365great Day 88: Los Angeles

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365great challenge day 88: los angelesIt was just over a decade ago that I moved to the greater Los Angeles area and began to learn more about this place. As it turns out, it’s such a fitting place for me, full of diverse cuisine, entertainment, and people with a laidback vibe. I’ve never been interested in city life but with a city so spread out, it doesn’t feel like I’m stuck some giant metropolis. I love all the little neighbors you can find yourself going through, all the hidden gems of places to be discovered, and the constant change and growth all around. Sure, traffic and parking suck and things can be pretty far from each other, but I find I actually enjoy spending time in the car. It’s going to be weird to leave this place and not be able to go to the beach or mountains on a whim, but I’m sure I’ll be back. Panda’s roots are here and my family’s latest roots seem to be settling here as well. It’s a beautiful city with something for everyone! That sort of broad appeal is part of what makes LA great.

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.

365great Day 87: bungee chairs

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365great challenge day 87: bungee chairsThe first time I encountered bungee chairs was at work a few years ago. Then I happened to see this awesome round bungee chair at Target and I told myself I’d get it as soon as I earned enough points on Shopkick for a $25 Target gift card. Alas, by the time that happened the chairs were gone. I was so sad and pined for them for about a year when, amazingly, they came back to Target, slightly redesigned. Last year’s design featured all teal bungee cords and black metal legs; this year’s design features alternating teal and black bungee cords with teal metal legs. They’re similar enough that I’d like either, but I’m partial to the one I ended up getting, probably just because I own it. 😉 For whatever reason, the teal ones are hard to find in stores so I had to track them down, but I am now (finally) the happy owner of one! I love how the design is perfect for hot summer days/nights when the airiness proves useful, plus this chair is less forgiving when it comes to slouching, so I’m pretty sure my sitting posture has improved. Now that’s pretty great!

Sunday Social: blogging beginnings

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Sunday Social
1. How did you come up with your blog name?

back of worn mead five star fat lil notebook

A well-worn notebook I’m currently using.

In middle school, I was looking for a small notebook that could fit in a purse, yet hold a ton of information. When I found Mead’s Five Star Fat Lil’ Notebook, it was perfect. The size of the pages is just right, it has a TON of sheets (200 to be exact), and the pages are perforated so I can tear them out when I’m done. I had one with me everywhere so I could write down things I wanted to remember. When I started blogging, I had pages filled with potential blog post ideas – the ‘fat lil notebook’ was vital to my blogging! I didn’t want to take the name exactly, so I changed it to “little fat notebook” and decided to add the double parentheses to make it visually a bit “fat.” I like to be different and I’ve never seen another blog with double parentheses. This also doesn’t limit me to any topic or type of blogging so I can write as I please. 🙂

2. What is your favorite thing about blogging?
I love sharing! Whether it’s a how-to (my most popular post to date is about setting up a Facebook page), a review/product feature, or just random thoughts, I like to share it with others. I think people like to know they’re not alone in things, so if you write about it, they’ll know at least one other person agrees/has experienced that too. I wish more people commented so I could get feedback on what they like to see on the blog.

3. What is one thing you have discovered because of blogging and now can’t live without?
It’s gotta be a tie between subscription boxes (which I learned from other bloggers) and getting free stuff to try (which I get to do partly because I have a blog). I absolutely love subscription boxes and I have quite a list of ones I want to try in the coming years. Right now a lot of it is focused on beauty and personal items, but I see my preferences changing towards household stuff once we get a place, then towards pampering again come wedding prep time, then a shift to baby and kid-oriented things as we start a family. Also, I’ve only recently discovered BzzAgent, Influenster, Pink Panel, and other similar sites that send me free things to test! It’s great and I definitely want to keep it going indefinitely (as long as I qualify for the stuff).

4. Facebook or Twitter? And why?
Facebook. I’m never on Twitter and pretty much only use it to promote my blog posts and enter giveaways. That’s it. Facebook, on the other hand, is where I can share pictures with my friends, get invited to events, interact with brands, etc. It feels less “busy” on that site because I can control the level of interaction. Twitter has way too many strangers trying to sell things or get followers or whatever. I pretty much just ignore it.

5. If one celeb read your blog who would you want it to be?
Umm… I don’t really know or care for celebrities, but maybe Ellen or Oprah since they could talk about my blog and hopefully that would bring more readers! Yeah, I know, totally selfish, but celebrities just aren’t my thing so if one did read my blog, might as well be one who can help me grow! I’d love to be able to share more things with more people and learn from them too, but it’s hard to do that when there aren’t many readers connecting. *hint* 😉

6. What is something you want people to know about your blog?
It is constantly evolving and I’m always looking for feedback on what you want to see! I seem to get a lot of lurkers and I’d really love to hear from you. 🙂 I mean, yeah I blog about what I want, but I want to also make sure I’m covering what YOU want! Please do share. It would make my day!

365great Day 86: surfing

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365great challenge day 86: surfingEver since I moved to the greater Los Angeles area, I have been meaning to try surfing. Of course, this kept getting pushed off because I didn’t go to the beach that often and when I did, I didn’t want to spend money to learn. I just wanted to chill with my friends! Then last year, Panda and I went on a trip to Hawaii and I knew this was my chance. I tried to get him to learn with me, but hey you can’t always get what you want. At least I got to learn though! It was fun and definitely felt different from anything else I’ve experienced. I don’t know if my skateboarding helped with my balance, but I’d like to think so. This was shot on my first try, when I was still grasping what this strange feeling of being pushed by a wave is like. You can read more about my surfing experience and also watch some videos of my surfing lesson. Good times! I think everyone should give it a try; the feeling is just indescribable (and of course, GREAT!).

