Category: Columns

The Breaking Dawn break-down

Posted by Mannimal in Film, Issue 3 - Full Text January 12, 2012 | No Comments

Foreplay better than the Finale of the Twilight Saga

By: Emma Malm

After three movies of, “Please, please, please!”, Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) finally gets what she wants: sex with her vampire lover. Unfortunately, the foreplay was better than the real deal. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1, like disappointing sex, is a strange combination of boring and overly stimulating.

Director Bill Condon (Dream Girls, Gods of Monsters) doesn’t waste any time setting the scene for viewers: five seconds and one line in, Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) tears off his shirt and runs into the woods – terribly upset, as usual. But, hey, it’s better than him actually delivering a line.

The next half hour or five are devoted to Bella and Edward Cullen’s (Robert Pattinson) wedding preparations and the wedding itself. Admittedly, the wedding scenes were beautiful. The camera follows Bella down the aisle, focusing on the details of her perfect dress, flowers and hair. Strangely, this feels like the most suspenseful moment in the film.

A montage of wedding speeches follows – the only instance of intentional comedy in the film. “I have a gun and I know how to use it Bella’s father jokingly warns. Simple and been- done-before humour, yes, but humour nonetheless – something the flick lacks over the next two hours.

Next in the prepubescent fantasy comes the honeymoon, delivering every cliché an overly romanticized tweenager could hope for. Everyone in the theatre was tingling with excitement while waiting for the big sex scene in the entire audience bursting into laughter: Edward breaks the bed, Bella wakes up with bruises, and the bedroom is transformed into a post-apocalyptic wasteland.

Is it just me, or does the following need to be asked: is this a good example to set for young girls?

Then, Bella eats some chicken and finds out she is pregnant with a half-dead, undead, immortal-vampirish-monster baby. I don’t know about today’s middle schoolers, but this bit was not in my girlish fantasy.

Naturally, the rest of the movie is devoted to a shamelessly unveiled abortion debate. Language like “it’s my decision” and “why can’t you see it the way I see it?” spouts from Bella’s mouth as she defends her choice to keep the baby that may kill her. But don’t worry; as this is a debate, there are a number of sides. Edward believes Bella carries a “thing” in her womb; the adorable Alice Cullen (Ashley Greene) calls it a “fetus”; the fiery vampire Rosalie Hale (Nikki Reed) names it a “baby”.

After a hipster vampire vs. bro werewolf battle, Bella goes into labour and things stop being silly. Any merit to the characters’ pro-life arguments completely negated after watching this birthing scene. Bill Condon leaves the land of melodrama – it’s just not dramatic enough – and bravely enters a brand of gothic horror. Gory and are a few words to describe this scene.

Though it was filmed perfectly, it was in no way integrated into the rest of the

film. Before entering the gothic, Condon has already jumped from romance to melodrama to just plain ridiculous, giving the film a fragmented feel.

per

,”

, which resulted

gut-wrenchingThe Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1

was not nearly as entertaining as the three films preceding it. But, if you want to feel connected to pop culture and you’ve already seen the other

three, you might as well watch this one, too.

Trin Fashion

Posted by Mannimal in Fashion, Issue 3 - Full Text January 12, 2012 | No Comments

By: Natalya Odorico

Fashionistas and fashionistos alike are obsessed with the winter season. With the mercury dropping here in downtown Toronto, layering-lovers are exchanging summer’s ‘bear-it-all’ mantra for winter’s ‘wear-it-all’. Mother nature’s winter wrath has many thinking practically, with warmth as their focus. Knits, fur, cashmere, and tweed are the inspiration of many, resulting in effortlessly cosy looks.

HED: #SNAPPED DEK: Talk about trending at Trin

****FOR PINK HAIR GIRL, WE NEED THE NAME FUCK*** Patterned dress with ruffled detailed shirt beneath (SO IN!) plus visible thick wool socks just peeking out from beneath black leather rocker-chic boots with the perfect amount of heel – LOVE LOVE LOVE. Also, this hair? Supermodel Charlotte Free is definitely taking notes from this Trin-stylista. This girl’s outfit takes all the right risks.

