The Tempest • 3rd January 2021

BBC’s new "City Watch" is a confusing show, with its ups and downs

Sir Terry Pratchett’s City Watch series is one of his most successful, within the larger Discworld universe. The series revolves around the city of Ankh-Morpok, Discworld’s largest city, and the small police force within. The City Watch is comprised of an ex-alcoholic captain, a starry-eyed constable, a sergeant who’s a werewolf, and a forensic scientist who’s a dwarf, but different from the rest. This colorful medley is the reason why I love this series and its characters, particularly Captain

The Tempest • 3rd January 2021

I consider myself to be irreligious but I’m not an atheist

I’ve always found myself feeling awkward or out of place when it comes to discussions of faith and religion. Growing up, I remember despising going for classes at the madrasah, a school for Muslim children to learn about Islam, because I disagreed with what they thought, or picked at their logic. I rebelled because I didn’t understand the rules that were enforced. I didn’t like being controlled for no reason. As I grew older, my mother slackened her grip. I was no longer asked to attend the mad

The Tempest • 31st December 2020

Rowling’s transphobic essay didn’t deserve the nomination for the Russell Prize 2020

The Russell Prize is a pretty new award – it started in 2017. The prize celebrates the ‘holy trinity of writing’; which includes language, moral force, and the knowledge or learning behind it. The recognition is meant to celebrate writing that is monumental, well-written, and capable of inciting change. In 2017, Ronan Farrow’s essay about Harvey Weinstein, published in the New Yorker, won the prize. The 2018 and 2019 winners were a blog post on toxic journalism and an essay on Bing Crosby. In 20

Trift • 30th December 2020

Things to do in Muscat + Covid Guide (2020 UPDATED)

Muscat will be lifting the travel ban to welcome out-of-state guests by the end of the month Muscat, the country’s capital, and its most populated city, has a rich history, tracing its roots back to being a trading port between the West and the East as early as 1st century CE. Muscat underwent a series of changing rulers and civilizations, and was ruled by indigenous tribes, foreign powers – including the Persians, the Portuguese, and the Ottomans – before finally coming under the domain of the

The Tempest • 29th December 2020

Discworld's City Watch reminded me of how police forces are meant to be

The Discworld series by Sir Terry Pratchett is pretty old; it started in 1983, ended in 2015, and has over 40 novels. The popular comedy fantasy takes place in a world that’s flat and rests on the backs of four elephants that stand on a giant turtle’s shell, as the turtle swims thro”ugh space. It’s amazing. The series breaks off into mini-series that cover various facets. Discworld includes the City Watch series that looks at the city’s police force, the Rincewind series on wizards, the self-ex

The Tempest • 28th December 2020

The Star Wars sequel trilogy failed its characters, but we aren’t ready for this conversation yet

I fell in love with the Star Wars universe a few years ago; my brother introduced me to the series. The original trilogy made me fall in love with space and with technology. I dove into the hype around that universe; the animated series and the LEGO games were particularly memorable. I made fun of the prequels, and Rogue One is one of my favorite movies ever. When the sequel trilogy was announced, I was honestly excited – a female Jedi, with a whole trilogy to herself? It sounded incredible, an

Trift • 25th December 2020

Traditional Food of UAE - Emirati Cuisine

Traditional Food in UAE is known as Emirati Cuisine. Though the city is known for being one of the most popular hubs in the modern world, Dubai also offers a range of traditional foods for its citizens, residents, and curious visitors. The Traditional Food of UAE shares a number of similarities with neighbouring countries, including Omani food, Saudi Arabian food, and a few Asian dishes as well. Thanks to the rise of globalisation, modern Emirati food includes elements of other cultures, resulti

Trift • 23rd December 2020

Traveling to Oman & Covid 19 rules

With COVID-19 restrictions easing around the world as vaccinations are being deployed, Oman, too, has opened its borders once more for tourists and out-of-state visitors. The country recently opened its borders, after months of harsh restrictions to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. Oman has recently lifted its visa restrictions that were set in place due to COVID-19. Now, visitors are welcome to the Sultanate of Oman. The government released a few stipulations to ensure the safety and

The Tempest • 18th December 2020

Black Canary comes to us as a teenager in "Breaking Silence", and I love this new story

Picture a world where women just don’t have a voice. It’s disheartening to realize that it’s not too much of a stretch from reality, but just picture it. Take your childhood heroes, make them young again, throw them into a dystopia set in Gotham City, and you have the heady recipe for Alexandra Monir’s newest novel, Black Canary: Breaking Silence. Black Canary is an age-old superhero, first introduced to DC comics in 1947. Originally, Dinah Lance is the first Black Canary, and her daughter, Din

The Tempest • 17th December 2020

How was Christmas celebrated during the last global pandemic, the Spanish Flu?

