Posts Tagged ‘events’

Half mast

laelene Posted in general blog,Tags: , , , ,
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I’ve often wondered: Is there some sort of information site that tells you when a flag should be half mast?

american flag billowing at half mast in front of police stationI mean, there are the standard holidays every year that people know about – Memorial Day, Veteran’s Day, and now Patriot Day. But sometimes you get the unexpected, like most recently with the shootings at the Washington Navy Yard. There was one time I remember someone important in politics died (and the reason I knew was because the flag at my post office was at half mast and I wanted to know why).

So how do all the public institutions and businesses ranging from office buildings to plazas to fast food joints know when to raise the flag? Do they check on a website? Back before the WWW came about, did they each have to call in to some pre-recorded line? I mean, this is something that fascinates me because it’s ubiquitous across America. You’ll see flagpoles all over the place, and if you fly a flag, I think you should be respectful enough to pay attention to when it should be lowered. Nowadays with the internet it’s easy to get the word out, but I’m curious how this age-old tradition was managed in decades past.

I don’t know why it intrigues me so much – perhaps just the logistics of effective communication baffling me – but I think it’s pretty amazing no matter how they do it. It takes a concerted effort to pull off something like that, yet to most people it’s probably you never think twice about. I just love how it works so well behind the scenes day in and day out. To all those who are the flag-raisers, thank you for doing what you do.

Green Festival DC 2013!

laelene Posted in general blog,Tags: , , , ,
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Last year was the first time Panda and I came across the Green Festivals and got involved volunteering there. You can check out what it was like and some of the goodies I scored! I also signed up to help out at the LA one, but then managed to total my car on the way so I didn’t end up going. This year we were back again and I signed up to help at the Green Festival store, which I had helped out with in the second half of my shift last time. I really enjoyed sharing the products at the store with passersby so I figured I’d do it again!

view of green conference dc 2013 conference center booths in giant room

This year we were in Hall A, which seemed a bit smaller than last year’s.

muffetta cleaning products including wood floor cleaner, nursery cleaner, and glass & surface cleaner bottles at green festival dc 2013

I really liked the concept of these cleaning products and I loved the Minty Thyme scent they had for their kitchen and bathroom cleaner! I got a sample of that an the glass & surface cleaner, both of which I’m excited to try.

rareearth minieral-colored artisan candles made in usa display at green festival dc 2013

These rareEARTH artisan candles had a really cool look that was like gemstones. I didn’t get one but it’s on my list.

volunteer at green festival dc 2013 helping sell items at green festival store and cafe

I was really enjoying my time helping out at the Green Festival store (except for the standing with backache part). The sales kept flowing in!

rock wall in middle of convention space at green festival dc 2013

There was a rock wall in the middle of it all this year!

mandu korean restaurant pan chan cold appetizer dishes

After a long day out, we stopped by Mandu to try a new place for dinner.

view of washington monument with lights lighting it up seen from car driving away in rain

As we drove away I noticed the Washington Monument all lit up like a skyscraper.

pile of free samples of products at green festival dc 2013 including safeway bright green tote bag, bright green laundry detergent, dr. bronner's soaps and lotions, sheaterra black soap, muffetta cleaners, pangea facial scrub, banana, beanitos chips, annie's cheddar bunnies, justin's peanut butter cup, mom's organic market reusable bag, yummy earth lollipop, and stickers

Look at what I scored today!

neal's yard remedies organic facial wipes, white tea facial mist, and skincando combat-ready balm bought from green festival dc 2013

I also bought a few items – I was super surprised to find Neal’s Yard Remedies available in the US!

pile of free samples of products at green festival dc 2013 including ford t-shirt, bananas, beanitos chips, nature's path bars, justin's peanut butter cup, annie's cheddar bunnies, kit's organic bars, popchips, and jovial snacks

As you can see from Panda’s pile, his priorities were quite different from mine.

365great Day 100: celebrations

laelene Posted in 365great,Tags: , , , , ,
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Learn more about 365great here.

365great challenge day 100: celebrationsCelebrations are a wonderful way to recognize special moments in our lives. Whether it’s an achievement, a birthday/anniversary, or something else, it’s a chance for us to take time to change our routine and give attention to something important. All the joy, positivity, and bonding are a way for us to feel more accomplished and share that with others. I love how it brings people together with a great outlook towards the past, present, and future.

If money was no object

laelene Posted in general blog,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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At the Gogobot 500 Days of Summer event, I was chatting with a friend (who also happens to be my great great greatx8 grand lil bro – yeah, random) when she asked me what I would do if I didn’t have to make money. This was in the context of what job/career you’d go for if you could do it just for fun. Of course there is plenty of non-work stuff you can do if you had all the money in the world, but that’s a discussion for another time!

My answer? I’d run a cat shelter. A no-kill one, of course (except maybe in the case of a really sick feline).

small cat climbing cage doorYeah, that was not what she was expecting! She was thinking more along the lines of a singer or something… but I stand by my choice! If I didn’t have to worry about money I would focus my energy on creating a safe environment for a ton of cats. I’d try to adopt them out to good families as much as possible, but I would keep them their entire lives if they never got a chance to leave. I’d keep them in a large house with just a few cages for special purposes, but generally they’d be free to roam through the rooms as they pleased. This would help them socialize with each other and get used to moving around a home with people coming in and out too. I’d want to have space for people to stay overnight too, whether it was staffers or prospective pet parents (though that could get complicated). After all, the best way for people to find the cat they want is to see them in as similar a habitat as they’d have once they take them home.

I guess my goals have always been a bit different. When I was a kid, I didn’t dream of being famous or being some high-powered attorney/judge/doctor/CEO. No, one of the jobs I really liked was being a school bus driver. Why? So I could give treats to the kids and brighten their day. That might have worked back in the day, but nowadays I don’t think it would fly. I mean, would you let your kid take candy from the bus driver? Maybe not. I wanted to be an elementary school teacher for similar reasons. I will always remember Mrs. Stewie, who had a magical drawer of candy that she’d open up once a month and let us “buy” candy from. We got money stamped onto homework and tests that we did well on, which we collected to use for “purchasing” treats from her.

If you could have any job in the world, without worrying about income, what would you want to do?

What kind of proposee are you?

laelene Posted in general blog,Tags: , , , , ,
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When you imagine “the perfect proposal” what do you see?

Or, what do/did you hope will/would happen?

I’ve read a bunch of bloggers’ proposal stories and very few of them appeal to me. I’m not into crazy fanfare or an audience, so any of them done in public are pretty much out. I also don’t want to be tired or sweating, so those that involve a lovely nature hike or otherwise active day are also disqualified. Sooo… actually, come to think of it I can vaguely remember only one lady saying it was at home before going out to dinner, but she glossed right over it like it was just “meh” and the dinner was more exciting. I guess none of the stories I’ve heard speak to me an my own preferences.

proposal at uclaYou see, I like to be in control. Surprises are nice, yes, but if you were to take me to Disneyland and pop out a ring, I’d be kinda sad. First, why did you drag me to Disney in the first place? I’m not really a fan of the place. Second, it’s so cliche. Third, there are all these strangers watching us kiss. Wait, no, let me correct myself – we will have an awkward “kiss miss” or a lightning fast one because I don’t want people staring. Now let’s say you decide on a nature trail hike instead. That would be quiet and private, which is good, but we’d probably be in workout gear and maybe even sweating/panting a little bit. Not exactly a moment I want to memorialize with a proposal. Ok, so maybe a quiet, dark booth in the recess of some restaurant? I dunno, while I love eating, I just don’t imagine a restaurant to be the best place.

My ideal proposal would probably be at UCLA when it’s basically deserted. It’s where we met and it’s our alma mater that we hold close to our hearts. Plus, it is a gorgeous campus – have you seen it? So for the location, the sentiment, the memories, and the beauty, it would be great. Funny, because I started drafting this post just two weeks before my proposal and it turned out almost exactly as I would have imagined. Short, sweet, simple, and while it was during a busy season on campus, everyone was so absorbed in their own picture-taking that I doubt they noticed us. I’m also very glad that his parents were there to help take some photos. 🙂 I think the only thing that could have been better was if my parents were able to be there too. Alas, they had last-minute business and couldn’t be there, but that couldn’t be helped. So basically, it was perfect.

What elements would you incorporate in your perfect proposal?

Gogobot Tron Party!

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Another great event hosted by Gogobot – I mean, a Tron-themed beer pong and pool tournament?! Lol how do they come up with these things? It’s amazing. I’m sooo glad I got involved with this community.

