I finally got my hands on my Rose VoxBox from Influenster and I’m thrilled! It’s been a few months since I received a box from them (all of which are FREE) and I’m excited to dig in. I love the stuff that Influenster gives out and I find it amusing that my entire supply of Dr. Scholl’s has been from them (as of this box I have 3 different insoles). Influenster offers free boxes like these to people who are active on social media, maybe have a blog or vlog, and enjoy sharing great products. You earn a score based on your interaction with their site and what you post online. There are a variety of tasks you can do to boost your score, like write reviews, take surveys, and share on social media. If you’re interested, let me know and I’ll send an invite. It’s a great way to discover cool products just by leveraging your social influence online.
365great Day 246: Influenster
Scaling back
I’ve been working on a blog post for “today” (even though technically it’s already tomorrow) but I just don’t feel like finishing it quite yet. It’s been a long time since I skipped a day blogging even though it’s well past the one year goal I’d set for myself way back when. I just checked and the last skipped day was back in February. Sometimes I get carried away with goals like that, but it’s been chipping away at my time and energy. I think I went a little crazy deciding to blog daily on top of my 365great posts, so I’m giving myself a break. It’s hard for me to let go and not post something every day, but I think it’ll be better for me. I mean, for awhile I was doing an every other day thing and that felt comfortable.
Some nights you just want to curl up in the warmth of the bed and relax. Tonight I did that after a soothing bath and it felt wonderful! I totally put aside the looming blog post stuff and napped for a few hours as Panda watched our Bruins beat the Washington Huskies (woot!). Still, I woke up in the middle of the night as I am apt to do, and promptly got on the computer to blog. It’ll be nice to not do that and sleep through the night instead next time I’m exhausted. Now excuse me while I go work on the 365great post. 😛
365great Day 245: photography
My photo-taking has mostly been about documenting things going on in life, but I really admire those who get really cool shots. There’s so much you can fiddle around with when it comes to taking a picture – brightness, focus, coloring… and then of course is your subject matter, ranging from people to landscapes. It’s so cool how creative you can get with this stuff and I wish I had a better eye for the more artistic shots. I love perusing event photography because you’ll usually find a nice variety of content. There’s the shots that focus on a random detail, like someone’s shoes. There’s the shots that capture a funky angle or perspective. There’s the sweeping view shots and the macro shots and (my favorite) the ones capturing a moment. Each tells their own story and together they share the beauty of time spent together enjoying the company of others. Sometimes the content is compelling, sometimes it’s silly, but always there is a story to be shared. Photography is a great way to capture memories that can be shared and relived indefinitely.
Interesting security questions
I was setting up an online account for Best Buy when they asked me to set up my security questions. While most were pretty standard, a few stood out as particularly fun/unique/weird (shown in bold below). Also, in reviewing them, I realized almost everything was something I’d totally blog about at some point another. I really need to be careful to censor myself more. 😛 Here’s a sampling of what they had (where do they come up with this stuff?):
What was the name of your first roommate during college?
What was your favorite place from your childhood?
What is the first name of your youngest child?
Who was your arch rival when you were growing up?
What is your youngest sibling’s nickname?
Which was the first foreign country you visited?
Who is your favorite athlete?
What is the most unusual job you have had?
What is the last name of your favorite teacher?
Name the highest mountain you’ve been to the top of?
Where did you go on your honeymoon?
What was your most memorable gift as a child?
In which city was your first elementary school?
What was the name of your first pet?
What is your favorite restaurant?
In which city did you get engaged?
Last name of your kindergarten teacher?
What is the last name of your childhood doctor?
What is the name of your favorite movie?
What is the model of your first car?
If you could control your height, how tall would you be?
What is the name of the college you went to?
What is your mother’s middle name?
Who is your favorite musical group?
What is your favorite flower?
Name of childhood best friend?
What was your high school mascot?
Who is your favorite person from history?
What is the street name where you lived when you were 10 years old?
What was your boss’s first name at your first job?
When is your father’s birthday?
My safest bet is to go with sibling-related stuff since I have none and I’d have to make up their name(s). So much harder to figure that out than actual details about my life!
