:galRIssue 01/13 Price £5

Editors’ Note

Hello and welcome to the debut issue ofRé:gal!

After the past few months of hard work and many

long nights we are excited to share our precious mag-

azine with you.

If you are wondering, the strange spelling of Ré:gal is

a combination of the French égal, equal, and Re as the

subject in email communication. Our subject, gal, is a

woman; it is you.

This first issue is packed with a variety of articles and

there is a little something for everyone. We take you

on a journey through Cape Town, we talk about the

position of women in Hong Kong and how feminism

and equality are struggling in Britain and other devel-

opped countries even today. We focus on feeling

good and being content and taking good care of your-

self in a physical as well as psychological sense.

If you’re feeling artistic, we introduce you to some

brilliant exhibitions that are currently on in Manches-

ter; we speak to a vintage shop owner and if your life

needs a soundtrack each of us is offering an artist or a

band to become obsessed about.

All of this and much more is waiting for you further

along but before you go and turn the page we’d just

like to say thank you. Thank you for showing us sup-

port and buying our, your magazine. Please let us

know your thoughts on the first issue and we hope

you enjoy reading Ré:gal at least as much as we en-

joyed putting it together.

Kat, Ceke, Carmen, Yvonne, Aynel and Joanne

The Production Team

3

CONTENTS

THOUGHTS

14It’s Okay To Be a Feminist

54A Small Act

Giving Back

57Open-minded Girl

Adapting to the World Around You

65Behind the Zodiacs

Myths and Astronomy

PLACES

8Journey Through Ekapa

Adventure in Africa

30On Manchester Art

Visiting Manchester’s Galleries

44Highs and Lows of Women

in Hong Kong

62The Gathering of the Tribe

Boom Festival 2012

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57

52

40

On Feminism Today

ENERGY

13Dance Your Way to

Fitness

Bokwa Craze

40The Mind, Body and Spirit

Positives of Meditation

52Life is Like Riding a

Bicycle

INSPIRATION

22Vintage Style - Past and

Presents

36Good Vibes

72Let’s Get Dressed

Fashion Editorial

82Illusions A short story

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22

8

78

Interview with a Vintage Shop Owner

Joys of Cycling

Contributors

Contributors

Carmenin six words

creative, adorable, romantic,

modern, enthusiastic, niceJoanne

in six words

Peace, love and the great outdoors! Yvonne

in six words

cool, witty, passionate, strong-

minded, original, trend-setter

Katarínain six words

artistic, honest, intense,

thoughtful, impatient, stubborn

Cekein six words

shy, quiet, determined,

kind, free spirit

Aynelin six words

working on self definition

and photographs

7

JOURNEY THROUGH EkAPA

Words by Ceke Mathenge

Discover Cape Town’s HIdden Gems

Words by Ceke Mathenge

hen I think of Cape Town so many

things come to mind. Cape Town

to me is cultural, beautiful, scenic,

historical, diverse, modern, calm,

and bohemian. Composed of daunting moun-

tains and the animated Indian and Atlantic

Oceans, a visit to Cape Town will be a unique

and undoubtedly memorable experience. Made

up of cluster of communities and cultures Cape

Town has something for everyone. Photogra-

phers will find inspiration from all the scenic lo-

cations the city as on offer, from its stunning

beaches Clifton, boulders and muizenberg, the

Majestic Table Mountain, Victoria and Albert

waterfront and Cape Point. The art and music

lovers will find numerous galleries, and studios

to visit in the city.

If you’re a fan of history, the city’s rich history

will leave your dazed and confused with where

to begin. A great place to start is at the begin-

ning (quite literally) of the city’s establishment,

The Castle of Good Hope, the oldest building in

Cape Town was built by Jan Van Riebeek and

The Dutch East Indian Company; the building –

an example of a star fort-was completed in

1679. After being restored in the 1980s, the

building now houses furniture and other arte-

facts from the early days of Dutch settlement

in the city, as well as the military museum. If

you’re a nature lover than a trip to Cape Town’s

oldest and most famous botanical garden, Com-

pany’s Garden, will be a real treat. It is said that

it still houses the first pear tree ever planted in

the city. The first Dutch settlers established

Company’s Garden in the 1650s. The garden

was started to supply fresh produce to passing

ships of the Dutch East Indian Company. Lo-

cated in close proximity to the garden are sev-

eral of the city’s principal museums.

If you still want to explore more of Cape

Town’s historical past then you should head

down to Church Square and Slave lodge which

are reminders of a time when the Slave trade

was a booming industry in the Cape settlement.

Built in 1679 on behalf of the Dutch East India

Company, the Slave Lodge housed thousands of

slaves during the time when slavery was a prof-

itable business in the Cape Colony. During its

day the lodge also got the infamous reputation

of being known as a brothel. Under British rule

it was transformed into a supreme court. The

historical church square is located in the same

area known as the place where slaves would

wait under a ‘slave tree’ while the owners at-

tended church service. It was briefly used as a

car park in the 1970s however it was converted

into a green space. Today Church Square and

the Slave Lodge are symbols of the cape

colony’s turbulent past and can be visited for a

minimal fee, so if you interested in the Slave

trade this should be on your list.

If you’re interested in the apartheid era and

what it was like for black people in cape town,

District Six Museum will give you insight into

the situation the black community found itself

in. Visit the museum and learn about the heart-

breaking story of the demolition of what could

be said to have been Cape Town’s most vibrant

community during the apartheid era. Robben

Island is best known as the former home of

Nelson Mandela, who was imprisoned on the

island for 27 years. It is one of Cape Town’s

most visited tourist attractions and therefore it

should already be on your list of places to visit.

The island is a short ferry ride away from the

Victoria and Albert Waterfront and is open to

the public, however Nelson Mandela’s cell re-

mains closed off. It is said that the island was

used at various times between the seventeenth

and twentieth centuries, as a maximum prison

for political prisoners, a hospital for socially un-

acceptable groups and a military base. Today

the island remains a symbol of Cape Town and

South Africa’s dark past, oppression and racial

segregation. It should be noted that the island

is also home to a flock penguins and a visit to

the island is also a chance to learn about its

ecological significance.

If there’s one thing that makes Cape Town

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W

stand out from other South African cities is its

cultural awareness. Cape Town is home to a

large Jewish, Muslim, Black, and White com-

munity, each with a unique identity within the

city. The one place you have to visit if you’re in-

terested in learning about the history of the

city’s residents is a tour of the different town-

ships and neighborhoods, which will give you

insight into what their lives are like. The Jewish

community is one of the oldest communities in

South Africa, having migrated to the area dur-

ing the early days of the Dutch company settle-

ment. They are a unique community in that

they have a shared identity with both South

Africa and Israel. A Visit to the Synagogue and

Jewish Museum and Holocaust memorial are

worth a visit.

The Bo Kaap situated at the foot of Signal Hill

is famous for its brightly coloured houses. It is

the home of the Cape’s Muslim community

that settled there after the abolition of the

slavery. Previously known as the Malay quarter

this area housed many slaves brought over

mainly from Java in the seventeenth and eigh-

teenth century. A great way to learn about

their culture and history is to visit the Iziko mu-

seum in Bo Kaap. I feel the greatest way to

learn about another culture is to integrate into

it, for example taking a Malay cooking class will

be a good way to learn about the community.

End your visit to Bo Kaap with a trip to Hass

collective, an art gallery and studio space, cof-

fee shop and advertising agency. It was initially

a shop filled with a mix of edgy items and one-

of-a-kind art pieces, after a space next door

opened up it became the famous café/studio it

is today. Grab a cup Kopi Luwak, the most ex-

pensive coffee in the world and probably the

most uniquely manufactured.

If you’re still up for exploring the many sides of

Cape Town then visit bohemian Cape Town.

This is the perfect place to let your hair down

and grab a drink with your friends and head out

for a night in city. If you’re an artist in need of

some inspiration or just a ‘boho’ enthusiast this

is the perfect place to visit. The arty district the

Observatory-locally known as ‘Obs’- is de-

scribed by the locals as bold, brass and exciting

and is scattered with eclectic café’s, galleries,

bars, clubs, restaurants, book and curio shops.

It’s known as Cape Town’s entertainment hub

and is located on the east side of the city, near

the stunning University of Cape Town. You’ll

find several students, professors, artists and

musicians flocking to the area and will soon be

entrenched in the youthfulness it gives off. The

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observatory is also an important symbol of

Cape Town’s past, as during the apartheid era,

it was labelled a grey zone meaning that coexis-

tence of different ethnic communities was per-

mitted. The area is a cultural melting point and

should not be visited by the faint hearted.

If you need a break from the city, take a trip

down to the nearby Cape Point, the most west-

erly point of Africa. Here you can experience

the union of the warm Indian Ocean and the

Cold South Atlantic Ocean. It is definitely a

great place to capture last minute photos of the

great Cape’s expansive coastline and will be a

highlight of your trip. There are lots of cheap,

good quality restaurants in the area where you

can enjoy the best seafood the two oceans have

to offer.

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f you are big on getting fit and living a healthy lifestyle then why not try the latest fit-

ness trend, Bokwa. Created by South African born, Los Angeles based Group Fitness in-

structor Paul Mavi, this new exercise dance class is inspired by South African dance. It’s

a simple yet effective approach to a total body workout and uses letters to help people

identify the moves, making it perfect for all ages. If your wondering what the name is all

about it, it’s a combination of two words, BO-stands for light boxing and the KWA-repre-

sents the traditional dance kwaito.

Still not convinced?

Bokwa combines elements of Kwaito a South African dance, Capoeira, kickboxing and light

boxing, which will have you working up a sweat in no time. Bokwa can be tailored to fit

your personal needs so you don’t need to be a religious gym goer to try it out.

