Shadowing Practice: Everything I’ve been loving lately (mid-2026 favorites) - Learn English Speaking with Video

Today's such a gloomy day here in Stockholm

and I haven't filmed a sit-down style video in a minute

and so I was in the mood to just sit here

and talk and I'm going to talk about some of my favorite things from 2026 so far.

It was kind of hard curating this list

because I don't want to just add things for the sake of adding things

and just having things on a list to give you.

I want it to be things that I genuinely enjoy, things that I intend on keeping in my life, and that bring value, genuine value,

not just randomness for the sake of it.

I also want to mention that this month, month of July, my Substack podcast is turning one year old, which is very exciting for me.

I've been posting one episode every single week, every Wednesday, and until the end of this week.

If you want to subscribe to the podcast, you will get 20% off the annual subscription.

So if you want to be part of the private community, you are more than welcome to join.

And if you don't want to, if you're just here watching, I am equally grateful for you being here.

Okay, I want to start with, I have my notebook here, some of the writers that I have been enjoying this year that I hadn't heard of before.

One of them is Clarice Lispector.

I've shared about her on my Instagram, I believe, maybe in my newsletter as well.

So my first introduction to her was her book The Hour of the Star.

And what caught me was her way of writing.

I felt like her writing really lacked fluff.

And I've noticed myself when reading nowadays in the past couple of years,

becoming more and more resistant to pages that feel are filled with words that don't really bring meaning to the story itself.

And I know that a lot of people enjoy some books and writing for the sake of the beauty, you know, the words, the, even if some people consider it filler words,

they find it to be beautiful.

I have that sometimes, but recently I wanted to get somewhere.

I want there to be clear explanation and something happening.

Not even something big, not like a plot, but yeah, either way.

And I also write her essay Obsession, which I also enjoyed.

and on my tbr next what i want to read by

her is her book note to the wild heart the title i'm not sure about i don't know

if this is going to be a bit more poetic just based off of the title

but i have seen this book be so praised

so i feel like i have to give it a go another author

that i've been enjoying is annie dillard i don't know if i'm pronouncing that correctly I read her essay.

I haven't read any of her books.

I read her essay called Total Eclipse.

Really enjoyed.

Such an interesting way of describing an event.

And so I want to read her book Pilgrim at Tinker Creek.

All right, and now I have things in my home.

I haven't shared much, if anything really, in my home.

But I want to share a few things that I got this year that I think has really added something.

It's things that I enjoy, genuinely enjoy looking at and enjoy just having being part of my sanctuary.

One of those things is a red bowl that I got at a flea market.

So I'm a huge fan of anything fish when it comes to interior, even when it comes to fashion, there's something about fish that I'm very drawn to.

And so this red bowl, as I'll show you here, has fish around the edge that was one thing

that really caught my eye another thing was the color a

bright pop of red another thing in my home is

that i bought a more nice chair from ikea it's a quite plain looking chair nothing too exciting

but then for that chair i bought a cover from BEMS.

My cover for my couch, which is also from Ikea, is also from BEMS.

I bought the years ago and I really love the quality and the look of it.

It's a linen cotton blend and so I was like, I want a chair in my living room but also one that I can sit and film on.

So I sit on that chair when I'm filming for my podcast.

I bought the cover.

It has a ruffle at the bottom.

I've been very much into ruffle.

I think it's so romantic and it gives a bit of a country vibe.

It adds a bit of coziness to the home, I think.

I believe the fabric composition is the same.

It's a mix of linen and cotton.

I have found that the color has been fading and I haven't used the couch or the chair that much.

So I don't know if there's been a decrease in quality

or if it's just the color

but in terms of the quality i'm a bit not as

convinced as for my couch where the quality has been amazing

but i still love the look of it and it's a purchase

that i enjoy very much next is a piano chair

that i got second hand the lady who sold it had

been totally renovating it i really love the black legs it goes with my piano and i also really love the cover.

I think green is one of my favorite colors when it comes to interior, but also really anything.

I think it really stands out.

It gives, you know, it reminds me of nature.

And so that piano chair, I have been using plenty as I'm trying to learn the piano.

And I have gained so much respect for people who A, play instruments, B, sing while they are playing.

It looks easy because they are really good at it.

It really isn't that easy.

Ask me how I know.

Okay, we're going to page number two where I have written brands.

These are brands that I genuinely enjoy.

One is Clark's.

They make shoes primarily.

I think I've seen them started making other things as well.

I've only bought their shoes.

I have three pairs from Clark's.

One is a bit of a heel.

I haven't use that one as much,

but the other two, I have walked thousands and thousands of steps in them across many different big cities around Europe.

I bring them to all of my travels unless I'm traveling in winter.

I've never gotten a blister.

I've never felt discomfort or pain.

It is subjective.

