🤩BEST NIGHT OF MY LIFE🤩
Today, if you're a monthly or annual ✨ SYSCA Supporter✨ you're getting your first bonus - our 'Shit You Should Read About' bumper book list!! This library is stacked full of recommendations (and also books you shouldn't waste your time/ money on) from Rubes, Liv and I - and it's one of the best damn libraries I've ever seen!
Keep your eyes peeled for the list later in the day. (And if you want to access it, you should become a ✨SYSCA Supporter✨.)
Holy shit - I don't even know how to write this little intro this morning - I feel like I have an emotional hangover (which is quite a nice change from my usual generic hangover tbh) from the pure bliss that was last night. For anyone just catching up, last night we had our first Harry's House listening party for the NZ besties and IT WAS THE MOST WHOLESOME/ BEST NIGHT OF OUR LIVES!!! I'm not going to go into too much detail because I don't want to ruin the surprise for our Australian pals attending tonight, but let me just say - HARRY DOES NOT DISAPPOINT.
The album was phenom (full review coming at you in Friday's newsy) but HANDS DOWN the best part was having us all together in a gorgeous space, hugging, surrounded by Harry's favourite candle scent, chatting, vibing - it was so cute and there was SO much love in the room. A highlight HAS to be when 'As It Was' came on and everyone literally GOT UP and danced together (yes, the Harry Styles dance was busted out.) There was so much love (for Harry AND for SYSCA which was so 🥺🥺), Rubes, Liv and I could not BELIEVE how kind you all are (and quickly we all became such good mates!!!!!), and it was just the coolest thing we've ever done.
Can't wait to virtually boogie with all our Australian Harries tonight, and actually get to give you all the details on Friyay!!! I LOVE YOU ALL!!
On an equally exciting note:
Liv, Rubes and I have been building our library and preparing you all the best damn bumper book list you've EVER seen, and it's going live today, so if you want access to this bonus, you should come and be a recurring ✨SYSCA Supporter!!✨
Bel Chimes In: Are you robbing yourself of joy?
It’s Global Accessibility Awareness Day!
Grubhub fucked up
The English language is odd
An update on Megan Thee Stallion and Cara Delevigne
Do you prefer the top or bottom... of burger buns?
Bel Chimes In: Are you robbing yourself of joy?
This section is written by my crush, the refreshing-as-a-house-chardonnay-on-a-steamy-day, Bel Hawkins. You should check out more of her beautiful words here.
Gorgeous to be back in the real world after Luce and I and all the SYSCA team hit the deck with Covid last week! So many things I could say here about appreciating the small stuff in life when you’ve been shut inside your tiny apartment for 10 days but I think we’ve all read like 10,000 things like that over the last two years. Needless to say, grateful to be here and alive!
This Chime, I wanted to share something my mum often says to me when I’m musing on a big decision (Do I take the job? Book the flight?) or even cuter, lighter things like, Should I buy those pants? Or go on the date?
"Do you want to rob yourself of that joy or not?"
Life is a pendulum between safety and spontaneity, right? Too much fun and up-in-the-airness leaves us feeling wobbly and unanchored, and too much safety can feel claustrophobic and unstimulating. So we move between the two, maybe it’s not a balance but a swoosh back and forth. And making these decisions can feel like we will be rewarded for making the right one and punished for making the wrong one when really life just keeps unfolding as we move along.
So, next time you’re making a decision, maybe it's useful not to overthink it. Instead, maybe it's useful instead to think of what Sally would say - well, do you want to rob yourself of that joy or not?
PS. As always, j’adore j'adore your feedback and absolutely loving the uptake on our cute vocabulary. Wishing you an absolutely phoenixing Taurus-Gemini season!
It’s Global Accessibility Awareness Day!!
This piece is written by the wonderful Pieta Bouma - your local paraplegic badass. Pieta loves sports, her dog and seeking justice for disabled people.
To you, accessibility may just be a box to check, or a buzzword added to a list of adjectives to describe something progressive. To me, accessibility is the difference between whether I can go out with friends, whether I can use the toilet, and how long it takes me to achieve basic tasks.
