Do you regularly read the newspaper in bed? Do you look this good doing it? As for me, I never do. I’m way too annoyed by the dirtiness of newspapers to bring them onto my bed.
What are your thoughts on this routine?
So there I was at work helping out a graduate student with her writing, and while I was talking to her about representing scholars’ ideas accurately and with purpose in her own writing, she says something about not wanting to “throw shade” on these scholars. According to Urban Dictionary, throwing shade means “acting in a casual or disrespectful manner towards someone/dissing a friend.” I had heard the phrase before, but I must have had a puzzled look on my face because she quickly rephrased her comment to say something along the lines of – you’ve got to represent the work fairly and respect the author’s ideas.
Although this was a really quick dialogue, I have been thinking about it quite a bit. I’m in the business of language learning and teaching. I have a PhD in applied linguistics, so I have studied extensively in the area. I analyze language and people’s use of language constantly. This particular interaction had me thinking about language registers (level of formality we use in different contexts), how we use multiple registers in our daily interactions, and how we can quickly adjust our tone based on circumstance. The student I worked with had opted to use slang with me (I had only met her once before), but quickly realized another explanation may be more suitable for the context of our interaction. I thought about how this student applied a slang explanation to explain an academic writing concern. Language – and how we use it – is fascinating!
If you’re not as interested in the intricacies of language as I am, you may like this other version of the word “shade”. These white shades are from one of my favourite eyeglasses companies.
Well, the day is here! It’s a big one, and I’m looking forward to celebrating with family and friends all (long) weekend. I’m so very grateful for everyone’s love. As I head into this new year (and new decade), I can’t help but reflect a bit on life.
I’ve enjoyed an incredible, adventurous, and curious life so far, so I thank my parents for all that they’ve done to encourage me and to ensure I’ve had fun experiences along the way (with a side of strict discipline). They instilled a love of travel and learning, for which I’m forever grateful. I’m also determined, responsible, hard-working, confident, and loyal because of the lessons I learned from them.
My sister and brother-in-law have been great guides along the way, too. Sure, my sister may yell at me when I’m being ridiculous, but both her and her husband have provided me with so much valuable advice about work, education, opportunities, relationships, and more. I’m sure one of the highlights for them had to be when I set up a Tinder profile (when it was first launched!) sitting around their dining room table in Manhattan. Let’s just say that I didn’t have much control over my swiping that night. My highlights of our time together, on the other hand, has been the birth and growth of my three nephews and niece. These kids are the cutest and provide us all with much entertainment! Since I don’t see them in person often, I appreciate our FaceTime chats.
I am lucky to have developed friendships with so many great people in all the cities I’ve lived in and traveled to. My friends have welcomed me into their homes and made me feel like family. Going on a family trip with a bestie or being called an “honorary cousin” means so much to me. When I’ve been far away from my own family, my friends have made me feel right at home. I am indeed grateful.
My cousin has had the following quote in her email signature for years, and it’s the quote that has been by my side as I think about this next year and decade.
“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” – George Bernard Shaw
This quote is a nice reminder to celebrate happy days, make room for fun, not stress the small stuff, and be grateful for what life holds. And with that, I’ll leave you today with this collection of fun vintage photographs. I hope they make you smile.
Have a wonderful weekend!
The September issue of Style at Home magazine arrived this week, and one of my favourite features in this magazine is the high-low article. In this issue, the Style at Home team designed two versions of an office – high/low, of course!
Before you scroll down, make your guess!
Did you guess correctly? What gave it away? The rooms are so similar, so it’s definitely hard to decipher between the two! I usually look at the lighting to help me determine which room is high and which one is low.
In this feature, the magazine writes, “We set up this chic home office on both a three-figure salary and a minimum wage budget.” You know I love Style at Home, but I have an issue with this statement. First, what’s a three-figure salary? Should it be a six-figure salary? Also, if you earn minimum wage ($14/hr in Ontario) and work 40 hours a week, your weekly earnings (before tax) is $560. Would you really then spend nearly $1000 for a home office?
So I wondered if it was possible to design a similar room at an even lower cost. When I spotted an $80 vase in the low version (compared to a $60 version in the high?), I thought I could do better. So I took on the project, and here’s what I came up with.
The total cost for this “extra low” version is $674 CAD. I know I could create an even lower cost version if I was shopping in actual stores (including second hand) rather than doing my shopping in online shops only. In this design, it was especially challenging to find a more affordable rug, so I opted for a slightly smaller size than the ones featured in the magazine.
In Italian, the evil eye – or il malocchio – is a superstition of bad luck caused by envy. If one brags too much, then others would become jealous of the person’s happiness and cause destruction in their life. To prevent the evil eye, avoid making people jealous, or carry an charm like a horn (as many Italians do).
In the fashion and design worlds, the evil eye constantly makes an appearance in jewelry, accessory, and clothing collections as well as in trinkets and knick knacks. Here are two that recently caught my eye (wink!).
