365great Day 114: electric toothbrushes

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Oh, how technology makes our lives eas365great challenge day 114: electric toothbrusheser. With less effort, we can actually get our teeth cleaner than if we manually scrubbed those pearly whites ourselves. Battery-powered toothbrushes offer the extra boost in power that humans wouldn’t be able to pull off on our own, which can more effectively shake loose anything hiding between your teeth or gums and even rub off plaque buildup. Oftentimes, you don’t even have to move your brush back and forth anymore! A simple steady hand holding the bristles on your teeth, a press of a button to activate the vibrating motion, and the electric toothbrush takes care of the rest. Truly, a savior for all weak wrists and arms everywhere. So here’s to making oral hygiene easier than ever! Isn’t that great?

Seabuck Wonders Facial Cleanser & Cream review

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seabuck wonders facial cleanser and cream boxes

I mentioned my awesome win with these Seabuck Wonders products (Sea Buckthorn Exfoliating Facial Cleanser & Sea Buckthorn Facial Cream) a few weeks ago and I wanted to write a more in-depth review of them both. I’ve really enjoyed using them so far and I love how unique they are! Seabuck Wonders products are vegan and free of parabens, cruelty, dairy, wheat, and gluten.

seabuck wonders exfoliating facial cleanser bottle and sample dropFirst is the exfoliating facial cleanser, which has small beads in a yellowish clear mixture. It come with a pretty standard pump head and you barely need to press down to get enough to use. It was a challenge to get it to work at first – you might have to unscrew the cap and pump a few times like I did. The consistency is somewhat runny, if you can tell from the photograph. It has a light fruity sort of smell – not as sweet as strawberry or peach, but not fully citrusy like lemon or lime. I can’t quite place it, but it smells nice and soothing. All you need is a teeny tiny drop! That drop on my fingers is probably twice as much as I needed. I really like how this cleanser is slippery so it spread over your face well. As you massage, it will foam a wee bit, but probably not something you’d even notice so don’t expect to see bubbles. Everything glides so smoothly on your face that it takes a few extra splashes to wash it off. Personally, I enjoy that since I can feel exactly where it was and I know it covered my whole face. However, if you like more goopy and less slimy cleansers, you may not enjoy the tactile experience.

Would I buy this when I run out? Yes, probably (after I use up some of my other cleansers).

seabuck wonders facial cream bottle and sample dropThen there’s the facial cream, which is a milky yellow/orange hue. I love this little bottle, which has a super cool dispenser! Once again, a tiny little push gives you plenty of product to work with. The amount shown in the picture is probably double what’s needed for your face and neck. This one smells less sweet and has more of a citrus with some other element I can’t identify. I’d say it’s more masculine-smelling than the facial cleanser. It is very hydrating and absorbs well into the skin, but it not meant for controlling oil so you may need some shine control afterwards if you’re prone to oily skin. I don’t have wrinkles or visible sun damage, so I can’t speak to how the cream may help against those, but I’ve heard great things about sea buckthorn so I would definitely try this when I need help with wrinkles or sun damage.

Would I buy this when I run out? Probably not for awhile, since I have somewhat oily skin and I’m more interested in a moisturizer that controls oil. However, this could be great for the dry winter months.

365great Day 113: road trips

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365great challenge day 113: road tripsIt’s such a fun, exhilarating, even romantic concept, isn’t it? Road tripping is super popular with Americans, if only as a fantasy, but plenty do manage to do at least some small ones. Whether you’re driving 3 hours or 3 days, it can be quite the experience to pack up, hop in the car, and hit the open road. Panda and I made a little one for the 4th of July break, trekking up to Pennsylvania to check out Hershey and Gettysburg, with a stop in Harrisburg. It was fun to be alone in the car together, with plenty of time for conversation, sightseeing, and overall bonding. It reminded me of trips I took with my parents as a kid – I’d spend a lot of time reading or looking at the landscape passing by as my parents sang Chinese songs playing on the cassette. We’d make pit stops for gas and food and I’d snuggle in with a blanket and pillow. What fond memories! Road trips are great for that.

