Some chat it up.
Some get their game on.
And some get to fixin’.
A lesson in buyer’s remorse
laelene Posted in photo blog，Tags: experiences, lessons, pictures, products, shopping
23
February
2014
Recently, there have been a couple of items that I really wanted to get, but in deciding to wait it out, I missed on the opportunity. Panda and I have been to multiple Dollar Tree stores hoping to find a melon-scented Skittles-themed candle I had my eye on. They’re all sold out now and I’m bummed, but I do have hope they’ll bring it back. I’ve learned that some things are just not meant to be delayed, so I’ve grabbed a few items that I would otherwise have spent more time evaluating. No more regrets, wishing I had that cool product!
Such fun glasses! I’ve never seen one shaped like a soda can, so I couldn’t resist.
This chair I’ve been eying for weeks and I didn’t want to overwait it so I got two today.
As soon as I saw this at Costco, I knew I had to grab it. It’s amazingly soft and in my favorite color!
Winter storm Pax
laelene Posted in photo blog，Tags: pictures, snow, weather
12
February
2014
Here comes the snow! What a crazy snow event we’re expecting here in Northern Virginia. A few days ago when I first heard of it, I figured it’d be another small thing that would pass. But then they started predicting 4 inches, then it grew to 8 and 12 and now possibly 15-18 for higher elevations! I started to take it seriously and today I decided to head out of the office at 6 just to get home before the insanity. The snow wasn’t slated to start until around 8, but by 6:15 I was seeing my first flakes. Check out some pictures from the night…
The snow plows were out, hanging out as they waited for the snow to start.
Then it started to pick up momentum.
It was melting on my windshield, but quickly started to stick to the ground.
By the time I got home 15 minutes later, there was a light dusting. I made some tire marks and left some footprints that were quickly covered.
Such pretty snow that is shiny and sparkly! Snuggling in for the night and there’s already quite a bit of snow building up out there.
The move
laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses, photo blog，Tags: condo, home, moving, panda, pictures
08
February
2014
We finally did it! Panda booked two guys and a truck for today and we got almost everything moved out. There are some stray kitchenware and toiletry items we kept but pretty much everything else is all packed up and moved over. It took a little longer than the two hours we estimated (2.5 total, almost down to the minute), but it felt like quite a bit longer. That was probably due to the prep work we did beforehand and then all the setting up and unpacking afterward. I’m glad that it barely snowed today, so we had pretty decent moving conditions.
It feels great to be moved in, even though there’s plenty of unpacking to be done. At least it’s a chance to reorganize. I’m taking it slow and making sure everything goes in a designated place. It’s also a chance for me clean off some of the things that needed a wiping after some time. While we were moving in, we met some other neighbors who are also Chinese and got a chance to connect with our downstairs neighbor again. It’s going to be fun living here.
Almost ready for the movers!
Still had some things to sort out.
Have we even prepped this room? Can’t tell.
Whoa, that’s how they get all our crazy heavy stuff out.
Thank goodness they came with all the materials to pad the move.
We definitely didn’t need a truck so large.
Now the room feels so spacious!!
That’s all our stuff, ready to head out.
Panda did a great job covering the stairs to protect the carpet.
Pathways to every part of the place we’d want access to.
Moving through the garage was pretty convenient.
Photo A Day Challenge January 2014
laelene Posted in photo blog，Tags: monthly challenge, photo a day, pictures
03
February
2014
I liked capturing bits and pieces of a #moment for this theme! It was pretty easy to find things to share and I didn’t feel limited to taking similar types of shots. As for February, I’ve chosen to do #detail since I tend to notice a lot of random things, which most people probably don’t.
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- A silly moment observing an awkward pose, hehe. {Amaro filter} 1.1.14
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- Ah, when the delicious scent wafts up. {Hudson filter} 1.2.14
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- The moment you make a new friend and take an awful selfie. 😛 {Sierra filter} 1.3.14
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- Glancing up to notice the intricacies over our dim sum meal. {#nofilter} 1.4.14
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- Caught her stealing water. {Sutro filter} #catsofinstagram 1.5.14
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- Taking off and actually going back over LAX, that’s a first! {Amaro filter} 1.6.14
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- When you’ve been pranked. {Sierra filter} 1.7.14
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- Getting help from my sick sous chef. {Earlybird filter} #BAChef 1.8.14
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- Cover me softly. {Mayfair filter} #clouds 1.9.14
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- As I get ready to dig in. {X-Pro II filter} 1.10.14
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- Seagulls chillin’ on ice. {Hefe filter} 1.11.14
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- Playing shadow puppets. {X-Pro II filter} 1.12.14
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- Taking a moment to rest my eyes. {Inkwell filter} 1.13.14
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- Resigning myself to more pills. {Nashville filter} 1.14.14
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- In the thick of it. {#nofilter} #fog 1.15.14
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- Waiting for the big panda to get home. {Nashville filter} 1.16.14
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- When the food arrives and you happily dig in. {X-Pro II filter} 1.17.14
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- Yes I’ll take a free facial and samples. #origins {Nashville filter} 1.18.14
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- When you start wondering if you’re seeing things due to exhaustion. {Sutro filter} 1.19.14
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- The new office has an unbeatable view. {Sutro filter} 1.20.14
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- Ready for the snowstorm like a local! #stormjanus {#nofilter} 1.21.14
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- Morning steam fog over the lake. {#nofilter} 1.22.14
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- Prepping the new office for our move! {Sierra filter} 1.23.14
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- Upon discovering a strange rash. {Lo-Fi filter} 1.24.14
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- 7:18, waking to the most brilliant flash of colors. {#nofilter} 1.25.14
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- Eggbeater handles, so appropriate for the egg theme. {Amaro filter} 1.26.14
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- Lunch in the new board room. {Hefe filter} 1.27.14
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- Discovering my hair was crispy from being wet in the cold. {#nofilter} 1.28.14
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- Battle of the birds of a flock… {Valencia filter with linear tilt shift} 1.29.14
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- The moment I realized my new commute is gonna suck. Ouch. {Hefe filter} 1.30.14
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- Admiring my appetizer. {Hefe filter} 1.31.14
UK Vacation Day 10 recap
laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses, photo blog，Tags: england, experiences, flying, food, london, panda, pictures, planes, travel, trips, uk, united states, vacation
29
January
2014
Alright, finally wrapping up the UK vacation from this fall. Our last day there was just to pack and get ready to go. I managed to wake up before the alarm, shower, and get breakfast. We finished packing and then went off to Pizza Express so I could get a pizza to bring home. I was too freakin’ yummy to pass up. We showed up a little before they opened and I got to watch them bring up some dough they were going to make the pizzas with. On our walk back to the hotel, I decided I had to try the Malteser McFlurry and the Sweet Chilli Wrap, which are unique to the region. I didn’t know they had onion rings too! Why don’t they offer those in the US? Then it was off to the airport via the tube. We got a chance to hang out at the Star Alliance lounge for a bit before boarding our plane and heading back stateside.
[See all the rest: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8 and Day 9 recaps.]
From staying at hotels, I’ve learned that I definitely want a king-sized bed.
US outlets should have switches too.
Love these kinds of sinks on the counter.
I need one of these showerheads at home!
Wow, they may not have much space but they sure have giant towels.
Cool flushing buttons for the toilet.
Of course, those eye-catching phone booths.
Deeelicious.
Bringing up the dough!
Yes, I brought it on the plane. No it did not smell up the place (was cold by then).
Lovely brickwork.
Ooo, malty goodness.
Such a pretty fruit stand!
Pigging out even as I prepare to leave the country.
McOnion Rings!
Returning our Oyster cards for a refund on the balance.
When the escalators become stairs, he becomes super strong.
Oops, went to the wrong floor.
It’s so fancy I got distracted/confused and did it wrong. :-/
Wow, who needs TSA when you can just use these cool machines to check IDs and boarding passes?
The waiting game.
Wandering around looking for where to request a VAT refund.
Mailing off our VAT refund form! Never got it repaid, oh well.
One of the few times we get to use the lounge, might as well take advantage!
British candy.
Entering the more casual part of the lounge.
Loading up on hot food.
Had some chilled options too.
Ooo, soup!
I’m sure if we drank alcohol we’d be happy.
A really nice seating area where we snagged a table.
Hmm… not sure if I like bitter lemon.
Stocking up on snacks for the road.
Many farewell messages along the long walk to the gate.
Here we go!
Propping our feet up for the ride.
So bright and beautiful up here.
Meal time!
Panda of course gets beef.
A snack to tide us over.
Hey, we’re almost over my old town of Brewster, not far from Danbury!
The sun shining furiously.
Staring out, I noticed the reflection of the front of the plane in the engine.
Hello, Dulles.
Not quite time to disembark.
On our taxi ride home.
UK Vacation Day 9 Recap
laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses, photo blog，Tags: england, experiences, food, london, panda, pictures, travel, trips, uk, vacation
19
January
2014
I took my time with this post since it was one of the most touristy and there are a ton of pictures. This was our true tour day of London – we started off by Buckingham, went through St. James’s Park, checked out some house guards and stopped by their museum, went through Trafalgar Square, tried a Thai place, found an M&Ms World, explored parts of the British Museum, found some gifts in small shops and waited around for free wifi, crossed the River Thames, walked through the Southbridge Centre and Jubilee Park, fed pigeons, and got tons of pictures of the London Eye, British Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Bridge and Abbey. For dinner we tried to find a Bella Italia but were unsuccessful so we had tapas at La Tasca instead. All in all a busy day filled with walking that allowed us to see a ton before we headed out.
