Perfect Organics Lip Balm

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , , , ,
20 May 2009
0
photo credit: Perfect Organics

photo credit: Perfect Organics

I am absolutely loving Alice.com‘s giveaways.  I mentioned the site before on a previous product they were giving away, which I actually won, so I’m thrilled to try it out.  Now they’re on to their next one (gosh, who knew they’d be so generous?) and I want to win again!  This time it’s another wonderful product (though I must admit I’d say that for all their items, since it seems they are all environmentally responsible) – Perfect Organics Shea Butter Lip Balm!!!  There are three flavors: Citrus Orange, Vanilla Twist, and Fresh Mint.

My preference is for the light, refreshing Citrus Orange, which also fits perfectly with their springtime theme.  And take a look at their ingredients for that flavor: Organic Shea Butter, Organic Sweet Almond Oil, Organic Hazelnut Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Orange Essential Oil, and Non-GMO Vitamin E.  Seriously, that’s just amazing.  I’m really loving this company and all that it has to offer.  I’d love to see how such an organic product compares with the other stuff in the market.  I can just imagine how the crisp smell will liven up my day whenever I open up the lip balm for some serious moisturizing.  I sure hope I’m that lucky again!  🙂

Well, for this one they’re asking what springtime beauty rituals I have.  Being a person who doesn’t use makeup as much as possible and pretty much sticks to some foundation and mascara, there’s not much I change seasonally in terms of beauty.  However, I find that spring makes me want to feel clean and fresh, so I wish my skin was better and I didn’t use anything to try to even out the blemishes.  I guess the one thing I do do is become more conscious of is lotioning, since the shorts don’t hide your dry legs and kneecaps quite like a trusty pair of jeans!  I’m not sure if that is considered “beauty” so much as general maintenance, but it does have to do with bringing out the springwear!

So if you’re ready for spring to get into full swing, why wait?  Go check out this awesome giveaway and we can both have luscious lips.

Taste and smell, poor overlooked senses

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , ,
20 May 2009
2
Oh yes, the smell is only the beginning...

Oh yes, the smell is only the beginning...

As I was doing research today about learning methods and styles, it occurred to me that again and again people would mention visuals, sounds, and physically doing to learn.  It could range from seeing a chart or drawing a picture to hearing a speech or talking to yourself, but never once did the sense of taste or smell get brought up.  I guess it’s because people can’t really fathom eating an apple and remembering a piece of knowledge, or suddenly remembering a fact or equation from smelling a certain flower.  So I’d like to ask, why not?  Tastes and smells are just as evocative as the other senses and often a particular scent can trigger far more vivid and emotional memories than any other form of primer.  And because of that, it can greatly affect our mood, whether we realize it or not.  As for taste, doesn’t just the thought of something succulent make you salivate?  And if you’re reacting so strongly physically, surely a specific memory can be conditioned to be associated with a taste.

When thinking about this, I suddenly had this vision of using these strong triggers to enhance learning.  Imagine walking into a final and smelling the must of the seat, which reminds you of the answer for that question on neural circuits.  Then the person next to you, who always sits next to you, moves and wafts some of his cologne at you, which triggers a memory to that question about the frontal lobe’s functions.  Your hand starts to get tired from writing and you reach into your bag for your lotion to help relax  your muscles a bit and that scent brings up memories of that lecture on how the two hemispheres differ.  Next you reach for your water, which has just a hint of sweet that helps you recall how male and female brains are activated differently in doing tasks.  Finally, you pop a few jelly beans in your mouth for a pick-me-up before lunch and that leads you to the answer for the last question.  You then check over your answers, pleased, and go turn in your exam.

Not being able to taste this anymore?! Noooo...

Not being able to taste this anymore?! Noooo...

Unfortunately, the above scenario is not plausible, since it is far more difficult to incorporate tastes and smells into learning.  Because in the end, you taste and smell so many arbitrary things that you can hardly control what you do come into contact with during a test or otherwise, when you’re trying to evoke a memory.  However, sight and sound are easier to replicate anywhere, anytime.  Additionally, we can reenact scenes by will (even if it’s not that well) just by using our imaginations.  I guess that’s what makes seeing and hearing things such common memory aid techniques – they lend themselves to creation on demand.  However, who can make themselves smell or taste something?  It’s pretty much limited to your own body odor (if you can even smell that… we’re so well conditioned to our own smell we mostly don’t) and maybe some bile.  Even then, it takes a lot of effort for a not very pleasant sensation.

