Today was move-out day and boy did I get beat up! My poor legs and feet are throbbing and I’ve developed a couple of bruises from getting banged up.
Battered and bruised
laelene Posted in photo blog，Tags: body, events, experiences, pictures
31
January
2012
0
The cold drink phenomenon
laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: behavior, habits, observation, opinion
30
January
2012
I’ve never been a fan of cold drinks, though I have enjoyed some here and there. Usually iced drinks are too cold for me, so I opt for room temperature or even hot water. Luckily, this seems to be a growing trend and I no longer get the raised eyebrow when I ask for hot water at a restaurant. I’m glad that my beverage choice is something that more people are adopting, especially since it’s probably easier on your body.
I remember reading once that contrary to popular belief, ice water is not more thirst-quenching. In fact, it said that warm water is the best for absorption and therefore more thrist-quenching. However, through media portrayals, it seems we have learned that only cold drinks can satisfy our needs after a strenuous workout or on a hot day. I think that cold water feels refreshing and it wakens you a bit, which gives the impression that it is better when you’re thirsty. In addition, if you’ve built up a lot of heat from working out or are already too hot from the weather, you want to feel the coolness of the drink to help lower your temperature.
Still, I usually prefer at least room temperature water in those situations when my body is hotter than it would like to be. I find that cold drinks numb my mouth and freeze up my insides, which isn’t comfortable at all! I’ve always been sensitive to temperature changes, so when it gets cold or I cool down too much, my stomach and intestines throw a fit. Perhaps that’s the real reason why I avoid really cold drinks. Who wants to have a stomachache after they drink a cup of water?
Anyways, this whole cold drink popularity thing has always baffled me, since it’s not really the same in Chinese culture. I don’t think the Chinese would have iced their drinks if it weren’t for Western influences. Whatever makes cold drinks so appealing just isn’t worth it to me. I’ll take the drink in the box over the one in the cooler any day. And watch me quench my thirst better. 😉
Ostrich mama
laelene Posted in video blog，Tags: animals, behavior, observation, singapore, videos
27
January
2012
I am amazed that she can bend her neck all the way down for a scratch and that her knees bend the other way. Sitting like that doesn’t look comfortable. Is she even keeping the eggs warm?
Images of DC days
laelene Posted in photo blog，Tags: cars, interesting, observation, panda, pictures, travel
25
January
2012
Back when I was visiting Panda in DC in the summer, I came across some random interesting sights. Behold.
In case you forget what a crosswalk is for?
I never knew they had branded three-wheelers! This guy's riding in style, isn't he?
A building under renovation.
Up, up and away!
My context
laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: behavior, childhood, memories, mind, moving, observation
24
January
2012
How do you remember things in your life? I’ve always found it to be a roundabout process to recall what year something happened. First I think what I was doing at that time and tie it back to a location – walking to the bus stop while reading (St. Louis, MO), riding my bike into town (Brewster, NY), or playing in a beautifully large backyard (Topeka, KS)? Once I pinpoint the location, I am able to identify what grades I must have been in: preschool (Pennsylvania), 1st/2nd/4th (Kansas), 3rd (China), 5th-7th (Missouri), 7th-10th (New York), 11th-14th & 16th (California), or 15th (England). I then need to think of what year it must have been based on what grade I was in. What a mess!
Similarly, when I recall what age I was when something happened, I think of the situation based on location, tie it back to a grade level, then calculate how old I was . I’m not sure why it’s such a lengthy process, but that’s always how I’ve drawn on memories in my life. It makes me wonder how other people who don’t move as much do it, since much of their memories would tie back to the same location. They seem to do it much better too!
Today someone put on 90’s music at work and one song came up that was of particular interest. Each song that I recognized put me back to a place and time in my life when I heard that song most prominently. Backstreet Boys took me back to the summers I spent in China with my cousins and extended family. Destiny’s Child took me back to the fun I had biking down a huge hill by my house in New York. TLC took me back to getting driven to swim practice at the YMCA over in Connecticut. Tupac took me back to the lounge I studied in my first year at UCLA (yeah, I learned of him later in life). I wouldn’t be able to place a year on when those songs came out, but I could definitely get close. Somehow other people seem to be able to remember just what year it was though.
