Growing up with two Russian parents, I never thought Russia could do any wrong. My Soviet-raised, conservative and patriotic parents were so thickly coated in their propaganda, passed on to them through fake news and nationalism that I rarely even questioned their beliefs. Putin is one of the greatest leaders Russia has ever seen? Sure. […]

Perfectionism is both a blessing and a curse, as cliche as that may sound. It can be the source of your motivation to concur the world, but it can also be the enormous boulder, obstructing your path and your visions.  Perfectionism can define laziness or it can define diligence, it all depends on what kind […]

For as long as I can remember, my New Years Resolutions have always included “to get fit”. Year after year I would look back on my journal, postponing my fitness goal to a later time, promising myself that THIS will be my year (HINT: it never was). There were many instances where I would begin […]

If you’ve been looking for a sign to get up and do something productive with your time, this is it. 2020 has not quite succumbed to our expectations and it has certainly interfered with everyone’s lives and plans. This is a difficult time for many Australians, particularly those who have lost their jobs and are […]

For some of us, decision making is one of the most gruelling tasks you could ever assign us to. What brand of cheese do I get? What colour car should I buy? What degree should I choose? Which job should I take? A multitude of options can send us into a heated debate between our […]

As a journalism student I am always curious to read the work of established journalists. Whether it’s their reporting compiled into one book, or an autobiography, I believe seeing your chosen field from a different angle is always an asset. Recently, I came across the book ‘Truthteller’, by Stephen Davis. He is an investigative reporter […]

Love. It’s something we have all felt – from the moment we clasped our mother’s finger with our tiny hand, thinking we held the whole world in our palm, to the warm embrace of our partner, promising us a safety net as innocuous as their arms cocooning us. Love can be delicate, powerful, irresistible even, […]

At some point in our lives, we may come to question whether or not we are boring. It doesn’t matter what type of lifestyle we have; we may be the ultimate socialite or a stay-at-home introvert – this query could bother any one of us. It can often stem from a series of awkward social […]

Have you ever met someone who inspires you and makes you feel truly alive but you discovered them at too young of an age and in the wrong circumstances with too many obstacles guarding the twisted path towards a future together? It’s not uncommon for people to claim that they’ve met the right person at […]

We live in a world that’s obsessed with the idea of being happy. Millions of self-help books, with the majority focused on this exact conundrum – aiming to drag us into, almost, a cult of meditators and gratitude journalists. It almost seems like happiness is now an unattainable fantasy, accessible only to those who follow […]

Whether you’re finishing primary school or you’re in your last months of year 12, you’ve probably at least considered what it would be like to take a gap year. Maybe you thought how great it would be to travel Europe, or volunteer in a developing country, or maybe just work and save some money, or […]

Unless you have soaring self esteem and confidence, or you’re out there doing something completely unique, own a business or hang around influential people; having to communicate with “important” people may seem like a stressful experience; like meeting your mother in law. So how does one approach a VIP without feeling like you’re looking up […]