Wynpress term 2

Wynpress Term 2 2018

"The World at its Finest"

editorial Living in a world filled with negative thoughts and actions, the Wynpress Committee decided to go against societal norms and, instead of discussing gloomy topics, we will be highlighting the positive aspects of our world. We have delved into the topic of this publication: “The World at its finest,” by looking at beautiful travel destinations and trying to determine what ‘the perfect moment’ actually is. The world would also be such a bland place without the internet, which is why we look at the importance of both memes and vines in our lives.

Maybe you are also really upset about exams and busy procrastinating? Well, this publication will give you the motivation you need to get back on track, while still allowing you to read some interesting stories regarding our very own Wynberg Girls! There is so much for you to read,but be sure you do leave enough time to study and to sleep. Don’t now stay up all night reading Term 2’s Wynpress.

AQILAH REGAL

CONTENTS PAGE "THE BEST AND MOST BEAUTIFUL THINGS IN THE WORLD CANNOT BE SEEN OR TOUCHED-THEY MUST BE FELT WITH THE HEART" HELEN KELLER

Finding the Perfect Moment ................................... 4 Loading 97%...Memes ... 6 Sprinkling Positivity around like Confetti ....... 8 Dear Sisters... ......................... 9 The Death of Vines .......... 10 Man's Hamartia .................. 11 How to Master the Exams in 10 Easy Steps .................. 12 The World is Waiting ...... 16 Depression and Anxiety 18 What Is Self Care ................ 19 "After the Rain" ..................... 20 Mu'minah's Book Reviews ...................................... 21 Why I covered my hair at my Matric dance. ................ 23 The End ...................................... 24

Finding the Perfect Moment

Ciara Birch

If pain is relative, then surely other emotions can be held up against a ruler and measured. Surely joy can to be relative.

We are not machines. We have thoughts, wishes, whims, and circumstances which dictate how we perceive what we experience.

Our perception of reality may be attributed We live in a world where we are asked to to many arbitrary things, such as one’s reach for the stars and reach for nurturing, but really it all boils down to what perfection. We spend endless hours your attitude is. Attitude may be defined as trying to achieve perfection, trying to a “settled way of thinking or feeling about experience a perfect moment. something” (dictionary.com).

We have been bombarded with ideologies about what perfection should look like. And how: if you look a certain way; if you eat certain things; if you live in a certain kind of neighbourhood; if your parents earn a certain kind of money; if you know certain kinds of people, and if you get certain kinds of marks - then you will be happy and able to have mountains of perfect experiences. But life is not an ideology, it is far messier, and complex.

Your attitude is the camera lens through which you view the world. The lens may be clear, and bright; it may be a bit grubby; it may be a lot grubby; and sometimes it is just downright damaged. Yet unlike your actual camera lens, which is ridiculously expensive, your attitude lens can be swapped out, cleaned, or replaced whenever you want it to. So, what does this have to do with The Perfect Moment (rhetorical question do not worry)?

‘Perfect’ as defined by our dear The point that I am trying to make is that life, no friend dictionary.com is “having all matter how painful, or stressful, or monotonous, the required or desirable elements, has some pretty fabulous moments. And if you do qualities, or characteristics, in other not look out for the good moments, grab them words, as good as it is possible to when they come across, and store them in your be.” memory box for later - the moments will fly away whoosh. And when you are in tears, distraught The great thing about the last half about being distraught, as well as, being upset of the definition of perfect is that about all the stuff that you have to do in your life, lots of things are as amazing as you will not have any perfect moments to recall, they could possibly be. Therefore, and you will be sadder for longer. Which is not technically, anything that is “as fun. good as it could possibly be” can So go forth and make note of the seemingly small be classified as a perfect moment, and insignificant moments that really are what and really, anything that you find make life beautifully unique and gift them the terribly pleasing can also be name The Perfect Moment. defined as perfect. It all depends on what lens you are using.

It is, therefore, that I find myself concluding that The Perfect Moment is a self made, slightly arbitrary, concept that you get to define.

Perfect moments can take many forms: the first sip of coffee at nine o’clock on a sunny Sunday morning; the drumming of heavy rain on tin; the bittersweet taste of air after a night of rain; the moment that you make it to the top of the staircase and you are only slightly out of breath; or even that moment when your eyes meet across the room, a few seconds after your teacher has told you to pair up, and you know that you two are going to be project partners.

Loading 97%... Memes Amarachi Vazidule

Memes are lit. Not only have they become part of the 21st century, but they also spread across cultures faster than any system of behaviour in history. Memes form a network for people to connect from different backgrounds, and you might even find yourself relating to someone across the globe just because you made yourself believe that you would actually open up a book on the long weekend.

Now let’s get down to business. When narrowing it down, 5 things happen to your body when you laugh uncontrollably: 1. Laughing burns calories- Research conducted by Maciej Buchowski revealed that laughing ‘increases heart rate 10 to 20%’ and that it can burn between 10 to forty calories per day.

2. Laughter also strengthens your bond with people- as discovered in the Journal of Neuroscience, laughter has ‘pleasurable’ and calming’ effects because the endorphins released by your brain ‘signal safety and promote feelings of togetherness’ explaining why, when in an awkward situation, a joke is the best way to break the ice.

3. It involves all parts of your brain- in an experiment aiming to study the electrical activity which occurs in our brains when we laugh, it was discovered that after we laugh, an electrical wave sweeps through the cortex of our brains and ‘carpets our entire cerebral cortex’.

4. It relaxes your body for up to 45 minutes-laughing for long periods of time has the same relaxing effect as having a good workout. After laughing, physical tension leaves your body, thus leaving your muscles relaxed.

here we're 5. It releasesGoing ‘feel-good’ chemicals in your brain- when you laugh your brain releases endorphins which make you feel good

afterwards- even better than you felt after the joke or meme and also helps ‘positive . e to consider who the B e f o r psychological e e v e n t y p i n g y o u r r e pmood o r t , f i r s t states’ take the tim report is for. One good rule of thumb to remember is that the higher up the stakeholder is in the organizational ladder, the more succinct the report needs to be.

(Gould. H, The/Thirty, Nov. 30 2017, ‘5 Things That Happen to Your Body When You Laugh Uncontrollably’, accessed 5 May 2018, https://thethirty/byrdie.com/what-happens-to-your-brain-whenWith the myriad of metrics social media marketers have access to, it’s you-laugh) t e m p t i n g t o d r o w n y o u r a u d i e n c e i n n u m b e r s . W h i l e f i g u r e s a r e n ' t b a d per se, you do have to make sure that these are relevant to the role of those receiving the report. Strive to tell the story behind the numbers by including learnings or insights.

All in all, memes are a big part of our lives because they generate laughter, and now that you know why laughter is so important, do not feel guilty when scrolling on Twitter or Instagram through endless pages of memes (unless you do it during study time).

May/June is an extremely draining time of the year as we feel the pressure of exams coming. When someone you know is going through it, share a meme and offer them emotional support. However, don’t forget to take care of yourself, too. Find comfort in the chaos whenever you can.

Sprinkling positivity around like confetti

Ilham Choonara

You are probably lying if you say that you don’t re-watch hilarious snapchat stories that you’ve saved.

Everyone knows that one of the best feelings is when you remember a random moment that makes you smile. I would even say it’s healthy to take a moment and remind yourself of a time you laughed hysterically over and over again.

So like Buzzfeed, we asked members of the Wynberg Girls’ High School community to share those happy, random moments to let our readers share in the positivity of another girl’s day.

“One day after school I was walking to Engen down the road. I was walking alone, and naturally started walking faster when I saw a homeless man on the pavement corner.

Honestly, the first thought that came to mind was danger. On my way back to school, I noticed that the man was still there. I began to walk fast past him again, until I heard him say “Hello”. It wasn’t a creepy or worrying “Hello” either. It was so friendly, and he was smiling at me. I responded with a smile and a “Hi” and I normalized my walking pace. I felt so guilty that I had assumed this nice man was dangerous before. I walked back smiling because no matter anyone’s’ situation there are happy, friendly humans everywhere.”

- Grade 12 girl

This was towards the end of grade 11, and I know the bulk of our grade was feeling an even tighter bond growing as we all realized the dawn of matric mixed in with the pressure of grade 11 finals.” -Grade 12 “We used to have one hour breaks on a Tuesday at school and sometimes the girls would organize with the tech team in order to have music playing during the long break. Then two songs later there’d be fun dance battles between the girls and everyone would be laughing and having a good time.” - 2014 matriculant

