Being a naturally private person, I have never felt social media came easily to me. I’ve often found myself sympathizing with those who criticize my generation for our tendency to overshare online, not because I see it as symptomatic of narcissism, but simply because I don’t share the same impulse.[Read More…]
Off the Board
The neighbour I knew
One night in August of 2012, I was torn from my sleep when gunshots rang through the air. I remember the rest of the night in pieces—my mom jumping on my bed to peer out my window over the driveway, sitting on my living room couch as my dad called[Read More…]
Loving myself and my selfies
Some may call this narcissistic or self-absorbed, but I’m constantly taking selfies: In class, at work, at home, in the kitchen, and before I go to sleep. For me, this process is not self-destructive, but therapeutic: It is a physical and digital manifestation of my confidence, self-esteem, and respect for[Read More…]
Changing the significance of home after the war
The last time I went to Damascus to visit my mother’s family, I was around 12 years old, and although I can’t really remember all the details, there are some memories that have stayed with me. I remember visiting my great aunts at their convent, walking through the old souk,[Read More…]
Fake football, real friends
In my final semester of high school, I joined an online dynasty fantasy football league. We set up a group chat to facilitate league communications, and, after a million on and off-topic messages, a ditched podcast, and a half-dozen new offshoot leagues, the “Dream League” became my steadiest, longest-standing social[Read More…]
QUIZ: Do you have imposter syndrome or are you an imposter?
In recent months, “imposter syndrome” has made headlines as the newest millennial affliction: The term has been featured in Time, Forbes, an Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez interview, and even The McGill Tribune. Despite extensive news coverage, it can be difficult to decipher whether a lack of self-confidence is part of a wider psychological[Read More…]
If I die, delete my iTunes history
I feel awkward at parties. It’s not the drinking, the dancing, or the slurred attempts at small talk, all of which I am shamelessly bad at. It’s the fear that somewhere, sometime, I’ll be asked to put my music on shuffle. There is an unwarranted anxiety that comes with showcasing[Read More…]
Enough with the unwarranted LinkedIn views
A helicopter pilot once viewed my LinkedIn profile five times in one day before sliding into my DMs. As bizarre as this sounds, I know that I am not alone in experiencing harassment on the platform. Numerous women have come forward about harassment on LinkedIn, and unpleasant experiences sparked the creation[Read More…]
Confessions of a fangirl
When I first arrived at McGill, I was eager to make friends and answer all perfunctory introductory questions—what I study, where I come from, and what residence I live in. However, there was one fact I was always afraid to confess: I was a huge fan of TFBoys, the most popular[Read More…]
Funding universities is a national security issue
While the Chinese telecommunications manufacturer Huawei may be most famous in Canada for the Vancouver arrest of chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou, the company’s influence is much closer to McGill than that event might suggest. Despite security experts’ concerns that the company may be operating as an intelligence asset for[Read More…]