I’ve never understood that ability and I wonder how I will remember things if I don’t continue moving around a lot. When everything merges into one physical space, what cues will I use to differentiate between time periods? The way I’ve put my life into context for over two decades would become irrelevant. I’m sure I would adapt, but at this moment I can’t fathom how. So I wonder, how do you do it?
Water game at Legoland
laelene Posted in video blog，Tags: creatures, experiences, games, legoland, videos
23
January
2012
Squirt the frog with the water gun!
Inbox overload
laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: behavior, habits, observation
22
January
2012
I have accumulated over 11,600 unread emails in the past couple of years and I’ve found that the larger that number gets, the less I want to look at any of it. I’ve unsubscribed to a bunch of newsletter that I found I never read, yet still I get overwhelmed with the ones that I did decide to keep. I tell myself I’ll get around to them when I have time, but really, when do I have time? Any free time I have is generally spent unwinding with a mindless game or show. It’s certainly not time that I’d want to look through emails!
Still, I really do want to go through and clean out my inbox so I can actually tell when I have new mail. Once you start getting thousands of unread messages, it’s really hard to remember if it was 10,502 messages when you last checked, or 10,507. So do I actually have some new emails to look through or did I just remember the number wrong? Who knows. I’ve completely given up looking at how many unread messages I have. I check infrequently enough that it’s basically guaranteed I’ll find some new ones each time I log in. Perhaps whenever I am waiting around in line, I will check old emails and get rid of unnecessary ones rather than play a few seconds of a game.
I’ve always had a preference for spring cleaning rather than a daily ritual, and my inbox is no exception! Problem is, my inbox has yet to see a springtime that inspired me to clean it… Well hey, I guess I’ve got myself a resolution for this year then. In fact, I think I’ll tackle some of it right now. Wish me luck!
A feast for your skin
laelene Posted in photo blog，Tags: beauty, pictures, products, skincare
21
January
2012
Right before the holidays, I suddenly found myself in possession of a lot of skincare items! I am excited to try all of them out and see what works for me.
I ordered a grab bag from Burt's Bees, which was supposed to include 14 random items. When I received this and found it wasn't quite complete, I emailed them to complain.
I didn't hear back for a long time, but suddenly got an email saying my items were re-shipping for free! So I got another bag, with some repeat items, but also many new ones. 🙂
I also treated myself to a kit of skincare products from Bare Minerals.
Sea monkey munchkins
laelene Posted in video blog，Tags: animals, pets, videos
19
January
2012
Check out my recently-hatched baby sea monkeys! They have since tripled in size and increased in entertainment value. 🙂
Wisdom teeth
laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: body, experiences, opinion, travel
16
January
2012
My wisdom teeth started to bother me today and now the back of my mouth is sore. I think it was because I decided I wasn’t brushing well enough back there so I gave them a good scrub. They definitely weren’t used to all that action and I think my gums got inflamed. I’ve been holding off getting them pulled because it’ll cost a pretty penny, but I’m really getting tired of the crowded feeling I have in my mouth.
Back in China, I was going to have them removed, but then I changed my mind when I realized I might not get to enjoy the food there if I went through with it. I thought it’d take a week or so to recover, but as I later found out from my parents, it could have been fine after a day or two. Oh well, it’s too late for that now! Unfortunately they’re bothering me these days, so I really want to get them out. I’ll have to review my coverage and see if it’s worth it right now.
I’m very tempted to find something to prop my jaw to help ease the tension, but what is there? I tried using gum for awhile and also putting food on that side of my mouth to chew so I couldn’t accidentally bite my cheek. Those solutions proved too temporary for my needs. Maybe a night’s sleep will reduce the swelling and make me forgetting about those annoying buggers. Why didn’t I have them removed long ago?? I’m regretting that now. 🙁
