Written by Tony Li, Eva Li, Mathilda Wu and Eugenia Calliste The influence of the pandemic on online shopping is highly reflected in the changes to the spending of the individual consumer. Most nations worldwide are facing varying degrees of economic decline due to COVID-19, affecting things from people’s quality of life to governments shutting down wide residential areas for people’s protection, of which has given rise to a new lifestyle – online shopping. In an attempt to better understand why the pandemic’s influence on online shopping has become increasingly popular, we have surveyed and spoken international students for some … Continue reading Shifting to the Digital World: Contactless Spending 

Written by Austin Guo, Fauziah Thant and Triston Ong  The concept of community care, the collective act of helping one another during a pandemic is an obvious and hotly debated topic. As with many communities, having a space to connect with each other is vital to good health, where everyone is seen and heard..  In a way, it is an example of an individual’s compassion and generosity towards the people around them as well as a means of self-care, even though too much giving can easily leave one feeling depleted.   As stated by Sahaj Kaur Kohli, a mental health professional, … Continue reading Community Care Amidst A Pandemic

Written by Nathan Zhang, Quentin Liu, Yi Song and Angelina Chang In recent years, socialising has become increasingly important with the desire to expand social circles and connections possessing an increasing number of people. The potential for success involved in satisfying this desire can depend quite heavily on money for a person to achieve, as there might be a massive gap between their budget and their friends.  Of course, people can choose to socialise less. They can spend their time on other things, but it is almost impossible for people to avoid socialising in modern society. Sometimes – while you might … Continue reading Tight Budget Friends

Written by Evan Thiha, Nikheisha Thanasan and Vinaya Wiharsa  Have you ever wondered why you are constantly stressed out or feel like you are trapped in a deep black hole? Have you been trying to get out of this cycle with little success? This is a sign for you to learn how to start practicing mindfulness.   What is mindfulness? According to Alic, mindfulness is the innate human ability to be fully aware of the present moment without distractions, judgement, over-reaction, or feeling overwhelmed. Practising mindfulness can be beneficial not only for adults, but also for students. It can improve their mental … Continue reading Practicing Mindfulness

Written by Analiese Koh, Melissa Maldonado and Aaron Ing Who owns our bodies? This question is, surprisingly, not very straightforward. You are probably thinking, “I do!”. However, by the time you finish this article, your answer might change.   Bodily autonomy is essentially the individual self-governance over our bodies, the ability to have control and power over ourselves. It is about self-ownership and self-determination – to take full-governance over what happens, over everything that transpires inside and outside of us. Ultimately, agency and choice.  From three different perspectives, we will be exploring the concept of bodily autonomy and hopefully give you, our readers, … Continue reading Bodily Autonomy: Who Owns Our Bodies?

Written by Ziqian Nie and Derek Xu   Convenience stores can be found almost anywhere, ready to satisfy a potential customer’s desire for convenience. Today, the time we have for shopping and dining has become increasingly restrictive due to work and study commitments which take up so much of our daily schedule.  For a quick lunch, fast and cheap food options often mean that it might be better to combine certain options together for a more cost-effective meal. This can save a lot of time and result in something tastier, making it ideal for office workers, international students and other time-constrained individuals. … Continue reading Convenience Store Hacks

Written by Evelyn Stevie, Kiara Fujiwara and Jessica Lim  The COVID-19 pandemic has made it increasingly challenging for people immerse themselves in travel, experience new cuisines and learn about other cultures. However, what is has done is helped increase the amount of food trends that have been influenced by social media. This has helped the sales of several food businesses who found success or started during the pandemic.   What makes certain foods trend? According to a study conducted by researchers at Aston University’s School of Life and Health Science in UK, you are more likely to eat the same as way … Continue reading Hunger Trends: South Korea, Japan and Indonesia 

Written by Jaclyn Xu, Fay Li, Qingyan Wang and Tracy Sun  In Melbourne, the distribution of restaurants is uneven as most restaurants are situated in the middle of the city, far from students who live in student accommodation; a distance away from the central business district. It is much easier for students to eat nearby, which mainly consists of fast-food restaurants.  On the other hand, it can take time for international students to become used to the food Melbourne offers as they come from different cultural backgrounds with different eating habits and customs. This leaves many having to cook for themselves, … Continue reading A Success? Recreating Meals from Social Media 

Written by Regan Khoo, Evelin Chuluunbat, Justin Yu and Eva Deng  We all know that feeling – worrying if you had just lost marks for missing a class or not participating in a class discussion. For an international student, active class participation is an important part of the Trinity College Foundation Studies experience. It can take up about an average of 10 marks per subject – that’s a total of 70 marks across the board!   As students who fall under this category, we thought it was natural to feel pressured to score these marks and boost our grades. Some might … Continue reading Participating Differently: Is it wrong?