September « 2013 « ((little fat notebook))

What I missed about the UK

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: experience, food, panda, pictures, products, travel

05 September 2013

A few months ago, Panda and I made plans to go out on a UK trip for the summer and I could hardly wait! There are so many things there that I wanted to share with him. I studied abroad there back in 2006-2007 and I’ve only been back once since. We were hoping to try to go for the London Olympics last year, but that got a little crazy and we opted for a different trip instead. This year is still a great time to go though, since it’s the 50th anniversary of the University of York where I studied and while we’re at it, I figured we might as well find some fun Prince George memorabilia too. 😛

Here are a few things I’ve missed about living in the UK!

Sunday roast

~British food – There are a variety of things I loved eating, especially Yorkshire pudding. I also love how they put sweet corn in their tuna sandwiches. Yum!

Cobblestone streets

~Cobblestone streets – I don’t know what it is about cobblestone – perhaps because oftentimes it’s pedestrian traffic only and if cars do drive on them they tend to go slower… and the slower, quieter life is quite alluring.

Quiet living

~Quieter lifestyle – I like the more peaceful pace I find in European towns and I love how there is a lot more walking and generally a cleaner air quality.

Cute little towns

~Cute little towns – tying in many of the other things I mentioned, I enjoy the overall atmosphere and lifestyle you find in smaller towns. So adorable!

boxes of celebrations and quality street candies

Celebrations & Quality Street

~European candies – I love Celebrations and Quality Street the most, but there are also a bunch of other amazing delicious candies I treat myself to while there (like Crunchies!). I find European milk chocolate to be much creamier and oh so smooth.

Digestives

~Digestives – When I first heard of these I thought they sounded like Pepto Bismol. Luckily, they are nothing of the sort and taste delicious! I guess you’re supposed to drink tea with them but I just eat them like cookies!

bags of sensations roasted chicken & thyme and thai sweet chilli chips and hula hoops potato rings

Sensations & Hula Hoops

~Sensations & Hula Hoops – The Brits seem to enjoy two extremes: heavily meat flavored stuff and sweet flavored salty stuff. I love the sweet and salty combo for sure and I sometimes like the meat taste. As for Hula Hoops, I can’t get enough of their super crisp texture.

Well, that rounds up the things I craved about life in the UK. Apparently it was pretty much all lifestyle and food. 🙂 What’s your favorite foreign good?

365great Day 174: malt balls

laelene Posted in 365great，Tags: 365great, bakery, candy, food, pictures, shopping, snacks, travel

04 September 2013

Learn more about 365great here.

One of my favorite treats is malt balls. Their crispy, honeycomb-like texture is so much fun to chew on and the way they crumble and melt in your mouth is like none other. They generally come with a nice coat of chocolate that makes the deal even sweeter. The taste is sweet but not overwhelming and they make a great addition to ice cream! I was delighted to find this Maltesers slice offered at a bakery in Edinburgh, so of course that’s what I ordered. Combined with the white chocolate, it was fabulously chewy in both a soft and crispy way. I loved the contrast of the sweet chocolate with the more cracker-like quality of the malt balls and I’m pretty sure that bottom part of chocolate was fudge. What a fantastic little treat! It was very filling and I was able to split it into two snacks. Nom! I enjoy malt balls of all kinds and I’ve had at least three brands of them. All great!

That Asian (American) couple

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: asian american, china, chinese, panda, pictures, tourists, travel

04 September 2013

Are there not enough Asians who live in the UK? Everywhere we go, Panda and I have been grouped into the Asian category. People see us and assume we came from China. We’ve had ladies on the street ask us for directions in Mandarin and restaurant owners who speak to us in Chinese dialects. They seem shocked, bewildered even, when they hear us speak English with American accents or act like we don’t understand Chinese. It’s as if the only Asians in all of Great Britain are tourists or something. I mean, I feel like we’ve seen our fair share of Chinese people milling about, but I guess it is true that each and every one of them was a Chinese tourist (at least all the ones I heard say anything).

tourists in plaza by buckingham palace in london

Chinese or American tourist? Do I have have to choose between them?

Still, it’s been quite an experience for me to relive the times in my childhood when my American-ness was a big deal. Whenever I’d go back to China as a kid, I got a fair share of attention for being “that American girl” who grew up not like the rest of them. As I grew up it became less and less unusual. In the US, particularly in the Los Angeles region, not only is it normal, it’s practically expected that you grew up in America. The majority of my peers are born and bred Americans. I don’t often run into those who have recently emmigrated and are still new to American culture, though there are still plenty of those. For the most part, Asians of all sorts in California have likely been in the country for a least one generation if not more. I’m of a slightly less common variety of those who moved as a toddler. Most of my Asian-American friends are true ABCs and a lot don’t even speak Chinese. I’m glad that I do, or I’d feel even more awkward out here!

A few weeks ago, I started to learn Cantonese partly because it is so weird to sit around not understanding what’s going on at a Cantonese restaurant when Panda is conversing with the staff. I always wonder if those people think I’m an ABC who has little to no ties to the mainland, or if they realize that I’m just a Mandarin speaker who can’t make sense of the Cantonese going on around me. I hate feeling left out so I figured I might as well learn basic terms to get me through standard day-to-day conversations!

It’s funny how we’re now mistaken for tourists from mainland China when Panda’s never even been and I’ve always been identified as an outsider. I never could understand how I’d go back to China and people would know right away that I wasn’t raised there. When I was younger, my extremely tan skin probably gave it away. Now that I’m paler have I lost my scarlet letter? Or is it just that people abroad can’t tell as easily as those in China? Whatever the case, I’ve suddenly become a lot more conscious of our outer appearance not always matching up to what people assume us to be. I feel out of place already as a foreigner and that just adds another layer. It will be nice to return home where our Asian-American-ness is not questioned!

365great Day 173: sleek hair

laelene Posted in 365great，Tags: 365great, experience, personal care, pictures, travel, weather, wind

03 September 2013

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Oh it feels so good to have soft, smooth hair. It’s been a long time since I’ve had to deal with wind and I am not fond of having to detangle my hair once I get back indoors. I really enjoy the feeling of freshly washed and gently dried hair that has just the right volume and falls into place beautifully. That’s my favorite part about showering in the mornings, because I get to enjoy nice hair throughout the day. It feels wonderful to run my fingers through my hair and have them glide through easily. I also enjoy the slightly damp feeling of still-drying hair, which gives it a darker color and a more shiny look. Healthy hair is a lovely thing, though it’s interesting how as soon as the strand of hair leaves your head it becomes something rather gross (at least that’s how it is for me). But a nice head of hair can look great and often gives people a boost of confidence.

Blissmobox: Splendid Spa

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: beauty, blissmobox, drinks, eco-friendly, food, green, health, pictures, products, reviews, skincare, snacks, sprays

03 September 2013

This was a special offer box for Valentine’s (yeah, yeah it was ages ago… I’m getting close to caught up!) and I chose the Splendid Spa one because I wanted to treat myself. I’d seen this offered before and I didn’t get it, so this was perfect. At the $20 price point, I felt like it was a decent deal.

There were four boxes on sale for the Valentine’s blissmobox special.

I got an even better deal when they accidentally sent out a different box (Skin’n’Hair Care) and then had some customer services issues that ultimately led to me getting refunded. I can’t remember the details, but there was quite a bit of confusion and ultimately I still got what I wanted though I almost didn’t receive this box.

Choice Organic Teas, Jasmine Green Tea – I’ve got a major backlog in tea, so these are still neatly packaged waiting for me to break them in. I do enjoy the fragrance of jasmine tea and these will be great to bring along when I’m traveling. I love that they’re organic since the flavor probably tastes better that way. I’m also considering keeping these as a gift or to use as part of a giveaway basket eventually.

hellomellow, energy shifting spray in relax – Misting myself is so much fun! A little spray of this on my face is perfect to help soothe me. I tried to use it to help me sleep but that didn’t work out so well, so I think this is best suited for a refresher in the daytime when I want a little bit of calming scent. This is a brand I’ve long been interested in and I definitely want to try out more of their line.

Level Naturals, Shower Bomb – Wow, so minty! These will definitely wake you right up and help unclog any stuffed noses. Sometimes I like to get a whiff of them just to clear up my sinuses. I’ve been saving them to use when I start work and need to wake up early in the morning! I really feel like half would be plenty for a shower, so I’m going to get a good 8 showers out of this.

ScentsbyEilena, Nail Rescue – At first I thought the card was for this product since it was stuck to it, but it turns out that it was an info card for hellomellow, so ignore the background in the picture! This is sealed so I didn’t want to open it until I’ve used up some of my cuticle oil. It’s a very small brand that I think might no longer be in business unfortunately. I’ve never understood what healthy vs. unhealthy cuticles look like so I can never tell if these things work.

Olive Remedy, cuticle cream – Hmm, interesting that they chose to include two cuticle creams in one box! I mean, how much could one person possibly use? I think the concept of this one is really cool, using olive oil for their main ingredient. That’s new to me since I generally think of it as something you eat or perhaps rub into your hair. Apparently it’s great for sensitive skin though, so even babies could use it! Not that their cuticles need any conditioning…

Dream Water, Snoozeberry – I think this might have been the very first Dream Water I received. Since then I’ve gotten many from various boxes and I think I still have 4 more to drink. They’ll come in useful as I try to recover from jetlag and get into work mode. I’ve found that one bottle feels like a lot and I only drank 3/4 when I tried it. I’ll force myself to guzzle the whole thing this weekend and see if it knocks me out or what.

Normally there’d be more info on these brands, but this time there was just a welcome message.

365great Day 172: afternoon tea

laelene Posted in 365great，Tags: 365great, drinks, food, habits, pictures, tea

02 September 2013

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This is a British tradition that I wish I could partake in more often! I love drinking tea and eating small snacks. I’ve only had afternoon tea a few times and each has been wonderfully enjoyable. Part of it has to do with the fact that you’re taking a break in the afternoon; there’s something very serene about stopping to sip tea at that time. I think we often get carried away with the fast pace of life and taking time to slow down and savor the afternoon is a beautiful thing. Plus, I’m a big fan of snacking and the treats associated with tea time are all fabulous. Of course the best part is probably still the tea, all steaming and fragrant. I love a fresh brew of loose leaf tea. Nom! Tea time is great not only for the pick-me-up but getting us to take a moment to truly enjoy our day.

Getting optimal sleep

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: cats, experiences, habits, missy, panda, pictures, pillows, sleeping, travel

02 September 2013

After staying at so many hotels on the UK trip, I’ve learned quite a bit about what I like when it comes to my sleeping arrangement. I’ve also been noticing I need more sleep while traveling – at home I’d settled into a routine of about 6 hours, but when on the go I could sleep on for 8-10 hours if I didn’t have to get up. It makes sense since I spent so much of my day on my feet, walking for hours on end.

So what’s the best thing to come back to after a long, tiring day? Well, a cozy and warm bed. The weather is nothing like the California heat my body has gotten accustomed to and even the winter is Virginia was pretty mild so my body tends to be cold (especially with some of that crazy wind in Edinburgh!). Thankfully, the coldest place had the warmest blanket – a down comforter that kept me nice and toasty. I definitely want to get one of those for my own bed sometime! However, when I’m that snug, it’s sooo hard to get out of bed so perhaps that isn’t the best idea…

sleeping with cat resting in crook of arm and head resting on chest

I love snuggling with Missy.

Back in college I got an amazing body pillow and between that, the down comforter I was using as a mattress topper, and my cozy blanket, I couldn’t drag myself out of bed for a week. Now that’s the sort of sleep I like best. I enjoy being in a super cush environment surrounded by soft blankets and pillows. That might be why I love having my cat sleep with me – she’s so soft and warm! Plus, she purrs and that is very soothing – great for lulling me to sleep. 🙂

In high school and college I could sleep like there was no tomorrow. I’d easily stay in bed until the early afternoon and then saunter out around 1 or 2. Now that I’ve been getting enough sleep at night, with no more all-nighters to pull, I’ve discovered that 6 hours of sleep is the magic number. I wonder if it’s also partly due to changes from aging? I mean, older people do seem to sleep less, it seems. Still, that might not be accurate since Panda manages to sleep a good 10-12 hours on the weekend if he gets the chance. It’s funny how different our bodies are. I can operate perfectly fine on almost half the sleep that he needs!

What I’ve learned and relearned over the years is that if you wear yourself out during the day, you crash hard and fast at night. I sort of miss those days when I was too busy to stop and treasured my precious little sleep. I don’t enjoy my sleep nearly as much now and if I do get really deep sleep I tend to dream, which doesn’t give me as restful sleep. Ah, the intricacies of trying to find the optimal zone of getting enough restful sleep… it’s all so complex!

Are you the same and don’t need much sleep or could you win a sleeping contest?

365great Day 171: vitality

laelene Posted in 365great，Tags: 365great, exercise, experience, fitness, health, panda, pictures, travels, youth

01 September 2013

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While traveling through the UK, Panda and I often found ourselves with a bit of a challenging task getting around. We’d only resort to taxis if there was no other way, so that meant a lot of walking to get from hotels to stations with our luggage. For the most part we did a good job, getting hotels very close to a station, but with Edinburgh we got a bit confused and accidentally booked a train ticket into Waverly Station, but a hotel near Haymarket. Upon arrival, we had a choice: walk the 1.2 miles or get train tickets for the next station over. At first I figured we’d just get tickets but Panda got ambitious and decided we should walk it. After all, we’re now pros at walking extensively throughout these cities – what’s another mile? And so we braved the fierce wind and chilly night to make it to our hotel. It feels invigorating to be able to do things like this and not have to worry about poor health or physical ailments or just plain weakness getting in the way. I treasure the health we have now and the strength and endurance our bodies are capable of. As we age, I’m sure we’ll be more and more spoiled by services like cab drives and bell hops. Until then, I love that we can do these things and not even be out of breath. What a great feeling!

Photo A Day Challenge August 2013

laelene Posted in photo blog，Tags: photo a day, photo challenge, pictures

01 September 2013

Alright, so I did my #monthoffood personal photo challenge and found that my habits are on the greasy side, with a sprinkling of fruits and veggies. Not the best but boy is it yummy. 😉 For September I’ve decided to do a theme of #upandout where I focus more on what I see and encounter when I look up and/or out. Catch you next month when it’s all done! And here is a look at the food I ate throughout August: