!BAHA, Webmaster ... is iCUBED.us’ webmaster. She hails from the Orient and has set her sights on making iCUBED.us the go-to website for young people who have ambitions to be the champions of their own brightest dreams. AbydosO-, 20, Blacksmith This blacksmith is currently helping people forge better sentences and refining their words to near-perfection. Imbuing the right elements for the right situation, this smith will smite 'Engrish' to create a better and more understandable world. AnthonyH-, 22, Blogger Avid music fan and follower of Hunter S. Thompson, Anthony is a Media Communications student at the University of New South Wales in Australia. He enjoys writing, photography and music. "Who is the happier man, he who has braved the strom of life and lived, or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed?" - Hunter S. Thompson Basi-, 22, Deputy Student Editor Basilia studies Politics and Laws in the University of Hong Kong. Holding on to her childhood dream to be a journalist, she aspires to help open the eyes of the community to how actors of society interact on both the surface and the hidden levels, how social settings contribute to injustice that are yet to be addressed, as well as the implications underlying social facts that we take for granted. Curious and energetic, she loves traveling, believing that discovering exotic cultures around the globe keeps her passionate and “truly alive”. BIBLIOboy, Blogger … is a committed artist who wrestles with sweaty guys in the jujitsu dojo when he's not reading like a madman. His work makes him look at the world through an unfiltered lens, which is exactly how he likes to live his life, without compromises. Brenda-, 21, Blogger is a college student busy studying the ways of the wicked in the city they call The Big Apple. She’s likes to blog about books and those oh-so-yesterday fashion trends disappearing before her eyes. ChrisW-, 16, Student An aspiring jounalist and novelist, Chris had lived in Hong Kong his entire life and spends most of his spare time reading or writing short stories. COOLcat, Blogger COOLcat's nine lives have included food editing, newspaper reporting and teaching. Travel and the environment are her pet topics. Her topic du jour is saving tigers. DaisyC-, 19, Blogger Daisy is a girl who wants to be beautiful externally and internally. She is now studying in a Catholic high school where she has been inspired a lot. She is a Perfectionist and a Capricorn who sets high goals for herself and then overcomes whatever obstacles may appear. She wants everything to be well planned. Daisy is also a big fan of music and she loves reading. Through reading books, she knows that "What we know is nothing; what we do not know is immense". What Daisy believes is the truth and her motto is "When there's a will, there's a way". DOOMdemon-, 18, Helper … has a talent for illustration and a passion for World of WarCraft, when he’s not up to his nose in sketching like crazy. Though not too creative, he is not shy to learn and try new things. D-d, envisions a future where what he designs will set new frontiers for the next generation of gamers to conquer. Eunice-, 21, Blogger and Op-ed Columnist … is an aspiring writer, self confessed geek and book nerd. Studying for her degree in England, she’s has an interest in everything from biology to geekery, politics to literature, high level physics (as long as she doesn't have to take any classes in it), gallery hopping to cooking, shopping to second hand books. EvelynW, 20, Blogger Evelyn has studied and worked in Hong Kong, England and the States. Currently, she is pursuing a four-year Bachelor of Laws degree at University College London. Having met Afua Hirsch whilst covering the Convention of Modern Liberty in February 2009, she now aspires to become both a leading lawyer and politico-legal correspondent. Other role models include Anderson Cooper, for his emphasis on experiencing the news, and Christiane Amanpour, for her social awareness and astounding resilience. What little time she has to spare is spent globetrotting, teaching literature, saving animals, watching indie films and chilling at jazz gigs. il, Blogger IL studies at a leafy university in the Northeast. Though amused by and interested in most things, she is especially fond of books, afternoon naps, caffeine, international living, and reaching enlightenment. Irene - nycScribbler, Blogger Irene has been a writer since she was a wee little girl – she started out writing poems and stories about animals, scenery, and family members since she was old enough to form sentences. She got her BA in Creative Writing and Literature from Eckerd College in Florida. With eight years of professional writing experience under her belt, Irene has published several articles in magazines, written for live TV, and authored many publications for the U.S. govt. She aspires to continue her professional writing career and to one day publish a biography about an artist or writer whom she really admires Jasmine-, 20, Deputy Student Editor … is a college freshman with a strong interest in writing and in all forms of the Arts. She likes being in the loop and works at keeping in touch with what’s hot and happening in the world around her. JiaH-, 21, JiaH is at an East Coast American university getting used to the cold winters and forgoing tepid food for brilliant intellectual discussions. He defies simplistic definitions, is a champion of the environment and other just causes that impact life on planet earth... His curious adventurous nature means one of his identities is that of a modern day explorer/traveller. Joce-, 18 Currently in her penultimate year of high school in Hong Kong, Jocelyn is aspiring to become a journalist or musician. She enjoys doing a wide range of things, including playing sports, reading, writing, watching anime (an admitted addiction), playing games and creating/performing all types of music. Unfortunately, the demands of school highly restricts her time and energy to do all this to her content. She also has a long list of likes, ranging from alternative music to the Boston Celtics, to desserts, to the subject of History and to just living freely. Living in this multi-cultural city has resulted in Jocelyn developing a strong dislike for prejudice and limitations. On top of having other strong outlooks, most importantly, she believes in how a passionate creation of any form can influence and hopes that one day, she will be able to do this in the form of music or writing, to make a positive change. Jocelyn hopes to make the best out of her remaining high school days. "Let me have this moment because it will never come again." KeriP-, 21, Evil Minion Squad-er (EMS) KeriP 20 is a soon-to-be sophomore at Baptist University of Hong Kong, working towards an English Language and Literature degree. She is an aspiring blogger with interests in Japanese, electric guitar, fashion, and both English and Chinese literature. She enjoys stalking web celebrity blogs, traveling, jamming with her band and spending afternoons with books and home-made cookies. LaurelC, 20, Blogger Laurel is from Hong Kong and is currently a college student in Washington D.C. Writing is a natural inclination of hers, especially if about any of her interests; namely travel, photography and rugby. She has been described as free-spirited, curious and adventurous, and likes to write about the ensuing odd situations set into motion by these assets/liabilities (depending on the situation). Lindsey, 23, Blogger Hails from Montreal Canada, and is a university student edging her way to a B.A in English Literature. An admitted nerd, Lindsey reads constantly and has a love of all things to do with literature - both French and English. She loves to write about her experience in Rez. When she isn’t writing piles of essays, she can be found testing out new recipes, or road tripping with her friends across the States and Canada. An avid hockey fan, she keeps up with the Habs and other Canadian teams during the NHL season when homework hasn’t piled up. lokmichael, 20, Deputy Student Editor Michael is currently a first year Law student at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and before that; he went to Island School Hong Kong where he held various student leadership positions like Head Boy. In addition to Law, Michael is interested in a wide range of disciplines and topics, from finance to politics, from James Bond movies to Prison Break. Enthusiastic, excited and engaged – he is ready to serve the iCUBED.us community and to work with every single one of you! LoLa, ADMIN … is actually two people sharing the responsibilities of keeping the technical things in running order. It's a tough job, but we're glad we get to do it! MadKat, Blogger …madKat dreams of writing for Rolling Stone magazine, and has sacrified her hearing for concerts too numerous to mention. She’s prone to random drivetime thoughts on the prodigious output of Ryan Adams, the wonder of Dave Navarro’s guitar playing (the Jane’s Addiction years), and if Mary J. Blige will ever take her rightful place alongside R&B great Aretha Franklin. madKat has never met a comp concert ticket she didn’t like, but absolutely won’t admit to falling asleep during a Pink Floyd show. Margaret - Mags, Editor-in-Chief Margret spent her formative years (3 – 11) in West Africa, and earned a B.A. double-major in Child Development Psychology and Poli-Sci from Mount Holyoke College, Massachusetts. She has worked in management roles in many fields including hotel management, offline film editing, as an analyst, a freelance writer & in organizations in New York, Hong Kong and Singapore. After earning an M.A. in Anthropology from Chinese University of Hong Kong, and having undertaken 2 years of independent research into Rites of Passage, she built iCUBED.us to provide a fun and safe haven webzine for "thinking teens", youth aged 13-to-21. Maria-, 23 Maria is a short little blonde who lives in the state of Ohio in the lovely United States of America. She has strong opinions and against her better judgment, often talks about them. Loudly. She is a Christian, so most of those opinions we mentioned stem from that. She likes music, writing, and the beach, but especially the TV show Law and Order. Above all, though, she likes other people. Oh - and her dog, Jake. Nin, 26, Regular Contributor Nin Chan is an unrepentant aesthete and aspiring intellectual who has devoted 24 years to revolting against absolutely everything, especially himself. If he could institute one law, he would make Friedrich Nietzsche’s “Thus Spake Zarathrustra” mandatory reading for all literate individuals. Among his other obsessions are psychedelic rock from the ‘70s, heavy metal, Surrealism, Tibetan mysticism, Francisco De Goya, psychoanalysis, Italian neorealist cinema, Disney’s Alice In Wonderland, weightlifting, sashimi, Gothic architecture and the poetry of Charles Baudelaire. He is grateful for this opportunity for gratuitous self-aggrandizement, and apologizes in advance for the thoroughly uninteresting lists. Nomadic Chris, 27 With roots in rural small town England, Chris’s on-going journey in life has subsequently seen him live and work in London, Jakarta, Hong Kong, Toronto and Beijing. Born into two cultures, Chris is objective enough to see the good and bad of both. Despite his background in Economics and History backed with a Masters in Management, Chris has learnt more from life than any book will ever teach him. With a keen interest in global affairs and the ever evolving world around him, Chris has worked in both the media and charity industries in order to make a difference. When not working or hanging out with close friends, you will find Chris going for pointlessly long runs in order to train for distance running races. Truly a global citizen, he hopes to stay in the Asia Pacific….for now……. noobelf90 - RonF, 20, University Undergrad is a pensive, sensitive manly man. A student of philosophy, and a frugal undergrad student with big floppy feet. He's started many-a novel but is too much a perfectionist to complete them. His hope is that the discipline of being published once a month will help him not over-dally on each word while it is being written. He asks for honest feedback and hopes his readers will share their thoughts with him in the forums and in the comments area... :) Olive-, 22, Blogger … is our Great Novel Writer in training. Take note of this young writer, and don’t be shy about pushing your way to the front of the line to be her friend, because J.K. Rowling herself would be jostling her way to Olive’s front door before too long. Peace, Blogger … our champion and biggest fan! Peace is a rare breed, she has heart and soul and is most definitely a Doer! Never short of opinions, she’s a self taught technical whiz, and masters everything with which she comes into contact. We love you Peace! Portia, Blogger never really written anything before, but has always wanted to give it a try. native born Chinese from HK who's had a few interesting jobs, from hotel reservations to airline stewardess to PR and marketing in the music business, now a freelance PR who enjoys working from home. Portia has always been a dog lover since childhood, but really grew to love labradors during her school days in England when her guardian at the time had 2 beautiful labs. RobB-, 18, Resident Hobbit In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort. Sachin-, 16, Roving Blogger A fun-loving Indian-Chinese boy, interested in anything from the latest basketball game to the most recent political propaganda. In his free time he enjoys playing sports, participating in gaming tournaments, chilling with friends and working for charity. He has a passion for public speaking and he believes that the first step to solving any major problem is global awareness. SLy...H.Hu, Senior Writer … is our resident err… Liberal. Her self-appointed task is to keep iCubed.us from getting too precious and preachy. No small feat with That One at the helm. When she walks into a room we hear faint echoes of the chorus from “Que Sera Sera”. SylviaW, 18, Current Affairs and Fashion blogger Sylvia Suyeon Wong is a petite Chinese-Korean highschool senior ready to embark on the daunting task of submitting those university application. An IB student in one of Hong Kong’s international schools, Sylvia somehow manages to fit in blogging about Current Events and Fashion into her already hectic schedule. Throughout her highschool years, she has been the subconcious observer of a seemingly unending multitude of fashion trends that have come and gone (she especially likes the whooshing sound they make as they fly by). Never one to strictly follow any fashion ‘rules’, her inspiration comes from the eclectic tastes of her peers. Her guilty pleasures include ice cream, club dancing and Tim Burton movies. TEDDYk-, 20, Blogger … By day, a mild mannered A-student, by night he battles monster with no more than a Japanese guidebook he taught himself to read, all this, in order to rid the world of Virtual Evil. May his star shine bright. TeganS-, 20, Blogger a little bit of a cynic, and becoming ever more political by the day. Interested in any matter of things from music, dark chocolate and french movies (in no particular order) to exploring new places and having a good laugh. ValerieW-, 17, IB Diploma Candidate (it's a job in itself) ...is currently in the process of obtaining the torturous IB Diploma Program at an international school in Hong Kong. In her free time or lack thereof, she writes, reads, bakes and generally attempts to recuperate from intense stress.