arts culture fashion lifestyle food gaming technology

health fitness

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intro

EditorsJosiah Bircham and Grant Costello

OnlineDarren Coutts

IV. EditorsArts - Michael CameronLife and Style / Food - Rosie BeetschenGaming and Tech - Christopher WoodHealth and Fitness- Alistair Heather

Deputy IV. EditorsArts - Alan Henderson, Ryan MacreadyHealth and Fitness - Alistair Hunter

Creative DirectorJosiah Bircham

Head of Copy EditingAndrew Parker

Head of PhotographyHanna Kahlert

IllustratorVincent Muir

Online AssistantSteven Kellow

We are very happy to present you ‘IV.’, The Gaudie’s new culture and lifestyle supplement. Born from the old sections Arts and Life & Style, and introducing Gaming & Tech, Food, and Health & Fitness, the idea behind the magazine is to give the sections that need the fluidity of style and format that flexibility. We’re hoping to use space far more liberally, and in a way that complements the

balance between words and image in any magazine that regularly features creative photography. With a dedicated team of editors and contributors, ‘IV.’ should become a staple part of the newspaper for years to come.

The name ‘IV.’ harkens back to the very founding of the University of Aberdeen. As we all (I’m sure) know, James IV had quite a big influence over the founding of the University, so we’re paying homage to that. Equally, we think the name is simple and pretty striking on the front cover. Although not intentional, it’s been pointed out that the name has some medical connotations - it is, however, going to be a potent injection of quality content, so we don’t mind that.

Another exciting inroduction with ‘IV.’ is more of a collective effort between the members of the editorial team. The sections won’t be quite as clear cut as before and we’ll try to arrange the content based on how we think it works together. Equally, the ‘IV.’ will be soon appearing on social media as a collaborative effort from the editors involved to hopefully keep you up-to-date digitally as well as in print.

Obviously, as with the newspaper, ‘IV.’ won’t work without your input, both as readers and contributors, so if you want to get involved in any capacity or want to give any feedback you can launch us an email at editor@thegaudie.com. As there have been a couple of updates to the paper, there also might be some editorial positions coming available, so watch out for any updates on Facebook and Twitter.

From the Gaudie / IV. Editorial team

Josiah Bircham and Grant Costello

Highlightsscots to watch: 2015 p.2-5A brief introduction to those in Scotland to keep an eye on in 2015. Covering fashion, music and art: everything from exciting new designers to the innovative perform-ance art coming out of Scotland.

2015 fashion trends p.10We take a look at what’s this Spring and Summer, from khakis and distressed jeans to hippy dresses and wedge heels.

cheat’s caprese tartp.12Bake up a cheap, healthy and delicious meal with min-imal effort using the simple shortcut of ready made puff pastry - an impressive meals for students.

video game violencep.6Editor, Christopher Wood, offers an insight into the war over video game violence in the light of controversial shooter Hatred emerging to a hail of criticism from all sections of the gaming and wider communities.

the yoga experiencep.14Alistair Heather tries three different types of yoga that you can do at university and tells us about it.

team

find the IV. on social media look us up at/thegaudie and @the_gaudie

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arts | the listSC

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Hayley Scanlan - designer

As another award winner at the Scottish Fashion awards who should be on your watch list is Hayley Scanlan, a Designer from Dundee, who won Best Young Designer. After graduating from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in 2009, she quickly made a name for herself name with her edgy, but still wearable fashion pieces. She says she likes to design clothes she would feel comfortable in, and feels that this is why they have personality and a spe-cial touch to them. Her collections are not only more wearable and every-day-proof than those of a lot of other designers, but she has also made it her principle to keep some of her styles at affordable prizes under the brand name of H. S., while also launching a more luxurious line, called Hayley Scanlan. HK

< A/W14 collection hayleyscanlan.com

Cara Tolmie — artist

Another graduate of Duncan Of Jordanstone, Tolmie works in a range of media, from perform-ance art to installation, sound and video, in an analysis of theatre and human interaction. Her role as a artist covers everything from the ori-ginal idea to the set design and her frequently elaborate lighting, often instructing others in her performances, but also making use of herself. Though she currently works out of London, her work often ventures north of the border, as it did for a collaborative performance with Paul Abbott at the Counterflows Festival in Glasgow, 2014. MC

Chvrches - music

Having been one of the world’s most hard-working bands over the last couple of years, playing hundreds of shows and fest-ivals, it was something of a surprise to hear that CHVRCHES started 2015 by heading straight back into the studio to record album number two. Their recent contributions to the Drive BBC re-scoring and Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 soundtrack suggest they’re still looking to marry inventive synth riffs with huge melodies, which should make their next full-length effort just as exciting as their first. Plenty would argue that their Brit Awards 2015 nomination for ‘Best Breakthrough Artist’ has come a year late, but it’s nice to see them getting the recognition they deserve. MF

words: M

ichael Cam

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annah Keller, M

argaret Finlayson

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arts | top Scots in 2015

Admiral Fallow - music

The much loved folk-pop group look set to slowly tease out details of their upcoming third album dur-ing the next few weeks. It’s an exciting time for any-one who’s followed their career so far, and if they can combine the life-affirming emotion of 2010’s Boots Met My Face with the ambitious imagery and production of 2012’s Tree Bursts In Snow, then they really deserve to match the success of their pals Frightened Rabbit, who they’re probably tired of being compared to by now. AH

Watchfires - music

Fans of aggressively melodic punk should rejoice at the news that local rockers Watchfires are set to finally release their debut album on April 4th , with a show at The Lemon Tree. Lead single ‘The Northern Lights’ is currently available as a free download, and it’s a hook-laden shot of adrenaline, with nifty guitar tones and backing vocals. They have enough conviction in their ability to not hold back on the melodies, resulting in some of the most fun songs to come out of Aberdeen, that all sit on the right side of melodramatic. AH

Belle and Sebastian - music

The indie-pop legends’ ninth studio album, Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance, was released on 19 January. It’s their first since 2010, and is an eclectic mix of songs, mixing personal lyrics with political, and switching between their trademark melancholy and what can only be described as Europop bangers. For a band who’s career highlights include beating Steps to the Brits Best Newcomer Award in 1999, and winning a poll by The List to determine Scotland’s Greatest Ever Band in 2005, Girls In Peacetime is an emphatic reminder that Belle and Sebastian are still relevant, and not just as a listed influence among their contemporaries. AH

Idlewild - music

The news that possibly the most influential Scottish band not called Biffy Clyro were reuniting to record a new album was met with widespread celebration last year. Interviews suggest the recording of the album was fairly relaxed in contrast to when they had the pres-sures of major labels and commercial success on them this time ten years ago. They’ve been making music together for almost 20 years, so expect a mature effort that combines Roddy Woomble’s recent penchant for BBC Alba-baiting folk singing, Rod Jones’s intric-ate rock textures with The Birthday Suit and the usual Idlewild lyrical punch. AH

Alexa Hare — artist

Hailing from Edinburgh, Hare has made a significant dent on the art world since her graduation from the Edinburgh College of Art in 2010, being appointed co-director of the Embassy Gallery in Edinburgh from 2010 to 2012 and founding Hyperground a pop-up gallery which ran from 2005 to 2010 while she was studying. For Counterpoint, an exhibition in 2014, Alexa worked in collage and online projects to song covers and original compositions in order to tap into songs and their surrounding myths. MC

Natalie McGowan — artist

Working in paint, sculpture, printmaking and video, often together, McGowan’s work is interested in the imagery of beauty and mortality with playful elegance and the ambiguity of the aesthetics of death. Ideas of the feminine mystique are at play along with an invest-igation of the frailty of the human spirit and the sombre side of human emotion. As a graduate of both the Edinburgh College of Art and Glasgow School of Art, McGowan is a reflection of the exciting and innovative art work which is elvoving out of Scotland. MC

Rachel MacLean — artist

Rachel Maclean’s 2012 film piece, Lolcats, is a reima-gining of the world inspired by history and internet memes. The execution of this bizarre sounding idea, however, is flawless. Working on a digitally developed back drop and featuring incredibly elaborate, artist-con-structed costumes and heavy, cat-like make up, Rachel MacLean has created an iconic and almost indescrib-able work. Through this she examines issues of identity, social life and politics and their intersection with con-temporary culture. Her most recent work, A Whole New World, extends her work on the fringes of comedy and the absurd to a post apocalyptic landscape, in which she examines what it means to be British. MC

^still from Lolcats (2012) rachelmaclean.com

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arts | top Scots in 2015

Django Django - music

Django Django are easily one of the most innovative bands of this decade, perfecting the indie/electronic crossover. The release of their self-titled debut album propelled them into the spotlight in 2012, resulting in them landing the headline slot on the coveted NME tour and soundtracking the initial BT Sport advert. ‘First Light’, the first single to be released from their upcoming album, gives us a taste of what’s to come this year and the outlook is promising. Their sound has been polished, preened and given a little more groove. Look out for the new album sometime in Spring. MF

Monogram - music

In what’s quickly becoming a saturated market, Monogram stands out from other enigmatic electro-pop producers by not losing sight of the integrity of his songs. While it’s great to have technology at your disposal that lets you create a wider range of sounds than any human being could conceivably hear in a lifetime, you still have to make something that connects with people. ‘Romance’ is just that, with its expertly layered guitar, synth and vocal samples building to an immensely satisfy-ing climax. Unsurprisingly, it’s racking up the Soundcloud and Spotify plays. AH

Prides - music

Prides have been one of the most hyped bands in Scotland in the past year or so. They’ll take you to electro-pop heaven with their catchy melodies, spine-chilling har-monies and an impressive live perform-ance. From touring with Foxes to playing at the closing ceremony of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, 2014 was a big year for them. 2015 could be even bigger, with the much anticipated arrival of their debut album expected before the year is out. With them already earning Radio 1 airplay and being hotly tipped as an act to watch, I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re a household name by the end of this year. MF

Algernon Doll - music

Having released Omphalic, one of 2014’s best indie records, Algernon Doll are set to continue their prolific run of album releases. They’ve been recording with the legendary Steve Albini, and the fact that he’s the best possible producer for them tells you most of what you need to know. They wear their Nirvana and Pixies influences on their sleeve, particularly live. On record it’s a slightly more considered process, so the prospect of hearing an Albini-produced Algernon Doll album is very exciting indeed. Last year saw them invited to play the Introducing stage at Radio One’s Big Weekend, so expect this to be their break-through year. AH

Pinact - music

Lo-fi punk two-pieces are pretty common nowadays, but few are as viscerally exhil-arating as Pinact. Their huge choruses fight against rampaging distorted riffs, making punk-rock sound just as important now as it ever was. As you’d expect, the main lyr-ical theme is dissatisfaction, both personal and social. However, they seem too aware of themselves to sink too deeply into their own angst. It’s self-expression that some-how feels totally inclusive. 2014 was pretty good to them as they were invited to play at CMJ: New York’s equivalent to Texas-based music festival SXSW. Look for some new releases in 2015. AH

Colleen Leitch — desgner

Having graduated with the First Class BA Honours in Fashion Design, Leitch is now studying an MA in Womensware at Royal College of Art and has interned at Chanel, Common People and Peter Pilottto. Her most recent achievement was at the Scottish Fashion Awards where she won Graduate of the Year for her collection of heavily sequinned womenswear which is definitely worth a look (cargocollective.com/colleenleitch). She is most certainly one to watch in the fashion industry and en excel-lent export from Scotland. MC

Jean Campbell - model

Lady Jean Campbell is only 17 years old and won the award for the Best Scottish Model. The daughter of former Vogue editor Isabella Cawdor and her husband, the Earl of Cawdor, was cast for the Burberry SS14 campaign as well as the Louis Vuitton SS15 ad campaign. She was also graced the cover of the British Vogue in October 2013 and the Italian Vogue in March 2014. Though her mother’s connections certainly didn’t hurt the start-up of Jean’s career, it’s obvious the fashion industry sees more in her than just a noble name: her innocent and natural elf-like looks makes her a rising star among the British models. HK

models.com The Inner Hebrides>

Jonny Lyons — Artist

Glasgow born and predominantly video based artist Jonny Lyons is a graduate fof Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design. He was listed as one of the RSA New Contemporaries 2014 and also reaches into performance art. His video works are then captured in both pho-tography and sculpture and are particularly notable and memorable for their sense of humour, a quality often lacking in contemporary art. MCwww.jonnylyons.com

jonnylyons.com Peace Be With You and Also With Me>

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gaming and tech | hottest games of 2015

It has emerged that so-called ‘spree killing’ game Hatred (in which the protagonist plays a serial killer) is to become an ‘Adults Only’ game, in only the second time such a rating has been given to the ESRB, the American equivalent of PEGI in the United Kingdom. Whilst this isn’t particularly surprising considering the game has set front pages ablaze with references to the game’s ‘sick’ storyline, what has happened now puts online gateway to gaming and market leader

in the retail of computer games, Steam, in a very difficult place. The game was originally taken off Greenlight, the service’s user-approval based submission system, but after complaints from fans it was reinstated. Now, with the surprising move the developer took to go to the trouble of volunteering to be rated by the ESRB, Steam subsequently must decide whether or not it will stock the game, despite gruesome games like the bloody Postal already appearing on the site.

This, however, brings an interesting question to the fore: at what point do we refuse to stock video games based on their violence? Given the gruesome and politically incorrect games currently available on the rest of the web, the question of whether Valve, the curators of Steam, can really justify financially the move of not publishing games like Hatred, despite other retailers and rogue stockists being happy to stock the game, must also be asked.

Despite being an avid gamer, I must concede that massacre-based games aren’t really my forte. Admittedly, games like Modern Warfare 2 gave some valuable, if predictable gunplay, and zombies is always fun if you’re in the right, grind-to-win frame of mind.

But one game that is played a lot on the family games console is Grand Theft Auto 5. With its huge array of weapons, and ready access to petrol, knives, golf clubs and a willing city full of civilians and even the police and the army, can Steam really justify stopping Hatred when they’re sure to back Grand Theft Auto from the start when it comes to PC later this year? With a plot that encourages the player to commit organised crime – rife with shootouts,

swearing and a fair amount of boobs and drugs – it still managed to ship almost $1Billion worth of sales in three days [Forbes]. The game is played internationally by a community of millions.

Furthermore, in the aforementioned Modern Warfare 2, the protagonist has the option to undertake a terrorist atrocity in which the protagonist and his terrorist buddies massacre several hundred unarmed civilians as well as scores of police officers in a raid on a Russian airport. Albeit, this mission does come with the option to skip on the grounds of pure tastelessness, but the fact remains that it is not just Hatred that brings the reality of bloody, remorseless massacre.

This begs the more probing question: if a franchise is well-established and makes a lot of money, is it alright to stock it on shelves and online whilst games like Hatred are shunned from the shelves and on Steam?

