If Torchlight means something to you, then I imagine you'll already have mixed feelings about Torchlight 3. Starting life as an MMO/action-RPG hybrid called Torchlight Frontiers from Echtra Games (a completely new developer after franchise creator Runic Games was shuttered), the project pivoted hard during development towards something more befitting of the series' original vision, as reflected by its name change earlier this year.

The result is, admittedly, an experience that plays like a somewhat watered down pastiche of the Torchlight you remember. But, with the game finally leaving Early Access next week, rejuvenated by all the improvements Echtra has made even over the last few months, Torchlight 3 is already on the right track to reaching its potential as a true sequel to the top-down, co-op focused, loot-centric RPG gauntlet that fans of the series know and love.

That potential for Torchlight 3 is best embodied in the creativity of its class roster, which is absolutely the biggest draw of the game so far. There are four to choose from, and none of them are quite like any class types I've seen from the genre before. My favourite (and current main) is the Railmaster, who - in hindsight - sounds absolutely ridiculous when trying to describe on paper.

Donning a giant hammer, these last remaining survivors of a collapsed locomotive kingdom (yes, really) are accompanied by a turreted train cart, which diligently follows its master along the tracks automatically laid behind them with every step. This train can be upgraded with new cars, such as one bearing mortar artillery, or even a ghost carriage that "calls forth the spirit of an ancient train" to deal massive AoE damage. A genuinely brilliant twist on the pet class stereotype, the visual novelty of its hair-brained conceit never really wears off.

Besides the Railmaster, you can also play through Torchlight 3's 25 odd hour campaign as a steam-powered robot buccaneer called Forge, a Dusk Mage characterised by a unique role-tension between light and dark magic, and a pistol-whipping Sharpshooter class who is basically the lovechild of Jack Sparrow and John Wick. Whoever you choose, there's a lot of fun to be had in both playing as, and levelling up, your character, all of which is buffeted by Torchlight 3's multi-pronged progression system of skill trees, relics, pets, and loot.

Torchlight 3's other more distinctive feature, Forts, hold less of a connection to its familiar point-and-click gameplay, but are nonetheless a welcome addition that elevates the overall package. This customisable homeworld replaces the generic town or city hubs that we're used to returning to after a hefty day in the dungeons, and allows players to create their own social spaces that offer respite beyond the mere pleasantries of digital feng shui.

Erect a Monument, for example, and it'll reward you with a status buff that you can then take into your next adventure. Or why not set up an Enchanting Station, on which to share and trade recipes with your friends and party mates? You can even set up kennels for your pets, units to store and display all your loot, and crafting stations to create both functional and cosmetic items. I enjoyed being able to come back to a space that evolved and improved alongside my own hero, and its visual and utilitarian feedback loops have been keeping me invested in its continued renovation right up until endgame.

It's worth stating that, despite its upcoming launch, Torchlight 3 is very much still a work in progress. A number of key features from Torchlight 2, such as optional areas and side quests, are sparse at best, and those aforementioned progression systems aren't quite as rich or varied as you'd hope from a game of its kind.

"That potential for Torchlight 3 is best embodied in its class roster, which is absolutely the biggest draw of the game so far."

That said, Echtra Games has already listened carefully to fan feedback, and its slate of patches in Early Access have gone a long way in addressing some of Torchlight 3's most glaring issues ahead of its upcoming release, which will also bring the game to PS4 and Xbox One.

It may have started off on the wrong foot, but for a game that has had to shift gears heavily in a last-minute bid to avoid certain disaster (the most unappealing aspects of Torchlight 3 are almost certainly the last vestiges of what would have been Torchlight Frontiers), it's encouraging to see just how far it's already come.

Torchlight 3 is a game worth supporting for the vision it's slowly driving towards, then, even if it doesn't quite live up to its namesake just yet. I'm slowly being won around to the idea that it's going to become something special within the months and years ahead, and enjoying the journey there is - in my mind - worth the price of admission alone. That, and my hammer-wielding train whisperer.

For more, check out all the PS5 launch games we know about so far, or watch the video below for our full review of Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time.

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Have you tried... adopting a gun-toting train for a pet in Torchlight 3? - GamesRadar+

REVOLT.TV is home to exclusive interviews from rising stars to the biggest entertainers and public figures of today. Here is where you get the never-before-heard stories about whats really happening in the culture from the people who are pushing it forward.

The LOX will forever go down in history as one of the greatest rap groups to ever do it. Consisting of rappers Sheek Louch, Styles P, and Jadakiss, the trio returns with their highly anticipated new album titled Living Off Xperience. The new project hails 14 brand new records with standout features from DMX, T-Pain, Jeremih, Westside Gunn, and Benny The Butcher.

With nearly three decades worth of life tales from coming up in the streets to signing to Diddys Bad Boy Records to eventually joining Ruff Ryders Entertainment all three veterans embody the phrase, Hard work pays off.

REVOLT caught up with The LOX to discuss the early days with Puff, priceless studio sessions with DMX, their new project and more. Read below.

Twenty six years later, what inspires you to create music today?

Sheek: The love from the fans for me. Thats when I know Ima stop, when the fans dont want me to make it anymore. Right now, they still want us to make it, so Im enjoying it. Thats pure. I love the money, but its the love from the fans.

Styles: For me, working with my brothers. Being a group that stood together this long, being dope for this long. Looking at our draft class and seeing whos still relevant and popping, really be able to look over our body of work and what weve done together. What weve been able to achieve as a group is amazing. Super dope, it feels great.

Jadakiss: For me, its the bills (laughs). Its still coming.

Bring us back to when you were with Bad Boy. Howd it feel to have Mary J. Blige pass your demo to Puff?

Sheek: Thats big sis right there. Were always going to appreciate her doing that and having that interest, and love for us back then. Incredible. Most people want the contracts and to be tied to them, she didnt. Mary wanted nothing at all.

Fondest memories from those days?

Jadakiss: Some of the best parties you could ever go to. Partied like 1999, it was 1998. It was the same kind of parties The Beatles had.

Styles: Beautiful people, beautiful clothes, a lot of money, a lot of ambiance, a lot of feng shui, a lot of success, a lot of abundance. Bottles and glitz.

Sheek: With Diddy, it felt like he was always celebrating something. That was life, n*ggas was getting their money, but were celebrating.

What about the Ruff Ryders days?

