Book review: The Meme Machine

I’m a big fan of memes. And I share more meme-junk on Facebook than my personal life. But this book, The Meme Machine, by British author Susan Blackmore*, doesn’t just talk about these fast-food memes.Let us look at the simple process of how I share these memes: I see some short and punchy memes that make people laugh on social media and can’t help but share them on my own page, and then write a short caption, thinking my friends who see my Facebook feed would think I have a sense of

June 12, 2023 | BY Ginnie Liang

Comment: 0

Would you pay to have an android clone of yourself?

Exploring Ray Bradbury’s Marionettes IncIf you had an opportunity to create a lifelike robotic clone of yourself that would allow you to escape someone or something that makes you unhappy, would you take it?This is an idea that American author and screenwriter Ray Bradbury* incorporated in his 1949 short story, Marionettes Inc., a personal favourite that I highly recommend.The story starts with a conversation between two men of about thirty-five, Braling and Smith, who were walking home after

June 12, 2023 | BY Rui Pastorin

Comment: 0

What does food mean to you?

Growing up in an internationally recognised City of Gastronomy* – Macau, what do you think was my most exciting moment? The answer, without a doubt, is the time I was enjoying meals from different countries with their respective cultures and cuisines – Thailand, Korea, Japan, and even from various cities in the mainland. Of course, as a Chinese territory formerly administered by Portugal, how can we not mention Portuguese cuisine?Does anyone in Macau remember what their first, or the most

June 5, 2023 | BY Yuki Lei

Comment: 0

Revisiting ‘Hatchet’: a reading recommendation

Imagine that you are a 13-year-old on a bush plane flying to see your father. The only other person onboard, the pilot, suddenly dies of a heart attack mid-flight. Your plane goes off course, stalls and crash lands without you knowing your precise location or if the cries for help were really heard over the radio.You’re stranded in the Canadian wilderness, in the middle of nowhere. Though you are not unscathed, at least there are no broken bones. With nothing but a hatchet, tattered clothes,

May 29, 2023 | BY Rui Pastorin

Comment: 0

Book review: A Short History of Chinese Philosophy

When chatting with friends, philosophical topics often come up. Usually, they mention the works and novels of Western philosophers such as Nietzsche, Sartre, or Plato, and rarely touch upon Chinese philosophy. Including myself, most of us first encountered Western philosophy; aside from reading some sections of Mencius and Zhuangzi during high school, we knew almost nothing about Chinese philosophy, and simply thought it was not as interesting as Western philosophy. Perhaps it is because

May 29, 2023 | BY William Chan

Comment: 0

What is Mother’s Day?

Next Sunday is Mother’s Day for most of the world, but how did it start and why? In America Mother’s Day is a relatively new tradition that was started in 1907 by Anna Jarvis, after her mother died,  who organised the first Mother’s Day service of worship and celebration in Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia.Mother’s Day started out as Mother’s Day Work Clubs, which Jarvis formed to address public health issues. She and another peace activist and

May 8, 2023 | BY Lesley Wells

Comment: 0

Mom’s most important advice

Has anyone ever given you a piece of advice that was so strong that it never left you? When I was a child, my mother told me, ‘Sometimes it’s okay, as long as you had fun.’As a student, volunteering at school events was something I truly enjoyed. It helped me bond with my friends and learn some things outside the classroom setting. There was never a time I did not enjoy attending those events. One day, my family planned a morning trip to Zhuhai, the same day as our school held a

May 8, 2023 | BY Jo Azurin*

Comment: 0

The negatives about technology

There have been a number of remarkable achievements and advancements in technology over the years. At times, it can give its users power at the touch of a button and convenience through a voice command. However, it is not without its concerns and negatives, particularly in terms of what can happen when over-reliance occurs and when replacing certain things with it come up.In the modern world, technology is a crutch that is integral and often necessary. Over-reliance on it, however, can be a

May 1, 2023 | BY Rui Pastorin

Comment: 0

The Good Side of Technology

I start my day when the alarm clock in my mobile phone rings, then I switch on the light to wake myself up properly. I walk into the living room and turn on the television for the news, while brushing my teeth with my new electric toothbrush. I repeat “Siri, how’s the weather” every day when I am selecting my outfit of the day. When I’m in good mood, I turn on the radio for music while enjoying my breakfast with my expresso made by the coffee machine. After that, I switch on my computer

May 1, 2023 | BY Yuki Lei

Comment: 0

The importance of time & effort in learning a skill

I stared at my reflection in the bathroom mirror as I gripped my father’s clippers, which were old and missing a tooth in the clipper guard. It was during the time when most barbershops were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and I was in desperate need of a haircut as my hair had become lifeless and overgrown.With no practice or even any sort of training except for hours of YouTube videos, I spent 20 minutes bouncing between saying “this is a horrible idea” and “social media said I

April 17, 2023 | BY Rui Pastorin

Comment: 0

Learn something new every day

We start learning from the day we are born and hopefully until the day we die. It may be something simple like learning to change a light bulb or something more complicated like taking a PhD. Learning should always be enjoyable because if it feels like a chore, it is extremely difficult to retain the information and easy to be distracted.Many people seem to think that learning something only involves academic subjects, which is not at all true. Learning something new, whether it be a

April 17, 2023 | BY Lesley Wells

Comment: 0

Avoiding negative peer pressure

Is peer pressure always a bad thing? Maybe not. Sometimes, whatever you’re being pressured into doing can be harmless, while the best kind can even be beneficial. In a perfect world, all peer pressure should be positive. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case and most of us might be familiar with the more negative side of the term.Some examples of this include being pressured into maybe just one more drink at a party, shoplifting to fit in with, and please a group of “cool kids”, or

April 3, 2023 | BY Rui Pastorin

Comment: 0

How is peer pressure described?

About peer pressure, here I want to share an observation with you all to discuss what peer pressure is, which I would describe as copycat behaviour.First of all, what is peer pressure? According to Wikipedia, peer pressure (also known as peer influence) is the direct or indirect influence on peers, i.e., members of social groups such as classmates or friends with similar interests, experiences, or social statuses. Members of a peer group are more likely to influence a person’s beliefs,

April 3, 2023 | BY Yuki Lei

Comment: 0

The ‘lucky’ necklace

As a sceptic, I have my doubts about the phenomenon of luck. I don’t always believe in it and my reasons were formed and solidified when I was in Third Grade, the time when my uncle came to Macau to visit my family.He was a fashionable young man in his late twenties, working as a teacher by day, and a musician who performed to a hip young crowd at night. To me, he had all the makings of a cool uncle. I could not be happier when he decided to leave me a gift before he left for home, which was

March 27, 2023 | BY Rui Pastorin

Comment: 0