Of course, Grand Theft Auto does itself have some major differences to Hatred. The characters of Michael, Trevor and Franklin are well crafted, funny characters. The main protagonist in Hatred appears to be a sociopathic serial killer with a real urge to end the lives of ‘human scum’. Also, the pure goal of Hatred is spree-killing, whereas Grand Theft Auto at least gives you the option to commit very little crime at all – the story itself is largely based on robbery – and the free-roam mode isn’t a direct invitation to kill. These difference could explain (poorly, granted) why some family pressure groups and general anti-obscenity campaign lobbyists are demanding that the game not be retailed on Steam, or in some cases anywhere at all.

However, what one has to remember in all this is that Hatred is developed by a relatively small, Polish developer: Destructive Creations, who have few previous games of note even when most of the staff worked at previous developers The Farm 51. The success of the developer almost solely hinges on the success of Hatred, and CEO Jarosław Zieliński has been quick to make sure that the game isn’t misinterpreted in order to try and keep the title alive. In an interview, he stated that the game does not

have any ‘hidden philosophy’ and is not trying to be a piece of art.

The point, however, that Zieliński makes most interestingly is that those who don’t wish to play the game shouldn’t play it. This is a sentiment that one would probably echo more than anything else. Whilst Hatred is to some people an abhorrent game, a tasteless shoot-em-up that pushes boundaries of violence for no reason other than profit, it shouldn’t be banned on the basis of a few people being offended.

If you see a trailer for a film that you don’t like on the basis on violence (Saw, to pick an example), you don’t go and see the movie. No-one is being forced to play the game. If anything, one would argue that it seems slightly rich that the video games market, and media markets in general, are awash with gore and murder, and yet some critics have chosen Hatred, the creation of a small developer in Europe, to point their political correctness rifles at. If games exist of the internet that put the protagonist in the role of the murdered behind the V-Tech massacre without consequence beyond criticism, surely the critical world has lost the right to declare that something has gone “too far”?

Whether or not the game is a step too far, the ball is now in the court of Valve. This is a watershed moment in video game violence and Steam and its executives have the dubious, if important, honour of deciding where the line is drawn when it comes to the availability of games like Hatred and the possible censorship of such material in the future. If Steam decides to can the game, it will have declared itself the authority on what is acceptable and non-acceptable violence on its site and will surely sound the death knell for Destructive Creations, but with criticism growing and with deaths racking up as a result of gun violence in the US, one wonders how long Steam can hold out against the barrage of complaints that has put Hatred at the top of the hit-list for those who see it as a step too far in video game violence.

Video Game Violence: The Hatred Question

by Christopher Wood

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gaming and tech | play

For those of you unaware of what exactly ‘Google Glass’ is, it is a wearable technology with an OHMD (optical head-mounted display). In other words, it is a form of smart technology that acts like a phone but goes over one’s eyes. Some have called it the next great step in human technological progression, whilst others argue that it’s one more step from Google into its users lives. The technology has so much potential and so

much to offer our society in the future. However, despite all this, Glass came with a hefty price tag: £1,000. I say came, because on 19 January this year, Google stopped selling the device. One main reason for this was the lack of demand, particularly due to the costs for the consumer. Nonetheless, I like to think that whilst Google is no longer selling the technology, Google Glass has imprinted something into our imaginative minds. No, not in a creepy way in the sense that Google can see our thoughts, but in the sense that I think the idea behind Google Glass has captivated the minds of technology users across the Western world. Don’t lie - if the price was significantly lower or if you had a vast multi-million dollar business empire, you would buy one. Or you would at least feel tempted by Glass. For now, the technology has gone, but in one form or another Glass will resurface from the depths of the technological graveyard. Perhaps even in the shape of a more intimate device, for example in a contact lens. Whenever it comes back - which it will - we as socially active, and interactive, beings who love advancements in technology will undoubtedly embrace the next step.

However, Google will have learnt from this try-out. They will wait and make vast improvements before re-releasing the technology. And hopefully next time, the device will be easier to access for ordinary consumers in terms of price, or at least worth the cost that it will be sold for. According to ‘The Hindu’, Google still has high hopes for the technology, with the company saying that: “In the meantime, we’re continuing to build for the future, and you’ll start to see future versions of Glass when they’re ready.” The stopping of sales for Google Glass comes just before the release of Windows 10 and Microsoft’s Hololens headset. The Hololens is a similar idea to Google Glass as it will combine virtual reality with reality in the wireless headset. We should be hopeful that the product is a success. But back to Google Glass. It’s gone for now, but it will return - and will do so with a bang. Hopefully it will be more successful than it was this time around. I think one statement by a computing lecturer for the University of Central Lancashire quoted in the Telegraph, Nicky Danino, contains some wise words for Google when the technology makes a come back: “The future needs to be streamlined and unobtrusive. Technology should integrate seamlessly with life, rather than awkwardly interrupt it.” For any one building new technology that advice will always be applicable.

Richard Wood

Google Glass: the product died but the idea lives on

Let’s be honest: we all get a bit sick of Call of Duty and Battlefield once in a while. Even mindlessly running over civilians in Grand Theft Auto becomes dry after a couple of hours. Luckily, not all of the gaming industry is so linear, so here’s a rundown of four weird, but potentially wonderful games to look out for this year.

Cuphead - Disney Gone Feral

This thirties-inspired cartoon game is a revelation from StudioMDHR. A title that brings back fond memories of Looney Tunes and Top Cat on sickness-filled primary school mornings, this focuses on characters that have to pay back a debt to devil. Of course. Planned for launch on PC and, interestingly, on Xbox One, this game has a unique graphical theme that could really set it apart from the competition this year.

Return of the Obra-Dinn – Two Colours, No Problem

Some of the more avid PC gamers (and now iPad-owning mud bloods as well) will have played Lucas Pope’s last opus, the captivating Papers, Please. From the looks of this next title, he’s not going to suffer a loss of popularity any time soon. The dot-matrix art style is brilliant and quite beautiful, and the mystery surrounding what happened to the Obra-Dinn and its crew is sure to be one hell of a ride. A video-playthrough of the early access 0.0.4 version is available on Youtube, and as someone who loves originality I implore you to check it out.

Firewatch – Into the Wild

Set in Wyoming, post-massive fire, this game is coloured beautifully by artist Olly Moss. The title is reliant on its dialogue and the exploration that the player undertakes, and with a post-apocalyptic, spooky feeling similar to that of runaway success The Last of Us, this could be an absolutely huge title in 2015. The way the game deals with human relationship looks like an incredibly interesting concept. Trust, deception and guilt all play a factor in the decision that the player makes. It may not be the most gun-toting, explosion-ridden game of 2015, but its inherent intrigue could factor hugely in the success of the title this year.

Inside – Limbo’s Moody Successor

The follow-up to Playdead Studios excellent 2D platformer, Limbo. The trailer showcases a child running through a very dark, 2.5D (nope, me neither) world. The monotone colour schemes aren’t sumptuous in comparison to some of the releases out this year – like Firewatch – but once again, one has to say that in the intrigue of the title may lead to huge success. With a trailer that’s in part reminiscent Heavy Rain, and part reminiscent of the warehouse that Desmond and company hide from the Templars in Assassin’s Creed 2, Limbo could be the (very) dark horse to watch in PC gaming this year.

Christopher Wood

A different game altogether: four alternative games to watch out for in 2015

Offworld Trading Company - Mohawk GamesWhile the HD quality of big name action RTSs like Starcraft is missing, it has a homely setting reminiscent of the Civilisation games. While at first look the graphics don’t blow you away, it does offer a comfortable setting with which players can concentrate on the important market mechanisms the game has to offer.

The game brilliantly pulls off the mechanics of a futuristic Mars stock market. While there is a learning curve due to the originality of the game, it is easily over come within the first few games. It has a nice balance between decision making and building to offer great gameplay.

The random map generators and the inability to predict the stock market means in theory the game is constantly replayable. While it might eventually run stale for some, those that love to test themselves and try new strategies against the games decent AI system will always be kept interested.

The promise of online multiplayer offers the enjoyable opportunity to test your strategic and business skills against friends. However, without DLC or player mods the game could become stale overtime.

The offer of a 8-10 hour single player campaign with an evolving technological tree is a good starting point, but it will need to incorporate a good storyline with a decent voice track or could become just a weakened version of single player matches which would be disappointing.

The uniqueness of the game is its ultimate selling point with our generation’s closest comparison being the Tycoon games. The hours of fun offered by Tycoon is replicated and multiplied here due to the distinct stock market system and competent AI on all difficulties.

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OVERALL SCORE:Grant Costello. To read Grant’s full interview with lead designer Soren Johnson, go to www.thegaudie.com

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arts | awards seasonOn the 22 February, a veritable who’s who of the world of cinema will gather at the Dolby theatre in Hollywood to decide on the best actors, directors and films of the past twelve months. I have always found it important to take these awards with a pinch of salt, having seen many of the most engaging films of the last few years fall outside the remit of the politicised Academy Awards. However, the invaluable ‘Oscar winner’ sticker that will inevitably be attached to these DVDs from the 23 February onwards means that these awards are something worth paying attention to if you have a serious passion about film.

Best Motion PictureFilmed over twelve years, watching young Ellan Coltrane grow up, Boyhood is a truly unique film. Despite this, the time lapses between chapters do not feel forced or unnatural in anyway, and it is blended together effortlessly and without warning. We watch a mother struggle to raise her son and daughter and fall in and out of love with two husbands, a deadbeat father commit to and follow through with a prom-ise to be a better dad and two children go through childhood, puberty and the move to college. Engaging would be too light: the film is enthralling. We are watching real life pass before our eyes and evolve in a way that does not intend to make a point or even tell a story, it is simply life on screen. And it is beautiful.

Best Actor in a Leading RoleStephen Hawking paid tribute to Eddie Redmayne’s portrayal of him in The Theory of Everything by saying that, at points, “I thought it was me”. In any biopic this is a great compliment, but considering the crippling effect that Motor Neurone Disease has had on Hawking and all of its sufferers it is really credit to the young man. Having met with specialists to ana-lyse the effects of MND on Hawking’s body to prepare for the role, he takes method acting to levels more extreme than previously seen in this film. Redmayne deserves nothing less than a golden statue to credit the hard work and hours of research put into this role.

Best Actress in a Leading RoleThere is an old adage about the Oscars that one of the easiest ways to win is through the portrayal of disability. Considering that the depiction of Stephen Hawking is the likely winner of the best actor award it is difficult to deny this cyn-ical conception when the favourite for the best actress Oscar is Julianne Moore who plays a woman suffering from dementia in the film Still Alice. However, that is not to say that it would be undeserved. In Alice’s first visit to a neurologist following a series of memory lapses, we see one long shot of Moore’s face with no cutaways, a cam-era looking into the tormented mind of a complicated woman with compassion and sensitivity. A truly heartbreaking and graceful performance.

Best DirectorHaving gushed over Boyhood under the Best Motion Picture category, I am afraid I will do so again for best director. Richard Linklater started filming in 2003

without a solid script in mind, preferring the approach of seeing where the charac-ters were in their lives at each interval. The effect of this is plain to see in that nothing feels forced. The growth of each charac-ter is not twisted to fit a plot; the plot is decided by the characters’ growth and this is a masterstroke from Linklater. Credit must also be paid to the producers who allowed the creative freedom to create this without asking for updates as filming pro-gressed. The time between the periods of filming has been used wonderfully to per-fect the cinematography in each shot and the references through music, evolving technology and contemporary issues (from the Iraq war to the recent NSA scandal) make the film a reminiscent experience for anyone who has lived through the period of filming.

Thus, the triumph of the past cinematic year was, unquestionably, Boyhood. My cynicism towards the Academy Awards is unfortunately dumbfounded this year as, if my assumptions are correct, the film that will sweep the awards is the one that deserves to. The Theory of Everything and Still Alice provided wonderful per-formances from their lead actors and films such as the Grand Budapest Hotel, the Imitation Game and the Birdman have made this year a great one to spend in a dark room with overpriced food, fixated on a giant screen. Roll on 2015. Ryan James MacreadyTH

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arts | awards seasonMidway through Bennett Miller’s Foxcatcher, John E. du Pont (Steve Carell) gives a speech to his intimidating mother: “I am leading men. […] I am giving them a dream and I am giving America hope.” It is delivered beautifully; the words seem embarrassingly grandi-ose, their speaker reduced to a weakling child still trying desperately to impress mummy. Carell’s performance is quietly terrifying: he is a stomach-churning presence at the film’s rotten centre. Unfortunately, this isn’t a one-man production. There are solid performances from Ruffalo and Tatum, but they play a small part in Carell’s Oscar vehicle and it shows in the script.

Miller has a meaty tale on his hands – a tragic account of mental illness, destructive masculinity, and jealousy – but it’s a lot to cover in 134 minutes. It doesn’t help that the script meanders through the story with loose ends left untied, and key issues left irritatingly under-explored. Every so often, Miller seems to realise that he’s running out of time and cuts unceremoniously to the next stage of the plot. In one unintentionally funny transition, a character’s severe addiction to alcohol and cocaine is seemingly cured without explana-tion.

Despite his character’s weak build, Carell carries a deadweight script surprisingly well. He’s been nominated for an Oscar, but let’s hope he hasn’t yet given the performance of his career. He deserves better than this.

FOXCATCHER

REVIEW BYJess Anderson

A strong candidate this awards season, Birdman follows a succession of critically acclaimed films by Iñárritu and his regular collabor-ators. The film is preceded by more solemn, interwoven narratives in previous works such as Babel (2006) and Biutiful (2010). In this production, a fading actor in the age of globalisation reassesses similar themes in an irreverent and linear, if equally contemplative, style.

Riggan Thomson (Keaton) is haunted by “Birdman”, his former movie role as a superhero. In the midst of his obsession repairing his artistic integrity, he struggles to preserve the confidence of his daughter, along with the cast of his self-funded Broadway play. Under a kinetic soundtrack of classical scores and drum-solos, the viewer is subjected to seamless, flowing scenes injected with dark and vulnerable physical comedy.

Whilst lauded as a career breakthrough for Keaton, Birdman also features a terrific supporting cast, featuring characters self-destructing under the strain of industry practices. Norton’s performance as an obnoxious method actor is particularly enjoyable.

Despite a slightly unfocused final act, the conclusion will be engrained on audiences for some considerable time. With more films rely-ing on digital technology, Birdman is a reassuring reminder of the importance of good craft when it comes to filmmaking.

BIRDMAN

REVIEW BYDavid

Robertson

Following in the wake of The Imitation Game, another acclaimed British film about a British genius, The Theory of Everything had a lot to live up to. Coupled with the task of portraying sensitively the subject of living with a degenerative disease, director James Marsh (Man On Wire) had a challenge on his hands. The result? An emotionally charged, yet refreshingly optimistic outlook on life.