Styles: The music and the camaraderie. Seeing blue collar hip hop and regular people on the streets get the hip hop they could relate to, thats pretty awesome. To be part of the people who did it was really awesome.

Sheek: Timing is everything with all that. Watching our big bros take it to a whole other level to where Puff was. Cash Money, all these guys, that was so dope to see.

Fast forward to 2020. Getting DMX on Bout Shit is so full circle.

Sheek: X is the GOAT, man. X is always a lot of energy. He came through to the studio the night we called him on time. He wasnt deep, just in good spirits. We had him in for a hook. I came out the room later, Styles had him doing a verse. They were chopping it up, we banged it out.

Styles: We had a ball. It was like riding a bike, doing what you do with an old friend. Old comrade. We got to it and it came out great. It was pretty fucking amazing to say the least. An amazing song, shout out to Scram on the beat.

Whats the energy now compared to back then?

Styles: We were laughing, having fun like the old days. Doing what we did in the old days in the new days really.

Sheek: That conversation could go anywhere from music to religion to politics, all that.

Jadakiss: Everything! All night, we talked about God, the devil, life, church, money, kids, music, rap, careers, Yonkers, crackheads, dopeheads, pitbulls, shooters, aunts, uncles, nephews. Everything you can imagine, we talked about.

Sheek, you say youre in the best shape of your lives. How so?

Sheek: Definitely mentally, physically, spiritually, all above. But, definitely physically. Im working out, hitting the juice bar on the regular. That juice bar got us looking like this (laughs)!

What inspires you to be healthy?

Jadakiss: Survival, life, the passion of living.

Styles: Surviving and taking care of all our people, our communities, our families. Noticing food deserts in the hood, trying to be informative.

Sheek: Its dope what my brother Styles and Kiss are doing for us, getting the young ones to start now. A lot of people start when they get older, Im one of them. Ive been working out, but its a little different now. Getting them so young, they specifically know their body and health. Its cool.

Where do you see the state of hip hop now compared to when you were coming up?

Sheek: Its two-faced.

Jadakiss: A lot of money. More money, less substance.

Sheek: Word up, but theyre eating. Theyre making a lot of bread. Its the whole Jordan thing and these new players now. Jordan wasnt seeing the money theyre getting. I know hes a zillionaire now, but these guys are supposed to.

Styles: Hopefully they keep the culture. One good thing is they never say the best rapper is a dude that isnt lyrical. They always refer to best rappers as the lyrical dudes. So, until that changes, Im comfortable.

Loved seeing Griselda on the project!

Sheek: We took them on their first tour actually. They killed it out there every night. It was dope.

Hows it feel to be one of the OGs to push hip hop into the mainstream realm?

Sheek: Its a pleasure.

Jadakiss: Hardcore and mainstream, thats what The LOX is.

Styles: Its good for hip hop to be mainstream [as] long as people know the difference between hip hop, rap, emceeing, a rapper, a craftsman.

Jadakiss: As long as people keep the culture, its all good. Hip hop run the world, so it has to be mainstream.

New album out now! Living Off Xperience is such a fitting title.

Sheek: Thats what we stand for.

Jadakiss: Dope body of work. Best shit on the shelf!

Sheek: Absolutely, man. Dope content, dope visuals. Were painting pictures on that joint. We give you a sick ass story on there. Its incredible stuff.

Styles: Its very authentic, very organic. You get what you get from The LOX with more maturity. Its a rounded out album. The young fans love us, they get something they could listen to. For our peers, they get something to listen to. For the older hip hop heads, they get something raw to listen to. We covered all the bases.

You have features from T-Pain, Jeremih, Westside Gunn... What was the creative process behind picking these?

Styles: Which they sounded the best on.

Sheek: Absolutely.

How does this compare to your platinum-selling debut album; Money, Power, Respect?

Jadakiss: Were grown.

Sheek: Its different times. As far [as] lyrically and content, we grown now. Were talking different shit than before like murder murder murder, money money money. Now, Ima tell you a little more going on in my life.

Styles: Were in a different place in our lives. We were young men, now were mature men. Were families, were businesses. Views of the world were sharing with you through our experiences of life, being in the music industry and outside period.

What does it mean to close out the project with Loyalty & Love?

Styles: That was the best song to finish with on the list. It made sense. Thats what we stand for hundred percent to these brothers right here.

Jadakiss: Loyalty and love, respect.

Styles, Jadakiss, and Sheek: Facts.

How did the podcast come about?

Jadakiss: That came out of marketing, a meeting of the minds.

Sheek: It came out of when people see us together, our chemistry and organic-ness, how we maintain through the years. They felt we need to share this with people.

Jadakiss: Shout out to Roc Nation for that, the whole team.

Sheek: We got mad questions to ask them, they got questions to ask us. We share those thoughts, man.

What are your thoughts with everything going on in the world from the pandemic to Black Lives Matter?

Jadakiss: Another dude just got shot in the back in Wisconsin.

Sheek: With the pandemic, its crazy and sad what is happening to all these businesses. I was riding around Manhattan the other day and all these places are closed. Not for fun closed even Dave & Busters is about to close.

Jadakiss: Its bad out here.

Sheek: Thats a big corporation. Imagine the little mom and pops that finally got their shit together, then boom just like that. The people who lost their lives or fighting that shit, its crazy.

Styles: That state of the world, everything from hip hop to the pandemic, its mixed feelings. A lot of this shit is very stagnant, but we can only go up from here. I try to keep an optimistic point of view, look on the bright side of things. This was a time for a lot of people to get reconnected with their families, get down to earth, get back into hobbies, get in tune with their own body. From the virus to the racism to the Me Too Movement to child shit to the presidential race, were in a very fucked up time, but a very exciting time to be alive because change has to come about. Something has to change. Were at a boiling point.

How do you guys, as a legendary rap group, plan to continue to push the narrative?

Jadakiss: By sticking to the script, giving them what they love us for. Dropping jewels inside the music. Besides rap, its our job. We still have families to take care, kids to raise. Were going to push the narrative at home and at work.

Styles, Jadakiss and Sheek: Absolutely.

What can we expect from The Lox documentary?

Sheek: Its going to be crazy.

Jadakiss: Real life issues and things you never knew about us.

Styles: Were trying to get the right home for it right now. Itll be here soon.

Anything else you want to let us know?

Sheek: Get the project!

Jadakiss: Get the album, Living on Xperience.

Styles: Its fire, spread the word.

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The LOX talks Living Off Xperience album, the current state of hip hop, being OGs and more - REVOLT TV

Andria Lo / Chronicle Books

Since 2014, photographer Andria Lo and writer Valerie Luu have been interviewing and photographing Chinatown's most fashionable seniors for their blog and Instagram. Now a book from Chronicle Books, Chinatown Pretty features beautiful portraits, life stories, and pieces of advice from fascinating subjects across six different Chinatowns. Below, 13 of those interviews.

We came across Mr. Wu on Accidental Chinese Hipster, a blog that posts readers submissions of Chinatown fashion. Someone had submitted a photo of Mr. Wu riding the Muni, which inspired the blogger to dub him The One someone you may tragically never unite with but are connected to by Fate.

Lucky for us, we got to meet him by chance. We went to a dim sum joint on Broadway after a long day of shooting and sat down next to him at a table. Our eyes grew wide when we realized he was The One, clad in his signature red suit and a bolo tie fashioned out of old Mardi Gras beads.

We talked to Mr. Wu, 82, about his fashion philosophy: When youre young you dont have to care about fashion. But when youre old, you have to.

Run Jin Ou Yang, 83, lives at the YWCA, an affordable housing building designed by the famous Californian architect Julia Morgan. She was out on a walk with her daughter wearing a freshly trimmed bob that shed cut herself, an oversize plaid blazer, emerald green elastic-waist pants, and a fun floral silk shirt.

We interviewed her in her apartment, where she told us about her 30-year teaching career in a rural village in Guangdong Province. As a teacher, you need to have a lot of love, she said. Treat them like your own kids. Dont treat them like students.

After she retired in her 60s, she moved to the United States. When we tried to get more details about her immigration, she told us she has Alzheimers. Its hard to remember the past, she said.

But she reassured us that shes living happily she spends her time going out for dim sum and keeps in touch with family and friends. I have no cares. I have nowhere I need to be, she said. The kids and grandkids are OK, so theres nothing to worry about.

She said she was a perfectionist when she was younger. Now Im carefree. If I remember, I remember. If I dont, I dont.

We couldnt believe we hadnt met this San Francisco Chinatown resident before, but there he was one afternoon, casually leaning up against a light pole on Grant Street, wearing a cap encrusted with enamel pins from his travels around the world.

Whats your name? we asked.

Angie, he said. Angie No Good.

His punk name matched his punk attitude. When we saw him again a year later, he was wearing the same outfit, except with a few more Cache Creek Casino pins and gold jewelry. This time we had more time to chat before he caught the 12 Folsom bus on Pacific Street.

As for the bling, he wore a watch, belt, bracelet, ring, pin, necklace, keychain, and a sphinx-topped walking cane all covered in gold and even a gold coin in his pocket. He says golds feng shui properties give him life (and perhaps fortune).

I like to play roulette, he said when we asked him about his casino game of choice. I won twenty thousand dollars once.

We met Betty Yee at the opening and closing parties for our first Chinatown Pretty photo exhibit at 41 Ross.

She was walking down the alleyway and stopped to peer inside the space, curious about what was going on. We waved her in and became fast friends she wanted to show us her house and requested that we save our beer cans from the opening party for her to recycle.

At the closing party, she showed up in this great outfit. She had just finished swimming laps at the Chinatown YMCA and appeared in an aquatic look consisting of yellow Crocs and a tropical ocean print dress with a striped shirt underneath.

She grabbed our arms and insisted that we Irish-exit our event. Come with me to the church theres free food! she said.

But, Betty, we cant leave! we cried.

Sure you can, she replied.

We didnt leave, but we exchanged mailing addresses instead, imagining it wouldnt be long till we ran into her again.

Dorothy G.C. Quock, better known as Polka Dot, got her nickname at Donaldina Cameron House, a Presbyterian family and youth organization in Chinatown. There was another person named Dorothy, so the executive director nicknamed her Polka Dot, and it stuck. At the time, she didnt wear polka dots much, but now its her signature look.

We met her one day at the Cameron House rooftop basketball court, where Polka Dot demonstrated her tai chi moves, which she practices daily. She wore an all-red outfit with a polka dot turtleneck underneath a ruffled shirt. Her accessories included a hair clip with Guatemalan worry dolls (a gift from her daughter) and cotton Mary Janes, to the tips of which she had affixed pom poms to patch up a hole.

I grew up here, she said of Cameron House. Polka Dot was in the first group of teens to join the youth program in 1947, when she was 13 years old. On Friday nights they held socials, where teens would learn about the birds and the bees. Polka Dot also learned about civic responsibility and politics through the youth program. Although shes no longer active in the religious aspect of Cameron House, it taught her the importance of social change and community work.

On Mondays, she receives a delivery from the food pantry. She keeps a list of her neighbors and what they can eat or what they like to eat on her fridgeand distributes her bounty to them accordingly. Because our city is susceptible to earthquakes and fires, Polka Dot has initiated an emergency response plan for her apartment building, which she created after receiving training through Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (NERT), a San Francisco Fire Department program. Although Polka Dot hasnt experienced an emergency, thereve been plenty of false alarms. Theres old ladies that burn their rice every so often, Polka Dot said with a laugh.

Shui P. Wong, 90, has a knack for color. We met her when she was on her way to dim sum, wearing a mustard yellow blazer on top of a rose patterned cardigan and a watercolor print blouse. The knits looked cozy and coordinated; the pastel shirt offered a fun break. She paired it with thick brown sweatpants that revealed her USA socks.

Ms. Wong claims she just wears whatever, but her dozen or so grandkids beg to differ they said shes always been a pro at color coordinating her clothes, many of which theyve given to her as gifts.

Before immigrating to the States, Ms. Wong worked in a metal factory for 21 years in Guangdong Province. In the United States she worked at a textile factory and as a babysitter. Nowadays, shes retired and enjoys at least 12 rounds of mahjong every day.

A regal air preceded Estelle Kelley when she walked into a Senior Portrait Day we hosted at 41 Ross. Her outfit was a mix of Chinatown Pretty with contemporary fashion. She had on a white plaid coat from Kohls layered over a patterned zip-up and a color blocked outfit of green and blue that gave it a pleasurable mix of new and old.

I dont dress like an old lady, she said. Im 87, but I dont feel like it.

Mrs. Kelley was born at the San Francisco Chinese Hospital in 1929. When she was still a baby, her family moved back to China, but as the second Sino-Japanese war devastated China, she was sent back by boat at age 9, along with her sister, to live among her six aunts in San Francisco. One day, at age 11, she was taken to the Ming Quong Home, an orphanage for Chinese girls on Ninth and Fallon, where Lake Merritt BART station stands today. She remembered being driven over and dropped off at the home: No one told me, This is where you are going to stay.

She graduated from high school and got married, but her marriage was annulled once she found out that her husband already had a wife. Shortly after, she realized she was pregnant with her first child. She then got a job as a telephone operator and lived with her ex-husbands parents. At various points in time, she had to board out her daughter and have another family raise her child while she worked.

When she was 21, she met producers from Forbidden City, a Chinese nightclub and cabaret that operated from 1938 to 1970 on Sutter and Grant. It featured Asian singers, musicians, dancers even acrobats and magicians. They were looking for a dancer and she tried out, even though she didnt have any experience. You have rhythm, they told her, and she got the job.

Mrs. Kelley said that famous people would roll through Forbidden City whenever they were in town: Ronald Reagan, John Wayne, Bob Hope, and other celebrities of that era. I dont remember anything from when I was 22 to 27, she says. I was a single mom, dancing in the 1950s. Everything was upside down.

We met the Jungs at the Alpine Recreation Center, where Mrs. Jung, 86, teaches Luk Tung Kuen at eight oclock every morning. Shes been practicing for 40 years and teaching for the last 20-plus years.

They both wore bright yellow sweatsuits, custom-made in Hong Kong, printed with Luk Tung Kuen, an exercise program consisting of 36 movements that promote blood circulation and muscle strength.

The Jungs have owned their sweatsuits for decades, but it looks like they just got them yesterday. The bright blue lettering and a small mock turtleneck collar gave them some flair (as if they didnt have enough!).

When its a happy day or party, Ill wear it, said Mrs. Jung.

Mrs. Jung told me that her husband suffered a stroke a few years ago, so while she teaches, hell sit and read or walk around the park very slowly, she added. Mr. Jung said he met his wife through his cousin. We asked how long they dated before they got married. There was no dating back then, he said. You just get married. He left Hong Kong to come to the United States first, and she joined him two years later in New York.

We asked him about his 69 years of marriage to Mrs. Jung. How often do you guys celebrate? we asked. He laughed: Every ten years.

We first noticed Charlies shoes: patterned high-tops he bought from Goodwill.

Charlie immigrated from Vietnam after the war. I wanted to find Charlie Chaplin, he said, an obsession that began after seeing him in a short movie. His face makes you laugh, so I remembered him.

Committing Chaplin to memory, he described the actor to his boss in the United States, who then told him Chaplins name, which Charlie adopted as his American name. To be more like Charlie, he joined a tap-dancing troupe.

He also found inspiration in another performer, Gene Kelly, which is why he has an umbrella strapped to his backpack so he can also dance in the rain on a moments whim. I imitate him, he said.

A few other fun facts: Charlies a card-carrying member of the Democratic Party. He keeps his membership card around his neck.

We commented on his youthfulness. Whats the secret? we asked.

I know how to live so I live long, he said. He imparted some wisdom: Dont smoke. Dont drink whiskey. And dont have too many wives.

We headed straight for Helen Lo, 80, when we saw her multipatterned outfit halfway down the street. When asked about how she assembled her outfit, she replied: I like beautiful things and I just put them together.

Sui Chen Shen, 86, was glowing in her neon cap after visiting her husband at Villa Cathay, a senior care home.

When she came to Vancouver at 55, Mrs. Shen got a job working at a clothing factory. For seven years, Mrs. Shen steamed clothes to support her four daughters, three of whom lived in the United States. I was really tired and sweat a lot, she said. It was really hot no air-conditioning. Eventually, the physically demanding job took its toll. I had to stand a lot, she said. Later my body wasnt feeling good, so I retired.

Mrs. Shens outfit taught us a lesson on how to balance boldness. We liked the way she mixed patterns, and how the apple green jacket and olive pants harmonized with the brighter elements. She claims there isnt much to it. I dont really have a thought process, she said. I wear whatever I feel like.

Young and old is the theme of Xing Jun Mas look. Ms. Ma, 86, wore a robins-egg-blue skirt suit she had custom made in China, after seeing a similar design that she liked. We liked how she accessorized her mature two-piece with a bright pink Dora the Explorer backpack inherited from her great-grandchildren. They grew out of it so they gave it to me, she said. Theyre 18 now.

Her bright pink orthopedic shoes from China (with Warrior written in neon) matched her youthful backpack. My feet arent the best, she said. These shoes soothe the pain.

Then, to our surprise, Ms. Ma demonstrated her tai chi skills for us. Shes been practicing Yang-style tai chi for seven years and has competed in Canada, China, and San Francisco. She leads a group of ten tai chi practitioners who meet at MacLean Park every day from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. I own a radio with the music, so if I dont go there wont be any music, she said.

We met Man Gei Yuen while she was grocery shopping on Pender Street, the awning casting a red glow on her extra-wide brim visor.

Everything is from Hong Kong ten years ago, she said.

Her outfit was feminine and refined the buckled penny loafers and blazer, with a pearl brooch delightfully placed on her lapel.

Its the details that provide additional satisfaction. Like how the royal blue in her tropical shirt is picked up by her metal shopping cart. The yellow lenses layered on top of her glasses and the black leather fanny pack give a captivating tweak to the outfits tone. Even the bright white stitches exposed by her extra-large pant cuffs add to the feeling. Its not just practical. Its edgy.

And lastly, the extra-wide visor, which she had customized. I cant really see so I cut up all the ends, she said.

She made this outfit work for her. And as a result, it works.

Excerpted from Chinatown Pretty: Fashion and Wisdom from Chinatowns Most Stylish Seniors, by Andria Lo and Valerie Luu, published by Chronicle Books 2020

Valerie Luu is a writer and one-half of the Vietnamese pop-up restaurant Rice Paper Scissors. She lives in San Francisco.

Andria Lo is a freelance photographer whose work has been featured in the San Francisco Chronicle, the New York Times, and Wired. She lives in Berkeley.