[Catch up with Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, and Day 8 recaps.]
A beautiful day to explore London!
The fancy gates of Green Park.
Queen’s Mounted Guards trotting off in formation.
One of the Queen’s Guards standing watch by a gate.
A pigeon flies in to get fed.
It’s a battle of wills and I win if they’re hungry enough.
A swan family all lined up.
That little swan has a funky leg!
From St. James’s Park, we catch a glimpse of the London Eye.
Caught me in the middle of saying something!
A normal pose for posterity.
I grab a shot of the lake from the side.
And here’s the picture I took.
No time for the Churchill War Rooms, but maybe on the next visit.
Quite a job, sitting still on a horse all day.
I didn’t want to get too close in case the horse flipped out.
Gettin’ up close and personal as I find some free wifi to use.
We find our way to Trafalgar Square.
The world’s laziest pigeon resides here.
Tons of activity in the square.
What’s up with the bright blue rooster?
Carefully laid out grid of flags drawn in chalk in the plaza.
This guy was working on a chalk portrait of Princess Diana.
We stop by a local store and find random t-shirts like this.
And another cheeky shirt here.
Trying out a Thai place for lunch.
What a cute decoration idea!
Food was pretty good and the place was very modern.
After lunch, we stumble across an M&Ms world.
Our walk randomly brings us to a strip of Chinese establishments.
Yet again standing outside taking advantage of free wifi…
Then it’s time to visit the British Museum!
Inside the museum, we look up to find seagulls.
They sure seem to be enjoying the view.
I had no clue Amway made it over here (and was still in business).
The taxis here look so funny.
Onto the Waterloo Bridge and we gaze over the River Thames for a lovely view.
On the other side of the bridge are all sorts of funky buildings.
Here you can pick out the attractions using the guide.
We head into Southbridge Centre and find quite an artsy scene.
A stroll along the waterfront includes plenty of restaurants.
What is this Festival of Neighbourhood??
Street performers doing their thing.
What a bright merry-go-round!
A swing ride at Jubilee Park offers thrills.
I sit down to feed some pigeons.
Gettin’ kind of crazy in here!
Some brave birds got super close.
We watch as people pile into their pod on the London Eye.
I was so tempted to get one of these.
Against the glare of the sun.
Nice view from the bridge!
Rushing waters of the Thames.
There are so many points to the clock tower.
Westminster Abbey was closing for the day so we just looked.
What a fun tour bus look.
Blending in with the pedestrians.
Another map of attractions.
A dinner of tapas.
Ending the day with churros!
The holiday break
laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses, photo blog，Tags: airports, birthday, cats, celebrations, desserts, eating, experiences, family, flying, food, friends, gogobot, holidays, jewelry, los angeles, missy, nature, new years, panda, pictures, planes, snacks, television, travel, treats, tv, ucla, views, westwood
08
January
2014
With just about a day left before Panda and I headed back to LAX to return to our life out east, I started to feel anxious. It had been a wonderful two weeks, exactly the sort of healing, growing, relaxing, and enjoying I needed. I was kind of worried about getting back into things at work and all the other obligations being back entails. Luckily, the transition hasn’t been that bad at all and I’m happy to be (what is now) home.
Here are some highlights from my time in balmy SoCal. Other moments included hanging out with my mom, chatting with my cousin (and helping her get a new laptop at Best Buy), enjoying quiet moments alone at the mall, meeting up with some AKPsi pledge bros, grabbing lunch with an old UCLA AFROTC friend, catching up over tea with a friend I met at a Gogobot event, a session with my microdermabrasion guy (it’s been over a year!), relaxing at my fab reflexology spot, and reminiscing over old pictures (many that will slowly make their way into blog posts).
And off we go on our winter vacation.
We got upgraded to first class on the way in! I smartly brought a blanket.
As we took off, I tried to spot our new condo with little luck.
The creepy gray clouds tried to climb over the fluffy white ones…
Breakfast is served! I enjoyed the potatoes au gratin best.
Gettin’ frosty up here but I’m toasty in my blankie. 🙂
What’s that brilliantly bright light in the distance? I think it was probably a large lake catching the sun.
First order of business at home is to hang out with Missy.
Umm, how does this even happen to an apple?!
I discover a new favorite snack at the mall: Tornado Fries! Take a whole potato, swirl cut it, spread out along large stick, fry, and sprinkle on various powders for flavor. Fun!
Had my ring cleaned at my jewelers for the first time since getting it and it was nice to catch up with the owner.
Hehe, Missy doesn’t mind that the pillow is crushing her. She loves snuggling with me anyway.
For my birthday, I basically hopped from restaurant to cafe to bakery to restaurant. Happy taste buds and belly!
Oops, we over-ordered for food. Two people got what five probably should have.
Missy walks all over me and I love it.
When she’s like this, how can I work? Too cute.
I had a quiet NYE just watching the show on TV.
Ringing in the new year with this guy jamming on his electric guitar! #culvercitycharacters
Lol, I never got to check out the Westwood Farmer’s Market once it was moved to Thursday, and now here I am.
My absolute fav to get at Gushi.
Little miss princess.
Trying out a new pizza joint in DTLA with my Gogobot buds.
(re)Met a Gogoboter and we do some selfies.
Got together with old friends who I met the year I met Panda! Yes, the picture is intentionally blurry.
I couldn’t leave LA without bringing some treats.
At the airport, I got dinner since I hadn’t eaten all day.
I thought we got a pepperoni and mushroom, but we accidentally left off the mushroom part of the order. Oh well!
Leaving on a jet plane…
laelene Posted in photo blog，Tags: aerial, flying, lax, los angeles, pictures, planes, travel, views
06
January
2014
Don’t know when I’ll be back again.
Farewell, LA(X). Til next time… (TBD)
Hey, at least I know it’ll be sometime in 2014! Still, it’s one big ambiguous question at this point.
Photo A Day Challenge December 2013
laelene Posted in photo blog，Tags: photo a day, photo challenge, pictures
01
January
2014
I may not be ready for 2014, but it’s here, so I’ll just take a quick look back at the last month’s photo a day shots to take me back to 2013… I liked playing with different interpretations for #light. To kick off this year, I’ll go with a more abstract theme of moment(s). It should offer a lot of flexibility!
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- Enjoying the warm SoCal afternoon together. {Mayfair filter} #catsofinstagram #sunrays 12.1.13
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- I <3 Malibu. {Lo-Fi filter} 12.2.13
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- Ready for takeoff on the red eye. {Kelvin filter} 12.3.13
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- Early morning in NoVa and it’s off to work. {Rise filter} 12.4.13
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- Brake lights and raindrops. {X-Pro II filter} 12.5.13
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- Shadows of raindrops on the windshield. {Hefe filter} 12.6.13
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- Rainbow in the clouds! {#nofilter} 12.7.13
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- My, that’s a large flame! Trying the evergreen oil lamp I made from Homegrown Collective’s Nov box. LOVE {Kelvin filter} 12.8.13
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- All glossed over. #icybeauty {#nofilter} 12.9.13
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- Taking break from my run, inspired by @ninjastopher. {Amaro filter} 12.10.13
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- Suddenly the rooms glowed orange and I had to see what was causing it… {#nofilter} 12.11.13
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- Festive lights setting the mood. {Kelvin filter} 12.12.13
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- Those two window washers flew back and forth along the building like it was nothing! {Mayfair filter} 12.13.13
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- Hiding from the light of the day. {Amaro filter} 12.14.13
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- Hello pretty moon. {#nofilter} 12.15.13
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- Burning the midnight oil, as they say. {Willow filter} 12.16.13
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- Remind me that in the darkness, there is light. {Nashville filter} 12.17.13
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- Smattering of snow, what a surprise! {Hudson filter} 12.18.13
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- My car lights up when I get near and I love it. It’s like she’s saying “welcome home” 😛 {Earlybird filter} 12.19.13
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- Lit up pretty. {Hefe filter} 12.20.13
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- Ah, gloriously warm day allowed me to enjoy my new porch ever so briefly. {#nofilter} 12.21.13
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- Glowing in the spotlight. {Lo-Fi filter} 12.22.13
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- I never get sick of the beauty outside my window. {#nofilter} 12.23.13
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- Getting festive for the early morning travelers. {Kelvin filter} 12.24.13
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- Oh how she lights up my life with love and adoration. {Sierra filter} 12.25.13
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- Got my ring cleaned and I’d forgotten how shiny it can be! {Sierra filter} 12.26.13
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- Can’t wait to dig in to this fluffy marshmallow topping. {Sierra filter} 12.27.13
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- Through the tunnel. {Brannan filter} 12.28.13
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- Do you still have your lights up? {Hefe filter} 12.29.13
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- A birthday filled with tasty treats. 🙂 {Hefe filter} 12.30.13
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- The most recognizable symbol of the new year. {#nofilter} 12.31.13