Adapted from Jane Wilde Hawking’s memoir Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen, this biopic of Stephen Hawking’s life sees him journey from exceptionally gifted university student to world-renowned physicist, all while accompanied by his devastating diagnosis of Motor Neurone Disease. The heavy focus on his first marriage and stellar lead performances from both Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones makes the film realistic and truthful in its approach. Redmayne is of particular note – his portrayal makes it all too easy to forget it is not Hawking himself on-screen.

While some viewers may be disheartened by the lack of exploration of Hawking’s scientific endeavours, this isn’t what the film set out to be. It is not a documentary, but instead a human and realistic description on how to take the positives from life’s struggles – a good theory for everything.

THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING

REVIEW BYAmanda Connelly

Whiplash has been sold, for a while now, as “the Black Swan of jazz drumming”; if you’ll recall, Black Swan was to ballet as Fight Club was to illegal underground bareknuckle boxing. But Whiplash makes both of those films look like mere exercises. Here the sweat pours from Miles Teller, looking like a young Shia LaBeouf, pushing himself beyond what he can endure. There are blisters on his fingers. There’s blood on the drums. The viewer is exhausted; they need a break. His hot-headed teacher, played by J.K. Simmons – J. Jonah Jameson in Spider-Man – screams in his face, throws instruments around, and feints punches.

The deceptively deep script works methodically – rhythmically – through questions about the price we pay for greatness. “Charlie Parker became ‘Bird’ because Joe Jones threw a cymbal at his head”, Simmons’ character is convinced. He makes his students miserable, convinced suffering is the crucible of talent. There is often dark humour in his abusive outbursts, but at the same time there is a cruelty that can make the film hard to watch.

In the end, none of the script’s questions are answered; we are left with a fascinating, thrilling portrait of two men defined by a destruct-ive – sometimes self-destructive – drive for greatness. The single-minded focus on this theme occasionally leaves sub-plots and side characters out of focus – Miles’ girlfriend, the only female character, plays more-or-less no part here – but the performative editing by Tom Cross leaves no time to pauses.

WHIPLASH

REVIEW BYChristian Robshaw

American Sniper tells the story of sniping ‘legend’ Chris Kyle, the most lethal man in US military history who has taken on a celebrity status since his honourable discharge. Despite famously being a vocal supporter of the Republican Party, Clint Eastwood has been at his best when critiquing traditional conservative viewpoints in an honest and balanced manner.

I was hoping American Sniper would examine America’s relationship with the military with the same critical eye Eastwood used to examine immigration in Gran Torino or euthanasia in Million Dollar Baby. This wasn’t the case. Any interesting moments regarding the psychological effects of killing were overshadowed by dull flag-waving and action sequences that looked like missions from Call of Duty (others have slyly compared these scenes to the fictional Nazi propaganda film at the end of Inglorious Bastards).

One suspects that recent events concerning the titular character may be partly to blame for the problematic tone of the film, preventing Eastwood from giving a dissenting voice to at least consider the moral validity of events. I was constantly reminded of The Hurt Locker, a superior film that touches on similar themes in an engaging and thoughtful manner. My advice, stay at home, avoid the rampant patri-otism and watch that instead.

AMERICAN SNIPER

REVIEW BYCallum Donald

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life and style | fashion

SS15: trends

For Day

Khaki is back and it’s looking fabulous. A timeless classic, the best way to wear it this season is a loose fitting shirt paired with a nautical-style jacket and pair of patchwork jeans to be in keeping with this season’s most popular trends. This type of outfit can be easily transferred to a male too, as this style of androgynous tailoring is very in this Spring-Summer. An industrial-style jumpsuit is another way to keep up with the trends. Replacing the well-tailored silhouettes of last season, this season’s jumpsuits are influ-enced by military and industry workers (an orange jumpsuit wouldn’t be completely out of place if you so wanted), perfect for wearing out and about to uni.

For night

Channel your inner hippy with long flowing dresses. It’s perfect for this summer, keeping you cool as you spend the summer nights at the beach or by the pool. Or perhaps to dress up for the evening, a black lace dress with a pair of white heels adds a bit of glam-our to the classic little black dress and brings in an element of monochrome which is so popular this season. Another gorgeous option is a tulle striped dress, encapsulating the trends of contrasting textures and patters and stripes, with the ballerina-style silhouette that’s been featured heavily in the runways.

Accessories

If you want to add a bit of an edge to an outfit, an ear cuff is perfectly on trend at the moment. Style your hair in a side braid to show it off, or show off that daring buzz cut you have. Whatever you decide to do, an ear cuff will keep you on trend and looking effort-lessly cool. If that’s too much for everyday, try wearing a pair of mismatched earrings: a pair that have a theme but are not the same, like this pair of Hamsa hand and eye earrings would look great.

Platforms are back with a bang - the bigger, the better. This pair is fairly tame, but still incredibly wearable on a night out in cobbled Aberdeen. If you don’t want to wear heels all the time, but want to stay bang on trend, then a pair of creepers are for you. As well as adding a bit of height to an outfit, they can be exceedingly chic if styled up well.

If you’re looking to update your wardrobe in the new year, Grace Balfour-Harle provides the definitive run-down of what to wear this Spring and Summer. All photos are from Boohoo.com where everything is currently 20% off.

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life and style | experience

Touring Reykjavík on a student budget

Reykjavík is famous for at least a couple of things: swimming pools, vibrant night-life and being the northernmost situated capital city in the world. As I have discovered during my short visit there, much more could be said about it.

The best place to stay in Reykjavík is a youth hostel located on the Sundlaugarvegur, within a

walking distance of the city centre. The most affordable way to spend a night there is to book a place at the campsite just outside the hostel or to share a room with other travellers. Both options give you an exceptional opportunity to meet interesting people, especially fellow backpackers. In comparison to Aberdeen, the price of staying in Reykjavík, as long you cook on your own (in hostels you have access to a kitchen) is similar or can be even slightly cheaper. Some museums and galleries are free. If not, as a student, you get a discount (usually with an ISIC card). The hostel also offers (as an option) delicious breakfast, serving locally-grown and ecological products. Icelanders take pride in growing some of their vegetables in greenhouses powered by geothermal energy.

From the hostel you can take a walk to the city centre or hire a bike (just for a couple of hours or for the whole day) from the hostel. The most beautiful way goes along Sæbraut Street and the seashore. Walking along you will see a small quaint villa – famous Höfði House (a place of historical meetings in the 80s

between President Reagan and leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev). When you reach The Sun Voyager, a silver sculpture resembling a Viking boat, you will be gradually approaching the city centre. Although there are lots of tourists in the summer (mostly from the USA and Germany) their presence does not disrupt you. You don’t feel overcrowded or lost; instead, the beauty of the Tjörn Lake and surrounding park and the green fields next to the Norræna Húsið (Nordic House), where you can sit on the wooden bench and observe birds, totally immerses you. Ráðhús Reykjavíkur, the City Council building overlooking the lake, which has a huge map of Iceland and a café inside, is another place that cannot be missed on your way.

I would recommend dropping in for a cup of coffee to one of the local cafés. Iceland is proof that you can get a well-made latte in a country where chain-store coffee shops do not exist. Obviously, to see Reykjavík is not the same as to see Iceland. A good way to start, if your don`t have a driving licence, is through organised bus trips. The most popular one called The Golden Circle takes you to the Gullfoss waterfall, Þigvellir National Park and the geysers.

Although Reykjavík has become, over the last few years, a new must-see place, it has not changed its unique character. For those who are passionate travellers and enjoy trekking, biking trips, horse riding and wild nature this city could be a gate to a great adventure.

