Posts Tagged ‘tv’

The holiday break

laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses, photo blog,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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With just about a day left before Panda and I headed back to LAX to return to our life out east, I started to feel anxious. It had been a wonderful two weeks, exactly the sort of healing, growing, relaxing, and enjoying I needed. I was kind of worried about getting back into things at work and all the other obligations being back entails. Luckily, the transition hasn’t been that bad at all and I’m happy to be (what is now) home.

Here are some highlights from my time in balmy SoCal. Other moments included hanging out with my mom, chatting with my cousin (and helping her get a new laptop at Best Buy), enjoying quiet moments alone at the mall, meeting up with some AKPsi pledge bros, grabbing lunch with an old UCLA AFROTC friend, catching up over tea with a friend I met at a Gogobot event, a session with my microdermabrasion guy (it’s been over a year!), relaxing at my fab reflexology spot, and reminiscing over old pictures (many that will slowly make their way into blog posts).

view of other united flights lined up at terminal at iad airport

And off we go on our winter vacation.

girl sitting in first class seat on plane with blanket wrapped around legs

We got upgraded to first class on the way in! I smartly brought a blanket.

aerial of northern virginia area near dulles airport

As we took off, I tried to spot our new condo with little luck.

overhead view of gray clouds and white clouds with shadows of setting sun

The creepy gray clouds tried to climb over the fluffy white ones…

breakfast meal served in first class on united flight, with eggs, potatoes au gratin, meat patty, tomato, cinnamon roll, fresh fruit, and orange juice

Breakfast is served! I enjoyed the potatoes au gratin best.

tiny ice crystals formed on exterior of plane window

Gettin’ frosty up here but I’m toasty in my blankie. 🙂

aerial view of land with bright light in distance

What’s that brilliantly bright light in the distance? I think it was probably a large lake catching the sun.

girl laying on ground looking over and smiling at cat looking into distance

First order of business at home is to hang out with Missy.

apple that burst around the middle and split apart

Umm, how does this even happen to an apple?!

girl holding giant stick of tornado fries in front of kiosk in mall

I discover a new favorite snack at the mall: Tornado Fries! Take a whole potato, swirl cut it, spread out along large stick, fry, and sprinkle on various powders for flavor. Fun!

manya jewelers storefront at valencia town center mall with engagement ring made there in foreground

Had my ring cleaned at my jewelers for the first time since getting it and it was nice to catch up with the owner.

cat laying against leg underneath body pillow facing up

Hehe, Missy doesn’t mind that the pillow is crushing her. She loves snuggling with me anyway.

girl sipping japanese matcha green tea latte with 3d latte art of bear at outdoor table of cafe

For my birthday, I basically hopped from restaurant to cafe to bakery to restaurant. Happy taste buds and belly!

table filled with giant dishes of northern chinese food and girl looking skeptical about two people eating it all

Oops, we over-ordered for food. Two people got what five probably should have.

cat walking on person's butt while she lies across bed on belly

Missy walks all over me and I love it.

cat taking nap with arms extended over keyboard of laptop while sitting on person's lap

When she’s like this, how can I work? Too cute.

zoomed in view of times square new years ball lit up in blue on tv for new years eve celebration in nyc

I had a quiet NYE just watching the show on TV.

electric guitarist playing music in middle of road at intersection in culver city

Ringing in the new year with this guy jamming on his electric guitar! #culvercitycharacters

booths at westwood farmers market on broxton street thursday near ucla

Lol, I never got to check out the Westwood Farmer’s Market once it was moved to Thursday, and now here I am.

kimchi fried rice dish at gushi's restaurant in westwood near ucla

My absolute fav to get at Gushi.

cat sitting pretty atop luxurious white furry blanket

Little miss princess.

thin crust pizza with half sausage with red onions and half mozzarella with basil

Trying out a new pizza joint in DTLA with my Gogobot buds.

blurry selfie with terrible aim of part of new friend at pizza place

(re)Met a Gogoboter and we do some selfies.

blurry shot of group of friends at dim sum restaurant table

Got together with old friends who I met the year I met Panda! Yes, the picture is intentionally blurry.

box of lady di's cupcakes and two brownies on side

I couldn’t leave LA without bringing some treats.

wolfgang puck express pizza box

At the airport, I got dinner since I hadn’t eaten all day.

wolfgang puck express pepperoni pizza in box

I thought we got a pepperoni and mushroom, but we accidentally left off the mushroom part of the order. Oh well!

