COLOURING FOR CALM
A year ago, no respectable grown up would have dared been caught colouring cats and crocuses. But what was once considered a shady pastime is now a red hot craze…
Freelance Content Creator
and Chief Features Journalist at Cyprus' most widely circulated English-language newspaper.
Over 15 years of international experience in Content Creation, Editing and Proofing.
A year ago, no respectable grown up would have dared been caught colouring cats and crocuses. But what was once considered a shady pastime is now a red hot craze…
WORLDS OF THOUGHT
You know you're a Third Culture Kid if filing a permanent address fills you with anxiety. If you flew before you could walk. And if you can curse convincingly in at least three languages. But personally, I know I'm a TCK because I dread meeting new people. Not that I’m terribly shy, or even antisocial, but because, sooner or later, I know I’ll be asked that dreaded question throws every TCK into a paroxysm of stumbling inanity: “Where are you from?”
The 'signs' were all there, the Pope was meeting Obama, CERN 'would open a portal to another dimension', there were to be blood moons, asteroids and the many coincidences surrounding the Number 23. The Sunday Mail's Alix Norman waited for 'the end' that never came on September 23.
ARTS & CULTURE
If Jon Snow isn’t gone for good, who then was Miltos most surprised to see written out in a series that’s noted for unexpected deaths of its major characters? “Stannis,” he responds immediately. “I felt there was still a lot more of his story to be played out, and I really did want to see him kill Ramsey Bolton!” Fans, however, will be most relieved to hear that the plotline Miltos least expects to see played out in Season 7 is “the death of Tyrion”. Phew!
Of course, the Cosplay competition will be the mainstay of the entire conference, with fantastically-garbed contestants becoming their character for the day. Last year saw Darth Maul, Maleficent and several Daeneryses parade alongside Faith from Mirror’s Edge; Gaara from Naruto; Link from The Legend of Zelda and the State Alchemist from Fullmetal Alchemist.
From the mesmerising image of a child (snapped mid-flight as he leaps down a painted alley) to the sweeping seas of the Philippines – and the three fisherman who, battered by the elements, perch delicately atop their poles – McCurry imbues each of his landscapes with a very human element...
TECHNOLOGY & COMMUNICATION
The difficulty, you see, is that my only sister lives in Alaska. Yes, almost exactly half way round the world. If I wanted to visit, it would probably be quicker to bore a hole through the centre of the Earth than fly round it. And cheaper too. So, at a time of year that’s really all about being with family, it can get quite lonely for both of us. But this isn’t going to be a sad Christmas story. No, it’s a tribute to communication technology, and how – despite the physics of time and space...
“The balance is in appreciating and using technology the right way, but still knowing when to turn it off to experience life to its fullest,” says Dr Nicholas Bowman of West Virginia University, citing the pervasive reality of screen addiction and the poor work/life balance that comes with constant smartphone usage. Experience life to the fullest? Why yes, I could use some of that; a day without any screens whatsoever might be just what I need. I mean, I never go anywhere without my...
It won’t be fast. And it won’t be loud. Technically, there’s not even a finish line to this race. But it will – and, having spent a fascinating morning in the basement laboratory of race organisers The Cyprus Institute, I can promise you this – be exciting! I know, because I’ve discovered first-hand the work that goes into building a solar car – a vehicle powered entirely by the sun. There’s the planning phase, the decision-making (and there are a lot of decisions to be made in something this...
EVENTS & ENVIRONMENT
When he’s good, I call my other half ‘honey’. And though I may consider myself the queen bee in the relationship, I will admit – in writing – that he’s the bee’s knees. You can see where I’m going with this, can’t you… yes, it’s all about bees, an insect so ubiquitous that it’s been part of our language, history and culture for time immemorial. But it’s only recently that the world has woken to the realisation that bees are not merely a source of idiomatic inspiration, they are absolutely...
Wikipedia tells us that permaculture is “a branch of ecological design, ecological engineering, environmental design, construction and integrated water resources management that develops sustainable architecture, regenerative and self-maintained habitats and agricultural systems modelled from natural ecosystems”. Which all sounds rather serious and, unless you’re a graduate of tree-hugging 101, a bit difficult to get one’s head round. Which is why I’ve decided to talk to a real, human expert...
Prized for its properties for close on three millennia, lavender has long been a plant revered. The Phoenicians and peoples of Arabia valued the herb for its delightful aroma and medicinal properties, the ancient Greeks employed the oil as a cure for everything from insomnia to backaches, and even Cleopatra – according to legend – included lavender in her seduction rituals. Now grown all over the world, the plant originated in the Mediterranean. So it’s entirely appropriate that one of our...
SPORT & LEISURE
Billed as the 'Energetic City', Limassol is the vibrant centre of island life. Hosting an ever-growing number of world-class competitions and competitors, this is the town that's putting Cyprus on the global map as a viable destination for international sport. The ideal place for the athletic elite to train, compete and enjoy...
Last time I went, it was Armin Van Buuren who topped the global ranks, and the night was utterly fantastic. Nothing, but nothing could compare to the sensation of being part of that crowd: whipped into a frenzy, sweat-soaked and trance-happy till dawn...
Remember hoverboards? In my mind, these gravity-defying, wheel-less skateboards were the true stars of the Back to the Future franchise. For years I’ve been waiting for 2015 – the year to which the young Marty McFly travels in Back to the Future II – in the hope that someone will have invented such a wondrous device. But, with 13 months to go until that auspicious cinematic date, it’s not looking too promising. Which is why I decided to try Flyboarding – the closest thing to a hoverboard I...