365great Day 244: Goodies Co boxes
I recently found out that Goodies Co has decided to stop sending their snack boxes. It’s sad because I don’t know of another similar one that I’d be interested in. I mean, their price point of $7 is hard to beat. Granted, the snacks I got probably weren’t worth all that much, but the convenience of having them curated and delivered was still worth it to me. I love discovering new products and brands, so this was an easy way to try them out without doing crazy research/hunting on my part. I definitely found a couple of snacks that I have enjoyed again since receiving them in my Goodies box. It was pretty great while it lasted.
Homegrown Collective October 2013 review
I’ve had this Homegrown Collective GREENBOX for a week or so but hadn’t gotten around to taking pictures! Finally, this morning I braved the cold porch and got these shots. I’m looking forward to trying these fun projects, which are very well-themed for the cooler seasons.
The Homegrown Collective GREENBOX is $39 per box + $9 shipping (or as discounted as $429 for an entire year, with options in between) and comes with fun and easy projects to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral program you can apply to join.
Project #1, antioxidants & superfoods: Ok, so technically this isn’t a project and they just tell you about the benefits of cinnamon, ginger, and cranberries, which were some of the featured items in this month’s box. I think it would have been nice if they had included some simple suggestions for how to incorporate these into your diet for those health benefits mentioned.
Learn about what makes these food items so fabulous!
I wonder if you can make something tasty with all three of these…
Project #2, gourd candle making: How fun! I love candles even if I don’t actually burn them very often. The concept of a gourd as the container is really cool and unique. I can be confident nobody else will have one quite like mine. 🙂
What a fun way to make a unique candle.
Looks like fun – can’t wait to try it!
Project #3, water bath canning: I’ve never tried canning before, so this is perfect. I like pretty much anything that involves a mason jar these days (I know, it’s a silly criteria). I don’t usually eat cranberries but I’m definitely looking forward to contributing them to the Thanksgiving gathering this year!
Gonna try my hand at canning, how cool!
Seems like quite an interesting process. Hope it tastes yummy!
And some information about preserving and canning your own food.
Do you receive The Homegrown Collective too? What do you think about the projects this time?
[This post contains affiliate links. Signing up through them helps support my subscription and I’d be ever so grateful. 🙂 All opinions are my own and I received no compensation for this review. I just purchased this box and wanted to share what I got!]
365great Day 243: baby animals
The young of almost any creatures are super adorable. They’re softer and wobblier and awkward and cute bundles of fun. Who doesn’t like kittens, puppies, ducklings, and the like? The way they waddle and squeak and don’t quite know how to do things is hilarious and endearing at the same time. If only they could just stay like that! My mom has always wanted a baby tiger for a pet, but of course you can’t keep them for long before they outgrow you. Meanwhile, I prefer smaller animals that can fit in your hands when they’re young, like these ducklings. Back in China in my childhood, my cousin and I would get baby chicks and ducklings from street vendors, then try to raise them at home. They were the sweetest little things! Unfortunately we were not very good at keeping them alive since we didn’t have a heat lamp and had no clue what we were doing. So I guess it’s best to leave it to their moms to raise them til they’re not cute anymore. Still, I love it when I can play with baby animals. They feel so great!
UK Vacation Day 6 Recap
Day 6 of our UK trip was a wonderful day of revisiting memories and sharing them with Panda. We wandered all through York and checked out a bunch of stores, buying some items but mostly browsing. I got a chance to feed some ducks and geese by a river, which I loved. We even had time to enjoy afternoon tea at Betty’s before returning to the hotel to rest and wait for the train to Edinburgh. A few hours later, we were stepping off onto Scottish soil and making our way to the hotel (getting a bit lost along the way). Once we finally found it, we happily settled in and enjoyed the welcome gifts and nice warm quarters.
[Need more recaps? Here are Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, and Day 5 recaps.]
Good morning, York!
I had a lot of fun choosing what to get from the Yorkshire Soap Co.
Yippee, now I’ve got awesome bath products from lovely Yorkshire.
Cat scarves?! I was really tempted, but next time…
Did you know Guy Fawkes was born in York?
Panda got a shot of me getting a shot of York Minster.
Our wanderings eventually took us outside the city walls.
Fancy a ghoulish tour? Then meet these guys for the Ghost Walk!
Hehe, check out this windblown street performer.
Evil Eye lounge! All I remember is weird beds upstairs and Asian fusion downstairs (with a bar too, of course).
