By Xiaotong He, Alicia Du and Karmy Xu  Flowers and plants are everywhere in our daily lives. In parenting them, we believe that it is a must-have experience to which there are many benefits to nurturing them. After you read this article, you will be able to learn how to be a good parent to plants.   How do you become a plant parent?  To become a plant parent, you must first choose which type of flower, plant or tree that you want to plant. Think about whether the environment you are providing is suitable and then, after thorough consideration, you … Continue reading The Plant Parenting Guide for Students 

By Rachel Liang and Caroline He  There are different close relationships between people, such as family, friends, and lovers. Similarly, such a close relationship can also be had between people and their pets.   Pets have gradually become increasingly valuable over time to become our best friend. This closeness might have been the result of a trust cultivated from being together through parts of history, which in a way, promoted a stable and harmonious environment for pets to develop.   To explore these relationships, we have spoken to some friends and fellow pet owners about their pets.  Joanna   Joanna’s dog, Judy died in … Continue reading An Ode to Our Best Friend: Pets  

By Sunny Nguyen and William Coscolluela   The familiar situation of aisles filled to the brim with skin whitening products, large posters of people with skin so pale and pearly white the glare of the light bouncing off them blinding our eyes.   Asia has had a long-standing obsession with attaining fair skin as euro-centric features have been idolized as the beauty standard. The obsession with white skin has been present for a while, and it continues to persist strongly today.   What are the possible explanations for how Asia’s obsession with white skin came to be?   Can we blame Hollywood’s white … Continue reading Avoiding the Sun: Our Obsession with Whiteness

By Patricia Sujono, Sabina Harnia , Anjanette Kimmiko and Ryan Hung  Eating out can be a delightful experience, whether it be dining with a partner in a romantic ambience, enjoying lunch with friends and family, or even celebrating a special occasion such as a birthday party. Regardless of how pleasurable eating out is, the current COVID-19 pandemic has been stopping us from being able to complete enjoy the pleasures of eating out.  So, here are 4 reasons to convince you why cooking and eating at home with your loved ones should be considered as a good alternative.   The Food Is Healthier     People … Continue reading Reasons Why Eating-in Is Good for You 

By Alexia Chen and Rad Putra  Think about the goods you consume and the waste you produce in your daily life. How much of it is recyclable or biodegradable? Do you use a reusable shopping bag, or do you pay the extra cents for a plastic bag?  Waste is an increasingly serious problem around the world and has made sustainability or going “zero-waste” a new way of living.  Living zero-waste may sound difficult, but there are numerous ways to lead a greener life as a student.    What is Zero Waste?  As defined by the Toronto Environmental Alliance, zero-waste refers … Continue reading Zero-Waste Living for Students  

By Jojo Zhang, Rhea Qin and Susan Deng  Do you know about the superstition surrounding the number 13? If you observe western buildings in detail, you may find that there is no button for the thirteenth floor in the elevator.  In many cultures such as the Mayans and Babylonians, the number is recognized as an unlucky number – bringing forth misfortune and tragedies in its wake. The thirteenth of Jesus’ 12 disciples, Judas, betrayed Jesus at the Last Supper. Princess Diana experienced her last moments in Pillar 13 of the Pont de L ‘Alma tunnel.  Many superstitions and urban legends … Continue reading Superstitions You Might Not Know About 

By Jessie, Jingyi Zhou, Krystal Zhou and Sinee Rachataphairoj  2022 has arrived! Many countries within Asia celebrate Lunar New Year, but are you familiar with the customs they have?   If you are interested in the answer this question, we hope that you can learn more about them from this list.   India  On New Year’s Eve, some places will fast for a day and one night to welcome the new year. In others, they cry for a whole day in order of the old, middle-aged and children to lament the passing of time and shortness of life. When New Year’s Day … Continue reading Year of the Water Tiger: Interesting Lunar New Year Customs 

By Xiyu Liu, Irelia Wang and Scarlett Wang  Electronic products have gradually become an inseparable part of our day-to-day lives with smart watches occupying an increasingly important position in the watch market.    These watches are smaller than mobile phones and computers but can achieve more with their numerous functions and although they bring a lot of convenience to our lives, our dependence on these electronic products may not necessarily be a good thing.  Are we too dependent on these electronic products? What are the advantages and disadvantages of current smart watches and assistants?    Let’s ask the youth!  To better understand … Continue reading Smart Watches and Assistants: Are we too dependent on them? 

By Iris Feng, Xiaoxiao Liu and Crystal Zheng  After the outbreak of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, our lives have changed dramatically. We were forced to stay at home and change our current lifestyles.  For students at least, the big change was online teaching – what we had “always” dreamt of. Students’ learning patterns and teachers’ teaching methods changed almost completely, requiring a different kind of critical thinking to follow ideas of the past.   Regarding the rest of us, the pandemic had brought back an even bigger change – bring us back to our old ways of life, like enjoying a … Continue reading Back-to-basics: A Step in the Right Direction?