My sister borrowed one of the shoes

and she did not find them comfortable

and I was blown away I was like what I've walked

so much in these shoes

and love them I will say I did order another pair from Clark's quite recently

and they were not as comfortable so I can't say

that all their shoes are going to be a success but these These two, primarily, my white ballet flats,

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my black Mary Janes, they have been used a lot.

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The insole is starting to look a little gross, I'm probably gonna have to switch that one out at some point.

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But yeah, I'm grateful for my Clarks.

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Next is a brand called Honro.

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I believe it is a German or Dutch brand.

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They mainly create soft cotton sleepwear.

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Their clothes are made in the EU.

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I first bought a nightgown from them 3 or 4 years ago

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and it was the softest cotton nightgown that I had owned.

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So I was intrigued and bought a few more things from them and from there, every purchase, except one, has been a success.

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The exception was a pair of leggings that I bought where the inseam seemed poorly made.

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And they weren't comfortable, so I reached out to them about the inseam, because it was uneven, it wasn't really living up to the quality I was used to.

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They were very helpful, they let me keep them while refunding me.

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Excellent customer service.

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And so what I'm wearing now, this blue nightgown, this is a nightgown, is also from Hanro.

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So thin and soft and I have washed the hell out of everything that I own from Hanro.

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And nothing has ripped, broken, lost its shape.

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They do stretch a little bit, but it's a nightgown.

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So that's just good.

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I like that.

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It makes it more comfortable.

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Next on my brand's list, I have Eduard Accessories, which is a Swedish brand they create leather bags all handcrafted

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here in sweden i own three bags from adwords accessories

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but i have used these bags so much i mean it's my go-to

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if i just need a shoulder bag a crossbody bag that's what i will grab

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if i'm going anywhere where i don't need a bigger bag

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i'll grab them i I do have one big bag from Adore Accessories as well.

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I don't use that one as much anymore.

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I used it a lot for like the first year that I got it.

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I just haven't found that I have really needed that bag as much.

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Still love it.

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Excellent condition.

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But the two smaller bags, black one and red one, I mean, use them all the time.

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I love them.

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Next is a swimwear brand called Lido.

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Lido and they create swimwear I already said

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that made in Italy I almost always find that swimwear is

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so uncomfortable I've always hated shopping for swimwear

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and then I decided to give Lido a try I think I had heard good things about them

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or I don't know I was just I was intrigued for

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some reason got a swimsuit the first thing i got from them was a swimsuit

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and it was so soft and comfortable

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which was news to me my entire life never experienced

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that i will say their swimwear is quite thin so

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if you're someone who wants things to be a little um tight and a little thicker

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maybe they're not the brand for you i personally love the

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softness of their swimwear i ended up getting two more bikinis

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so now i have one swimsuit two bikinis i believe one of

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which i haven't used yet

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because i haven't taken a swim yet this summer next is

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a brand called floor floor they create basically organic basics i only have one top from them i will say

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that i want to get more stuff.

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I mean, I want to get everything that they have, but they're a little bit pricey.

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I mean, I don't know how to think about that because you look at it and it's like, okay, it's a cotton basic

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and you initially feel like you could get something similar at like a fifth of the price

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just based on how it looks.

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But I will say, cotton basics, basics in general, it's things that you use,

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i use all the time it's my go-to if i'm going just out

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and about i'm not gravitating towards any any garment

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that looks very interesting i just want a comfortable cotton top with some trousers in

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that sense i think it's very much worth it to invest in clothing pieces

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that will get a lot of use in your closet now

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why do i like these cotton basics what makes them special because i have a lot of cotton basics from different brands.

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What makes it special to me is that they are a bit thicker.

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They're very comfortable.

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They have a very, very fine rib.

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I tend to not love ribbed cotton.

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I think it's more uncomfortable.

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I feel like the fabric gets quite stiff.

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I'm very sensitive to how fabric feels on my body and I haven't found their clothing to be uncomfortable at all.

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The rib is so fine that it's almost not there, which I like.

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I almost wish it wasn't even ribbed at all, actually.

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And they have a good selection of colors.

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I'm gonna get more stuff from them.

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I just haven't gotten to it yet.

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Finally, on my brands list, we have a brand called Hilda Hilda.

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I don't know if they're shipping anywhere but Sweden.

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They create organic cotton pouches here in Sweden, which is quite cool.

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And they have a lot of cute prints.

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I own so many, so many of their pouches.

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I think I have maybe six or something.

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I'm a pouch person.

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I use pouches all the time for everything.

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And I have washed them.

