Smothered but loving it

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , ,
27 February 2012
1

missy the cat sleeping in between human legs and under a pillowMy cat Missy is hilarious.  For some reason, she really seems to like hot, cramped spaces.  One of her favorite things to do is climb in under the blankets where it’s dark and warm.  She’ll get right in and cuddle up, even though it’s got to be tough to breathe in there.  Somehow, she manages to purr away, really enjoying herself in that little sauna.  It’s great for me because she keeps my legs and feet warm, but occasionally I move and squish her a bit.

Back in the height of the winter days, when it got quite chilly in my house and we didn’t feel like turning on the heater, I’d sit in a sleeping bag with my body pillow for warmth.  As I sat working on my computer, Missy would come along and eagerly crawl in under my legs.  She’d spend some time positioning herself until she was satisfied, then would lay back and sleep all day.  On the right is a picture of her back in one of those days.  The blue things to either side are my legs and the fuzzy light blue thing up top is the body pillow.  Apparently half-crushing her isn’t a problem either.

Everyday I marvel at all the seemingly uncomfortable positions she gets in, then falls asleep in.  I don’t know how she got this way, but you can put her in just about any position and she’ll be fine with it.  Maybe she just likes being smothered with love and affection, which I give plenty of.  In turn, I get so much back I now get lonely whenever she doesn’t come around after an hour or two.  Thankfully, it’s not often she won’t drop by within that time, so I get to sit with her nearby whenever I’m home.  Companionship can’t get much sweeter.

 

Blued

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , ,
23 February 2012
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Is it just me or are there more blue cars on the road?  In the past week or two while commuting to and from work, I’ve seen so many more blue cars than I’ve ever seen in my life.  In fact, I think at any given point there would be a blue car within my view, which is pretty unusual.  Typically it’s just a sea of silver, white, and black.  Where did all that blueness come from?

Then there’s the naming craze, what with Beyoncé naming her kid Blue and I’m sure many more parents to follow.  Even our CEO’s daughter has a middle name that is similar – Bleu.  At least they named their child before someone famous made it popular!  There’s also the issue of Katy Perry’s hair, which she dyed blue not too long ago.  It might just be one huge coincidence, but suddenly the color blue has been making a strong appearance across such different things that I couldn’t help but notice.  I always knew blue was a color that just about everyone likes, but this is definitely taking it to another level.

Let me ponder this as I hunt down some blueberries to enjoy… 😉

Smart devices

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , ,
19 February 2012
0

You know, I think it’s time that the gadgets in our lives get extremely customizable.  Why is it that I can’t set my lights to turn off at a certain time or the toaster to start toasting just minutes before I get downstairs?  Why can’t I set my computer to turn itself off after that program is downloaded?  Seriously, with all the cool things that our electronics can do these days, I’m surprised that I can’t control them beyond the simple power button.  In fact, I think everything should not only be programmable to do what you want when you want, there should be an app that allows you to control it while away (like those apps for home security systems).

Imagine this: you start your day when your alarm goes off at a given time.  You like to snooze, so you sleep in a little more, but when the alarm goes off the next time, the lights have been set to turn on.  Now it’s bright in the room and you’re awake.  You get up and wash up as the toaster downstairs starts heating up the bagel slices you put in there last night.  The hot water dispenser doles out one cup’s worth of water, which brews the bag of tea you had waiting in a mug.  By the time you get downstairs, your breakfast is ready for consumption!  After scarfing down the bagel and sipping on your tea, you head out for work.  At the end of the day, you’re heading back and decide to use your phone app to have your water heater dispense another cup of hot water so you can get home to a warm cup ready for drinking.  You get on your personal computer and set it to turn off once all the files you’re uploading are done.  As you’re winding down for the night, you fall asleep in bed before you even realize it, but that’s ok because your lights turn off for you at midnight anyway.

How awesome would that be?  I don’t want my devices to be smart necessarily, but I want to be able to control them in such a way that they appear “smart” in a sense.  I really think we should be able to set things to turn off or on at a certain time or with some specified trigger.  Things would be so much more efficient that way!  It’s not like the technology isn’t out there already.  We have timers controlling things like when the sprinklers go off, so why not apply that towards any other technology we use?  I’m really looking forward to the day I can do that.

Evoking smells

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , , ,
14 February 2012
0

Our sense of smell can be very important in how we experience things.  A bunch of the guys at work have gotten into the juicing craze and to quell their craving for foods, they’ve taken to smelling food instead of eating it.  Apparently a good long whiff of my junk food can help satisfy some of their hunger for the items!  To a certain extent, I can understand that, since we often smell things and start to experience it before it reaches our mouths.  Still, there’s nothing quite like eating the food after smelling it, so their diet baffles me.