The amount of calories burnt during a class varies depending on your individual fitness

level, but don’t worry you can expect to burn over 500 calories in an hour’s class. The great

thing about Bokwa is that it’s a full body workout, so it will get every muscle in your body

working. Next time you’re in your local health center, why not grab a few of friends, book

a session and have a go.

Dance YourWay To Fitness

Words By Ceke Mathenge

13

I

IT’S OkAYTO BE A

FEMINISTWords & Collages by Katarina Gazikova

If you look up the word feminism in a dictionary it will offeryou a vague description among the lines of - women’s movement fighting for equal rights and equal opportunities.Any further definition varies from a dictionary to dictionary,website to website, individual to individual, feminist tofeminist; leaving you rather confused about this movementand the ‘common interest’ that women seem to share.

here is no agreed description of

feminism as such. Contemporary

feminism encourages each

individual to define feminism for

herself which leads to an embracing of

contradiction, conflict, and messiness

when it comes to agreeing on a specific

contemporary feminist agenda.

So are you a feminist?

I’m not. When someone says ‘she's a

feminist,’ I imagine a not-so-good-looking

single woman who doesn't care for her

appearance, hates men and is hated by

them in return. It is what comes to my

mind and even though I know it's not true

I also know I am not the only one with this

view.

There seems to be tension in being a

‘feminist’, there is an idea of the essential

feminist as there is an idea of the ideal

woman - preferably white, middle-class,

heterosexual woman that doesn't cater to

the male gaze.

Feminism shouldn't carry such

negative connotations. Despite all this, the

key idea of feminism is to establish woman

as an equal to her male counterpart, and I

do believe in that.

As Roxanne Gay says in her essay ‘Bad

Feminist,’ ‘There is nowhere near an

accurate description of feminism, but the

movement has been warped by

misperception for so long that even people

who should know better have bought into

this essential image of feminism.’

Su, an Australian woman

interviewed for the anthology DIY Feminism described feminists as ‘women

who don't want to be treated like shit.’ It is

probably one of the most to-the-point

definitions of a feminist; nobody likes to

be treated wrongly. So let me ask again,

are you a feminist? As much as I struggle

to admit it, I am one. I wish there was a

different word for feminism, because the

negative connotations it carries just do not

do justice to what it should be.

The concept of feminism is one of the most

misinterpreted ones and the contemporary

media does a surprisingly great job at

sustaining this inaccurate image. Even

though many female editors in women-

targeted magazines consider themselves

feminists, the final product is not so true

to the agenda. Admittedly, it is hard to

attract advertisers to place their advert

next to a radical feminist article because

they would much rather advertise next to

one that compliments their product.

However, feminism doesn't necessarily

have to have a militant drive.

Gender roles are changing, it is now

common for men to shave other parts of

their body rather than just their face and

there are a few stay at home dads out

there too, yet most of the gender

inequalities remain. It does not seem like

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17

there is a particularly high demand for

feminism today even though women still

earn only 77% of what men do, to mention

one of the ‘big’ concerns. Why is our view

of this movement so impaired? After all, it

is here to help and work for us rather than

against us and there are people to blame.

Gay talks about the discrepancy between

what women say and do. In the September

2012 issue of Harper's Bazaar, Elizabeth

Wurtzel states looking good is a matter of

feminism and consequently suggests a

woman's worth is, in part, determined by

her beauty, which of course is one of the

very things feminism works against.

In the December 2012 issue of French

Vogue Carla Bruni states feminism is

‘unnecessary’ and that her generation

‘doesn't need feminism.’ She says she loves

family life and doing the same thing every

day. But since when are these things

mutually exclusive? Hers and Wurtzel's

statements simply show their ignorance

where issues of feminism are being dis-

cussed.

In her research regarding the

appearance of feminism in women/teen

magazines, Keller interviews four New

York editors and questions the product of

the inclusion of feminist ideas inside the

publications. Women's magazines are

afraid to use ‘the “F” word’ and often

replace it with the word empowerment

instead. As acknowledgeable as the at-

tempt of creating awareness of gender

injustice is, the result is that modern media

focus on individual empowerment which is

not enough to challenge inequalities on a

societal scale. The word feminism remains

a taboo in many women's and in all teen

magazines (I've used it twenty one times

so far). Keller says feminism is ‘a political

critique and a collective movement,’ while

empowerment ‘has no political

implications and carries no responsibility

to critique structural inequalities like

18

patriarchy or capitalism.’ Avoiding the “F”

word discourages women to self-identify

themselves as feminists, which only

supports the stereotypes. Omitting the

word therefore doesn't contribute to

feminist changes that are so much called

for.

Another significant concern is representa-

tion of black women by the feminist

organisations. They are often seen as

‘radical black feminists’ and get blamed for

‘playing the race card.’ Ignorance from the

side of white feminists and the lack of

interest in including the concerns of black

women into mainstream feminism make

many of them disown the feminist label.

As for the representation of Afro-

Caribbean women in the media; even

today there is a marginal difference

between how many white and how many

black women get featured on the covers or

in the articles in the magazines. Unless it’s

Naomi Campbell, Tyra Banks, Rihanna or

Michelle Obama of course.

So considering the persisting dis-

crimination of women on the base of their

gender and colour, do you think you're

ready to be a feminist now? Are you ready

to forget the make up, forget the shoes,

the men, all the free drinks from the good-

looking guy at the bar, the figure-hugging

clothes, the sex and the razors? Are you

prepared to dress yourself in loose clothes,

not wear a bra, spit and swear everywhere

you go, cut your hair short and start hating

everything male? Not in the slightest?

Well do not despair, as long as you’re

aware of the persistent inequalities around

you and realise that the aforementioned

issues cannot be ‘made right’ before they

are acknowledged. Everyone’s personality

is full of contradictions but that does not

mean you are a bad woman or a bad

feminist. Feminism isn’t one individual’s at-

tempt to be equal, it is a collective move-

19

ment and, if you don't like to be ‘treated

like shit,’ face the problems and examine

them carefully. No amount of concealer is

going to correct the situation, it is the

women behind it.

No one knows the right way how to

be a feminist, even if many tried to

subjectively describe what a feminist has

to do to be a good and valuable part of the

movement. Mistakenly, feminism has been

attributed with the notion of ‘having it all.’

There is no manual how to succeed in

feminism. The only thing the movement

wants is equality between sexes on all

grounds. It's like the difference between

religion and faith. Believing in God does

not mean you have to be part of church

and equality does not at all mean all

women have to work and prioritise career

before children and family life. Finally,

who likes to come home to an empty

house? Being a feminist does not mean

being an ‘ice queen.’ Feminists can love.

If it feels good when a man opens

he word itself is ambiguous; the way it’s used today connotes ideas advocat-

ing the emancipation of women and the movements attempting to achieve

that. The invention of the word has been attributed to Charles Fourier at the

start of the 19th century. It was first used in England in the 1890s with the

emergence of the ‘first-wave’ of feminism, characterised mainly by the suffrage

movement. The movement went quiet shortly after women gained the right to

vote in 1920. In the 1960s and 1970s the ‘second-wave’ worked to end the discrimi-

nation in society, education and the workplace.

Critics disagree whether there has been a ‘third-wave.’ The opinions are

halved, some say there’s been one around the 1990s as a response to the failures of

the ‘second-wave,’ some say it persists till now. Modern feminism is constructed by

a number of different philosophical theories. The movements often disagree about

confronting some issues. There are radical feminists and feminists that accuse the

movement of anti-male prejudice and there is desire to make the label ‘feminist’

neutral or even a positive word.

Feminism Briefly

the door for you, buys you dinner (think of

it as filling the wage gap), or just treats

you well it does not mean you are being

unfaithful to feminism. If you enjoy

reading Vogue and spend a fortune on

clothes and shoes, it does not mean you

don't believe in equality. If you don't care

about cars or technology and prefer

beauty salons to body shops, it is

completely okay. You can still be a feminist

and be aware of and committed to issues

important to the feminist movement. You

can even wear pink while doing it because

being a feminist does not prevent you

from being a woman.

References:

Gay, R. 2012. 'Bad Feminist.' In: Virginia

Quarterly Review 88(4), pp.88-95.

Keller, J. 2012. 'Feminist Editors and the

New Girl Glossies: Fashionable Feminism

or just Another Sexist Rag?' In: Women's

Studies International Forum 34(1), pp.1-12.

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Vintage Style -

Past and Presents‘Vintage’, what comes to your mind when you look at the word? In the past few years,vintage style has become popular among young women. At surface level, the obses-sion with vintage clothing among young people may be confusing. In an age where‘the newest is the better’ now, many people are choosing to wear blatantly outdatedapparel. This seems to go against the modern way of thinking. Yet, this is what hasbeen happening in recent years, from ASOS to eBay to many fast-growing vintage re-tailers in England, it’s hard not to notice that older styles have made monumentalcomebacks. The wave of vintage-wearers and shops prove that fashion isn’t like tech-nology, meaning that newer isn’t necessarily more desirable.

Words and Photography by Carmen Chu

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23

o, whats so special about vintage?

What makes people fall in love with

the style? There are actually many

reasons. We found a local vintage

shop - Past and Presents, in Newcastle-under-

lyme, the shop owner, Lauren, tells us about

her vintage business and the reasons why peo-

ple love vintage and handmade products.

é - Régal

L - Lauren

é: How did you start you business?

L: I started my business about three years ago,

I did not open a shop straightaway, I attended

vintage fairs with my sister around the coun-

try. Through the vintage fairs, we actually

gained a better understanding of vintage

style, also, more poeple noticed and appreci-

ated our designs through the fairs and there-

fore we decided to open a shop near our

hometown three months ago and started the

business.

é: I see. This is interesting as we can see how

you developed your business step by step. Did

it become stressful when you opened the

shop?

L: Yeah, it can be quite stressful, as everything

is still new, I had to build up everything for

the shop, like advertising, marketing and dif-

ferent stuff but then it was fun and worth it

after all.

é: Ya, I saw leafets and signs when I walked

along the street to the shop, I can see that you

do put a lot of effort in to it. Are there any-

things that you really enjoyed or something

interesting that has happened?

L: It is really nice when you get customers

that appreciate your work, we get regulars,

and quite a lot of students from the college,

we can always share our experience about vin-

tage fashion. Also, I am glad to have a studio

at the back of the shop, I am not just doing

business but I can actually make stuff. Some

of the products in the shop are made by me,

like the wall hangings, with old photos on

them, the brooches and my sister does all the

handmade vintage linens.

é: I really love the handmade products, they

are very pretty and cute! What actually

makes you enjoy creating vintage stuff?

L: I always made stuff when I was little, then I

did Arts and Design in college. For my degree,

I studied Fine Art while my sister did Textiles,

so it is like we always make stuff. It is really

‘We actually made stuff in the studio..my sister does all the handmade vintage linens.’

24

S

Wall hangings and brooches made by Lauren.

‘Vintage style isabout uniquenessand individuality...’- Lauren

my hobby, I think vintage style is about unique-

ness and individuality. Everytime when I finish

a product, I feel happy because it is something

that you cannot buy from somewhere else. As I

mentioned before, it is a good thing to have a

studio at the back of your shop, so once I finish

a product, I can put it out and sell it. This a

good way to see what are selling and then I can

make more, also, when my customers want a

particular product, I can go to the studio and

make it.

é: Yeah, I guess this is why your customers love

coming again as they can always find what

they want and you are always friendly. What

period of fashion inspires you the most? And

are there any fashion icons that inspire you the

most?

L: When I was younger, I really liked the style

and clothing in of the 1960s, I am not sure

about fashion icons, but I love reading Agatha

Christie’s novels and you know like Miss

Marple, her costumes in the films are amazing.

I also love Marianne Faithfull and bands like

Blondie.

é: Ya, their costumes are classic vintage style!

Do you have any fashion tips for young

women?

L: I always look at people’s blogs and learn

from them. It is always good to see how people

dress and decorate their houses amd I have my

own blog, I can give you the facebook page

after the interview.

Lauren displays a great passion for the vintage

style. Unlike modern fashion, vintage leads you

to a world away from mass production.Today,

many people go to shopping malls or shop on-

line for items, however, very often they end up

frustrated - they think they have bought a fab-

ulous dress which makes them stand out in the

crowd, then they look around and find them-

selves surrounded by people that are wearing

the same outfit. This is probably the reason

why lots of people love the vintage style, it

gives you the opportunity to take something

from a different time and make it your own. It's

also easy to take vintage fashions and mix

them in with your current wardrobe. Perhaps

that is the reason why vintage fashion is so

popular among young women like Lauren, her

Many cute vintage stuff in the studio. Handmade dolls are poplar among customers.

27

sister and their customers.

Historically the vintage style actually began in

1920s. In many respects, 1920s western soci-

ety represents the good old days. The First

World War was finally over, the economy

started to change and grow, and women

gained new rights and roles in society. They

had their new opportunities to vote, work

outside of the home and pursue a life that

was more than just being housewives, these

made the 1920s a revolutionary decade for

American and English females.

Coco Chanel, the queen of 1920s fashion, was

also a inspirational person at that time. She

encouraged females to pursue freedoms –

from choosing how they dressed to where

they worked, serving as a living example of

success. Through fashion and style, women

can show their identity and value. ‘The most

courageous act is still to think for yourself.

Aloud,’ she said.

The fashion revolution of the 1960s brought

us clothing and styles that were much more

varied. People of the time started to have

thrift shops and yard sales, and vintage

clothing stores began opening in the 1970s.

Women in the mid-90s, whether they came

up with the design or had inspiration from

shops, they started to create things for

themselves. The clothing from was often

unique and/or one-of-a-kind. Women today

embrace the same concept, they want to be

unique and different, and they are starting

to make their own stuff again.

Lauren is a good example showing how

woman can develop their interest into a real

business. She never gave up her dreams

since she was young, when she found her-

self interested in making stuff, she decided

to put her efforts into it and keep working

hard for her vintage dream with her sister.

From holding fairs to opening a shop, Lau-

ren and her

sister have followed a path to success, there

may be lots of challenges in the future, yet

vintage is all about giving new life to items

that had become castoffs, if they can create

new, wonderful, gorgeous things using old

stuff, what can stop them? I wish them

good luck and all the best for their business.

Vintage style started to get popular in the 1960s in England.

28

‘The most courageous actis still to think for yourself.Aloud,’ - Coco Chanel

29

From the words used here, itis clear why Manchester’sart scene is one of the mostinfluential and developed inthe North West, and possi-bly even the Uk. Creativityruns through the seam ofManchester – stemming fromthe emergence of the cottontrade during the industrialrevolution.

30

Words and design by Joanne Prescott

hrough economic and cul-

tural growth sparked by the

success of the textiles indus-

try, Manchester became a

hotspot for science and academia.

Manchester still has a huge student

population, who contribute mas-

sively to the young, fun and inno-

vative vibe of the city. Although

the word student brings dread and

an image of rowdy, traffic-cone-

stealing youths to some people, I

think the students bring invention,

creativity and a laid back attitude

to this already relaxed city. How-

ever, this apparent ‘relaxation’ does

not mean that Manchester has

adopted the passive personality

typical of the hippie era... Mancu-

nians make things happen! Ac-

tivism, socialising and community

form a key element to the func-

tioning of this bite-size London. I

feel all of these elements create the

inspiration and creativity that com-

bine to form such a vast artistic

landscape.

In comparison to London and what

you would call the cultural focus of

the UK, Manchester is definitely a

fierce competitor for the creative

spotlight. Whether it’s the Na-

tional Portrait Gallery, the Saatchi

or the Tate – wherever you go in

London you will find big names. As

the financial hub of the UK, Lon-

don prides itself on owning the

most prestigious pieces of the art

world, whereas Manchester, either

by force or choice, prefers to cele-

brate the more low-key and lesser

known artists in its many galleries.

Van Gough’s Sunflowers, Henri

Matisse’s Snail and Monet’s The

Water Lily Pond all take pride of

place at London’s national Gallery,

with a whole host of other galleries

displaying numerous other well-

known pieces. Manchester on the

other hand can only really boast

Manchester Art Gallery’s pre-

Raphaelite collection, and the

works of L S Lowry at Salford

Quays - which is technically not

even in Manchester! However, this

is not to say that London’s owner-

ship of such famous works makes

its art scene any more superior

than Manchester’s. Often it can

feel like London, being the UK’s

economic epicentre, cares more

about the famous names and the

value of a piece than the skill and

thought behind it.

This sentiment can be illustrated by

Macel Duchamp’s Fountain – a 1917

piece which consists of a bought

(not even sculpted!) urinal with “R.

MUTT, 1917” scrawled upon it. The

original ‘disappeared’ soon after

the first showing, but a replica is

displayed at London’s Tate Mod-

ern. Duchamp bought a urinal,

signed it and displayed it, and then,

suddenly, it became art. His already

established artistic exclusiveness

propelled him and his thrown-to-

gether artwork to the height of the

art world of the time. Some people

argue this represents the impor-

tance of the creative process and

the artists thought over the aes-

thetics of the piece. Others say it is

a practical joke. A prank that

started as a statement mocking

creativity has ironically tran-

scended the boundaries of art and

is now viewed as one of the most

highly regarded pieces of modern

art to date. In 2004, 500 leading

artists voted The Fountain the

most influential piece of modern

art. People look at it from the view-

point that if it is displayed in a

gallery, normally reserved for artis-

tic paintings and sculptures, then in

must be a piece of art. Duchamp

himself acknowledges the absurd-

ity of the amount of attention his

piece got, as it was intended as a

protest against the unthinking, life-

less artwork of the time. However,

31

T

the burden of emotional baggage.

When I visited The Burden was,

paradoxically, ‘out of order’ and

awaiting repair. Other interactive

pieces included a whiteboard to

scrawl down your current mood; a

huge ‘gong’ to hit and a life model

to have a go at drawing. The next

floor was plastered with Shrigley’s

drawings, doodles and messages –

every available space was covered.

His images ranged from thought-

provoking and cynical to humorous

and downright silly. Viewing his

thrown-together, child-like doodles

scrawled over the walls of the

miniature gallery showed that art

is as much about the ideas behind

the pieces, and the message the

artist wants to project, than it is

about visual perfection.

In my opinion, overall, art cannot

be put into either category – there

is a huge overlap, but diverse and

creative Manchester allows room

for both. Not needing to convey an

image of prestige, the Northern

city has room to experiment with

new ideas and techniques – giving

young and upcoming artists the op-

portunity to express themselves

their ideas in both the physical

form and thought-provoking ideol-

ogy of their artwork.

he also makes the fair argument

that is it the audience that put the

meaning into art – without an au-

dience, a piece of art is just an ob-

ject.

“The creative act is not performed

by the artist alone; the spectator

brings the work in contact with the

external world by deciphering and

interpreting its inner qualifications

and thus adds his contribution to

the creative act.” - Duchamp

So the question remains as

to whether the skill and aesthetic

quality of a piece trumps the

artist’s ideology, regardless of what

the piece looks like. Two recent ex-

hibitions in Manchester can help to

demonstrate this point. Firstly, The

First Cut exhibition by various

artists, displayed at The Manches-

ter Art Gallery, is a collection of

pieces based on the idea of manip-

ulating paper into a new form and

creating something beautiful from

it. All of the projects ooze precision

and perfection, and are all visually

astounding to view. Many of the

amazingly detailed pieces are cut

using a scalpel from a single piece

of paper – one mistake and it’s back

to the drawing board! Although

the catalogues describe the artists’

ideas behind the pieces, it is clear

the emphasis is much more centred

on the aesthetics.

