Written by William Chen and Tiffany Zhao   As more and more international students come to Australia to study, it isn’t uncommon for many of them to feel the pressures of self-doubt, afraid of not being able to show their true abilities and therefore, reach their personal goals. Often issues such as stress, anxiety and other mental illnesses can add to that burden, sadly leading students towards a lack of confidence, anxiety and social phobia.    Meet William One of these unfortunate international students is William. William, a nineteen-year-old international student from Trinity College, found himself lacking confidence and self-esteem when socialisng with … Continue reading 6 Ways to Improve Your Confidence 

Written by Snow Phyu, Zining Low and Bella Pham   Collectives are a group of individuals who share a common objective driven by ideas, interests and beliefs that enable them to work together to catch attention the general public and mainstream media. Two noticeable examples include the anonymous art collective, the Guerrilla Girls, a feminist group formed in New York City during the 1980s and ToughYouth, a collective formed by a group of teenage girls in China who advocate and raise awareness for better sex education in high schools. Guerilla GirlsAn anonymous feminist art collective, the Guerilla Girls formed in … Continue reading Youth Collectives

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