In honor of Halloween, I wanted to celebrate my favorite candy as a child. I love candy and I certainly had plenty as a kid. One of the more expensive ones that I didn’t get quite as much was Riesen. Whenever I did get a bag, it was such a treat! I couldn’t get enough of these rich, indulgent morsels. They were dark enough chocolate to feel exotic and cool but not too dark for my youthful sweet tooth. The chocolate exterior was fun to break through as I chewed into the chocolate caramel center. I liked how super chewy the center was – not your average soft caramel, oh no, this one packed a punch! One of these would be quite a mouthful and satisfied my taste buds far better than most other candies. It’s a great candy that I enjoy.
Posts Tagged ‘holidays’
365great Day 231: Riesen
laelene Posted in 365great，Tags: 365great, candy, childhood, food, halloween, holidays, pictures, products, snacks
31
October
2013
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Half mast
laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: events, holidays, observations, pictures, questions
23
September
2013
I’ve often wondered: Is there some sort of information site that tells you when a flag should be half mast?
I 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.
365great Day 181: remembrance
11
September
2013
Learn more about 365great here.
I meant to get a picture of the flags at half-mast today but it didn’t happen. Sooo here’s a picture of some fantastic hats I got at Leadership Academy back when I was in NJROTC. I wore that hat and every other patriotic thing I could find (including shirt, pants, flip flops, earrings, and more) for the first anniversary of 9/11. By then I had moved from New York to California but my heart was still out east. It was a way for me to remember and honor the heroes of that day and feel a bit more connected to my previous state. I think it’s important even if you just take a brief moment to remember the important events that shape our lives and our histories. That’s why holidays and anniversaries and other celebrations are meaningful to us. While the shock and pain has faded over the years, I hope we as a nation never forget to look back at the people who lost their lives on 9/11. Remembrance is a great (and simple) way to pay respects to those who have gone before us.
Sunday Social: fun times
laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: experiences, food, holidays, pictures, sunday social, travel, vacations
19
May
2013
1. What is your favorite kind of surprise?
I’d have to say mystery boxes. While it’s cool to get surprised by a party (my amazing best friend did that for me before) or other unexpected event, I don’t really like being put on the spot. I’d much rather dig into a fun package with special treasures to be found. I’m pretty easy to please so I’m sure I’d be delighted with just about anything. Oh, and sweet little notes or messages are awesome too.
2. Flowers or chocolate?
Chocolate! I mean, I just love to snack and unless the flowers come in a pot, they just can’t compete with delicious treats. I have never been interested in bouquets of flowers – why would I want something that dies in a few days? A potted plant may not look as romantic, but it is so much more meaningful to me than a dead (or dying) plant. But I digress… I’m all about chocolate anyway. 🙂
3. What is your favorite summertime activity?
Hmm… does eating watermelon count as an activity? I mean, living in California there are few things you can only do the in the summertime, but watermelons just don’t taste that great until it’s the right season! If I lived out east I’m sure it’d be exciting for the pool to open up or to be able to wear flip flops and more light clothing. Luckily, I can do that any time of year here.
4. Do you have any vacations planned this summer?
Absolutely! It kind of happened by accident, but Panda and I will be doing a mini vacation to Orlando. I unknowingly got roped into a timeshare presentation thing, but hey I’m down to learn more about it and get a nice break with my beau. This will help us last until late August, when the big vacation is planned! I would have been sad if we didn’t take some sort of vacation during the height of the summer months.
5. Favorite summer holiday?
4th of July. In certain states, it’s so much fun to play with fireworks. And in other states it’s fun to find a place to watch a fireworks show in the summer heat. I enjoy watching fireflies around this time too, and of course there’s the whole celebrating our nation part that’s pretty darn cool. That and Panda and I seem to be able to enjoy this holiday together every year.
6. What is your dream vacation?
Probably a 2-3 month giant getaway with Panda. I’d want to take him all around the world to my favorite places and explore some new countries with him too. This would involve a tour of Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Hong Kong, China, Japan, Greece, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden or Denmark, and hopefully a lot more. I’m not one to stay put in one location for extended periods.
Happy New Year!
laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: celebrations, holidays, well wishes
01
January
2013
Just wanted to wish everyone a wonderful start to 2013. 🙂 May it be a splendid year!
Jewish vehicle
laelene Posted in photo blog，Tags: cars, driving, holidays, observation, pictures
18
December
2011
They were certainly getting into the spirit!
Keeping the holidays low-profile
12
November
2011
I’m not sure why, but I have had an aversion to following seasonal trends in the past couple of years. I guess it’s because after reading so many articles about Christmas, New Year’s, or the like, I don’t want to be contributing to all that. After all, how original could you get with that stuff? Instead I prefer to enjoy the season, where people are hopefully making positive changes in their life as they look to family and re-evaluate their priorities.
This year I’ll be vacationing in China with my parents, which is a great way to spend the holidays. It’s too bad Panda couldn’t be with me too, but we can do plenty of trips in future years. I’m really looking forward to going back to China; it’s been 3 1/2 years and it will be nice to visit again. You can be sure that around that time I won’t be writing about a tree and presents! I’m sure I’ll have plenty of other wonderful things to write about and thank goodness for that! If you want the same old holiday stuff, go watch some TV. 😛
Gifting season
laelene Posted in photo blog，Tags: experiences, food, holidays, pictures
31
October
2011
You know, the nice thing about the holiday season is that it’s a gifting season. I was completely surprised when we started receiving cards and gift baskets at the office last year. It was my first time in a work environment where that happened and it was pretty exciting! Each week brought more and more food until the whole office was pigging out constantly. I even got a Patagonia bag from one of our clients! It’s only about another month now and the giving should be upon us again.
My first gift!
A Godiva gift basket, oh yes.
Celebrating motherhood
laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: celebrations, holidays, mommy, opinion
09
May
2010
Happy Mother’s Day to those who qualify. 😛
As we get bombarded by flower, jewelry, and and plenty of “pamper her” offers, let’s not forget that none of that really means as much as time spent together. The mother who has spent so many years giving her time and energy raising you probably needs no more in return than attention and love given back to her. Though giving things is a popular way of showing affection, I think it’s much nicer if you can take the time to spend the day/weekend with her. After all, how much effort does it take to buy something and have it sent to her?
So year after year, it is a family tradition to celebrate various occasions and holidays just by going out to dinner. Of course I will treat her in this case, and take her to get the moisturizer she said she needed. But flowers? I find those the most unnecessary gift of all. They only last a week or two and especially for my mom, she’s got plenty growing in her backyard. A bouquet looks nice only for a fleeting moment, but the waste of resources to produce it… well, it’s just not very eco-friendly, so I’m opting out. She’d get better use out of a pack of seeds or a little pot of freshly sprouted seedlings.
In the future, I hope my kids would do the same – make an effort to see me and spend time with me (and if not, a fun ecard or homemade video is so much more meaningful than a pile of flowers that thousands of other mothers got). I hope everyone is celebrating happily and enjoying what is a beautiful day out on the west coast. Go for a stroll and grab some dessert or something. I say do something with her and have some quality bonding time. 🙂