365great Day 292: entertainment

laelene Posted in 365great,Tags: , , , ,
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365great challenge day 292: entertainmentSometimes it’s nice to just sit back and be entertained. Whether it’s a TV show, live performance, or otherwise, all you have to do is enjoy. I don’t often partake in these things, but every now and then I want something rather mindless to occupy my time. That’s exactly what I’ve been doing in the hours leading up to the new year – just chilling out letting the TV shows fill my time and living room. I’d gotten worn out from all the reading and typing I was doing online, but didn’t quite want to sit around in silence. It’s been soothing to experience and exactly what I needed. For those times when you want to consume media, it’s great to let the entertainment take over.

Yuzen November 2012 edition

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Let’s go back in time to the fall, when I got this AMAZING smelling Yuzen box.

Yuzen is $26 per month and comes with around 5 or 6 eco-friendly beauty, skincare, food/snacks, and home products. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. Sometimes there’s a waitlist to get the subscription. They do not offer a referral program.

*Disclosure: As a super fan, I was invited to be the Yuzen Ambassador to help them spread the word about their brand. Starting with the October box, I began to receive them for free. I was not compensated otherwise and all opinions are my own, irregardless of my relation to Yuzen. I just happen to think they’re awesome (as does everyone else I’ve heard from). :)

collage of unwrapping of november 2012 yuzen box

The conversion to organza bags instead of shredded paper is official. Looks great!

Click on the pictures for the full sizes so you can enjoy all the details of each product!  You can even zoom in to read all the messaging.

collage of shea radiance kalahari melon whipped shea butter included in the november 2012 yuzen boxShea Radiance – Kalahari Melon Whipped Shea Butter: The first thing that I pulled out was this tub of very thick whipped shea butter. I liked the idea and the texture, but I am not a fan of the smell. For some reason the smell of shea butter doesn’t appeal to me, though I love the product. I can’t quick pick out the melon scent, or possibly I’m mistaking it for the shea’s natural scent. The butter is also not as soft as I expected – it’s actually pretty solid, though it is fluffy. I’m going to pass this on to someone else to use because I think it’s a good product.

collage of zents bath salts in mandarin and earth included in the november 2012 yuzen boxZents – Mandarin & Earth bath salts: As soon as I could get these out of the bag, I reached for them! They smell fabulous! I didn’t even want to use them at first because I loved getting a whiff of them just by putting them in the room. It was a great way to scent my room and promote a relaxing atmosphere. When I finally did get around to using them, I was enjoying the aroma so much I hardly even paid attention to how it made my skin feel. It was definitely a very pleasant experience to bathe with these salts and I actually liked the combination of their scents a lot so I mixed them. There’s a sweetness and earthiness that make a lovely blend.

collage of savane protective moisturizer with baobab, manketti, and yangu included in the november 2012 yuzen boxSavane Organic Skincare – Protective Moisturizer: This is a brown-colored lotion that is more runny than most I’m used to. It comes come in an elegant stainless steel bottle and incorporates exotic ingredients I haven’t heard much of, like baobab, manketti, and yangu. It has a scent I can’t quite place that is very unique. It goes on smooth and doesn’t leave any greasy residue and the small bottle and pump are great for putting on your desk, keeping in the car, or even in your bag if you are careful the pump doesn’t get pushed.

collage of keeki lip shimmer balm in ooh lala included in the november 2012 yuzen boxKeeki Pure & Simple – Ooh La La Organic Lip Shimmer Stick: What a cute little lip shimmer! It’s a fun oval shape, which I’ve never seen before and I’m a sucker for unique packaging. It reminds me a lot of the Burt’s Bees lip shimmers – almost the same color and “shimmeriness” to it. There’s even a hint of minty freshness as well. It goes on well and is very smooth. I’ve been using it a lot whenever I need a lip balm or want to spruce up my lips.

simple squares cinnamon clove whole food snack bar included in the november 2012 yuzen boxSimple Squares – Cinnamon Clove Whole Food Snack Bar: I ate this up so fast I forgot to take pictures of the actual bar! That’s a good sign for its taste. It has a chunky sort of texture so when you bit in it wasn’t just some mushy bar. I liked that, as well as the flavor. Great little snack to have whenever you need a sweet boost that won’t leave you thirsty. I would get more if I ever ran into them.

collage of gaiam tv free trial offer info card included in the november 2012 yuzen boxGaiam TV – Free Trial Offer & Info Card: Gaiam TV (.com) provides all kinds of streaming videos to promote wellness, whether it’s exercising, eating well, meditating, or taking supplements. It’s a great place to find videos to inspire, motivate, guide, and teach anyone who wants to live healthier. I actually haven’t tried this trial, but I had tried a different one previously and if I watched TV I might get it, but I just wouldn’t use this site fully.

Another great box that provided a diverse selection of products! I love how everything had a warm feeling and really set the mood for the fall.

A lasting impression

laelene Posted in general blog,Tags: , ,
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I watched both seasons of Who Do You Think You Are?, which chronicles the journeys that celebrities take while tracking down their family histories.  One thing that stuck with me is that so often, they would find parallels in their ancestors’ lives and their own.  That made me think about how a certain trait can get passed down many generations, not necessarily just genetically, but behaviorally.  After all, the environment you grow up in greatly affects the environment you will create as a parent and I believe that a lot of those childhood influences stay with you for life.

Whether it’s an adventurous spirit or a strong foundation in faith, it’s more than just a genetic component.  It’s pretty cool how much of ourselves we can see in our pasts.  It makes me think of what imprint I will leave for future generations of my family.  I’m sure a certain stubbornness and inquisitiveness will shine through, and hopefully a fair share of entrepreneurialism or at least enterprising efforts as well!  I wonder if my willingness to be the exception and stand out will be shared over generations.  I am confident that education will be strong in our family.  I certainly expect post-graduate degrees!

I’d like to see what I can find out about my own ancestry and if there are hints about the type of people I came from.  I don’t know the quality of the records in China, since a lot was probably lost or destroyed over the years, but I can start with what my parents and grandparents remember.  It would be nice to know what I came from.  Were my ancient relatives scholars or farmers?  Were they poor or well-to-do?  Could I even have a connection to a historical figure or royalty?  Who knows!  I’m curious to find out.

I’d also be interested in doing a DNA test someday, to show me a breakdown of my ethnic heritage.  As far as I know, I’m pretty much all Chinese, though part of that originates from the Mongols.  That’s pretty normal in Northern China, since the Mongols invaded back in the day and became the new “Chinese.”  Who knows, maybe some Mongolian ancestry was also mixed with Russian or Eastern European?  There’s just a wealth of information that I am interested in finding out and I hope that future generations are just as interested as well.

Polygamy

laelene Posted in general blog, relationships,Tags: , ,
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I came across the show Sister Wives yesterday and decided to look into it tonight.  I’ve found it fascinating to watch their complex family dynamic and all the relationships in a delicate, precarious balance.  The show focuses on the ups and downs of the adults in the family, with the wives all in love with the husband and the husband in love with all the wives.  The husband is very careful to spend approximately even time with each wife, rotating where he sleeps each night and making sure to eat, pray, and speak with each of his dozen kids and three (soon to be four) wives as often as he can.

While their lifestyle is considered illegal, I find that I don’t quite understand the negativity that seems to surround their choices.  Each person chose to live this way and all are strong in their stance.  Who are we to judge whether it’s right or wrong when it’s between consenting adults well aware of their actions?  This kind of persecution is very similar to gay couples.  So why is it that gay couples have garnered a lot of public support for their lifestyle, when polygamists are still looked down upon?  I don’t understand it.  Fundamentally, it comes down to the same issue – what makes a family a family and who gets to decide what is and isn’t?

Personally, I feel that each person should choose how they want to build a family and what it is to them.  While I would not choose polygamy myself (one-on-one relationships are hard enough!), I don’t see the “wrong” that seems to offend people so much.  Though I suppose that in this case, the polygamy practiced is a one-way street so it can be offensive in a sexist sense.  The man may take on new wives, but the wives may not take on new husbands.  Still, it’s not like polygamy on the part of a woman would be accepted in society either.  Why can’t people just accept the choices that others make in their personal lives?

Polygamy seems like less of a crime than adultery.  At least here the wives enter into the marriage well aware that there will be others and the man (hopefully) is respectful enough to consult them on any additional wives.  There is no hiding of affairs and love children and all that crazy drama that seems to be in the news constantly.  The husband in this show loves and respects each of his wives, adores his children, and does his best for all of them.  Things could be much worse!

Memory lane

laelene Posted in general blog,Tags: , ,
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It all started with Jaycee Dugard… and ended with TV shows from my childhood!  Yeah, I know, random.  And you will never guess how I got there.

So there I was driving and listening to the radio when I heard that there would be a special on Jaycee Dugard.  Hers is a fascinating story, so I went online to take a look since I don’t have a TV to tune in with.  As I watched that story, I was reminded of one of the shows I used to love to watch (maybe because my dad loved to watch it): 20/20.  Since I was already on the ABC site, I started to watch videos of 20/20.  The episode I watched ended with a tour of the Spelling mansion that was just sold recently.

Now I’m not really into this pop culture thing, so I had no idea the Spellings were rich.  I had only heard of Tori Spelling here and there, and I have no idea what she has acted in.  I went digging more into this story of the sale of “the Manor” and eventually that led me to some related articles that covered 90’s pop stars.  Aha!  So that’s how a kidnapped girl leads to stars from my youth.

I started perusing the listings (you can read them yourself too) and there were so many great memories!  From Full House and 7th Heaven to Xena and Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, I started to remember all those shows I used to watch.  I had all but forgotten about Boy Meets World and Home Improvement, Touched By An Angel and The Secret World of Alex Mack.  But then there were some of my favorites: Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  Oh, and Bill Nye the Science Guy and Lamb Chop’s Play-Along!!  I did enjoy those learning shows.  I also remembered some not mentioned: Early Edition and Mister Roger’s Neighborhood.  Boy do I miss the good old days of good old television.  I didn’t know all the shows covered, but I was surprised at how many I did recognize and watch.

It was nice to look back on those shows and if they are available to watch… I’d love to remind myself of how good they were.

Television news magazine

laelene Posted in general blog,Tags: , , ,
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I love to watch 20/20 and 60 Minutes, which until today, I didn’t know how to describe.  So I looked it up and thanks to Wikipedia, I now know that they are referred to as TV news magazines.  They’re in-depth enough to provide good background on a story, but don’t cover every little thing going on in the world.  Perfect for when I want to hear about some of the interesting things going on in the world.  Unfortunately, there aren’t many of them (the Wikipedia article says they lost popularity to reality shows – what a pity), so after only a few hours, I’m left with wanting more.

To try to compensate, I’ve taken up shows like Dateline and 48 Hours, which pretty much only cover murder cases.  It’s starting to get tedious as I hear about death after death… what happened to things like profiling notable people or digging into recently significant events?  And since it’s news I crave, TED.com just doesn’t cut it either, with more of thoughts and looks into the future.  What am I to do when there aren’t enough Barbara Walters out there?  🙁  I wish I had the patience for other types of video media, but all I want to do is watch my two favorite shows – 20/20 and 60 Minutes.

Making an exit

laelene Posted in general blog,Tags: , , ,
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When Hype 5-0 left America’s Best Dance Crew, it was the worst exit I’ve seen.  They looked so dejected, so hopeless when they were removed from the show it was really pathetic.  I understand that it meant a lot to them, but never have I seen a team with such poor sportsmanship.  At least pull yourselves together for 30 seconds and dance yourself off the stage.  Instead, they threw any semblance of pride they had and barely dragged themselves off-stage.  It was really disgraceful.

That was the first time a team’s exit left me with a bad taste in my mouth.  There have been other teams that exited with less-than-energetic dancing, but they held their heads up high until the doors shut behind them.  They didn’t give up and throw despair at others.  I don’t believe that the time when you get booted is the time to throw a pity party, especially in front of so many eyes.  Not that they shouldn’t show emotion and perhaps even cry as they head out.  But you can still dance and smile with tears in your eyes and put on one final show for the audience.  That is much of what being on that show is about: putting on a performance.  Plus, I never was much of a fan of them, since it seemed like they just slid by on votes, week after week.

There is a time and place for everything, and they did exactly what they shouldn’t when they shouldn’t.  Good riddance.

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