“My finest moment as a Wynberg girl was representing my school in The National All Girls Sports and Cultural Festival 2018 and when our vocal ensemble performed and won, I could not have been happier.” “It was during the November exams. It Grade 10 girl was a few hours after our exam had ended, so most of the grade had “I think a great memory in terms of our gone home already. I had been grade is when we all came together to do hanging around with my friends from all those pranks for sleepover and younger grades while I waited at was out to spoil it. Everyone school, convinced that I was the only nobody pushed any troubles they had with girl from my grade still on the certain people aside just so that we could premises. When I walked to the rain shelter, however, there stood another all pull off something great.” - Grade 12 girl grade 11 girl. I had barely interacted with her- the most I knew about her “Sometimes at breaks our group was her name. We ended up waiting somehow ends up beatboxing, and we have to try to form sentences that make quite a while for our lifts, and all I remember about the conversation is sense and match the beat. I know it happens a lot, but its just always so funny that it was so surprisingly fun and chilled. and memorable every time” - Grade 11 girl

Anonymous

Dear Sisters...

The world is an ever-changing place. Not The year of the #shepersisted and #metoo movements which fully showed the extent of much stays the same for long and not female exploitation. The year Ana Brnabic much injustice lasts forever. Throughout our history as a human civilisation women became the first female prime minister of Serbia and the year in which New Zealand have played a vital role, ensuring the continuation of the civilisation. But, when elected a female prime minister who has since did that become a burden? Well, the truth become only the second woman to be is, somewhere in the earliest days of that pregnant while in office. 2017 was the year women stood up and refused to be silenced. civilisation.

Somewhere along the line the ideas of birthing children and caring for them became our sole occupation. One of the great miracles of human existence became something that limited us.

Somewhere along the line we became inferior. We lost our independence, our individuality and our ingenuity. But not for long! Since the dawn of patriarchy there have been freedom-fighters and those who refuse to accept oppression. The uprising and movements these women pioneered are regarded as the “waves of feminism” and throughout history there have been three. The fourth is currently ongoing. We are living through a movement that promises to change the world as we know it. That promises to change our prospects, our pay and,perhaps, even men's perception of us.

But this wasn’t the first such occasion. There were others in the history books: Rose McGovern, Malala Yousafzai and Meryl Streep.

I’m sure most of you have heard of the Pankhurst who pioneered the fight for women’s right to vote but there are so many more who have significantly contributed to the movement for change: Adrienne Rich, Grace Lee Boggs, Gloria Analdua, Sylvia Rivera and Shirley Chisholm, to name a few.

The fourth wave of feminism was especially prevalent last year. The year of the silence- breakers, the women’s marches the world over against Trump, Adele, and we can't forget Beyonce. The year in which 4 new female senators were elected to US congress. The year 3 women enlisted as the US military’s first women infantrymen.

The important thing to remain aware of is the fact that we are living through the fourth wave of feminism. We are living through it. It is not over, it has not concluded, so much must still be achieved. We have the ability, through our persistence, idealism and hope to change the world quite literally. To change the future for so many more women out there, for so many girls out there, for our daughters one day.

As a woman, I am immensely proud of what we have achieved so far, but I am also conscious that the world isn’t an equal society.

Not yet. There are still so many who believe their rights are wants; who believe that equal pay is a fantasy, and that sexual discrimination and abuse is simply a fact of life. So many still believe it’s not their place to have a career, to have dreams, to have their own future.

The Death of Vine CHEYENNE BRITTEN

We’ve all ended up procrastinating, finding ourselves on Youtube, watching RIP vine compilations until the early hours of the morning, or maybe that’s just me. Vine, a video hosting service, allowed users to create and share 6-second, looping clips. It was a platform where people could create and share their creativity and humour. However, in 2016, it was shut down.

So why did Vine die if it is still so popular today?

Well, because of social media’s ever changing landscape and tough competition, Vine lost most of its users to Instagram and Snapchat. Upon its birth in 2013, its main aim was for users to create short videos of their daily life, yet users saw this as a creative challenge. It became a platform for teens to create relatable comedy content. Fed up with your friends? There's a vine for that. Feeling lonely?

There’s a vine for that. Is someone constantly lying to you? There's a vine for that.

The shut down of Vine didn’t only mean fewer laughs, it left creators to venture off into other creative journeys.The majority of these ‘vine stars’ took to Youtube, where they had a larger audience, could create longer videos and had opportunities for brand deals.

VIne is like vinyl. It was out of date, but it has managed to make a comeback. After its death it seems as if Vine has become more popular, with various compilations being made on Youtube and resurfacing social media, and being quoted by teens in everyday conversation. Plus, it has been confirmed that Vine 2 is in the making and some of the well-known ‘vine stars’ will be returning.

