As mentioned on my bio page, I was a member of Current Media - a club in RMIT Hanoi that releases a magazine every semester. I joined the club in 2015 (after 1 semester in RMIT) and had so far written 3 articles. A Melbourne equivalent of the club is the RMIT Journalism club, which publishes magazines and podcasts such as Catalyst and The Swanston Gazette.
1/ Bizarre Animal Sexual Practices - Issue 11: Breeding Season
Ok I gotta admit, the theme for this issue can be a bit offput for some people. But yes, we went in-depth into the less discussed issues of sexual health & behaviors, cohabitation, pregnancy and childbirth. As these are not issues limited only to the human realm, I researched on some bizarre sexual practices seen in animals.
After all, "weird" is a human concept that is totally inapplicable in territories of birds, insects, sea creatures and so on. When it comes to mating, they will stop at no length to ensure the continuation of their lives. Thanks to those oddities and also the animals' boldness, we have such a diverse ecosystem here on Earth.
Read the article on page 27 of the issue here.
When banana slugs mate, they chew off the other's penis. They can act as both males & females at the same time.
2/ Mysteries of Dream - Issue 12: Dream
Have you ever seen someone you know or some event occurring while you are sleeping? Have you ever thought what causes your eyes to "see" those things, even when you are absolutely closing your eyes to sleep? Yes, we all know and have at least experienced it once in our lives - dreams. But the reason for us to dream still remains a mystery among scientists.
This issue focuses on exploring dreams in terms of both the literal meaning (what occurs when we sleep) and figurative meaning (what we desire to have). It also explores human sleep patterns & issues such as insomnia or hypersomnia. I've had the chance to incorporate one of my personal experiences of seeing a deceased family member in my dream into writing an article that investigates the mysteries around it.
Read the article on pages 10-11 of the issue here.
We dream everytime we sleep, but we only remember some of them.
3/ Out of Body Experience - Issue 13: Bodies
Everything related to bodies can be seen discussed in this issue - body images, body shaming, body language, plastic surgery - you name them all. For my part, I've decided to feature an interesting, yet less talked about topic of out-of-body experiences.
If someone is not alive, he is dead. If that person is not dead, he is alive. This seems to be one of the most obvious things ever that a kindergarten kid can tell. But the question is, does anything exist in between? In other words, is there any line between life and death? The answer is yes, but only when your body is pushed into an extreme situation will you go through the so-called out-of-body experience. Voila!
Read the article on pages 28-29 of the issue here.
Is there anything between life and death? Yes, an out-of-body experience.
And that's all of my magazine articles (I wish I could go back in time and write more). For all RMIT newbies who love writing & creative stuffs, I'd highly recommend joining these clubs. You have a safe space to be creative as you like while learning from peers and mentors at the same time, also the pieces can be added to your portfolio later on, so why not?