((little fat notebook))

Blogosphere, really?

laelene Post in general blog，Tags: opinion, relationships, social media

05 January 2010

Sooo I’ve been trying REALLY hard to find blogs to follow, but something is wrong. The blogosphere is not quite as I had hoped. I recently joined 20 Something Bloggers after this sudden motivation to start connecting with other blogs. So far I’ve been keeping a low profile with this blog, with just about 15-25 unique visitors a day. I haven’t told many of my friends about this blog (except recently, when I was publicizing the whole job competition thing), I don’t really follow personal blogs (I seem to lean towards news and other informative ones), and I haven’t really made any blog friends (except for some loose acquaintances, but pretty much the “blog friends” I have I knew in real life first).

I’ve come across a few decent ones that I may or may not follow long-term, but nothing that draws me by the belt loops and makes me want to them like a faithful puppy. Is there something wrong with me? Do I just not connect with 20-something bloggers as well as I’d hope? Perhaps I should be looking elsewhere. I’ve met some really nice gals so far and started to read their blogs, but it seems that I only obsess about things I find on ABC7, like 20/20, and CBS, like 60 Minutes. Once I get into those, I stay up all night reading. Blogs? Not so much. Perhaps my standards are too news-focused in this blog search. Perhaps I need to learn to read less educational and informative in an immediate way. Perhaps I need to learn to connect with my peers a little better.

I don’t really know what it is, but it is somewhat frustrating to read blog after blog only to find much of the same. Drinking, partying, fashion, drama, sex, complaining, and cursing. None of which I’m interested in. Is that what my generation is all about? Or there’s a blogger who writes about entrepreneurship, which is great, but his pompous tone is just too annoying for me to read regularly. Plus it seems everything for him comes back to sex and materialism, neither of which I want to hear about. In fact, I ended up going from one girl’s site to the blog of this lady, the Pioneer Woman, as she calls herself. Her entries were far more interesting to me than all the opinionated ones of those my age. Then again, I always had a soft spot for the countryside, snow, animals, and farms (or ranches I guess are close enough).

I know there are plenty of great blogs out there that I would love to read! Now where are they? I need some help navigating the blogosphere. Having been a loner for this long, I don’t know what to do with myself and there’s no instruction manual for me to turn to! Then there’s also the problem of RSS feeds… I’m the “send me an e-mail when you post” type of person, but most people just have standard RSS feeds, which means I’ve been adding them to the Google Reader that I don’t use. Great. Now I need to get used to yet another thing to check on a consistent basis! Can the reader perhaps e-mail me a daily summary? Hmm…

Happy Birthday serenade

laelene Post in video blog，Tags: china, experiences, paralympics, travel, videos

04 January 2010

For my first ever video, I thought I’d share a happy moment that occurred in my motherland. 🙂

happy birthday serenade from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

September 9, 2008 was a great day for the guy holding the flag and running around. He won his race at the Paralympics, on his birthday, and got serenaded by the stadium! He’s blind, so the guy running with him was his running partner. At the Paralympics, blind runners are linked with their partners and have to stay within a few feet of each other, with the actual competitor crossing the finish line just before the spotter. It takes a lot of teamwork to be a blind runner!

And for the race he won, which was a 5000-meter run…

men’s 5000 meter from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

Eco-products

laelene Post in photo blog，Tags: environment, green, los angeles, opportunity green, pictures

03 January 2010

Some of the cool things that were at the 2009 Opportunity Green Conference! (Images linked to the website of the maker, if known.)

Made from 100% certified organic cotton by Topo Ranch. They're so soft!

AdVinylize saves billboards from the dumps by making useful bags out of them! Plus you can get straps made of seat belts, which is oh so comfortable.

green KOR water bottle seen from top, with lid open

KOR "hydration vessel" made from BPA-free plastic and designed to make drinking water a better experience.

Organic cookies in a very zen display.

serene scene of mini buddha statue in candlelight

So peaceful.

bamboo leaves in water used as decorative centerpiece

A very green type of centerpiece.

The MINI E electric car, ready for its test drives!

A cornboard chair... you really can do anything with corn!

Beautiful wooden bench and playful tree stumps.

eastman innovation lab's plastic samples

Eastman is the company that produces the type of plastic that KOR and Y Water are made of.