Additionally, these two senses are less commonly lost than sight or hearing, so they’re more taken for granted.  When they are lost, it can really affect your mood negatively.  In fact, it’s been found that people who are depressed have a duller sense of smell (this is the opposite effect, but you can see there’s a correlation here).  Can you imagine never tasting food again?  Never smelling it?  That would be terrible.  People often don’t realize how strongly smells affect our perception of taste, so losing either would be quite miserable.  Hmm seems like there’s a huge connection to food and its enjoyment here.  But really, these are important senses that protect you not from predators, but from those nasty poisonous foods and substances!  If you couldn’t taste or smell, you’d need a taste tester to make sure your food wasn’t spoiled or toxic.  In an evolutionary sense, what use is it to see and hear predators coming if you just ate a deadly plant and essentially killed yourself?

Yeah, I know, really random thoughts.  Seriously though, value all the senses you have and relish in what joy they can bring you.  Oh, and this subject reminds me of the Jorvik Viking Centre in York, which uses scents during its ride/tour to give you a better idea of what life was like back then.

eBay: trustworthy?

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
19 May 2009
0
ipod-touch

photo credit: quickshipelectronics

Earlier today I claimed myself an iPod Touch online through eBay, which I’m immensely excited to have.  I’ve been watching some of their sales on the site for a few days to see the average price they go for and decided that it was well worth it.  I just hope I’m in the 99.8% positive review side of things, or else it can get complicated and ugly dealing with it overseas.  Thankfully, I have my mom to handle things on the home front, so she can help check the item before sending it to me.  In doing this whole transaction (only the second time I’ve used the site), I found that people I told all asked me the same questions, having the same concerns.

First of all, they asked about price.  Was the difference in price enough to justify the purchase versus buying it from a store?  Well, it’s a $100 difference, which in the Apple store also means the difference between a 16GB and a 32GB.  Plus, they would wonder… is it new?  Well, no, it’s refurbished, but it would only have minor scuffs and I’m willing to compromise that for the money saved.  If it’s extremely worn or dysfunctional, I can always send it in to be exchanged.

Then they would ask, is it safe?  Is it reliable?  And that launched me into an explanation about how yes, there is the off chance that I get screwed, but 1. being governed by American law, they can’t get too crazy and send me rocks like some cases in other countries, 2. they have sold over 57,000 electronic items and people would have reported them a long time ago, and 3. not only were they not reported, but they have a 99.8% positive feedback rate, which is quite high considering the bulk of sales.  I read reviews where people talking about their item that was faulty or incorrect and they got the issue resolved, so at worst it may be a bit of a hassle, but I can track down a suitable item.

ebayFinally, they would start to settle their worries and would then wonder… uhhh how are you going to get it?  Well, that’s the beauty of a mother in the right country.  😛  She helped me bid on it as I slept and she’ll help me mail it out when it arrives.  I’m quite pleased, since any Apple product sold internationally is dead expensive (in Singapore the 32GB goes for about 468 USD, whereas in the states it’s a cool $399)!  I may not have gotten the absolute best price, but it was close and still saved me tons for what I wanted.  Plus, I got it pretty much the day I decided I was going to go for it.  But it made me wonder: do people feel wary of using eBay?

Lost in a sea

laelene Posted in general blog, relationships，Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
18 May 2009
2

You know when you stick your head in the clouds and get lost there?  Then reality hits hard and you don’t know what to do.  Well, it’s not so dramatic for me, but today was very insightful and may lead to some drastic changes in how I thought things would be.  Ever since I decided to come to Singapore, with so much hope and optimism, I have set my mind on one goal: starting an enterprise with Marylin in LA.  In coming here to immerse myself, I was going to learn what I could and take that back with me to help me build something that would eventually bring her over as well.  Even though I knew it wouldn’t be that easy, we had high expectations and lofty goals.  And there we were, floating, with me taking a wonderful ride on Marylin’s typical train of daydreamy thoughts.  For awhile, we dreamt together, of what we could make of ourselves over there.