This time videos will be 12 seconds long allowing users to create more quality content.

Vine is important and plays a large role in entertaining our generation of today. The influence of these 6 second videos has built a creative community which sets trends by using comical and relatable content. If the creations of Vine were so successful in entertaining us, imagine what more we could create when Vine 2 comes around.

How well do you know your vines? If you get these wrong, ‘get out meh car’...

1. I don’t care that you broke your _____ 2. Get to Del Taco, they’ve got a new thing called ______________ 3. It’s__________________my dudes 4. ______ _______I love you 5. Stop, I could've dropped my _______ 6. It’s an ________________! Thanks!

7. Mother Trucker dude, that hurt like a _____________ 8. That was ____________ 9. I’ve never been to______________ 10. _________? Yeah, I sure hope it does.

11. Look at all those _______________ 12. A _______flew around my room

This story begins with five friends: Selfless, Harmless, Serenity, Impulsive and Narcissism.

Man's Hamartia

Zayyaan Esau Selfless was exactly as her name suggested - a person who was giving,in all things, and was unaffected by self-love Suddenly, they saw a figure appear in and self-preservation. front of them. The figure was Harmless who was often overlooked, was indiscernible, with features that could not true to the name and never had such a be described as either human, creature or other. It just was. great impact on a situation that his presence was known. His opinion was The figure trembled at the sight of them never valued. and shied away from their prying eyes.

Serenity was very subdued and never As always, Impulsive stepped forward stressed or worried about anything. first. He was always eager to play the investigator while Harmless slunk to the Unlike Serenity, Impulsive was constantly busy, always moving quickly back of the group and melted behind Serenity. and never stopping to savour or learn from any experience.

The figure would not speak to Impulsive, Narcissism, on the other hand, savoured despite his valiant attempt at all things that had to do with himself. He conversation. Next, Selfless stepped loved himself greatly and took pride in all forward and asked, “What is the matter?” his actions and carefully crafted choices. To which the figure responded, “I am unwell and am in need of help, but it is an

One day the friends were walking along a impossible task.” road that seemed to stretch on forever.

The landscape never changed and it was “Perhaps it is improbable, but not impossible,” said Narcissism. as if time itself stood still.

The figure eyed them warily before he To which Selfless replied that she spoke again, “ I have an incurable disease would not. The creature then shut the and do not have much time left to live. The door. “Then you will perish in this medicine that I need is costly and rare and world, unless you love yourself. Selfcan only be found in the next village, which love is not being selfish, but it is loving is a two days walk from here. The yourself as you love so many others.” treatment will not grant me a longer life, but it will ease the pain. In order to undergo He turned Selfless away and she this journey, you all have to give up a prized wordlessly walked back the way they possession and you will encounter great came. difficulties along your trip. Sadly, I have no treasures for you, but sincere gratitude “I give up hesitation”, said Impulsive should you help me and succeed.” proudly.

Harmless squirmed and shook his head, “You ask too much of us.”

The creature then said to him, “You can't give up something you've never had, but patience is a virtue that you Impulsive laughed, “It is a mad man's task, should learn.” He then allowed indeed, but I am ready.”

Impulsive to enter, who walked fearlessly to the other side. Within Serenity shrugged indifferently, “If we minutes, Impulsive returned through should go, then we shall go.” the gate, looking as if he'd been brutally injured. The creature seemed unfazed, Selfless nodded, “Come what may, our path “And that is why patience is a lesson is set.” that should be valued. Do not enter a situation blindly, think before you act.”

Narcissism agreed, “If we do not go, I will be Impulsive then followed Selfless’s path. disappointed with my decision and guilt is something that I will not carry with me.” Next was Serenity who promised to give up all anger and stress and worry.

The figure sighed with relief, “I bid you a “If you give up those qualities you will safe journey. At the end of this road you never survive. The world is a tough will have to give up something that you place and you need to be tougher. At hold dearly and from there on you will times you need anger to fight for what truly meet trials and tribulations. Farewell.” you believe in and stress helps to urge you on. Without worry, how will you And so their journey began, with Harmless love others or care?” hesitantly following his friends.

Once again Serenity was turned away They reached a large gate that refused to until only Harmless and Narcissism budge. remained.Harmless cowered behind Narcissism, but the creature urged him Impulsive charged at it, yet it still wouldn't to make his decision. open.

“I- I give up all my opinions. I don't “You have to give something up first.”, said want any confrontation”, he stuttered.

Selfless who stepped forward. “I give up all thoughts of myself!”, she yelled. The door “Then you will never be accounted for opened and a small creature appeared. and you will live your life as a fencesitter. It is people like you, who make The creature said, “Your offering has been our world as terrible as it is.” accepted, but before you enter, you have to answer my question. If you were being Harmless scoffed, “I am not the one disrespected by someone, would you stand who commits injustice!” up for yourself?”

Yet you are not the one who stops it either,” the creature said with disdain.

Harmless turned and left, without the creature telling him to do so.

Narcissism now stood alone and faced the creature.

The creature looked at him,” And what do you have to offer but your egotistical ways?”

“You are wrong. I will not give up my regard for myself.”

The creature waved him off, “Then turn back the way you came.”

“Instead”, Narcissism continued, “I will give up all the faults that my friends possess so that I may be a better person. I will not give up my vanity, but I will transform it so that my love for myself will not inhibit my love for others. Today, I have learnt that to make this world better, you have to recognise your faults as well as others’ and learn from it. We are not perfect, but we can be changed to be better, kinder, considerate and more loving people.”

The creature smiled and began to transform.

Before Narcissism, stood the figure that they had left behind. The figure was bathed in light.

“You have passed the challenge Narcissism.

The first part to the challenge was accepting the quest to help me, despite the improbability of it. It is true that your friends too accepted the challenge, but as with most people, despite their initial intentions of being good, man can easily lose sight of his goals.

The second part of the challenge was admitting your faults and being willing to accept your shortcomings, and, lastly, you have learnt that for man to be a greater person, man has to learn from one another and help his brother. If everyone were to do that, then surely there would be no hunger, no violence and no suffering. Instead the world would be a joyful place.”

And so Narcissism and the figure walked through the gate, into a better world.

How to Master the Exams in 10 Easy Steps Jade De Keijzer

2. Make notes that are appropriate for I cannot believe that the exams are you. If you are a Kinesthetic learner creeping up on us again and it feels make notes that allow you to be like just yesterday that we wrote our November exams. Unfortunately for us, interactive with your studying, like drawing notes on a chalkboard. If you we have to deal with the motions of anxiety, sleepless nights, lost weekends are an Auditory learner record to studying and crammed brains twice yourself reading your notes so that a year. I feel nervous just explaining the what you are learning is repeated exam period to a family member, let again and again until you can retain alone dealing with it myself. Hold on - the knowledge. If you are a Visual let us take a breath. We can’t let these learner make use of coloured pens and plenty of colourful sticky notes. exams dictate our sleeping patterns and lives. Lucky for you, I have compiled a few simple steps that you 3. The best advice when studying for can follow in order to master your June a Mathematics paper would be to do lots and lots of past papers. Ask any exams. girl in matric, they’ve become our best friends.

1. Organise a study space that allows for you to spread your notes and books out so that you don’t feel cramped and 4. Take regular study breaks. It's impossible to believe that studying choose a space away from anything for hours on end can be healthy. that attracts noise. You need to be able to remove all distractions like your Study for 45 minutes and take a 15 minute break before starting again. cell phone, laptop or even the latest Power naps can also prove effective ‘People’ magazine. in those seemingly short few minutes.

9. Don’t study hard - study smart.

5. Enjoy some snacks to power your What I mean is that you shouldn’t brain. Stay away from carbohydrates spend too much of your time on the that will use up energy quickly. Choose work that you find easy but rather nutritious foods that stimulate your put the extra effort and time in on concentration levels (i.e blueberries, the work that you struggle with. This fish etc). will allow you to talk to your teacher, to understand where the problem 6. Plan your study days and exams. lies. You will also have enough time Calendars will be of great help. This practise and to grasp the content allows for you to make a timetable fully. that will encourage you to study

during the allocated times and to 10. Most importantly - DON’T STRESS. reward yourself with breaks.

Rather than procrastinating the inevitable, be proactive and stay 7. Drink plenty of water. It is important calm. Staying calm and working to stay hydrated when you study. smartly will ensure that you do your best in the exams.

8. Once you have studied, take some online quizzes or test yourself to I hope that these ten steps will help ensure that you have learnt what you you through the next few weeks. The need to so that you can do your best. exam term is a daunting one, but through perseverance and hard work, you can and will achieve the best marks at the end of it all. You got this, women of Wynberg!

The World is Waiting Marine Bosch

Traveling may be expensive and daunting, but when the opportunity to travel arises, the choices are endless. Here are a few of the world’s finest travel destinations!