Their recent quirky behavior has reminded me of how intensely we can be affected by our sense of smell.  One guy gets paranoid when he smells Febreeze, since that almost always comes from the restroom after someone has #2ed.  Meanwhile, whenever he comes back from smoking, I tend to get a whiff of that, which usually gags me.  Also, the office has a lingering musty smell from the dogs that hang out there.  I’m sure those with dogs don’t really notice since they’re accustomed to it, but I’m pretty sensitive to it whenever I enter the building.  I wonder if my cats make our household smell any different.  Missy certainly can smell like kitty litter at times!

Of course smells also evoke plenty of positive memories and associations too!  I love going home to the smell of cooking and I have this fantastic shampoo from the Hilton that makes me smile whenever I catch a hint of it, since it smells like a gentle perfume and reminds me of when Panda is in town.  Similarly, I have a strawberry EOS lip balm that is succulent and makes me happy not just with its sweet scent, but also knowing that my lips will feel soft and hydrated.  I don’t think I’d experience these things quite the same if I wasn’t able to smell them.  Their scents really do help enhance the experience!

Small, small world

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , , , ,
09 February 2012
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It’s funny how interconnected we can be.  Lately I have come across many situations that make me shake my head at how small the world can be at times (or maybe it’s just LA).  The most prominent example is when I commented on a friend and coworker’s Facebook about a post he put up, then later saw that the next person to comment was one of the girls who used to live in my house!  The house that we have owned for about 10 years now…  At work the next day, I had to ask my coworker how he knew this girl and (dun dun dun…) she’s his cousin!  Wow.  Of all the coincidences in this universe, that is one I didn’t see coming.  So as it turns out, my coworker had been in my house before, many many years ago.

Other such situations include a trip to Wurstküche in downtown LA, where I got into line right behind a fellow 2008 UCLA orientation counselor!  Then, later on as I was eating, I looked up to find one of my pledge bros from AKPsi sitting at another table.  Imagine that.  And many months ago, one of the engineers at work and one of the operations girls were chatting because they found they had both lived in Michigan.  When the guy mentioned that he swam, she was interested because she had worked on the coaching staff or been an assistant.  Further probing revealed that she had actually been there working with the swim team that he was on during the time that he would have been on the team!  And then they both end up at the same (very small) company out in California?!

In addition, that same girl recently found out that her former roommate bartended with the girlfriend of one of our sales guys.  Of all the bars in LA and all the roommates and girlfriends these people could have had…  Seriously, what’s up with all this interconnectedness?  I guess even a large city like Los Angeles can quickly become small after a couple years of building relationships and connections.  Eventually you’re no more than a 2nd degree contact to anyone!

Texture trumps taste

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , ,
05 February 2012
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When I eat foods, the most important factor tends to be the texture of the dish rather than its taste.  That’s why I don’t eat calamari and why I love soup.  I’ll go for almost anything if it’s moist!  It’s very rare that I would like a dry dish with no sauce, so soup is generally a safe bet, since it has to have some liquid content at least.  I don’t know if other people care as much (I doubt it) and I think that usually people care more about the taste of their food.  However, it doesn’t work that way for me and I’d rather have a tasteless dish that wasn’t dry than a really flavorful dish that left me with cottonmouth.

For the most part, this isn’t really an issue – I love things that are smooth, crispy, crunchy, or any variety of textures as long as it’s not rubbery.  Something about the elasticity of a food (usually seafood) just doesn’t appeal to me at all.  Luckily, most things aren’t like that.  As for dishes that are very dry, I’ll still eat them if I have plenty of water.  I can’t stand it if I don’t get enough liquids to mask the dryness, which is why hot chocolate and tea are my friends when it comes to cookies and crackers.  Maybe my body’s trying to tell me that I’m not hydrated enough?

Whatever it is, I’m always looking for a place with great soup or noodle soup.  Yummm…

The cold drink phenomenon

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , ,
30 January 2012
0

I’ve never been a fan of cold drinks, though I have enjoyed some here and there.  Usually iced drinks are too cold for me, so I opt for room temperature or even hot water.  Luckily, this seems to be a growing trend and I no longer get the raised eyebrow when I ask for hot water at a restaurant.  I’m glad that my beverage choice is something that more people are adopting, especially since it’s probably easier on your body.

I remember reading once that contrary to popular belief, ice water is not more thirst-quenching.  In fact, it said that warm water is the best for absorption and therefore more thrist-quenching.  However, through media portrayals, it seems we have learned that only cold drinks can satisfy our needs after a strenuous workout or on a hot day.  I think that cold water feels refreshing and it wakens you a bit, which gives the impression that it is better when you’re thirsty.  In addition, if you’ve built up a lot of heat from working out or are already too hot from the weather, you want to feel the coolness of the drink to help lower your temperature.

Still, I usually prefer at least room temperature water in those situations when my body is hotter than it would like to be.  I find that cold drinks numb my mouth and freeze up my insides, which isn’t comfortable at all!  I’ve always been sensitive to temperature changes, so when it gets cold or I cool down too much, my stomach and intestines throw a fit.  Perhaps that’s the real reason why I avoid really cold drinks.  Who wants to have a stomachache after they drink a cup of water?