With Greenbox, when you get a pizza you can take the lid, split it into four plates, then take the bottom and fold it in half to create a smaller box to store leftovers! Just follow the dotted lines.

Veeery comfortable, ergonomically-designed office chairs.

My birth date

laelene Post in general blog，Tags: informative, interesting

03 January 2010

Some technical facts about the day of my birth, December 30, 1985:

It was a Monday, the 364th day of the year in the 53rd and final week of 1985.

The moon was in its waning gibbous phase.

It was about 21 degrees F at the time I was born.

There were 9 hours and 11 minutes of daylight (as opposed to 9 hours and 55 minutes in LA).

See all the random things Wolfram Alpha can tell you? That’s where I got this info. 🙂

Holiday cheer

laelene Post in photo blog，Tags: holiday, los angeles, observation, pictures, ucla

02 January 2010

parking meters covered for the holidays for free parking

UCLA spreading some love!

(It says FREE Metered Parking, in case you were wondering. And let me add that parking is LA is not cheap, so this is a rare wonder… probably only because all the college kids are gone for break!)

2010

laelene Post in general blog，Tags: future, goals, pictures, social media, work

01 January 2010

A new year, a new decade. I haven’t thought much about resolutions, but here are some things I’ve been working on:

~getting a job. This is definitely the year I get one. Let’s just hope it’s sooner rather than later. I’ve definitely got a great lead right now! I’m pretty confident that I won one of the 5 interviews that Vidli is giving out for their Social Media Expert. Here was my blog entry about it. The competition is now closed and results are coming out today or tomorrow!

~electronically organize my life with Evernote, reQall, Dropbox, Skydrive, Live Mesh, or something along those lines… I just started using Evernote after getting it in October and I want to make a habit of uploading things so I can access information from anywhere with the internet. I’ve been using reQall to help me remember things. Too bad I’d have to pay to link the two accounts. I’m still trying to figure out what to use for what between Dropbox, Skydrive, Live Mesh, and others similar to them.

~start giving out my Google Voice number exclusively. This way it doesn’t matter what my number changes to in the future, people can always find me.

~use my mary@maryqin.com e-mail as the primary contact. I’ve been reluctant to in case I stop using my website, but I’ll probably always keep it and just use it for different reasons over the years. Plus if I use that e-mail, it will be an added incentive to keep my site going.

~begin sprinkling in some video blogging. I’ve done pure text blogging, then posts with pictures, and added in photo blogging. Now it’s time for the next stage with some video, whether of me talking, something interested I filmed, or (in the way future) something I edited together.

This will also be the year that I figure out what my life will be like more or less for the next couple of years. As soon as I get that job, I want to start creating a routine. Figure out when and where I can work out. Look into a physical therapist, chiropractor, or masseuse to help with my weak back. Go visit the dentist after way too long! Think about my next step in education – maybe take some online or night classes in the years leading up to that MBA. Save up for emergencies, future investments, and other such important items. Find a routine that fits Panda in frequently (which will of course change as soon as he starts working!). And then I’ll know how I can work my social life around that. 🙂

It’s a year of big change and I’ve been more than ready for awhile now. So here’s to 2010!

The relationship

laelene Post in general blog，Tags: behavior, experiences, future, habits, panda, relationships

31 December 2009

I realized that I don’t speak much of Panda except mentioning him here and there. But in terms of our relationship, I haven’t delved much into it. I thought I’d write more about how our relationship developed, but it’s one of those things that’s nice to just do and not have to reflect on. So, to meet my expectation in setting up this blog that I would at least cover our relationship somewhat, here are some thoughts…

It’s been a year and a half since we met and things have changed tremendously. We managed to make things work around busy schedules and even a couple of months apart. I was a little nervous coming back from Singapore, wondering how things might have changed after so long of only interacting virtually. Thankfully, we quickly eased back into each other’s lives and had a painless transition. He taught me to use coupons and pay attention to the price of food I buy and I taught him that life should just be enjoyed sometimes. We’ve built a rhythm and style of interaction that only we share, with plenty of inside jokes to be remembered. We’ve shared laughs and cries and hugs and kisses and plenty of food as well.

