Time to play the puzzle from NPR Sunday On-air Challenge!

I'm going to give you two six-letter words. Put the same pair of letters in front of each one to get two common eight-letter words.

 

Ex. Airway, Ranger  -->  Stairway and Stranger

 

    1.   Parent, Petite

    2.   Option, Equate

    3.   Crease, Fringe

    4.   Rocket, Inning

    5.   Median, Gently

    6.   Vision, Stance

    7.   Editor, Edible

    8.   Lament, Reside

    9.   Berate, Feline

 

Answer Keys

    1.  apparent, appetite

    2.  adoption, adequate

    3.  increase, infringe

    4.  sprocket, spinning

    5.  comedian, cogently

    6.  division, distance

    7.  creditor, credible

    8.  filament, fireside

    9.  liberate, lifeline

Gen Z Fashion Statements!

Are you familiar with Gen Z fashion statements or aesthetics that are made by social media platforms? Today, let us figure out some newly coined fashion-related words.

 

   1.   Barbiecore fashion has been inspired by Barbie doll, which represents things like miniskirts, velvet tracksuits, bright makeup, knee-high boots, and eye-catching accessories such as heart-shaped glasses, hair clips, and a tiny purse.

 

    2.   Coastal grandmother/grandma was coined by TikTok user Lex Nicola in 2022. This trend could be well described by Diane Keaton or Oprah Winfrey. This aesthetic includes nautical patterns, sun hats, pottery, scented candles, and light, flowy clothing. As Glamour magazine noted in 2022, “Coastal grandmother heralds a new kind of hot girl summer—with fresh produce, strong cocktails, and light linens.”

 

    3.   Baddie aesthetic was born on the Instagram and inspired by beauty influencers like Kardashian-Jenner family. This aesthetic is all about looking stylish based on modern beauty standards. You can think of wearing high-end fashions and the latest hair and makeup trends. Within the umbrella term “baddie aesthetic”, you can be a vintage baddie, a luxury baddie, or even a drug store baddie when you get a little parsimonious but still flaunt high fashion looks with cheaper, or drug store, products.

 

    4.   The clean girl (or vanilla girl) aesthetic is characterized by elegance and beauty that appears minimalist and effortless, even if it isn’t. This encompasses trends like wearing makeup looks that give the appearance of not wearing makeup choosing muted or toned down clothing, and styling hair in chic buns or braided updos. Some have criticized the clean girl aesthetic for promoting unrealistic beauty standards and appropriating certain elements from women of color.

 

    5.   The Coquette aesthetic was previously referred to as Lolita-core, a name borrowed from the controversial 1955 novel Lolita, it was criticized in the past for sexualizing young women and promoting unrealistic beauty standards. Now, aside from its original use of negative or pejorative connotation, it has evolved into a more empowering celebration of femininity. The coquette aesthetic in 2023 is hyperfeminine, youthful, and idyllic. It channels fashions from multiple decades, including miniskirts, knitted stockings, lots of lace, and vintage accessories. According to Nylon, modern coquette is “keen on clarifying and reinventing the aesthetic by embracing one’s femininity instead of hyper-focusing on and sexualizing innocence.”

 

    6.   Maximalism is the opposite fashion statement to the clean girl aesthetic. This aesthetic is marked by bold, vibrant colors, overaccessorizing, mixing patterns and styles, and celebrating your unique self in whatever way feels right. There’s no single way to participate in maximalism.

 

    7.   Academia is the core of a college professor that centers on learning, knowledge, fashions and accessories that make one appear scholarly. The academia look overall includes blazers, glasses, tweed, trousers and pleated skirts, and other traditional markers of teachers and students. Inspiration from literature, poetry, and art is always welcome in this trend.

 

    8.   Plazacore an ode to the fashions of wealthy Upper East Siders. The main inspiration for this aesthetic came from Eloise, the beloved book series created by author Kay Thompson, which features a sassy little girl who lives in Manhattan’s Plaza Hotel. It’s also exemplified by Gossip Girl’s Blair Waldorf. Imagine things like high-end, luxury, preppy, Peter Pan collars, headbands, and pearl necklaces. It’s anything you might wear if you were dressing up as a wealthy socialite who enjoys hobnobbing with well-heeled folks.

 

    9.   Whimsigothic aesthetic describes

surrealism, spookiness, and the look of a witchcraft. This aesthetic could easily fit into a Tim Burton movie, which incorporates elements of Gothic and Bohemian fashion combined with the spooky, witchy vibes you can find in the cult classic Hocus Pocus. This includes dark clothing, dramatic makeup and jewelry, stars and twinkle lights, and lots of black.

     *source from dictionary.com

 

Find the 2-syllable word, each of which starts with "P"!!!

This is last Sunday's on-air challenge puzzle from NPR! 

Every answer is a two-syllable word, in which each syllable starts with the letter 'P.'

Ex. Father  -->  PAPA

   

    1.  Partner of salt

    2.  Center of the eye

    3.  Human beings

    4.  Relating to Vatican affairs

    5.  Shade akin to lavender

    6.  Minister's spot when delivering a sermon

    7.  Baby dog

    8.  Flower that's the source of opium

    9.  Dismiss as unimportant (hyph.)

   10. Something to write on

   11. Very poor person

   12. Dote on, as a child

   13. Slang for the "eye"

   14.  Intention

   15.  Intelligent sea creature

   16.  Low grasslands of South America

   17.  Affecting a sense of self-importance

   18.  Necessity for traveling abroad

   19.  One means of completing online purchases

   20.  Something waved by a cheerleader

 

 

Answer Keys

    1.  Pepper

    2.  Pupil

    3.  People

    4.  Papal

    5.  Purple

    6.  Pulpit

    7.  Puppy

    8.  Poppy

    9.  Poo-poo

   10.  Paper

   11.  Pauper

   12.  Pamper

   13.  Peeper

   14.  Purpose

   15.  Porpoise

   16.   Pampas

   17.    Pompous

   18.    Passport

   19.   Pay pal

   20.   Pompom

How are you all holding up througout this hot season?

July is named to honor Roman dictator Julius Caesar (100 B.C. – 44 B.C.). In 46 B.C., Julius Caesar made one of his greatest contributions to history: With the help of Sosigenes, he developed the Julian calendar, the precursor to the Gregorian calendar that we use today.

Do you like sizzling summer time? As temperatures spike, how can you bet the heat? From closing blinds to using a fan (not just A/C), here are tips for keeping your body cool during these hot summer months.

In case of power outages, rolling blackouts, or brownouts that knock out cooling systems during the hottest days of summer, here are a few tips for staying cool(er).

 

   1.  Exterior shutters and blinds keep the heat out. At night, open the screened windows to allow cross-v_____________ throughout the house with cooler nighttime temperatures.  

   2.  Close shades and curtains during the day to prevent the inside of the house and its furnishings from absorbing solar __________t.   

   3.  Don’t use the o_________ in your kitchen. Turn off everything with a mo______ (e.g., stove, dryer, etc) generates heat.

   4.  Keep a spray bottle of cool __________r handy to mist your face and neck from time to time. Don’t forget to spray it on your pets!

   5.  Stay well- h_________________ by drinking plenty of fluids. Eat (choose: smaller  or  bigger) meals in hot weather to reduce the heat produced by metabolic activity within your body.

   6.  Avoid drinking ______________ol in hot days. Also, you need to cut back on c______________ which raises your body temperature. Remember that sodas, sports drinks, and many nonprescription drugs also have _______________.

   7.  Indulge in sp________________ food. If you can handle it, dressing up your summer meals with jalapenos, curries, and wasabi will induce sweating, particularly on your face and neck, and you’ll feel cooler.

8.  Do not ex_____________ outdoors in hot weather. If you must, take it very easy and work out in the cooler hours of early morning.

   9.  If you feel faint, lie down and raise your ________gs above your head. Try to get to a cool area and drink fluids as soon as possible.

   10.  Freeze a couple of old pair of so________ filled with rice or small beans and place them at the foot of your bed between the sheets to cool you to sleep at night.

 

Answer Keys

   1.  ventilation

   2.  heat

   3.  oven, motor

   4.  water

   5.  hydrated

   6.  alcohol, caffeine

   7.  spicy

   8.  exercise

   9.  legs

   10.  socks

 

*source from the old farmer’s almanac 2024.

Let us stay cool and healthy throughout thes scorching heatwaves!

Time to play the puzzzle from NPR Sunday On-Air Challenge! Find the double "ee" words & double "oo" words with the clues!

I'm going to read you some sentences with two words left out. The first missing word has a double-E. Change the double-E to a double-O and you'll get the second missing word,

 

Ex. The tired boatman plans to ___ overnight on his ___. 

ð   SLEEP, SLOOP

 

    

1.   If you were offered both brie and cheddar, which ___ would you ___?

    2.   On April 1st I had a ___ the practical joker was intent on ___ me.

    3.   The shepherd was directing his flock across a shallow ___ by waving a ___ in his hand.

    4.   The ___ on the oven thermometer indicated the temperature of the tuna ___ casserole.

    5.   Once during hay fever season, my loud ___ awoke my father from his ___.

    6.   You can use almost any metal like copper, iron, or ___ to fashion a ___ to sit on.

    7.   Smoking a ___ while carrying an armload of shingles up a ladder wouldn't be wise for a ___ to do.

    8.   If you're ___ over an insult someone has given you, you might find a hot bath nicely ___.

 

Answer Keys

    1.  cheese, choose

    2.  feeling, fooling

    3.  creek, crook

    4.  needle, noodle

    5.  sneeze, snooze

    6.  steel, stool

    7.  reefer, roofer

    8.  seething, soothing

Health Series #20. Onion

It is natural to become physically weaker as one ages. However, it is possible to stay younger and healthier than your physical age by what you eat at your table every day. More and more medical research and studies have shown the medicinal properties and benefits of herbs and healthy diet.

As of this new year of 2024, let us stay healthy by looking into a variety of herbs one by one, their nutrition facts, and healthy diet so that we are able to lead a life with more confidence and constantly get ourselves back on track with aplomb even if we happen to deviate from the optimal state of health.

 

#20. Onion

 

Are you frequently using onions for your day-to-day meals? Onions may bring tears to your eyes while prepping them and make your breath less than perfect due to their particularly strong odor. However, onions also add a lot of kicks and flavor to dishes. Whether you like this root vegetable raw or cooked, there are many health benefits to eating onions.

Many studies suggest that 1.organo________________ compounds may stop cancer cells from multiplying and growing, causing the cells to die.

A 2019 study found that consuming 35 pounds of onions and other allium vegetables every year may lower your risk of 2. colo______________ cancer by almost 80%. Most Americans consume about 22 pounds of onions in a year, according to the National Onion Association.

 

Onions are high in Vitamin C and more than 25 different types of flavonoids/ antioxidants that support healthy 3. _______________________ system and fend off chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease. Antioxidants protect against free radicals that cause 4. infla___________.

For maximum antioxidant benefits, choose colorful red onions, which have flavonoids called 5. anth_____________________ that give the vegetable their color.

Do you peel the skin of onions before cooking? Because research shows an onion’s 6. Choose the answer (outer    or     inner) layers have the highest concentration of flavonoids, try to keep as much of that part as possible when removing the skin.

 

Another flavonoid found in onions called 7. que__________________ offers many heart-healthy benefits, especially for people experiencing obesity and 8. met___________________syndrome, which is a combination of risk factors, such as excess weight, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high blood sugar.

Since onions also appear to have blood-thinning abilities, which can help prevent 9. blood cl__________ that cause heart attacks and strokes.

 

Furthermore, onions have 10. anti-___________________ properties that help slow or stop the growth of bacteria that cause E. coli infections, Staph infections, and stomach ulcers.

 

Why don’t you let this root vegetable clean up your body and bring tears of joy to your dry eyes?!!!

 

Answer Keys 

   1.  organosulfur 

   2.  colorectal or colon  

   3.  immune

   4.  inflammations

   5.  anthocyanins

   6. outer

   7.  quercetin

   8.  metabolic

   9.  clots

   10.    bacterial

*source from Cleveland clinic

 

Acrostic Poem Using ONION by Jean J. Lee

Overjoyed and tearful?

Not a chance to share your secret ingredient?

I can easily guess what’s on your chopping board

Or on the shelf in your cool pantry

Nice and easy does it before your breath drowns out all other flavors!

 

 

If you’re interested in consulting your health with professional pharmacists, check this out!

Santa Ana Tustin Compounding Pharmacy