((little fat notebook)) » photo blog http://maryqin.com when inspiration won't wait Tue, 22 May 2012 07:06:33 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Exotic fruit http://maryqin.com/2012/05/exotic-fruit/ http://maryqin.com/2012/05/exotic-fruit/#comments Fri, 18 May 2012 06:59:56 +0000 laelene http://maryqin.com/?p=7068
view of top of mangosteen fruit

The leaves are so round and cute!

view of bottom of mangosteen fruit

It's so perfect it almost looks fake.

]]> http://maryqin.com/2012/05/exotic-fruit/feed/ 0 Road trip http://maryqin.com/2012/04/road-trip/ http://maryqin.com/2012/04/road-trip/#comments Sat, 28 Apr 2012 03:25:08 +0000 laelene http://maryqin.com/?p=7035 Philosopher and I went on quite a road trip this week! It’s been ages since I was last out here. More updates to come.

times square in 2012 on a misty overcast day

]]> http://maryqin.com/2012/04/road-trip/feed/ 0 Handheld checkout http://maryqin.com/2012/04/handheld-checkout/ http://maryqin.com/2012/04/handheld-checkout/#comments Wed, 25 Apr 2012 01:28:58 +0000 laelene http://maryqin.com/?p=7029 At Giant supermarkets, you can use these portable scanners to do a pre-checkout of sorts. Fun!

handheld scanner at giant supermarket

]]> http://maryqin.com/2012/04/handheld-checkout/feed/ 0 Dragonfly encounter http://maryqin.com/2012/04/dragonfly-encounter/ http://maryqin.com/2012/04/dragonfly-encounter/#comments Fri, 20 Apr 2012 06:59:15 +0000 laelene http://maryqin.com/?p=7014 Of all the places to land, this dragonfly chose Panda’s leg, so we gave it a photo shoot. It was a great model, keeping still for me!

dragonfly posing on a hand

]]> http://maryqin.com/2012/04/dragonfly-encounter/feed/ 0 Moo saucer http://maryqin.com/2012/04/moo-saucer/ http://maryqin.com/2012/04/moo-saucer/#comments Tue, 17 Apr 2012 06:24:10 +0000 laelene http://maryqin.com/?p=7006 How cute!

cow-shaped saucer container for pouring cream

]]> http://maryqin.com/2012/04/moo-saucer/feed/ 0 Fun photoing http://maryqin.com/2012/04/fun-photoing/ http://maryqin.com/2012/04/fun-photoing/#comments Fri, 13 Apr 2012 05:49:48 +0000 laelene http://maryqin.com/?p=6994 I don’t consider myself that great with creative stuff in the artistic sense, which is why I never really got into Instagram and other photo-editing tools like it. However, I decided to give it a shot last night and had some fun with it so I might try doing it more. It’s so much effort though!

large plane landing as shot from interior of car

The original.

large plane landing as shot from interior of car, photo edited with instagram

And the edited version.

]]> http://maryqin.com/2012/04/fun-photoing/feed/ 0 Macaroons in a fancy box http://maryqin.com/2012/04/macaroons-in-a-fancy-box/ http://maryqin.com/2012/04/macaroons-in-a-fancy-box/#comments Sun, 08 Apr 2012 03:17:08 +0000 laelene http://maryqin.com/?p=6971 Panda and I went back to Bottega Louie for a second time and I decided to give their famous macaroons a try.

pastel purple box for five bottega louie macaroons

If you get a set of five you get this lovely box.

box of five macaroons from bottega louie

They come so artfully presented I just had to keep the box, but what to put in it??

And then I took glamour shots of each to post on Foodspotting…
Grand Cru macaroon on Foodspotting

red macaroon with chocolate ganache filling called the grand cru, from bottega louie

The Grand Cru (I think - not sure what that means and I had to use process of elimination to figure out the flavor).

Strawberry macaroon on Foodspotting

strawberry macaroon with strawberry buttercream filling from bottega louie

The strawberry.

Matcha macaroon on Foodspotting

matcha macaroon with matcha and white chocolate filling from bottega louie

The matcha.

Chocolate orange macaroon on Foodspotting

orange macaroon with chocolate ganache filling from bottega louie

The chocolate orange.

Lemon macaroon on Foodspotting

lemon macaroon with lemon buttercream filling from bottega louie

The lemon.

]]> http://maryqin.com/2012/04/macaroons-in-a-fancy-box/feed/ 0 Ritzy living http://maryqin.com/2012/03/6923/ http://maryqin.com/2012/03/6923/#comments Sun, 01 Apr 2012 06:59:22 +0000 laelene http://maryqin.com/?p=6923 When Panda and I had the fortune of staying at the Ritz-Carlton Marina del Rey for a few days, I was excited to document the experience. Here are some of the highlights from that stay; click on pics for the full size.

do not disturb door hanger at ritz-carlton marina del rey

A fancy and cool take on the "Do Not Disturb" sign - California Dreamin' (makes me wonder what they have for outside the state).

water bottles with ritz-carlton logo at ritz-carlton marina del rey

They've branded their own water!

ritz-carlton logo on paper travel mug and ceramic mug at ritz-carlton marina del rey

Whether you like your hot drinks in the room or to go, they've got you covered.

ritz-carlton branded milk and dark chocolate at ritz-carlton marina del rey

Yum, Ritz-Carlton chocolates.

blue and gold ritz-carlton couch and throw pillow at ritz-carlton marina del rey

Sitting enjoying the silky couch and pillow.

ihome alarm clock at ritz-carlton marina del rey

A nice fancy iHome alarm clock was playing soothing music when we entered.

bathroom accessories at ritz-carlton marina del rey

They had a nice display of all the things you'd need in the restroom.

glass scale in bathroom at ritz-carlton marina del rey

Oooh, a fancy glass scale! I was afraid of breaking it when I stepped on - it just seemed so fragile.

toilet at ritz-carlton marina del rey with phone in reach

Hmmm, now what do you need a phone for while in the restroom?

toilet paper branded with ritz-carlton sticker at ritz-carlton marina del rey

Should I be surprised that the toilet paper got branded too?

view of the marina from ritz-carlton marina del rey

What a beautiful morning and a spectacular view overlooking the marina!

view of inland los angeles from ritz-carlton marina del rey

Looking inland towards downtown, you get a pretty great view as well.

view looking down at pool and hot tub at ritz-carlton marina del rey

They've got an awesome saltwater pool and hot tub. If water can be more slippery than itself, that's what it feels like.

bed at ritz-carlton marina del rey

The cleaning people usually leave my pillow and baby panda like this on the bed when they make it.

enjoying the pool at ritz-carlton marina del rey

I couldn't resist going for a quick swim in their pool. It felt so comfortable!

bag that the morning newspaper is delivered in at ritz-carlton marina del rey

In the morning as you leave, you'll find a newspaper hanging from your door handle.

]]> http://maryqin.com/2012/03/6923/feed/ 0 Photography skills http://maryqin.com/2012/03/photography-skills/ http://maryqin.com/2012/03/photography-skills/#comments Wed, 28 Mar 2012 05:41:17 +0000 laelene http://maryqin.com/?p=6914 I like to tease Panda about his photography skills because his pictures usually come out blurry. Here is one such case where he took a picture, which looks kind of cool, but doesn’t exactly show you what it is we were trying to capture… (though now that I look at it from afar you can kind of tell it’s a bird). Click on the pictures for larger views!

blurry picture of red bird in background, with focus on branches in near view

This is Panda's idea of a good shot, which is great if you're trying to get branches and not the bird.

clear picture of red bird in trees

This is my idea of a picture in focus. Less artistic but you know what the subject is! :-P

]]> http://maryqin.com/2012/03/photography-skills/feed/ 1 Tortoise and hare http://maryqin.com/2012/03/tortoise-and-hare/ http://maryqin.com/2012/03/tortoise-and-hare/#comments Fri, 23 Mar 2012 06:09:56 +0000 laelene http://maryqin.com/?p=6903 The Wildlife Learning Center in Sylmar had a special day for Bruin alum because the founder was a UCLA grad himself. We got to see lots of cool creatures!

holding a tiny baby tortoise in my hand

They start so small and light, but then get HUGE!

white rabbit stands on hind legs to sniff purse

What a curious fellow. Too bad I couldn't put him in my purse to take home.

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