Who doesn’t love a holiday? Craccum does. Although the mid-semester break can feel like a joke (raise your hand if you still had assignments due), still, two weeks without classes means you can usually afford at least one day off. For the team, the mid-semester break was also two weeks without the pressure of producing a mag—bliss.
At least, it was bliss for all of two days. Suddenly, the Craccum team found themselves aimless, adrift in endless days of nothing to do. Sure, we had assignments, but without the magazine, it was as if we had no higher purpose. Nothing to overwork ourselves for. Who were we if we weren’t constantly burning out? The hours stretched ahead. Without a deadline to meet we couldn’t even have our weekly stress cry. Friends? What are those? We don’t know about you, but Craccum’s social interaction is limited to coming into the office for meetings on Mondays.
That’s all to say that the team has perfected the art of killing time. For two weeks we’ve been essentially unemployed, baby. So if you’re actually bored or just ignoring your responsibilities, never fear—here’s a definitive list of all the things you can do when you’re bored.
Watch hillbilly guy needlessly injure himself
Brian Gu – Co-Editor in Chief
When I’m bored, it’s usually because I’m suffering through the pain of mounting university assignments. And when I’m miserable, the only thing that’ll cheer me up is people more miserable than myself.
While scrolling through YouTube one day, I came across the phenomenon known as super humman. I should preface by saying this is not for the faint of heart. Starring in hits such as ‘Jumping off a 6ft platform onto thumbtacks printer triple doors (WWE MICK FOLEY STYLE)’, this menace has put out 494 videos, and it’s anyone’s best guess as to how in the world he’s still standing.
It’s like watching car crash compilations—you know what’s gonna happen. The inevitability is painful, but you just can’t look away.
I should point out that my partner was entirely displeased with me for raising this point. She thinks “go for a swim” is a piece of better advice.
Unknowingly get into Dance Moms highlights on Facebook Watch
Eda Tang – Co-Editor in Chief
This is how it starts: a loose acquaintance whom you can’t remember how you met announces that they’re engaged on Facebook and you click into their fiancé’s profile to find a myriad of average drumming videos. You watch one, not particularly impressed. But then it autoscrolls to: “Jojo Gets KICKED OUT of Pyramid”, and suddenly you feel extra irritated by Abby Lee’s big, synthetic hair and wish you could just rip out her eyelash extensions and stomp all over her meanie parade.
Without knowing, you’ve steeped yourself in the finest form of drama from “Maddie REFUSES TO PERFORM” to “Abby Comes FACE TO FACE with Cathy’s Dancers She REJECTED”. It’s unusual that you would ever be so deprived of this much sensory information as a University student though. It’s hard to be bored—just extremely easy to do nothing and spiral down to Worry Town about doing everything.
Start pointless drama
Naomii Seah – Features Editor
The Libra in me is always thirsty for some gossip. If there’s nothing going on in your life, just create it! I found myself bored and alone on several nights over the mid-semester break, so I texted my ex-boyfriend. Classic move. See, it’s because University and work have trained my body to be on high alert all the time. Breaks feel weird because I’m almost too relaxed. Who am I if I’m not stressed? It’s ok, with one extremely unwise and toxic move, you too can create a scenario which will keep you occupied for hours.
You don’t have to text an ex either, the options for this one are limitless. You can pick a fight with your flatmate, or a friend; you can message that cute person in your class; you could even just straight up lie to someone and see what happens. It’s guaranteed you’ll think about it in the shower, while making dinner, and trying to fall asleep. Pretty much constantly. You can call your friends about it until they’re sick of you, you can write bad poetry about it, listen to Lorde’s Melodrama on repeat, etc. It’s endless hours of entertainment!
Give ‘em the old razzle dazzle
Ella Morgan – News Editor
Like many girls born in the late 1990s to early 2000s, I grew up worshipping America’s Next Top Model, X-Factor, American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance. My parents saw this interest as an opportunity to put me in dance classes by age five and singing lessons by age six. Unfortunately for them, this resulted in my family having to sit through hours of home fashion shows, dance recitals and musical performances every school holidays.
Naturally, now I’m a grown up, living in a grown-up flat, I devise one-woman shows for my flatmates’ viewing pleasure during the uni holidays. Nowadays my vocal cords are fucked and I’m definitely not as flexible as I used to be, but I definitely have that Trisha Paytas singing in her kitchen at 3am-style star quality down pat.
Coincidentally, we have also had eight flatmates move into our flat and then leave abruptly in the past year.
Make plans to catch up with people and never follow through
Jessica Hopkins – Chief Reporter
Whenever I have free time, I try to “catch up” with friends I haven’t seen in a while. If you’re bored, making plans to do bottomless brunch or a road trip can be a fun pastime. But your good intentions all go to shit when you inevitably realise you have completely opposite schedules.
Sure, you might want to see them, but it never ends up working out. Let’s face it if you can’t even catch up on the lectures you missed, what makes you think you’ll meet up with someone you haven’t hung out with since first year? The only things you’re going to catch up on are sleep, Netflix and Craccum crosswords.
Create a new personality via all the Tiktoks you watched on Instagram
Sophie Sun – Visual Arts Editor
Those memes about people thinking they’re superior because they never downloaded Tiktok? Those were made for me. Instead I take the route of spending hours scrolling through one Instagram reel after another of recycled Tiktok content. Call that being sustainable. Fortunately the perks of being an infp Libra activates when you absorb material from 8000 creators and suddenly I’m cutting my bangs (again), rearranging my room and DIY-ing the shit out of my wardrobe to be cottagecore, dark academia and grunge at the same time.
Needless to say, this is all escapist behaviour to run away from my emotions and any conflict in my life I need to address. If I’m going to be crying at 4am in the rain, I’m going to be in the perfect outfit to do it while holding freshly baked bread and learning how to play the bass guitar.
Perhaps I didn’t fully learn my lesson when I sprained my ankle and had to take time off for 4 weeks after trying to roller skate but maybe moving to Japan and showing off parts of my house that just make sense will work out for me.
Wake and Bake
Mairātea Mohi – Te Ao Māori Editor
I love baking while baked. Just these holidays I’ve made two focaccia breads, a cake and special brownies. With the intentions of practising self-care and making time for myself I’ve been combining my two favourite hobbies of cooking and getting a bit cooked all mid-sem break. I was so high once I made homemade burgers and fries from scratch because Spongebob made Krabby Patties look so good. (It was the episode where Squidward tries his first Krabby Patty and eats so many he bursts open and Krabby patties fall from the sky. lol.)
Even now, my pork belly roast is marinating as I’m writing this. I plan to do the dishes, put her in the oven and spend the cooking time getting a bit toasty myself. No uni work has been done, just vibes. 🙂
Illustration by Sophie Sun
