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After observing my 7 month old baby girl, I’ve come to the conclusion that she is not just a human, but rather a fickle shape-shifter. Let me explain. In the morning when she wakes up, she calls out from her crib with happy high-pitched squeals like a piglet. When she eats cereal, her mouth opens wide like a baby bird. For as long as I remember, I’ve had the awful habit of shaking or constantly rearranging my legs. I often do it without even realizing it. My prim and proper mother would always scold me, “Stop it. It’s not lady-like.” Up until recently, I attributed it to habit, boredom or nervousness. That is until I heard about an actual neurological disorder called Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS). Australian James Harrison, 74, has donated blood 984 times so far. While the sheer number of his donations is admirable, what makes Harrison’s story special is that he has a very rare type of blood containing a unique antibody which is used to save the lives of babies with Rhesus disease. The ‘man with the golden arm’ as he is aptly named is thought to have saved 2.2 million babies so far, including his own grandson. Harrison volunteered to undergo countless tests in order to help researchers develop the Anti-D vaccine. As Earth Hour takes place this week on March 27th, I thought it fitting to have a post about the environment. If you’ve frequented a dollar store lately, you may notice the wide assortment of goods that one lil’ dollar can get you. And if you’re like me, you may also wonder how on earth some of these things manage to cost only one dollar. Well there is a story behind the stuff that we buy—a story that many consumers either don’t know about or perhaps choose to ignore. This 20 minute video features environmental activist Annie Leonard. She deftly explains the entire cycle of our consumer-driven society from the masterminds who orchestrated our desires to shop, to how raw materials are extracted from the earth, to the factories that make our goods, and finally to how our stuff is disposed of. While this video focuses on the U.S. I’m sure many of these facts are similar in other industrialized nations. Yesterday we celebrated my husband’s grandma’s birthday together. His grandparents are snowbirds who spend half the year RV’ing across the U.S. They recently returned from their yearly trip and picked up some adorable little moccasins for Ayla. What’s funny is that Josh has been asking for a pair of moccasins forever, just like his grandpa’s, but instead our baby got some before him. It shows how we as parents are like chopped liver as soon as a baby comes along. I’ve noticed lately that friends on Facebook are having their “22nd birthday again” or their “21st +” birthday when I know they are almost pushing 30. As a 27 year old, I’ve not yet thought about hiding my age because in my mind and heart I am still young. But I suppose “young” is a relative term nowadays. I suppose I am an old lady in comparison to the bar-hopping 18 year olds. And at times I definitely feel old in comparison to many of my friends who are living the single life whereas I am married with a kid. For as long as I remember, my mom has never liked to disclose her age. When I was younger, I thought that maybe all women past the age of 40 hid their age. But when did this bar get dropped? Now twentysomethings are starting to lie about their age? How old is “old”? My husband received a cool gift over the holidays from a friend that definitely brought out his inner child. Part geek chic, part educational, and pure awesome, PixelBlocks allow you to bring computer images to life. These versatile blocks provide creators with plenty of freedom to create both flat and 3-D art pieces in pretty much any shape. The plastic blocks come in a rainbow of colours which satisfied my desire to create “pretty” characters. While many people have a “sweet tooth” I consider myself more of a “salt tooth.” While others dream of decadent chocolate desserts, I envision salty French fries dancing in my head. In high school after a complete physical examination by my MD, I found out I had high cholesterol. The guilty culprit was a Ma-and-Pa fast food joint which catered to a student’s meagre budget—a “lunch box special” which consisted of a slurpie, fries, gravy and a hamburger for only $3 was the hot seller, and what I devoured a few times a week. The fact that I had high cholesterol came as quite a shock to me. My petit frame did not divulge any unhealthy eating habits; I had what some people call “a fat person trapped in a skinny body” syndrome. Since that day, I’ve been more mindful of what I consume and am trying (often unsuccessfully) to curb my salt tooth cravings. In an attempt to discourage myself and others from succumbing to greasy deliciousness, here is a very unscientific compilation of the nutritional value of a standard hamburger and fries from McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King and Dairy Queen. Since there is a smorgasbord of bad components in every fast food item, I’ve highlighted just a few of the worst: calories, fat, cholesterol and sodium content. So if you are like me and are trying to eat more fruits and veggies, the next time you have a hankering for fast food, remember these pictures. In this bizarre lawsuit, a 47 year old woman from Staten Island has sued her plastic surgeon for a flawed breast augmentation operation which took place in 2003. The plaintiff is asking for $5 million in damages for giving her two breasts too many. The woman says having 4 breasts caused her, “pain, disability, loss of self-esteem, humiliation, embarrassment and a divorce.” In his defense, Dr. Keith Berman’s lawyer said that all people react differently to surgeries. Where many artists aim to make their works bigger and bolder, Willard Wigan prefers to create art that is small and charming. The British micro-sculptor specializes in making art that is often no larger than a pinhead and requires a microscope to view. Each sculpture is painstakingly rendered using surgical and handmade tools. A single misplaced breath or movement could wipe out hours of labour. |
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