On My Mind, episode 7

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Thursday Thoughts

It’s Thursday Thoughts time with Jennifer!

eight bottles of nail polishes lined up in a row

These are the ones I chose to send in.


~I finally, finally mailed off the nail polish I was trading in for the Zoya Earth Day Exchange. I know, I’m over a month late, but hey they didn’t say I had to mail them in by a certain date! I kept putting it off because I didn’t like the hassle of trying to mail in nail polish, but then as it turns out all I needed to do was wrap them tight and take them in to the post office. I guess when you know there are a ton of regulations around something, sometimes you make it seems worse than it is, you know? At first I had put them all into a USPS Small Flat Rate box, but then I found out you can’t mail them Priority, so I had to repackage into another box, but that one weighed over a pound and anything over 13 oz is supposed to be mailed Priority. This was quite the dilemma for me, but as soon as I took it to the post office, they gave it a proper stamp or something and it was all fine.

~After getting my May Ipsy bag and having some items I wanted to trade, I decided to also gather all the other things I have that I won’t really use. I put up a trade list on Makeup Talk and wow, it’s been great! I loving swapping/trading and I’ve already arranged 5. It feels great to get products I actually want and will use and send off things to someone else who will appreciate the products more than I would. There are a lot of things I’d like to try that I haven’t because online shipping always costs too much, so this is a way to save on the overall cost and try those products. So much fun! In fact, I put up my For Sale or Trade list on this site too, just in case you’re interested.

makeup talk trade of products from ipsy bags

My very first trade was of items from Ipsy bags – I sent a lipstick and perfume and got a lip gloss, spray mist, and nail polish plus samples.

makeup talk bb cream and massage oil trade

The second trade where I sent massage oil and socks and got BB cream and samples.

makeup talk trade with various hair care, skincare, and facial care products

The third trade with my sent items on the left and received items on the right.

~I have this tendency to want to know everything and not miss out, so when it came to Ramblings of a Suburban Mom, I decided to start from the beginning and get all caught up on her blog. There were 149 pages of posts to go through when I started about a week ago and I finally made it through them all. I admit, I mostly skimmed, but it was cool to see how her the blog has changed. Perhaps I should do that for my own blog sometime. I used to write a lot more and have less pictures, but now I make to try to include a picture with every post. There was also a period where I cycled through a text, photo, and video post to mix things up. Nowadays I have too much to write about to include as many video posts. How has your blog changed over the months and years?

sitting looking down at cat sleeping on my chest~I cannot get enough of my cat Missy! I just love how she responds to my touch – when I pet her while she’s sleeping, her tail will twitch, her arms will stretch out, paws will spread out, and I swear she’s smiling a little bit. 🙂 She’s such a happy cat and she’s happy to sleep on me/next to me/near me, which is exactly what I want. She also lets me rub and scratch and pet her any way I want. What an easygoing nature! Lately she’s been learning to tug at my heartstrings to get her way though, the sly fox. She’ll meow and meow in this sad little “feed me” voice until I give her the tasty (and more expensive) treats. She gets up on the island in the kitchen and then reaches out her paw to “grab” me. Those adorable little eyes look into mine and I give in almost every time. She’s too cute!!

~What do you do to keep hair off the carpet? Between my cousin and I, I’ve found we shed a ton of hair and it’s so annoying to find strands EVERYWHERE. Vacuuming doesn’t get it all out and I don’t have time to go around picking them up all the time. Sometimes in bed I’ll stretch out and get a strand in between my toes and for some reason that feeling really grosses me out! It’s funny how hair can be so wonderful and beautiful when it’s on your head, but the moment it falls out it’s icky. If you shed a lot of hair too, what do you do about it??

~I’ve been in a funk lately, bumming around. :-/ It’s been hard to get motivated to do anything and it makes me feel like a bad person. I see all these super high-achieving people around me and I wonder if there’s something wrong with me because I don’t care to be overworked like them. I used to be super ambitious and also want a fantastic career, but now I’m more inwardly focused and establishing a good family life has become my priority. Unfortunately, that side of things means spending money rather than making it and well, you still gotta make a living, right?

So what are your thoughts on this very fine Thursday?

365great Day 90: pumice

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365great challenge day 90: pumiceAh, the feeling of soft, smooth heels. It’s a beautiful thing! I love when my feet are well-taken care of and sometimes it’s not easy when I walk around in flip flops all day. With my feet exposed to the elements, they get dry and tough pretty fast, so I rely pumice stones and sponges like this cute elephant one! They help slough off those dead skin cells and polish your rough patches to reveal the glowing skin beneath. It’s like a breath of fresh air for those tired feet (or elbows). Give them a whole new life with one of these great little beauty tools.

Time disconnect

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“Holy cow, is it really [insert day of week]?!”

This happens to me just about every single day. Call it the life of the self-employed/entrepreneur/stay-at-homer. Every day is mostly the same to me – there is no such thing as a weekday vs. weekend. I work daily, unless I have plans to go do something, so it really doesn’t matter much what day of the week it is. And so it is that I often find myself disconnected with the rest of the world in that way. I don’t hate Mondays nor do I look forward to Fridays the same way a “typical” worker might.

calendar page from the world's most super-amazing 100% awesome cat calendar for 2014

Without a calendar, I’d be lost.


Perhaps I need to build more of a weekly structure, but it doesn’t make sense to take time off when I’m really trying to build something. I’m certainly not wearing myself out and I get plenty of rest and play daily; in fact, you could say I go through an entire week each day: there’s the waking up in the morning and trying to get a rhythm going (Monday), getting back into things (Tuesday), starting to feel an afternoon slump (Wednesday – “Hump Day”), recovering a bit as my day looks like it’s ending (Thursday), and feeling good that I’m nearly done with my day’s work (Friday). Usually my “weekend” is sort of sandwiched in between the other moments, though sometimes it ends up being no more than the time that I sleep.

Since I don’t watch TV or read the newspaper, the only way I can really stay in tune is based off whether Panda is home or not, but I’ve been staying with my mom more and she works from home too…  but hey, is it really that important that I always know what day it is? I could just check my phone’s calendar and in the long run, it doesn’t affect me much, so I’m perfectly fine forgetting the days sometimes. What about you? Would it drive you crazy if you didn’t have a distinct weekday and weekend? Or do you meander through the weeks and months without a strong sense of time like me?

365great Day 89: The Buttercup LA

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365great challenge day 89: the buttercup laI was recently introduced to this lovely new shop on Sawtelle. At first I was skeptical of “amazing macaroons” – they just aren’t my type of dessert. But there’s something about these that is just fantastic. Perhaps it’s that rich creamy filling that isn’t too fluffy but has some real meat to it, so to say. I’ve got to say, I have found a new appreciation for these treats and I’d definitely recommend anyone in the area to swing by! The people at the shop are super friendly and I love that the store features local artists – you can get canvases for your walls, greeting cards for special occasions, even jewelry for your favorite lady! They’ve got some pretty amazing candles too, which are shaped like cupcakes and look so good you could practically eat them. This is a gem of a place tucked away in the Olympic Collection building; everything about it is great!

Blissmobox: Namaste box

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Let’s go back to six months ago, when I got the December blissmo box – I had chosen the Namaste one because I enjoy yoga and was definitely interested in products related to that lifestyle.

blissmobox is just under $25 per month with shipping (or as discounted as just under $120 for 6 months) and comes with eco-friendly products in themes like beauty, snacks, home, pets, and more. Each month you choose from two or three themes, or skip if none of them appeal to you. They do not offer a referral program.

the choices for december's blissmobox: namaste box, feel good snacks, or skin appeal

The three choices for the December blissmobox.

I opened the box at night because I couldn’t wait for daylight, so the lighting on these might not be so great.

opened blissmobox december 2012 with information card

collage of yogavive popped crisps peach apple chipsYogaVivePeach Apple popped chips – Let’s start with my favorite product! These apple chips with peach flavoring were amazing; the perfect amount of sweetness, crispiness, and not a bit of grease, thankfully. I once bought apple chips thinking they were baked only to find they were fried and greasy – totally gross. These are fat free as well! I was pretty excited when I saw them at Whole Foods not long after, so I bought a full-sized bag and devoured it. This is just about the only way I could ever eat more servings of fruit.

collage of manduka soothing citrus mat renew sprayMandukaSoothing Citrus Mat Renew spray – I’m really happy I got this! I had seen it being sold at YogaWorks and it was on my list of things to try, so this is perfect. I haven’t practiced yoga since then, unfortunately, but the moment I do you bet I’ll be spraying down my mat with this. I can’t wait to try it! I think their frog logo is super cute too, not that it means anything towards the performance of the product. Still, I’m liking this brand! Now I just need to get back into yoga…

collage of star essence flower and gem essences yoga mind mouth mistStar Essence, Luminously Present Yoga Mind Mouth Mist – This is another item I’m holding on to until I get back into yoga. Apparently you spray it in your mouth and it helps balance you and hold in “vibrational frequencies.” Perhaps I can try meditating with it as well. It consists of various flower and gem essences, with some citrus essential oils so I’d imagine a sweet, fragrant scent/taste. Very interesting concept that I will have to test out.

collage of esutras ayurvedic digestif in puffed coriander and raw jaggeryeSutras, Ayurvedic Digestif kit with Raw Jaggery & Puffed Coriander – I should probably eat more of these to help with my digestion, but I don’t really know how to incorporate them! Eating them straight is a little odd and the flavors are strong for me. I could sprinkle it in my salads if I ate those (probably should add that to my diet as well). I thought it was really interesting that coriander is supposed to help with bad breath. I definitely felt these working through my system so if you have digestive issues, this kit would be great.

collage of aura cacia rejuvenating argan oilAura CaciaRejuvenating Argan Oil – Argan oil is useful for skin and hair care, so I’m sure I will enjoy using this. I currently have another bottle I’m using so I haven’t tried this particular brand yet but it’s organic and sustainably sourced from Morocco, so I already like it! I mostly use it for my hair but I should probably start applying some to my skin as well.

This yoga-themed box definitely felt appropriate and included items that I can incorporate into my practice. I’m looking forward to when I can make it to yoga classes again!

365great Day 88: Los Angeles

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365great challenge day 88: los angelesIt was just over a decade ago that I moved to the greater Los Angeles area and began to learn more about this place. As it turns out, it’s such a fitting place for me, full of diverse cuisine, entertainment, and people with a laidback vibe. I’ve never been interested in city life but with a city so spread out, it doesn’t feel like I’m stuck some giant metropolis. I love all the little neighbors you can find yourself going through, all the hidden gems of places to be discovered, and the constant change and growth all around. Sure, traffic and parking suck and things can be pretty far from each other, but I find I actually enjoy spending time in the car. It’s going to be weird to leave this place and not be able to go to the beach or mountains on a whim, but I’m sure I’ll be back. Panda’s roots are here and my family’s latest roots seem to be settling here as well. It’s a beautiful city with something for everyone! That sort of broad appeal is part of what makes LA great.

Gogobot Tron Party!

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Another great event hosted by Gogobot – I mean, a Tron-themed beer pong and pool tournament?! Lol how do they come up with these things? It’s amazing. I’m sooo glad I got involved with this community.

Before I talk about the event, let me digress briefly. That night I realized something – that I can be super wacky/weird/fun when it comes to social events like this, but then all that personality gets lost when I write. So from now on I’m going to try to make an effort to be a little less boring and a little more crazy (in a good way). Oh, now that I think of it, I actually realized one more thing: people often get the wrong [early] impression of me. For example, one of my really good friends from college thought I was a sorority girl when he first met me. He was SO wrong. At this Gogobot party, one guy told me he thought my family’s rich (we just manage our money well) and another guy guessed that I shop at Hollister (never been actually).

Now on to the event:

Lyft was sponsoring rides to the event and I would have loved to have been able to try out their service, but I live over 40 miles away. Perhaps another time! I’d never been to Busby’s East before and I was glad that I could find parking easily. I found the party in the room with the pool tables and proceeded to put together my awesome glow-in-the-dark baseball cap. I just happened to get some glow sticks similar to puddle jumper toys as well, which I added as a propeller to my hat. Throw on some glasses and my nerd look was complete. Maybe I didn’t look all that Tron, but I sure did have fun!

wearing glow stick glasses and propeller hat at gogobot tron themed party

reflection in shiny tron helmet at gogobot tron themed party

Took a selfie with my friend in the reflection of a Tron costume helmet!

three super happy friends at gogobot tron themed party

I love how we all have our mouths open. 🙂

chatting at gogobot tron themed party

Of course I’m the one making a weird face. Photo credit: Steven Lam

playing pool at gogobot tron themed party

The pool tourney part of the night. Photo credit: Steven Lam

beer pong table at gogobot tron themed party

The beer pong side of things. Photo credit: Steven Lam

gogobot tron themed party costume contest prize figurine

The costumer contest winner got this fun toy. Photo credit: Steven Lam

happy gogobot tron party dj

Dancing to the awesome DJ, I love how he’s so happy too!!

paper lanterns hanging from ceiling in dance room at busby's east

I randomly looked up while dancing and saw lanterns!

jumping dancing selfie shot at gogobot tron themed party

I think this pic is awesome even if our faces are cut off. Look at the joyous smiles! We’re obviously having a blast.

hodded bowing guy dancing at gogobot tron themed party

I loved his dancing! So entertaining. He refused to stay still and show his face so I got what I could.

ladies dancing on stage at gogobot tron themed party busby's

Some of our Gogobot ladies got on stage to dance!

girls dancing on stage at Gogobot tron party from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

365great Day 87: bungee chairs

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365great challenge day 87: bungee chairsThe first time I encountered bungee chairs was at work a few years ago. Then I happened to see this awesome round bungee chair at Target and I told myself I’d get it as soon as I earned enough points on Shopkick for a $25 Target gift card. Alas, by the time that happened the chairs were gone. I was so sad and pined for them for about a year when, amazingly, they came back to Target, slightly redesigned. Last year’s design featured all teal bungee cords and black metal legs; this year’s design features alternating teal and black bungee cords with teal metal legs. They’re similar enough that I’d like either, but I’m partial to the one I ended up getting, probably just because I own it. 😉 For whatever reason, the teal ones are hard to find in stores so I had to track them down, but I am now (finally) the happy owner of one! I love how the design is perfect for hot summer days/nights when the airiness proves useful, plus this chair is less forgiving when it comes to slouching, so I’m pretty sure my sitting posture has improved. Now that’s pretty great!

Sunday Social: blogging beginnings

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Sunday Social
1. How did you come up with your blog name?

back of worn mead five star fat lil notebook

A well-worn notebook I’m currently using.

In middle school, I was looking for a small notebook that could fit in a purse, yet hold a ton of information. When I found Mead’s Five Star Fat Lil’ Notebook, it was perfect. The size of the pages is just right, it has a TON of sheets (200 to be exact), and the pages are perforated so I can tear them out when I’m done. I had one with me everywhere so I could write down things I wanted to remember. When I started blogging, I had pages filled with potential blog post ideas – the ‘fat lil notebook’ was vital to my blogging! I didn’t want to take the name exactly, so I changed it to “little fat notebook” and decided to add the double parentheses to make it visually a bit “fat.” I like to be different and I’ve never seen another blog with double parentheses. This also doesn’t limit me to any topic or type of blogging so I can write as I please. 🙂

2. What is your favorite thing about blogging?
I love sharing! Whether it’s a how-to (my most popular post to date is about setting up a Facebook page), a review/product feature, or just random thoughts, I like to share it with others. I think people like to know they’re not alone in things, so if you write about it, they’ll know at least one other person agrees/has experienced that too. I wish more people commented so I could get feedback on what they like to see on the blog.

3. What is one thing you have discovered because of blogging and now can’t live without?
It’s gotta be a tie between subscription boxes (which I learned from other bloggers) and getting free stuff to try (which I get to do partly because I have a blog). I absolutely love subscription boxes and I have quite a list of ones I want to try in the coming years. Right now a lot of it is focused on beauty and personal items, but I see my preferences changing towards household stuff once we get a place, then towards pampering again come wedding prep time, then a shift to baby and kid-oriented things as we start a family. Also, I’ve only recently discovered BzzAgent, Influenster, Pink Panel, and other similar sites that send me free things to test! It’s great and I definitely want to keep it going indefinitely (as long as I qualify for the stuff).

4. Facebook or Twitter? And why?
Facebook. I’m never on Twitter and pretty much only use it to promote my blog posts and enter giveaways. That’s it. Facebook, on the other hand, is where I can share pictures with my friends, get invited to events, interact with brands, etc. It feels less “busy” on that site because I can control the level of interaction. Twitter has way too many strangers trying to sell things or get followers or whatever. I pretty much just ignore it.

5. If one celeb read your blog who would you want it to be?
Umm… I don’t really know or care for celebrities, but maybe Ellen or Oprah since they could talk about my blog and hopefully that would bring more readers! Yeah, I know, totally selfish, but celebrities just aren’t my thing so if one did read my blog, might as well be one who can help me grow! I’d love to be able to share more things with more people and learn from them too, but it’s hard to do that when there aren’t many readers connecting. *hint* 😉

6. What is something you want people to know about your blog?
It is constantly evolving and I’m always looking for feedback on what you want to see! I seem to get a lot of lurkers and I’d really love to hear from you. 🙂 I mean, yeah I blog about what I want, but I want to also make sure I’m covering what YOU want! Please do share. It would make my day!

365great Day 86: surfing

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365great challenge day 86: surfingEver since I moved to the greater Los Angeles area, I have been meaning to try surfing. Of course, this kept getting pushed off because I didn’t go to the beach that often and when I did, I didn’t want to spend money to learn. I just wanted to chill with my friends! Then last year, Panda and I went on a trip to Hawaii and I knew this was my chance. I tried to get him to learn with me, but hey you can’t always get what you want. At least I got to learn though! It was fun and definitely felt different from anything else I’ve experienced. I don’t know if my skateboarding helped with my balance, but I’d like to think so. This was shot on my first try, when I was still grasping what this strange feeling of being pushed by a wave is like. You can read more about my surfing experience and also watch some videos of my surfing lesson. Good times! I think everyone should give it a try; the feeling is just indescribable (and of course, GREAT!).

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