6 ways to make goodbyes less awkward

I've just about wrapped up my time at uni, and amidst packing and trying to remove mug rings from furniture before the landlord sees them, I've had to start saying goodbye to people. It's a situation that makes me feel a bit awkward, a) because it's a social occasion and b) because it's not like I'll see some of these people around - it kind of feels very final. But luckily, I've devised 6 different plans of action to deflate the awkwardness. They're basically foolproof.

"There's a hole in my soul" - the World's biggest conspiracy theory

Who's up for a game? I'm going to throw some song lyrics at you, and your challenge is to spot the theme. Ready? Let's go.

• Hey, show some love / You ain't so tough / Come fill my little world right up / Right up - Fill My Little World, The Feeling
• There's a hole in my soul / I can't fill it, I can't fill it / There's a hole in my soul / Can you fill it, can you fill it? - Flaws, Bastille
• Well that is it, guys, that is all, five minutes in and I'm bored again - Some Nights, Fun.
• I am lost, I am vain / I will never be the same / Without you - Without You, David Guetta
• The scars of your love remind me of us / They keep me thinking that we almost had it all - Rolling in the Deep, Adele
• I know that I've got issues / But you're pretty messed up too / Either way I found out I'm nothing without you - My Life Would Suck Without You, Kelly Clarkson

What's the verdict? You might have noticed a couple of strands emerging - dissatisfaction with life, and the idea that finding somebody to love will complete you. 

Why the British can't handle their cheese

I don't know many people who wouldn't agree that a slice of lightly-toasted white bread is improved enormously by an oozing layer of melted mature Cheddar. And yet, when it comes to cheese in its abstract form, most prevalent in American TV drama series, we wince and cringe. Why is it that we, as a nation, cannot produce or watch cheesiness without grimacing?

My investigation begins with a definition of the term 'cheesy'. I would describe a cheesy moment as one that is needlessly sentimental and completely unrealistic, which is blatantly motivated by a need to manipulate the whole audience's emotions, with the subtlety of Taylor Swift. Here is a classic cheesy moment demonstrated by Cameron Diaz in The Holiday: