The new year started off like most days in my home do: me trying to beat my nani to our shared washroom. She has remarkable timing when it comes to the toilet. Whether I'm tiptoeing in at 3 a.m. or taking a bathroom break before lunch, Nani, my maternal grandmother, is always in there. Sharing a washroom with an 85-year-old is a special kind of hell reserved only for stay-at-home granddaughters like me.
On that first morning of 2023, our race to the toilet was just the start of Nani's antics. As I was about to fall back asleep, a Facebook live stream from the local temple began blaring in my bedroom. Why was it getting louder? Why was Om Jai Jagdish Hare-a devotional hymn (and certified pooja bop when it's not blasting through a New Year's hangover)-edging deeper into my eardrums? What did I do in this timeline to the Supreme Lord Vishnu to deserve this?
I stormed into Nani's room and scanned her makeshift temple. The volume of the bhajan seesawed while my blood pressure steadily rose. She was sitting up in bed, staring blankly at her phone. No sound was coming out of it. And then it hit me: She'd accidentally connected her phone to my Bluetooth speaker. Ugh. I'd like to have a word with the Hindu god of technology.
For as long as I can remember, my grandparents have lived under the same roof as me, my brother and my parents in Mississauga, Ont. Given that cohabiting with extended family is more prevalent among ethnic populations, I never questioned our multigenerational cohesion. It wasn't until my teenhood that I became familiar with the idea of the "nuclear family": parents and kids only. Aunts, uncles and cousins congregated in my family home every weekend for get-togethers and meals. Despite competing sound systems (every relative brings a distinct brand of commotion), I welcomed the bustle as a necessary irritation of a richer family life.
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Esta historia es de la edición Summer 2023 de Chatelaine (English).
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
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THE NICE LIST
Chatelaine has featured cookies in its pages every December since 1928. That's almost a century of shortbread, bars, macaroons, gingersnaps, biscotti and so much more. We pored over every winter issue from the past 95 years to find our 10 all-time favourites-and added a new recipe to the mix, too.
A Little Chill
This festive cheesecake for a crowd has all the flavours of the classic holiday candy and is sweetened almost entirely with white chocolate. If you can get hold of peppermint oil, it will give an even more
The Science of Vinaigrettes
EVERY DAY AROUND 1 P.M., my stomach rumbles, reminding me to snap shut my laptop and shuffle to the kitchen to build my hearty lunch salad: leafy greens and toppings of different textures piled high with some protein.
Four Years on Ozempie
Doctors promised me the injectable medication would stabilize my diabetes and even help me lose weight. Today, I'm still suffering the consequences
THE GAME CHANGER
Carly Fennell is slowly making NFL football a safer game-one tackle at a time
The Healing Power of Bagel and Schmear
When my dad was diagnosed with lymphoma last year, I turned to the Jewish tradition of appetizing foods for comfort.
My Sister Is My Soulmate
After decades of thinking I needed to find The One, I realized I've known her my entire life
Decorate Your Mantel
A prop stylist's tricks for bringing festive cheer to your fireplace
Do Hangover Cures Really Work?
'TIS THE SEASON to be merry at least until the next morning. Hangovers, the after-effect of a night of heavy drinking, are so common and bothersome that there's an endless list of cures that people swear by.
Fringe Festival
We tried on countless mascaras at every price point to find the absolute best for fluttery lashes