I came across this set at Target for just $3! I just had to buy them.
The inside cover of each notebook had a public transportation design that I believe is based of the actual ones you can find in that city. Don’t they just make you want to travel?
Wanderlust journals
laelene Posted in photo blog，Tags: notebooks, office supplies, pictures, travel
18
July
2012
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Shopping style
laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: behavior, habits, shopping
17
July
2012
I’m a “ponder a lot before buying” kind of person. Usually I don’t get something unless it falls into two categories:
- I’ve been meaning to get something like this
- I’ve been researching and wanting this
The first type is the spur-of-the-moment sort of purchase for me. While I didn’t have that exact product in mind, or any specific product really, it’s something that has been in the back of my mind. So I’ve been considering it and when I see something that is close enough and good enough, I might just pounce. It gives me the satisfaction of an unexpected surprise but still with some forethought so I don’t feel too impulsive.
The second type is the really thought-out sort of purchase, where I noticed the product before, checked it out in store and online, and waited for a sale or good deal to come along. Sometimes I do get a nice deal on it, sometimes I just reach a point where I feel like it’s worth it at full price, and sometimes I wait so long that I miss it. When I do get an item though, it feels really rewarding – like I accomplished a goal that I’ve had for awhile.
Because I don’t usually buy things the first time I come across it, I tend to walk around a store getting tempted by this and that, putting them into my cart, then reconsidering before checking out. Much of the time, I end up walking out with nothing because I reasoned that none of the items I got were really worth it at that time. Sometimes all I needed was to hold it and have it for a brief time to feel satisfied. I’m pretty good at convincing myself out of purchases most of the time.
Of course, there are just times where I splurge on something I never meant to, but I like to think that most of my purchases are reasonably vetted. 😛 I’ve yet to meet someone who goes around a store filling up a cart only to end up buying nothing, so speak up if you’re like that too! I imagine most people either don’t put the item in the cart in the first place or buy it if they do. Do you agree?
Rude awakening
laelene Posted in video blog，Tags: experiences, hawaii, natural disaster, videos
15
July
2012
I mean it literally. Panda and I were awoken at 5 AM the second morning in Hawaii to this horrible sound. It was loud, blaring, and sounded vaguely like a dying animal when I first woke up. After awhile, we realized it was coming from outside – waaaay outside. Like who knows how many miles away kind of outside. I was reminded of when I was a kid in Topeka and we’d have tornado drills with an alarm much like this one, so we were able to figure out it was probably some sort of warning system. We then turned on the TV to the local news just in time to catch them talking about the siren and how it was malfunctioning. I was pretty baffled as to how it could be set off half a dozen times before it was fixed, but at least we didn’t have any natural disasters to worry about. I think it finally stopped about 40 minutes later and we were able to get back to sleep. Thank goodness!
tsunami false alarm from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
European hot pot
laelene Posted in photo blog，Tags: experiences, food, pictures
14
July
2012
Yesterday was Customer Appreciation Day at the Melting Pot! Panda and I went to enjoy a dinner there and try out the special items available that day.
First we started with a Customer Appreciation exclusive – lump crab fontina fondue!
I got myself one of my favorite drinks: blackberry sage lemonade.
I got the special salad for Customer Appreciation Day, old-style mushroom salad. I would have liked some more dressing, but once I sprinkled on their garlic and wine seasoning, it was awesome.
For the next course, we got a selection of delicious meats that consisted of chicken, shrimp, pork, beef, and then some mushroom wontons to boot.
Also to get cooked as part of the entree were potatoes, broccoli, and mushrooms.
First we test out the Bourguignonne cooking style (aka cooking with canola oil) with a shrimp and chicken.
Then I try a mushroom smothered in one of the batters, topped with some teriyaki sauce.
Panda got ambitious with his battering and covered this broccoli a little too well.
Afterwards, the oil was brown and continued to bubble for awhile.
Ultimately, we couldn’t finish everything so we cooked it all to take home.
Panda Loves
laelene Posted in general blog，
12
July
2012
What does Panda love, you ask? Well, hop on over to PandaLoves.com to find out! I’ve been working on fine-tuning it and finally decided it was ready to launch today. I still have a great lineup of products to add to the site, but for now I’m starting with 5 products that come in a huge variety. The premise of the site is that we will offer cute gift items that you won’t normally find when you shop for jewelry, accessories, and trinkets. Most will probably come from various regions in Asia where I’ve traveled and discovered cool things, but anything that Panda likes, goes!
As for Panda, her design is still in the works and she will be unveiled soon. She’s the mascot and curator of the site, recommending cool things that she loves. Since she hails from China, she enjoys sharing things from that part of the world. She’s also into arts and crafts, spending her free time making jewelry, knitting scarves, and trying out new crafts. It’s her desire to introduce the world to all the great products out there that you’d normally find sold from a stall. She’d love it if you liked her Panda Loves Facebook page and followed the Panda Loves Twitter account and Panda Loves Pinterest account!
Little fish, big ocean
10
July
2012
If you look closely, you can see a bunch of teeny little fish swimming around! They look like minnows that belong in a creek.
tiny ocean fish from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
Curated craze
laelene Posted in general blog, subscriptions，Tags: behavior, eco-friendly, environment, observation, opinion, pictures, products, shopping
09
July
2012
I subscribe to a random smattering of newsletters and daily deal sites, one of which is blissmo. Earlier in the week, I got an email with a special offer that piqued my interest – sign up for a blissmobox membership and get a special edition box free! I’ve been aware of these subscription-based programs that offer a box of curated goods each month, but I had never gotten into them. However, after looking into blissmoboxes, I felt that for $19/box (or just $17.54 if you count the bonus one too) it was worth a shot. After all, I’m a sucker for trying new products and what better way than to let the people of blissmo pick out some eco-friendly ones for me?
This experience got me thinking about this whole “curated” trend that’s been going around. From daily deals that are curated by experts to monthly themed boxes curated by the team at a company, options are popping up everywhere. You can go for environmentally-friendly products like I did, or choose from food only, beauty products, fashion, and countless other angles. I won’t talk about daily deals today, since this whole monthly box thing is my newest interest. I love the idea because you get introduced to a bunch of cool new products without having to scour the aisles yourself. Plus, who doesn’t enjoy receiving a package?
While looking into what the latest blissmobox contained, I discovered a blogger who reviewed a bunch of these services. I’m pretty baffled by how many she subscribes to, but if you cut out shopping in stores and buying snacks yourself, I can see how it wouldn’t cost too much more to exclusively use these subscriptions. There’s definitely a strong appeal to getting on this trend, whether it’s purely because you like to receive packages or you’re actually looking to sample a variety of products to help you choose what to use in your daily life. In fact, I almost convinced myself that it wouldn’t be so bad if I subscribed to just one more…
I remember when I got a mystery gift bag from Burt’s Bees; it was really exciting to open it up and discover what they had put in there for me. Similarly, one of the perks of being involved with Opportunity Green is the chance to score some pretty awesome swag. It’s just so satisfying to get a bag of stuff! Emotionally, it can be very satisfying to sign up for one these curated boxes. On the other hand, to a certain extent it can make sense practically as well, since you often see products that you aren’t sure about and wish you could try. This way, you get a bunch that have been test driven by people at the company providing the boxes, so generally you can expect a pretty good product. You can then test them out yourself to figure out if it’s something you’d continue to use. There’s also the fun factor of not knowing what you’ll get. Most people enjoy a little bit of mystery and surprise to spice things up!
I personally can’t wait to get my first blissmobox and start experiencing this craze. I’ll be sure to post up what I get in each box as they come!
To the left, to the left
laelene Posted in photo blog，Tags: driving, observation, pictures, weather
07
July
2012
There was an intense storm last Friday, which downed a lot of trees and created power outages across the area. Little did we know that even signal lights were blown askew! When I first saw this is was so unexpected I laughed out loud.
This signal’s taking its own advice and making a left turn too.
Wait, wouldn’t gravity have pulled them straight again?
Snowstorm
laelene Posted in video blog，Tags: experiences, videos, weather
06
July
2012
In the midst of a heat wave, it’s hard to imagine that this very place was so cold just months ago:
blustery snow from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
Nocturnal syndrome
laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: behavior, experiences, habits, sleep
04
July
2012
Sunrise is a beautiful time of day. Especially when I haven’t slept all night.
Yup, that’s right – I find the start of a day most pleasing when it’s actually the end of one for me. Why? It’s hard to say. Probably because my energy levels are even-keeled and at a comfortable level. I’m not trying to drag myself up at a time when my body and mind are rebelling against me. Instead, they’ve been relaxed all night as I work away online. While I may be starting to wear down, they’re not overly stressed, so it’s actually a positive experience for me.
On the other hand, trying to get up at the crack of dawn is never an easy or pleasant thing (unless I’m in China, interestingly). I’ve struggled with this all my life, as school and then work demanded that I be up at a certain time. In fact, in college I quickly learned that 8 AM classes were too torturous for me, so I started to schedule nothing earlier than 9. Even then it was a constant struggle to get up when I needed to. Once I got into the work culture, it got a bit easier since I was getting some more sleep each night, but I definitely wasn’t happy to be waking up in the morning.
Now that I don’t necessarily have to get up or sleep at any particular time, I’ve discovered the joy of watching the beginning of a day. I had gotten a sense of this in college when I pulled some all-nighters, but usually I was so delusional by the time the sun rose that I didn’t really get to appreciate it. It’s really pretty cool! I love the freshness that a sunrise brings with it, as the world comes back to life and the energy around me builds up. I don’t know why I’m such a night owl, but it’s what feels good and natural to me. I’ve tried to fix it and be more “normal” but it just doesn’t work very well, so why fight it? I’m much happier and more productive this way.