In contrast there is David Shrigley’s

How are you feeling? exhibition at

the Cornerhouse – an independent

cinema, cafe and art gallery. The

collection raises issues to do with

psychiatry and mental illness, and

promotes self help in the form of

art. The exhibition is very interac-

tive and the audience are invited to

become part of the artwork. One

piece, called The Burden comprises

of a gigantic - and apparently

weighty! - backpack which visitors

hoist onto their backs to highlightOpposite:

Rob Ryan

“Can we shall we”

Below: David Shrigley, from

How are you feeling?

332

3

The First Cut is being exhibited at

Manchester Art Gallery, Mosley Street,

M2 3JL, from 5th October 2012 until

27th January 2013, and is free entry.

How are you feeling? is at The

Cornerhouse on Oxford Road, M1

5NH, from 6th October 2012 until 6th

January 2013, and is also free entry.

34

Good Vibes

Selah Sue, a soulful musician and songwriter with a distinc-

tive voice, with obvious reggae influences in both her

sound and articulation. Selah Sue offers an escape

from the monotony that is the current mainstream

music industry. Her unique sound can not be con-

fined to one genre but rather a combination of

different sounds; her LP is filled with elements

of R&B, Reggae, Funk, Ska, Blues, Jazz and soul

vibes which reflect her musical influences;

Amy Winehouse, Lauryn Hill and Erykah

Badu. There is no doubt that this LP filled

with uplifting and feel-good tracks will leave

you wanting more from this young musician,

every track takes you on a journey revealing

more and more of her influences and perspec-

tives. Raggamuffin showcases her reggae vibes

and contains elements of Rap and Hip Hop high-

lighting her uniqueness and individuality as an

artist.

Selah SueSelah Sue LP (2011)

Recommended Track: Raggamuffin

Erik Sumo BandThe Ice Tower (2011)

Recommended Track: The Ice Tower Erik Sumo Band, a Hungarian indie-pop group from Budapest,

should definitely be among the list of the bands to listen to

this year. The ensemble of seven describe themselves as

devoted to ‘pop songs with a psych twist,’ stating the

sound of rivers, a train’s whistle and a freezer’s hum

as their main music influences. Their album The

Ice Tower, released in 2011, is an overall collec-

tion of greatness. Songs that range between

Pop, Dub and Jazz are always combined with

Hungarian folk elements. It is the band’s

fourth album and it is the best one so far.

The first track, The Ice Tower (My Skin Is

Cold As Ice), is a great example of what

makes the band so unique; their use of un-

expected sounds and harmonies of three

voices in addition to french-like phantasy lan-

guage vocals. Their laid-back, freethinking at-

titude transfers into their songs and succeeds in

creating a refreshingly carefree atmosphere.

Music Reviews

36

While many other bands come under the genres Pop and Elec-

tronic, King Of Convenience is known as the ‘quiet and soft-

spoken band’ in Norway. The two members, Øye and Bøe,

are well-known for their calming voices, delicate tunes,

as well as intricate and subtle guitar melodies. Their

first album - Quiet is the New Loud brought the

outland er’s folk into the city. One of the more popu-

lar songs in the album, Little Kids, describes the

artists’ daily routines. Breezes with mid-tempo, light

drumming and tender pianos, simultaneous guitars

and uniformly sung vocals, uniformly sung vocals,

bring listeners to an imaginative space where they

can enjoy the piece and get their mind off their work.

As Lil.B, a famous modern music composer said ‘Music

is for you to find yourself, being yourself. Really getting

loose. Getting into your mind and just being one.’ ‘Little

Kids’ seeks to find individuality in the quietness and allow

audiences to listen to the voice deep inside their heart. Now…

sit back, listen and relax...

Out of this raw chaos of unusual

sounds, curiously beautiful lyrics and

pure, heartfelt vocals comes a story

flowing straight from the heart and

sub-conscious mind of front man, Jeff

Mangum. Inspired by Anne Frank and

her infamous Diary of a Young Girl, the

grief and injustice of the Holocaust res-

onate throughout these statement songs.

The album’s beauty reveals itself in the lo-fi,

unpolished recordings that throb with feeling.

In the Aeroplane Over the Sea sends the listener

on a frantic journey exploring themes of death, sex,

religion, love and most importantly – life. Meet a fellow

Aeroplane listener and you will instantly agree on the life-affirming

potential this album carries. Over time, Mangum’s rough but passionate vocals

will pierce right through your chest, fill your insides with emotion and remind

you – You are alive!

Neutral Milk

HotelIn the Aeroplane Over the Sea (1998)

Recommended Track: Holland, 1945

King Of ConvenienceAlbum: Quiet is the New Loud (2001)

Recommended Track: Little Kids

37

This band is a unique experience for the listener. Doesn't

matter if you enjoy smooth piano or powerful metal

sounds, Amorphis has something to drag you into

their tracks. In my case, it's the song My Kan-

tele from Elegy published in 1996 that made

me love the band . But why not have a

fresh start with their relatively new

album? It reflects everything and much

more that Amorphis has produced

since 1990. They sound sincere in

every genre they tried: heavy metal,

progressive, folk, death, doom,

melodic death or gothic. Their gen-

uine melody is there, and it is a posi-

tive one, it is not a rant, it is not a

grief. It is a beautiful fictional world

with different stories and there is

something new to see every time you

listen- even if it is the same song on the

repeat mode.

AmorphisAlbum: The Beginning of Times (2011)

Recommended Track: The Beginning of Time

Haim, a pop group with a rock and roll heart from Los Angeles

that comprises of three sisters - Alana, Danielle and Este. Haim

are what you could call a modern day “Hanson”. If you loved

those three in the 90’s then you’ll love these sisters along

with their long hair flowing down their backs and a laid

–back California it-style. They play around with the

stripped-back nu-folk–meets–nineties-R&B-pop

sound found on their enchanting, recently released

debut EP,  Forever.

Their ability to effortlessly play impeccable pop

rock songs while singing in three-part harmony

is refreshing. The girl’s influences range from ’60s

bands to classic rock to ’80s pop to Usher and

early ’90s R&B, the diverse range that Haim

manages to blend together into a sound that is

uniquely their own. Looking like a 60’s folk band

but sound like retro pop you’ll be surprised that their

influences is 90’s R&B evident in their track ‘Forever’

. With their catchy rhythm and charismatic vocals, you’ll

find it hard not to move along with the bouncy guitar work

and disco-like grove. It is clear by their style you’re going to be

in for a surprise and won’t be disappointed!

HAIMForever, EP (2012)

Recommended Track: Forever

38

SP

IRITT

HE

MIN

DBODY

AN

D

41

hroughout the history of humanity it

has been said that the self we know, he

individual ego, is a very limited form of

identity. Ignorant of our true selves we

derive a false sense of identity from

our possessions, our role in the world and

how other see us. Because the world is con-

tinually changing, this sense of identity is al-

ways under threat. Behind this surface

identity is a deeper identity, what is called

the ‘true self’. Significantly, in today’s media

saturated society, women seem to live in an

age where more importance is placed on how

a person looks than what their like as a per-

son, obsessed about how they look on the

outside but not on what’s on the inside. The

never ending pursuit of perfection portrayed

by the media not only creates negativity and

pressure for women, it also stops the major-

ity of women from developing their confi-

dence or self esteem. The pressure is

distorting how we think and feel. But as we

start to see Western civilization heading into

decline, there is a need for the search for

meaning therefore turning inwards and to-

wards spirituality to find some answers. It is

important to know how escape from all of

this chaos and the answer is to discover your

inner spirit and practice.

Have you ever wondered if you have a spirit?

And why, if it exists, you can’t seem to find

it? Many ask what our ‘true self’ is? What is

spirituality? The essence of spirituality is the

search to know our true selves, to discover

the real nature of consciousness and happi-

ness. In other words, as Susan Quinn the Au-

thor of the Deepest Spiritual Life suggests:

“spiritual life helps us find our meaning and

purpose within existence, reminds us of our

calling to elevate, or to save, or to liberate

ourselves and others from the illusions of

how we wish life could be, and celebrate and

rejoice in the experience right in front of us.”

At the moment the practice of spirituality is

very important in our daily lives we lead.

Spiritual practice should create positive

healthy thoughts. The whole emphasis of our

spiritual practice should be aimed at creating

positive and healthy thoughts and actions. It

is important that we use our spiritual side to

bring positive thought to the world. Healthy

thoughts lead to a better, happier world in

which peace can grow. In accessing your

inner spirit, there are different types of prac-

ticing spirituality and it is through the vari-

ous ways of meditation.

In fact to give a flavour what kinds of acts of

mediation are out there one is Prayerful

Meditation which the aims to develop your

spirituality. The meaning of the meditation

will vary according to your religion or views.

In some traditions the aim is to open you up

to God or a higher power. In others the aim is

to develop positive qualities, such as compas-

sion and wisdom. Personally, from the per-

spective of Christianity spirituality is God

given. Christian spirituality involves a choice

Christians make to “know and grow” in daily

relationships with the Lord Jesus Christ by

submitting to the ministry of the Holy Spirit

in our lives this means that as a believer, I

make a choice to keep my communication

with spirit through confession and prayer.

People of faith present biblical scriptures that

Christians use as the basis for self acceptance

in inner healing prayer underline the spiritu-

ality of ‘true self esteem’. Sometimes I imag-

ine my inner life as a house- a house in which

I dwell and in which God enters and lives

alongside me. The Christian basis for self-es-

teem: Christians like me have reasons for

having a healthy self-image because we were

created in God’s image. This positive attitude

that I have in Christian living brings me re-

spect in my community, living in faith gives

my life meaning, joy and prepares me for

eternal life with Jesus Christ.

As result as when you practice any type of

meditation you discover your new found

inner spirit. When you discover this deeper

sense of self you are freed from many of the

fears that plague you unnecessarily. You dis-

cover a greater inner peace, an inner security

that does not depend upon events of circum-

stances in the world around us. From this you

become less self-centred, less needy of the

other’s approval, less needy of collecting pos-

sessions and social status and become hap-

T

42

pier, healthier and more loving as a woman.

However you don’t have to be religious to

meditate. Besides the practice of Prayerful

Meditation there are other different ways of

meditation. The 5 different types can be di-

vided into groups, including; Focused medita-

tion In focused meditation you use an object,

such as a flower or candle flame, to focus

your attention on. This can help the mind to

concentrate better, which is an important

part of meditation.

Guided meditation A meditation teacher, or a

voice on a meditation tape or CD, directs

your attention in a specific way. It is also

called guided imagery or guided visualisation.

Your meditation teacher, or the voice on the

tape or CD, guides your imagination with the

aim of relaxing you. This may involve creat-

ing an image of a scene in your mind, such as

walking through a forest or on a beach, or

lying in the cool grass by a beautiful lake.

Transcendental meditation This method in-

volves repeating a specific word or phrase

(mantra) given to you by the transcendental

meditation teacher. It aims to increase your

energy and lower your stress level. It also

helps to develop concentration and focus

your mind.

Meditation and movement Some traditions

combine meditation with movement to har-

monise body and mind. These include tai chi,

chi gung, walking meditation and yoga.

Not only is it possible for you to connect with

your spirit, doing so leads to deep peace and

true happiness. Danielle Benson, an expert in

mediation comments on her experience ‘The

idea is really to understand your own unique

qualities and human traits and to have com-

passion for yourself. You develop a more real

and authentic self.’

Through meditation, self esteem and positiv-

ity is linked to spirituality. Self esteem is our

internal feelings and evaluation of ourselves

based on our ‘perceived’ self image. Your self

esteem often plays a role in how you see

yourself in the spiritual world. If you suffer

from unhealthy self esteem you need to up-

lift your spirit. Spirituality can help you im-

prove your self-esteem and your positivity to

life.

With the current media cultural trends we

face as women, the meaning and benefits of

spirituality in our lives and giving thought

about the different types of practice of medi-

tation there is a need to find our ‘true self’. It

is fine to say that spirituality will play vital

roles in the way you live. Meditations have

proved to affect your health by lowering

your stress level, lowering your blood pres-

sure, increasing your levels of joy and happi-

ness and positivity to life. Spirituality helps

you appreciate yourself and the space in

which you live, Breathe and work. Also a

strong sense of spirituality can also affect

you by bringing a higher quality of life,

greater sense of peace, purpose and belong-

ing and more determined commitment to

ethics and morality.

WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY BYYVONNE C. CHUkWUEMEkA

I hope this piece on spirituality

aids you in your discovery of

your unique essence or start

your spiritual journey to find a

deeper sense of meaning in yourlife.

Highs and Lows of Women in Hong kong

44

Highs and Lows of Women in Hong kong

45

Hong Kong, one of the most westernised cities in Asia.What is so special about the women in the city? Whatmake them different from mainland chinese women?

Are they proud to be ‘Hongkongers’?

Words and Design by Carmen Chu

ong Kong is one of the most

westernized cities in Asia, and it

has been nominated to be the

best city in the world in 2012,

according to the Economist Intelligence

Unit. It is well-known for its city planning,

economic system, education and its

independent political system from China. It

provides its people with more human rights,

freedom of speech and democratic power.

These benefits have helped women in Hong

Kong to be unique and different from main-

land Chinese women.

One Country, Two Systems

On 1st July 1997, it was a big day for all Hong

Kong Chinese - Hong Kong was handed back

to the Chinese authorities from Britain,

ending more than 150 years of British

control.

In accordance with the One Country, Two

Systems principle agreed between England

and China, although the government will be

led by Hong Kong Chinese, the socialist

system of The People's Republic of China

would not be practiced in the Hong Kong

Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), and

Hong Kong's previous capitalist

system and its way of life would remain

unchanged for a period of 50 years.

Hope emerged

In the months that followed the handover,

Hong Kong crashed painfully into an

economic crisis, many people lost their

properties and money, later Avian flu hit the

city which led to a double frustration among

Hongkongers, people started to lose their

faith and blamed it on the

Chinese rules.

Yet, things always get worse before they get

better, ten years after the return to Chinese

rule, the city developed into one of the top

financial centers in the world. Last year,

Hong Kong become the first top Asian

financial centre, according to the World

Economic Forum’s (WEF) Financial

Development Index.

Not only the economics, but Hong Kong has

achieved success in other different aspects

of life, one of the most significant features

is the equality and freedom of speech found

in Hong Kong, it leads to the very

uniqueness of character of women in Hong

Kong.

Right to protest

Although Hong Kong is not democratic city,

but still it is a free society where both men

and women can express their opinions in the

city. If you walk around the government

buildings on any weekend you you will not

be surprised to find people demonstrating.

The recent biggest protest of Hong Kong

women is the one against mainland

mothers. Women from mainland China are

keen to have babies in Hong Kong because

their babies can automatically receive the

right to live and work there, as well as the

right to be a Hong Kong citizen. Mainland

mothers hope their children can receive a

better education and higher living stan-

dards, therefore they all rush to the city to

give birth. This has a knock on effect for

many Hong Kong mothers, they have to

compete with the mainlanders for bed space

in hospitals, for prenatal care services,

postnatal care and the education of their

children.

Hong Kong women therefore had a protest

to express their dissatisfaction. The effect

was remarkable, public hospitals have

stopped accepting bookings by mainland

mothers who wished to give birth in the city

after the protest. Also, the government

confirmed that in 2013, Hong Kong will stop

its quota for mainland women to give birth

in its public hospitals. It can be seen that

under the ‘One Country, Two System’

principle, Hong Kong policies are separated

from China, even Hong Kong women are

46

H

On 1st July 1997, it was a big day for all Hong kongChinese - Hong kong was handed back to the Chinese

authorities from Britain, ending more than 150 years

of British control.

Under the ‘One Country, Two System’ principle, Hong kong policies are separatedfrom China, even Hong kong women arefighting for their goods against the mainlandChinese, the Hong kong government still stayobjective to the issues and protect the rights of

Hongkongers.

47

fighting for their goods against the

mainland Chinese, the Hong Kong

government still stay objective to the issues

and protect the rights of Hongkongers.

Equality with men

Women in Hong Kong may have a similar

social and working environment to women

in the biggest Chinese cities in terms of their

access to education and jobs. However,

mainland China is still more male-domi-

nated, Rita told the reporters in an interview

that women from Hong Kong are generally

described as being more self-governing,

monetarily autonomous, independent,

career-focused, and have better schooling

than females in Mainland China. Compared

to Taiwanese women, Hong Kong women

have further been described as having a

much more important role in business.

In China, women are often confined to

certain family roles, like housekeepers. Most

of the women stay at home after they get

married, and they are heavily involved in

housework and are expected to look after

children and elderly relatives. As for Hong

Kong, there may be a chance that women

will have to be in the role of homemaker

and mother after their marriage, yet the

situation is not that common. Women are

allowed to choose whether they want to at

stay home or not.

‘In Hong Kong, under the influences from

the west, the status of women has

increased, with growing acceptance that

men should no longer be the sole

breadwinners and that both husbands and

wives should be jointly responsible for the

family finances.’ said Joseph Li, a reporter

from the China Daily. Women in Hong

Kong are found to have a high working rate

when compare to China and Taiwan.

Choices of jobs

Women in Hong Kong also have wider

choice of jobs. While young women in

China usually get hired as workers in

factories, it is more common in Hong Kong

to find women working in the fields of

trade, industry, finance, and communica-

48

Emily Lau, the first femalemember elected in the Legislative Council in 1991.

tion. Some people argued that the two

places cannot be compared as China

develops its economics through

manufacturing in factories while Hong

Kong develops its though trading and

banking financial services. Yet, it is

important to notice that in China, even men

and women work equally, women only get

pay 78% of the wage of men, whereas in

Hong Kong, for the same position, women

and men will be earning the same.

However, overall women still have a lower

status than men in society, and men are still

considered to be better at decision making.

In the Hong Kong Legislative Council,

among the members elected on September

2012, only 12 of the Hong Kong Legislative

Council out of 70 members are women. In

the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking

Corporation (HSBC)’s board, among the 17

members, only 4 are female. Women hold

only 8.9% of directorships in Hong Kong’s

top companies. ‘It’s a man’s world — the

top echelons of politics and business here

are all dominated by men,’ said Emily Lau,

who in 1991 became the first directly

elected female member of the Legislative

Council.

Of course, Hong Kong is not the only place

where women are underrepresented in

business and politics. In Britain, just 12 % of

board positions in top companies are held

by women. In the United States, the

percentage is about 15%.

Gender stereotyping in the society still exist

today, but Hong Kong women are lucky

they can work hard and prove to society

that they are strong and intelligent. It is

believed that sooner or later, in this fast

developing world, the mind-sets of both

men and women will change and both will

been seen as equal.

Look to the future

In the past 30 years, The Peoples Republic of

China has experienced some of the fastest

economic growth in the world. People in

Hong Kong are starting to worry that the

potential of Hong Kong as an economic

power will be weakened, also the ‘One

Country, Two Systems’ policy will come to

an end in 35 years, Hongkongers are also

worried that some of the freedoms and

democratic lifestyle will disappear, many

claim that this affect Hong Kong women

most.

However, there are people who believe that

'Hongkongers' should be more optimistic,

after all 15 years ago, the ‘One Country, Two

Systems’ principle was suggested by China,

it was China that gave authority to the

Hong Kong government to run its own

system. China is also slowly improving its

conservative attitude towards economic

policy and politics, since after the Open Door

Policy was introduced by Deng Xiaoping in

1978, the reformist leader of the Communist

Party of China , the country has a new

capitalist-inclined system that promotes

market forces, and other policies which

promote foreign trade and economic

investment. The country has also joined

global conferences to discuss international

issues with other countries. ‘China is

changing it's attitude on democracy, it also

gives Hong Kong lots of flexibility on

political decisions, Hong Kong women

should grab the opportunities and work

effectively in response to the privilege that

we have.’ said Rita Fan.