Harrisburg’s amazing 4th of July fireworks

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Ok, seriously, I was really impressed by the fireworks show put on in Harrisburg for the 4th of July. Panda and I spent the day out in Hershey and had originally planned to go out there to watch the fireworks, but since our hotel was in Harrisburg, we figured there was probably something there that we could watch. We confirmed it with hotel staff and while our room faced the wrong way, their executive lounge overlooks the river and has an excellent vantage point.

panoramic of susquehanna river from water level facing metro bank park stadium

 

There were festivities going on down by the river, which we went to check out. There we found a TON of people claiming their spots to watch the fireworks for the night. We stumbled upon some stairs that took us right down to the river and sat there for a bit, considering staying for the show. It was pretty much directly across from the Metro Bank Park, which is the stadium where the fireworks were purportedly originating from. However, the cement ground was uncomfortable and we didn’t want to get caught in the crowds leaving afterwards, so we retreated to our hotel and staked a claim in the executive lounge.

rice crispy treats dyed reddish pink topped with white sprinkles and blue sugar bits

While waiting in the lounge, we snacked on some patriotic treats.

4th of july fireworks over metro bank park stadiumAround 9, we were looking up whether the game had ended (hotel staff had told us the fireworks would start at that point). Right then, the first firework went off! I thought they’d wait until it got a bit darker, but as we stood captivated by the fireworks display, the sky darkened without us even realizing so ultimately it was a fabulous night show. About 10 minutes in, the fireworks over the stadium died down but just as I wondered if the show was over, much larger ones picked up north of the stadium. I presume these were from a barge in the river.

4th of july fireworks show over susquehanna river as viewed from hilton harrisburg executive lounge

Suddenly the fireworks over the river started and went well past dusk.

The sudden transition was completely unexpected and really quite amazing! I mean, my mind was blown. This is the first time I’ve had a fireworks show that went from one location to another, one right after the other and pretty close to each other. I loved it! They also had a bunch of fireworks I like, such as those that seem to fizzle out after their initial explosion, but then have mini explosions that dance around and then yet another set before finishing. They also had this super cool spiral-shaped one that I’d never seen before in all the shows I’ve watched. I’ve got to say, I was pleasantly surprised and rather impressed with the combined shows! The second one lasted about 20 minutes for a total of 30 minutes of entertainment for the night. Go USA!

365great Day 112: butterflies

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365great challenge day 112: butterfliesButterflies are such interesting insects. The way they transform from crawling caterpillars to flitting butterflies is amazing. The way their tongue curls up when they’re not eating, then uncurls to reach deep into flowers for nectar is fascinating. The way they gently flutter their wings to fly about is captivating. They also represent so much to us – hope, rebirth, luck, and even that nervous or happy energy we get in our stomachs. Who doesn’t love observing these gorgeous creatures? They’re so delicate and fun to watch. I visited a butterfly house today and it was great!

Job history: college summers edition

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If you missed the first two parts of this series, you can go read about the jobs I had in high school and the jobs I had during my college school terms.

I was one of the students who didn’t take summer school, but used that as a chance to land internships and try to figure out my career path. Even though I double majored, I carefully planned my classes from the very first quarter so I wouldn’t need summer school. I did end up taking an extra quarter, but that was because I didn’t realize that studying abroad limited how many classes I could take. Apparently they don’t take well to overly ambitious plans for education abroad programs, even if you are learning in your native language. But I digress. I certainly took advantage of those summers to try out some pretty diverse jobs!

As my first year of college was wrapping up, I had my eye on getting an internship. I tried a bunch of things, but everything was so competitive and very few companies would even look at a first year student. Ultimately, I was able to land an internship with a small film company about to film a low-budget movie. With all this entertainment industry influence around me in Los Angeles, I figured I should see if it was something I’d want to get into. I started off doing administrative work during pre-production. I looked through Craigslist to find housing for actors and I even found a dog to be in the movie. I helped book things and plan things and manage things. I also got to go out scouting a few times, driving around all parts of LA looking for that perfect spot for this and that scene.

filming messiah's castle scene of wristcutters with lots of extras

One of the scenes in the movie, in which I got pulled in to be an extra extra (har har).