Although Reykjavík has become, over the last few years, a new must-see place, it has not changed its unique character.

Mary’s Meals

Mary’s Meals set up school feeding programmes in the world’s poorest communities thus providing vulnerable children with a meal and an education. With Mary’s Meals it costs just £12.20 to feed a child for an entire year. The society organises fundraising and awareness events throughout the year to support their incredible work. Email aumarysmealssoc@gmail.com or find them on Facebook!

SOCIETIES: What’s on?Sunday 1 FebruaryStudent Association / Kings Awards Nominations close

Thursday 5 FebruarySports Ball

Monday 9 – Friday 13 FebruaryEmployability Week

Monday 9 February‘Applying like a CEO’ Workshop – Leadership Academy

Wednesday 11 February‘Training Your People Skills’ – Barclay Bank’s LifeSkills Workshop – Leadership Academy

Saturday 21 FebruaryAb-Fab Celidh - The Gaylidh!

Monday 23 –Thursday 26 February Student festival – Celebrate your Societies!

Thursday 26 FebruaryKing’s Ball

Monday 2 MarchAUSA AGM – all students invited to come along

Monday 9 MarchLeadership Academy Graduation and End of Year Reception

Friday 20 MarchNew Committees Election Deadline

Friday 27 MarchSocieties Re-affiliation Deadline

Saturday 28 MarchTorcher Parade

SOCIETY OF THE WEEKPhotos below and words by Sylwia Słaby. Photo above from krismadden (flikr)

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food | eat well, eat cheaply

On a roll...When it comes to baking, don’t be afraid to cheat a littleMozzarella, cherry tomato and basil tart

If you’re looking to impress someone with your cooking prowess but lack the skills, patience and money, this dish is a winner. Don’t waste your time putting together puff pastry from scratch. Using this ready made pastry that you can find in the chilled and frozen isles will bring the dish together quickly and easily with no compromise on taste. The trick with ready-rolled pastry is to take it out the fridge ten minutes before rolling it out into the oven dish. This ensures that it doesn’t crack or break when handling. The simple ingredients are enough to create a delicious dish, although it’s pretty necessary that you use fresh basil instead of dried. It’s sold in bunches for pennies at the supermarket and you can

use what you don’t put into this dish in your salads and blitzed into tomato soup.

Cost: £2.50Serves 4 (or 2 without a side dish)

1 Jus-Rol puff pastry sheet150g cherry tomatoes, or around half a punnet1 ball mozzarella A handful of basil leaves1 tablespoon olive oilCracked black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C for fan assisted ovens) or Gas Mark 72. Roll out the puff pastry into an oven tray3. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes

4. While the pastry’s in the oven, slice up the mozzarella and tomatoes5. Remove the pastry from the oven and allow it to cool before laying the sliced mozzarella and tomatoes over it6. Sprinkle with the basil leaves, olive oil and apply liberally cracked black pepper

If you’re craving a meat fix, lay a

cured meat such as prosciutto or crisped

pancetta strips along the bottom before laying on

the mozzarella and tomato

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food | eat well, eat cheaply

Green tea: the life saver

Green tea has a more delicate flavour than black. The leaves are dried and heat-treated soon after they’re picked, which stops the fermentation process. It’s alsofull of antioxidants called catechins, a sub-group of which, known as EGCG, may ward off everything from cancer to heart disease.

Oolong Tea: the weight-loss hero

Oolong is similar to black tea but has a richer taste. Its super power is that it could aid in weight loss. Oolong activates an enzyme responsible for dissolving trigly-cerides, the form of dietary fat that’s stored in fat cells.

three teas to boost your healthThis week I’ve come up with three fairly cheap, healthy and low(ish) fat recipes for January. The thing to remember when

cooking is that it should be fun, that very few recipes rely on exact measurements, and that cooking should be seen as an experiment. If you don’t have something, substitute it and play with the recipe. Use your imagination, as cooking is not just about the end product but the journey of getting there. If you take your time and enjoy the process of cooking, the finished product will almost certainly taste much better.

Carrot and Orange Soup

This is a cheap and cheerful winter warming recipe that does great as a starter or as a quick lunch, or even to put in a flask to keep warm for something substantial and cheap while out and about!

Cost: £1.50 Serves 4-6

1lb 4oz carrots8oz onions1 litre carton orange juice1 teaspoon rapeseed oil2 vegetable stock cubesSalt and pepper

1. Warm the rapeseed oil in a large heavy bottomed pan, and roughly chop the onions and throw them in to soften in the oil.2. While the onions are softening, peel and roughly chop the carrots (size of onions and carrots doesn’t matter) and throw them in with the onions3. Crumble the stock cubes into the pan, pour in the orange juice, season and cover.4. Allow the soup to boil until the liquid has reduced by half, add about a pint of water, bring back to the boil and simmer for about 15 minutes.5. Using either a food processor or blender, blitz the soup until smooth. If you don’t have a processor or blender use a potato masher and mash it.

Pork and Vegetable Pasta

This is an easy but delicious recipe that is very easy to play and experiment with by changing the vegetables, adding extras or taking out what you don’t like. The dish can easily be made vegetarian by substituting Quorn pieces for the pork.

Cost: £4.90 Serves 6

1 or 2 onions3 or 4 cloves of garlic1 large courgette1 large carrot3-4 florets of cauliflower3-4 florets of broccoli1lb pork loin or chicken breast2 tins chopped tomatoesAbout 3-4 cups of pasta1 teaspoon rapeseed oilSalt and pepper2 teaspoons dried mixed herbs (I use Italian style seasoning)

1. Dice the pork or chicken and then throw into a smoking hot pan to brown off. Once no more pink is showing remove from the pan and set aside.2. Put the oil into the pan and add the onions cut to how you like them before adding the garlic chopped as small as you can. Soften all together then add the dried herbs.3. Dice the carrot, half the courgette lengthways and then slice into semi circles and cut the cauliflower and broccoli into tiny small florets and add to the onions.4. Pour in the tomatoes and add the meat with just a dash of water (or white wine). Bring to the boil and leave to simmer slowly.5. While the sauce is simmering cook the pasta according to the instructions, but leave it slightly underdone.6. Drain the pasta and add to the sauce. Stir it through well and leave to simmer for about 5-10 minutes.

Blueberry and Oat Muffins

These are the least healthy of the recipes for January, but since the recipe makes about 18 muffins, one as a snack is probably better than a bar of chocolate as well as having the blueberries and oats, both of which are extremely good for you!

Cost: £2.68 Makes 18

3.5oz soft butter8oz caster sugar2 large eggs5 fluid oz full-fat greek yoghurt5 tablespoons semi-skimmed milk9.5oz plain flour1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda8oz fresh or frozen blueberries4oz porridge oats

1. Line muffin tins with paper cases and set the oven to 190C or gas mark 5.2. Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy then beat in the eggs followed by the yoghurt and milk until it’s all nice and combined together.3. Sieve in the flour and the bicarbonate then stir until it is all just blended and you can’t see any dry flour.4. Add the blueberries and mix through, then add nearly all of the oats and mix through.5. Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases nice and evenly then sprinkle the remaining oats on the top of the muffins.6. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes until golden brown then check them by just lightly pressing the top of the muffins and if they spring straight back up they are ready. Or you can use a fine skewer into the centre of the muffins and if it comes out clean they are ready.7. Let them cool in the tin for five minutes then lift them out onto a rack to cool completely.

Andrew Easton

Herbal Tea: the stress buster

Technically, herbal teas are not teas at all—they’re usually some combination of dried fruits, flowers, and herbs and contain no caf-feine. One study, published in the Journal of Nutrition, found that drinking three cups of hibiscus tea daily could help lower blood pres-sure in people with hypertension. Evidence also suggests that chamomile tea may pro-mote sleep.

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health and fitness | get loose

the yoga experience‘Welcome Yogis’ read a sign on the door, ‘buzz the bell for access.’

I’d never been referred to as a Yogi before. It was exciting. I jauntily made my way upstairs in the Union Terrace office block, past the temporal offices of Engineers and Accountants, looking forward to meeting my fellow Yogis.

At the top was a Tibetan symbol on a grand mahogany door. It creaked open and a delightful woman peered out. An intense fug of steamy aromatic air guffed out after her. ‘Hello!’ she said.

‘Umm,’ I said. ‘I’m new.’ ‘You can get changed round the corner,’ she delightfully informed me,

retreating back into the Yoga room. All Yoga instructresses are generally delightful.

The ‘changing room’ proved to be a narrow toilet containing two dripping urinals and an old hippy naked from the waist down. ‘Good morning!’ he said, shimmying into his underpants. I took a moment to digest this eyeful, then replied cordially. We changed in amiable quietude.

The delightful instructress introduced herself as Lindsey and ascertained my level of previous experience (negligible). The room was humid and hot. The mat I selected was right next to a little fug machine that exhaled hot humid air.

The other Yogis came in and relaxed into various moulds on the floor. Some lay on their backs and crossed their legs above them. Others folded themselves into neat piles like clean linen. I sat and rocked gently, like a nervous chimp.

I was distracted and unsettled by the fact that the old hippy whose balls I’d seen hadn’t actually come in to the class.

Suddenly the class began. ‘Surya Namaskara B’, intoned Lyndsey. Yogis everywhere dived into action. Ponytails swung to toes, flat palms were placed at foot side, and with a spring the feet went back and they were all in press-up position, then ‘upward dog – exhale – downward dog – hips towards the window – inhale – hold for five’.

The instructions were so casually dropped, and in so soft a voice, and were followed with such organic swiftness by the experienced Yogis, that I couldn’t

keep up. It is very hard to follow the unfamiliar manoeuvres when your head is twixt your knees and your face is to the wall.

All credit to the delightful Lindsey. She indentified my struggle, and began issuing instructions especially for me. ’…and into Padangusthasana,’ Lydnsey would say, ‘Or grab your big toes and fold forwards Alistair.’

I did my best to hold my own. The sweat was lashing off me, and I was huffing and puffing almost from the start.

The pace was high and my body was barely equal to much of it, and utterly outclassed by some of it.

I came utterly unstuck at Purvottanasana. That’s a ‘reverse plank’ to the likes of me. You’re on your back, hands holding you, then you jut your hips ceilingwards and ‘raise your chest higher than your shoulders.’

‘Oh aye?’ I thought. I lifted my quivering pelvis milimetrically above the mat, feeling all the while like I was lifting a battle tank with the jack for a mini. I was preparing to collapse in sweaty extinguishment when something unexpected occurred.

Lydnsey stepped astride me and with a gentle strength hoiked me under my lumbar. Her knees were bent, her back straight, her arms intelligently placed under me for balance. She sensed the precise force needed under me to prevent collapse. I was locked there at the muscle-aching precipice, in utter torment, for ten long breaths. She then laid me gently to earth.

The class got markedly easier after that. We eased into various other positions, and soon we were concluding with five minutes lying flat out, spent, listening to aimlessly tinkling piano music.

I walked away startled. I limped on an achy leg, and my sweat went ice cold. It was all a bit much for me. A quick Google revealed that Ashtanga yoga causes injury to as many as 62% of participants at one time or another. Chalk me up as another hobbling statistic.

Ashtanga Yoga - Love Yoga LTD

This is a middle-of-the-road Yoga. Less belief, more English language instructions. It’s held in the Skystudio at the ASV, a ruthlessly modern and unspiritual pine and glass box next to the weights room. The lights had been dimmed, however, and winter’s darkness visible through the skylight ensured the class would be held in a vaguely eerie gloaming.

Our instructor sat crosslegged, eyes closed, on a mat. She was the very image of tranquillity. Soft linen clothes, slim and smooth skinned – if Yogic relaxation were a boxable product she could surely grace the package.

My classmates were diverse. There was a hardcore of Yoga folk – flexible looking middle agers.There was a scattering of muscle bound young men and women who clearly needed freed up after a tauntening session at the weights. There were a couple of chicken-scrawn types with the gaunt, hunted faces indicative of the long-distance runner.

The programme is bookended by a few minutes flat on the mat, focussing on your breathing. This feels very ‘yoga’. It serves as a mental gear change. When you’ve lain for five minutes on a shared surface with a posse of strangers, any atmospheric tension tends to disperse.

Our instructor led us gently through a number of poses.

She masterfully negotiated the spread of experience in the room. As each new pose was introduced, and the likes of me struggled to get a hold of the toes waggling away just out of reach, she would throw in an instruction for a mythical struggler.

‘Don’t worry if you can’t get your hands on your calves’ she said at one point. ‘Holding on to your knees is fine.’

Well, there wasn’t a soul in the place that wasn’t at least clutching their calves, but this instruction put us all at ease. ‘Ah,’ we thought ‘there’s folk doing worse than I am.’

I’d been nervous about the class’ ninety minute run time, but it seemed like just a few minutes after we started, we began to wind back down. As we lay again on our mats, focussing on our breathing, I felt well and truly soothed.

I felt a bit too loose to be honest. I went home and could scarce lift my fingers to type some letters into Netflix, vegetating in front of guff American television being the only pursuit open to a man as unremittingly relaxed as I was.

YOGA at ASV

I couldn’t have been more than thirty seconds late, but already the class was charging ahead.

Row upon row of young, determined people in sports clothes faced a hipsterish looking bearded guy at the front. I slalomed between the regulars in their militaristic upright postures to get myself a mat. I set up and quickly tried to catch up.

‘Next get yourself by the ankle. Close that gap between the heel and the gleut,’ the young gun instructed.

Mechanically, we all did so. ‘Next bend at the hip, close the gap between the chin and the toe.’Twinges shot up my cold hamstring. A steady thump of tinny electronica

came from an iPod dock in the corner. I looked around at my classmates. Brows were furrowed and jaws were set.

It was like we were teaching our muscles a bloody good lesson by inflicting stretches upon them.

‘Get a hold of yourself at the hips, squeeze those shoulder blades together,’ he said, and we all squeezed away as if extracting juice from our spinal column.

The class is systematic. The body receives a good wrench from head to toe, then it’s over as abruptly as it began. No ‘namaste’ in Lotus to finish, no calming five minutes to focus on your breathing. Just a hot forty minutes of putting the fear of god into tight limbs.

The poses are certainly inspired by Yoga, and are mostly taken straight from there, but they have been dipped in the acidic learning of sport science and have re-emerged stripped back to their most essential.

I will say that, however jarring the experience, it was several things. It was brief, it was energising and I really feel it helped rejuvenate my muscles, helping them bounce back from another days’ hard use.

Stretch Class at ASV

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health and fitness | get loose

Professor Mike’s Supplements supplement

Across a series of short columns I’ll give you the inside track to get back on top of your intake, to improve your output. I understand that you might not be in charge of your own timetable, with course work and student jobs and the rest place their demands after all, but I will introduce to you a few nutritional shortcuts that will keep you purring productively through the trials of another semester.

This week: Energy.

Now the first thing we old folk think about you young folk is that energy isn’t an issue. You bound from bed in the morning and go like the Duracell bunny from dawn till dusk, whilst far behind your skipping heels, us grey-heads are rubbing out aching hips, cursing the tyranny of time.

As a professor, however, I have some reason to believe energy lack is a key factor in students life. Much of this is down to irregular and insufficient nutrition. Irregular exercise also plays its part. If it’s a quick fix you’re after to brighten your eyes and bushen up your tail, then look no further than Zinc and the B vitamins!

In the normal run of things you won’t come across the little wonderment that is Zinc until your old and doddery, when your GP will stuff you to the gills on the stuff to get you through to the end in relative activity. But why wait? Couldn’t you use a bit more sharpness of mind and a quicker response from the muscles now, rather than waiting till your 68?

Zinc vivifies the body and spirit incomparably. If you feel a touch meek of soul or weak of limb, then get some Zinc in you. It can be accessed in a multitude of ways. Spinach is easily your quickest and cheapest way of Zincing up your life. If you’re studying, then I’d recommend having a small bag of cashews or pumpkin seeds to hand to nibble away at. Even a few pieces of dark chocolate will do it.

The B vitamins are vital to get all the energy bound up in your food. You can eat nothing but the choicest meals day in day out, but without a good supply of B vitamins bubbling away in you, much of the latent nutrition in your food will stagnate and pass through unutilised.

If you change nothing else in your diet, or already eat well then these vitamins will maximise the good that’s there. If you’re on a budget or just want a quick solution first thing, then you can’t look past Asda’s effervescent tablets. A snip at three pounds.

Mike is a leading nutritionist, Professor at the University of Glasgow, occasional governmental advisor on health and nutrition, and regular contributor to Radio Scotland. He was integral to the introduction of the 1 of 5 a day fruit and veg campaign. He writes for The Gaudie out of the goodness of his heart.

a4gpa(flikr)

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life and style | diets

It’s January and your plans for a healthy New Year are already 28 days postponed while you watch your multi-mince-pie-in-duced body grow ever steadily larger within your tightening unicorn onesie. In a last ditch attempt to motivate yourself you load up a ‘motivation board’ on Pinterest or Tumblr and are immediately confronted with bright and shiny pictures

of skinny women in running gear (do they wear it around the house?) clutching gloopy green smoothies and almost aggress-ively brandishing a large kale leaf at the camera. Above their heads in bold and deliberately positive letters are the most com-mon fad diets to lose weight quickly. Three of the most popular are the 5:2 diet, the juice cleanse and the paleo diet.

The method is seemingly simple for the 5:2 diet: eat normally five days of the week and fast for the other two. This should lead to speedy weight loss, losing around 1lb a week if you are a woman and slightly more for a man, according to thefastdiet.co.uk. Intermittent fasting means that on your normal days you can eat without restrictions but, on those fasting days, you can only have 500 calories if you’re a woman and 600 if you’re a man. To put that into context, that’s equivalent to one and a half slices of takeaway pizza or two ham sandwiches. I can’t even comprehend getting through a day on that but people do, and it’s showing to be pretty effective. It’s difficult, though. On those fasting days you have to be incredibly strict which can be difficult when it comes to spontaneous events such as being invited to dinner or being offered a slice of cake at work (but it’s Brenda’s birthday) making you something of a No Fun Nora. However, the problem that I have is that once you’ve lost the weight, returning to eating freely seven days a week will only make you put back on the weight. You would just have to accept that, to have the body you want, you need to be going hungry twice a week.The juice cleanse is even more radical: detox your body by only drinking juice made from raw fruits and vegetables six times a day, ranging from a few days to several weeks. Its positives are that you eat a hell of a lot more fruit and vegetables in their blitzed form, getting loads of nutrient and losing weight as well (due to the unhappy absence of anything else other than juice in your diet). What’s bad about it is that you’re essentially cut-ting out whole food groups and the nutrition your body needs. Fat and protein are essential. Livestrong says that “Without suf-ficient protein, your body has no raw materials with which to build new tissue. A lack of fat leaves your skin and hair in poor shape and contributes to malabsorption of fat-soluble vitam-ins.” You’d also need to have an incredible motivation to be able to stop yourself from running into Tesco, grabbing a rotisserie chicken and tearing it apart like a crazed Bacchic cult woman. It doesn’t seem worth it to me.Eat like a caveman. Forage berries and nuts. Slaughter woolly mammoths to please Ug, the fierce leader of your tribe. The paleo diet is essentially this (with some flexibility over the third point). You can eat what you like providing you mimic the food groups of pre-agricultural, hunter-gatherer ancestors. This apparently will help you optimise your health, minimise your risk of chronic disease, and lose weight. My first thought upon hearing about this diet was that the invention of agriculture was probably a pretty good thing and it’s called development for a reason. However, upping your protein intake and lowering how many carbohydrates you eat is a good idea as your food is slowly digested giving you energy throughout the day without spiking your blood sugar levels. Sticking rigidly to it is a bit silly though as, for example, you’re cutting out dairy just because it wasn’t around yet and therefore losing all those calcium-based benefits. However, if you follow this diet loosely it can really benefit your health. This goes the same with the 5:2 and the juice cleanse. Yes, drink juices of blitzed up veggies, yes, try to limit your calorie intake and yes, choose meat and vegetables over carbohydrates sometimes. Don’t limit yourself to a diet. Instead make a lifestyle change that can be consistent and lead to getting your body healthy. So have a slice of Brenda’s birth-day cake: you deserve it. Rosie Beetschen

new year, new you:a users guide to this season’s fad diets

Four of the best... Free Apps to get 2015 off to a healthy start

Don’t limit yourself to a diet, instead make a lifestyle change that can be consistent and lead to getting your body healthy

3. To motivate you every day: You

This app is focussed around micro-actions. Rather than expect change to happen overnight, the You app believes that your life is the sum of all those small actions you take every day, and every choice you make is significant. Every day it asks you to complete an action relating to health, food or mindfulness and take a photo of what you’ve done, creating something of a motivational diary.

4. To get you fit without a gym: Nike Running

Open the Nike app before you run and using GPS it’ll track your route, distance, pace, time and calories burned. It gives you per-sonalised coaching and real-time audio feedback (turn the sound down a little or you’ll be running past pedestrians while your pocket shouts at you to let you know you’ve done 3K). You can also share photos, compare progress and get in-run cheers from friends to motivate you to run more.

1. To get you out of bed in the morning: Wakie If waking up is a constant battle for you, especially on cold Aberdeen mornings, download Wakie, an app with a community of people who wake each other up in the morning. Set an alarm and you’ll get a phone call from another Wakie member to wake you up at that time. You can also choose to wake someone up yourself, too. It’s done over the internet so no phone numbers are visible or exchanged, making it completely anonymous.

2. To help you control what you eat: My Fitness Pal

My Fitness Pal believes that the best way to lose weight and keep it off is to simply keep track of the foods you eat so they designed a free website and mobile app that makes calorie counting and food tracking easy. Enter the food you’ve eaten into it and it calculates how many calories they amount to, allowing you to stick to a calorie plan and lose weight.

The juice cleansePros: forces you to eat more fruit and vegetablesCons: you can’t eat solid food anymore, can cut out major food groups

The 5:2 DietPros: leads to rapid weight loss, you don’t have to cut out foodsCons: two days of fasting is hard, you can’t stop without putting weight back on

The Paleo DietPros: cuts out many carbohydrates which spike your blood sugarCons: sometimes unecessary cutting out of pre-agricultural foods