((little fat notebook))

365great Day 61: Loaded Boards

laelene Post in 365great，Tags: 365great, college, experiences, high school, pictures, products, skateboards, skating, skill

14 May 2013

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Sometime in high school, I decided I wanted to learn how to skateboard. One of my friends promised to teach me, but then time went on and it kind of never happened. I graduated high school and moved on to college. Then, my senior year of college, I happened to hang out with some friends who skated and often had their boards around. I started by standing on them while leaning on a picnic bench. From there, I practiced standing without holding onto something. Before I knew it, my balance and control were improving and I could even manage some push-offs without hurting someone. After a tough Valentine’s Day with three brutal midterms, I decided to pull the trigger and treat myself to a board. The one I had in mind was a Loaded Board, which one of the guys had. It’s made from bamboo and is super flexible. I absolutely loved it and chose the Vanguard design. Soon enough, I was cruising around campus on my board, rushing off to classes and meetings and whatnot. It was so fun! I even got a chance to go cruising from Malibu to Venice Beach one weekend and had a total blast. I’ve had my share of scrapes and bruises, but that hasn’t stopped me. I do keep it pretty conservative though – no carving down major hills or trying any stunts. Nonetheless, learning how to skate and getting my beloved Loaded Board was one of the best decisions I made! It has been undeniably great.

Cyclist delay

laelene Post in photo blog，Tags: driving, events, experiences, pictures

14 May 2013

On my way out today, I went to drop off some books at the library, only to get stuck due to road closures for a cycling event! I ended up parking my car and walking the rest of the way to the library.

street closed off with orange cones and police cars due to cycling event

All blocked off to traffic (but at least not pedestrians).

parking lot coned off for special cycling event

Even the library parking lot was closed for the event.

guys removing orange gate barriers off street from cycling event

As the final cyclists made it through, the barriers were then taken down.

cop cars driving by and parked while managing traffic

Cops round up the end of the parade of cyclists and vehicles.

365great Day 60: the Getty

laelene Post in 365great，Tags: 365great, architecture, art, beauty, garden, getty center, lawn, los angeles, museum, nature, ocean, tourist, travel, view

13 May 2013

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The Getty sits perched atop a hill, overlooking a gorgeous landscape. If you know what you’re, looking for, you can see everything from downtown LA and UCLA in one direction to the ocean in the other direction. But its beauty lies not only in its view – the museum and grounds are marvelous too. The Getty is LEED certified and beautifully designed. Skylights, white stones, water fountains, and cool wood paneling all add to the serene and bright atmosphere. You get to enjoy picturesque scenes inside and outside, no matter where you wander. There are rotating exhibits that change every few months, so each visit can be a fresh look at things. The garden and lawn area is an excellent place to hang out, relax, and soak in the sunny days. Whether you’re into art, history, architecture, gardening, views, or nature, there’s something there for you. It’s worth a visit no matter what your interests! A place that caters to such a range of tastes is pretty unique and very great.

Sunday Social: past & future

laelene Post in general blog，Tags: bloggers, blogging, family, future, home, linkup, panda, past, pictures, questions, social

13 May 2013

I really like the prompts for yesterday’s Sunday Social so I thought I’d join in! I saw them when catching up on Ramblings of a Suburban Mom and hey, better late than never, right?

1 year ago I was doing…
A bit of relaxing and enjoying life. I had just quit my job, was trying to find my way in the world of self-employment, but took a break to go back to China and attend my cousin’s wedding. Not long after, I had a grand vacation with Panda (our first time flying together!) in Hawaii before figuring out what to do with my entrepreneurial endeavors. I started by launching DeckMyPhone.com and later created PandaLoves.com. On the blogging front things were still tootin’ along as they have been since 2009, when I decided to do more “for the public” blogging. Prior to that, my blog was really more of an online journal/diary.

5 years ago I was doing…
Training for UCLA Orientation. I had not yet met Panda (wow, can’t believe I’ve only known him for less than 5 years when it feels like ages). I still had a month left before the quarter ended and I walked for graduation. It would be 6 more months before I finished up my classes since I took an extra quarter. Over the summer, I met Panda and we began our little romance, which has been tough but rewarding! I also went back to China at the end of this summer, getting a chance to check out the Paralymics in Beijing and visit relatives.

