Vape- Oxford Dictionary’s Word of this Year

Vape (v)-an abbreviation of vapour or vapourize- is the Oxford Dictionary’s word of the year. It refers to inhaling and exhaling the vapour produced by an electronic cigarette or similar device. Though the word “vaping” was coined in 1983 in a smoking related article by Rob Stepney to refer to a hypothetical non-combustible device, it was after 2009 that the word “vape” gained popularity. In the last two years, vape usage has more than doubled. Vape juice, vape lounge, vape fluid, vape café etc are the new age derivations of the word vape.

The words that “vape” defeated to bag the coveted Word of the Year were

bae (n) - used as a term of endearment for one's romantic partner

budtender (n) - a person whose job is to serve customers in a cannabis dispensary or shop

contactless (adj ) - relating to or involving technologies that allow a smart card, mobile phone, etc., to contact wirelessly to an electronic reader, typically in order to make a payment.

indyref (n) - an abbreviation of "independence referendum," in reference to the referendum held in Scotland on Sept. 18, in which voters were asked to answer yes or no to the question "Should Scotland be an independent country?" Voters answered: No.

normcore (n) - a trend in which ordinary, unfashionable clothing is worn as a deliberate fashion statement

Slacktivism (n) - informal actions performed via the Internet in support of a political or social cause but regarded as requiring little time or involvement, e.g. signing an online petition or joining a campaign group on a social media website; a blend of slacker and activism.

Last year “selfie” which means “a photograph that one has taken of oneself, using a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website” was chosen as the word of the year by Oxford Dictionary. Owing to the social networking sites,  derived words such as welfie (workout selfie), drelfie (drunken selfie) and helfie (a picture of one’s hair) also became pretty popular. 

Alive & Awesome @ 34!!

I turn 34 today. Till a few years back I would not have disclosed my age socially. But not today. Because I have realized that age is just a state of mind. I have not featured on Time Cover page, I have not conquered Mount Everest, I have not played a lead role in a block buster movie and I am yet to go on a dream vacation but guess what….I have lived a fulfilling and happy life people in many parts of the world could only hope for. Call me unambitiously complacent but if I have to choose between being content with the simple pleasures of life or chase the constant material desires….I readily choose the former. I don’t have to struggle for basic necessities or mere survival and that makes me humble and thankful towards life. I choose to be grateful for what I have and enjoy what I have earned.

But on a lighter note, tell you what…34 isn’t an easy age. Other than increasing your trips to the parlors (where your beautician subtly tells you that a facelift massage should be included in your sessions now), it also puts you in that bracket where you feel out of place with your college going cousins. You hear yourself earnestly repeating the elderly advices to them which were given to you a decade back. The reality sinks in by now that your kids’ friends will call you aunty no matter how friendly you are with them. By now, you will also respond to “aunty” adjective by the dhobi, the sabzi wala and the maali and give up telling (read threatening) them that “bhabhi” or “didi” is just fine. Those extra kilos around the waist seem to have found a permanent home and power yoga class ads catch your attention instantly. But hey…who’s complaining? Even if I had an option to go back to the fun-filled yesteryears, I am pretty sure I will pass the offer. In spite of the aforementioned “challenges”, 34 gives you a confidence which you never had. Been there, done that feeling becomes very prominent. You also realize that “fun” can have many other dimensions and more settling ones too.

So who cares its 34, 44 or 54. I am alive and I feel awesome;  34 seems just like another number. And the date….a valid excuse to have fun and go crazy. Having a happy birthday indeed !!!!