Paris, France The Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and Notre Dame are common attractions that come to mind when Paris is mentioned. Paris has been a centre for fashion, art, science and finance since the 1800s. The Louvre is the largest art museum in the world displaying over 35 000 objects from various periods in history. In 2017, the Louvre was the most visited museum in the world with 1.8 million visitors.

The architecture in Paris cannot be overlooked. There are various styles throughout Paris such at the gothic style of the Notre Dame and the elaborate Palace of Versailles which was inspired by Greek and Roman styles. Probably the most famous attraction in Paris is the Eiffel Tower, designed by Gustave Eiffel. This monument was constructed over a period of three years for the 1889 World Fair. The tower’s structure received criticism from artists and intellectuals, but is now an iconic monument of Paris and many people travel to Paris from across the world to climb the 324m tall Eiffel Tower.

SANDY JONES

AIMEE BECKHAM

LORENZ LIM

PAUL SANDERS

Rome, Italy Rome is one of the oldest cities in the world. Many well known artists, such as Michelangelo, lived in Rome and their influence is visible in the architecture and decoration of the Roman buildings. There are very few streets that are not decorated with sculptures and detailed fountains.

Rome is a historically rich city and the entire city is a museum displaying ruins from various time periods. One of the most well known World Heritage sites is the Colosseum. The Colosseum is the largest amphitheater in the world, holding an audience of up to 80 000 individuals. This structure was used for gladiator battles, animal hunts, public speeches, dramas, and executions. At one stage it was even used for religious purposes. The Colosseum stood open for a long period of time without maintenance, allowing the plants to take over. The Colosseum is managed constantly to avoid major damage as the structure is now a tourist attraction and research site.

Botswana Once one of the poorest countries, Botswana has become one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Many individuals travel to this popular safari destination to view giraffes, cheetahs, hyenas and wild dogs in their natural habitat. More than half of Botswana is part of the Kalahari Desert. The fourth-longest rivers in Africa, the Okavango Delta and the Zambezi, run through Botswana. Botswana uses these rivers as water sources as well as for tourism.

Zimbabwe borders on Botswana and it is most definitely worth crossing the border for a day to visit the Victoria Falls. Make sure to take a rain jacket along as it is impossible to stay dry at these large waterfalls.

Sydney, Australia Sydney is most well known for the Sydney Opera House which has a sail-like architecture. A ferry ride in Darling Harbour allows for a full external view of the Sydney Opera House as well as the arched Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Bondi Beach is a popular surfing destination. There are holiday houses close to the beach and many people wake up early to walk along the beach as the sun rises.

Many cafés and restaurants can be found at walking distance from the beach.

Make sure to visit the Featherdale Wildlife Park to see animals such as koala bears and kangaroos that are native to Australia.

SANDY JONES

AIMEE BECKHAM

LORENZ LIM

PAUL SANDERS

Cape Town, South Africa Also known as the Cape of Good Hope, Cape Town is a popular tourism destination due to its moderate climate and breathtaking scenery. Table Mountain is one of the main attractions. Most individuals travel to the top of this mountain by cable car to view the sun setting over Cape Town while others take a day to hike up Table Mountain. Robben Island (Dutch for ‘Seal Island’), a prison during Apartheid, can be seen from the top of the mountain and is also a popular tourism attraction. There are history museums all around Cape Town, one of the most well known being the Castle of Good Hope. Cape Town has many beaches from Boulders beach and its penguins to Muizenberg which is well known for being a surfing hotspot. No matter where an individual finds themselves in Cape Town, there is always something to explore

depression and anxiety Anonymous Why am I ashamed? I’ve got nothing to hide.

Why is it a secret? It’s just a different side.

This constant feeling of numbness, is hindering my life, The sharp pains in my chest, cutting like a knife.

The questions and frustration, the never- ending tears, The sense of being lost, just emphasizing my fears.

Staring at the ceiling, the time just passes by, Why oh why won’t my body, respond to anything I try?

I admit I’ve got depression, that and anxiety too, But really if you look, I’m still the same as you.

Don’t think of me as different, just smile and be kind, I’m still who I was, just trapped inside my mind.

Why should mental health, be a whispered conversation?

The time has come at last, to discuss it as a nation.

Together we’ll break down, the stigma and misconception Together we’ll show pride, for having beaten depression.