Feeling a little lost?

Feeling a little lost?

Then, with months of the real thing, we’ve found that it’s not so easy to work together, live together.  At one point we even joked about how it would be like we’re dating.  And truly, I feel that it would benefit us to treat it as such.  At least if I communicated with her the way that I communicate with Panda, things wouldn’t have gotten to this point.  Alas, when there’s no romantic affection it’s just not the same.  Part of it is that we were still in the honeymoon part of our friendship, where everything was flowery and beautiful.  Now that we’ve spent so much time in close quarters, it’s getting to the point where things have lost their glow and we must face up to the challenges that are bound to occur in any relationship.  But of course, me being the type of person I am, everything just gets bottled up and though I’ve mentioned it here and there, it’s never really been addressed.

And so, I slowly started to notice the rift that was growing between us.  There was not so much hostility as rigid civility.  Not being much of a talker in the morning when we’re going to or arriving at work, I didn’t really mind.  I’m not a morning person at all, so all the exertion in the morning would be bound to wear me out.  It was only more recently that I started to notice we didn’t have much to say to each other at all, ever.  Part of that was due to the sudden divergence in projects that we were working on, but much of it really came down to that divide that had developed.  Additionally, we’d go our separate ways at night, only seeing each other again many hours later, as we were winding down for the day and getting ready to crash for the night.

When I concentrate on something, I really like to give it my all, because it’s not often that I can get into the right groove at the right time.  I get distracted easily, from the music that is played to the comings and goings of other people.  So, when I’m in the middle of something and Marylin gets back, I like to keep that focus.  And by the time I’m ready to ask her how her night was, she’s already on her laptop or out chatting with her parents.  I tend to miss the boat a lot.  There was one precious night recently that she came home very pleased with dinner and we had a warm exchange about that.  But other than that, at night we just don’t talk, because there’s so much going on in the cyber world that it’s hard to keep up.  Then of course, I also spend a lot of my time talking to Panda because whenever I see him, my mood brightens (and who doesn’t want that?).

So there’s definitely been some strain on our interactions, where we chose to avoid each other.  Though there have been many a moment that I tried to convince myself to approach her to say, “Hey, we need to talk,” I always talk myself out of it.  I just keep internalizing everything I think and feel.  Well, today I was having a chat with Starfish and she brought up how people have noticed the change.  That opened up the doors for me to share some of what I’ve been feeling.  She had apparently already heard from Marylin on the issue, so we were brought together to discuss.  From that, I know I’ve got a lot to work on in my… “areas of improvement.”  I have certainly not been the person I am capable of being while here and I’m still trying to figure out why.  So we aired out some of our grievances and got a chance to hear how our respective behaviors have been affecting each other.  Mostly we need to communicate more (and more openly), but, BUT, we also need to figure out if we have a common goal anymore.

It looks like plans may be changing yet again, which is not wholly unexpected, but I got so focused on the goal, that dream that was just out of my grasp, that I didn’t stop to think too much.  Ironic, since I tend to think too much.  But this was something I was doggedly pursuing in my hopes.  Forget all practicalities.  It was something I embedded into my mind and framed everything I did here in the context of.  I evaluated every single task based on how I could do it in LA, how I could make it work in a city like that.  It’s reminiscent of my younger days, when I decided I was going to be a businesswoman and get an MBA.  “But what are you going to study in college?” people would ask.  Oh.  Right… I had inadvertently skipped a step in my lofty ideals, forgetting that detail.  That you can’t get a Master’s without a Bachelor’s.  So then I set out to plan my college career and I guess I thought that this would work the same: have a destination, then figure out the details.

