Friday, June 12Royal Holloway's offical student publication, est. 1986

Lifestyle

The Art of Doing Nothing
Lifestyle

The Art of Doing Nothing

As someone who requires constant stimulation, be it from books, Netflix or a conversation, ‘doing nothing’ isn't something that comes easily to me. I have, however, come to appreciate the moments of quiet, where I can just close the door and breathe. At university, where there is always a person down the hall, a lecture to attend and a deadline looming, quiet (and solitude) is exactly what we need sometimes. When I talk about ‘doing nothing’, I don’t necessarily mean that you must sit watching grass grow. It is merely an easy turn of phrase to explain the idea of relaxing and taking some time for yourself, rather than continuing to be at the mercy of your seminar leaders, flatmates or society members. Once, my housemate burst into my room and tried to make me go to gym with her. I vehem...
How can we remember the horrors of WW1?  –  A generation who weren’t there.
Lifestyle

How can we remember the horrors of WW1? – A generation who weren’t there.

If their names were picked from a hat, they went over the top. They ate parts of the packing wrapped round their food to stave their hunger. Many were conscripted before they were of age, passionate to fight for their country. 11.11, the day we remember those who gave their lives for their country – and it all stemmed from the signing of the Armistice in 1918. This was the day victory was secured for the allies and Germany suffered defeat. We use remembrance day as a time to connect to the past,  but how can we really know what our ancestors suffered? I asked my grandma for her memories of my great grandfather’s experiences during the war. The most remarkable story she told me is that of the cigarette case that saved his life. Placed in his breast pocket the day he was shot, it stopp...
From Pre-drinks to Paramedics
Lifestyle

From Pre-drinks to Paramedics

For me, the first week of second year certainly did not go the way I expected. The temptation of Freshers Week won me over and by Saturday I had successfully completed 5/5 events, but one more wouldn’t hurt? Right? Wrong. The preconceived idea for every fresher; “Will I even survive freshers?” is often undermined and being a second year I was prepared for the carnage ahead. Before returning back to the reality of studying 9-5, a night at Freshers Formal in the company of Scouting for Girls, I believed, would be the perfect way to end the week. Having pre drank at our new house before going, everyone was in good spirits. Founders quad looked beautiful and Scouting for Girls definitely didn’t disappoint. The night was still young and since everyone was heading down to Medicine for more dr...
Naps: The Natural Pick-Me-Up
Lifestyle

Naps: The Natural Pick-Me-Up

I am a huge advocate for naps. Usually, you can find me waking up from my early evening nap and preparing for a night out, or less favourably and more commonly, settling in to grind down on a night full of homework. Lately, I’ve been wondering - are these naps helping me or just helping me procrastinate? Unsurprisingly, napping has a number of benefits including reducing fatigue, increasing alertness, and improving mood. In addition, as bad sleep can increase the amount of stress hormones and negatively affect the immune system, a quick nap can reverse the hormonal impact that comes with a night of bad sleep. Although, napping only benefits you if used properly (think great power, great responsibility). Lucky for you, I’m here to give you a brief guide to how to most effectively nap. ...
Halloween, What it’s really about?
Lifestyle

Halloween, What it’s really about?

Autumn is a time that many people enjoy: the beautiful autumnal views, the return of jumper weather, bonfire night and of course, Halloween. Halloween is usually a time for people to dress up in horrendous outfits (some terrifying, others not so much) and provides an excuse to have parties. However, as much fun as dressing up is, what is Halloween actually about? Halloween falls between Autumn and Winter, the time between life and death, the time when the veil between the living and the dead is thinnest. Halloween is thought to have originated from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. To commemorate such an event, the Druids would build sacred bonfires. People would gather to make sacrifices to the Celtic Deities, burning crops and animals. The Celts wore costumes, which mostly consis...
Get Up, Get Out
Lifestyle

Get Up, Get Out

Suitcases are all unpacked. Room decorations all hung up. Snazzy new stationary at the ready. University has officially started. With the rush of deadlines, excessive partying and sleepless nights, this academic year will fly by. However, it’s important to remember to let yourself have fun. A big thing about university life is experiencing the unexperienced, taking yourself out of your comfort zone and trying something new. You are guiding your own path at university, allowing yourself to take control of your own future. Some may find this daunting, while others may love the feeling of freedom. The most important thing at this stage of our lives is to accept and embrace change; whether it be through our own doing or something completely uncontrolled. Change can be an extremely positi...
Disconnect To Reconnect
Lifestyle

Disconnect To Reconnect

No one can deny that we, on the whole, are a social media obsessed generation. The average person has five social media accounts and spends an average of 1 hour and 40 minutes browsing these networks every day, according to the latest quarterly report from Global Web Index (GWI). After finding out about these staggering statistics, I decided to take a break from social media and delete all my apps for a month. These are some things that I learnt. My levels of procrastination decreased wonderfully and it was incredible. I was doing double the work in half the time. I felt amazing. Mostly because this all meant that I had more time to do what I loved with the extra minutes that I had left over. I was painting more, writing more and feeling much more satisfied and content knowing that I...
Five Apps that are More Productive than Binging Netflix
Lifestyle

Five Apps that are More Productive than Binging Netflix

Netflix is the procrastination tool of choice for many of us and it’s not hard to see why. A seemingly endless supply of the world's favourite TV shows is an appealing premise, but for those of you wondering how else to kill the boredom in a slightly more productive manner, here are the top picks.   1) Mapswipe Mapswipe is one of those mindless but addictive tasks. Across the world, Medicine Sans Frontiers is looking to digitally map parts of the world which we currently haven’t. You simply help them along their way by telling them whether the tile you’re presented with has any structures, major roads or rivers on it. One day, if the area is struck by a crisis, your contribution to the mapping project will tell aid workers where human populations are, as well as what roads th...
Making Your Relationship Survive the University Test
Lifestyle

Making Your Relationship Survive the University Test

I was 17 years old and had just started my final year of sixth form when I began my first real relationship. We were an inseparable, strong and loving couple. Despite our devoted appearance, the one question that seemed to keep cropping up from friends and family was “Do you think you’ll break up when you go to University?”. It felt insulting. Shocking, even. And yet it wasn’t until I arrived at University, miles away from my partner, that I began to understand that it wasn’t actually an insult at all. I began to see relationships triple the length of mine fall to pieces within weeks, and relationships half the length of mine strengthen at full force. This was the milestone that separated the dedicated from the convenient. And one year after successfully passing the University test, I’d...
5 Things to do Before you Graduate
Lifestyle

5 Things to do Before you Graduate

Whether you’re a fresh-faced first year or a weary postgraduate, graduation seems a long way off. However, soon enough, the end of your university career comes around and you wonder where it’s all gone. Here are a few things you MUST do before you disappear into adult life: 1. Walk around the whole of Virginia Water Lake. Within half an hour of campus is Virginia Water Lake, part of Windsor Great Park. Living so close to a great spot of natural beauty, it would be awful to miss out on seeing the whole of the lake - it is 4.5 miles to do the circuit and there’s also a coffee shop where you can reward yourself with a well-earned snack. 2. Try out a society and a sports club. Royal Holloway has over 100 sports and societies, some of which are quite unique. You might hate sports but you ...