To me, accessibility is not only tangible, but it's personal. To be eating at a restaurant only to find the single accessible toilet is being used as a storage room makes me feel like I’m invisible. Friends are often shocked when I tell them about things like this; like not being able to get into my university lecture, not being able to reach the self-serve petrol payment console, all the mobility parks being full of cars that don't have disabled parking permits (so I have to circle the block.) I am rarely surprised anymore. Accessibility often feels like an afterthought.
Accessibility is for everyone
It’s about more than mobility parks and accessible toilets, it’s also subtitles online, picture descriptions, sign language interpreters at events, braille at public locations, low sensory environments and so much more. And improving accessibility isn’t just for the disabled community - we all have access needs, whether it’s to do with cost, childcare, transport, language, education, or a whole host of other things!
So what can we do?
Start by asking people for their access needs - and ask your non-disabled friends too! Think outside the box when organising an event or a place people might need to access; would this work for someone in a wheelchair, a person with dependent kids, a blind person with a service dog, someone with a low budget, an autistic person with low tolerance to a high-sensory environment? If not, how can you improve access? Disabled and non-disabled people alike will notice that you have thought about them and you want them to be able to come.
Living in a world that is not designed for you can be exhausting, so if you can take away some of the burden - by considering access needs - you're making the world a more equitable place. I have no doubt that the world will be better when we can ALL sit around the boardroom table, use the toilet at our favourite restaurant, and be able to attend that Harry Styles concert.
The Illuminati, Explained
New Podcast Ep!! — open.spotify.com
We're back and we're healthy! This week we talk about JLo's love for Ted Lasso (she's one of us), and the ethics of rap lyrics being used as evidence in court, before launching into the main topic of the day - WTF is the Illuminati??? We go into the history of the group, how it's become such a big thing in pop-culture (especially when it comes to celebrities) and whether it actually exists. A super fun and interesting episode!
Grubhub fucked up
By now you've probably seen (well, if you're a twitter user, or you follow us in Instagram) that yesterday Grubhub ran a special offer where they gave out free meals under $15 to the whole of NYC, and for a time period of about three hours. Now, I don't even work in the food/ service/ delivery industry anymore (believe me, I have done many years in hospo) but even I know that this is just a TERRIBLE IDEA.
Here's part of a really good thread on it:
Here's the Buzzfeed article if you want to know more, but the bit that really sticks with me is the fact that this was not a tech failure. The tech worked exactly as it was meant to. This was a failure to consider the actual people making, delivering and ordering the food. And I'm kinda blown away that they didn't predict/ prepare for this????
An update on Megan and Cara
An update on this bizarre story by sent to me by newsy reader Renee - it looks like Megan posted a photo from the night and cropped Cara out??? Idk, you be the judge:
The english language is weird
I also got this email from Daniela and she made POINTS so I wanted to share it:
“My name is Daniela and I’m a Portuguese gal who moved to Glasgow last year - this to say, English is not my first language.
And yesterday while I was trying to fall asleep I kept thinking about your poll about “this meeting is at 12am, so if we would move it forward 2 hours, when would it be?” and how ENGLISH IS SO WEIRD.
And then I thought “if you want to get the LATEST news you have to be at the scene EARLY” and if felt like SUCH A GENIUS MOMENT because of the late/early dichotomy and again - ENGLISH LANGUAGE IS SO WEIRD!!!!”
So true Daniela, English is weird.
Please come & be a 🥺SYSCA Supporter🥺
PLEASE BECOME A ✨SYSCA SUPPORTER.✨ I'LL LOVE YOU FOREVER 🥺
Do you prefer the top of bottom of the burger bun?
I'm bottom for sureeeeee (I can't even explain why for this one.) But as for all of you:
69% said top (u can't make this shit up)
31% said bottom
The Illuminati, Explained (Culture Vulture)
Zelensky seeks to extend martial law in Ukraine (BBC). I don't have time to write about this right now, but go and read it!!
Elections, Elon, & A Heroic Dog (The Shit Show)
Making Sense Of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard (Culture Vulture)