Once we started filming, I took on even more, constantly managing the changing grips and electrics, getting second meals (a ton of fast food after a long day as we’re wrapping up for the day/night), wrangling extras, running lines with actors occasionally, and going around doing all that production assistants do. I enjoyed seeing all the behind-the-scenes stuff and running the operation was fitting for my skills. I learned a lot, met a lot of cool people, and even got to put my cat in the film – hence my credit as cat handler. I was probably in there somewhere as well, but only in scenes where you can’t even find me. Oh, and one time I found they’d used my car for a scene… we were very low budget. (The film’s title is Wristcutters: A Love Story, by the way – in case you want to watch it. :))

When it came time for my second summer internship, I wanted to explore a different industry. Since one of my majors was economics, I decided to see if I might want to pursue a career in finance. I landed an internship at Smith Barney with a duo who managed the financial portfolios of mostly aerospace employees. They’d carved out a niche for themselves so they could be one of the most knowledgeable in that area of expertise. Very smart! I spent my time there learning how to cold call, prepare financial portfolios, do financial research, and run a small portion of an office. They taught me how to read the financial portfolios, shared with me how they strategized, and being in that office space showed me what it was like to work in a big office high rise.

working at whole foods demoing food

The only picture I have from my food demoing days.


That same summer is when I found a job to do on the side, since my internship only required 8 hours a week. I became a Product Demonstrator, going to various grocery stores in the LA area, setting up a little table, and giving out samples of food, drinks, and whatnot. My employer was a third party company that represented many brands, so I got to demonstrate everything from ice cream to health bars to tea. I mostly went to Whole Foods to share the products, but sometimes I got sent to other grocery stores as well. For one brand, we actually did our work in Costco! I was pretty good at this job since I love interacting with people and I always carefully read and memorized all the selling points of the product. I did this job on and off for about two years because it was so flexible and I enjoyed it a lot.

ucla live events wall collage of images from event pamplets

I didn’t think to take many pictures so this is all I have – the collage on the wall from programs for the various shows.


When I returned from my year abroad, I interned with UCLA Live! (apparently renamed the Center for the Art of Performance at UCLA), which organized live performing arts events affiliated with the university. I was to help with their marketing, which I figured would be a good way to explore my other major, which was in psychology. I did a fair share of warm calls and emails to help promote the upcoming lineup of events for the season. I also had some cold calling to do to try to increase the database of potential attendees. While I didn’t help with the marketing strategy much, I did learn about it and did what I could to push it along.

Finally, when it came to my last summer – the one after my fourth year – I decided that I wanted to do something for myself. Every summer before, I’d gone out and done an internship. It was probably expected that I’d do one more since I was coming back for a final term in the fall and it wasn’t quite time to secure a job yet, but I wanted something else. I was suddenly reminded of my dream to be an Orientation Counselor. Back when I attended orientation, I had such a good time and saw the counselors having such a fantastic time that I told myself I wanted to become one someday. I then kind of forgot about it as the years went on and I learned so much. But then, somehow the idea crept back into my mind (or maybe it was in my subconscious the whole time) and it was now or never. If I was ever to be an OC, it had to be that summer, so I went for it. I was pretty nervous when I went to pick up the notification letter from the office. It was just a tiny letter so I couldn’t tell if it was good news or bad. I was pretty thrilled when I read “Congratulations!”

group of students standing on janss steps at ucla with counselors telling stories

Part of the job was giving tours of the UCLA campus, where we shared many urban legends.


All of spring quarter, the orientation staff met twice a week to train. It was basically like taking another class, since it had quite a bit of homework and a big test at the end. We learned so much about the academic requirements for incoming freshmen vs. transfers, all the cool resources available to students, tons of students groups for so many interests, and just about every aspect of life at UCLA. Don’t worry, we had fun too! I made some great friends and even met Panda there. Serendipity brought us together! (More on that another day.) Once the summer started, it was intense fun and hard work. Session after session of students came and went, we helped them choose majors and pick classes, we took them on tours of campus, and we even performed some pretty amazing skits. On our days off, counselors had various bonding activities planned including a trip to Vegas, hanging out in the middle of the night to watch the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony, and just plain enjoying each others’ company. I had a fantastic time!

That wraps up everything I did while I was an undergrad at UCLA. Stay tuned for the “real world” job experience I’ve had so far!

What did you fill your college summers with?

365great Day 111: watermelon seeds

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365great challenge day 111: watermelon seedsI’m not generally into seeds or nuts, but when it comes to watermelon seeds, I can’t resist. They’re super salty and flavorful, which is exactly how I like my food. The cracking experience is fun – I get to perfect my technique (a straight crack down the middle takes skill) and it forces me to not eat too fast. Plus, since it’s so salty, your tongue and lips start to get sensitive after awhile, so it’s much harder (and rather painful) to push the limit. Of course mostly I love it for the taste itself: the salty exterior and the more mild interior. I could go through handfuls of the stuff before I need a break. They taste so great!

Yuzen December 2012 edition

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I’ve been putting off this post because I didn’t have adequate pictures, but I managed to get some of all but one product so I’ll go ahead now. I know it’s super late but sometimes you’ll get a different item from the same brand so if you subscribe to Yuzen, you can become more familiar with these brands. Even if you don’t subscribe, perhaps you’re curious about one of these products before you purchase!

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). :)

items in yuzen december 2012 box laid out

I got so carried away with the products that I didn’t even take proper unboxing photos!

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 sibu beauty cleansing face and body bar included in the december 2012 yuzen boxSibu Beauty – Sea Buckthorn Cleansing Face and Body Bar: One of my absolute favorite products has been this Sibu cleansing face & body bar. It smells AMAZING and feels so good on your skin. It’s gentle enough for your face, but effective for use on your entire body. Sea buckthorn is an up-and-coming superfruit that has rare Omega-7s, which are apparently good for you. This brand in general is pretty great – their products are cruelty-free and contain no parabens, preservatives, etc. They also source their sea buckthorn through fair trade agreements. Love it!

collage of red flower candle in ocean included in the december 2012 yuzen boxred flower – ocean little flower candle: This is a cute little candle with unexpected burning power! You probably wouldn’t guess that it can burn for about 15 hours! When I first read that, I thought it was supposed to be 1.5 hours. But true to its word, I started burning one and it lasted hours upon hours. I didn’t track exactly how many hours it burned for, but I logged at least 12 before I lost track. I didn’t actually burn this scent yet so I don’t know how it fills the room, but it has a subtle scent that I think I’ll enjoy. One thing to note – due to the small size, the glass can get quite hot so be careful when handling.

collage of tara bath therapy bath salts included in the december 2012 yuzen boxTARA Bath Therapy – stress relieving bath salts: This pouch of bath salts is very fine-grained. It’s practically powder, which I imagine would dissolve well in water. It smells nice and relaxing – a sweet but not overpowering scent. I rarely take baths, so I’ve actually yet to try this, but I’m really looking forward to when I do. I’ve been bringing it with me on my travels just in case I happen to get an opportunity for a bath.

collage of spa technologies hydrating laminaria oil included in the december 2012 yuzen boxSpa Technologies – Hydrating Laminaria Oil: This oil has a lovely faint scent that I guess is the laminaria? I’ve never heard of that before and apparently it’s a type of brown algae. Actually, I don’t think algae really has a scent, so it must be the essential oils they used. There’s a hint of citrus that makes this oil refreshing. I’ve been massaging it in after my showers and it makes my skin feel great. I never really tried oil before this, but now I’m hooked.

collage of ambre blends essences included in the december 2012 yuzen boxAmbre Blends – essences sample pack: These are small samples that I wish came with little spritzers so I could mist them over myself. The names of the scents don’t tell me much – ambre, solace, invoke, and unmasque essences. They are very faint scents that I could barely pick out. Solace is my favorite because it has a fresh yet warm sort of scent. Invoke reminded me of the outdoors, like grass and water and other greenery. Unmasque was a warmer scent and I really couldn’t pick out a scent for ambre. They certainly meant it when they said their scents are delicate! I love that they’re vegan and I think you’d get a far better sense once you start rubbing it in your skin and letting your body heat bring out the scent more.

collage of sparitual nail polish in hunk of burnin' love and multi-tasker base & topcoat in one included in the december 2012 yuzen boxSpaRitual – nail lacquers in Hunk of Burnin’ Love and Multi-Tasker Base & Topcoat in One: These nail polishes are so cute and apply really well. I love the bright red color, which was fitting for the holiday months when I got it. SpaRitual makes vegan polishes that are at least 3-free, if not 5-free (aka they don’t use some of the harmful chemicals in older formulas). You can feel great about your nail polish and look great too!

Missy J’sMint, Lime, Sea Salt Truffley Treats: This is the one item I can’t photograph since the remaining pack I have is at my parents’ house. It’s crazy that these chocolates are vegan, with no dairy in addition to no caffeine, refined sugar, or wheat. It’s slightly more crumbly than chocolate I’m used to and perhaps it’s the mint+lime+sea salt combo, but I wasn’t a huge fan. For those who like that flavor combination and/or are looking for a vegan chocolate, this is a great alternative. I’ve seen plenty of other people who enjoy the taste and are very grateful for all the ingredients it manages to keep out. Perfect for those with dietary restrictions!

365great Day 110: Inko’s tea

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365great challenge day 110: inko's teaThis is probably my favorite brand of bottled tea, ever. I love white tea and I love blueberries, so I try just about every white tea or blueberry tea that I can find. Many years ago, I saw Inko’s on the shelves at Whole Foods and I love how light yet flavorful it is. I started getting it as a treat every now and then. When I discovered the case discount offered at Whole Foods, of course I had to start buying this amazing drink by the case. After all, the sealed bottles can sit for a long time so why not buy in bulk and save? More recently, in the past year or so, I started trying their other flavors and fell in love with the white peach one as well. I’ve always been a sucker for white peaches and this is a great tea to have when I want something a little sweeter and stronger than the blueberry tea. Between these two flavors, I have no need for any other bottled tea. They’re both so great!

Disney World haul

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Remember when Panda and I stayed at the Hilton Anaheim to earn Disney gift cards? Maybe not, since I only mentioned it in passing. Well, we actually stayed for two visits of 4+ nights, which earned us a $100 gift card each time. With $200 to spend on Disney gear (or tickets, if we had wanted to visit the theme park), we had quite a bit of shopping to do on our trip to Orlando. Totally coincidental that we had a trip to the Disney World region right after earning those gift cards, but it worked out perfectly. 🙂

disney products laid out including beach towels, tshirts, trucker hat, tank tops, scarves, coffee scoop, foot scrub, and golf balls

What $200 can get you at Disney.

We spent hours wandering the stores at Downtown Disney and also making trips out to the outlets to see what those Disney stores had to offer. We ended up with two Walt Disney World beach towels, a ladies tshirt, a trucker hat, a set of 3 Mickey golf balls, two scarves, a men’s tshirt, a men’s Hawaiian shirt, an h2o+ foot scrub, two tank tops, and a coffee scoop. Not bad, eh? We got items from three different stores and managed to find something for everyone – ourselves as well as his parents, my parents, his brother, and my cousin. Pretty proud of our haul!

What would you have gotten with $200 to spend on anything Disney?

disney golf balls, coffee scoop, and h2o+ foot scrub

Closer look at the smaller items.

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