It’s hard to imagine a life without him and I certainly don’t plan on it. I can tell him every little thing and I often admire just how cute he is. He’s got the gentlest soul and so much heart that it touches me deeply. He’s done a lot of behind the scenes things to take care of me and is usually cleaning up after me. I’m not a very neat person. I am organized in my own messy way. We’ve learned to compromise on some things, change for others, and still many have to be worked out. We developed a pattern for many of the things we do and we’ve created so many memories already. We’ve made a variety of loose plans for the future, both for ourselves and for us as a couple.

Of course, things are not perfect and he hasn’t had much experience with what high maintenance a girl’s emotions can be. The way I interpret things is not something he can think of naturally, so it’s a challenge. I have high standards and I let him know exactly when I am not pleased with him. He always cares so much and wants to do right by me, but often just doesn’t know how. I have been extremely demanding at times, not giving him a break. But the good thing is, we almost always want to talk it out and don’t just stop speaking to each other. And with a lot of back and forth, I think we both learn a lot in the process.

So all in all it’s been a great ride and I’m excited for the years ahead. And now that I’ve covered the relationship, I probably won’t really talk about it again. It’s probably the only thing that I like to keep private. 🙂

A numbers game

laelene Post in general blog，Tags: cars, daddy, experiences, food, fun, interesting, mommy, panda, pictures, storytelling

30 December 2009

Today was my 24th birthday and I got to spend it with Panda and my parents. 🙂

I couldn't drive off without a picture first!

I got up early in the morning, surprising my parents, since I love to sleep in. Well, I had a date to catch! Since Panda does not have his own transportation, I went out to pick him up so we could have lunch with my parents. I was allowed a day of joyriding in my new car for my birthday, after which the car will be stored away until I get myself a job. Call it sort of reward and encouragement at the same time. I got a chance to set up the Bluetooth connection and made my first call with it to Panda. He couldn’t even hear a difference! Excellent. Now I’ll never miss a phone call in the car since my music will automatically be muted for incoming calls.

kid-sized ice cream cone with chocolate and vanilla swirl ice cream

Isn't that the smallest cone you've ever seen?

So we drove back to my neighborhood and I called up my parents to direct them to the local Souplantation. I can’t believe we never knew about it before! But you know, now that I think of it, it looks awfully familiar and I think it’s been there for a long time, but we just never knew about it. So lunch was nice, with my dad and Panda doing most of the talking. My parents really enjoyed Panda’s choice of restaurant and it was quite healthy and filling. Plus, they had the cutest little ice cream cones! By and by, it was time to part and for me to head off with Panda for the rest of the day. We did a little strolling around the area before heading over to the dealership, since we’d noticed that the floor mats in my car were missing.

Look what we came across on our stroll!

With the paper mats in the way, we didn't notice at first that the actual mats were missing!

This fish must have been very hungry, since it spent the night trying to eat rocks.

The rest of the day was very chill as we hung out and enjoyed each other’s company. For dinner, I had a hard time choosing, so we found something on Yelp that was near his home and headed that way. Unfortunately, the place was closed for some reason, but thankfully, he had just gone to a nice Japanese place just down the street the day before. We went there and had a nice time eating and watching the fish doing silly fish things in the tank in front of us. Nice place and nice food. To round out the night, we made a pit stop at cha for tea, my all-time favorite boba place. They offer games there for people to play as they hang out, drink tea and boba, and munch on some food. We’ve got a little tradition of playing Connect 4 there, so we sat down to a showdown.

All too soon we had finished our drinks, played many a round, and realized it was time to head back for the night. I dropped him off and drove on home, enjoying the feel of the Corolla one last time. I came back to dozens of birthday well wishes from friends on Facebook and a steadily growing number of votes coming in to help me towards winning a job interview for January 4th! It’s great to have support and it’s been a fun way for me to earn my foot in the door for an exciting job. With just one day left, I’ll do one final push and hope for the best. I do believe I can stay in the Top 5 and earn an interview, but just in case I’m still working hard to ensure it’s taken care of.

