Search Results

Introducing 365great

laelene Post in 365great,Tags: , , , , , , ,
2

Something great, every day.

365great challenge at maryqin.com
Whether it’s a fresh idea, a wonderful company/brand, or an awesome experience – I’m challenging myself to my own version of a 365 photo project by posting about some of the wonderful things I come across every single day. As I mentioned in my recent post, great things are abound and I’d love to share what I find to be wonderful things and thoughts. Some of it might blow you away and some of it might just make you muse. A lot of it will probably be as simple as appreciating the little things in life!

Whatever the case, I’ll aim to not only share that great thing of the day, but pair it with an image. After all, people love pictures, so what better way to share ideas than using both the power of words and images?

I invite you to join me if you’re just as passionate about greatness in our world (and in particular, sharing it). Use whichever medium of sharing you like best, but put those wonderful thoughts out in the world and let’s all learn from each other. If you want to share on social media forums, use the hashtag #365great so we can find your “sharings” easily. Find my postings across these sites:

And if you decide to join in, I’d be more than happy to connect through the Facebook page, create a collaborative Pinterest board, or interact on other sites. Just let me know and I’ll create it!

Here’s a running list of all the things I find great:

MARCH
03.15.13 Day 1 – Fleksy [typing without looking!]
03.16.13 Day 2 – Yuzen [bringing you zen in a box :)]
03.17.13 Day 3 – TED [sharing ideas worth spreading]
03.18.13 Day 4 – Squishable [giant balls of squishy love]
03.19.13 Day 5 – BzzAgent [a hassle-free sampling program]
03.20.13 Day 6 – shea-infused socks [novel, cute, and soft footwear]
03.21.13 Day 7 – Girl Scout Cookies [delicious treats & a lesson in business]
03.22.13 Day 8 – cats! [my furry favorites]
03.23.13 Day 9 – touchscreen gloves [saving you from frostbite]
03.24.13 Day 10 – aromatherapy [tapping into the power of smell]
03.25.13 Day 11 – snow [a gorgeous and magical bit of weather]
03.26.13 Day 12 – Coursera [bringing education online for free via MOOCs]
03.27.13 Day 13 – notebooks [helping you capture inspiration as it strikes]
03.28.13 Day 14 – sea monkeys [cheap and entertaining low-maintenance pets]
03.29.13 Day 15 – Daily Grommet [delightful finds carefully curated for you]
03.30.13 Day 16 – massage oils [pampering skin hydration w/o greasy residue]
03.31.13 Day 17 – photo challenges [opening up a world of creativity]

APRIL
04.01.13 Day 18 – dust plugs [pretty and practical accessories for your device]
04.02.13 Day 19 – cupcake in a jar [delicious, compact, and oh so fun]
04.03.13 Day 20 – packages [doesn’t the thought just make you smile?]
04.04.13 Day 21 – bb cream [turning 5 beauty steps into 1]
04.05.13 Day 22 – marinated mushrooms [tart morsels of delight]
04.06.13 Day 23 – handmade [personalized & made with care]
04.07.13 Day 24 – Korean BBQ [tasty all-you-can-eat]
04.08.13 Day 25 – foaming cleansers [making cleaning your skin fun]
04.09.13 Day 26 – scented pens [colorful, playful, and oh-so-wonderful-smelling]
04.10.13 Day 27 – micro-entrepreneurism [empowering anyone to work flexibly]
04.11.13 Day 28 – eos [uniquely-shaped natural skincare products]
04.12.13 Day 29 – Teatulia [eco-conscious, socially responsible tea]
04.13.13 Day 30 – kaolin clay [soothing, gentle impurity & oil absorber]
04.14.13 Day 31 – freshly baked [mouthwateringly wonderful and warm]
04.15.13 Day 32 – body pillows [amazing to snuggle with for a toasty time]
04.16.13 Day 33 – dry erase boards [reusable office tool great for lists]
04.17.13 Day 34 – spring [a lovely season of renewal]
04.18.13 Day 35 – LUSH [fresh & delicious-looking skincare]
04.19.13 Day 36 – plasma balls [sweet science in action!]
04.20.13 Day 37 – terrariums [mini living sculptures of nature]
04.21.13 Day 38 – 1 Second Everyday [awesome app to record a second of each day]
04.22.13 Day 39 – nature [bringing beauty and peace to our daily lives]
04.23.13 Day 40 – TBD [tune in tomorrow!]

Scenting the room

laelene Post in general blog,Tags: , , ,
0

lit red flower candle in italian blood orange scentIn the latest Yuzen box, I got a lovely red flower candle that I love. It’s been over a decade since I last used a candle so I was pretty excited to give this one a try. I’ve burned it for about 8 hours now, which is just over halfway through its life cycle of 15 hours. For such a tiny candle (only 1.5 oz), it sure does burn for a long time! I’ve loved the enhanced mood you get just from being in a room with a candle gently flickering, day or night. I feel cooler and the space immediately feels homier. Pretty great for such a tiny change. 🙂

This has really gotten me back into candles, though this time around I’m looking for soy (or other plant-based wax) candles, which I hadn’t heard of back in the day. Since my childhood, I’ve learned a lot about more eco-friendly products and when it comes to candles, plant-based ones are the way to go. red flower is a wonderful eco-friendly brand and I’d like to get their larger 6 oz candles that are topped with flower petals! Also, one of the brands that I really want to try is Diamond Candles, partly because of the novelty, and partly because of their scents. They’ve got really strong branding and very active social media channels and right now I’m dead set on winning a candle since they hold giveaways so often.

However, I also want to try fragrance oils since I seem to be sensitive to the burning of the candles. My throat gets a little scratchy and I even get a bit of a headache. I’m extremely sensitive to particles in the air! Ever since I went tunneling at UCLA (exploring the underground tunnels there), I’ve suddenly become what I deemed a “smog-o-meter” – whenever the quality of the air outside drops, I’m sure to know it. It was very dusty down there and that seemed to exacerbate something in me. In fact, in the three months directly after my tunneling experience, I had a nasty cough that would rear its head whenever I went outside. Things have calmed down since, but I’ve always been sensitive to smoke, particularly whenever someone is smoking in the same room. I think that the smaller flame from the tea light should be fine since I’ve never had an issue with that. I’m looking forward to testing fragrance oils soon!

Celebrations & challenges

laelene Post in general blog,Tags: , , , , ,
0

Oh, 2012. It’s been quite a year.  There were a lot of highs and lows, ranging from glorious celebrations of love to frustrating work-related challenges.  The year started off normally, then started to dip as I didn’t find enough growth in my career.  So, I decided to quit my job and pursue my entrepreneurial dreams.  I then got a chance to attend my first wedding as an adult, watching my cousin get married in a lovely event.  From there, I began to work on my own ventures, with great highs of productivity and excitement and great lows of little motivation and progress.  What this new lifestyle did afford me was a lot of self-reflection, personal growth, and time with Panda.  What it hasn’t afforded me (yet) was the satisfaction of succeeding by “normal” measures.

It’s definitely been challenging and there seems to be a bit of an inverse relation between quality family time and substantial career growth.  While it’s been a strong year for family, it’s been a weak one for work.  I mean, we all know it’s hard to balance the demands of home and work, but I know it can be a better balance than I’ve managed thus far.  I’ve enjoyed and appreciated the time I get to have with my parents when they’re in town, with Panda when we’re together, and with my cousin who has come to study in the US.  However, I constantly feel judged for the lack of a job that I have and my whole “self-employed” status.  Granted, I haven’t been as motivated and hard-working as I could, but there’s a lot I did do that nobody really knows about.

I’m struggling a bit right now to find my way and figure out where to focus my efforts.  My eBay endeavors have reached a plateau and it doesn’t require as much upkeep anymore, so I need to decide what my next thing will be.  I did just get contacted by someone with an opportunity that could potentially lead to something rewarding, so we’ll see how that pans out.  In the mean time, I’ve been doing some work for Yuzen and should probably put some more time into that.  Now that it’s the end of the year and the holiday season is in full swing, I’m finding it hard to really plan too much more work for the rest of the year.  Between travel plans and birthday/holiday celebrations, I’ll probably be pretty busy.  That doesn’t mean I won’t be thinking and strategizing about the future the whole time!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...