Anyways, this whole cold drink popularity thing has always baffled me, since it’s not really the same in Chinese culture.  I don’t think the Chinese would have iced their drinks if it weren’t for Western influences.  Whatever makes cold drinks so appealing just isn’t worth it to me.  I’ll take the drink in the box over the one in the cooler any day.  And watch me quench my thirst better.  😉

My context

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , , ,
24 January 2012
0

How do you remember things in your life?  I’ve always found it to be a roundabout process to recall what year something happened.  First I think what I was doing at that time and tie it back to a location – walking to the bus stop while reading (St. Louis, MO), riding my bike into town (Brewster, NY), or playing in a beautifully large backyard (Topeka, KS)?  Once I pinpoint the location, I am able to identify what grades I must have been in: preschool (Pennsylvania), 1st/2nd/4th (Kansas), 3rd (China), 5th-7th (Missouri), 7th-10th (New York), 11th-14th & 16th (California), or 15th (England).  I then need to think of what year it must have been based on what grade I was in.  What a mess!

Similarly, when I recall what age I was when something happened, I think of the situation based on location, tie it back to a grade level, then calculate how old I was .  I’m not sure why it’s such a lengthy process, but that’s always how I’ve drawn on memories in my life.  It makes me wonder how other people who don’t move as much do it, since much of their memories would tie back to the same location.  They seem to do it much better too!

Today someone put on 90’s music at work and one song came up that was of particular interest.  Each song that I recognized put me back to a place and time in my life when I heard that song most prominently.  Backstreet Boys took me back to the summers I spent in China with my cousins and extended family.  Destiny’s Child took me back to the fun I had biking down a huge hill by my house in New York.  TLC took me back to getting driven to swim practice at the YMCA over in Connecticut.  Tupac took me back to the lounge I studied in my first year at UCLA (yeah, I learned of him later in life).  I wouldn’t be able to place a year on when those songs came out, but I could definitely get close.  Somehow other people seem to be able to remember just what year it was though.

I’ve never understood that ability and I wonder how I will remember things if I don’t continue moving around a lot.  When everything merges into one physical space, what cues will I use to differentiate between time periods?  The way I’ve put my life into context for over two decades would become irrelevant.  I’m sure I would adapt, but at this moment I can’t fathom how.  So I wonder, how do you do it?

Inbox overload

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , ,
22 January 2012
0

I have accumulated over 11,600 unread emails in the past couple of years and I’ve found that the larger that number gets, the less I want to look at any of it.  I’ve unsubscribed to a bunch of newsletter that I found I never read, yet still I get overwhelmed with the ones that I did decide to keep.  I tell myself I’ll get around to them when I have time, but really, when do I have time?  Any free time I have is generally spent unwinding with a mindless game or show.  It’s certainly not time that I’d want to look through emails!

Still, I really do want to go through and clean out my inbox so I can actually tell when I have new mail.  Once you start getting thousands of unread messages, it’s really hard to remember if it was 10,502 messages when you last checked, or 10,507.  So do I actually have some new emails to look through or did I just remember the number wrong?  Who knows.  I’ve completely given up looking at how many unread messages I have.  I check infrequently enough that it’s basically guaranteed I’ll find some new ones each time I log in.  Perhaps whenever I am waiting around in line, I will check old emails and get rid of unnecessary ones rather than play a few seconds of a game.

I’ve always had a preference for spring cleaning rather than a daily ritual, and my inbox is no exception!  Problem is, my inbox has yet to see a springtime that inspired me to clean it…  Well hey, I guess I’ve got myself a resolution for this year then.  In fact, I think I’ll tackle some of it right now.  Wish me luck!

Wisdom teeth

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , ,
16 January 2012
0

My wisdom teeth started to bother me today and now the back of my mouth is sore.  I think it was because I decided I wasn’t brushing well enough back there so I gave them a good scrub.  They definitely weren’t used to all that action and I think my gums got inflamed.  I’ve been holding off getting them pulled because it’ll cost a pretty penny, but I’m really getting tired of the crowded feeling I have in my mouth.

Back in China, I was going to have them removed, but then I changed my mind when I realized I might not get to enjoy the food there if I went through with it.  I thought it’d take a week or so to recover, but as I later found out from my parents, it could have been fine after a day or two.  Oh well, it’s too late for that now!  Unfortunately they’re bothering me these days, so I really want to get them out.  I’ll have to review my coverage and see if it’s worth it right now.

I’m very tempted to find something to prop my jaw to help ease the tension, but what is there?  I tried using gum for awhile and also putting food on that side of my mouth to chew so I couldn’t accidentally bite my cheek.  Those solutions proved too temporary for my needs.  Maybe a night’s sleep will reduce the swelling and make me forgetting about those annoying buggers.  Why didn’t I have them removed long ago??  I’m regretting that now.  🙁

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