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They have been holding up they're easy to just throw things

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into yeah i really have nothing bad to say really good

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customer service i had to i was going on a trip

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and i wanted to get one of their bigger pouches

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but i was out last minute and i needed to have it

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because i was traveling like two days after one

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or two days after it was very urgent and

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so i reached out to them i was like is there any way you guys can get them shipped

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like today and if you do will it be express delivery can i pay for express delivery

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and the woman at customer service was lovely she was like i can meet you

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because their store is in old town i was like she was like i can meet you

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and just give it to you if it's urgent i was like wow that's next level customer service love that

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okay my bedroom was getting so dark because of the gloominess

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and the rain so i changed to my kitchen

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and i also changed my top because i was sweating

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so much and i was looking at the footage

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and you could see the sweat building under my armpits

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so i changed that but now we're going to continue with the list

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and my next category is beauty and skincare

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and i have nothing on this category which is quite surprising

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because i have bought and tried a few different things in the past six ish months

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but it's so rare for me to really love a beauty product to try something

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and feel like i need this in my makeup bag i

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need this in my bathroom i'm quite surprised by how some

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people seem to find new favorites in the beauty department like every week every month I don't know,

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it's very hard to really impress me with those types of products.

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One thing that I've seen trending, which isn't new to me, is bare nails.

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That's kind of fun to see.

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I never have nail polish.

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I just trim them.

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I think it's very chic.

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It's very low effort, which I like.

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I just can't really imagine myself getting my nails done.

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It takes time.

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it costs it's i think uncomfortable as well

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and i just don't want to add another thing

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that i have to do so bare nails

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but that's not new other than

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that i have nothing in the beauty category next i have movies i wrote movies thinking

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that i would have multiple movies maybe i don't i haven't

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really watched a ton of movies these past six months i've watched a few nothing's been like capturing me that much.

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I did watch, however, one movie that did capture me.

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That's the one I want to share with you.

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It's named Perfect Days.

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It's a movie from 2023.

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It is set in Tokyo, and it's really following the life of a toilet cleaner, a man.

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And it's quite mundane.

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It's quite uneventful.

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What I enjoy besides the uneventfulness, which tends to be right up my alley, you know, there's no plot there's nothing crazy happening there's not a bunch

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of characters you're not going to be seated like this wondering what's next it's just very normal

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but it pays attention to the mundane and i really like

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that and um what i also think was quite special about this movie was

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that it's more like a it looks more like a vlog almost like it doesn't feel very much like a movie.

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It was unique, I haven't really seen anything like it.

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So I did like that one.

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One quote from the movie that I liked, because it's such an odd observation that still sparks curiosity,

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was when he says, shadows, do they get darker when they overlap?

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And that made me want to get up and try it.

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Next on my list, I have a category called Bits of Everything, and it's just as it reads.

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It's just little things that I didn't really know what category to put them in.

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So it's going to be a mix of stuff.

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The first thing is my mom's old leather jacket.

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So my mom has leather jacket from the early 2000s.

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So I was a baby.

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I was a little kid and I love it.

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I took it from her closet because she doesn't use it that much anymore.

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And I use it every week.

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I use it, I don't know, four days a week and it's become a favorite of mine and it's one that I never want to get rid of.

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They just don't make them like that anymore, do they?

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Next, I have a pen.

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It's called the Parker Jotter.

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I did not get it this year, but this year I started loving it.

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You know, I've had it for a while.

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It's the pen that I always use, but what I appreciated more than ever for some reason was

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how reliable it is you know i've never picked it up

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and had to get frustrated because there is no ink

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or it's not working it always works it's slim it doesn't hurt

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that it looks pretty nice it looks elegant it's not a luxury pen by any means

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but it's reliable i like it

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and i never want to get rid of it next i

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have sparkling anything let me let me show you wait i

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did show you in a vlog well let me show you again there's something about the summertime

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that makes me just feel like i'm craving something sparkling you know i used to this is a sparkling

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rosé i don't know there's something about summer

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that makes me crave something sparkling it feels more refreshing especially

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if there's ice in it

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and as someone who doesn't really drink alcohol i try to find you know substitutes

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when i want to feel a bit more festlig as we

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say in swedish it also has opened like a whole new world for me because now

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when i go to the grocery store let's say you know

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i used to always just walk by the soda aisle

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and never really get anything i would just always drink water

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but now that i have discovered something that i like something new for me,

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it's more fun to try new things and see what I like.

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Next I have something that is very surprising, something that I almost can't even say out loud and that is weightlifting.

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What?

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I've never been someone who likes weightlifting.

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I've much more preferred classes of different kinds.

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You know, I've done Pilates and I've done yoga and barre and the classes have always drawn me in more.

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I think weightlifting has always felt intimidating.

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I have lifted weights mainly with my private trainer, but never really at a gym.

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I haven't had a gym membership in years.

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But now I like it.

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Now when I have a rest day I'm like hmm I'm kind of excited for tomorrow

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so I can go work out which I don't know

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if this is temporary but the high the rush that I get

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and you know I tell myself that I'm looking more fit I don't know

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if it's true yet but I don't I feel like I see it and that makes me feel even more excited.

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Another thing is photography.

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You know, almost every social media platform is leaning heavily into video.

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They have been for years and I don't want to say that photography is no longer a thing, obviously it is, but I don't know,

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it's been quite sad to see video or photo kind of go because photo was my love long before video.

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But then when you're trying to do both, because YouTube is video, obviously, and YouTube is my main thing.

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And so when I started doing video, you always have to make a sacrifice.

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Because you see a moment, there's something you want to capture, you have your camera, and the moment could last for a split second.

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Unless it's something stagnant like a tree.

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But even if it's a tree, maybe you like how the lighting is hitting the tree and the background and the street.

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And so when that moment is gone, it might be gone forever.

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But you have to pick, right?

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So you're standing there with your camera, do i video this or do i snap photos of it and naturally for the past few years doing youtube

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i've had to pick the video i like video but i've also had to pick the video

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but recently i don't know i've just found a new love

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and appreciation for photography and yeah i really want to get better at maybe sometimes prioritizing the photography because i

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it gives me a different kind of creative fulfillment next i have agave syrup

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it's a sweetener i use it mainly for my iced coffees

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i used to use maple syrup for my iced coffees

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but maple syrup has a taste right

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and a good taste i like the taste

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but agave doesn't really have a taste it's just sweet

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and sometimes i don't want the taste i just want some sweetness without just using white sugar.

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And so, yeah, I'll go for my agave syrup.

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And it's a staple in my pantry now.

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I always have it.

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Next, Apple News Plus.

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So I love reading, you know,

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articles and essays and a lot of the articles on different publications and online magazines require a subscription.

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And so I was like, is there a subscription that gives access to many of the major magazines and publications?

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And then I found one, it was Apple News Plus.

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So I think many people use it for the news or maybe sports, I'm not completely sure.

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But I use it for the articles and the essays and finding new writers.

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And so yeah, it's very much been a subscription that I think is worth it.

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I think it's like $12 a month.

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another thing okay i need a backstory for this

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so i was going through some old things you know big boxes of just random knickknacks

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and things like that and i have a lot of books okay a lot of books

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that you know from years ago and uh they are

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so heavy they are so dusty and i had to go through all of them

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and i don't know just sitting there

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and going through book by book dusting them off and coughing

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and i was just like i'm done getting physical books

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which hurts to say a little bit

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because obviously nothing beats holding a physical book right it's the

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feeling it's the smell it's turning the pages it's it's timeless

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but i don't really have anywhere to put them that's a first could i get a shelf yes

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but they still get dusty and i don't know

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if it's like an age thing i'm i'm getting more

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and more like practicality is getting more

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and more important to me i just want things to be easy

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and practical and as seamless as possible so i sort of told myself

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that i won't get a physical book unless it's a book

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that i really want okay then i'll get it if it's one

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that i'm like i'm gonna want to keep this one you know i'll get the physical book

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because nothing will beat that but i'm not gonna go out

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and get a physical book for every book that I want to read.

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It's just not practical enough for me.

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So my Kindle.

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I've had my Kindle for years, but it's been dusting away somewhere because I've been getting so many physical books, but now I love her again.

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So yeah, I read on my Kindle now like nine out of ten times.

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You just can't beat it.

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You know, you throw it into your bag, weighs nothing, and you have access to tens of thousands of books.

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And you can take notes, which is important to me, and you can highlight things which is important to me yeah i love my kindle

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and next i have grocery store flowers

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so i think i was going through something in my life

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like a period of time in my life where i felt like

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if i get flowers it has to be from a florist i have to go

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and pick them out and it has to be this this experience

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and it has to be different types of flowers so i can create my own bouquet, and then you can argue that the experience is what you're paying for.

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You're paying for picking up the flowers, the options, and all of that.

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And the flowers are very well taken care of, and I buy that.

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I get that for sure.

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But also, speaking of just practicality and uncomplicating things, sometimes I'll walk in the grocery store and I'll be like,

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that's a cute bouquet of tulips.

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They're not very special, I guess.

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But also, what makes the flower special?

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I don't know.

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Isn't the flower kind of just a flower in a way?

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No, I don't really agree with that actually now that I think about it.

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But you know, if I'm walking there, I want a bouquet, I don't have to make it a big thing.

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I don't have to plan going to the florist and doing a whole thing about it.

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I can just pick up a normal bouquet at the grocery store

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and it's just as beautiful and it's gonna make me very happy.

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I think the mantra, the space I'm in in my life right now is just trying to uncomplicate things,

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make things easy and just… Yeah.

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Simplify.

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I think just simplify.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

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What is the Shadowing Technique?