W h a t i s S e l f C a r e ? Kimber Jacobs

In the medical and health-care profession, "Self-care shouldn't be about expensive face self-care is seen as the lengths that an masks and it isn't. It's about taking the individual takes in order to maintain their necessary measures to make sure you're physical, mental and emotional health and feeling at your best and balanced, whether well-being. This applies to those especially that be cleaning your room or making a tosuffering from an illness or injury who has do list and staying on top of it," as one been told to “take care of themselves” in learner put it. ways such as engaging in regular exercise, taking their prescribed medication, Self-care, whether you take it from a medical maintaining a healthy diet and staying health angle or personal perspective, is away from harmful substances such as clearly something necessary and worthwhile, alcohol and tobacco. but shouldn't be expensive or out of reach.

Self-care should be about you and making However, for most of us (if you’re like me sure that you are feeling at your finest and spend most of your free time scrolling whether it be using your 90-second shower through the Instagram Explore page) the to try out that Lush body scrub you splurged term “self-care” probably brings to mind on or doing all your homework early so you the thoughts of Lush face masks and out- can get a solid nine hours. Use self-care of-reach bubble baths (#water restrictions).practices and techniques to make sure that After speaking to a few girls about the when the going gets tough you are able to topic of self-care, most of them expressed stay and fight and hit every one of those their anger at the way that self-care is curveballs life throws at you,because, after being glamorized across social media all, that is what we fine Wynberg women do. platforms such as Instagram, Twitter and Tumblr and say it comes across more as “self-pampering” or “self-grooming”.

"After the Rain" Lula Alex de Rose

I was awoken by a stinging breeze , early this morning. It’s the kind of cold weather that makes it nearly impossible to leave the warmth of your bed.

Sparkles of water cover my bedroom window. Last night something magical happened, something precious. The dry land of Cape Town satisfied its thirst.

I drag myself out of bed and into the kitchen for my morning java. A whiff of fresh coffee beans washes over me as I pour myself a cup. On my way out to the balkoni , the Times newspaper grabs my attention with its cover page shouting “THE DEADLY DROUGHT”. I sink into the chair only to find myself soaking in a puddle of leftover rain. My annoyance is quickly brushed off by the sudden realisation that it rained last night. It finally rained. A lot.

The green in the park outside my house has been resurrected. Large pillows of clouds are blotting out the old-gold colour of the sun. I find myself filling my lungs with refreshing air and exhaling my worries.

The smell of petrichor mixed with coffee transports me to the good old days,when rain wasn’t like gold.

On the road below me, there's children frisking their way to school and umbrellas opening as the clouds spit out their last beads of water.

I’ve missed the rain and the way it washes away the dirt, the ugliness , the stress. The rain is something that stops my thoughts from buzzing, it calms me and excites me at the same time. Droplets of moisture drip from the leaves, sprinkling onto the grass like a hose. The rain seems to have filled the cracks and scars of the dry weather we’ve been suffering.

As I sit in my wet chair, I can’t help myself but admire the damp world around me. I seemed to have carelessly dropped my newspaper on the floor and it’s drowning in a puddle of rain. I stand up on my mission to rescue the Times Newspaper and I fail to overcome the obstacle course of puddles. I’ve never been more thankful for wet socks.

Mu'minah's Book Reviews I love reading. Plain and simple. But until last year I stuck to the novels and adventure and drama and fictional stories. When I discovered Rupi Kaur-- how do I explain it? I was “enlightened”? “Freed”? This world, which has given me so many books, so many memories, gave me something entirely new. I had found work that not only spoke with me, but sat with me too. I find it amazing that even though Rupi Kaur lived across the world and had a different culture, I found words that I needed in her poetry. She spoke of culture, love, women, family and life.

As a book reader, a person constantly looking for inspiration, a lover of poetry or just a simple woman, you may have come across Rupi Kaur at least once or twice in the bookstores. You may even have picked up the book, and (unfortunately) put it back on the shelf.

Her first book, "Milk and Honey" (released in 2014), sold more than two and a half million copies --all over the world! Her poems are all complete with miniature, loosely drawn pictures, making her books a beautiful reading experience. Kaur is famous for her wise words. Through books, she encourages love, growth, care and awareness.

While there are heart-wrenching scenes, there are ones with feminist bites and deep confessions.

Last year, she released another poetry book called "the Sun and Her Flowers".

If you have not read it yet, I highly recommend it. The book never leaves my bedside.

Whether I need advice, assurance or emotional release, “the Sun and Her Flowers” is my go-to.