In honor of the “numbers game” that my parents keep saying job searching can be, I thought I’d play around with some numbers myself…

1 lifetime:

2 parents

3 cats

4 countries lived in

5 states of residence

6 cars our family has owned

7 major relocations

8 cousins (and a step-cousin) I don’t get to see enough

9 jobs where I’ve earned money (3 internships without)

10 years old when I started documenting my life like the packrat I am

11 (and a half) places I’ve called home

12 grandparents, aunts, and uncles living in Asia (plus a step-grandparent)

13 years of keeping a daily journal

14 schools attended from pre-school through college (some simultaneously)

15 European countries traveled over a 5-week spring break

16, an eventful age: took driving lessons, attended Leadership Academy, went to Australia & Hawai’i, and moved to California from New York

17 (and a quarter) years’ worth of education thus far

18, the last landmark birthday (21 doesn’t count since I don’t drink)

19 affiliations with UCLA organizations throughout my college career

20 (intermittent) years in this country

21 major cities traveled to over that 5-week spring break

22 countries traveled to overall (not counting the 4 I’ve lived in for some period of time)

23 airports I’ve been through

culminating in 24 years of rich experiences!

I’ve certainly got a lot of stories. As always, things in my life tend to be more exception than rule, so these numbers may be slightly off, depending on your criteria. You get the idea though.

My “first” car!

laelene Post in general blog，Tags: cars, experiences, pictures, storytelling

29 December 2009

Oh how unpredictable car buying can be! Yesterday I went with my mom to the Toyota dealership, set on choosing a Camry. I, of course, wanted the hybrid, but since it’s quite pricey and it doesn’t make sense financially to get it over the LE, I had my reservations. After all, I was out to make a responsible decision for me, my parents, our (mostly their) money, and the environment. I wish I liked a Prius enough to get one, but I just can’t get over the odd shape and look. Plus, I don’t want to have to deal with some bar thing blocking my vision in the rearview mirror.

So to humor me, the salesman (I’ll call him “Cary”) let me drive that around first. I loved how silent it was and the little whoosh sound whenever you brake wasn’t too distracting. Next up was the Camry LE, which was solid and nice, but didn’t thrill me. The gas pedal on this one was far more responsive and it took me a few seconds to readjust. We kept looking around at different models and Cary decided that I should drive the Camry S as well, just for kicks. The sound system in that one is far superior and it comes with fun seats that make it cool and sporty.

After those runs, I still had no clear choice of preferred vehicle. The hybrid was my dream, but too much money for its worth. The LE was generic and a bit boring, but was the S worth an extra 2K? The only thing I really liked on the S was the special fabric they use for the seats. That certainly isn’t worth the extra money. So, in an effort to satisfy my whim, we went looking for a silver hybrid with a moonroof (the one perk I reaaally wanted). As we were driving up the parking structure, Cary casually mentioned the Corolla as he pointed out a Corolla S. I was surprised that it looked quite nice, since I’d always been adverse to Corollas, thinking they were too small. They are quite a bit cheaper though, so perhaps I should have thought of them earlier. Saving money doesn’t hurt!

Since it looked pretty nice, I decided to try it out too. Turns out they’ve changed the Corolla a lot in the past couple of years and the Corolla S was not only roomy enough, it came with the seats I liked! So stylish. 🙂 On the test drive, I felt a difference immediately, which was due to a smaller engine. It’s louder and vroom vrooms a little when I accelerate, but otherwise it handled just like a Camry. I felt more comfortable in it and it even made me feel cool, what with bluetooth and a fancy 6 CD changer with JBL speakers. It has ample cargo space in the trunk and backseats that can be laid down for extra room. I didn’t care much for the skirt or spoiler, but I guess they don’t hurt. Oh, and of course it had my moonroof.

The same look of mine! As for the actual one, pictures to come...

You know the one thing I wanted that didn’t change? The color. Funny, since I went in thinking I’d get a silver Camry, but wanting to check out color options. Instead the thing I didn’t think would change did and the thing I thought would probably change didn’t. Life works out in odd ways, doesn’t it? So my mom and I were happy and energized after taking the Corolla S for a spin. We went home to update my dad on the new direction we were looking. Then began lots of researching online for prices and I called up our insurance company to ask for quotes. Then today, I got quotes from two more companies, compared, decided to stay with AAA, and in the mid-afternoon, it was back to the dealership. After many hours of pounding through numbers and paperwork, we finally came upon an agreed price and sealed the deal. I settled my insurance, they washed and gassed up the car, and I was on my way. 🙂

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