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.

365great Day 85: glow sticks

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365great challenge day 85: glow sticksI’m at a crazy Gogobot event tonight, which is Tron-themed, so of course I broke out the glow sticks! I found this amazing set that you make into a ball cap! How cute! I mean, who doesn’t have fun with glow-in-the-dark stuff? And when you can make cool designs out of them it’s even better. Events like this or even showing up at a club with some glow sticks is a great way to have some fun. Try it next time! It’s really great!

Job history: high school edition

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I thought it’d be fun to go through the jobs I’ve held over the years, since each feels like a different version of me and sometimes I’m suddenly reminded of those experiences (like when a blogger I follow wrote about her kid getting swim lessons). Let’s start with what I did in high school:

The FIRST job, being a babysitter
My very first “job” where I got paid to do stuff outside the home was (surprise) a babysitting gig when I was 14. It was a lively family of 5 children, ranging from about 1 to 10. The first four children were boys and the little baby was a girl. I was approached by the mom one day on my way home from the bus stop – her house is along my route and visible from the stop, so I guess she’d seen me here and there. She needed help managing all those kids so she asked if I’d come watch them. Much of the time she just needed help while she was home, so she could get some work done. Sometimes I helped with the work, other times I made sure the kids were ok. The oldest son didn’t need any watching and basically did his own thing. Two of the other boys would sometimes fight and otherwise cause a ruckus. The one who didn’t fight much was autistic so he needed additional attention, but was mostly happy to watch videos all day. And the baby girl would usually be in her crib playing or sleeping. I don’t think I was very good at it, but I did manage to lighten the mom’s load as much as I could. What an experience it was for me, an only child!

The second job, working at a Chinese buffet
When I was 15, I had reached out to a local Chinese buffet that my parents and I ate at consistently. I wanted a job after the babysitting gig ended, so I spoke to the manager and he took down my number. One day, they actually contacted me to say they were interested, so I got the appropriate work clothing and began as a bus boy/waitress. Initially, they wanted me to just help seat guests and get their drinks, but I kind of ended up waitressing too. Every now and then I’d help out in the kitchen and once I even ran an errand to get groceries when they were running low. I cleaned a lot of tables and poured a lot of fountain drinks. Tips were shared among the “real” waitresses and since I was technically a bus boy, I didn’t get split any (but I didn’t mind). The highlight was when one family was leaving, noticed that the tip they left for me was cleaned up by another waitress, and they flagged me down to give me a $5 bill to thank me specifically. Awww. Scheduling conflicts quickly ended this job – I was a student first, after all!

girls swim team at danbury ymca in early 2000s

I couldn’t find a picture of any of my jobs but this is a pic from the YMCA swim team I was on!

The third job, teaching swim lessons at the YMCA!
A few months later, I was practicing at the YMCA pool (where I was on the swim team) when I was approached to be a swim instructor. I thought it might be a joke since it was April Fool’s that day, but the manager got back to me and we set up a time for me to start! I watched other instructors teach and assisted with their lesson until I could do it on my own. I forget what level I taught – probably Minnows or something – but the kids were mostly about 5 or 6, though I think some were up to 9 or 10. I wasn’t very confident in my skills with kids, but I did have fun and I think they did too. I mean, the goal of the class was basically to help them not drown if they ever fell in a pool. Any sort of swimming skills beyond that was a bonus! Their favorite part was at the end of class, when I’d take them one by one, have them hug me, hold their breath, and we’d go under the water for a few seconds. They came out squealing in delight!

That summer, I ended up having to move away. At my new place, I was too busy getting used to the new environment, not only academically, but physically and socially as well. For the rest of high school, I focused on SAT prep and getting decent grades and applying for college. No more jobs! Next week I’ll be sharing the jobs I had in college, when I started working again.

What was your job history like during high school? Did you try out a bunch of things too or did you not work at all?

365great Day 84: exfoliators

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365great challenge day 84: exfoliatorsI love a good scrub with some exfoliators. It’s so refreshing and leaves my skin softer afterwards. I’ve seen products that exfoliate without the beads/particles, but they just don’t feel as satisfying, you know? Having small particles I can feel gently rubbing on my skin just seems to work more than foaming bubbles would. Maybe I’m wrong, but I imagine my skin and pores being resistant to cleaning, so a more “rough” method is just the ticket! I love the texture of exfoliating scrubs, which can range from very smooth, tiny beads to larger, rather pointy grits. For my body, I use the ones that will provide more grind and for my face I generally get smooth beads so I don’t micro scratch my skin or something. What better way to revive your skin than to slough off the dead stuff? Are you a fan of that feeling too? I think it’s great.

Dolphin show

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Been awhile since I did a video post! Do you even watch them? I hope so.

Here I’ve compiled a few videos I took at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. Really fun place to visit! Dolphins are so smart and playful.

idle dolphin playing ball from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

dolphin flips from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

synchronized dolphin jumps from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

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