Her work is split into five chapters, and each deals with a part of a plant's life cycle, which she compares to the cycle that all humans go through in their life. Each chapter follows the theme of love, and each in a different way --love for your family and friends, romantic love, first love, lost love...

Wilting, the first chapter, starts off with the feeling of losing love. Rupi says everything that we know about and can relate to, like longing and hurting, but she also brings in the idea of knowing that person wasn't "the one". Second, Falling, is the chapter of acceptance and the start of healing, which walks hand in hand with the realisation that change needed to happen. Rooting was, for me, by far the biggest masterpiece Rupi Kaur has created yet. Here, she focuses all her love and care into herself, her family and her roots. She brings up her traditional Indian background and tackles challenges she has gone through in her childhood. Her parents play an extremely large role in this chapter: how they moved from India to find a better life, but was met with a hard and bitter one. If I was totally honest, one poem --called "Broken English" -reduced me to tears. It basically talks about how you view your parents, how you choose to love them, and to take into regard all they have endured for you to have a life. Her parents were foreigners who tried to give their children the best future, yet they were met with criticism and hate at every corner of their struggle.

The chapter where she started regaining her strength and love for herself is Rising. We start to see hope and love for the speaker. She talks about new friends and partners, and puts her big desires into words. The very last chapter, Blooming, is her learning to love herself fully and unconditionally. It puts the way we view ourselves into perspective, and makes us think that we need to accept ourselves to live a fulfilling life.

Overall, this beautiful compilation of thoughts encourages love, and love in all important aspects --to your family, friends, lover and yourself. This is a must read for all women out there.

Why I covered my hair at my MIlham atric Choonara Dance.

Thinking of “the world at its finest” immediately makes me think of women.

Empowered, leading-by-example women. Women supporting each other and a whole society functioning beyond the barriers of race, sex, culture, language, religion etc. To focus on the way our world is already ‘dripping in finesse’, I wanted to bring up the positivity in an often misconstrued issue. “Your, uhm, scarf?”, “your headgear”, the… *gestures an oval shape around face* Hijab.

I started wearing a scarf when I was 13 and began loving it from about the age of 15/16.

During the weeks leading up to our matric dance, quite a few questions came my way.

When someone would ask “Are you going to wear a scarf at the dance?”, numerous heads turned to hear the answer. And since almost everyone was treating the matic dance as a mini wedding and wouldn’t give anything away, I too responded with “you’ll have to see”. Honestly, I was just nervous to answer.

The question of my hairstyle wasn’t simply if it was up or down, straightened or curled.

It was actually the question of how my hair wouldn’t be styled. It wouldn’t just be covered with a piece of cloth. It would communicate something more and I was aware of that. Not to be presumptuous, but I felt a responsibility “on my head’ to communicate the right message. Globally, Muslim women who cover themselves are almost immediately seen as submissive (often to a controlling male figure), oppressed, backward, synonyms around this idea. The fact is, I, like millions of women around the world, love wearing my hijab. It is actually one of the most fundamental aspects of female empowerment, to be noticeably against convention, and feel so beautiful. The reason goes beyond being different. Hijab is a crown of protection. Foremostly, I love my religion and realize the greater purposes of following what it teaches.

Of course, I would've loved curling my hair and styling it in an elegant updo. But I had made a decision, and wanted to hold strong to that, regardless of how difficult it became. I am a hijabi on every other normal day, so why move away from that for one night? We are constantly comparing ourselves to one another in looks, personality, achievement and ‘social status’. The thing is, we’ll always be finding someone with better, better, better. It's not in looks, but the condition of your heart and mind that attracts people to you. I covered my hair, not my mind. What made me nervous in those days leading up to the dance? Outermost beauty for a teenage girl is unnecessarily stressed. At a matric ball, a dress without a slit, low back, cleavage, sleeveless or cut-out of some sort is very uncommon. These styles are absolutely gorgeous. It’s not frowned upon if the majority of your company accepts it. I’d like to think then that there is another reason for the interesting facial expressions towards a head wrapped in cloth.

The finest moment is being able to say with confidence, “No, my parents didn't force me.” The finest moment is knowing that hopefully there was a young girl whom I could inspire by not being afraid. The finest moment was having a ball of a time. The finest moment is being around the best people who are continuously supportive. The finest moment, is having my own choice.

THE END We, the Wynpress Committe hoped you enjoyed this terms edition of the Wynpress!

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Thank you to the Photography Society and Lulu Alex de Rose for all the beautiful photographs