Pursuing a Masters’ Degree at Durham University

Pursuing a Masters’ Degree at Durham University

Living abroad is an eye-opening experience. I stayed for 2 years in the cold North-East of England, at Durham University, which is known to attract posh locals; made friends with people from all corners of the globe, and spent lots of time trying to handle the academic rigours of a masters’ degree programme that I didn’t have an undergraduate background in. I was introduced to college formals and learned more about aspects of British culture that differed greatly from my…

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Literature Archives Part 3: Published in the Kaleidoscope Journal

Literature Archives Part 3: Published in the Kaleidoscope Journal

An opportunity to be published in an inter-disciplinary journal based in Durham University presented itself. I expanded on the URECA project and submitted it. The editor came back requesting some edits, and it was good to go! The extra time and space allowed for a fuller expression of what I intended to include in the essay and it also enabled me to include some comments about how the academic study of Literature differed from Biblical Studies. I vaguely recall working…

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A Fertility Primer: Dos and Don’ts if you Want 2+ Children

A Fertility Primer: Dos and Don’ts if you Want 2+ Children

Dr Natalie Crawford is a double board-certified fertility doctor. She is also the co-founder of Fora Fertility clinic and Pinnacle Conference, a leadership conference for women in medicine. She appeared recently on The Diary of a CEO to talk about all things fertility. Here are some of her insights: People should be thinking about fertility much earlier than they currently do if having children is desired. With social media, people are becoming more aware of fertility issues, and today, people…

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Theology Archives: The Enigma of Lady Wisdom in Proverbs 1-9

Theology Archives: The Enigma of Lady Wisdom in Proverbs 1-9

While composing an essay for a course on the Old Testament, my postgraduate college, St. Chad’s college (Durham University), was requesting articles for an internal publication. I submitted this piece of work and it was accepted. The postgrad journal was distributed to members of the college in 2014. Here it is, reproduced, for, hopefully, a slightly larger audience. The article is about possible authorial intentions behind the figure of Lady Wisdom who appears in the Book of Proverbs. It was…

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Nutritional Insights from Dr. Gil Carvalho: Meat, ApoB, Ketogenic Diets, and More

Nutritional Insights from Dr. Gil Carvalho: Meat, ApoB, Ketogenic Diets, and More

Nutrition is a controversial topic. Recently, the Clearer Thinking podcast host Spencer Greenberg invited Dr Gil Carvalho of Nutrition Made Simple fame to talk about nutrition. Here are some of his insights, paraphrased:   Why are nutritional insights so contested? What is a healthy diet?   Should people concern themselves with getting the ideal fat, protein, and carb ratios?   What are your thoughts on ketogenic-type diets? Is meat healthy or unhealthy? Is saturated fat unhealthy? What about processed meat?…

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Theology Archives: Postmodernism and Natural Theology

Theology Archives: Postmodernism and Natural Theology

Of the four years spent at UK universities as a post-graduate student, I spent two at Durham University, earning a Post Graduate Diploma and Master of Arts in Theology and Religion (2013-2015). Durham was chosen for several reasons, one of which was its good Theology department ranking in the UK and world ranking tables. I also had family friends who lived there. I was interested in and familiar with the philosophy of religion as a discipline in the analytic school…

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Literature Archives Part 2: Lightness in Literature, New Perspectives

Literature Archives Part 2: Lightness in Literature, New Perspectives

Since 2004, my undergraduate university has offered something called URECA, Undergraduate Research on Campus. It is designed “to cultivate a research culture and nurture research capabilities early in undergraduates’ university education.” All URECA invitees upon successful completion and submission of their research would be conferred the impressive sounding title, “NTU President Research Scholar.” While the primary audience of the URECA program are engineers and scientists, the bread and butter of a university aptly named Nanyang Technological University, it was extended…

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Literature Archives Part 1: Edward Morgan Forster’s Religious Ruminations

Literature Archives Part 1: Edward Morgan Forster’s Religious Ruminations

In 2013, I wrote a thesis to fulfill the requirement of my Bachelor’s Degree with Honours in English Literature at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. It was an invigorating experience, and I’m proud of my work. I received a distinction for the thesis and first-class honours for the Undergraduate degree overall. Before my final year, as I pondered over which text or author to devote a thesis to, Edward Morgan Forster came to mind. I had read A Passage to India…

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Dietary Health Insights from ZOE

Dietary Health Insights from ZOE

The health conscious among us may have come across the Zoe Science and Nutrition channel or podcast. The have recently been inviting experts from various fields in dietary science to discuss their findings and offer practical takeaways to listeners. Below is a summary of some of their insights. This summary will be updated as more videos by Zoe are released.    What does science say about intermittent fasting? There are short term benefits to intermittent fasting (time restricted eating) Consume…

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Recovering from Injury

Recovering from Injury

The global pandemic, lockdowns, and work-from-home directives have been proceeded by the meteoric rise of interest in exercise and sports. Weary from having to stay at home, restless from inactivity, and increasingly aware of the incredible benefits of cardiovascular and muscular exercise and sporting activities, many millions of people around the world have committed themselves to regular physical activity and have sustained their efforts. This phenomenon is not an exception where I live, and this documentary below explores it along…

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