***FOR DONALD*** Featuring a discreet movember stache (hello, hottie!) Donald B has got the scholarly Trin look down. He keeps it cool by cuffing his khakis, making sure his shoes aren’t too unscuffed and topping the look off with a knit toque. The final touch is most notworthy: his Gucci lemonade exterior is an authentic and stylish way to add a bit of pop to what can be a long winter.

***FOR EMILY*** Mash-ups! I’m talking a music inspired, take-a-taste-of-everything-good-and-throw-it-into-one outfit. Emily Opala does this fabulously. A menswear inspired collage of boyfriend jeans, vintage shoes, and cranberry knit makes her a force not to be reckoned with. Well-accessorized with an indigo toque and always-trendy circle scarf – this pic oozes cuteness!

****FOR OTHER GUY WHOSE NAME WE DONT KNOW**** Completely unbeknownst to him, this dude knows how to hold down fall comfort and style. His grey wool coat and dual coloured scarf against a striped shirt is easy and so Joe Fresh. More importantly, though, his heart-warming smile convinces me the winter won’t be too bad and that boat shoes are okay… but only for him.

****FOR NICK**** There’s something in the air that smells like academia. Yup, it’s coffee beans, worn leather and Downy shirt-starch. Nick Chong is #SNAPPED looking particularly professional and casual chic. His tailoring is clean but by no means uptight. His put-together look reflects a sense of ease without looking careless or sloppy.

***FOR NORA**** This blonde beauty pairs tall black leather boots and dark-washed jeans with a black pashmina and a pop of tangerine – talk about Orange Crush. Nora Seegmiller owns the quad like a celeb, embracing the bit of warmth that November has us clinging to. A bit of that Ralph Lauren country-in-the-city kinda thing… and those David Yurman cuffs – simply lovely!****FOR WALTER**** Love this combo! #SNAPPED in a single biking-glove, Mr. Yoo knows what’s right about mens fashion this winter. Dark wash jeans, warm fleece button-up, double breasted jacket, Clark’s, and a little bit of hair gel has him ready to ride his fixie around campus in style … or to hit up the next runway show in Milan. Whatever.

HED: Shut up and Shop DEK: Places to hint up to get winter-ready:

H&M: For wintertime accessories, spice up your greys with bright hues and patterns featured in H&M’s Versace X collection. The scarves, hats, and gloves are to. die. for.

Kensington Market: Perfect for the hippied-out, alpaca ponchos are a’plenty here. I unleashed my inner flower child last winter and bought one – it was irrefutably one of my best purchases of the season. Perfect over layers of knit, these gems are have both unbeatable warmth and the irremovable scent of Nag Champa … Win.

Lavish & Squalor: Got some extra chedda? Head over to this trendy Queen spot that features collections from Cheap Monday, Fred Perry, Vanishing Elephant, MINK PINK and Ksubi. With men’s knitwear, hats and tees by BRIXTON worthy of your dollars and leather outerwear by Muubaa worthy of your drool, this place is it! Their women’s collections are just as enticing.

Scotch & Soda: This Amsterdam-based fashion brand has affordable women’s and men’s apparel that pays strict attention to detail. Their vintage-style garments include chunky knits, denim button-downs, military-inspired outerwear and practical (yet stylish) leather boots with rubber soles.

Want to be #SNAPPED for the next issue for the Salterrae! Shout out .odorico@gmail.com or find photographer extraordinaire Donald Belfon to get your Vogue on!

FOR IMAGES FOR THIS ARTICLE, CHECK HERE

Duranswers

Posted by Mannimal in Duranswers, Issue 3 - Full Text January 12, 2012 | No Comments

The kitten is out of the mitten, but the puss is in the pudding

By: ‘Lucat’

This holiday season, I found myself in a minor identity crisis on account of too many long nights procrastinating in front of claymation Rudolph re-runs. At first, I found myself relating to Yukon Cornelius. For one thing, he has a dog sled, which is pretty cool. Then there’s the fact that he keeps his great facial hair long past the Movember expiration date. But, one Tuesday around 3 during the scene on the Island of Misfit Toys, I realized that the flying Lion King, and not Cornelius at all, was my Christmastide alter-ego. His mind – like mine – is omnipotent. His wisdom, unprecedented. And so, Trinity College, take my advice not with a grain of salt but with the utmost sincerity, for they are not counsels but prophecies.

Dear Sultan of Solutions, My guzzling has gotten out of control this Yuletide. My favourite white shirt is ruined with

wine stain upon wine stain upon…rum stain? How can I remedy this unfortunate happenstance? I look like I’m homeless,

Spilling Problem

Dear Spilling Problem, Open your mind to possibility. The key here is to look not at the stain as a hindrance, but as

a blessing. All of those splotches, they are concept art. Their synthesis is the manifestation of chaos and order, right and wrong, hope and despair in our shared surreality. Embrace the void.

I am the bastion of truth, Gurucat.

Dearest Lucat, I’m not at home when I’m at home. My res room is filled with pictures of faces I do not know.

People in the quad gesture toward me and call me names that aren’t my own. Who am I? Fix my confusion,

Anonymous

Dear Anonymous, You have contracted the most contagious Trin disease. Many Men and Women of College

have fallen prey to side effects of this sick social experiment we call In my time here I have been “That Purple Guy,” “Wolverine,” and now “Lucat ze kitteh.” Sometimes I meow and curl up on the floor. We are all inflicted, but the good news is that your identity is in constant flux. After breaks of two weeks or more you can completely reinvent yourself! Maybe one day you’ll recognize the face in your pictures.

Alternatively, your frenemies are playing a hilarious practical joke on you. Life is just a series of chuckles,

Lucas

Born This Way

Posted by Mannimal in Contributions, Issue 3 - Full Text January 12, 2012 | No Comments

Consequences of a phrase too often used

By: Arash Lofti

Two years ago, I volunteered at Pride. I had no political stance on it, and didn’t necessarily think my coming out merited so much drunken revelry. I went nonetheless.

There was a lot of talk about “being yourself” – a phrase too often used. I have heard people who justify anything from poor academics to outlandish Pride outfits by saying, “It’s just who I am.” Quite frankly, the public determinism, instead of a focus on being biologically drawn to the same sex, renders coming out that much more difficult. This “born this way” talk is burdening;

if “gayness” is truly a necessity of the self, it leaves one with apparently no choice and a need for a coping mechanism.

One of the contributing factors to the difficulty of is that sexuality into a driving force in one’s life. This is not a normative claim; I still maintain that even if sexual orientation boils down to a choice, this choice is arbitrary. I only claim that we must not confuse the self with the person’s biology and potential – or lack thereof – for action. Biology and thoughts can be inevitable. I could get you to think anything by a mere suggestion. It seems harsh to hold you responsible (not necessarily in a negative sense) for an appetite or thought.

The notion “This is just who I am,” can have quite negative consequences. British teacher Katharine Birbalsingh argues that its impact on education has created a “culture of excuses.” Countless hours are spent trying to accommodate students’ supposed needs, thereby limiting their self-sufficiency and narrowing their curriculum, when they may be better off if they had been left to overcome their difficulties on their own terms.

Similarly, sexuality is only a sensitive issue once make it so. It’s like an organic silence: it’s not “awkward” until someone points it out. Misconstrued analytic self-help mantras, like “I am just being myself” should not be in our vocabulary. We should remind kids that they are responsible for their lives, that they should refrain from excuses, and hold them up to tougher standards. “Be yourself” often justifies following whims when, sometimes, choices are tougher than that. By all means, we should succumb to some whims; ones like sexual orientation can be the source of much love and excitement. But sexual orientation should also be considered arbitrary, and will be once we divert focus from it.

The harm originates from attempts to appease everyone. We try to help kids find their “passion” and “who they really are” and, consequently, take hard work and acquired tastes and interests out of the equation. Failure then becomes apparently a result of incompatibility rather than a sign that a bit more effort needs to be exerted and we hear, once again: “It’s just not my thing.”

Nightmare before Christmas

Posted by Mannimal in Alumni, Issue 3 - Full Text January 12, 2012 | No Comments

An alumni perspective on the holidays

By: Jesse Greene

As a student, December meant less about the holidays (I was going to write “Christmas” but I’d hate to look like one of those ignorant white people) and more about exams. My life was taken over by excessive binge eating and evenings in TC 22 spent dreaming of the day that I would never again have to answer a question that began with “In what ways and to what extent.” More often than not, it would begin to look a lot more like x number of exams in x-1 days (in other words, a lot of exams in not a whole lot of time) than x-mas.

What was always most bizarre to me, though, wasn’t the stress, but the fact that for a season of sharing – of celebrations alongside those you (ought to) love most – it was actually a time I spent largely to myself.

Nightly 2:15 AM Tim Horton’s trips with friends allowed me to grieve the downside of post- colonial nationalism in Cuba and the need for an anti-calendar entry so that no one would ever make the mistake that I did by taking a course on post-colonial nationalism in Cuba. While these trips felt like an escape from solitude, the sense of relief was only ever temporary. Shortly after, or (more truthfully) whenever the guilt of trying to drag out the coffee trip tugged at my Catholic conscious to unrivalled levels only my mother could only aspire to achieve, I would return to a blank computer screen with a word count that needed to be doubled…and then some.

And then, after submitting the paper or writing the exam, I would return to my room and go through the same routine until the next one. My life was straight out of a scene from Groundhog Day. It was only during exam time that an otherwise twenty minute meal evolved into an hour long affair. Being with friends, even if it meant engaging in a competition to see who had it off worst, (cue the tales of post-colonial Cuban nationalism) served as the perfect escape from the countless evaluations.

And that really was what made this time the most solitary – the countless evaluations. It was during this period that you returned to being a 9-digit number whose ability to construct ideas, offer up original insight, and source appropriate examples was decoded into a percentage. Throughout December, one percent could feel like the difference between being the CEO and being the CEO’s receptionist. Doing well on an essay translated to a salary riddled with zeros (preferably six) preceded by a one. And not doing well? See: Parent’s basement.

In fourth year, the pressure had intensified. While I had absolutely no intention of attending either law or medical school, I doubted myself. What if I want to go to law school and that 81% on the in-class quiz keeps me from getting in? I was scared. Although I could apply reason to developing essay arguments in order to succeed, when it came to my own life, doing so evaded me.

Fear is a powerful weapon, and at university, it tended to be responsible for more than a few self-inflicted wounds. I recall feeling that the 84% I finished with in ECO100 was going to signal to a future employer that I wasn’t the best candidate for the position. I was wrong. I was hired a week before my final exam by two employers for corporate positions. I used the negotiating skills from university to not only secure the positions, but to fandangle both concurrently.Don’t let a number define your future. And, most importantly, don’t let December exam period be the Grinch who stole Christmas.

JUICED!

Posted by Mannimal in Issue 2 - Full Text, Sports January 12, 2012 | No Comments

Halftime Habits

By: Jack Cashin

Just as you are about to take possession of the ball, a sharp and shrill sound pierces your ears – the sound of the referee’s whistle blowing. What is it this time? Did he see another phantom handling of the ball? Did Fabio Ponti do his impression of the Italian national team by falling to the ground (some call it diving, some call it embellishing, Fabio calls it instinct) and flailing his limbs about as if he was concurrently suffering a Taser shock and a femur fracture of his femur?

As you turn to complain to the ref, regardless of the call, you realize he is merely indicating that the first half is over – it’s halftime. There are only a few minutes before play will resume. How are you going to prepare to tackle the crucial second half? With your mind racing, you can’t help but remember the words of famed NCAA coach Bob Knight: “Everyone wants to win, but not everyone is willing to prepare to win.”

There appear to be two main schools on how to best exploit the precious pause that is halftime: physical versus mental preparation. The first – physical preparation – covers a range of possibilities. It involves everything from attending to the injuries taken during the first half (always got to have the Flintstones band-aids for Dave Scholl or that kid will freak out), to running for a quick bathroom break (a favourite of the notoriously small-bladdered James Park), to snacking on Power bars (or, if you’re like me, fruits smuggled from Strachan). One of the most important ways to prep physically between halves, though, is through hydration. The last thing you want during the second half is to suffer a heat stroke because you forgot to drink water AND missed out on Mrs. Shackleford’s orange slices.

Now, while you could take this advice, run out to Metro and buy the full Gatorade G Series Prime (read: rip-off), you may also say to yourself, “Hey, I go to Trinity! I only drink water when I’m out of vodka – and I never run out of vodka.” In this case, you should look to NBA Champion Ron Artest, or as he is legally known nowadays, Metta World Peace (no joke, that’s actually his name – his daughter’s name is Diamond World Peace…but it’s weird to associate “diamond” with “world peace” to me…and Mr. DiCaprio…but whatever). While the name may be a little ironic given the fact that he once jumped into a crowd to beat up an opposing fan, it may come as a comfort to know that he is also famous for having drank Hennessy cognac at halftime in the early days of his career.

When mentally preparing for the second half, some people like to stay quiet, keep their thoughts to themselves and focus. Others prefer to talk with their teammates, discussing attack plans and highlighting what went well (or not so well) in the first half. When taking a psychological approach, it is important to avoid distractions. Keep focused on your goals for the second half and ignore everything else. If that one heckler on the sideline has been chirping you all game, just block him out (and get him after the game in the parking lot). If Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake are performing, it’s probably best to ask for a recap later.

When it boils down to it, though, the moral of the story, regardless of the approach you take, is to drown out anything that is going to stop you from achieving your goals. Hear that sound? It’s that damned referee blowing his whistle again. Now put down this article and get your head in the game – we’re counting on you to get that W.

The Wright Way

Posted by Mannimal in Issue 2 - Full Text, Society January 12, 2012 | No Comments

Sprints, Smooches, and Superheroes: A Saint’s Rush Review

By: Natalie Wright

For about a month before the actual rush, I could not keep track of the number of times I overheard ‘Sooo, should I run for a guy I actually like?’, as upper years laughed and responded ‘Oh, @$%&*, of course you should rush the guy you like!’. Wrong. But, in any case, it was great to see so much anticipation for the kick-start of our first formal, the Saints Charity Ball!

I am one to get ridiculously excited about our formals; specifically for the glamour they bring to our regular sweat-pant-ridden student lives. I was a little skeptical about whether or not this year’s Comic Book theme would be as glamorous as past years have been, with themes like Motown and the Deep South. However, a couple of things ousted my apprehensions about this year’s Saints Ball.

Firstly, whoever’s idea it was to have our resident college hunks make videos to show why we should duke it out for their hands is absolutely effing brilliant. Fabio’s astonishing mastery of the creepy smile wowed all and Michael Humeniuk’s ability to GTL all at the same time was particularly impressive. But none was so beautiful, so simple, so utterly breathtaking, as Ben Crase’s naked leg maneuver. Girls wanted him. Guys wanted him. This was the beginning of a beautiful rush.

Apart from the odd Archie Comic and a brief Moontang education about World of Warcraft Edition 13 (and you thought it wasn’t a comic book, let alone one with a thirteenth 13!), I’ve never had any particular affinity with graphic novels. However, I was recently re-introduced to Emma Peele from ‘Avengers.’ Emma Peele’s embodiment of power and sexuality, and her status as a style icon, totally changed my perspective on the comic book theme. Such a theme provides a perfect dichotomy between serious and silly, along with freedom of interpretation of the term ‘Superhero’ – which always allows for great costumes. And great costumes there were! Notable outfits included the Powerpuff Girls, the Catwoman ladies, and first year Arun as Steve Jobs (too soon? iApprove).

