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April 24, 2014

World Cup 2014 – The Host Cities

There are 12 cities in Brazil poised to host the world’s greatest sporting event, the 2014 football World Cup. Brazil is synonymous with football, the A Seleção, as the Brazilian national team are known, are the world’s most famous and successful national team ever. Yet there is more to Brazil than football, lets take a look at some of the cities and what they have to offer the football fan who ventures away from the stadiums. Rio de Janeiro Rio is one of the world’s most famous cities thanks to part to the carnival which carries its name but also because of its…

April 21, 2014

A Quick Lesson in French Wine

Most of us love a nice glass of wine, but don’t know much about the science behind it — what are the characteristics of pinot noir vs. cabernet, where are the grapes grown, why are some areas associated with better wine than others? It’s easier to appreciate the drink when we know what it’s meant to taste like and where it comes from. The first (and most enjoyable) step is to start tasting — for instance, start with a merlot from the Bordeaux region of France — but if you’re still at work or don’t have a bottle handy, here…

April 17, 2014

Brisbane, Queensland: Not so Boring as it Seems

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Brisbane, Queensland’s capital city, has a reputation for being a bit dull. From the outset, visitors notice a murky river running through the middle of the CBD, a few Art-Deco high-rises where well-preserved colonial buildings should have been, and the extortionate cost of public transport, and immediately plot their escape to the Sunshine or Gold Coasts. This is how I initially felt about this city – as far as I could tell, it was sport-obsessed, lacking for art and culture, and a place where people come to study before immediately taking off for greener pastures. However, having lived there for…

April 17, 2014

The Cricketing Upgrade

Spring has arrived which means two things, the flowers are out and the cricket season has begun. If you are not familiar with cricket, which is surprising in itself as it dates back to 1598, then this year you really should. Granted the English national side are in dire straits at the minute, a dismal Ashes Tour and a woeful Twenty20 World Cup performance has led many people to worry about England’s chances at next year’s World Cup, however, the domestic scene is flourishing. The annual County Championship has recently got underway and it seems that the 2014 season could…

April 17, 2014

Upgrade your tablet

There were 195million tablets sold in 2013 and these sales look likely to continue in 2014. The electronic device is quickly becoming the must have accessory in the technology world. However, if you do plan on upgrading to a tablet do not fall into the Apple trap, you can upgrade and actually minimise costs by choosing one of Apple’s competitors. If we compare the iPad Air, Apple’s tablet, and the Android operated Kindle Fire, which is £100 cheaper, you can see that the Kindle is a significant upgrade for a considerably lesser cost. Let’s start with what’s inside both tablets.…

April 3, 2014

How Do I FIFA?

It’s closing in on that time of year again: that long month where people who take no interest in soccer for 11 months of the year start setting their alarms for 4am and watch every match of the FIFA World Cup. Of course, there are the diehard, drooling fans — but I’ve been astonished over the years to find out just how many people pay attention to this sporting event, and wonder who actually knows too much about what’s going on. If you’re like me and a) barely know what goes on in soccer besides kicking a ball back-and-forth and…

April 3, 2014

The Dos and Don’ts of Internet Dating

Once full of stigma, Internet dating has really taken off — now it’s only 15 percent stigma. More and more people are turning to the web in order to add some romance to their busy lives. There’s no doubt it’s more convenient than conventional dating: you can take your time, peruse (though it’s difficult not to feel like you’re looking at a catalogue), and exchange as many messages as you want before committing to anything. On the other hand, you can also be granted opportunities to express yourself in ways you’d struggle with in person, which can be freeing. However,…

April 3, 2014

These Life Hacks Will Make You a Really Efficient Human Being

We all love to make our lives a little easier. The trouble is, a lot of things designed to be “more efficient” actually wind up creating the opposite effect. (I mean, drive-throughs? Seriously? And don’t even get me started on escalators and travelators). So, I’ve created a list of little tricks you can use throughout your day that actually work and will make you a TOTALLY AWESOME AND EFFICIENT SUPERHUMAN. (Hyperbole? Hardly). 1. Use paper clips and toilet rolls to organise your cords. Those tangly little buggers are always getting tricksy, aren’t they? Attach some paper clips (the ones designed to hold…

April 3, 2014

How to Stay Healthy While Travelling

Travel improves our lives in a lot of ways. We’re exposed to new cultures and sights and smells, taught humility and patience, and, well, we have a lot of fun along the way. What travel also does, however, is wreak havoc on our health. I’m not just talking about the odd bout of Delhi Belly here; I’m talking months of poor sleep. I’m talking your eyes turning grey and dull because you’re not getting enough essential nutrients. I’m talking your skin breaking out due to excess pollution, muscles slacking, and cargoes growing tighter because you’ve had a straight week of…

April 3, 2014

Men: This is Why You Hate Shopping

Even though I’m a woman, I have a man’s mindset when it comes to shopping. Most of the time, I loathe it – except when shopping for very specific leisure items – and count down the minutes until I can break for lunch. My heart pains for the lost and confused congregations of boyfriends and husbands eternally sitting on benches, or lone partners trailing the aisles while shooting longing glances towards the pub. I empathise because of shared frustration for the same things: repetition, overwhelming variety of items that are 99% identical (yet different enough to merit consideration), and the…