It’s so calm and serene, this scene of jellyfish slowing moving around. Where are they going? Nowhere, really. What are they doing? Just living out their lives, I guess. When life is simple and you’ve got nothing else to do but meander around your world… I wonder if that makes you content with everything.
gliding jellyfish from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
…or two fortune cookies on a plate? Delicious!
Mmm, perfect way to spice up a fortune cookie!
Ah, the beauty of human interaction. It’s been awhile since I’ve gone out to hang out with friends as much as I used to in college and I didn’t realize how much I missed it! College is sort of a non-stop rollercoaster of social interactions and chilling with friends. You’re surrounded by peers almost the entire time you’re there, which is a stark contrast to the loneliness of work life. Nowadays I come home from work and plop down in front of the computer for the night. I talk to Panda on Skype and maybe talk to friends via IM, email, or Facebook. I rarely go out to meet up with my friends!
However, things seem to be changing pace a bit recently. I’ve started to get out more and make more plans. It’s nice to have social events scattered throughout my schedule and it gives me something to look forward to! Actually, let me clarify – it’s nice to have social events with friends. After all, I’ve been going to a decent number of other events, like yoga, networking events, and massages/facials. Those types of activities don’t satisfy my hanging out with friends quota though. You just can’t beat chilling with people you’re familiar with, whether it’s over a meal or on a couch.
I’ve got a lot of scheduling to do and I’m really looking forward to it! It also helps that part of my chilling with friends gets to be chilling with Panda, finally. 🙂
Here are some shots from an event I went to tonight titled “Why Do We Love Trees?” Why do we? Maybe because they are so instrumental to many of the things in our lives (food, shelter, entertainment). I’ll try to delve into this topic another day. For now, enjoy a visual tour of the night.
The Harold M. Williams Auditorium at the Getty, where the event was held.
The view of the Getty from our part of the venue. I've never been this way before!
The event hosted by the Getty.
Inside the auditorium we got a preview of the artwork by one of the panelists.
The panelists take the floor.
On the left, our moderator Mr. Sipchen from the Sierra Club (formerly with the LA Times as a journalist). Then Ms. Nadkarni, a scientist, Ms. Steinkamp, an artist, and Mr. Masumoto, a farmer. Each provided a unique and interesting perspective! I was struck by just how much their personal backgrounds influenced the way they talked, what they talked about, and how they expressed themselves. Almost as fascinating as the discussion itself.
Lots of holes in the wall! I wonder if that helps with the acoustics?
Afterwards, I got a soda and left pretty quickly because it was cold and I was tired. Down the steps I go!
There's something about glowing lights illuminating the water and plants that is peaceful and cool.
Hmm, it looks like it should be used as a path, but the sign clearly indicates otherwise.
Last Saturday was EPIC. Legend, Apprentice, and I got together for dinner at Din Tai Fung followed by boba at cha for tea. Sounds pretty normal, right? I thought so too.
But along the way, our lively conversation led us meandering down a path I never could have anticipated. We talked about everything from starting a fraternity to winning watches at basketball games to more food, food, and food! And somewhere in all that talk I decided to start making a list of all those things we had said “hey, we should do that” to. The list? Well, to find out, you’re going to have to follow the chronicles of our adventures on a new blog I’m creating. (More to come when it’s ready.)
Here’s what you should know: we will follow a few simple principles in the pursuit of greatness. We’ll make each activity a little bit more exciting because everything we do, we do it big! We’ll live by the motto: “go BIG or go home” and we’ll set the bar high everywhere we go. It starts with our attitude and shows in our wardrobe. We’ll dress to impress, even if it’s to grab some fast food. When you’re the best-dressed in a room, you’ll get noticed. When there’s three of you having a blast as the best-dressed in the room, well – that should raise your bar, too.
Don’t be fooled, most of the things we do may not sound that amazing to you initially, but we’ll bring the flair and set the standard everywhere we go. By the end of it all, you’ll be jealous you weren’t there with us. I’m really excited for our plans and all the fun we’ll have. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to chronicle it all for you. Then who knows, maybe you’ll be inspired to go out and have some fun of your own!
In honor of Doin’ It Big and the conversation about starting a fraternity, we have dubbed ourselves Delta Iota Beta and I am proud to be a brand new DIB. Let the adventures begin!
Monkeys can climb around on a tightrope like it’s the easiest thing in the world. Maybe instead of monkey bars, they should just have rope at the playgrounds and we can all become acrobats.
monkeys climbing from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
Fake, REAL, fake... wait, what? I thought these stores only sold novelty plates.
Wow, it’s been so long since we’ve had nice warm days in LA! The past couple of days have been a real treat, since we pretty much skipped right over the summer thing last year and went straight from a brisk winter to a cool fall. I think I only remember two days being moderately warm in all of 2010. I feel like I’m finally coming out of hibernation after a year and a half of chilly weather and boy does it feel good! It makes me want to actually go outside and do things on my time off rather than hole up in my room on the computer like I’ve been doing.
I’m really excited to start inviting people over for pool parties and maybe even barbecues, if I can figure out how to work the grills we have poolside. I think I might also consider wandering around the Century City mall every now and then, enjoying the warm evenings as I browse storefronts and munch on Pinkberry’s. What a relaxing way to spend a Friday night after a full week’s work. I’m really looking forward to the increase in activity that the higher temperatures will bring. Also, I haven’t craved frozen yogurt in the longest time, probably because it hasn’t been hot enough to make me want something to cool down with. I’ll be adding that back into my diet now, for sure! Nothing like a good old yogurt parfait from Pinkberry’s to satisfy my froyo cravings.
This past week was also the first time I’ve gone to yoga class while it was still light out. That was pretty amazing for me too – I’m so used to associating class with the darkness of the night, but now it still feels like daytime when I head over. I love having long days of sunlight. Thinking of long days, I’m almost nostalgic for the warm summer days of the East Coast and Midwest, where we’d sit on the porch and watch fireflies as we ate watermelon or drank lemonade. Too bad there are no fireflies here and as of yet no juicy watermelon in the fridge. I can’t wait to see Panda in Virginia this the summer and recreate some of those great memories of my childhood. I’d rather have days of thunderstorms and flash floods if it meant I could also have beautifully warm nights. It’s certainly better than the tepid summer we experienced last year.
They’ve got skill and personality! Check out some more videos here and here.
dolphins balancing balls from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
dolphin feeding from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
dolphin hula skills from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