It is significant that China is developing and

increasing its transparency towards political,

economic and human rights issues. There-

fore, if Hong Kong can prove to China that

things are better in a relatively democratic

society, and women can show their abilities

and contribution to society, it may not be

surprised to find that one day China will

change its attitude towards democracy, or

even give it a try.

49

‘It’s a man’s world — the top echelons of politics and businesshere are all dominated by men,’ said Emily.

Life is like riding a bicycleWords and photography by Joanne Prescott

s both a mode of trans-

port and a form of exer-

cise combined, who

cannot love the bike? Cy-

cling is a skill that a lot of us learn

in childhood, but equally, is one

that often we regretfully leave be-

hind.

But, as the saying goes – once

you’ve learnt to ride a bike, you

never forget. And as cycling grows

in popularity, bike lanes are re-in-

stated and drivers are becoming

much more considerate of us

‘green’ road users, there is never a

better time to rekindle your bicycle

love.

The benefits of cycling are endless!

Starting with the most obvious, cy-

cling to your destination will get

you there faster, and burn more

calories, than if you were to travel

by foot. It is better for the atmos-

phere than travelling by car and is

cheaper than public transport.

There is a growing cycling commu-

nity, especially in big cities, and

often people find companionship in

giving a smile or a wave to a fellow

cyclist!

If that wasn’t enough, cycling has

rapidly become a trendy and fash-

ionable way to get around. British

athlete and Olympic gold medal

winner, Victoria Pendleton is pas-

sionate about getting more women

back on their bikes, and has

brought out a stunning range of

ladies bicycles -available at Hal-

fords stores. She hopes the girly de-

signs will encourage more ladies to

take up cycling, get fit

and enjoy the outdoors.

Her vintage-inspired styles are as

popular as ever – classic bikes with

few gears and wicker baskets

adorned with plastic flowers are

springing up everywhere. If you are

planning to use your vehicle as a

fashion accessory, make sure it’s a

beautiful bicycle, and not a gas-

guzzling, polluting machine! Your

commute to work will be much

more enjoyable with the wind in

your face, your adrenaline pump-

ing and your newfound energy and

optimism!

The final benefit of cycling, and in

my opinion the most important, is

regaining that child-like sense of

adventure. Cycling gives you free-

dom, time to think and is a great

stress-release. One of the best ways

to boost your spirits is to go for a

bike ride alone or with your friends

and family and surround yourself

with the great outdoors.

Enjoy the ride.

In order to keep your balance

you must keep moving. Albert Einstein

53

A

A SMALL ACT

Dear diary,

I am sorry for not having written to you in so long, but I never forgot about you. It’s

just that settling back into Uni after the holidays has been hectic.

I’ve really been slacking lately… Last night before I went to bed, I made a promise to

myself. I promised myself that today I would prepare for all my tutorials for next week,complete my four thousand-word essay and my two thousand five hundred word essay,

both of which I had not even started, clean my room, do my laundry, go food shopping

and still make it for all my four lectures. Well, you can guess what happened, but if Imust tell you, I ended up sleeping up until 1pm, attending one lecture and the rest of

the evening was spent catching up on all episodes of Scandal I had missed. Needless tosay, I failed to keep that promise. I had it all planned out so well! My assignments

should have been completed, my room should have been cleaned and I should have had

a well-cooked healthy meal by now, but here I am with a shelf full of untouched librarybooks recalled and due in tomorrow, dirty laundry piled up all over my room and a

grumbling stomach I must feed with spiral fries yet again! It’s the second week of thesemester and this has been, sad to say, my daily routine for the past two weeks.

Tonight will be different. Tonight I will make promises I will keep tomorrow (yeah I seethat sarcastic look, but no, really tonight is different). Earlier today I realized I have a

problem… (Stop with the sarcasm already, I know it took me long enough to realize itbut better late than never, isn’t that what they say?). You probably think that my prob-

lem is that of misplaced priorities or that I’m lazy. But really, it’s not! My issue is opti-

mism. I am too optimistic that I fail to be realistic. There was obviously no way I couldread for two essays, attend four lectures, do my laundry, go shopping and still manage

to prepare for all my 4 tutorial in less than 24hours. I failed to be realistic in setting mygoals and as a result I ended up meeting none. So yes, tonight will be different because I

will set realistic goals for myself!

Sincerely,

Me.

“The smallest deed is better than the greatestintention.”

John Burroughs.

54

t's been two years since that diary

entry. Since then I began to approach

my work differently, still with a positive

attitude but at the same time remain-

ing realistic. As a result, I have been able to

meet my set goals. This really got me ques-

tioning how our society today works. Is it

that people don’t want to help each other or

do most of us have good intentions, and the

problem then comes when imagining how

to fulfil such intentions?

In A TEDx talk by Drew Dudley on “Every-

day leadership” he stated, "As long as we

make leadership something bigger than us,

as long as we keep leadership something be-

yond us, as long as we make it about chang-

ing the world, we give ourselves an excuse

not to expect it everyday from ourselves,

and from each other. Marianne Williamson

said that 'Our deepest fear is not that we are

inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are

powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not

our darkness that most frightens us'. And

my call to action today is that we need to

get over that. We need to get over how ex-

traordinarily powerful we can be in each

other’s lives. We need to get over it, so we

can move beyond it. And our little brothers

and our little sisters, and one day our chil-

dren, or our children right now, can watch

us start to value the impact we can have on

each others lives, more than money and

power and titles and influence."

From this I developed an understanding that

most people want to make such a great im-

pact in society and the reason most people

don't give, is not because they don't want to

give, but because they don't feel the little

they can give is good enough and that they

don't have what they would consider as 'big'

enough. It is therefore the fear of not being

able to give much or thinking they don't

have much, that gives people an excuse not

to be charitable. What we fail to realize is

that just like Rome was not built in a day,

people need to start from somewhere, we

need to start giving the little that we can

because as Desmond Tutu correctly put it,

“It’s those little bits of good put together

that overwhelm the world”. We must now,

more than ever realise that the smallest actions

can make the greatest of differences.

An example is "A small act", a documentary

about how a woman in Sweden changed the

life of a young Kenyan boy. She would make a

monthly donation of $20 to a Swedish charity

that sponsored African children’s education.

The $20 she donated helped a boy from a re-

mote area in Africa -who would never would

“It’s those little bits of

good put together

that overwhelm the

world”.

Desmond Tutu

55

I

have thought he would one day make it out of

the little village he lived in- go through school.

This boy ended up growing up to be an intelli-

gent young man, becoming a Harvard gradu-

ate and now works for the UN. He is now

giving back to the society by doing what was

done to him, helping educate other children.

This lady never knew who she was helping or

whether her little monthly donation was mak-

ing a difference but she remained committed

to it, not caring to think of what she would re-

ceive in return because it's about being human

and realising your responsibility to other

human beings.

Nelson Mandela once said, “Poverty is not an ac-

cident”, just like there is a lot of poverty in the

world today, there is a lot of wealth too. The

world has 7 billion people, that's 7 billion ac-

tions if we all, actually if even half of us, took

the initiative to be that difference in each oth-

ers lives, the world would be a much better

place and we would live to see the day no child

died of hunger or disease, or a woman dying

at labour as a result of lack of medical facili-

ties. We would turn the world into a help cycle

and define humanity by nothing other than

the fact that we all bleed the same and when

we die we all look the same. The day our dif-

ference does not divide us, but instead we find

unity in diversity, learn about each other and

live to celebrate humanity. Let us hope for and

have faith in a better future, but most impor-

tantly, realize our responsibility and inordi-

nate ability, in shaping that future.

Words By Ceke Mathenge

56

You are an open minded girl – non-judgemental, respecting of your communityand ready to adjust effortlessly to changes in your world. Only if everyone could

be that perfect. Especially when it comes to balancing what you grew up with,

and what you are facing in the near future. Here is a short guide for an openminded girl, topics to think about to master this lifelong skill.

words and photographyby Aynel Tekogul

57

The first thing to think about is a gen-

eral term – Globalisation. It requires

you and everyone else in the world to

feel like you have to be much better

and compete with the world’s popula-

tion to succeed at some point in life.

What does the term globalisation mean

to you? It has many implications for

politics, the environment, history and

technology. It is about the world gain-

ing pace in its mobility, which is hap-

pening by easier transportation,

communications, migration and inter-

national job opportunities for people all

around the world. It can be seen as the

chance to go out there and be part of

an adventure or to risk the chance of

being left behind and constantly trying

to catch up. These are the best and the

worst case scenarios. Another possible

picture is the fact that everyone is in-

vited to be flexible and open minded.

There is more ethnic diversity than

there was, more music and artistic di-

versity for everyone, new food to try,

new ideas to believe and new practices

of everyday life, including bringing the

past into contemporary society. The se-

cret is to take a moment and trying to

not refuse things because they are not

familiar. Familiarity can be found in

traditions, but also it can be your con-

struction of innovation and things that

suits your needs.

You can always cope with the changes

by using a few tactics. Take the exam-

ple of technology- it seems to be impos-

sible to keep track of it! First thing to

be able to explore a developing thing

would be by dividing the bigger topic of

it into sub titles. Here, we are going to

be more specific about technology and

explore the idea of using social media.

Social media are simply software that

supports human communication on the

internet and mobile devices. These can

be programs that you use on the inter-

net, or blogging sites, platforms or

websites that allow you to share your

files by uploading them. You may con-

sider using these facilities for personal

entertainment or to spend free time

on virtual spaces, and this is perfectly

fine. However my suggestion is taking

it a step further and using social media

to follow upcoming career opportuni-

ties, to build and share your CV and to

develop more contacts. Many compa-

nies, organizations, schools and any-

thing else you can think of that you

are intending to join- use social net-

working sites such as Twitter, Face-

book, Tumblr, Pinterest or blogs to

reach out to people. Each social net-

working site has basic functions and

they offer you the option to control

what or who you will interact with, so

why not try a new one and improve

your internet literacy? Being online

can make you more accessible, and you

can help yourself to news and informa-

tion about organizations you wouldn't

find in the mainstream media such as

radio, TV and newspapers. That could

be one way of coping with virtual

spaces, there are a lot more, but let’s

move on to other aspects of being flex-

ible towards change.

The changes around the world may

bring a new perspective to your physi-

cal environment as well. Especially

growth in cities and migration in all

parts of the world is a known phenom-

enon. Now let’s take a step ahead to

everyday conversations, and think how

this might influence your life. You may

be introduced to a different ethnic

group gathering than what you are

used too, work in a very diverse work

environment or it might be very simple

thing- you may be invited to have a

58

dinner in a foreign cuisine that you

have never encountered before. These

are about your relations to people or

your own personal taste. Let’s keep

that in mind, and get ready to think

about a bigger dimension of your rela-

tions and taste. Consider your rela-

tions to your neighbours- assuming

that like most people in the country,

you are living in a city or suburbs of a

city/ town area in UK. There is so

much to learn from a single home,

let’s say the Chinese family living

down the street. Normally neighbour-

hoods develop according to social and

economic background of people, and

people living in the same street tend

to have something in common that

make them feel familiar with each

other. In that way, they become

'neighbours'. With changing environ-

ment and differences in people's back-

ground, people in the same street

share less things in common and tend

to keep their relations to each other

as strangers. But that doesn't mean

that you will witness those changes

that will make you feel like living in a

stranger environment as diversity in-

creases more and more every day. It is

59

a personal choice to develop perspec-

tives about changes around you, and

there are many viewpoints that you

can consider. For example, anthropol-

ogist Daniel Miller in his book The

Comfort of Things published in 2008

tells the story told by people through

their possessions in their homes in

the same street in London. Despite

that it is just a regular, random street,

each story of a different household is

strikingly different. You don’t have to

know everyone living around you,

but it is good to know that you are

part of a street no different than an

exciting but unwritten novel. Plus

you always have the chance to break

the ice in your circle, as Daniel Miller

did during his 17 months research,

and ended up being part of that

street and developed friendships. You

may begin doing this by attending a

birthday party of your foreign co-

worker, or learning more about the

history of the street you are living in.

All I am trying to say in this discus-

sion about small details in your life to

the bigger picture of diversity, the

key point is to be ready and willing to

discover what is new in your commu-

nity.

Shortly, when making up your mind

about everything happening in the

world nowadays, remember to ask

yourself if you are making assump-

tions or making decisions after a lived

experience or a fair research? Also

you may make up your mind about

something because of your belief, and

your feelings that reflect your per-

sonality. Being open minded requires

everyone, including me, to be re-

spectful to any religion, life style or

system. As long as an action is not vi-

olating human rights and basic moral

understanding in general, I wouldn’t

judge it. That would be the way for-

ward, because once people have the

ability to question, they are able to

be flexible and adjust to the changes

around them. If you are willing to

take this perspective- you become

more adventurous, you look for new

ideas, you learn more and this brings

you strength that is needed to carry a

globalised world on your shoulders. It

is similar to the case of glass falling

on the ground, if it is too fixed, it

would break, but being a little

smooth and flexible makes it stronger

to outside forces. Flexibility is the

skill that an open minded girl learns

over time, and that helps her to be

powerful and have the ability to ad-

just to changes before stressing too

much.

60

Words and photography by Joanne Prescott

ith its composting

toilets, sustainable

initiatives and ethi-

cal food stalls, it is

no surprise that Boom won the

Green Festival Award for 2012.

Occurring only once every two

years, in order for the land to re-

cuperate before the next throng

of Boomers invade, the festival

moves around the lake to min-

imise the impact on the environ-

ment. The cleanup is thorough

and even the construction of the

festival is green – using natural

and recycled materials to build

the stages and sculptures. The or-

ganisers value equality and offer

a reduced price ticket for devel-

oping countries and for volun-

teers, without which the festival

couldn’t run. One of Boom’s aims

is to combine music, art, dance,

theatre, sustainability and people

from all over the world – an aim

which they fulfilled in 2012 when

Boom welcomed people from 102

different countries.

A late decision to buy a festival

ticket left me with few options

when it came to travel arrange-

ments – there were no cheap flights

left and the ‘boom bus’ was sold out.

Searching through online forums, I

came across a group of travellers

willing to split the petrol money and

car-share all the way! Our journey

started at Manchester Piccadilly

train station, and then we headed

down the country to Bournemouth.

A hop over the channel, a night

sleeping on a Bordeaux beach in a

thunderstorm, a beautiful drive

through rural Portugal and not-too-

many-wrong-turns later we arrived

at the festival gates.

Given the choice between the flat

ground of the main festival site, or

the shady forest hills further back,

we drove our tent pegs into the solid

earth of the hill. Sleeping on a bit of

a slant was more than acceptable if

it meant not having to bear the full

heat of the August sun. Early on the

first morning, ambient psytrance

beats rolled across the festival site

and encouraged exploration of

Boom-land. As the heat of the day

intensified, so did the rhythms. For

those who could no longer take the

heat of the open-air dance tents, the

shimmering lake of Idanha-A-Nova

63

W

was a refreshing way to cool off.

Although the Goa-inspired, psy-

trance music and dancing ‘til you

drop is one of the main draws of

the festival – there is so much else

to do when you want to give your

feet a rest! Art galleries, work-

shops, films, talks, discussions,

yoga, meditation, art classes and

open mics all make up a large part

of the festival. Even a simple walk

around can have you entertained

for hours, with the amazing inter-

active sculptures, artworks, relax-

ation spaces and of course, the

laid-back, open minded people you

will inevitably end up chatting to.

There are classes on a whole host

of things including circus skills,

finding your inner child, express-

ing yourself through paint – even

in the full 7 days of Boom, you will

struggle to fit in everything you

want to try.

The whole ethos of the festival ra-

diates bohemian hippie-dom, but

at the same time combined with

modern day proactive views on

equality, sustainability and alterna-

tive living. Family friendly and ac-

cepting of all, Boom can provide

something for everyone. They

don’t call it “The Gathering of the

Tribe” for nothing – it truly feels

like a tribal, almost cult-like festi-

val, with the outside world ceasing

to exist for many.

In my opinion, my decision to take

my chances on a road trip with

strangers was one of the best I’ve

made – it gave us a real sense of an-

ticipation and adventure, and is ex-

actly the community spirit which

Boom encourages. Meeting

strangers online has its dangers,

and you should always be careful

about giving out personal informa-

tion over the web. However, I be-

lieve the world has more good in it

than bad, and by taking a step back

from the real world I experienced

an idealist, fantasy utopia created

by a group of like-minded, imagina-

tive people. It was an intense,

week-long dream and almost a re-

lief to be back in the real world on

64

Behind The Zodiac SignsBehind The Zodiac Signs

Each of us has been assigned a zodiac sign

according to our day of birth and each zo-

diac sign is assigned a celestial object in

the Solar System. Have you ever wondered

where this categorisation comes from? I

will explain these by looking at astronomy

and mythology related to the zodiac signs.

Before looking at each sign, I need to ex-

plain some astronomical and astrological

facts so that everything becomes clearer.

In astronomy, the sky is divided into imagi-

nary lines according to the shape of the

various groups of stars. These groups are

called constellations, and they are given

names of different objects or mythological

characters. Constellations on the North

and South Poles have a nearly permanent

position in each hemisphere and the visi-

bility of other constellations varies accord-

ing to their latitude and season.

Constellations known in early centuries are

usually visible in the Northern hemisphere,

and they are associated with mythological

stories- maybe because observers be-

lieved in those myths. They also

thought that the Solar System

was revolving around Earth

as it was standing still in

the universe. The path of

the Sun’s movement

around Earth was

called ecliptic, and

this imaginary line is

still used in night sky

for mapping and ob-

servations, because it

is a helpful way to

mark the sky by fol-

lowing the movements

of the Sun- in other

words, Earth’s orbit as

we know it nowadays. Ce-

lestial objects in the Solar

System can be observed

around the ecliptic line because they have

a similar orbit to Earth, and the region

covering that sky area is called the zodiac.

When it comes to the astrology, zodiac

signs gain their features from the Solar

System objects and constellations in the

zodiac area. The Sun spends approximately

a month in each constellation, and that

makes a constellation the zodiac sign for

people who were born in that period of

time. Zodiac signs are also assigned to a

Solar System object, and that object would

influence characteristics of the sign- as-

trologers believed each object in the Solar

System had different energies and func-

tions in horoscopes. Many of the zodiac

signs are connected to Greek and Roman

mythology. Now we are ready to discover

the mythologies and possible reasons how

they create meaning around our zodiac

signs.

The zodiac region and the constel-

lations on the ecliptic line

Words and design by Aynel Tekogul

Aries and Mars: In Greek mythology there is a

story about a ram with a Golden Fleece and

wings. In the story the ram is killed as a sacri-

fice to a god or a king (in different versions of

the story) and it is put in the sky as Aries. Mars

is the god of war and blood in Roman mythol-

ogy. Mars and Aries are attached as Greek

mythology associated Mars with Aries they are

a good match with their stories, and their sym-

bolizations of war and blood which extends

into energy, impulse and influence on people in

horoscopes. Aries characters are told to be

bossy, childish but loyal to their friends.

Taurus and Venus: In a Greek myth, Taurus was

a huge scary bull running around and destroy-

ing a blossoming land when Persephone the

Greek goddess of spring and the underworld

found him. She taught him to use his power

wisely. Since then, every spring Taurus visits

the field to see Persephone when she comes

back from the underworld, and every autumn

he goes back to the sky when Persephone

leaves. Venus is the Roman goddess of love,

beauty, sexuality, fertility and victory and

Persephone can be linked to Venus, because

they both tell stories of beauty, nature and pro-

duction. Taurus people are assumed to be pa-

tient, enjoying home environment and

challenging their personal capabilities.

Gemini and Mercury: The constellation Gemini

has two well-known stars, Castor and Pollux. In

Greek and Roman mythologies Castor and Pol-

lux were successful horsemen and helpers of

sailors. People always needed their help in

times of war. As a planet, Mercury has little vis-

ibility in the sky because of its proximity to the

Sun which makes it wander in lower horizon.

Even so ancient sky observers noticed that it

completed its orbit quickly, and they regarded

it as the message bearer of the gods. This may

be the reason why Gemini people are thought

of as independent, and good at communica-

tions and psychology.

66

Cancer and the Moon: In Greek mythology,

jealous goddess Hera forced a huge crab to dis-

turb his step son Hercules while he was fighting

a sea serpent. However Hercules killed the

crab, so Hera placed it into the sky. As a result,

Cancer carries symbolizations of emotional

fragility. But there is an astronomical symbol-

ization depending on which period of Cancer

you are in. It begins around 20th of June,

around the same time as the Sun is overhead of

the tropics of Cancer. Just after the sun sets,

the constellation Cancer would also be setting.

In astrology, this means that the Sun rises

there. The Moon has always been associated

with human emotions and inner personality

and this is parallel with the Cancer features of

having a warm and motherly personality- just

like a long summer day.

Leo and the Sun: In Egyptian mythology the

Sun was always accompanied by a lion. In

Greek mythology, Leo is the lion that was killed

by Hercules and it was placed into the sky.

Lions in some cultures are regarded as the kings

of forests. Also the name of Leo’s brightest

star, Regulus means King Star. Leadership sym-

bolizations match the Sun and Leo, and reflect

the horoscopes of Leo as being majestic, lead-

ing, expecting respect by others and sometimes

being furious.

Virgo and Mercury: The name of Spica- bright-

est star of Virgo constellation means the grain

or the grape of virgin. However the word here

doesn’t mean virgin and this is parallel to the

mythologies that Virgo wasn’t a virgin; she was

connected to nature because in harvest time

she would collect the grains and fruits. Virgos

are said to be communicative, practical and an-

alytic, and this both reflects on Mercury fea-

tures that were mentioned above as well as

mythological harvester women characteristics.

67

Libra and Venus: Libra constellation can be

imagined as the lines of a scale that signifies

fairness, balance and justice. There is one more

resource for the equality notion: Equality of

the day and the night on Earth. On 23rd Sep-

tember, the Sun rises in Libra constellation and

begins the period of Libra. Connection of Libra

and Venus could be astronomical, if ancient

people didn’t imagine fairness as beautiful and

shiny and match it to features of goddess

Venus. Libra people are thought as gentle,

artistic and fair.

Scorpio and Pluto: The mythological scorpion

was very poisonous and able to kill every crea-

ture. The best hunter Orion wanted to kill it,

and he succeeded, but that cost him his life. As

a result both Orion and the Scorpion were

placed into sky. Scorpio is one of the rare con-

stellations in the sky that really represents the

shape of its name. On the other hand, the

planet Pluto was given its name by Venetia

Burney (1918–2009) from Oxford, England.

Pluto was the god of the underworld in both

Greek and Roman mythology. Consequently,

this zodiac sign symbolizes death, rebirth, in-

stincts, fears, sexuality and unconscious, giving

its people characteristics of all kinds of passion,

high social status and inner energy.

Sagittarius and Jupiter: Jupiter, in Roman

mythology, was king of the gods, and god of

the sky. Planet Jupiter in the night sky is always

shiny, and it can rise higher in the sky in com-

parison to other planets. This may be the rea-

son of matching to Sagittarius the archer in

astrology. He is energetic, travels around and

explores Earth independently, tracing leader-

ship, independence and popularity features to

Sagittarius.

68

Capricorn and Saturn: Pan the God of nature

tries to escape from a dangerous mythological

creature called typhoon, but cannot decide

where to hide, and he throws himself into a

river at the last minute. As a result, half of his

goat body turns into a fish, and becomes Capri-

corn. Both symbols of Capricorn and Saturn

share similar myths as Saturn represents diffi-

cult times, material control, and maturity in as-

trology. In mythology, its sign symbolizes sickle

of God and the god Saturnus is responsible for

agriculture. Capricorns are apparently patient,

make savings and collect their rewards later in

life.

Aquarius, Uranus and Saturn: Aquarius carries

flowing water and it is connected to the myth

of gods making it rain – and that during this pe-

riod it is always rainy in Northern hemisphere.

Uranus is the first planet to be discovered by a

telescope and astronomers named it after the

Greek god of the sky to keep the connection

mythological name tradition alive. Conse-

quently Uranus brought the characteristics of

freedom movements, change and technology in

Aquarius sign, while previous dominant planet

Saturn still required Aquarius to be down to

earth and to be consistent.

Pisces and Neptune: When the typhoon crea-

ture was attacking Olympus, the gods decided

to place two tied fish in the sky to hold the ty-

phoon back. When Aphrodite and Eros the

Greek God and Goddess of love were trying to

avoid typhoon, the fish helped them to swim

somewhere safe. Neptune is the God of Sea in

Roman mythology; again, the planet name was

decided by astronomers. That brings us to the

point which the fish were ruled by Neptune the

God of the sea. Pisces are always said to be

ruled by their emotions and to be very imagina-

tive, and romantic- they saved the gods of love

and sexuality after all.

69

Personal style shouldn’t be about proving how much money you have orshowing off how much you can spend on an outfit. Personal style is a wayto be creative with getting dressed and to find what compliments yourbody the most. It doesn’ t matter if you’re size 6 or 16, clothes are hereto make you look and feel good. All outfits in this editorial are a mixture of designer items, high street fashion, hand-me-downs and charity shop finds. Getting dressed is meant to be fun and not a frustrating chore in the morning. It is a two way street; if you feel good on the inside you lookgood on the outside.

Photography and Styling: katarina Gazikova and Madeline Campion

Models: Aisha Balogun, Madeline Campion, katarina Gazikova

utumn. I could see fallen leaves lying on

the ground outside. The trees were bare.

It was the end of October and it was

getting dark early. I was enjoying the

occasional light.

I went to the kitchen to wash the plates that had

been piling up for the past two days. I cooked quite

often back then. I liked October. I liked November

too. For some reason everybody complained about

the cold but I loved it. The autumn breeze and feeling

chilly, getting home, drinking tea, warming up...that

was my favourite part of a day. Especially when Eric

still lived here.

We would come home after a walk or after meeting

friends and rush into the kitchen to put the kettle on.

If I was getting the teapot and cups, Eric would open

up a food cupboard, get biscuits and place them on a

plate. It would be a perfect synchronisation of two

people. I preferred flowering teas, you bathe them in

hot water and they grow to create a beautiful illusion

of life. I’d drink it sweetened.

We’d sit down at the table and only then

would we take off our coats, still keeping the scarves.

Sometimes we would play a game of scrabble. I used

mostly short words, whereas Eric would take decades

to think and would then come up with a word, the

meaning of which I sometimes had to look up.

I wanted to go, go and step on the fallen

leaves outside my windows and force them to make a

noise that would shut up the loneliness. Instead I just

looked around, the dishes reminded me what I origi-

nally came to do here. I turned the taps on and water

came out with a quiet protesting sound. I soaped,

washed and rinsed, washed and rinsed. Repeated

twice. Done.

I sat on a couch in the living room. It was Sat-

urday and I didn’t have plans. I didn’t have plans since

the end of September. I was thinking about Eric. It

seemed to be what I was doing with most of my free-

time back then.

We met some time ago. I had forgotten but he re-

membered all the details and filled my memory in.

Same words, same story. We came across each other

at a little bar, this cool off-the-beaten track place

that was slightly dark and glamorous. It’s closed

down now. There was a launch party for The Whole,

a magazine I did illustration for. It was a formal

dress event and everyone that wanted to mean

something was there. The room was overflowing

with ambition. I spoke to a lot of people that night

and Eric was one of them. We only started talking

because I confused his drink with mine and he ended

up with a weak white wine spritzer. He approached

me as I was holding my glass, his glass, my glass, and

talking to some other guests about future plans of

The Whole’s production team.

‘Excuse me, I think you have my drink. ‘I’m

sure I forgot to put on lipstick tonight,’ he nodded

towards the red mark on the glass he was holding.

‘Oh sorry,’ I said. ‘How embarrasing! Here.’ I

put out my hand, the one holding his glass, my glass,

his glass. We switched drinks. I was about to leave

and go mingle further when I noticed he seemed dis-

satisfied with this brief exchange. I looked up from

my glass.

‘I’m sorry, I haven’t introduced myself. I’m

Eric, by the way,’ he offered his right hand.

‘I’m Zoey.’ I shook it.

This was four years ago. I had just started

with The Whole and he had began working for a

major science and geography magazine. He told me

later he was the one that took my glass to have a

reason to speak to me.

Sitting on the couch with a remote control in my

hand I switched the music on. It took a few minutes

to find the artist I wanted to listen to. I opened a

lifestyle magazine, one I was collaborating with

then, and started reading at a random page. It was

about ethical bed linen, I think. I don’t remember

the article much, I don’t remember that weekend or

that month very clearly. October, November, living

September again. Living September in October, in

November, in December.

I remember the snow on the ground.

Illusions

AA short story by Katarina Gazikova

82

Illustration:

Joanne Prescott

IllusionsA short story by Katarina Gazikova

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