10 years ago I was doing…
A whole lot of adjusting and trying to grapple with living in California. I had just moved from New York the year before, was finishing up my junior year at my new high school, and still kind of hated LA. The weather was too dry (my skin hurt), I was still bitter that I had been torn away from my old high school and friends with little notice (we moved within 2 weeks of me finding out), I missed NJROTC (had to transfer to an AFJROTC unit since there was no Navy one nearby), and I didn’t like having to choose between track or swimming (they’re the same season in CA but not NY). Yeah, I was probably a bit of an angsty teenager. Oh, and I had just started to hear of this college called UCLA, which hadn’t been on my radar before.

1 year from now I’ll be doing…
Some sort of steady work. I’ve decided to get back into the “normal” workforce so I certainly hope I’d have a job by then! I’d love to continue my blogging and eBay sales on the side and hopefully will get my blog above the 1 mil Alexa rank threshold. I started off around 7.4 mil just over 2 weeks ago, when I decided I wanted to bring up my rank. As of now, I’m at 4.1 mil and I’m sure it will only get harder to move up but I’m confident that I can make it into the 6-digits range. Panda and I will be engaged, but I do not expect to be doing any wedding planning yet. We’ll both be living and working together (finally!) and building a nice little home life together before the craziness of kids.

5 years from now I’ll be doing…
The motherhood thing. I’ll probably have had my first child, if not a second as well (assuming there are no fertility issues). I’m sure Panda and I will both have our hands full. By this point we should have been married for a few years (whew, thank goodness! I will be glad when the wedding is over). I have no clue on the work front what I might be doing – maybe I love my career and keep it up, or maybe I decide I’d rather stay home. My ability to make money from home could help decide, or maybe Panda will decide he wants to be a stay at home dad. If we’re both working, our parents might come help watch the kids at times. I expect to have my cat Missy as part of our household too. Molly’s old so I don’t know if she’ll still be around, plus she loves my mom so maybe she’ll stay at my parents’ place.

10 years from now I’ll be doing…
Yikes, this one is the toughest one. I really can’t imagine what life will be like in 10 years. Ideally, Panda and I will both be working in careers that challenge and excite us. We’ll have a beautiful home with all kinds of personal touches we added over the years. We’ll probably have two little kids who are just starting the education journey and dreaming of their lives as adults. We’ll have a comfortable life filled with family activities and vacations and probably a terabyte of pictures stored away. I’d love to be getting a variety of subscription boxes so I can have a ton of mini projects to do, ranging from crafts with the kids to cooking with Panda. I’m sure I’ll still have way too many skincare items but a hopeless addiction to trying new ones nonetheless. I might still be trying to use up any single bottle of nail polish. I think I’ll still be blogging and trying to win stuff and selling on eBay on the side. We’ll see!

365great Day 59: Del Sol

laelene Post in 365great，Tags: 365great, beach, brands, cruise, del sol, experiences, pictures, products, science, vacation

12 May 2013

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I was on a cruise ship when I first encountered Del Sol and I was fascinated by their color-changing products, especially the nail polish. In fact, I bought a bottle of the nail polish as a souvenir. I wanted to get more items, but held back until I came across their store in Myrtle Beach. At that point, I found this cool t-shirt design that I loved, so I got that. I love the look of both the plain outline when I’m indoors and the bright colors when I’m out in the sun. Watching the colors emerge or fade never ceases to entertain me. It’s so much fun! I was given a nice tote bag for the t-shirt purchase, which I proudly carried around the beach. Over the years, I’m sure I will continue to collect a variety of Del Sol products. I love when science can be put to fun use like this! It’s so great.

Empty nest

laelene Post in general blog，Tags: airport, cats, driving, experiences, family, guests, nap, pictures, travel, visitors

12 May 2013

I got a brief feeling of empty nester syndrome today, as I dropped off our visitors at the airport. It was a whirlwind of taking out the luggage, trying not to get run over by traffic, and waving goodbye. In just a few seconds, I was back in the car and they were off into the airport. As I pulled away, I suddenly felt a little lonely. There were no more guests to drive around town, no more big meals, no more chatter. I’ve always lived a pretty quiet and solitary life, even when my parents were in the same house. This flurry of activity is a rare occurrence and it was rather fun to have a change of pace from my usual daily patterns.

