Pawan Minhas

"There’s hundreds of valid reasons to say no to an outing, but then why does it always feel so hard when you’ve got the invite sitting in your notifications? In a word, FOMO. In four words, 'fear of missing out.'"

Before I go to school, I check myself out in the mirror one last time. I’m Pawan. I’ve got my wireframe glasses, shaggy hair, relentless acne and one of the three hoodies I wouldn’t be caught dead without.

Any time a stranger watched me try to dunk or shoot from half-court and barely make the paint, I felt a connection with them.

“Try seating yourself closer to the front of class so you feel more connected to the professor and maybe even try asking the occasional question.”

“When it comes to any relationship, romantic or otherwise, there’s always going to be a kind of tug-o’-war between the two people regarding the quirks that don’t quite mesh.”

“February at UBC seems most aptly summed up in a single word: temptation. There’s the obvious highkey scouting for a Valentine’s Day date, but there are quite a few subtler allures.”

“Sharing niche interests with someone is a great way to kickstart a friendship — and we’re lucky enough to have UBC and the AMS host a huge number of clubs, coalitions and committees on campus.”

“One tip I have for enjoying summer in a small town, however, is summed up nicely in one word: exaggerate.”

“Finals season is here and accompanying it is the semi stir-crazy feeling UBC can have when you get tired of the grey skies and start greeting the squirrels by name.”

If a coup doesn’t exactly appeal to you or you can’t fit large-scale protests into your schedule, there are still plenty of ways for you to create change in your club for the better.

Despite their best efforts, social media and messaging just aren’t as engaging or satisfying as a good old conversation. That certainly doesn’t mean they can’t be improved though.

The only way to see if a book on your shelf is relevant to you, especially an old one, is to crack it open and see what it’s all about.

After a relationship, especially one that meant a lot, both parties go through a lot of tumultuous emotions and feel a need to go back to the status quo, but usually there’s something stopping them.

Unfortunately not all clubs are created equal, and that means that some really niche groups get lost in the cracks and don’t end up reaching their full audience.