365great Day 145: giveaways

laelene Posted in 365great，Tags: , , , , , ,
06 August 2013
2

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365great challenge day 145: giveawaysAh! I wanted to find a giveaway to use for this image so I decided to go to Ramblings of a Suburban Mom because she’s awesome and I know she’s been doing some great giveaways. I was soooooooo unbelievably thrilled to find that she’s giving away Zoku products! AND THEN I kept reading and discovered she’s giving away a Homegrown Collective box too (they’re the first thing I’m ordering when I get a job)!!! I swear, I can’t be any happier. And this is exactly why giveaways rock so much. Sure, you won’t win most of the time, but honestly if you keep trying, you will. I set my heart out to win Conscious Box because I wanted to try it without having to pay and when I found that they were really promoting themselves amongst bloggers, I tracked down a ton of giveaways and entered them all. I didn’t just win one 3-month subscription, but three! Granted, two were part of the same giveaway, where I could gift a subscription to a friend, but that’s still awesome. Similarly, I reaaaally wanted to win Escape Monthly so I entered dozens of giveaways for that as well AND won twice yet again! Of course, winning makes you feel super, but even just participating and hoping brings a little joy each day. Sometimes it’s nice just to get involved and share in other people’s happiness as they win. And then winning a giveaway? That’s beyond great.

365great Day 144: bread

laelene Posted in 365great，Tags: , , , ,
05 August 2013
0

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365great challenge day 144: breadBread comes in so many shapes and forms: as buns, rolls, baguettes, loaves, and more. You can get sourdough or whole grain or English muffin or rye… I mean, there are almost boundless ways that you can enjoy bread and I love so many types. It’s filling, not too sweet or salty, and goes well with a lot of other dishes. You can have it as a snack, along with appetizers, as a side dish, or as part of the main course. You can have it soft or crispy or soft with a crispy shell. You can add things to make it sweet or salty or let it be bland. How could you not enjoy something with so many options? You can really customize it to your preferences, whether it be according to taste, texture, ingredients, or otherwise. I’m a huge fan of French baguettes and my favorites are the ones they give you a piece of at Panera Bread. Nom!! They taste great.

365great Day 143: zero gravity chairs

laelene Posted in 365great，Tags: , , , , , , ,
04 August 2013
0

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365great challenge day 143: zero gravity chairsHave you ever seen these chairs at Brookstone? Sometimes you might find the massage-equipped one as shown, but they also have a non-massage one as well. The first time I ever tried one was the non-massage one and it was amazing. I couldn’t believe how feather light I felt. It literally did take the weight off me and it was so relaxing that I’ve put this on my wishlist. Today I tried out the massage one and found it to be quite effective for relieving some of my shoulder pain. This time, I did feel some vertigo when I came back upright, so now I know you’ve got to be more careful about getting up after the zero gravity experience. I love both of these versions and would probably get just the plain version since it’s a whole lot cheaper and I quite enjoy massages given by people. I mean, a chair that can make you feel weightless? That’s great in itself, no massage needed.

365great Day 142: future plans

laelene Posted in 365great，Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
03 August 2013
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365great challenge day 142: future plansAh, the anticipation of what’s to come! It gives you something to dream about, to hope for, and to think about. One of the main things on my mind these days is that ever-enticing move-in date, when Panda and I will have our brand new condo to call home! Here I took a picture of some construction plans for the site, which has yet to be built but today I saw they started the initial stages of laying the foundation; so exciting!! When you make plans, it gives you something to make decisions around and it often triggers tasks you can do, like buying or selling things, arranging and rearranging your schedule, and perhaps preparing to usher out the old to make way for the new. Sometimes it’s just another part of your day, but sometimes it’s a life-changing event. Whatever the case, our ability to think to the future and run scenarios in our imaginations is a pretty unique skill. So here’s to the future! Let’s make it great.

365great Day 141: shelves

laelene Posted in 365great，Tags: , , , , , ,
02 August 2013
0

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365great challenge day 141: shelvesWhen counter and desk space start to get crowded, one of the easiest ways to alleviate the problem without stuffing everything away into drawers is getting some shelving! I personally love shelves because it gives you so much room to put stuff and still see it all. I like to keep my stuff within easy reach and if I tuck it away into a drawer, I might not use it as much as I’d like. Recently I decided that I needed a shelving solution and I found this great 9-cube shelf at Target. Imagine the clutter I had with all that stuff before I had the shelves to help me out! Things were laying all over the floor, the bed, chairs, and nightstands. Now it’s much more organized and I can always drape something over the entire thing if it gets unsightly and I don’t want it to be an eyesore. I love storage solutions and shelves are one of the greatest.

365great Day 140: AppleCare

laelene Posted in 365great，Tags: , , , , ,
01 August 2013
0

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365great challenge day 140: applecareI seem to be unlucky in the luckiest way possible. Ever since I got my first iPhone back in 2010, I’ve had to go in to the Apple Store for Genius Bar appointments no less than a dozen times due to issues with my iPhone or iPad. About 8 or 9 of those visits resulted in me getting a new device or (once) a screen replaced. In fact, I wrote about some of the earlier experiences just so I wouldn’t forget. It’s such a frequent occurrence that all my visits and exchanges have started to blur together. While I’ve had my share of woes with my iPhone and iPad, I am very glad to have Apple Stores readily available to solve all my needs. I can’t imagine the hassle it would be with any other device, where the manufacturer would be far less willing to send you a new device, or it would be a drag to do like Panda’s was when his Android phone had issues. I’m very happy with the 1-year warranty coverage that my iDevices come with and surprisingly, I manage to not break them in the second year.

Just the other day I posted an image on Instagram of my shattered screen. I was holding my phone and a shower pouf, went to put the pouf on the towel rack in the shower, and BAM dropped by phone. The hard impact of the tub was enough to do quite some damage. Strangely, I wasn’t upset like with previous screen shatters. I’m not sure why, but perhaps it’s because I’m far too concerned about larger issues in my life now, like buying a home and getting a job. Ironically, I had been mulling over going into the Apple Store just days before since there was a dust speck in the camera lens that I had ignored since spring. It was in the corner and mostly unobtrusive, but I wanted to get a new device swapped out before my warranty ran out in September. It happened right after I’d gone in on two separate occasion for that same issue so I was sick of trading phones. Then I broke the screen and figured I might as well try to get that new device now! Like I said, I’m unlucky in the luckiest way because whenever I manage to destroy my devices, I’ve almost always had them fixed for free. There was only one time I had to pay a third party to do the repair. How great is that?

365great Day 139: fuzzy

laelene Posted in 365great，Tags: , , , , , , , ,
31 July 2013
0

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365great challenge day 139: fuzzyOne of my all-time favorite textures has got to be fuzzy. Fuzzy usually means soft as well, and it’s such a fun thing to stroke, whether the fur on an animal’s back or these super comfy shorts that I got! It ranges from short little fuzzy bits like this or really long shaggy bits like on some rugs or teddy bears. The softness and warmness make it so cozy to snuggle with (and partly why Snuggies are such a fun invention!). What child doesn’t enjoy getting a nice fuzzy stuffed animal to hug and sleep with? I know I certainly did; I had a bear that was the very first gift I ever got upon arriving in the US and I was nearly inseparable from it for years, even bringing it with me to trips to China. Since then I’ve had various pillows and other stuffed animals, all of which I love to touch. It feels so great!

365great Day 138: cake pops

laelene Posted in 365great，Tags: , , , ,
30 July 2013
0

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365great challenge day 138: cake popsI’ve written about them before and they’re worth mentioning again as part of my 365great series – cake pops are an amazing little treat! For awhile I was super obsessed with them and bought them frequently. I’ve since calmed down but I still love them and much of the reason I haven’t had any lately is because I don’t know where they sell them out here! At some point I definitely want to try making my own since those little suckers are rather costly. I love how they don’t dry out the way cupcakes or cakes might and they include a nice chocolate layer instead of icing or frosting (which are a bit on the sweet side, don’t ya think?). They come in such lovely *almost* bite-size pieces yet are super filling so one or two is plenty to fill you up. A more convenient, easier-to-manage dessert item? That’s great!!

365great Day 137: dry shampoo

laelene Posted in 365great，Tags: , , , , ,
29 July 2013
0

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365great challenge day 137: dry shampooIt was only last year that I learned of this thing called dry shampoo. I got an aerosol can of it in my Pamper Me Fabulous goodie bag and I was pretty intimidated, so I never tried it. Then I won this Klorane one that is non-aerosol and decided to give it a try. What a strange concept that puffing powder onto my hair and brushing it through would actually help clean it! I guess it helps absorb any greasiness that may have built up. However it works exactly, I am happy to report that it is quite effective and I love it. Such an easy way for me to touch up my hair when I don’t have time to shower before going out. I’m partial to this non-aerosol design, where you basically squeeze the bottle gently to puff out a cloud of powder. Look closely and you can see the puff in the picture. This design allows me to bring it anywhere with me and not worry about it exploding or getting confiscated. Absolutely great!

365great Day 136: spring/summer rolls

laelene Posted in 365great，Tags: , , , , , , ,
28 July 2013
0

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365great challenge day 136: spring/summer rollsI had a craving for rolls today, both fried and not. So where did I go? To a Vietnamese place of course! Not only can I get delicious fried spring rolls with crisp lettuce and a sweet sauce, I can also get refreshing summer rolls with fragrant peanut dip. It’s really the best of both worlds with these two types of rolls. Whether hot or cold, sweet or salty, strong flavors or more mild ones, you can take your pick. I enjoy the easy-to-manage shape of rolls – bite off as much as you can on one end without worrying about something flying out the other end (ahem, burgers anyone?) and the round tube shape fits in mouths perfectly! You can get such a variety of flavors with them depending on what you put inside and how you cook them. Such a versatile appetizer is pretty great!

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