However, setting up a business (or even an extension or a branch of it) is far less straightforward than choosing majors.  It’s even more complicated when it’s overseas, you’re alone, and there’s a huge time difference.  So what now?  I don’t know.  It’s time to look closely at my fantasy and let it fade away to some sort of a reality.  I’m confused, but I know this much – I’m staying here for the rest of the duration to continue learning (and work on getting more involved in everything).  I’m not a risk-taker when it comes to my professional life when I should be, or at least more of one.  After all, what great entrepreneurs didn’t take risks, didn’t stumble, didn’t fall?  Though I know all this in my heart, it’s still hard to convince my logical brain that it’s worth all the struggle.  And really, I just don’t want to have to live off my parents, so they can do what they want with their money and not worry about still supporting me.  Maybe I will need to for awhile, to find my footing and understand what it is that I want from this life.

Eurovision

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , ,
17 May 2009
0

Another year and another Eurovision has gone by.  It’s been two years since I was first introduced to this European contest and it still holds fond memories.  My flatmate Llama was obsessed with it (as well as Any Dream Will Do) andeurovision insisted that we have a little party in her room to watch.  And so, we gathered our blankets and pillows, brought tons of snacks, and sat down to watch the finalists perform their songs for their respective countries.  Some of the performances were very cheesy, some were cheery, and some were angsty.  All in all it was a great time though, just us friends enjoying it together, happily munching away all the while.  What more could you ask for?

This year, as with last, the contest has flown by me and I didn’t get a chance to watch it.  I feel like it’s one of those things you can only really enjoy with people who understand what it is.  Much like watching the Super Bowl with my British classmates is just not the same.  You don’t get into the right mindset, complete with random silly traditions.  And thus, I’ve never felt compelled to watch it again, though I do make a note of when it happens.  The year that I watched, Serbia won, though my favorite song was the angsty one I alluded to earlier, submitted by Finland.  Greece had a perky one that is quite fun to listen to and Britain had a super cheesy one that was also quite naughty.

Each year, whichever country wins traditionally hosts the next year’s event, so judging by this year’s Moscow location, Russia must have won in 2008.  It’s quite cool how this event unites so many countries, yet at the same time, it is laced with politics.  Another flatmate of mine, Activist, said he loves to watch Eurovision just to see how political relationships between countries are, since the voting largely reflects that (each country casts their vote, only restricted from voting for themselves, so you can imagine the types of alliances that can come of this).  There have been a lot of changes to how the voting mechanism works, from jury voting to public voting to some sort of hybrid in between.  I don’t know if they can ever settle on something that everyone agrees on, but every year the competition goes on.

In a sense, Eurovision was the original “Idol” type show, except it was more for country pride and international interaction than personal advancement.  However, there have been some notables to come from the contest over the years, including ABBA and Celine Dion.  And of course, contestants don’t vote amongst themselves, but are at the mercy of their country when it comes to these smaller scale (in the sense of individuals against each other rather than countries – the audience reach certainly isn’t small) shows.  Think of it as a European musical Olympics of sorts.

If I ever am back in England during this time of year, I’ll make sure I find some old friends and catch the upcoming Eurovision broadcast.  Until then, I’ll think back on those lovely days in my flat, having slumber parties and pigging out as we enjoyed each other’s company.  Ah, those were the days.

Anything but the “normal” job recruiting process!

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , , , ,
16 May 2009
1

From the way that I grew up, I now constantly need new stimulation, new faces, new situations.  For the first time in my life, I am sitting at a desk all day long, expected to do work for the most part of the day.  At first during K-12 schooling, I sat in a desk a lot, being talked at (and taking some notes from that).  Then in college I sat in any given class for no more than two hours at a time.  I also made an effort to schedule my classes in the afternoon, since I knew I wouldn’t make morning classes.  I’ve always been a night owl, feeling most calm and productive late at night, when the rest of my  community had gone to bed.  So one of the ways I retained my freedom was by staying up as I pleased.  In my housing segment, I was well-known for being up reliably late.  Queen of All-Nighters, even.

So back to constant new experiences.  Of the ten jobs I’ve held prior to this one, three required sitting, but for no more than 4 hours.  I don’t know if it’s because I’ve never had a conventional full-time job or what, but I certainly can’t sit at a desk and concentrate on my work for a full day.  I need breaks to move around, or rest, or do something else.  Anything else.  I’m not used to this office atmosphere, as casual and welcoming as it is.   That then begs the question: what type of work can I do?  Well, I need a lot of variety.  I need to go out and meet clients or visit sites.  I need to be able to write a proposal one day and do research the next day.  I’ve found I have trouble spending two days in a row doing the same thing if it requires a lot of energy.

Not only is my preference for how I work a bit… distracted, the way that I go about getting these jobs also tends to be rather unusual.  Let’s explore:

Job #1, waitress/bus boy at Home Bon Buffet: asked the manager if he needed anyone to work there when my parents and I were eating there one night.  Left my number and got a call a couple weeks later and started work.

Job #2, swim instructor at local YMCA: got stopped while swimming laps on April Fool’s 2002 and asked by manager if I wanted to work there.  Thought it was a joke, but he followed through and ended up teaching Polliwogs and Guppies.

Job #3, production intern (<–check out my IMDb listing!) for an independent film company (No Matter Productions): got an e-mail saying I was referred from another internship I had applied for that was already full.  Went in for interview and started working that day.

Job #4, textbook reader for blind students through UCLA Office for Students with Disabilities: saw the ad through classes I was enrolled in, e-mailed, can’t remember if there was an interview, and started to get work.

Job #5, financial intern at Smith Barney: found listing on myUCLA, e-mailed, interviewed, and arranged summer hours.  The most standard and normal as it gets, I guess (except not one of those with multiple interviews).

Job #6, product demonstrator for Natural Selection Promotions: bugged one of my fraternity brothers about taking a job I wanted that another brother had told us she was leaving.  He then told me his friend had a contact, so I e-mailed with resume and was soon told to arrange time for training to start.

Job #7, marketing intern for UCLA Live!: heard about it through a fraternity brother while studying abroad, forget if I e-interviewed or called on Skype.

Job #8, computer lab concierge for UCLA Office of Residential Life: another opportunity from a fraternity brother, though I was aware of it from my Resident Assistant the year before.  MSN interviewed while in England.

Job #9, “Scribe” (campus rep) for Livescribe: and still, something from my fraternity, happened upon their Scribe program when looking at their Facebook page.  Filled out form to apply, got phone interview.

Job #10, Orientation Counselor for UCLA Orientation Program: saw a flier, was reminded of a dream I had my entire undergraduate career, and applied.  Also rather normal, did one interview, a group interview, and a follow-up.

Job #11, Assistant Manager for Caelan & Sage: Marylin was working there and felt that I should too, so she proposed it to the boss and it was cool.  Had a Skype meet-up to solidify things and meet each other.

I don't mind corporate wear, but corporate culture? Not so much.

I don't mind corporate wear, but corporate culture? Not so much.

So generally, I didn’t go through the “normal” process of career fairs or online job listings and most of them, though requiring interviews, were quite simple and straightforward.  Of course, I simplified a lot of this and it was just like the jobs were handed to me.  Usually my resume spoke for itself and some other e-mail or phone interactions cemented things.  But overall, it was a whole lot less complicated than the convulted things you need to do these days… attend job/career fairs like mad and suck up to the recruiters, send follow-up e-mails and maintain a relationship, get an internship in hopes of being invited full-time when you graduate or apply and go in for behavioral interviews, one after another.  Me?  I have no patience for any of that.  I attended one career fair and hated it, so thereafter I swore I’d do things on my own terms.

I guess that’s why I want to be an entrepreneur and do consulting!  It offers much more interesting new work and opportunity to do things my way.

Entertainment and the internet’s disadvantages outside the states

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , , , ,
15 May 2009
0
dsc04568

Can you read it? It says: "Catch Bones as early as 24 hours after the USA telecast."

Being one who never really paid attention to TV shows or movies, I didn’t know about the glaring disparity between when shows were available in the US and when they became available internationally. It wasn’t until I studied abroad in England that it started to be more apparent. When I first arrived in Scotland on my way to my school, I saw an ad for a movie that had been advertised back home three months earlier and was already old news. It was then that I started to learn about the time delay in getting things abroad.  It seems that since Hollywood is the hub for entertainment, most shows produced are in the states, done according to our laws.  Once it is something that needs to be prepped for an international audience though, it takes time for licensing, screening, and of course, translated subtitles or voice-overs.  I guess it really surprised me that that’s how it is in the UK because there’s no need for all the translation worries, so it really just comes down to legal issues.

Another thing I was surprised by was how what was legal to watch in the states was not legal outside of it.  So, I was promptly blocked from sites like Hulu once they detected my IP to be outside the allowed territories.  This I can understand, since American laws can only have jurisdiction over Americans and does not extend to foreigners in other countries.  Their own local companies would have to come up with some sort of agreement with the TV stations themselves.  Ok, I can accept that.  I’ll have to find more local sites to offer me these perks.

I was reminded of this a few weeks ago, when Marylin was going through her “CSI Supreme Sunday” fix, watching hours of the various versions of the show all day.  One of the episodes was a two-part series to be continued the following week and of course, not wanting to wait, I went online to search for it.  It turns out that episode originally aired around a year old!  Shocked, I was reminded of that very first encounter I had with this idea of delayed entertainment and a filtering process that blocks people in other countries from seeing things as soon as Americans generally get to.  Of course, films that were created by non-Americans are exceptions, but nearly all American-made productions experience this red tape or whatever it is.

Today, however, I was surprised to find that Angels and Demons is released worldwide at pretty much the same time in most countries.  I don’t know if movies are more likely to get through international barriers or if this is a sign of changing times and a cohesion developing around the globe.  Maybe this movie is merely an exception to the rule, seeking out all international approval before deciding to release it anywhere.  Whatever the case, I think more shows should opt for this (what’s the point in making other audiences wait?).  I can see that potentially a lot of traffic is driven to online sites that offer free viewings of these productions.  I’m sure broadcasting and theater companies would prefer to have them seen on the big screen and on TV instead!

Slightly off-topic, but still related is websites that don’t allow access outside the US, like the Opt Out Prescreen site, the free annual credit report site, and US-only retailers.  The Opt Out Prescreen to reduce junk mail and credit card offers I can understand because if you’re not in the states you can’t possibly be receiving junk mail now.  The one thing I can see is if you are having your mail held while you’re away and don’t want to come back to find piles of outdated junk offers.  However, I feel like the free credit report that we are allowed by law each year should not be limited to being seen to only when you are in the country.  After all, I’m still using my US-based credit cards for all charges, which is affecting my credit, is it not?  So why can I not check up on that if I’m temporarily living out of the country?

Even worse are the retailers that do not let you even look at their site because they serve only on American soil, like cowboom.com.  I was so confused about why they blocked me that I even sent them an e-mail explaining the various scenarios in which I should be able to access their site (and how they’re losing out on potential customers):

1. I am a foreigner who wants to buy a gift for someone I know in the states and have it shipped to them directly

2. I am a citizen who is just out of the country for awhile and I want to buy a gift for someone back home while I’m away (or this period could be more extended)

3. I am a citizen who is currently out of the country, but wanted to buy something to have by the time I got back (which was the case for me)

Honestly, what are you thinking?  If you didn’t track my IP address, I’d look like any of your other customers, using an American credit card mailing to an American address.  Well, good for them, they’ve lost my business.  And unless I get an e-mail back from them apologizing and undoing this, I’m certainly never going to use them, even when I’m back and have full access again.

Growing up in the states we are often so sheltered and privileged.  It’s not just this, but many deeply important ways as well, from the freedoms we have to the things we take for granted and never knew others don’t get.  If only for that reason, I think Americans should get out and not just visit, but immerse themselves in other countries and cultures, especially the ones that are more dissimilar to ours.  Otherwise, you may never know about these differences in seemingly given things that complicate the rest of the world.

California controversy

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , ,
14 May 2009
1
photo credit: examiner.com

photo credit: examiner.com

I’m sure most of you have heard about the news earlier this week surrounding Miss California Carrie Prejean, whose title was in danger of being taken away.  Although it mostly seems to be about her answer to a question about same-sex marriage in the Miss USA pageant, it appears that she also shirked some of her responsibilities.  Now being that I just posted my thoughts on the New York bill, my opinion is clear and I support equality for same-sex couples.  Obviously, I don’t agree with what she said, but I think Trump made a solid decision in allowing her to keep her crown (assuming she now shows up to the engagements she’s supposed to be going to).

First of all, she answered the question respectfully and gracefully (or at least as best she could), starting off saying how she thinks it’s great that we live in a country that allows a choice.  This signals to me that though she may not agree with the idea, she is still ok with others feeling that way and choosing to live they way they want.  Her only reference to why she believes that is because that was how she was raised (any guess on what that means?  Religion, anyone?).  So I give her credit for not saying anything about how the Bible or God taught her it was wrong (of course I’m assuming here that her opinion was from a religious upbringing).

It was, admittedly, a tough and extremely charged question.  Nobody could have walked away from that without disapproving stares from someone.  So to a certain extent, she was set up for failure.  And from what I saw, she handled it well, not afraid to stand up for her opinion, but also very careful in how she talked about it.  Granted, some choice of words were odd, but that’s expected under pressure like that, plus beauty pageants tend to be known for the… interesting vocabulary and grammar that their contestants use.  So all in all, I don’t blame her for how she handled the situation.

I think it was important for her to keep her role to show people that you will not be persecuted for your beliefs and can be treated fairly for expressing your honest opinion.  Yes, maybe she won’t be a great role model for those looking to accept same-sex relationships, but she will be a role model for standing her ground without disrespecting the other side.  We are a country built on freedom of speech and expression, so that is important to maintain.  However, we are also a country supposedly built on freedom and equality – where is that?  But that’s beyond the scope of this situation and is a much larger beast to tackle.  Everyone who looks up to Miss California can rest assured that she was not thrown out for her opinions, or else they may feel that they need to hide their true selves to fit into this world.

But, I don’t agree with her position and I hope that she’ll open her mind to why she was so strongly spoken against due to this issue.  It’s not a small thing to be brushed aside and as a public figure, she will have her run-ins with it.  Change does not come easily, but I hope that she’ll discover how unfair this whole situation is.  Unfortunately, this is a very heated issue, so any mention of it can result in things getting blown out of proportion.  Not that I feel the issue is not important, but, in the end, everyone is still entitled to their opinion and the only thing you can try to do is change that.  So I think rather than publicly berating her, LGBT organizations should try to arrange some meetings with her to discuss the issues.  Keep it calm and civil and you just may get somewhere.

AquaNotes: preserving inspiration

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , , , ,
13 May 2009
3

I follow @modite on Twitter, who works for @alice, a start-up that makes errands easier, faster, and cheaper (at least this is my understanding of it – they’re still finishing up beta testing, so I don’t really know yet).  Through her, I found out that they’re currently doing a promotional giving away AquaNotes, which are these waterproof pads.  I think that’s pretty amazing!  Basically the product is designed for placement in your shower so you can write stuff as you wash up.  No longer do I have to dry off before jotting down notes of random ideas that pop in my head (and risk losing those thoughts in the process).  Now, whenever I think of an idea for a blog post, an interesting observation to share, errands I need to run, or I suddenly remember something that happened or an item that I want to get someday, I can write it down!

aquanotesThose of you who have read the description to the right will know that this blog is based on all the things that I jot down in my “fat lil’ notebook.”  I write down everything I think of that is notable in it, including books to read, places to go, names I like, things to stock up in my pantry when I have one again, ideas for a wedding, and so much more.  You can see it’s pretty random stuff, so I never know when I’ll think of another item to add to my collection of lists.  Now I never need to worry about soaking the notebook and risking losing everything!  With AquaNotes, I can just write it all down as it comes to me and easily transfer it over to the appropriate list as needed.  I’m really excited to actually experience this product, since it’s an extension of something I already do.  I’m a “shower thinker,” as they say.

It would also be fun to leave messages to those that I share my shower with, or stick up a sheet outside and not have to worry about if it’s going to rain or not.  Plus, whenver I go to the pool, I can bring it along to write down whatever strikes me as I lap around the pool and get lost in my thoughts.  As a swimmer, this is truly an invaluable product, since I can use it during workouts, at the hot tub relaxing afterwards, or in the locker room showering after that!  They even provide you with a water resistant pencil to write with, complete with holder.  All items suction onto the wall to be easily accessible.  The possibilities with this are endless!  And you know what the best part is?  It’s environmentally friendly!  Not only are the pads recyclable, they’re non-toxic and printed with soy-based ink.  How cool is that?!  I love green products.

Same-sex marriage

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , , , ,
13 May 2009
1

New York has passed a bill allowing same-sex marriage and I hope that this will push California to do the same.  It was one of the most disappointing moments in my life when Prop 8 was passed and gay rights activists had to go back to the drawing board to strategize about how to change people’s minds.  I think a lot of the problem here is that people recognize marriage as both a social and religious institution, but not a political one, when in fact the legal implications are the most vital.  When it comes down to it, it’s unfair to strip certain people of rights because they don’t fit the religious concept of marriage.  If marriage was purely a religious implication, it wouldn’t be a problem because the law would not be involved and individuals would not be barred from legal benefits.  But the fact of the matter is that the main reason it is not being recognized legally is because of personal beliefs related to religion.

A symbolic gay marriage on the UCLA campus. So beautiful.

A symbolic gay marriage on the UCLA campus. So beautiful.

If you look at marriage from a secular point of view, there’s nothing limiting what gender the two are.  I thought our law was supposed to be secular, no?  In that case, why is religious reasoning allowed into legal debate?  I just don’t get it.  Perhaps we need to separate marriage and legal unions.  Marriage can keep its religious references and celebrations that are only recognized by the church, the temple, the mosque, what have you.  Legal unions should be fair to everyone, recognized by the law with all the tax discounts, inheritance rights, and government, employment, medical, death, family, housing, and other legal rights.  (See how much gay couples are missing out on?)  How terrible is it to not allow a life partner to visit their loved one because they are not legally recognized as next-of-kin?  How can you stand by and not let a couple adopt a needy child just because they are not seen as “married”?  Or how would you like it if your loved one was touted away by immigration officials because your marriage is seen as null?  Honestly, have some heart here.

Same-sex marriages do nothing to harm you personally.  Maybe you don’t agree with the idea that two people of the same gender should be together, but is that really your decision to make?  I really don’t like it when people go around thinking they can impose their way of life on others.  All these people are doing is trying to live as mainstream a life as possible and not be shunned or even persecuted for their preferences and choices.  I thought religion was supposed to make you a better person.  Is that not why you put your faith into some being that can’t be proved?  In the hopes that you will be enlightened and achieve more?  Whatever happened to the ideals of tolerance and acceptance?  It’s like what if one day you’re told that you’re not allowed more than two children because that is considered acceptable in the context of what a “marriage” is?  When you have more children, you aren’t harming others, but some people may disagree with a large number of children since that means less time and fewer resources dedicated to each one.  So what if one day you wake up and people have decided that it’s irresponsible to have a large family?  That if you had a third child you would lose all legal rights as a couple?

Are people just that stubborn in their old, outdated ways?  If you can accept sex before marriage, divorce, and other deviations from the image of what a “real” marriage is like, then why not this?  Times are changing and they are changing drastically and fast.  The way I see it, same-sex marriage is inevitable.  We’re headed that way just like decades ago forward-thinking people knew we were headed towards desegregation and gender equality.  If you look at the issue closely, you’ll realize that those long-held opinions are antiquated.  It’s time for change and change is inevitable.  Putting it off is only going to exacerbate the problem and leave a community torn and bitter.  A few years down the line are we going to need affirmative action for LGBTs?  Are we going to have to go back to the cycle that tries to right a wrong and then just creates more chaos and debate?  Has a lesson not been taught and learned by what happened due to racism, ethnic divisions, and gender inequality?

How about preventing the issue of feeling like you need to make something up to this group by not doing anything you’ll need to make up to them later!  (In other words, before you get so entrenched in denying people based on sexuality, much like people were shunned based on race or discriminated against due to gender, why don’t you take a walk through the history books to see the mess that caused.)  Why not some prevention before this escalates?  It’s about more than that, but at a very basic level this is just setting things up for a repeat of historical patterns.  Will we never learn?  Nothing irks me more than racism, sexism, and… sexualitism?  Don’t discriminate on the basis of sexuality.  Everyone deserves their own happiness.

So please, people.  Open your eyes.  Open your mind.  Open your hearts.

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