((little fat notebook))

Tap away

laelene Post in photo blog，Tags: pictures, products

28 August 2012

I got a wonderful surprise in the mail! I had ordered a phone clutch from Koshi (coming soon) and then discovered they were giving away stylus pens for those who liked their Facebook page. Of course I had to jump on that offer!

Air pollutants

laelene Post in general blog，Tags: china, flying, observation, opinion, pictures, plane, pollution, travel

25 August 2012

I remember when I was a kid, flying was a great way to admire the beauty of the world. I adored looking out the window as landscapes passed us by (well, more like we passed them :-P). It was so peaceful and gorgeous! Now whenever I fly, I’m reminded of the massive change that has happened over the past two decades. I look outside the window of the plane and see a hazy horizon. It’s like I can see the heat rising from the earth. Gone are those pollutant-free views of centuries past.

I don’t recall ever noticing air pollutants when I was young, except in certain parts of the Midwest where it was so hot the air couldn’t be clear and crisp. Lately it’s become apparent that those childhood memories of looking clearly into the horizon were either far rosier than reality or the world’s atmosphere has really changed that much. Back then, it was literally “as far as the eye could see” without all this smog or haze or whatever. High up in the air, it was a treat to look down at our planet and enjoy its natural beauty.

In China, it’s even worse. It feels like there’s a thick blanket of blurriness hanging over everything and sometimes it’s bad enough to be noticeable from the ground too. At 30,000 feet I can barely make out what’s below us at times. In fact, even on the ground taking a train ride made me wonder if the winters had always been so dreary. I can pretty confidently say that that’s not the case – we as humans have just managed to cover our world with pollutants, haven’t we?

Case in point: you can barely make out the winding path and rolling hills below.

I think I’d find it depressing if I was a pilot, having to watch as year after year the sky got murkier. But then again, if you saw the gradual change, maybe you’d get used to it and not even tend to notice the way that I have after years of not flying much. Still, it’s sad that things have gotten to this point and I hope that the future brings initiatives to restore the beautifully clear skies that I once enjoyed.

Yellow lifesaver

laelene Post in video blog，Tags: firetrucks, observation, travel, videos

24 August 2012

So bright and so loud! They totally took up half the road, all for some random vehicle that was pulled over to the side.

honolulu firetruck from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

Cat’s life: summer lounging

laelene Post in photo blog，Tags: animals, behavior, cats, pets, pictures, summer

23 August 2012

My cats sure know how to enjoy themselves in the midst of these summer days. 🙂

cats lounging in summer heat, one inside doorway and one outside - both laying in same position

Hehe, they often mirror each other when they sit or lay around.

missy the cat sleeping with her legs splayed, belly facing up

Oh she knows how to get comfortable alright.

molly the cat laying on couch pillow with arm dangling down

She owns this sofa!

Blissmobox: Blissful Bites

laelene Post in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: blissmobox, eco-friendly, food, green, health, pictures, products, review, snacks

22 August 2012

After much anticipation, I’ve finally gotten to enjoy my very first blissmobox! This is the July box and I chose the Blissful Bites option to get my snack on.

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 july's blissmobox: naturally hers, naturally his, or blissful bites

The three choices for the July blissmobox.

Inside, I found seven great items: 479° Popcorn, Beanitos chips, Crunchmaster crackers, Betty Lou’s cereal bar, Braga Farms pistachios, Giddy Up granola, and Panda licorice. It’s a nice mix of sweet and salty, crunchy and chewy, all with plenty of flavor and goodness to boot.

479° Popcorn, Black Truffle & White Cheddar – I’m actually not a huge fan of popcorn, so it’s a feat that I actually liked this one. The flavor hits you after you eat some and inhale… it’s very rich and a bit overwhelming, but strangely addicting. I’ve never really cared for truffles but this gives me just enough of the flavor without making me queasy.

Beanitos black bean chips, Chipotle BBQ – These are so much like corn chips I’d never miss the old stuff. Great taste and crunch factor, though the chipotle BBQ flavor was a bit spicy for my sensitive taste. Still, I enjoyed them and would eat them despite the stomachache.

Crunchmaster multi-seed crackers, Original – Talk about extremely crunchy! These rice crackers offer a satisfying crackle as you eat them. They are tasty on their own, and probably awesome with dip.

Betty Lou’s JustGreatStuff cereal bar, Superberry Açaí – Moist and luscious, with bits of fruit to chew on and a gentle sweetness. These are so much better than other cereal or energy bars! If I needed an on-the-go snack I’d totally have to get these.

Braga Farms organic pistachios, roast & salted – I’ve never been particular to pistachios so I don’t lean either way with these. They taste much like other pistachios I’ve had and they’re organic, so that gives them bonus points!

Giddy Up & GO granola, Notoriously Nutty – Wow! I have never actually been excited to eat granola, but one bite of this and I was shocked into a smile. I think it’s the cinnamon that gives it a delicious sweetness, coupled with the slightly soft chewiness that makes this so good. This isn’t the dried-out, washed-up granola you may be used to.

Panda licorice, Blueberry – I took a bite and was surprised that this was a rather dry treat. I despise normal black licorice so I was reluctant to try this, but then I love blueberry-flavored things, so I gave it a shot. It has a nice mild flavor and kind of reminds me of a blueberry fruit strip or soft granola bar. There is a slight lingering taste of licorice but nothing too strong.

If you’d like more info on these brands, you can click below to enlarge the photo and read more.

Hanging with dolphins

laelene Post in video blog，Tags: animals, hawaii, travel, videos

21 August 2012

From racing with the wind to cruising along to just floating in place, these dolphins kept pace with us and came to play for a good 20 minutes!

hawaiian spinner dolphins from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

spinner dolphin jumping from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

spinner dolphins surfacing from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

spinner dolphins cruising from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

racing spinner dolphin from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

Bucky Balls in purple

laelene Post in photo blog，Tags: pictures, products

20 August 2012

A long time ago, Panda got me a set of Bucky Balls. I took them to work and played with them often, and then the office got a set that everyone played with. I’m pretty sure that somewhere along the way my Bucky Balls got mixed up with those and eventually were distributed all around the office, stuck to metal cabinets and poles. Lately, I’d heard news of some consumer board trying to get them banned so I wanted to make sure I have a set in case they are forced out of business, plus they were encouraging us to buy to support them. By this time, they’d expanded into so much more than the original set I got – they had colored ones and large ones and even cube ones. I couldn’t resist the purple set since it’s my favorite color, so that’s what I ordered.

Cats don’t understand “uncomfortable”

laelene Post in general blog，Tags: animals, behavior, cats, missy, molly, observation, pictures

18 August 2012

I’ve gotten to spend more time with my cats lately, since I’m working from home. One thing that has really proven itself time and time again is the fact that they don’t seem to think any position is uncomfortable. In fact, they often seem to prefer the most uncomfortable-looking positions… scrunched up in a tiny space, in a twisted position, or on top of hard objects (usually with sharp edges).

collage of all the crazy positions that some cats sleep in

Check out some of the wacky positions I’ve found my cats sleeping in!

(click the picture to zoom in on some of those hilarious shots)

Take Missy for example – she climbs right on top of me and plops down, without a care in the world that my arm is pinned under her so her spine gets bent all weird. Or, of all the soft, comfortable, cozy sleeping spots I set up for her, she goes for the one place I didn’t prepare – bare, firm, and cold. She also loves to sprawl right on my laptop keyboard (meanwhile Molly prefers to sit right on it). Maybe it’s the heat? Oh, and don’t forget the times when it looks like they’re doing some sort of contortionist move.

It also doesn’t seem to matter if the position is tight and condensed, or more stretched out. You’ll find Missy curled up in a ball just as much as she’s belly-up, with her arms and legs outstretched. Temperature usually isn’t an issue either; one of her favorite spots is under the covers where she’s practically suffocating. Whether I sleep on my side or with my legs up, knees bent, she’ll mosey her way in if I lift the blanket, then settle in to a warm, dark corner.

Right now, Missy is laying half on me, half on the bed (she slid off me partly). Her feet are stretched out above her head and her paws are intertwined with her feet. Sometimes she’ll tuck her nose into that mess of limbs, and sometimes she’ll twist her neck so her chin is facing the ceiling.