Before I talk about the event, let me digress briefly. That night I realized something – that I can be super wacky/weird/fun when it comes to social events like this, but then all that personality gets lost when I write. So from now on I’m going to try to make an effort to be a little less boring and a little more crazy (in a good way). Oh, now that I think of it, I actually realized one more thing: people often get the wrong [early] impression of me. For example, one of my really good friends from college thought I was a sorority girl when he first met me. He was SO wrong. At this Gogobot party, one guy told me he thought my family’s rich (we just manage our money well) and another guy guessed that I shop at Hollister (never been actually).

Now on to the event:

Lyft was sponsoring rides to the event and I would have loved to have been able to try out their service, but I live over 40 miles away. Perhaps another time! I’d never been to Busby’s East before and I was glad that I could find parking easily. I found the party in the room with the pool tables and proceeded to put together my awesome glow-in-the-dark baseball cap. I just happened to get some glow sticks similar to puddle jumper toys as well, which I added as a propeller to my hat. Throw on some glasses and my nerd look was complete. Maybe I didn’t look all that Tron, but I sure did have fun!

wearing glow stick glasses and propeller hat at gogobot tron themed party

reflection in shiny tron helmet at gogobot tron themed party

Took a selfie with my friend in the reflection of a Tron costume helmet!

three super happy friends at gogobot tron themed party

I love how we all have our mouths open. 🙂

chatting at gogobot tron themed party

Of course I’m the one making a weird face. Photo credit: Steven Lam

playing pool at gogobot tron themed party

The pool tourney part of the night. Photo credit: Steven Lam

beer pong table at gogobot tron themed party

The beer pong side of things. Photo credit: Steven Lam

gogobot tron themed party costume contest prize figurine

The costumer contest winner got this fun toy. Photo credit: Steven Lam

happy gogobot tron party dj

Dancing to the awesome DJ, I love how he’s so happy too!!

paper lanterns hanging from ceiling in dance room at busby's east

I randomly looked up while dancing and saw lanterns!

jumping dancing selfie shot at gogobot tron themed party

I think this pic is awesome even if our faces are cut off. Look at the joyous smiles! We’re obviously having a blast.

hodded bowing guy dancing at gogobot tron themed party

I loved his dancing! So entertaining. He refused to stay still and show his face so I got what I could.

ladies dancing on stage at gogobot tron themed party busby's

Some of our Gogobot ladies got on stage to dance!

girls dancing on stage at Gogobot tron party from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

Sunday Social: anniversary edition

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Sunday Social

Ok, so I was totally going to skip this week’s Sunday Social and join in for next week’s (what can I say? I don’t want to bore you with answers to questions that I don’t have interesting answers for) BUT then I saw they are doing a giveaway to participants. I can’t say no to a good giveaway and I’m particularly interested in a custom blog design. I’ve been itching for one but don’t want to spend the money. Here’s to hoping I win! 🙂

1. What is your favorite social media outlet?
Hmm, I guess I’d have to go with Facebook since it’s the most useful for me. I like the versatility of it – I can put up pictures and videos, tag friends, connect with brands, keep track of events, etc. It also happens to be the one I use the most. All others are sort of just there to help extend my blogging efforts.

2. Do you subscribe to any daily news reads? If so which ones?
No… I probably should, but there is way too much for me to read/do as it is. I usually get my news from Panda since he’s a lot better about staying up with the times. Me? I may as well live on the moon for all I know about current events.

3. Favorite magazine to have by the pool?
See that’s the thing – if I am poolside, I have a book and the title varies each time. I never have a magazine. I haven’t bought magazines since my teen years and I rarely ever read them (except for online articles).

4. Favorite summertime song?
A happy one. I’m having way too much trouble trying to think of one (sadly all the songs I can think of are melancholy). Yeah I warned you these answers would be boring.

5. Best summer concert you’ve been to?
Well, I’ve only ever been to one concert, which I was volunteering at and it was The Killers at the Hollywood Bowl. It was fun, but I didn’t know most of the songs so I wasn’t screaming and excited like most of the other people there. I also didn’t spend who knows how much to get in!

Gogobot 500 Days of Summer

laelene Posted in general blog,Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
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In celebration of reaching 500 members in Gogobot’s West LA Facebook group, the lovely community manager and her interns put together a party that also featured the premiere of the Gogobus Thrift Shop music video that we filmed at the Gogobus Stop Spring Break Party. Of course I had to be there! We took over the outdoor patio at the back of Rush Street in Culver City. It was nice to see some familiar faces from the last event and also get a chance to meet some new ones.

Stay tuned for an update to the music video when it’s posted! [Update: it’s up!! GO WATCH IT (and like please) – I’ve also embedded it below. Enjoy! :)]

rush street in culver city

Approaching the venue.

gogobot 500 days of summer venue

Love the outdoor patio!

gogobot event check in goodies

Upon checking in, you were given a cute beach ball stress ball, some bubbles, and a greeting card and postcard. Photo credit: Steven Lam

gogobot free stuff on tables

Free swag was strewn across the tables. 🙂 Photo credit: Steven Lam

rush street food including pizza, sweet potato fries, and mac & cheese

Quite a delicious spread! Photo credit: Steven Lam

rush street mac & cheese

Perfectly cooked.

cupcakes with blue frosting 500 sign

And of course there was dessert. Some people already snagged a few before I could get a shot.

grabbing cupcakes

I wanted a chocolate one and this looked right but it turned out to be vanilla, lol.

gogobus music video premiere

The Gogobus music video premiere! Photo credit: Gogobot West LA Community Manager Audrey Lo

gogobus music video awards

The awards for the music video! Photo credit: Gogobot West LA Community Manager Audrey Lo

Back to Bruin

laelene Posted in general blog,Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
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I enjoyed a lovely day back on campus with Panda and a ton of other UCLA alumni today for Alumni Day 2013! It’s the first time most of us have ever seen or been in the new Pauley Pavilion and wow, it is nice. Our day started off by checking in outside and getting our reusable tote bags with the programs inside. We had nice large name tag lanyards displaying our graduation year. Inside Pauley’s food court/concession stand area were a bunch of stations filled with food options! The Chancellor was about to speak inside the arena, so we rushed to grab some breakfast before heading in. I got a couple of quiches and Panda got a parfait.

inside newly renovated pauley pavilion concession stand area on ucla alumni day 2013

It’s bright and beautiful in here.

We sat down just as the Chancellor was introducing the keynote speaker: Guy Kawasaki. One of our friends happened to notice us and beckoned us to join her. We then settled in to learn the art of enchantment from Guy (and I was so enchanted that I totally forgot to take a picture or video to commemorate the event!!). We learned that crow’s feet are good, you’ve got to accept people, you should have a “yes” mentality, you should find something small in common to start building a connection, and so much more. When he was done speaking, we returned upstairs and found all kinds of tasty treats awaiting. We got some dessert items and a cup of Jamba Juice, but weren’t hungry enough for the hot dogs, nachos, churros, etc.

crowd of ucla alumni climbing up stairs inside pauley pavilion

I can’t believe I didn’t take a picture until we were leaving Guy Kawasaki’s speech.

ucla alumni day 2013 desserts including diddy riese cookies, macaroons, blue velvet cupcakes, and chocolate truffle pops

smiling with chocolate on teeth, lips, and mouth from eating chocolate truffle pop

I’ve got chocolate all over my teeth and lips but I don’t mind!

ucla alumni day 2013 speaker lounge in pauley pavilion

Speakers had some couches to hang out at, where we could find them to chat.

We then split up for the smaller sessions, which were about 20 minutes long. Each time slot had three options of topics to choose from and to cover the most ground, Panda I chose different ones so we could learn the most. I started off listening to the co-founder of the Nom Nom Truck talk about change, but I arrived late and kind of missed too much of the presentation to get much out of it. Then it was off to hear from Mike Flynn, co-founder of Opportunity Green, who told a fun story about his own path of growth. Then I heard from a guy who helped launch Startup UCLA, which is sort of an accelerator program for startups that UCLA students and recent grads work on. I actually know two people who participated in the program and worked on two different companies!

mike flynn speaking at ucla alumni day 2013 in james west alumni center

I used to work with Mike, so I had to go support him and listen to his speech!

ucla letters made with photo collage

A cool display in the James West Alumni Center.

ucla pavilion club in basement of pauley pavilion

Some of the presentations were in the Pavilion Club. Looks fancy!

For the last presentation of the day, I went to hear Sue Enquist talk about Coach Wooden’s impact on her and advice taken from him for living a better life. I actually ran into a girl from my high school prior to heading in and got a chance to catch up with her as we went in to the session. Once we got out, I caught up with Panda and we got a chance to explore the store at Pauley, as well as some of the many booths and tables that were set up around the area.

sue enquist speaking at ucla alumni day 2013 in pauley pavilion

Sue Enquist sharing Wooden wisdom.

sign in store at pauley pavilion with ucla fight fight fight incorporated with adidas logo

I love how our 8-clap meshes with the Adidas logo.

By 2, everything within Pauley was wrapping up and many alum were already heading out, but Panda and I went to the SAC pool to enjoy a boat race put on by engineering students! It was a grand old time watching the students putting their cardboard and duct tape creations to the test of staying afloat as someone rowed it one lap in the pool. There were some pretty hilarious sinking moments that seemed to happen in slow motion and there were a few runaway successes too!

zoya crystal nail polish blue with gold flecks on fingernails in sunshine

When I saw a blue and gold nail polish I just had to get it (and of course wear it to alumni day!).

ucla engineering students in cardboard boat race at sac pool

The two-person team in the first heat actually did the best despite the additional weight!

limp wet cardboard boat being dragged off after failing in pool

One of the poor creations that got soaked and ruined in the water, now retired.

guys sitting in sinking cardboard boat during boat race in pool

Even as the boat sank, the students kept rowing…

After all the fun was over, I got a chance to peruse the UCLA Store. It’s one of my favorite stores in the whole world, probably because of all the cool clothing they have with various UCLA messaging on them. I love anything related to my alma mater! I tried on some things and got a chance to purchase my favs. The rest will go on my wishlist. That hat? Not so much. And I was so surprised to find Hello Kitty as a Bruin! Lol.

collage of various ucla bearwear items at ucla store

I browsed a ton of great clothing items at the UCLA Store! I’m a sucker for anything with my alma mater.

To wrap up, Panda and I wandered around campus a bit to enjoy the sunshine and each other. Then it was off again, with both of us returning to our respective parents’ homes. As we were walking out, Panda realized we hadn’t done a single 8-clap all day (what?!?!) – that’s pretty much unheard of at a UCLA event, so I did one in my head. 😉

standing over janss steps' sixth step

I respect the story of the sixth step. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, ask a True Bruin.

set of four jets flying by ucla's janss steps

Those four jets seemed to be practicing maneuvers over UCLA.

ucla alumni day swag including bag & button, ecos products, whitelines notebook, ucla anderson items, raytheon notepad, and wooden usb

Check out all the cool free things I got!

What a great day in terms of goodies! Not only was there tons of food (I later got a salad and sandwich that I brought back home with me, as well as chips and soda), but I got quite a few other treats as well. It started off with the reusable tote and my badge with lanyard. Then there were buttons and wooden USBs for the taking. At the UCLA Anderson table, I got a nice booklet with various sizes of post-its inside and a shiny pen. At the networking area, the engineering table had fun Raytheon post-its for the taking so I got some of those. Towards the end of the day, I went to chat with the people of Ecos and the VP generously offered me one of the full size products they had on display since they were leaving soon! I had already gotten a nice sample of their laundry detergent so I picked the stain & odor remover. And finally, in the UCLA Store, there was a shelf with Whitelines that were FREE. LOVE IT!!!

And to wrap up, I couldn’t resist spending some money on my alma mater. I acquired a sweet Spring Sing top to wear it loud and proud for our awesome musical tradition. I acquired a cool UCLA Fund t-shirt for donating money and participating in the North vs. South campus competition. Lastly, I acquired a lovely aqua sweatshirt with the UCLA seal on it in glittery screenprint. I’m so excited about each of these items and can’t wait to wear them excessively. 🙂

collage of ucla shirts from alumni day including spring sing tank, ucla fund t-shirt, and ucla seal sweatshirt

365great Day 65: alumni day

laelene Posted in 365great,Tags: , , , ,
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Learn more about 365great here.

365great challenge day 65: alumni dayAlumni days are a great way to bring back the alum of your university and have them reconnect with their alma mater. I enjoy returning whenever I can and this year was my third time. UCLA is a fantastic institution with a beautiful campus and amazing programs. It’s always nice to return, see some familiar places and buildings, and enjoy the talks that have been arranged. This year, I especially loved the endless supply of food! More on that in my next post. For now, let me just say that I think every school should have these days. I bet you’ll get a fair share of donations while you’re at it, and your alum network will be so much stronger. Today I had a great time at my own alumni day!

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