Read more:
These Photos Of Chinatown Fashion Prove Age Has Nothing To Do With Style - BuzzFeed News

Each room in your home represents a different aspect of your life, which means that your happiness is largely dependent on your home decorating skills. Samantha Wong reports

In order to successfully apply feng shui in your home, you need to determine where each room is located on the bagua map. This is simple enough to do but first you need to decide whether you are going to follow the Western (BTB) bagua or the traditional bagua. Both BTB and traditional baguas are divided into nine squares (see the BTB map overleaf), with each square representing a different aspect of your life wealth, fame and reputation, love and marriage etc. Each square also corresponds with one of the five elements and a colour or colours.

Simply put, the bagua connects aspects of your life with areas in your home. This allows you to work on specific areas in your life by improving the energy in the corresponding area of your home.

You can do a BTB bagua reading in three easy steps. Step 1: Draw the BTB bagua map on tracing paper. Step 2: Superimpose your map over your floor plan, aligning the bottom row of your map with the wall of your front door. Step 3: Note down which parts of your home fall under and are therefore governed by which sections of the bagua map.

A traditional bagua reading works in much the same way, except it takes the points of the compass into account. You need to take the compass reading of your front door in order to line up a traditional bagua map with your floor plan.

If your floor plan is not a perfect square or rectangle, sections of the bagua will be foreshortened or missed out altogether, and youll have to work at filling in the space (and therefore the energy) that is lacking. Remedies include introducing potted plants to activate the area or hanging crystals, especially when there is a window. If a whole section is missing, place mirrors on both walls of the interior corner to expand the area.

Extensions, like a bay window or balcony, are a positive in feng shui even if they fall outside the bagua map. This is because they extend the good energy that you are creating within your home.

Plotting your courseIn many ways a bagua reading is so literal, you can work out how to boost the energy in a room intuitively. Worried about your health? Revamp the decor in the centre of your home (which falls under the health section of the bagua map). Hoping to travel again soon? Decorate the travel corner of your home (bottom right on the map) with photos of the countries you want to visit. Sex life in need of a boost? Place candles and flowers in the love and marriage section of your home (top right).

But theres more to the bagua than that. Youll see from the map below that each bagua square corresponds not only with an aspect of your life but also with one of the five elements. So, once you know where a room fits in the bagua map, youll know which element needs to be supported in it. Lets say your living room falls under the creativity section of the bagua map, which is supported by metal if you feel you are lacking in creativity, youll benefit from introducing more metal into your living room.

An easy way to boost the presence of a particular element in a space is through colour use for instance, metal is commonly represented by the colour white, so you can invite more metal energy into a space by introducing some white-coloured furnishings. But take another look at the map below, youll see that colour-use in the bagua is more complex, since colours in each square correspond with both the element and aspect of life represented. For instance, you can up the metal energy in the creativity section of your home by adding white-coloured accents, but to boost the travel section of your home, also associated with metal, you need to decorate with grey and black, as well as white.

By learning about the bagua, you can improve your quality of life. So think about which aspect of your life needs work. Lets say its your relationship with money. Work out which room in your home falls under the wealth section of the bagua (top left on the map). Which element do you need to boost in that room to bring more money in? Wood. How do you do that? By incorporating plenty of blue, purple, red and green accents into your decor. Throw in a piece of real wood furniture and youll soon be as rich as Jack Ma.

Read more from the original source:
Feng Shui: The Bagua Map - Around DB and Life on Lantau

In June 2018, we brought you news that Parks and Recreation actor Rob Lowe and his wife Sheryl, a jewelry designer, had listed their Montecito home for a whopping $47 million. While the exorbitant price tag raised some questions about how much Rob Lowe is actually worth, the home's price made more sense after we saw just how grandiose the estate truly is.

Fast forward over two years later to current day, and the 20-room home, known as Oakview, has finally been sold! According to Variety, the estate recently sold in an off-market sale for $45.5 million.

Initially listed with Sothebys International Realty, the home was re-listed with Eric Haskell of The Agency and Luke Ebbin of Compass in August, 2019 for $42.5 million these agents handled the final sale. Now, the Lowes can officially say their goodbyes, raking in a generous profit that sits in the middle of their first and second asking prices.

Jim Bartsch for Sotheby's International Realty

Jim Bartsch for Sotheby's International Realty

The home features six bedrooms, eleven bathrooms and nine interior and two exterior fireplaces. It elegantly blends West Coast living with the tranquility of the Virginia countryside, where Lowe grew up. "Ive always been drawn to a historic, east coast American aesthetic," he told Architectural Digest in its November 2010 cover story on the home.

Jim Bartsch for Sotheby's International Realty

Over the years, the couple had tapped architect Don Nulty, interior designer Kyle Irwin, landscape architect Mark Rios, and feng shui expert David Cho to incorporate their personal style throughout the 10,000 square-foot home.

Jim Bartsch for Sotheby's International Realty

In addition to the spacious backyard, the grounds boasts a gorgeous resort-style pool and hot tub, as well as a two bedroom guest house. There's also a championship-sized tennis court with two observation areas.

Jim Bartsch for Sotheby's International Realty

Jim Bartsch for Sotheby's International Realty

As Lowe said back in 2018, "with our boys now out of the house, were looking forward to our next real estate adventure." We're excited to see where the couple ends up next!

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Excerpt from:
Rob and Sheryl Lowe Just Sold Their Montecito Mansion for $45.5 Million See Inside - HouseBeautiful.com

REGARDLESS of whether youre back to school or not, this is a good time of year to stop, take stock and make some positive changes.

For Gen Z in particular, theres been an increased focus on making bedrooms a calm and soothing space.

Pinterest has found the age group (born between the mid-Nineties and early 2010s) is looking for serenity, with searches for Zen bedroom ideas up five times on average, and feng shui bedroom layout up two and a half times.

Thinking about how to bring this feeling of calmness into your home as a whole? The Chinese practice of feng shui could help.

Translated as wind-water in English, feng shui practises the belief that by bringing positive energy into the home, good health, wealth and luck are set to follow, explains Rebecca Snowden, interior style advisor at FurnitureChoice.co.uk.

Here are Snowdens top tips for welcoming positive energy into your home...

Many of us see the arrival of autumn as a second new year, meaning its the ideal time to declutter.

A neat home works wonders for our mental clarity and overall health, explains Snowden.

In feng shui, each space is connected to each other and allows positive energy to flow throughout the house.

Add a decorative mirror to the living room to make the space feel larger, and multiply the positive energy flow.

Meanwhile, closets or drawers overloaded with old items block the chi (energy) so its best to discard any clutter.

Balance yin and yang

Snowden recommends incorporating yin (feminine) and yang (masculine) elements into your decor.

Apply this concept by mixing different shapes together, she says.

For example, contrast the sharp edges of wall hangings with the soft curves of a sofa or mirror in the living room. This will balance out the room and give it a more relaxing feel.

Bring calm into your bedroom

Its no surprise Gen Z are keen to feng shui their bedrooms: after all, getting a good nights sleep is crucial to overall wellbeing, and the right environment can play a big part.

To boost feelings of calm and relaxation particularly in your bedroom, Snowden has two top tips: first, get rid of mirrors to help avoid an energy overload.

And second, make the bed the central focus.

In feng shui, this symbolises a commanding position that allows you to take charge and handle lifes many challenges, says Snowden.

The bed is best positioned diagonally away from your door as you will still be able to see it clearly, while not being in a direct line to it. Placing your bed against the wall will also give you a sense of security and ground you when you sleep. And for extra strength and stability, a bed with a headboard will represent this, with its solid support and build.

If you have a home office, apply the same logic to your desk to bring the focus onto productivity. Freshen up the place with plants Snowden says plants can bring positive energy into a room, adding: In feng shui, they are commonly associated as a life force and bring in growth, prosperity and luck. Common indoor plants said to attract these good elements include pothos, lucky bamboo and peace lily.

A neat home works wonders for our mental health. In feng shui, each space is connected to each other and allows positive energy to flow through the house.

See original here:
How to bring the calmingprincipals of Feng Shui into your home - Echo Live

Sometimes the best parts of a home are in the details you cant see. While perfectly placed furniture and decor add to the comfort of a house, the atmosphere really elevates it into a home.

Embodhi: Space and Energy Clearing seeks to go deeper than traditional professional organizers. Taking a spiritual approach, owner Nicole Jones helps clients create inviting spaces for their homes and businesses using elements of mindfulness to help them restructure and repurpose the use and feel of their spaces. These methods can range from assessing a rooms feng shui to burning herbs to cleanse the air and spirit or letting go of old emotional attachments.

RHOME: What is energy and space clearing?

Nicole Jones: An act of making your space more livable and removing unwanted energy that is within that space. When you are clearing your home, youre actually ... making space to improve upon your life.

RH: How does Embodhis process work?

Jones: The first thing I do is take an assessment of your home or business and talk a little bit about all the unwanted negative energy that you want to remove. This also entails setting intentions around what it is that you want to do for this space. We can close with some sort of agreement of how you and the folks who live in your home plan to continue operating in and occupying that space. Because we are constantly creating energy around us with our intentions or emotions, were less aware of the energy accumulation and more aware of the physical.

RH: Whats the difference between clearing and decluttering?

Jones: With a home clearing process, were not going to throw away all of your furniture, but there might be something in there that no longer serves you. You might say, I had this in a previous lifetime or previous relationship, and I no longer want it. You are becoming aware of the things in your space that are maybe hindering you or holding you back. Whereas with decluttering, the concept behind that is you have too much stuff, you have to get rid of something.

RH: Why is it important to have a home connection, especially during a time when many people are quarantining?

Jones: It's like a relationship; you have to nurture it if you want it to evolve. People hide in their homes because it's where we feel safe. In the case of quarantine, most people are home all day. So the question should be, What am I doing to stay connected? Prior to quarantine, people didn't have time. They were always on the go, with very little time to think about clearing space. Clearing space allows positive energy to continue to flourish. Since energy is always changing, it should most certainly be reflected within our spaces.

View post:
Positive Vibrations - Richmond magazine

Style your home with ideas borrowed from these homes

The Indo-French fashion partnership between designers Hemant Sagar and Didier Lecoanet, which started at couture school in Paris in 1979, has wended a long route. From their first store on Pariss rue du Faubourg Saint-Honor, to a large factory in Gurgaon, and a wide network of online and offline storesthey also handle production for brands such as Balmain and Chlo in France. The duo has often taken the road less travelled, and among their newer directions is the creation of two neighbouring abodesas much a family story as an odyssey of rediscovering India. It was Sagars father, a prominent lawyer and forward thinker, who bet on Gurgaon as a city of the future. In 1999, he bought a 2,700-square-foot plot to build a two-storeyed, four-bedroom family home with a terrace and encircling garden. When Sagar and Lecoanet relocated their business to India, they wanted a place of their own. As luck would have it, Gurgaon property prices slumped, and some years later, taking the stray cow they spotted on the empty plot next door as a good omen, they bought it (the plot, not the cow). Eventually, over five-and-a-half years, they built a beautiful villa, designed by a French architect friend, and decorated on principles of feng shui. It is a tranquil haven of soaring heights, rippling water bodies and soothing woodwork.

Photo courtesy: Montse Garriga/ Hemant Sagar

Photo courtesy: Montse Garriga/ Hemant Sagar

Photo courtesy: Montse Garriga/ Hemant Sagar

Photo courtesy: Montse Garriga/ Hemant Sagar

Photo courtesy: Montse Garriga/ Hemant Sagar

Photo courtesy: Montse Garriga/ Hemant Sagar

Photo courtesy: Montse Garriga/ Hemant Sagar

Photo courtesy: Montse Garriga/ Hemant Sagar

Charles-douard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier, was a rebel with a cause. Famous for his statement, the house is a machine for living, Le Corbusier was not afraid to challenge the concept of an old-world home. It is no wonder then that the purist canvases of Le Corbusier inspired Bengaluru-based interior design firm FADD Studio to design a modern, minimalist home for a family of four in Gurgaon. While designing the 5,000 square-foot space, the design teamled by interior designers Farah Ahmed Mathias, Dhaval Shellugar and Dheeraj Dhamuwas deeply inspired by Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeannerettheir deep sienna passage of the Villa La Roche, their Chandigarh series and the general polychromatic feel of some of their work. The furniture is a mix of imported brands and locally customised pieces. The natural colours and materials of the furniture stand out vibrantly against the textured grey walls of the house, giving the otherwise serious shell a dash of drama, says Ahmed. All design elements lend the space its Zen-meets-mid-century-modern look, lending the foyer a burst of life.

Interior Stylist: Shohini Munshi; Photo courtesy: Gokul Rao Kadam/ FADD Studio

Interior Stylist: Shohini Munshi; Photo courtesy: Gokul Rao Kadam/ FADD Studio

Interior Stylist: Shohini Munshi; Photo courtesy: Gokul Rao Kadam/ FADD Studio

Interior Stylist: Shohini Munshi; Photo courtesy: Gokul Rao Kadam/ FADD Studio

Interior Stylist: Shohini Munshi; Photo courtesy: Gokul Rao Kadam/ FADD Studio

Interior Stylist: Shohini Munshi; Photo courtesy: Gokul Rao Kadam/ FADD Studio

Interior Stylist: Shohini Munshi; Photo courtesy: Gokul Rao Kadam/ FADD Studio

Interior Stylist: Shohini Munshi; Photo courtesy: Gokul Rao Kadam/ FADD Studio

Interior Stylist: Shohini Munshi; Photo courtesy: Gokul Rao Kadam/ FADD Studio

Interior Stylist: Shohini Munshi; Photo courtesy: Gokul Rao Kadam/ FADD Studio

Interior Stylist: Shohini Munshi; Photo courtesy: Gokul Rao Kadam/ FADD Studio

Interior Stylist: Shohini Munshi; Photo courtesy: Gokul Rao Kadam/ FADD Studio

Interior Stylist: Shohini Munshi; Photo courtesy: Gokul Rao Kadam/ FADD Studio

Interior Stylist: Shohini Munshi; Photo courtesy: Gokul Rao Kadam/ FADD Studio

Interior Stylist: Shohini Munshi; Photo courtesy: Gokul Rao Kadam/ FADD Studio

Interior Stylist: Shohini Munshi; Photo courtesy: Gokul Rao Kadam/ FADD Studio

Interior Stylist: Shohini Munshi; Photo courtesy: Gokul Rao Kadam/ FADD Studio

Interior Stylist: Shohini Munshi; Photo courtesy: Gokul Rao Kadam/ FADD Studio

Interior Stylist: Shohini Munshi; Photo courtesy: Gokul Rao Kadam/ FADD Studio

This penthouse located on the 23rd floor of DLF Magnolia, Gurgaon, is designed by Love Choudhary of Delhi based architecture firm, AND Studio. The interiors showcase the firms signature style of embracing understated elegance into each and every detail. The brief was simpleto convert a spacious four-bedroom penthouse into a luxurious, serene space. The home boasts of warm colours that fill spaces with a sense of positivity and comfort. The concept of the home travels beyond the stereotypes of over-the-top residential apartments and instead focuses on a contemporary, clean design aesthetic. The client wished for a house that did not embellish the acuity of luxury rather subtly assimilated class and sophistication. By using plush furnishing and materials that aligned with luxury, the team achieved a home that was the perfect example of unpretentious indulgence. Composed with immaculate marble feature walls, tinted glass work and glossy accents, the home serves the intimate functionality required in a habitat, states Choudhary.

Photo courtesy: Prashant Dubey/ AND Studio

Photo courtesy: Prashant Dubey/ AND Studio

Photo courtesy: Prashant Dubey/ AND Studio

Photo courtesy: Prashant Dubey/ AND Studio

Photo courtesy: Prashant Dubey/ AND Studio

Photo courtesy: Prashant Dubey/ AND Studio

Photo courtesy: Prashant Dubey/ AND Studio

Photo courtesy: Prashant Dubey/ AND Studio

Photo courtesy: Prashant Dubey/ AND Studio

Photo courtesy: Prashant Dubey/ AND Studio

Photo courtesy: Prashant Dubey/ AND Studio

Photo courtesy: Prashant Dubey/ AND Studio

Just like the confederate rose flower, this Pune apartment too displays a transitional colour scheme

Read more here:
3 Gurgaon homes that are evocative, art-filled and high on style - Architectural Digest India

Control did it stick the landing? (pic: 505 Games)

A reader explains why he was disappointed by the end of Control and its hints at a more daring and unpredictable storyline.

With only 69,000 metric tons of the stuff in the world, platinum the inert corrosion resistant metal has found its way to becoming the signifier of gaming excellence. I was proud that my PlayStation and Xbox accounts were platinum free, but no longer. Ive succumbed and became just another hardcore gamer scrub with a platinum, making it look like Im a trophy hunting obsessive. What game served up a googly and broke my gaming duck? It turned out to be the very excellent Control.

As I wandered the corridors of the Federal Bureau of Control (FBC), completing the story, the usual ping of the trophies regularly fading in and out I scrolled over them and realised, bloody hell, theres a real chance that I could nail this and lo and behold I made it. But this article isnt about that, this was just some common or garden humblebragging about probably the only platinum Im ever likely to bag. No. This article is about Controls story and how, while I loved it, I feel it didnt quite stick the landing.

I love single-player story driven games, theyre totally my bag, my genre and obsession when theyre good, and by god was Control good. Like a warm bath in a cloud with angels bearing me upwards to a rainbow slide into a ball pit of peanut M&Ms. Ive dabbled in other genres, but over the years Ive come to accept that these are the games that give me the most pleasure, so I seek them out and tend to single-mindedly devour them.

Alongside gameplay I need a story in order to place a game high in my mental top 40. So, for example, while the gameplay is probably better in Shadow Of The Tomb Raider, I still think the Tomb Raider reboot is better since it had the more compelling story. With that in mind, in order to discuss what I need to about Control, Im going to have to talk about the story which obviously entails some spoilerific content, so, youve been warned.

Control opens strongly, with an intriguing premise, half Men in Black, half Ghostbusters with Star Wars Force powers thrown in. You play Jesse Faden, a young woman who arrives at the building of the government agency responsible for taking her brother after some unpleasantness in her hometown. Like Gordon Freeman, Jesse lands at the worst possible time, with everything in this mundane brutalist building in disarray.

Clearly some emergency has upended the natural order of things and Jesses first interaction is a cryptic conversation with the enigmatic Athi, which does nothing to ease your shredded nerves as you creep around corners waiting for the inevitable appearance of the big bad responsible for all the terrible feng shui. Athi advises you to go to the directors office for a chat and its here that the story really lifts off.

The exposition comes thick and fast after you pick up that service weapon in the form, of well-produced and acted video presentations, environmental storytelling, and a snowstorm of documents. Objects of power, The Oldest House, The Hiss, Hedron Resonance Amplifier (HRA) devices. Jargon and lore are thrown at you at a million miles an hour it can be overwhelming to take in but after a while you start to piece it together.

It seems that you and your brother were targeted by the FBC after you both encountered an object of power, allowing a being from the astral plane called Polaris to latch onto Jesse like a benevolent hitchhiker. Whilst Jesse escaped the FBC her hapless brother Dylan was not so lucky. Experiments were conducted which had the side effect of driving Dylan quite, quite, opera music conducting, dancing in his underwear mad. Dylan is possessed by a malevolent entity from the astral plane called The Hiss, which was ushered into our dimension by the previous director a weak-willed person who let the job get on top of him, literally.

Theres a lot of potential in the story as its laid out but the longer I played it I knew they would play it safe and not throw any curveballs at me. Polaris is a nice astral plane resident and not a string-pulling evil doer and those hints that you and Dylan could in fact be the same person are debunked almost as soon as theyre hinted at and thats what I mean by sticking the landing.

None of the curveballs were completely necessary to elevate the game but I couldnt understand why the game would hint at interesting and leftfield turns but consistently avoid taking them. I wanted it to go there but they werent brave enough and, unlike Spec Ops: The Line, they stopped short from suggesting youd been playing for the wrong side the whole time.

By reader Dieflemmy (gamertag/PSN ID/NN ID)

This Readers Feature does not necessary represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.

You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot. As always, email gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk and follow us on Twitter.

MORE: Control owners get impossible free upgrade, then have it taken away

MORE: Rogue One writer wants to make Control movie and so do Remedy

MORE: Remedy describes PS5 upgrades for Control, hypes up ray-tracing and SSD

Follow Metro Gaming on Twitter and email us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk

For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.

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How Control never stuck the landing with its story - Reader's Feature - Metro.co.uk

When Canadas chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam wrote her first report, Designing Healthy Living, on the state of public health in Canada in 2017, she wrote of the tremendous potential that changing our built environment has for helping Canadians lead healthier lives.

Leading a healthier life is shaped by many factors, yet there is a link between ones built environment where we work, live, study and play and a persons healthy behaviour.

Chronic lifestyle diseases continue to rise in Canada and research suggests that approximately 30 per cent of cancers can be prevented by adopting a healthy lifestyle. Studies have also shown that well-designed environments can reduce anxiety, lower blood pressure, and decrease pain.

With the pandemic having no foreseeable end date, setting up our homes to be as conducive as possible for health and wellbeing is more important than ever, especially as we prepare to hunker down for the winter.

Annabelle Mastalic is owner of ADM Interiors, which focuses on assessing homes to make them safe and comfortable. Courtesy, Sandra Miller, Shutterbean Photographyjpg

Enter Annabelle Mastalic, owner ofADM Interiors and the only designer inAlberta with the Certified Living in Place designation, a training focused on assessing homes to make them safe and comfortable for its occupants. Formerly a nurse of 17 years, Mastalic has melded her medical background with design, concentrating on how health promotion and illness prevention can be woven into residential spaces.

I approach design through a lens of health and science. Before COVID, the demand was for making homes beautiful. Now theres a greater need for homes to be more functional. Its about creating ease, so you can live healthier, while still making homes inspiring to live in, she says.

With COVID, the need for multi-purpose, functional spaces has never been greater. Many families are in need of an exercise area, quiet spaces to work and places to relax away from work (and possibly other family members). This requires reconfiguring and possibly redesigning certain rooms.

Take the hub of the home, for instance. Kitchens are no longer used solely for cooking and eating. Part homeschool, part temporary office, it can be challenging to utilize one space for so much, before shifting it back to its natural functionality without lingering work stress.

Mastalic recommends transforming your kitchen area with multi-purpose furniture, such as storage carts on wheels to house computers and school materials. When work is finished, the cart gets wheeled away.

A youth bedroom design that is both comfortable and efficient. Courtesy, Nick Glimenakis for Homepolishjpg

While appointments are typically done in-house to identify your health needs and design preferences, they can be done virtually. Afterwards, youll be sent a wellness design assessment with recommendations and referrals, putting home dwellers in touch with an ergonomic specialist or occupational therapist if needed.

Another option for making your home more efficient may be found through feng shui, an ancient Chinese practice. Feng shui is a method of optimizing residences to bring forth happiness, abundance and balance through the placement of objects in relation to the flow of qi (life energy).

Its like design on intention steroids, explains Mia Staysko, a feng shui practitioner, interior designer and instructor at Mount Royal University.

We spend so much time in our homes, they should be as energetically nourishing and geared to your intentions as much as possible. Feng shui is a complimentary way of getting your physical world inline with your intentions, she maintains.

Like an interior design consultation, feng shui practitioners will want to walk through your house and will ideally look over a floor plan in order to suss out how they can help improve safety, flow and harmony.

But you dont need an expert to tell you now is an excellent time to declutter. Clutter takes up valuable space both mentally and physically. If you want to shift the energy in your home, Staysko recommends rearranging or removing 27 items within a short period of time (not over weeks).

Do it with intention and pay attention to whether anything happens afterwards, she suggests.

Even if you cant afford to bring in a professional, there are still ways we can integrate wellness into our home spaces. If working from home, try setting up workspaces near a window. Exposure to sunlight can increase serotonin levels, keeping you focused and alert. And ensure your bedroom is set up to promote rest, with minimal light and noise.

Keeping germs out of the house is top of mind, and more easily created with a drop zone at your most-used entryway. Mastalic recommends families carve out a contained space to drop backpacks and wipe down lunch containers. You could even add a laundry basket for masks, gloves and other clothing.

While that may not look aesthetically pleasuring, there comes a time when health benefits outweigh the desire to beautify a room. Likewise, if you dont have space to put exercise gear anywhere but in the living room, dont stress about how it looks. Youve got to work with what youve got. Though, there are likely things you can do to make the space more pleasing, such as putting hand weights in decorative baskets or covering a drop zone basket with pretty fabric.

Whenever youre embarking on healthier changes, whether its a new fitness routine or cutting back on alcohol, creating a supportive environment only helps.

You want to have a home thats work for you in supporting a healthy lifestyle one thats easy to live in, functional and works for your needs now and in the future, stresses Mastalic.

If homes can be designed and reconfigured to set people up for success, making healthy choices the easier choices, isnt that worth trying?

Jody Robbins is a Calgary-based lifestyle writer. Follow her wellness adventures on her blog: Travels with Baggage and on Instagram at @TravelswBaggage.

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Robbins: Wellness starts at home - The Kingston Whig-Standard