Quench Magazine, Issue 191, February 2023

Editor’s Note

Returning to University in the new year is always exciting. You might take this time to mentally or physically reset, to reflect on the last 12 months, or to set long-term goals. It’s common to feel unsettled in your final year as an undergraduate and everybody I knew told me that these years would fly by, but I can’t help but feel surprised that my final term has come around so quickly.

Upon returning to Cardiff, I thought a lot about what I’d like to achieve this year. I spent New Year’s Eve hand-in-hand with some of the people that I care about the most, and realised just how lucky I am to be able to call these people my friends. Racing towards getting that dissertation in and completing my studies means that the next few months will be challenging, but amid the stress I’m going to indulge in the warmth of friends who I may not see much come July. There’s so much more to life than just working and studying, and it’s taken me a long time to realise it - I don’t know how much longer we’ll have to hold each other tightly to Don’t Look Back In Anger, before we eat cheesy chips and people-watch on St. Mary’s Street, so I’ve got to make the most of it now.

I’ve always been rather in touch with my emotions, and more often than not I’ve been convinced that it’s a bad thing. Last term reminded me that it’s OK to take life as it comes, and that it’s not always easy. Sometimes things will take you off guard, and change can often be scary, but you’ll always get through. This term I’d like to remind myself frequently that it’s okay to just feel, and to take everything as it comes. Life happens, and if you need to cry at the CIA while The 1975 sing All I Need To Hear, then let it out!

This issue of Quench is dedicated to everyone who’s stood by me these years. Maybe we went to an impromptu gig, bought caramel lattes in between seminars, or even listened to me throw up almost a whole bottle of Jack Daniels - diolch (and sorry about that last one, you know who you are). There are no words to describe how much every one of you have shaped the last three years, and I can’t wait to see you all for our final season of causing absolute riots together.

Every edition of Quench is special, but this one feels even more so.

Good luck this term, I’ll see you all soon,

Alexa Editor-in-Chief

Hello and welcome to issue 191 of Quench! The theme of this issue is Feeling; a subjective and somewhat intimate theme, one that is particularly fitting as we bring you our first issue of 2023.

Entering a new year seems to evoke different feelings within different people. Some may feel excited for the year ahead, eager to see what is around the corner and ready to embrace it with open arms. Yet some may feel as though they’re drowning in new year nerves, governed by the pressure of resolutions that they promised to keep. On top of starting a new year, this issue also coincides with the start of a new academic term. Complete with starting new modules, meeting new lecturers and navigating a new timetable, it is no wonder that this time of year can feel a bit overwhelming. With all of these changes in mind, it is important to allow yourself to ‘feel your feelings’ and all that comes with them. Some days may be high, some days may be low, but please remember that the way you feel is always valid.

Our team always takes a refreshing and creative approach to the themes that we provide, and that is particularly true of this issue. From considering the songs guaranteed to get you in your feels, to the psychology behind dressing for pleasure; from asking the age-old question: ‘what is love?’ to embracing the rollercoaster of emotions that comes with travelling, this issue reflects the complexities of feelings.

The beauty of this theme, for me, is its open-nature. Feelings are personal, subjective and self-contained; they differ for everyone, yet they are a universal experience. To be in touch with your feelings is a beautiful thing, and the ability to embrace, validate, and share these feelings is even better.

I hope you enjoy this issue of Quench, and that it inspires some feelings of happiness within you as you read!

Deputy Editor

Welcome back, readers. Thank you so much for picking up this edition of Quench. I hope you had a lovely festive season and are ready for a new year and a new term. As I am writing this, we are approaching the end of exam season, hopefully, everyone is achieving and on their way to some well-earned rest. Deadline season can be extremely stressful, especially over the same period as Christmas, the new year and the icy Cardiff winters.

It is no accident that this edition’s theme is ‘feeling’, with everything from romance, as we anticipate Valentine’s Day, to music that ‘gets us in our feels’. This is the perfect edition and time to analyse our thought and feelings and welcome emotion. I, myself, am a lover of Valentine’s Day, and a little bit of a hopeless romantic. I love flowers and chocolates and telling people how much I appreciate them, for me, it is one of the small joys and a way of brightening up the February gloom. However, I know that not everyone feels the same and this can be a time of resentment, loneliness and discontent. Hopefully, this edition can inspire some of you to see ‘feeling’ in a different light, whether you are finding out about some self-help books over in the Literature section or finding out the relationship between diet and mood in the food section.

Every single one of our writers, editors and designers have all worked extremely hard to bring this edition to you, including my fabulous co-Deputy Editor, Maddie, and the wonderful Editor-in-Chief, Alexa. I wish you all an incredible start to 2023 and the new academic term, it is going to be a great one! Look after yourselves

Deputy Editor

MOLLY OPENSHAW Deputy Editor

CHARLOTTE HARRIS Columnist

SOPHIE REVELL Features

RUME OTUGUOR Features

ALEXA PRICE Editor-in-Chief

MADDIE BALCOMBE Deputy Editor

ALANYA SMITH Spotlight

DOMINIC BRAMLEY-CARR Spotlight

AMY WILD Film & TV

RHIANNON FARR Music

BETH YATES Music

EVE DAVIES Food & Travel

HANNAH WILD Travel

LUCIA CUBB Literature

ZOE PRICE Fashion

Bryony White Literature

LIBBIE KETTLE Fashion

LAURA MAE Copy Editor

RUBIE BARKER Copy Editor

LOWRI POWELL Clebar

BECA DALIS WILLIAMS Clebar

MILLIE STACEY Clebar

RIDA REHMAN Head of Design

ANANYA RANJIT Deputy Head of Design

JULIAN TSE Photographer

MIA WILSON Photographer CONSTANCE CUA Photographer

ELEANOR BYRNE Page Designer

HARIS HUSSNAIN Page Designer

ISLA MCCORMACK Page Designer

PAULINA WISNIEWSKA Instagram Manager

TAHIRA ALI Page Designer

EVA CASTANEDO Page Designer

SOYAL KHEDKAR Illustrator

GRACIE RICHARDS Head of Social Media

MILLIE KNAPPETT Instagram Deputy Manager

GRACE DAWSON Twitter Manager

YAIZA CURTIS Instagram Deputy Manager

Pleasure Dressing vs Dressing for Pleasure: The ‘Why’ Behind How We Dress 30-31

Queer Predicts the Future 32-33

Travel

How to Feel at Home Whilst Travelling or Living Abroad 34-35

“I Need to Get Away’ - How Travel Restores Happy Feelings 36-37

Food & Drink

Food & Mood: How the food we eat affects the way we feel 38-39

The Physicality of Eating: Foods We Absolutely Cannot Stand 40-41

Clebar

Canllaw Clebar: Girls Night 42

Sut mae’n teimlo i fod yn Gymraeg 43

Love: Feeling, Freedom or Fantasy? 44-45

Instant(aneous) Connections 46-47

Photography: Constance Cua

AntiValentines? AntiValentines?

Ahh Valentine’s Day - the most lamented public holiday of all!

The day when we are all suffocated by hearts and chocolates and expectations. When single feels lonelier than ever and taken feels like endless pressure. Yet still this holiday endures in all its commercial glory, as it has done so for hundreds of years, with showing no signs of stopping!

Our annual day of love hosts mysterious origins, that were far from romantic. According to a National Geographic article, Valentine’s Day found its beginnings in Roman Pagan rituals where sometime in the month of February, “Men would strip naked and sacrifice a goat and dog. Young boys would then take strips of hide from the sacrificed animals and use it to whip young women, to promote fertility.’ In the 14th century it was reshaped into a celebration of two possible St Valentines, both Christian martyrs, with the date being that of their supposed death. It wasn’t until Chaucer created a link between this date and love that the day began to have romantic connotations. Shakespeare further strengthened this link with his mentions of Valentine’s Day in his plays referring to romance.

So, it seems like the rituals we know today had a sweet start in literature. But when did Valentines catch the same commercialised cold that Christmas has been long since afflicted by? It was the US Revolutionary War that popularised sending Valentines cards, when sweethearts would send handwritten notes to minimize the distance between them before they became mass produced in the early 1900s. Perhaps that is the issue with Valentine’s Day; romantic gestures that had their roots in genuine affection have been corrupted by becoming widespread expectations. We have chosen a cold day in February to celebrate our most precious ones. And yet a holiday that is supposed to celebrate love is one that makes people feel more stressed and inadequate than ever (with the exception of Christmas).

What if we did things differently? Why shouldn’t we appreciate our loved ones all year round? Why should you need a specific day to buy chocolate or flowers? It would mean a lot more if you surprised your partner with a gorgeous bouquet on a dreary Tuesday afternoon. Or said “hey I’m taking you out to dinner tonight, just because” after a long hard week in March. The best gifts are the most unexpected ones after all.

But life takes over, thus we constantly neglect those that we should appreciate the most. So perhaps having a designated day to show love isn’t so bad. Though maybe instead of showering our loved ones with wilting petrol station bouquets and boxes of Lindor Belgian, we could use this day to show our love in other ways. Perhaps write a poem for your girlfriend who accuses you of being unromantic. Or how about an act of service? Maybe we should consider that men receiving flowers should be as normal as women receiving them.

Just because you don’t have romantic love in your life, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t celebrate other kinds on this day. Last year, my friends and I celebrated Galentine’s

Day to band together and banish any feelings of sadness surrounding our collective singleness and/or heartbreak. We ate takeaway and enjoyed a cosy evening in each other’s company. The emergence of new ways to celebrate this day are helping to crush the sense of inadequacy that can arise on Valentine’s.

It can be particularly difficult seeing endless photos of roses and jewellery on people’s Instagram stories during this time. If you’re still reeling from a breakup or feeling particularly bitter about love, it may be a good day to avoid social media, even if IRL lovebirds are harder to avoid! Yet this doesn’t mean it has to be all doom and gloom for singletons. If cupid hasn’t shot his arrow at you this year, why not grab your friends and go for brunch? Call your parents and tell them you love them. Surprise your housemate with a bottle of their favourite wine.

My most memorable Valentine’s Day took place in primary school, when my 6-year-old boyfriend Callum wrote me a brief card with a teddy bear on the front. I still keep it in a box, fifteen years later. Maybe we’ve lost sight of the fact that ostentatiousness isn’t a measure of our love for someone; simplicity is more than enough.

So, this Valentine’s, find your way to show love. Even if it’s just to yourself.

words by: Laura Wallace Schjoett design by: Ananya Ranjit

Feeling Your Way: The Joy of Not Having a Plan

words by: Charlotte Harris design by: Constance Cua

Last summer, my best friend and I decided to hike the Anglesey Coastal Path. We didn’t do much research, we didn’t book any campsites and we didn’t do a single hour of training. Our preparation only extended as far as a trip to Sports Direct and a quick look at the top attractions for Anglesey (be warned, there are very few). She knew how to speak Welsh, and I knew how to put up the tent. We were out for an adventure.

On day 1 we found ourselves, at 5pm, sat on the beach of Beaumaris wondering what on earth we had done. The only campsite within walking distance was closed, the sun was setting and we were impossibly far from home. But, and here’s the important bit - things worked out. Over drinks in the nearest pub we talked to locals who pointed us towards a beach we could wild camp on. The next morning we looked out at the rising sun, washed out our dishes in the sea and set off for another day of adventure.

That holiday was one of the best weeks of my life. There were moments we thought we were about to be kidnapped, or to fall off a cliff, or to fail miserably at finding any decent spot to sleep before nightfall, but we felt alive. We made it sixty miles on foot in total, and I cherish the memory of every last step.

From that holiday, I came to something of an epiphany about how I wanted to live my life. I know, bit cringe, but at least it was North Wales, rather than the clichéd daddy’smoney South Asia trip, that I ‘found myself.’ I realised that sometimes, no plan is the best plan. Saying yes and seeing what happens can lead to great things, and as someone who’ll be graduating next year with an English Literature degree (a subject found time and time again in those notorious lists of least-employable and lowest-paying qualifications) I’ve found this mantra to be a particularly helpful one.

Obviously, a general plan for your life still has its value. We all know the person who decided to take a gap year three years ago and has never quite found a proper job or left their mum’s house since. It’s not that I don’t think we should plan for the future at all, but more that we should think openly and enthusiastically about it. Make your younger self proud and do those once in a life time things that you can bring up at dinner parties when your sixty and boring. There’s so much out there for young people to go out and do before settling in to the steady life of a 9 to 5. You can go abroad for a few months to work or study or volunteer, you could start a jazz band, write an awful novel, or you could even run to be the Mayor of London. There’s something so special about thrashing about in life and living through that struggle on the path to being an interesting and well rounded person, so don’t forget to write character-building silly little side quests into your five year diary.

So let’s start spending a little less time on Indeed searching for that one and only graduate job in insurance, and go out for an adventure whilst we’ve got the time. In the immortal words of Ferris Bueller: ‘Life’s pretty short, if you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.’

Films That Bring Out Your Hopeless Romantic Side

About Time

Words by: Caitlin Wildgoose-Davis

As a lover of love, one of my all-time favourite films is About Time. Centred around the life of Tim Lake, who discovers he can travel back into his past, it portrays his struggles as he attempts to navigate the world of romance and love. Throughout the film, director Richard Curtis couples typically British awkwardness, humour and poor weather with one of the most beautifully understated love stories on screen.

Tim and Mary initially meet on a blind date in a pitchblack restaurant called Dans Le Noir?; thus, they are doubly blind and able to connect emotionally and intellectually first. Their chemistry is evident even in darkness, which only grows when they see each other. However, due to unfortunate timing and circumstances, Tim is forced to travel back to this night and go elsewhere. This means he has to find Mary again, and he stops at nothing to do, attending the same Kate Moss exhibition day after day, desperately hoping that she will be there. In this, Tim displays the passion and commitment that us hopeless romantics dare to dream about.

One of the stand-out sequences is that of Tim and Mary’s wedding, which seems unconventional and eccentric from the beginning. Mary half-walks and half-dances down the aisle in a vibrant red dress “to the sound of some Italian weirdo singing a song called Il Mondo” while Tim dramatically mimes the lyrics to her. The Cornish wind and rain create chaos, drenching and blowing over the guests and causing the marquee to collapse, meaning everyone has to retreat into Tim’s family home for the rest of the celebrations. This would, for many people, be a disaster of a wedding day, but Tim and Mary laugh through it. They are simply happy to be together, and when Tim considers travelling back in time to choose a drier day, there is no need, as Mary says she wouldn’t change it “for the world”. To me, this highlights the modesty and genuineness of their love for each other.

We are also shown a brief but heartwarming montage at the end of the film. This depicts not only the characters we have gotten to know but also everyday people, young and old, experiencing

moments of joy and love in their “extraordinary, ordinary” lives, as Tim puts it.

So what’s not to love?

Nevertheless, just as Tim learns that he should avoid using his ability too much, I have learned to avoid watching this film too often so that when I do, I can appreciate it all the more.

Normal People

Words by: Francesca Ionescu

It might seem an odd choice for a hopeless romantic. Based on Irish novelist Sally Rooney’s book, Normal People follows Marianne and Connell as they grow up, losing and finding each other until distance makes them sit on a living floor and promise: one will stay, and one will go.

Finishing the twelve-episode show, despite having read the book before, left me a bit angry and upset that after watching these two go through years together, always being separated by their miscommunication and pride, they do not get their happy ending. Connell and Marianne grow up together, switch places and lives, and yet they can’t seem to leave each other alone. But the hopeless romantic in me is soothed by one part of their story: the possibility of meeting someone to whom the world always draws you.

Normal People is not a show in which anyone talks much, yet the two protagonists create this palpable emotional intimacy, this sense that what you’re watching is so personal it feels intrusive. Their relationship begins and unfolds in secret, in the confined space of a room or his car and the fields they drive to. While this ends the love affair for the first time, Marianne changes herself, becomes a different person at University, and we get this sense that Connell is the only one to truly know her. It is such a beautiful thought that even when you try to trick the rest of the world, someone notices you and everything that makes you a real person.

Truly, the pain that both characters go through is what makes me crave their connection. Each other’s presence, in spite of bad boyfriends and shared bedrooms and that sense of not-belonging, is a cushion, something comforting in its familiarity. ‘I would never pretend not to know you, Connell’, heart-breaking in its simplicity – even when Marianne’s love did not seem reciprocated, she offered her heart and her kindness. I cannot say I wish for a relationship anywhere as tumultuous as Marianne and Connell’s, but it does fill my heart that someone could see you, at your best and your worst, in secret and in public, as a lover, a stranger, a friend and yet always come back to you as long as time allows.

Love And Other Drugs

Words by: Anushka

Kar

Surprisingly, most people I ask haven’t seen Love and Other Drugs, but after watching this film, you’ll realise the undeniable chemistry between Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway. Everything about this film screams a passionate, unconditional, pull-at-the-heart-strings kind of love. A love that is at first painstakingly unrequited, but quickly evolves into the opposite. The story follows a young woman, Maggie, suffering from Parkinson’s Disease, and Jamie, a smart but uncaring medicine drop out, only interested in casual sex. Predictably, he falls in love with Maggie, who sees no point in a relationship due to her disease. Her charm and nonchalant nature attract Jamie, and he finds himself pining after her. It’s at this point the hopeless romantic is gripped, despite the film’s predictability: a man who pines for and willingly leaves his humility behind in order to prove himself to a woman who only wants him in bed. To win her over, he becomes a man found in novels, scripts and other forms of writing (by women).

Not only does he go back to medicine for her (!), but he reveals a vulnerability: how insecure he truly is. In allowing herself to finally fall for him, Maggie helps Jamie in overcoming these insecurities, while Jamie finds himself desperately trying to find a cure for her. Still, she rejects him because she resents how consumed he is in saving her;

she believes she’s only holding him back in life. At the very end, as she makes her way to Canada, Jamie drives after her, making the grand gesture of stopping the bus she’s on, demanding she get down. While declaring he’s ‘knowingly full of shit’ he stutteringly confesses how deeply in love with her he is. The truth is, it’s also her humility she has to sacrifice. She knows in order to survive she needs someone to care for her, but in the larger picture, Jamie clarifies ‘everybody does.’ In his heart-melting, monologue,

We see a man evolve through his tender candidness; from a womanizer who cared about nothing in the world to a man who only wants the reality where he can love this woman, despite her disabilities, and wishes for nothing more. It’s the perfect representation of true love; one where flaws aren’t overlooked, but rather seen, accepted and tended to. While these days he might be called a ‘simp’, we see a man who pined for a woman so hard, he truly changed for the better. If that doesn’t leave you hopelessly romantic, I don’t know what will.

Page Design: Haris Hussnain

Films That Transport

Peter Pan

Words by: Kavita Patel

Peter Pan has always been a huge inspiration to me while growing up. The sense of adventure and imagination always comforted and encouraged my urge to explore. Whilst growing up after having watched Peter Pan, exploring the playground was always a walk in the park. Monkey bars, climbing frames and huge slides were nothing compared to the adventures Peter Pan and the Lost Boys. They were a leading role model to my younger self, encouraging me to pursue my dreams and believe in myself, no matter what I faced.

Furthermore, Peter Pan has become a cultural icon in symbolising youthful innocence and scapism, these are crucial elements for a child growing up. The novel shows the reader that we cannot stay young forever, and for or my younger self, it allowed me to approach getting older as a new adventure. Rather than feeling frightened and anxious approaching change, I was able to embrace opportunity and plummet into whatever life threw at me. There is an array of guidance throughout the film, acts of perseverance and an explicit display of friendship. The film spoke out to me as an indication to take time choosing and building relationships, whether it be friends or love interests. However, the distinguishing factor to my younger self will always be entering Neverland and discovering a new world. I believe it’s what sparked my creative interest as a child, entering a world where you can fly, and fairies exist. This creative pathway has stuck with me throughout and held a significant impact on further decisions such as studying Creative Writing at University and exploring the adventure/fantasy genre.

Whilst Peter Pan was an inspiring children’s novel to my younger self, it is the most important film to me because it illustrates the inevitable act of growing old and leaving childhood behind. It established a realistic view on the world and in this sense differs to other fairy tales. It was always my favourite to watch in comparison to fancy princesses, who needed rescuing. As an adult I still consider it a remarkable film and a life-lesson experience to watch. Peter Pan highlights the necessity independence, braveness and courage that is a strong message throughout the novel to a universal audience. For this reason, it remains to be a nostalgic and sentimental film, transforming me into my childhood continuously whenever I have a chance to relive the fiction film.

Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi

Words by: Amy Wild

When most people think of nostalgic films, they think of classic children’s films like Charlie and The Chocolate Factory or Alice In Wonderland, especially from someone whose favourite film is About Time. Still, a film that takes me back to my childhood is the original Star Wars trilogy, more specifically, Return Of The Jedi.

I think everyone will agree that the original Star Wars trilogy was groundbreaking in its time and still holds up remarkably well against more recent films. Watching the original trilogy for the first time blew my tenyear-old brain; from then on, it consumed my personality for a couple of years. I particularly liked Return Of The Jedi, but I think this is mainly due to the cute Ewoks.

You To Childhood

I’m sure I wouldn’t have been as big of a Star Wars fan if it wasn’t for my dad’s enthusiasm for my new interest. This enthusiasm led to my relatives gifting me exclusively Star Wars-related presents for a few years afterwards. Star Wars jigsaws, Legos, posters, and books. You name it, I had the merch. There is some beauty in my fairy lego characters enjoying flying around on my millennium falcon with Yoda and Ewoks. I even remember that I dressed up as Darth Vader for Halloween one year.

It does sadden me that I no longer watch Star Wars with the same joy that I did when I was a child, but I don’t think any of the newer films will be able to capture the magic that the first three did.

When I finally sold my Yoda digital clock in a car boot sale last year, I said a final goodbye to the obsession that consumed my Christmas presents for many years. I may not be the hardcore Star Wars fan I was when I was ten, but the original trilogy will always hold a special place in my heart.

Shrek

Words by: Tegan Davies

One day, a first-time mother put a relatively new DreamWorks film on as an attempt to stop her months-old newborn from her continued wailing. It was supposed to just be one of those background films, like a Disney classic that draws your child in and leaves them in awe at the various voices, colours, movements. Except, for young Tegan, that first viewing of Shrek (2001) was undoubtedly the cause of a butterfly effect that rippled into a life-long obsession.

Picture this, a ‘typical’ little girl in the mid-2000s would be swooning over Prince Eric from The Little Mermaid or maybe Prince Philip from Sleeping

Beauty. Not me. Since that fateful day, I had become enamoured with a green ogre who bathes in mud and uses his earwax for a candlelit dinner. I had the teddies, the sticker books, and the sign on my door saying ‘Tegan’s room’. I was head-over-heels.

By the time I was about three or four, my mum could successfully quote the film word-for-word. The DVD was on a constant loop every hour of every day. In school, learning my ABCs, I knew the letters S, H, R, E, and K due to the spelling of my future husband’s name (“S is for Shrek!”). When my dad told me I couldn’t marry him, as he ‘wasn’t real’, I cried. Bawled, even. “But I love him!”

We won’t discuss the second film. Older me does regard it as a great sequel, but little me frowned on it with the utmost disgust as she watched her one true love turn from a handsome ogre to a human prince. I didn’t love him anymore, not like that. Even then, I knew it was wrong to change who you are for someone you love.

Looking back, Shrek was a very fitting film for me to love. Despite its witty dialogue and satirical elements, the film tells the tale of someone who was ousted from the society he lives in due to who he is. Bisexual, ogre, potato, potato. Someone who thrived in their own company (and, despite having step-siblings, I mainly lived as an only child who kept herself busy whilst her mum worked hard for us).

When I got my Shrek-themed tattoo a few weeks back, I was transported back to the life I lived as a young girl, who knew all the words to Smash Mouth’s ‘All Star’, and where nothing else mattered but a creature in a swamp. Oh, to be back there. The most I can do is push the play button and relive it from afar.

Page Design: Rida Rehman

In Your FeelsBeST Songs to Cry To

want to do is lie down and have a cry. Worry not - our contributors have got your crying playlist covered!

Vienna - Billy Joel

Vienna by Billy Joel is my favorite song to cry to and has been for many years now. Vienna is not your typical sad song; it’s actually filled with hope and comforting lyrics. Billy Joel asks the listener to enjoy getting old and maturing, insisting that there’s no need to rush since ‘Vienna’ is always waiting for us. When I feel overwhelmed and fall into the mindset of chasing my goals, I often take some time to listen to my favorite songs and have a cry. Vienna is the perfect song for this because it has a calming grounding effect which I appreciate so much. The lyrics have acquired so many meanings for me over time, I will always come back to this fantastically melancholy song.

Words by: Ashleigh Adams

Personally, my go-to song when I need a good cry would have to be Vienna by Billy Joel. For me this song holds a lot of sentimental value; my earliest memories of hearing it was my parents playing the album (The Stranger) on our old CD player every time they cooked a Sunday dinner for me and my siblings. As I got older and began to handle a fair amount of academic pressure on top of all the other everyday stresses of life, this song became a lot more personal and brought me such a sense of comfort. “Slow down, you’re doing fine” never fails to make me cry every time I hear it when I find myself overwhelmed and

ture of the lyrics.

Words by: Maddie McCabe-Smith

Me - The 1975

I have an obsession with my depression. It sounds so dumb, and like a Halsey lyric that 2014 Tumblr would have ate up. But it’s true. For the past nine years of my life, I have been living with a chronic feeling of desperation and dread, anxiety pounding at my skull every waking second. How could I not obsess over it? Feed it, try to nurse it back to health? I do this by medicating it with the one thing I’m addicted to – music. Hear me out, we all do it. Get sad, and choking on our tears we load up Spotify, gasping for breath as we play the same old pathetic playlist of our little misery mantras. But what song truly does resonate with the levels of melancholia that I feel nightly? Me, by The 1975. No stranger to making the listener feel shittier than they already did, this four-minute-thirty-four long mind-ache never fails to remind you just how down you really are. It is a beautiful song, don’t get me wrong, but sometimes that 2:14 mark hits too hard to give it any sort of credit. My advice? Don’t listen to it if you have plans for at least the next two years of your life. You could be ecstatic, levels of serotonin through the roof, and this song will rip through your sternum, reach up and break every rib, one by one, until it gets to your heart, where it squeezes it into this despondent mush of regret for every single decision you’ve made yet in your life.

Words by: Tegan Davies

Kinsley

We all know that life can’t always be full of sunshine and rainbows - so what better to do than to listen to a sad song when you’re feeling down and blue? I, like I’m sure many others do, have a playlist of such songs, so it was really hard for me to choose a favourite. I’ve finally decided upon If I Were a Mountain by Sarah Kinsley: an up and coming indie artist from California (best known for her song ‘The King’ that went viral on TikTok). Are you feeling a bit lost in life? Feeling unsure of who you are? Then this is the song for you. Kinsley describes her frustration of being unable to become the kind of person she aspires to be. The overall theme is summarised in the final lines of the track:

“Is it really so bad? I can do it on my own.”

which to me signifies that she is the only one holding herself back from becoming a “mountain”, she has it within her - she just doesn’t realise it yet. The piano that plays throughout the song’s duration truly elevates her ethereal singing voice, which, in combination, never fails to bring me to tears.

Words by: Genevieve Gunn

Page Design: Mia Wilson

Our Musical Brain

Words by: Gracie June Richards Page Design by: Eva Castanedo

Have you ever wondered why a certain song invokes you to cry or feel a certain way? Do you have playlists dedicated to certain feelings or emotions? I know I do: I have 92 playlists on Spotify that I have spent hours carefully curating to satisfy every mood, every occasion, and every walk to uni!

Neuroscientists have found that music stimulates our memory and emotions; it also can invoke a biological and physiological responses. Biological responses to music affect us internally, such as a change in blood pressure, heart rate and hormones. Externally, it can give us chills, goosebumps or make us cry.

This explains many of the all- so-common feelings we have when our favourite or least favourite songs come on. Scientifically, emotions are chemicals that are released in response to the way we interpret a certain trigger. One example of this is when we listen to a song we love, our brain releases dopamine. Dopamine is a chemical that is responsible for allowing us to feel pleasure, satisfaction, and motivation. It also has a role in controlling memory, mood, sleep, learning, concentration, and body movements.

It’s easy not to put a lot of thought into the songs we listen to but in reality, the components of these songs are mathematical and structural: because of this, our brains have to do a lot of work to make sense of them. Through using Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), neuroscientists have been able to find out which parts of the brain light up when listening to music. Research has found that the brain doesn’t have a specific place it uses to analyse music, instead different parts of the brain handle different aspects of music:

- The Auditory cortex of the brain is located in the temporal lobe. This bit of the brain recognises pitch and tone, and also analyses a song’s melody and harmony.

- The Motor Complex and cerebellum located on the right side of the brain are responsible for figuring out a song’s rhythm.

Other parts of the brain like the prefrontal cortex analyse how songs change. For example, in his TED talk, Alan Harvey showed the audience using an EEG how the brain processes sound waves. He played a song a man knew, resulting in alpha waves showing up on the scanner meaning that he liked the song and it was peaceful to him. He then had the same song played with the wrong notes unexpectedly played. This time the brain waves were bigger and more erratic. In an MRI scan this would have showed up as the prefrontal cortex.

How about when music makes you cry, and why it feels so good to cry to it? Maybe you are one of those people who puts on a sad playlist when they’re sad: if so, you’re not alone.

A study of more than 700 people by researchers in Berlin in 2014 found that there are four rewards that come with experiencing sadness due to music. These rewards are emotion regulation, reward of imagination, empathy, and lack of ‘real-life’ implications. The study also found that feelings of nostalgia are created when listening to sad music, a longing for the past despite the associated sadness. The hormone prolactin is also released when we listen to sad music. Prolactin is meant to calm us when we are under stress or crying, but if you aren’t crying for any real-life, traumatic reasons, this hormone release creates a feeling of bliss.

The experience of music is a worldwide phenomenon, it is celebrated in every culture uniquely but the same all at once. The brain has been described as “the sound system between our ears” explaining why people’s lives are narrated or scored by the music that they listen to. After researching this I don’t really know if I’ll be able to listen to music without thinking about my brain lighting up or processing the song I’m listening to, but it’s pretty cool to think about. Happy listening!

Comedy literature is a genre that’s absolutely everywhere - even if you’ve never sat down to watch an Oscar Wilde play or have picked up a copy of your favourite comedian’s novel, you will undoubtedly have at least been subjected to a nonsense poem as a child or heard a reference to or quote from one of Shakespeare’s comedies. For example, ‘the course of true love never did run smooth’ is perhaps one of his most famous lines, and comes from the comedy play

A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Despite its established place in the literary sphere, many critics are quick to judge comedy literature as trivial, superficial, and generally not worth the read. Good writing has long been synonymous with seriousness, and comedy writing is, by nature, the opposite of serious. Despite this, I strongly believe that there’s a place for this genre in the realm of worthwhile reads, both in the fact that they so often reveal much about their contemporary societies, and insofar as comedy literature is an excellent way to take a break from the seriousness of life whilst still being able to enjoy a good book.

Simply speaking, the purpose of comedy writing is to amuse an audience. The Oxford English Dictionary defines comedy as `professional entertainment consisting of jokes and satirical sketches’ - but whilst today we think of the genre as being very light-hearted and silly, comedy actually has some pretty intellectual and serious roots. The term ‘comedy’ has etymological links to Ancient Greece - their word ‘komos’ meant revelry or merry-making. In Athenian democracy, it was common for the public to be subjected to comedy poets who hoped to influence their vote. Since then, novelists, poets and playwrights alike have turned to comedy to write some of their best and well-loved works.

A regular feature of historical comedy literature is that it quite often tackles surprisingly large issues. Oscar Wilde’s play The Importance of Being Earnest, for example, can be read as much as a social commentary of the 1890s British upperclass in society as it can be enjoyed simply as a farcical drawing-room comedy about mistaken identities and overlyexaggerated misunderstandings. In brief, the play follows protagonist Jack Worthing as he navigates his way through the great and good of London society, which he finds incredibly dull. In this light he creates a fictional brother for himself named Earnest, who lives in the country and whom he ‘visits’ regularly in order to escape his city life. Without giving any plot spoilers away, I will say that the play quickly descends into a hilarious mishmash of lying, double-bluffing, farcical plotlines and witty dialogue. On the surface, Wilde’s play can be and is often simply enjoyed as light entertainment - this being the spirit in which it was received by much of the audience at the time. If we delve deeper it becomes clear that this chaos and ridiculousness that surrounds the upper-class London society in the play is about more than entertainment, and can be read as a comment on the ludicrous, incredulous attitudes of this social group. In this way comedy literature can be used to quite serious means, and perhaps deserves more recognition as a genre than it is often awarded.

Another way in which the comedy genre has been utilised is as a tool to introduce or bring the general public around

to the acceptance of concepts that have been seen as outlandish and preposterous. As these are aspects that tend to define the genre anyway, comedy literature seems like the perfect way to do this. Comedian Mae Martin, for example, released their debut book in 2019. Can Everyone Please Calm Down? is a very funny and insightful piece of literature, but the book covers so much more than that. Martin uses their platform to delve into the twists and turns of 21st century sexuality, covering every topic imaginable from sex, pronouns, sexuality and the (un)importance of labelling yourself. The witty language and frequent jokes made throughout the book turn what could very easily become a baffling and impenetrable subject into a light-hearted and entertaining way to explore the topic of contemporary sexuality. Martin opens up the discussion around the topic to whoever is willing to pick up their book and read it, thereby making one of the most salient topics of our generation accessible and fun to learn about.

This idea of exploring contemporary issues is not a new one, though. We can look back as far as the 16th century to find what we might think of as modern issues of gender identity being discussed in comedy writing. William Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night is a piece of literature that manages to be both revered in the literary canon and also comedic and fun. This is a play about mistaken identities and cross-dressing, about gender fluidity and how none of these issues are really worth arguing about anyway. The play’s protagonist Viola is time and again confused for her brother Sebastian, and ends up using this to her advantage by dressing as him. Shakespeare’s work is an excellent example of why and how we could be embracing the comedy genre as a worthwhile and academically worthy way of exploring social issues, whilst having fun with it at the same time.

Given the current social climate, I absolutely believe that there is a place for comedy writing as a literary staple in everyone’s lives - it feels like we all need a bit of a pick-me-up at the moment. Whilst I can understand that perhaps the genre often does not hold as much weight thematically on the surface, and could therefore arguably be less worthy of literary analysis, I think there is often so much to be gained from studying these texts more thoroughly. After all, why shouldn’t society be challenged about its views every once in a while? And even if the only benefit somebody takes away from reading a comedic novel or watching a funny play is that they’ve laughed, I would still consider the genre to be a success.

Words by: Bryony Wright Design by: Molly Openshaw

Nothing but Good Vibes

The rise of Self Help Books

You are a badass. No seriously, even success guru Jen Sincero says it in her international best seller You Are A Badass, and with three million copies sold worldwide, I think Sincero knows what she is talking about.

Overcoming self-doubt, taking full control of your thoughts and embracing your flaws: the traditional and stereotypical jargon that comes with the latest self-help reads taking over book shops and our bookshelves. The associated reader of mindfulness manuals today is the clean-eating twenty-something who has planned to reboot and rewire their entire belief system over night in the name of entering a new ‘era’- but this isn’t the case. Coming in all shapes and sizes, self-help bibles have been read by individuals from all areas of life and aesthetics for years, and the hype-girl best friend sense of voice that comes with them today is just a new wave of such. Introducing new angles of thought processing and signalling new horizons, self-help books are so much more than aesthetically pleasing ornaments that make for pretty coffee table decorations. Credited in getting rid of people’s deep-rooted trauma and setting up an entire new belief system, these books make for beneficial reading – and look good whilst doing so.

There are times in life when you may find yourself stumped. You didn’t get the job promotion you had been waiting for, or something that you are proud of gets ridiculed by someone else, and you end up falling out with your best friend. The solution to these everyday life challenges can be found in your local bookstore in the form of a literature therapist that is completely focused on making you feel good, offering you new ways of thinking that you may not come up with on your own. As humans, no one of us is the same when it comes to our thought patterns: you may be insecure about your height and someone else may be insecure about their third toe. One of the most joyous elements of self-help books is how they acknowledge the diversity and difference of human thought. If you want to be successful, then Dr Julie Smith’s Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? is the one for you; if you are struggling with loneliness then How to Be Alone by Lane Moore is right up your street. Let’s be real here, therapy is expensive, but finding a book that relates to how your brain works entirely can be a much cheaper alternative and can be started and put down whenever you feel like it.

The self-help market boomed during the pandemic as individuals became prisoners of their own mind due to an influx of newfound free time. Yet over

time, as we escaped the socially distanced safety of our homes, we left our self-help books in the corners of our rooms, their reassuring words and healing properties left to gather dust just like their impact within our minds. By just touching the glossy and eye-catching covers of therapeutic reads in Waterstones we will not be immediately transformed into a constant state of peace. When wanting to help yourself, you need to dedicate time and energy to these mindfulness manuals, otherwise you will just end up having a book that looks nice laying around until you stumble across it again one day and say to yourself ‘I must get round to reading this sometime!’. Unlike a normal book, self-help books turn the readers into the active characters - essentially, you are the main character in every self-help book. Therefore, this means that they require thorough reflection and thought and cannot be expected to just be read and for you to be transformed – the self-help book is the Mrs High Maintenance of the literature world after all, and she demands your full time and energy.

It is estimated that one in eight young people will experience a mental health problem of some kind each year in the United Kingdom, and when helping individuals who are suffering, doctors and therapists are now recommending bibliotherapy and therapy through the reading of self-help books and words. This has been found to alleviate stress, relax the

body and clear the mind. Finding yourself at your wits end and turning to a paperback in the name of quelling your wild and untamed insecurities is getting increasingly more popular as more and more people want to know why their brains are working in certain ways and how they can turn this around. Written by doctors, therapists and scientists for the perfectionist, the over-thinker, the imposter syndrome victim, these books set up a relationship through words and provide professional advice and strategies. When experiencing the everyday stresses of society today, go to your nearest book shop and walk yourself to the self-help section: here you may find a therapist for life deep within the pages of a book that was waiting for you the entire time.

Words by: Lucy Matthews

Design by: Molly Openshaw

Photography: Constance Cua

Pleasure Dressing vs Dressing for Pleasure:

The ‘Why’ Behind How We Dress

The phrase ‘look good, feel good’ is an ageold saying that has certainly been heard by all of us, and perhaps something we can all identify with. The choices we make with our clothes are a direct representation of how we’re feeling or wanting to present ourselves to the outside world, and the items of clothing we pick can invoke emotions and affect our mood in a deeper psychological way than we might realise.

Following trends is one display of psychological dressing, as we envelope ourselves in familiarity and security when we wear something that we know will not be judged nor perceived in a negative way. This links to the notion of the ‘near-exposure effect’ wherein we are continually exposed to certain trends via the media and thus we discern what will help us fit in and feel more accepted in our social circles.

There is a modern dismissive attitude that often accompanies dressing according to trends, as critics blame trends for the eradication of individual choice and personal style; but we cannot be blamed for wanting to have what everyone else has and fit in. Trends help us relate to other people and feel as if we’re on the right track in life, as well as feel good when we emulate a style/item we’ve seen and think looks good on someone else. Using clothing to help us feel as if we fit in is an example of a survival instinct, as social rejection and judgement is something our human nature is trained to flee from. Therefore, the use of clothing that we see as universally liked and being perceived positively affects the way we dress on a day-today basis as we consider how our clothing will

be perceived by others as well as ourselves.

Looking back to the idea of individual choice and personal style, the way we dress can also help us to express the distinctive aspects of our personality. Compared to the psychology behind following trends in order to fit in, individual expression is the exact opposite. The choices we make with the outlines, patterns, and colours of our clothing can be a clear representation of how we’re feeling and the characteristics we’ve deemed special to us in order to stand out. This is what is known as ‘pleasure dressing,’ in which we deliberately chose items of clothing that invoke certain emotions and fulfil our creative needs. There is a distinct difference between dressing for pleasure and dressing for confidence, as though the two might seem to be interchangeable, dressing for confidence may often be wearing items of clothing that are trendy or will be perceived in a certain way in order to feel socially accepted and secure in how we are seen by others. This is versus dressing for pleasure, which will often lead to more unique choices that are tailored to our personal taste instead of what is deemed as socially acceptable. These pieces may not be worn as often, but still help us retain a certain aspect of individual style when we otherwise feel it cannot be expressed.

With all of this to bear in mind, it’s important to think about the emotions we feel when choosing what we want to wear in the morning, as most importantly: fashion is something that should be creative and fun, not a chore. Whether this be following a trend or creating an outfit that isn’t typically seen as ‘stylish,’ a piece of clothing that makes you feel good should be worn and appreciated by you, and no one else.

Words by: Design by:

Predicts The Future QUEER

Words

In 2019, the Met Gala got everyone excited with the theme ‘Camp’. Camp, a term widely used in LGBTQ+ spaces, is defined by the OED as ‘Ostentatious, exaggerated, affected, theatrical; effeminate or homosexual’ yet a lot of the celebrities invited opted for plain, muted clothes, rather than what you would witness on a Drag night or even Sasha Velour’s SS19 Opening Ceremony takeover. It is on social media that we see creators, even just in the last few years, bring camp fashion, maximalism and hyper-femininity into the public eye. Queer Tik-Tokers such as Chrissy Chlapecka (@ chrissychlapecka) and Griffin Maxwell Brooks (@griffinmaxwellbrooks) have embraced an extravagant style, that seems heavily inspired by feminine lesbians, with pinks and mini skirt, low cut shirts and crazy hair colours, and heavy on accessorising.

We can see queer influences in most fashion trends, a notable example being androgynous fashion, which Fibre2Fashion traces back to the 17th century. Yet we can see it in more recent fashion too, from David Bowie to Jaden Smith to the trendy rack in your local Urban Outfitters. The return of Y2K crosses the gender clothing line, with teenage girls posting outfits inspired by figures such as Jesse Pinkman and Adam Sandler, expressing the pleasure of dressing in typically masculine clothing. Even the ‘cleangirl’ aesthetic can be traced back to LGBTQ+ fashion, due to lesbians having worn suits for years to proms, weddings and red carpets as a form of self-expression. These trends cannot be separated from their history, but they create a

O P

Page design: Isla McCormack

by: Francesca Ionescu

somewhat androgynous look and a fashion that transcends limits of sexuality or gender; it will continue to do so. As for us, we look forward to the next trend that the queer community brings into the mainstream, which we can guess will be inspired by rave culture and the popularity of places like Berlin club Berghain.

Earlier this year, three of my queer friends queued up for about nine minutes in the German winter night, for one of Berlin’s many techno clubs. Berghain has created a reputation for itself, exclusive and camp and serious about its legacy. The vastness of the internet will offer you a lot of information as how to get into the venue; familiarise yourself with the genre and the DJ, don’t talk, be German, be alone, be sober and most importantly: dress in leather and harnesses and chains.

Camp fashion has stemmed from queer people, but there is not a singular look to being queer, and with their over-sized jumpers, puffer coats and yellow beanies, queer people fit in just alright with the underground scene, because it was queer first.

This queer aesthetic pioneered in European underground clubs, which can be seen making a breakthrough into the mainstream rave culture of the UK already. Parties, such as Manchester based ‘Teletech’ draw in thousands of fans to see top European techno names such as Berlin based ‘D.Dan’. Attendees, regardless of their sexual orientation, are seen to adopt this camp, extravagant aesthetic. As seen on the event company’s Instagram, @teletechuk, these dark rooms showcase ravers in collars and latex,

sweaty shirtless bodies of all genders, some covered only by mesh and underwear as outerwear, embracing camp and kink, even if only for a night.

There is criticism from both sides - the queer community and the dance music scene. Underground music has always been about the experience, an early form of a safe-space, and it all can be traced back to a gay, black man by the name of Larry Levan. The 80s saw queer people look for these safe spaces, by creating them in nightclubs that did not follow the typical ‘heterosexual’ night, extending to music and fashion. Now the music has become more “mainstream”, ravers and queer people alike are worried that the experience is diminished by the focus on ‘fitting in’ with the scene. Queer fashion is about self-expression from the inside, and many clubs will have a ‘no-cameras’ policy to keep the place as free as possible. Fashion becoming a media focus through TikTok becomes about external expression, appearing as part of a group rather than participating in the sub-culture.

The shift seems predictable and unstoppable. As kink-wear and camp fashion leaves electronic music parties and underground clubs, it will enter mainstream nights-out, and could even become part of everyday wear: a harness over a plain turtleneck, chains dangling from cargos, mesh tops and pierced nipples in local dark clubs. While the music scene might try and keep its exclusiveness, queer fashion has always inspired and influenced trends, and it will continue to make its way into runways, wardrobes and TikTok ‘get-ready-with-me’s.

Moving abroad can be scary, but you encounter so many incredible new experiences and meet awesome people that I would recommend it to anybody. I learnt so much on my study abroad in Germany last year! However, the initial move can be stressful, so here are some tips to make things smoother.

1. Bring what makes you happy.

Whether it’s pictures from home, your favourite jacket, or a ratty blanket from when you were a baby, bring something that reminds you of home to make the move less daunting. I packed all my favourite outfits and a blanket from my bed – it helps to have familiar things that make your personal space feel more like you.

2. Use your senses.

Senses are so powerful for recreating memories, so find a cafe or restaurant that makes your favourite food from home or buy a similar washing powder. Replicate it if you can’t find it. I couldn’t get Yorkshire Tea in Germany, so I made do with Lidl’s Spiced Apple. I stocked up when I went home next!

3. Understand that you’re not alone.

There are so many people who are in the same boat as you when moving abroad, so make the most of these connections. Making friends with people who are fellow internationals makes your experience so much easier, as you can relate to each other on a level different to your friends at home.

4. Keep in touch.

Most importantly, keep in touch with friends and family from home. I facetimed my mum every Sunday, and it was lovely to chat to a familiar face and find out things from home. Having a strong support network makes settling in much easier, as well as giving you an emotional rock for when things may get difficult.

Travelling or moving abroad is daunting, but you learn so much about yourself and the world around you whilst making lifelong memories, so do it! Happy travelling!

Words by: Meg Burgess

How to feel at home whilst travelling or living abroad

Sometimes it’s about making a new home. A temporary one perhaps, but still one that brings comfort. Until earlier this year I had always travelled with family or friends; so home was always there with me. However, I decided I wanted to learn more about myself and gain independence, so in late May, I stepped on a flight alone and it felt alien.

Although I was only there for a week, I made regularities in new things I enjoyed, almost like a routine. That’s what it’s about - finding out about yourself; finding a routine; finding a new home. For me, that meant surfing once a day, visiting the boulangerie in the mornings, and reading in the evenings. It was the week I found a new love for sliced mozzarella and tomato on sourdough, which resulted in me eating it almost every day for lunch. Familiarising myself with the town was swift since it was a small part of Lacanau Ocean, and visiting a specific café regularly meant I could become comfortable in my surroundings in a short space of time.

I was lucky enough to meet and socialise with people at the hostel too, and as I spent more time with them, I spoke more about myself, reminiscing on my life. All of this allowed me to feel at home in a foreign space. Since this experience, wherever in

the world I am, I’ve learned that finding the things you enjoy most, and keeping them as something to return to, will eventually create that homely feeling.

Words

by:

Anushka Kar

Page Design: Mia Wilson

“I Need to Get Away” - How Travel Restores Happy Feelings

Words by: Sophie Revell

Page Design: Eva

Castanedo

The anticipation for an upcoming trip away is a universally shared experience; the satisfaction of having something to look forward to, and that excited flutter of heartache the night before, are feelings we’ve all experienced at some point in our lives. Of course, it goes without saying all holidays inspire lovely feelings, but the positive psychological impact that travelling can actually have is not so widely known.

As the National Geographic reported, half of the enjoyment of a trip can be found in the planning and anticipation of it. Backed up by a study by Cornell University, which revealed how experiential expectations or anticipation can considerably boost one’s happiness, it has been found that there is a genuine scientific explanation for the immense happiness we feel when we think about our future plans to travel. What’s more, co-author of the study Amit Kumar compares these feelings to the gratification we receive when purchasing material possessions, which serve us far less. Essentially, spending money on, and thinking about, future trips away have a far larger and longer lasting emotional impact on people than buying possessions for ourselves, and these feelings of happiness generally last through the lead up to a trip and beyond.

In testimony to this, I remember counting down the days to my most recent trip away last summer, which was my first holiday abroad since summer 2019. Obviously, travelling was halted by the Covid-19 pandemic and the claustrophobia of being restricted to our homes with little certainty about when we’ll be able to travel again has had an impact on our collective mental well-being. When my family were lucky enough to book a holiday to Gran Canaria, visions of us rejuvenating ourselves through a different culture, downtime and exploration saw me through the day-to-day of my degree and job. Conversations with my parents and sister about our shared excitement to finally travel again had an uplifting effect on us as individuals and as a family.

Along similar lines, my memories of travelling are pockets of escapism from the daily grind of university deadlines and work, in a city that is perpetually cold and damp. I often find myself drifting away to happier times exploring new cities; devouring a book by the side of the pool; or weaving around the coast by kayak. Once again, this is a sentiment shared by many. In 2020, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Hilton conducted a survey which revealed that 89% of Americans considered their memories of travelling to be their happiest. Personally, the reaction I have to memories of time spent abroad is a physical, somewhat visceral one. They are feelings of heartache and yearning, the same I get when I miss someone I love. A particular memory that conjures such feelings is from a trip to Lake Garda in 2018, where I spent a day with a group of friends exploring the tiny streets of Malcesine; how I wish I could be with them again drinking iced tea on the harbour.

A side-effect of travelling that I think is my favourite is the anonymisation of oneself when visiting a new place. There is something special about revisiting a favourite place (my family love to return to La Tranche-sur-Mer) but I love reinventing myself in somewhere new, even if it’s for only a few days. In our day to day lives it’s easy to get caught up in the external pressures and expectations of work, family, deadlines, etc. so what better antidote to the mundane is there than getting lost in a whol new way of living for a while? Just don’t get too lost, otherwise you might find yourself sitting in a beach bar after

your fourth glass of Honey Rum encrusted with sea salt and contemplating learning Spanish, getting a working visa, and never returning to your studies. Too far? Maybe, but there is clearly a lot to be said for the joy of newness that travelling brings.

So, take this as your sign to book your next holiday, because scientifically it will make you happier.

Food & Mood:

It’s a common misconception that the food we eat only impacts our body physically based on its fat content and sugar levels, which cause weight gain if over-consumed. However, our mood is controlled much more by our food than you would think. Simple things such as meal timings, portion sizes, frequency of eating, and food contents can make such a drastic difference to our mental state. Remember, each person will have unique dietary needs. It may take some time to understand what your body needs – and that’s okay. It’s a process of trial and error to find a happy medium that works for you. For the majority, there are some statistics that are paramount to listen to.

Within our bodies, we have four types of “happy hormones”, or mood boosters, that get released. Serotonin and Dopamine are both gained through similar activities such as exercise, socialising, and listening to music. Endorphins help us cope with pain and stress; and finally, Oxytocin can be understood as the “love hormone”, which helps us develop relationships with others. Apart from these means, certain foods are actually said to help release these chemicals. Spicy foods are said to cause an endorphin release, and common foods such as eggs, beans, almonds, and yogurts trigger a dopamine release. Chocolate is among those foods that lead to endorphins increase. Honestly, you should never feel bad about eating chocolate. Science is telling you that it literally makes you happy, so you can never have too much, right?!

Although there are foods that can boost our mood, there are others that we should really think about avoiding at certain times of the day to discourage any sudden crashes in our well-being. I’m sure one culprit that comes to mind is caffeine. Caffeine is in many popular beverages such as tea, coffee, and energy drinks, but it is also surprisingly hidden in some chocolates and chocolate-flavoured foods. Too much caffeine, especially during the evening can cause surges of energy, making it difficult to sleep, but also sudden plummets in energy during the day, which can cause drowsiness. This affects your sleep routine and productivity during the day, leading to the avoidance of tasks and unhelpful schedule switches. However, this doesn’t mean you should completely avoid these drinks and foods – it’s all about timing and moderation!

Scheduling your meals, eating a wide range of different foods, and knowing when to have breakfast, lunch, and dinner could make all the difference. Never skipping breakfast should be a golden rule in everyone’s life. They aren’t lying when they say it’s the most important meal of the day. Breakfast really does fuel you for the day and keeps your mood steady until lunchtime. Skipping this meal can cause your focus to stray and energy to drain before you even have the chance to head out and seize the day. It’s always important to pick times to eat your meals and stick to them to keep your body in a routine that ultimately makes your energy and mood more predictable and under control. What to include in these meals however is a whole other question. Make sure to have a variety but

How the food we eat affects the way we feel

also keep it consistent. Fitting in your five-a-day is so important to your overall health and vitamin uptake – impacting your ability to fight infections. No one likes being unwell, so don’t set yourself up for failure. You could try and fit in some vegetables in your dinner times and have an apple with breakfast. Little efforts can go a long way.

Ultimately, it’s important to be conscious of what we are eating and how we feel. If you’ve been feeling a little low lately and can’t figure out why, try keeping a food and mood diary to see if your diet is having an effect. We all love food but don’t let it kill your mood.

Words by: Megan Shinner

Page Design: Mia Wilson

The Physicality of Eating: Foods We Absolutely Cannot Stand

I am by no means a fussy eater, but when it comes to food texture, I have some reservations. Eating is not a single-sensory activity; all of our senses contribute to the way in which we consume food. The way something looks, smells, and of course, tastes, can influence how appealing or unappealing it is to us. Even the sounds come into play, for example many people may be put off by loud-chewers or crunchy foods.

The biggest problem I face with food is the texture. I have been known to never finish the end of a glass of fruit juice because I don’t like the ‘bits’, a soggy blueberry can put me off the whole punnet, and I can’t eat fruit yoghurt because the texture of the soggy fruit makes me uncomfortable. I don’t know whether it’s the unexpected sensation that throws me off, or just the actual feeling of it on my tongue, but a certain texture can completely put me off my food. Speaking of feeling uncomfortable, sometimes even the look of food can put me off. If you’re familiar with the concept of the fear of small holes (trypophobia?), then you might understand how fish eggs and crumpets make me slightly nauseous at times. When I was younger, I could never understand why the inside of a crumpet looked so strange to me.

Alternatively, some textures I love are smooth custard (provided there are absolutely no lumps), crispy bread, and Cadbury’s Wispa chocolates. I can’t explain it, they just taste good.

Words by: Caitlin Evans Page dvesign: Soyal Khedkar

Food & Drink 41

One of the worst struggles that goes under the radar is being a picky eater. Off the top of my head, I can probably only list about ten foods that I eat on a rotary basis.

It sucks. Since I was a kid, I’ve had such awful sensory issues when it comes to textures and how things feel that a lot of foods have always just been off-limits to me. Some foods make me feel ill just by looking at them.

I’ve avoided canteens in schools like the plague – there were always too many smells, sounds (chewing, the scratching of cutlery on plates, gulping), and people around to even attempt to comprehend consuming anything. A few years into my trouble eating at school, my mum had a call from my primary school about how I wasn’t spending my lunch money or eating any packed lunch.

For example, my go-to icebreaker fact about myself is that I suffer from leguminophobia. To save you the google search, I have a crippling fear of baked beans. Laugh all you like – but being unable to go out for breakfast (or in a supermarket aisle) is actually really limiting. People just LOVE to send me photos of the critters.

Not so much of a fear, but cheese also has to be just right for me to eat it – my Domino’s orders are always made with special instructions (‘only a sprinkle of cheese, please!’). Instead of being made fun of for this one, though, it causes pure anarchy. Do you realise how many cheese connoisseurs walk among us? Truthfully, the hardest task when starting university has been to figure out what to feed myself. When you eat like a three-year-old, you hardly believe you should be studying at an academic level. Oh well, I’ll forever wait for the day that my taste buds ‘renew’, the same way people reckon they do with coffee. Gross.

Words by: Tegan Davies

choose a vegan or vegetarian diet for personal or health reasons, whereas other people eat whatever they feel like. A range of influences can help us determine our taste palette including appearance, what’s trending on TikTok, or even just the smell of certain foods. Even so, these same influences help us decide which foods we hate (even if we’re just a little bit too scared to try them).

For me, one food I will never ever eat is baked beans. I know this is an unpopular opinion, but for me baked beans are the worst food to ever exist. Despite growing up in England, where baked beans are considered a holy grail, I have never been able to enjoy the simple pleasure of beans on toast when you’re feeling hungover. The smell, look, and taste of them all repulse me and even being in the same room as someone eating them makes me gag.

Although my own food choices may seem weird, uni has taught me I’m not the only one with strange food preferences. Living with friends for three years has opened my eyes to strange food combinations like gravy on pizza and potatoes in a spaghetti Bolognese. Although these meals put me off spag bol for months, food preferences are unique to everyone, and those meals were just part of the fun of living with housemates!

Words by: Katie Brosnan Illustration by: Soyal Khedkar

‘girls night’

Bwyd gyda Beca Dalis Williams

Ydy eich ffrindiau yn dod draw? Ydych chi’n ceisio dod o hyd i rywbeth rhwydd i’w wneud ond sydd hefyd yn flasus? Dyma rhai syniadau i blesio eich gwesteion wrth i chi ddod at eich gilydd i wylio ffilm!

Un syniad poblogaidd sydd bob tro yn big hit ydy pan mae bob unigolyn yn gwneud platiaid o bethau gwahanol. Er enghraifft platiaid o losin, platiaid o fwyd Americanaidd, plataiaid o gaws a chracers, platiaid o greision gwahanol hyd yn oed! Mae’r posibiliadau yn ddiddiwedd!

Rhywbeth arall at ddant pawb ydy nachos, caws a dipiau gwahanol. Mae pawb yn dwlu ar nachos, felly dwi’n siwr bydd eich parti bach chi yn hefyd! Syniad arall ydy aros i bawb i gyrraedd ac yna mynd i’r siop gyda’ch gilydd a dewis eich hoff bwdin. Boed hynny’n fudge cake, browni, hufen ia neu losin!

Beth am ddod o hyd i rysait er mwyn coginio pryd neu pobi cacen? Bydd pawb yn gallu cyd weithio a chael hwyl yn y gegin tra’n gwrando i gerddoriaeth o’ch dewis. Os ydych chi’n gwneud cacen, gallech chi ei addurno hi neu gwneud un ag addurn doniol!

Os ydych chi’n teimlo’n ddiog neu yn dioddef o’r noson gynt, beth am archebu eich hoff bwyd ar UberEats neu ap tebyg? Mae amryw o ddewisiadau yn y ddinas â phob math o fwydydd gwahanol! Byddwch chi byth yn brin o fwyd!

Gobeithio bod hyn wedi eich ysbrydoli i gael eich ffrinidau at ei gilydd a bwyta digon o fwyd blasus. Mwynhewch!

Ffilmiau gyda Millie Stacey

Mae films yn hanfodol ar gyfer noson mewn i ferched, reit? Y cwestiwn ym mle dewch chi o hyd i’r film perffaith? Netflix, Disney Plus, neu o rhywle arall? Mae na canoedd o films, cyfresi a docs i pob math o girls night yn dibynnu ar be sy’n apeilo i chi.

Chick flick: Clueless, About Time, Crazy Stupid Love, Mean Girls, Legally Blonde, Dirty Dancing.

Cyfresi: One Tree Till, Gilmore Girls, Firefly

Lane, Sex and The City, Once Upon a Time.

Drama: The Good Nurse, My Policeman, Let Him Go, Jersey

Hanes: Amsterdam, the Princess, The Trial of the Chicago 7, The Last Duel, Greyhound.

Beth bynnag yw eich ffilm o ddewis, gall merched i gyd cytuno bod ffilm dda gyda’r merched ddatrys ein holl broblemau a’n pryderon!

Coctels gyda Lowri Powell

Mae Dydd San Ffolant yn ddiwrnod i ddangos cariad, felly pam lai dangos eich cariad tuag at eich ffrindiau yn lle? Yn bersonol, y ffordd orau i ddangos cariad i mi yw trwy goctels. Yn enwedig achos mae nhw’n instagramable! Felly, dyma rhai syniadau coctels gallech chi ‘neud gyda’ch ffrindiau ar dydd Sant Ffolant:

Coctels cariadus Coch yw’r lliw mwyaf secsi wrth gwrs. Felly beth am wneud gystadleaeth am y coctel coch gorau? Ife’r ‘Strawberry Daiquiri’, ‘Bloody Mary’ neu’r ‘Sex on the Beach’ sydd mynd i ennill? Pwy a wyr?

Coctels sy’n adlewyrchu eich cyn-gariad

Mae hwn bach yn fwy juicy! Os ydych chi’n berson efo hiwmor tywyll, dyma’r gweithgaredd perffaith i chi! Mae’n amser i ddangos cyfrinachau eich cyn-gariad. Os oeddent yn greulon, beth am greu coctel coch fel diafol? Neu os oeddent yn drewi’n ofnadwy, beth am greu coctel gwyrdd? Bydd hyn yn gallu troi’n naill ai’n ddoniol neu’n od iawn! Ond dim ond bach o hwyl i adio atoch noson yw hi!

Coctels yr un lliw a’ch pyjamas

Hwn yw’r un mwyaf poblogaidd ar TikTok ar hyn o bryd. ydych chi fel fi, does gen i ddim pyjamas ffansi iawn! Felly ewch i Primark i nôl eich pyjamas secsi. Wedyn ewch i nôl eich cynhwysion ar gyfer eich coctel i gyd-fynd efo lliw eich pyjamas. Beth am goctel lemwn efo’ch pyjamas melyn neu ‘mojito’ efo’ch pyjamas gwyrdd?

Mae gymaint o ffyrdd i sbeisio fynny eich noson efo’r merched, efallai noson coctels yw’r un i chi!

yn gymraeg? sut mae’n teimlo i fod

Gan Elan Jones

Fel Cymraes frwd sy’n astudio y Gymraeg fel pwnc yn y brifysgol, mae bod yn Gymraeg nid yn unig yn ran annatod o fy mywyd bob dydd ond llwydda’r Gymraeg i ddod â balchder i fy mywyd i ac mae cael fy amgylchynu â phobl sy’n rhannu’r un diwylliant a chredoau â mi yn rhoi gwên ar fy ngwyneb i yn ddyddiol.

Yn bendant, teimlaf fel Cymraes falch pan rwy’n gwisgo crys coch Cymru ac yn cefnogi’r tîm cenedlaethol ar y maes chwaraeon. Mae ymuno i ganu ein hanthem Genedlaethol yn danfon ias i lawr fy nghefn ac yn rhoi’r ymdeimlad fy mod yn perthyn i genedl arbennig tu hwnt. Heb os, mae canu yn yr iaith Gymraeg a bod yn aelod o gôr yn rhoi gwefr imi ac yn gwneud imi deimlo fy mod yn falch iawn i fod yn Gymraeg.

Mae gen i hoffder mawr tuag at draddodiadau’r wlad sy’n unigryw i ni fel cenedl megis Eisteddfodau, Dydd Gŵyl Dewi a chanu calennig. Yn sicr, mae chwedlau’r wlad hefyd yn hudolus ac yn mynd âm bryd, a darllen am Bendigeidfran a Blodeuwedd yn dod â mwynhad pur imi.

Mae gennym iaith unigryw a does dim yn well gennyf na bod ar wyliau mewn gwlad ddieithr a medru sgwrsio gyda fy nheulu heb i neb arall fedru deall. Yn ogystal, rwy’n hoffi pan fydd rhywun yn gofyn pa iaith rwy’n siarad gan fod hyn yn rhoi cyfle imi roi ychydig o hanes iddynt.

Does unman yn debyg i Gymru a does dim teimlad gwell na bod yn Gymraeg. Mae cael ymuno mewn unrhyw weithgaredd Torfol yn gwneud imi ymfalchio yn fy nghenedlaetholdeb ac yn fy atgoffa yn wir mai ‘cenedl heb iaith yw cenedl heb galon’.

Gan Caitlin Evans

Fel Cymraes, mae’r gwreiddiau sy’n fy nghlymu at fy mamwlad yma o hyd. Yn ystod fy mywyd, rwyf wedi cael nifer o brofiadau sydd wedi mynd a fi ymhellach i ffwrdd o Gymru yn gorfforol, ond mae’r cariad at y wlad wastad yna. Does dim byd arall yn y byd yn cymharu at y teimlad o gyrraedd nol yng Nghymru ar ôl bod i ffwrdd am gyfnod o amser. Mae’r caeau gwyrdd, y ffyrdd troellog a’r tywydd glawiog yn fy nghroesawu’n ôl gyda breichiau agored bob tro.

Wrth dyfu i fyny yng Nghymru, roedd yna lawer o eiliadau a wnaeth i mi deimlo’n arbennig o falch o ble rydw i’n dod. Fel ‘Gwlad y Gan’, ychydig iawn sy’n cymharu at ein cerddoriaeth, a gallwn weld ei bwysigrwydd yn enwedig ar y funud, gyda ‘Yma o Hyd’ gan Dafydd Iwan yn dod yn anthem Cymru yng Nghwpan y Byd yn Quatar. Mae’n anhygoel gweld cynrychiolaeth Gymreig trwy gerddoriaeth ar lwyfan y byd, a gallwn weld hyd yn oed trwy’r teledu y pŵer mae’r can yn dal, a sut mae’n dod a holl gefnogwyr Cymru at ei gilydd. Yn yr un modd, does dim profiad cystal â chanu ‘Mae Hen Wlad fy Nhadau’ yn Stadiwm Principality cyn gwylio ein tîm yn ein cynrychioli yn y rygbi. O fod yn aelod o’r côr yn ysgol a chanu yn yr Eisteddfod, i sgrechian Calon Lan yn y tafarn gyda fy ffrindiau, mae cerddoriaeth Cymraeg gwastad yn dod a mi yn syth adref.

Gan Lowri Davies

Fel bob hunaniaeth genedlaethol dwi’n siŵr, mae’n deimlad o berthyn i gymuned.

Ond i mi mae bod yn Gymraes yn fwy nag teimlad o berthyn i gymuned. Mae Cymru yn lle o hanes, diwylliannau ac ieithoedd, ac mae’r teimlad o fod yn Gymraes yn deimlad. ni all neb gyfateb i.

Does unman yn hybu teimlad o fod yn Gymraes cweit fel ddiwrnod rygbi yng Nghaerdydd. Oes ma na phethau sy’n dod yn agos yn amlwg, gwario ein gwyliau haf yn treulio amser yn Eisteddfod genedlaethol yn gwylio perfformiadau talentog unigolion neu ym MaesB yn gwrando ar yr holl gantorion a bandiau Cymraeg neu hyd yn oed yn treulio amser yn Sioe Frenhinol Cymru, Ynghyd a’r pedwar diwrnod cyffrous o gystadlaethau anifeiliaid, mae gan y sioe rhywbeth i ddiddori pawb trwy ei hystod eang o weithgareddau amaethyddol, crefftau, chwaraeon, bwyd ac yn y blaen.

Er hyn, yn bersonol does ddim teimlad yn cyfateb i deimlaf o fod yng Nghaerdydd ar ddiwrnod gem rygbi chwe gwlad neu’r gemau rhyngwladol. Mae clywed torf Cymraeg yn bloeddio’r anthem genedlaethol angerddol, emosiynol a llawn adrenalin, Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau ond yn cryfhau ein teimlad o hunaniaeth. Mae’r teimlad o gerdded i lawr stryd St Mary yn gweld torf o bobl yn gwisgo crysau coch, yn chwifio’i baneri Cymraeg ond yn fy atgoffa pa mor glos ydyn ni fel cymuned yn enwedig pan mae’n dod i gefnogi ein gwlad.

The love of an older sister. The sister who taught you to write your name, the sister who taught you to tie your hair, and tie your shoelaces, the sister who showed the rights and the wrongs of life through her own mistakes. She’s been my big sister since she was 7, maybe it’s all she knows. She worries, she cares, and she’ll always be there. I’ll always want her there, right next to me.

Amrit Bains

Flames crackling, rosy cheeks and sunburnt skin. Salty, windswept hair and limbs dizzying with electricity and exhaustion all at once. Warm hugs and laughter and the smell of burgers browning on the barbecue. The sun setting softly and a cool breeze brushing through leafy trees. Tired eyes with easy smiles and blankets to shelter the evening cold. Talks of tomorrow’s plans and surfing and picnics. The assurance of comfy beds and a good night’s sleep.

Ella Dorman

We asked our contributors what love feels like to them, raising the age-old question; what is love?

When you look at your family, friends and importantly YOURSELF, love is an ethereal string that passionately unites us together. Within the very vibrance of culture and beauty in life is a unique and unprecedented amount of love that holds itself in the strangest of forms. It’s the stranger who holds a door open for you, the barista who wishes you a good day, or the housemate who offers you a cup of tea and a chat. Love is all you need.

Alanya Smith

In any form, love is a feeling of comfort, a sense of warmth and safety. Nothing challenges this more than being apart, but at the same time nothing makes it stronger. When a hug after a hard day isn’t there, but the thought of them alone comforts you. When you can sit alone in your room, an ocean apart, but still feel the connection. A love that transcends the distance; that’s two hearts bound together.

Caitlin Evans

Page Design: Constance Cua

Last year I stumbled upon a new and unexpected love - full of excitement, the kind of love that could drive you crazy while making every second of life more beautiful. It was my first experience of true desire and complete longing, terrifying yet exciting, dangerous yet somehow so safe. Today, he is the best decision I’ve made - my best friend, my life partner, an embrace when things are tough. Simply, the love of my life.

Wiktoria Jazwinska

Love: Feeling, Freedom or Fantasy?

I really don’t think love ever stops, or goes away (as much as people like to pretend it does) - I think it just changes shape. You’ll always love people - once that feeling starts, there’s nothing you can do to change it. You may start loving someone as a partner, but end up loving them as a friend. While that is painful, it’s always vital to remember that it is better to have loved someone and lost them, than to have never loved them in the first place.

Alice Lumley

To me, love is impossible to pinpoint to one moment, person or place. As Hugh Grant quotes in Love Actually “love actually is all around”. It’s in all parts of my life, from laughing so hard that my stomach hurts with my friends, my mum texting me to ‘get home safe’ or my dogs tails wagging when they greet me. It’s the little things like drunk calls, hearting a text message or sharing a Spotify playlist. Love to me is everyone in my past, present and future.

Grace Dawson

Love for me has been defined by the love of a best friend. Mine has been a love affair going on 7 years, one that is unconditional yet honest, up and down yet easy. The comfort in having someone to go to an event and go home with, someone who’s seen me strike out and get lucky in all aspects, and someone who weathers whatever life (or you) throws at them is unparalleled. To know that I have that kind of love is one of the greatest joys of my life.

Dominic Bramley-Carr

Instant(aneous) Connections

I think we can all say, even if somewhat squeamishly and at a very low volume, that if we were to scroll through our TikTok feeds and hop into our Instagram explore, or even hark back to Tumblr, a remnant of 2014, we would find at least a few edits and thirst traps of celebrities and probably more than a few fictional characters. I know when I was watching House of Dragons, my social media was full of thirst traps about Matt Smith and Emma D’Arcy. They were generally slow-motion close-ups with a hot and heavy R&B soundtrack trying to seduce me through my phone screen, and I didn’t bat an eyelid.

And I wonder if that isn’t the case for many others.

In an age of increased online usage coupled with national lockdowns and a reduction in face-to-face interactions, perhaps people have turned to fan edits and thirst traps to satisfy a need for sexual stimulation that they were deprived of during the pandemic. According to Survey Monkey, 75% of young adults (18-24 years old) use Tinder, which is widely used for casual sex. Whereas Bumble, an app where women initiate conversations, trails behind at only 31%.

The trends suggest that people prefer casual hook-ups over the potential for long-term relationships and so perhaps our social media reflects this.

But I can’t help feeling that that might be a slippery slope. Watching fan edits of your favourite celebrity allows you to view a carefully curated series of their best angles or the hottest moments. Liking a video compilation of Timothee Chalamet licking his lips in slow motion as he moves the hair out of his face hardly bears any relation to the reality of dating him. As disappointing as it may be to hear for those die-hard Chalamet fans, he would not be licking his lips seductively towards you 24/7.

Such expectations of carefully crafted seduction and sexualisation are bite-sized and inauthentic. And the question must be, how does such a view shape our relationships with

mere mortals. Are people dissatisfied in their relationships because they don’t live up to such well-crafted snippets? And are people bothered about having relationships if they can just as easily access a quick fix of sexual fulfilment?

Amongst my own friends I have heard their relationships woes; the partner who doesn’t want to be anything official but still calls for the hook-up, the girlfriend who doesn’t want to be tied down to one person, or the boyfriend who isn’t ready yet. All of these reasons are spat out quickly before being repeated with a new set of people. My friends’ break-up stories are similar. Tales of breaking up over what could be considered silly things, and when I’ve relayed these tales to my mum she has replied with “they can’t be so picky, people aren’t perfect, you just have to find someone you like enough” etc. But is that the case? Are people becoming pickier; are they laying out clearer boundaries for what they want in a relationship, or is it an excuse to keep from commitment?

I’m not sure but I think that a move away from relationships to online connections seems a clear reality. Fan edits and thirst traps seem more of a symptom of this preference for a quick fix of sexual gratification over the commitment of a relationship but it’s a fine line. Is this all just a storm in a teacup?

Words by: Poppy Atkinson Gibson

Page Design: Ananya Ranjit

Diolch o galon.