Panda had to try some fish and chips. Tasty!
Caught me wandering.
The Sainsbury that I once walked all the way back from with my groceries!
I wish we could get on that bridge.
I had to stop and feed the birds. It’s a compulsion.
Can you see how gleeful I was? I love animals.
A ton of them joined in when they noticed food and I had fun walking along the bank sharing the wealth.
Even this pigeon wanted in on the action. Check out the cool black duck too!
At one point, I leaned over the bridge to feed them.
After running out of food, I happily walked off into the wind.
If they can make their marketing suite this big, I wonder what the places they’re selling are like!
Back in the center of town, we discovered some old cars on display.
Random browsing brought me to these adorable contact lense cases!
It was cold out, so Betty’s was especially inviting to us.
I loved warming up to a pot of tea and some snacks. Afternoon tea rocks!
Back by the hotel, I hardly recognized this as the old Toff’s where I went clubbing once. (I much preferred the Gallery.)
Does this look like a proper hotel entrance? Cuz it totally was.
After a few hours on the train, we arrived in Edinburgh and got to see the castle from afar!
All settled in at the hotel, with these nice treats waiting for us.
365great Day 242: public transit
From our hotel in Secaucas, Panda and I were able to walk a few minutes to a bus stop and take a coach bus into NYC for $6.40 each roundtrip. It took us to the Port Authority Bus Terminal, which connected to the subway system. From there, we were a $2.75 ride away from any subway stop we desired. While I love cars and the freedom to drive wherever, that sort of convenience is hard to beat. In a city, it’s really your best option, especially if parking costs you up the wazoo. I enjoyed being able to kick back during the ride and then not having to slave over attempts to find parking when we arrived. I’m so grateful for the easy and simple to use public transit that’s available in that area! Made our lives a whole lot easier and that’s undoubtedly great.
When a trip to NYC becomes so much more
I should have known a weekend trip to New York could be so much more. As it was, this was set to be an awesome long weekend: Panda and I would spend a day going through my old town of Brewster, then spend a day in the city before heading home on the third day to settle back in for a shortened work week. I was really excited to revisit the areas of my early teens, from Westchester to Putnam counties. It was also a chance for me to share a bit of my childhood with Panda. We were both looking forward to exploring New York City together for the first time – this was my first long weekend since starting work and I wanted to make the best of it (and we most certainly did)!
Don’t just have fun – document it and share it and tag it! Friends might just come knocking.
I’ll share more about the trip another time. What really struck me about this experience was when I posted a few items to my various social media channels. Something completely unexpected happened again and again: my friends in the area began reaching out to say they were nearby! This is exactly what social media is great for, encouraging connections that otherwise would have been easily missed. There were my Singaporean friends and former coworkers who messaged me that they were in the city for one more day before returning home. There was the Yelp comments from my college friend who lived in my building one year and was now in grad out in New Jersey. Then there was the Instagram conversation I had with another college friend, who did Orientation with me (and Panda) and was now doing her residency in Jersey. I mean, I knew I had friends out in the region, but it hadn’t occurred to me who I might be able to meet up with on our trip!
Each of them reached out to me on a social media channel last night and I messaged all of them through those different channels. Funny how they all found me through a different site/app! By this morning, I had arranged to meet with my grad school friend (Shadow) and the Singaporean coworkers (Starfish and Zen). Shadow met us at our hotel in Secaucus, where we had breakfast together. Panda knew her from when we hung out in college, so it was nice for the three of us to catch up and meet up so far from UCLA. I had thought she was still doing Teach For America, but she’s already well into her first year of a grad program! After she left, Panda and I headed into the city to meet up with Starfish and Zen at the MOMA. It was really nice to be able to introduce them to each other, since I talk about them here and there and now Panda has a better impression of who they are. We hung out for about an hour before splitting ways – they were off to a lunch meeting and we were due to head home.
I’m really glad I was able to get those two brief encounters with people I love seeing. Too bad Opti, my optometrist residency friend couldn’t meet up as well… that would have rounded things out nicely. Still, it’s great to know that next time I head up north I’ve got some friends to hang out with. And to think, it was all because I shared bits of my life on Facebook, Instagram, and Yelp! I guess next time I can do a better job of letting friends know my plans, since I probably could have met with a bunch more had they known.