The set-up in the Buttery was the best I have ever seen. An elevated catwalk, a DJ booth in the middle of the room and a flashy BANG sign made in traditional comic book font (‘not Comic Sans, thank God!’ exclaimed Alessia Belissario) made for an extraordinarily simple, but effective, party venue. Everyone was dressed up, and with the lighting and smoke machine accentuating the catwalk and DJ booth, the space was entirely transformed. Creative and simple solutions always prevail. Well done, Saints Crew!

The catwalk was used and abused with a perfectly executed Zoolander-esque walk-off right before midnight. Adding to the air of competition for the night, all kinds of characters strutted their stuff, culminating in a bloody fantastic choreographed routine by Daniel Bennett and his crew of Powerpuff Girls. We expected nothing less, but still jumped up and down with glee.

After a thorough panel discussion and crowd consultation, Daniel Bennett and Victoria Hoffman deservedly took home the prizes for best costumes. Our resident Trinity DJ Geoff Harricks provided the beats to strut to, spinning all night long. As soon as I heard a mix between Classixx’s Cold Act III and Thriller, I knew we would be in for yet another night of great music. Damn, we’re lucky!Finally, at twelve o’clock, men and women of college lined up on either side of the Quidditch Pitch, inebriated enough for the sprint to look less daunting than perhaps it should have. The Fresh Prince of Trinity College counted down, and rushers bolted, collided, elbowed, kicked, scratched and thrashed their way across the pitch to get to their partners. Happy couples laughed and hugged and everyone began planning their future dates, outfits and gifts immediately. Men, you’re in for a wild ride.

LOL: Lack of Learning

Posted by Mannimal in Contributions, Issue 2 - Full Text January 12, 2012 | No Comments

How your “Tweeting Disorder” is munching on your brain

By: Jessica Cahill

Internet usage today yields a combination of useful information and mindless pleasure. It is employed as an educational tool that provides credible and rapidly available sources for students. Lecture notes and lab outlines are downloadable at the click of a mouse. Indeed, the array of material has the potential to take research to a whole new level. Trinity College itself relies heavily on its website, whose functions range from providing scholarship information to party sign-ups. However, there is a flip side to the benefits of Internet usage that is taking universities by force.

What is being popularized within the Internet is simplicity. This idea has manifested itself through communication. The idea’s onslaught is credited to the text message, which sends shorthand messages in lieu of a phone call. Websites like Twitter have sprung up that are centred around this craze. But why does the world need updates on the lives of those they “follow” in 140 characters or less? Is email not satisfactory enough? In the pre-Twitter era, hundreds were not scratching their heads wondering, “How can I follow the minute-by- minute actions of Pujan?”.

One may question whether status updates will soon be limited to punctuation

marks.

Regardless, Twitter’s system of effortless, undemanding communication is accessed by 3 million accounts daily.

This downsize of communication is hindering classroom performance. Gregory Levey, a professor at Ryerson University, stated that “plug in: tune out” perfectly captures the attitudes of adults today. Students employ the virtual world as a classroom escape. According to Levey, teaching has become the challenge of educating the “iGeneration”. Our constant use of technology is changing the way our brain stores information and processes interactions – and not for the better.

Just a few hours online each day is enough to weaken certain neural processes and train the brain to create shortcuts for acquiring information. The result is that the brain has less capacity for long-term storage. In reality, students will outgrow their proficiency to look beyond the Internet for information. With students lacking critical analytical skills, the way knowledge is obtained has been vastly altered.

Levey states that the effects of limited communication in order to deliver blasts of information can be seen in writing comprehension. The more students access social media sites, the more difficult it will be to create a 3000-word essay. Establishing a thesis and forging effective arguments begins to feel impossible when contrasted to creating an efficient, 140-character post.