Read more of our holiday stories here! Christmas this year is going to be… interesting. We know the risk of public gatherings, but 8 months at home have definitely tested our own strengths. What’s fascinating to realize is that this isn’t the first time we’ve had Christmas plans go awry because of a global pandemic. This isn’t our first time experiencing a Christmas quarantine, and it may not be our last. The current restrictions around Thanksgiving and Christmas are eerily similar to the rest

The Tempest • 8th December 2020

Job hunting during COVID-19 has dealt a big blow to my mental health

I graduated from college last year and what I assumed would be an easy task of searching for a job and establishing a career has quickly become a source of constant anxiety. I found an internship at a newspaper here in Dubai last year. It didn’t amount to much, and I wasn’t offered a job afterwards. This wasn’t too heartbreaking, though. I assumed I’d continue my education, and decided to enjoy some time off before university. Cue COVID-19 destroying my plans for higher studies and forcing me to

The Tempest • 27th November 2020

The real history behind Pocahontas and her relationship with colonists

Pocahontas seems to be immortalized thanks to the Disney rendition and to countless history books. We know Pocahontas to be a young woman who fell in love with a European settler and eventually dove off the cliffs of Virginia. That’s just a story. Her true history is very different, and much darker. Tales have been spun about her rescuing John Smith, an English adventurer, from certain execution. This idea, that Pocahontas turned allies with the English, is one that captured the public’s imagin

The Story Vault • 23rd November 2020

Read Fortunato's Twist of Fate

Fortunato’s twisted words had always remained a thorn in my side, but I bore myself with grace and compassion; for all his charms and his wiles, his lack of history, of family, of true relationships, was one that elicited either horror or sympathy, and I endeavoured to set my best foot forward at all times. Fortunato’s increasing teases and taunts shrouded in well-wishes, were not enough to push me over the edge, but his direct barbed insults; well, that I could bear no longer. For those

Medium • 1st October 2020

A novel approach to the mind: Embodied Cognition

The philosophy of the mind has puzzled thinkers of all ages, from all streams — from biochemists to neuroscientists to philosophers, each one providing varied answers on how the mind works, and why it does what it does. So far, all of our answers have fallen incomplete, or leave gaping holes in our understanding, proving that, though we have many answers for the universe, we are not very good at understanding ourselves. For some, the problem of understanding our brains is one that may never be t

esthesia • 15th June 2020

The Appeal Behind LEGO Movies and TV Shows

Apart from being the classic toy for generations, LEGO has now established itself as a viable contender for movie-goers and show-watchers around the world, from their wildly successful standalone movies ( etc.) to their franchised movies ( for example). LEGO’s success as a film and TV franchise comes from a variety of factors, from their interpretation of adaptation as play, to their subtle breaking of the fourth wall, to their multiple forms of adaptation into one film, making it appealing to a

Medium • 16th May 2020

We’re always telling stories: An exploration into the timelessness of the narrative

Stories have been around for as long as human beings developed skills of communication, with narratives forming the life-blood for communities around the world. Indeed, the way we see ourselves and the world around us is deeply influenced by the narrative — our memories are stored narratively, and we think of our life as one giant story, with each person playing a different character. Though the universe itself doesn’t subscribe to such a subjective view, we try to stamp our narratives on every

Trift • 15th March 2020

Couchsurfer Eivind - Story of the man who's hosted over 500 people

Couchsurfing stands to be the ultimate way to travel cheaply and start new friendships around the world. Despite living in a globalised, heavily connected world, most people have isolated themselves and prefer to live in comfortable bubbles than choose to experience their surroundings. Thanks to the advancements of technology, it is easier than ever to book a cheap flight, take a train, or a bus and visit a new space and enjoy new cultural experiences. What holds most travellers back from visit

Trift • 7th March 2020

Around The World On A Vespa - Markus André Mayer | - Traveler Stories

Unique travellers are taking the world by storm, with innovative ways of scouring the world, in attempts to cut down on their carbon footprint (by lowering the number of planes taken), and to take a slower, more enjoyable route; after all, the journey is more important than the destination. From bicycles to hikes to motorbikes and two-wheeled vehicles, people around the world are looking for ways to make their travels more interesting and more challenging. Each trip is worth the story it creates

Trift • 16th February 2020

Fredrika's Solo Around The World Journey on a Bike | - Inspirational Travel Stories

The year has begun on an unstable note, with natural disasters or geopolitical tensions skyrocketing, placing millions of people in tenuous situations. Travel is seen as riskier than ever, with annual reports of countries that are unsafe for women, or embassies issuing travel warning to politically unstable areas. Fredrika Ek, a young woman from Sweden, has helped break many stereotypes about traveling to remote corners of the world, and helped quash fears that many solo female travellers have

Trift • 14th February 2020

Thor is challenging convention visiting every country in the world by land

Torbjørn C. Pedersen is on a journey to address environmental concerns, showing round-the-world trips are possible without boarding an airplane . Though the world does seem to get smaller and smaller everyday – thanks to cheaper flights, and more accessible and affordable travelling options – the carbon footprint for travellers and tourists increases on an exponential scale around the world. Travelling, too, leaves an impact on the environment, and can have negative consequences for the climate.