Joanna Chiu Profile picture
May 14, 2020 14 tweets 8 min read Read on X
I was relieved when we had to downsize our wedding. The pressure to put on a ‘perfect day’ disproportionately falls on the bride.

I wrote about why toxic wedding culture hopefully will change for good after the pandemic. thestar.com/opinion/2020/0… @TorontoStar #weddings #COVIDー19
The other day, I went to a dollar store to pick up decor for our small backyard ceremony.

I got hand sanitizer and $1.25 napkins. It felt so liberating! Here's why some couples are actually happy they're forced to have tiny weddings: thestar.com/opinion/2020/0… #COVID19 @TorontoStar
All of a sudden, the pressure to pull off a carefully orchestrated wedding to impress our guests melted away.

Instead, we’re left with a deep sense of appreciation for what truly matters.

I think this is true of other things people used to worry about. thestar.com/opinion/2020/0…
It seems that a significant number of Canadians are doing away with the concept of the big wedding entirely.

I called a Vancouver-based wedding officiant, who says all couples in the last two weeks are requesting socially distanced #elopement ceremonies. thestar.com/opinion/2020/0…
This is Joyce Tee (a nurse and a hero!) and husband on their wedding day. It was in their apartment and broadcasted to their guests on Zoom. She gives tips on how to plan the most straightforward version of a wedding ever, and why it still seemed perfect: thestar.com/opinion/2020/0… Image
This was the lovely set-up for their "Zoom wedding ceremony"

“We chose not to delay getting married, because we could not predict when the pandemic would come to an end. We both felt ready to start our lives together as a married couple." thestar.com/opinion/2020/0… @TorontoStar Image
Once all this is over, will toxic parts of wedding culture return?

Will women starve themselves, while doing most of the planning while keeping a check on their emotions?

If we express frustration, we get branded with the awful “bridezilla” stereotype 😡 thestar.com/opinion/2020/0…
Of course, this doesn’t mean big ceremonies and celebrations should become a thing of the past. 💜

Those involved with the wedding industry, such as chefs and planners and photographers would welcome the business during the inevitable economic downturn. thestar.com/opinion/2020/0…
Is Hollywood and "Say Yes to the Dress" to blame for weddings becoming over the top? Or is it fine and all the work and anxiety that goes into weddings totally worth it for a very special day? The comments are open in the story and would love your input. thestar.com/opinion/2020/0…
From my dad 😭 Image
When my parents would ask about the wedding I’d get all anxious. It was just too much to handle with a busy job and my side hustle job (typical overworked millennial). Big wedding planning don’t fit into people’s lives easily so there’s a sense of relief. thestar.com/opinion/2020/0…
I’ve always had side jobs on top of full-time jobs because of media industry instability, and I’d like to afford an apartment. The pandemic also made me reconsider how little free time I have to spend with family and friends so I’ll be making some changes 💕💕
Inspired by this piece by @MarcoOved thestar.com/news/gta/2020/…
I mean, look at this massive To-Do list. It’s like a full-time job. I got this book last year and promptly abandoned it. ImageImageImageImage

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More from @joannachiu

Sep 18
EXCLUSIVE: This is exactly when China blocked ChatGPT, Hugging Face and other AI sites.

I received first access to a platform that can track the precise timing of Chinese censorship, when previously this was difficult.

Explore our interactive graphic:
restofworld.org/2024/when-chin…
It was unclear when popular machine-learning site @HuggingFace was first blocked in China. The company reported issues in Oct. 2023.

It was actually blocked on May 7, 2023.

Read for more exclusive findings: restofworld.org/2024/when-chin…
I was amazed when UBC computer scientist @NP_tokumei offered me a first crack at his new platform, which tricks China's Great Firewall into showing precise blocking data. We worked on this research all summer!

Check out the interactive graphic here: restofworld.org/2024/when-chin…
Image
Read 10 tweets
Jul 4, 2023
Latest investigation by me, based on research from @DisinfoEU:

A website spread disinformation about Canada. Why did major Indian outlets treat it as news? via @torontostarthestar.com/politics/feder…
@DisinfoEU @TorontoStar IFFRAS appeared to be the last active Canadian node of a large fake news network.

This story highlights how disinformation can be weaponized to distort and misrepresent Canada to outsiders — and how it can malign diaspora in the process. @TorontoStarthestar.com/politics/feder…
@DisinfoEU @TorontoStar “These are sophisticated and purposeful activities meant not just to support the false information ecosystem within India for local consumption but to present false information to outsiders — including politicians and the public in Canada.”

#cdnpolithestar.com/politics/feder…
Read 9 tweets
May 29, 2023
#Breaking NDP is tabling a motion asking for David Johnston to step aside as special rapporteur on foreign interference “given clear appearance of bias.” @JennyKwanBC will also speak about her briefing with CSIS after she told @TorontoStar she was a “person of interest” to China. Image
Follow announcements live here: cpac.ca/episode?id=01a…

My previous interview with Jenny Kwan: thestar.com/amp/politics/f…
“Whoever is putting pressure on me, they won’t succeed,” says @JennyKwanBC, who said she’ll continue to stand with people of Hong Kong and China. She “recommits herself to this fight” and “no amount of foreign interference would change that.” Confirms targeting is from China. Image
Read 5 tweets
May 8, 2023
#EXCLUSIVE Canada set to name foreign labs, universities that pose risk to national security

Leading universities say they'll avoid working with the entities altogether — despite potential $100M loss in annual funding from foreign partners. thestar.com/news/canada/20… @TorontoStar
The list will include foreign entities at “higher risk” of engaging in research theft, unwanted knowledge transfers and interference, according to documents I saw.

The Canadian government confirmed to me this list is coming - likely first of its kind. thestar.com/news/canada/20…
NEW: Canada's list appears to be the first to serve as a “blanket ban” for federal funding for research with "higher risk" entities. And universities will apply more broadly.

The U.S. entity list for trade/export controls doesn't apply to research. thestar.com/news/canada/20…
Read 12 tweets
May 3, 2023
#EXCLUSIVE University of Waterloo ends research partnerships with Huawei thestar.com/news/canada/20… via @TorontoStar
Canada’s top-rated research university will end all its partnerships with Chinese telecoms giant #Huawei.

“We are disentangling ourselves from this company,” Charmaine Dean, vice-president of research at the University of Waterloo, told me exclusively. thestar.com/news/canada/20…
Waterloo’s decision — which @M_Johnston1 called extremely significant and possibly precedent-setting — will affect dozens of deals between the university and Huawei, including the school’s Waterloo-Huawei Joint Innovation Lab. thestar.com/news/canada/20… @TorontoStar
Read 10 tweets
Mar 27, 2023
My story on knowing the ABCs of foreign influence coming out soon @TorontoStar. I went on to explain here that the RCMP and CSIS definitions of “foreign influence” are different.

Thanks for having me on the panel, @TheAgenda!
Think you know what “foreign influence” means in Canada? Explainer is live tomorrow. Here’s a sneak preview.

Thanks for your contributions @Akshay_Thinks @JessMarinDavis @StephanieCarvin and Chinese-Canadian researchers who aren’t on Twitter 👏 thestar.com/content/thesta…
Think you understand ‘foreign influence’? Test your knowledge here: thestar.com/news/canada/20…
Read 9 tweets

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