Even more ridiculous is that Internet slang is being intertwined with formal writing. According to Levey, two of his students have used “LOL” and “gr8” in papers, among other online shorthands. “One student, in a literature paper…for a third year class of U of T, quoted icanhascheezburger.com,” said Levey.

Researchers such as Levey have concluded that they will need to find ways toelongate the ever-shrinking attention span of students. The solution does not lie in finding new ways to fulfill their needs, but in impeding the usage of computers. Levey enforces a strict laptop ban in his classroom, thereby forcing students to handwrite notes. The result? A more engaged and productive group that promotes a high quality of discussion. This clearly accredits more traditional learning methods, giving solid meaning to the phrase

“tried and true.”

Let’s Talk About Sex

Posted by Mannimal in Issue 2 - Full Text, Sex January 12, 2012 | No Comments

The Mid-term Sutra – love it or leave it

By: Helenaz Hajifattahi

It’s that time of year again. I’m not talking about hockey season (and the unexpected rise of the Leafs’ standings) and I’m not talking about Halloween. I’m talking about midterms. Be it with lab reports, essays, or oral exams, we have all been exposed to this tortuous form of suffering in some form or another.

As students head into their fourth consecutive all-nighter, running on nothing more than Strachan coffee-flavoured-water and bananas that they snuck from under Zen’s peering gaze, they can’t help but yearn for a little bit of relaxation, balance and tranquility. For some, that translates into a brisk walk to Tim Hortons to gorge on a scrumptious assortment of Timbits. For others, a swift lap around Queen’s Park to get the endorphins flowing does the trick. For many, though, de-stressing entails a quick – and arguably necessary – session under the sheets.

One of the most basic human instincts is the desire to seek pleasure and live life to the fullest, carpe diem style. By nature, we just want to have fun. I find that this intense yearning for self-fulfillment is even more pronounced when we’re feeling defeated. When feeling the pressures of school, we need a little pick-me-up. As such, we seek to reward ourselves, and while some turn to scrumptious desserts or strenuous workouts, an equally stressed group turns to casual sex. But why?

According to the always-reliable source, Wikipedia, stress is the failure of a person to respond to mental, emotional or physical demands. Our nervous system responds by releasing surplus amounts of hormones, and we feel the crunch. We are all emotional creatures; we crave human interaction, be it a physical or a psychological one, and sex is the amalgamation of these desires. It feeds both our physical desires (self- explanatory) and our psychological cravings for companionship and adoration. It follows, then, that getting laid is a most effective outlet when times get tough.

But if sex is such an effective calming agent, why aren’t we all living in an epicurean fantasy where we just get it on all the time? Most likely, it is because sex, just like everything else that’s good in life, has complications. In the same way that desserts cause diabetes and running begets bad joints, sex comes with the potential pangs of emotional damage. It could be argued that the danger of this side effect is a reason to never have sex again. Who wants to experience yet another heartbreak and subsequent rom- com marathon with a tub of Tom and Jerry’s and a bottle of Jack as your two best friends? Clearly, sex can be rough in more ways than one.

But the other day, when watching the new Rihanna video for “We Found Love,” I had a clarifying and comforting realization. The opening scene is of a hipster Rihanna and her Chris Brown look-alike in a dreary urban apartment. First glance tells us they have a fiery and passionate relationship with the dark tinges of alcohol and substance abuse. However, the video doesn’t come with a precautionary warning to keep away from the threats of love and sex. Instead, it has a simple message that good experiences are worth the baggage. Desserts are tasty and exercise is satisfying, but neither give you the intense, seemingly lasting emotional high you get from a sexual encounter – it’s incomparable.

So, while you stake your permanent spot in TC 22 or begin to recognize the faces of the night shift security at Robarts Library, don’t forget to take a deep breath and seek other forms of pleasure, like consensually falling on to someone. On some level, it may just lighten your load and allow for smooth sailing through this tempestuous testing season.

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The Breaking Dawn break-down

Trin Fashion

Duranswers

Born This Way

Nightmare before Christmas

JUICED!

The Wright Way

LOL: Lack of Learning

Let’s Talk About Sex

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