I’m pretty pooped though, so I’m off to rest with my adorable kitty! Just look at her. 🙂

365great Day 58: a great view

laelene Post in 365great，Tags: 365great, mom, mountains, nature, ocean, pictures, preferences, sunset, valley, view

11 May 2013

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Who doesn’t enjoy looking out from a mountain or across a valley or over the ocean or even from a penthouse and checking out a beautiful view? It could be a wide expanse of fields, a mountain range, the great big ocean (or a giant lake), maybe even a downtown skyline. When you look out at a landscape, it’s hard not to marvel at its beauty. I’m sure everyone’s idea of the best view varies, but we can all appreciate “seeing the big picture” in that way. I personally love sunsets behind mountains or over the ocean, as well as a glittering body of water as far as the eye can see. I love a connection with nature! Meanwhile, my mom enjoys more man-made views like that of a dense sprinkling of lights at night, whether from street lights or buildings. To her, they sparkle like stars for a bright nightscape. Whatever your preferences, a wonderful view is great.

Living it up in LA

laelene Post in general blog，Tags: art, beach, beautiful, eating, experiences, family, food, garden, getty center, getty villa, museum, ocean, pictures, pier, relatives, santa monica, scenery, scenic, shopping, travel, view

11 May 2013

It’s been a busy two days for my relatives! They spent their first full day in LA out at Universal Studios, with a brief stop in the Hollywood area first, and a visit to Griffith Observatory afterwards. They took pictures of the Hollywood sign, walked around Hollywood & Highland, checked out the Chinese theater, looked at the star walk, and even stopped for some photos with some street walkers dressed as pirates from Pirates of the Caribbean. Then it was off to nearly 8 hours doing every possible thing at Universal Studios! The shows, the rides, the sights… and some of them they even got around to twice. Pretty impressive.

I picked them up at 6:30 yesterday after that full day of adventure and we wrapped up the night by swinging by Griffith Observatory to check out the view of LA and look at all the exhibits inside. They peered into a telescope looking at a giant telescope atop Mount Wilson, learned about tidal waves and seasons and moon phases, played with the giant periodic table, figured out the way the pendulum worked, and tested out their weights on various planets. Oh, and they took a ton of pictures along the way! The sun was setting as we arrived at the observatory, so they went crazy getting some great shots of the natural scenery. We didn’t get home until 9:30 and then it was time to eat up for dinner!

Today it was another full day, first going to the Getty, where we explored nearly all the exhibits (it was actually my first time entering anything other than the West building). Then of course we had to wander around the garden area, where there were a ton of great pictures to be taken and flowers to be admired. Three hours later, we were able to wrap up and get to Santa Monica, where we wandered around Santa Monica Place, Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica beach, and the Pier. There was a stop for lunch so we’d have the strength to continue going and we saw everything ranging from the shopping strip to the ocean and even paused to check out a trapeze lesson on the pier!

Before we knew it, it was late afternoon and we rushed off to the Getty Villa since you could park there for free if you go on the same day as visiting the Getty. They close at 5 though, so time was limited. Traffic on the PCH was awful and it took a good 45 minutes to get from Santa Monica to the Getty Villa! Insane. We made it just 10 minutes before closing and they almost didn’t let the car through, but I sweet talked them. 🙂 Once again it was a great time for lovely pictures, with some exploring of the grounds before they started to chase us out for the day. On the ride home, we made a pit stop to get some ingredients for dinner and then another to get the wine that they forgot the first time around. We were going to make our way to some outlets too, but they decided that they can figure that out when they’re in Vegas or on another leg of the trip.

They sure did check out a lot in these two days, and got a pretty good feel of things from the coast all the way inland. There’s of course plenty they missed out on, but I think they covered quite a bit of ground in just two days.

365great Day 57: black peppercorn

laelene Post in 365great，Tags: 365great, black pepper, food, peppercorn, pictures

10 May 2013

Learn more about 365great here.

I really love snacks that have some cracked black pepper sprinkled on top. That bit of a kick and strong taste is really nice! It’s pretty addicting and a burst of flavor that doesn’t linger so it’s refreshing without being overwhelming. But because it doesn’t last, I keep wanting more! Before I know it, I’ve devoured a giant bag of chips or crackers and I feel oh so satisfied. I found it’s also great on meat. Who needs salt when you can crack some black peppercorn over your food? I think it’s a great (better) replacement.

FMSPhotoADay April 2013

laelene Post in photo blog，Tags: fmsphotoaday, instagram, photo challenge, pictures

10 May 2013

Yikes, completely forgot it was so far into May already! I’ve officially completed my first full month of the FMSPhotoADay photo challenge! I started back on March 10th so March was only 2/3 done – see what I posted that month! And here’s a roundup of what I did for April: