old, love to strike, and like a frog swimming breaststroke, they’re extremely [...]
It’s that time of year again! Following on from a 405 year-old tradition, the whole nation is preparing to send health and safety checks into overload as billions of pounds worth of rockets, Catherine wheels and roman candles across Britain will, literally, go up in smoke. For the vast majority of us, this is all [...]
Not a bang, but a whimper . . .
Remember when they told us the end of print journalism was nigh? That newspapers, magazines, music stored in pieces of plastic, even the cinema would dissolve into dust, life as we knew it would change, and everyone would gladly cast aside those ancient forms of media in exchange for having their face and ears surgically [...]
Gymophobia
I suppose my aversion to participating in any form of sporting activity began the day my mother, instead of passing me the ‘ole family netball, decided the better idea would be to throw it in my face. Since then, I have partaken in a series of sporting failures, from being invited to my school’s remedial [...]
That’s the spirit!
Get your decorations, pumpkins and costumes at the ready; that time of the year is coming up again! On the 31st of October, children and students across the country will be transforming into witches, vampires, chavs and demons as they go out to celebrate Halloween. When you were 8, you were probably going around door-to-door [...]
The Perils of Facebook!
Rushing to get that essay/presentation/project printed during the last 5 minutes of the entire morning that you had free before the deadline, you reach the computer cluster on the 11th floor of the Edward Boyle Library only to find the door blocked by the queue of people waiting for a free computer. Has everyone else [...]
Flop Culture
Last night, in an attempt to veer conversation away from the terrifying reality that in less than a year we will be pushed kicking and screaming into the real world, I began to ask my boyfriend interesting but largely pointless questions, such as: “if you could pick two men in the world to be your [...]
Travel Trauma a Turco!
When travelling on the continent, be aware of holes in the ground. Not of the gaping elephant trap variety but a rather more subtle breed, lying latent, brimming with potential embarrassment, social unease and horror. The hole in question is of course what the Italians call “un cesso a Turco”, or the French “une toilette [...]
Extra Credit
As an Arts student embarking on my third year of study, I am, as I’m sure many of you are by now, familiar with the process of trawling through the reams of elective modules that the University churns out every year. From Mandarin to Squash to Beer-Brewing, the list certainly isn’t lacking in creativity. [...]