Front of Buckingham Palace with a flag flying above, seen across the red road in front

A Jubilee Encounter

Through the crowd, a voice cut through, 'You have a lucky face'. Weaving through the jubilee bustle, I'd ducked down Bow Street to skirt the edge of the celebratory storm that stretched from Buckingham Palace to Leicester Square and overflowed into Covent Garden's...

Pink and blue neon strip lights along the rafters of a dark bar or club ceiling

Almost Giving Up Alcohol

Trigger warning: this story mentions drink spiking. At 24, I decided to give up alcohol for the year. Well, 99% of the year. A month before my birthday, I had my drink spiked. It was a blackout moment for me. I was at a party with dire wolves, caged dancers, and...

Chips on brown paper with a small bowl of ketchup and scattered herbs on a white surface

Speilburgers

What we gain in luxury, we lose in community. Sometimes that's brilliant. Community can be the undoing of many joys. Take community peanuts. They're theoretically a fun snack, but sharing is certainly not caring after being touched by a few unwashed hands. That's when...

A pigeon peering round the edge of a wall against a blurred grey-blue background

Chickens in the Attic

'I've been told to tell you that you need to check your pidge'. She buzzed with mulled wine and held my gaze, seeing if her message had made it through the Christmas jingles playing in the Old Kitchen Bar. It hadn't, so she urged me with her eyebrows, lifting them in...

Illustration of white clouds on a soft green background, representing 4:6 breathing for focus and calm

4:6 Breathing for Focus and Calm

The quality of our feelings affects the quality of our thinking. How we feel, however, based on an increasing wealth of clinical studies, is a skill. We can, far more than we might expect, direct our mood to overcome challenges like procrastination, anxiety, short attention spans and a lack of motivation.

Monarch butterfly resting on a sunflower stem among yellow blooms

Jamie’s Butterfly

The butterfly’s first mistake was visiting my balcony. His wings were the colour of optimism, and he’d popped by after spotting the greenery growing in my plant pots. He would flutter and land, flutter and land, acknowledging each plant with a quick perch like a...

A sparrow in flight with wings spread wide against a pale sky, green leaves in the corner

The War Between the Grey and the Green

My parent’s garden is unlike the others in the neighbourhood. If one of the satellites falling through space were to cast its camera over the part of England where I grew up, it would see a sprawl of suburban houses. With each passing day, the satellite would uncover...

Empty black swing hanging from chains over sand in a shadowy playground

The Weakest Link

Would you ever hack someone’s Facebook account? What if they’re grooming underage students and you need evidence to convict them? This is the story of how I helped catch a criminal. — I remember when the internet used to sing. Explaining it to someone unfamiliar with...

Cows grazing on a grassy hillside in evening light, with a clump of trees and farmland behind

The Cow Survival Guide

After the last weekend, I’ve been compelled to write a cow attack survival guide. I couldn’t find one, so I have to presume it’s because there haven’t been any survivors up until now. Below is a story on getting charged at by a cow and how I lived to tell the tale....

Silhouette of a person sitting on a hill under a starry night sky, with glowing light trails swirling around

Imagination and Hope: Jamoe’s 1st Birthday

It’s been a year since the pandemic left me unemployed. Picking myself up from the knock, I decided it was time to stop delaying the inevitable and start my own thing. On Jamoe’s 1st birthday, here’s the story of how I decided to take on building a 21st century media...

Blurred silhouette of a person against a vivid red and white background with dark speckles

Glow in the Dark Teeth

Western media is pretty mischievous. You can see it in the UK, but it’s clearer in America. Ordinary looking people are brushed under the carpet, so centre stage can be given to those with a perfect sort of beauty. At its extreme, its the pursuit of perfect beauty...

Illustration of a highlighted text page beside a question-and-answer card, for HQ&A reading notes

Thinking Slow With HQ&A: Take Better Notes When Reading Non-Fiction (Pt 1)

The 21st century is an information fire hose. Being able to adjust, filter and turn information into insights has become a basic expectation. We must think deeply on a deadline.

The classic note-taking techniques haven’t caught up with the times. That’s why I’ve created two new techniques: the Highlight, Question and Answer (HQ&A) technique and Jump Notes.

Small campfire of kindling burning on the ground beside logs, with water behind

Kindling and a Spark

Note: Names have been changed for the sake of privacy. It’s been a decade since a letter arrived inviting me to the place that inspired Hogwarts. The messenger of good fortune was not an owl, but a dutiful postman. He crunched his way through the snow that frosty...

Illustration of grey geometric shapes packed around a white circle on a purple background, for exam scoping

Scoping: Creating Your Exam Success Guide

Exams always make me incredibly nervous because I’m always unsure if what I’ve been revising is actually going to come up. Do you have any advice on how to overcome this? And could you add some hints on how to get 100% in an exam?

A hand holding a glass jar filled with glowing fairy lights against a black background

Rocks and a Wise Professor

To tell this story, I have to tell you another one first. It’s about some rocks and a wise professor. ‘Can anyone tell me what this is?’ A boy in the back called out, ’It’s a mason jar, Sir’. ‘Yes! Exactly. A mason jar.’ The professor dipped his hand inside his breast...