Posts Tagged ‘behavior’

Helpful jetlag

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , ,
11 May 2011
0

Ever since visiting Panda two weekends ago, I’ve been able to get up earlier in the morning (in fact, I can’t help but wake up between 6 and 7:30).  When I first wake in the morning, I usually take a look at my phone to make sure I still have time and go back to a light sleep until my alarm goes off at 8:30.  I then get out of bed in the next 15-20 minutes, shower, and get ready to head out.  I’ve been able to make it to work on time or 5-10 minutes early.  Fantastic!

Prior to my trip, I’d been getting in a bad habit – snoozing until 9:15, when I’d jump out of bed, throw something on, brush my teeth and hair, wash my face, and rush out only to be 5 minutes late to work.  While nobody is watching the clock when we start showing up at work, I always felt a little guilty that I just couldn’t make it on time.  Who knows if anybody else noticed.  All that mattered was my own conscience, nagging at me silently.  I’d been slipping into a funk and no matter what I tried, I couldn’t fix it.  I even slept a good 8-9 hours once and I think it actually made matters worse.

I guess getting up at 3:30 AM PST to get to the airport and hop on a flight that would get me to LA by 11:30 AM PST did something to adjust my biological clock setting.  Even though I did sleep quite a bit on the plane, none of it was very restful and as soon as I landed I headed back to work that day.  By the end of my work day, I was so exhausted I wanted nothing else but to rest.  Maybe what I needed was just that one day of extended exhaustion to make me tired by 11 and actually willing to sleep before midnight.  Now I get plenty of sleep and while I always want more, it is much easier to get up on time in the mornings (and even sneak a shower in!).

So you see people, jetlag isn’t always a bad thing!  Maybe it’s even that restart or jump start that your body has been waiting for.

Seal frisbee

laelene Posted in video blog，Tags: , , ,
10 May 2011
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Carlos loves frisbees. 🙂

carlos the seal from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

Motherly attachment

laelene Posted in video blog，Tags: , , ,
07 May 2011
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It’s almost Mother’s Day, so here’s a baby turtle who loves his (or her?) mommy and wouldn’t stop following her around everywhere.

turtle love from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

Meet Sasha

laelene Posted in photo blog，Tags: , , , , , ,
02 May 2011
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In D.C. on Sunday, Panda and I came across this adorable squirrel! She was hardly scared of people and after feeding her I decided to name her Sasha.

brown or red squirrel eating

We spotted her so close to the sidewalk, munching away at something yummy.

brown or red squirrel looking alert after noticing movement

She ignored us for a long time as she scavenged, but then the crinkling of the bag caught her attention.

brown or red squirrel looking inquisitively at camera

She stared right at us when we pulled out a gummy bear from the bag.

brown or red squirrel creeping along ledge to get closer

She hopped up on the ledge and began to sneak over.

brown or red squirrel stretching out to sniff at gummy bear

She came right up to the edge to see this wonderful piece of food.

brown or red squirrel munching on red gummy bear candy

She took the gummy bear straight from my fingers and began nibbling at it furiously.

brown or red squirrel looking over shoulder at gummy bears

I offered her some more tempting candy as she finished gobbling up the first.

brown or red squirrel stands on back legs to look at candy

She was really eager for these! What a hungry squirrel.

brown or red squirrel smells gummy bear

She put her paws on me to grab the red one, which fell. When she didn't notice where it landed, she went for the yellow one instead.

Her paws were so soft and slightly scratchy where the nails were. I want a pet squirrel!

Yelp

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , ,
05 April 2011
2

My latest obsession is Yelp (see my profile).  A few weeks ago, I decided that I want to become Yelp Elite.  To do so, I began to draft a bunch of reviews and started to take note of every place I went.  Soon enough, it became more fun to check in, upload pictures, and add new businesses than it was to write out dozens of reviews, so I got sidetracked.  My reviews are still slowly coming along and after I’ve done this for awhile and racked up some cred, I will apply and hopefully be part of the Elite ’11 crowd.

More recently I discovered the joy of reviewing the places I’ve been to while abroad!  The first thing I did was review the Eiffel Tower.  🙂  Interestingly, I’ve been to every country that Yelp is in currently: the US, Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Austria, Ireland, and the Netherlands.  Sooo it is now my goal to figure out the names of the places I went to and review at least one place in each of those countries!  I’ve managed to do 5 of the 8 thus far and with some more detective work, I’m sure I’ll figure out at least one establishment in the remaining three countries.

I’ve been checking in to every place I go to now, and eagerly adding ones that are not already on the site.  My first addiction within the Yelping experience was being the first to review.  There’s something about getting that stamp of recognition that makes me happy!  However, after awhile, I discovered the fun in contributing to Yelp’s database of businesses.  Nowadays I am always on the lookout for a place that is not yet listed, such as the Sony Store that just opened up in the Century City mall.  Unfortunately, you don’t get recognition for adding a business, but if they did, I’d probably get a badge!  As a consolation, I made myself a list to keep track of them.

I still love to be first to review and I regret not being the first to review the Sony Store after I added it.  Granted, it had not yet open, but I was going to put up a placeholder about how excited I was to check out the new store.  You can always update your review, but once that coveted first spot is taken, there’s no getting it back.  Pity!  That’s ok though, between adding the business, putting up photos, and checking in there frequently, I get enough satisfaction.  After all, I’m officially the Duchess of the Sony Store (because I have the most check-ins).  I can be easily ousted since I’ve only gone three times, but hopefully I’ll swing by enough to keep my crown.  😛

I guess I enjoy Yelp because it’s a sort of game, with many ways to “win,” whether it be getting a badge, being crowned Duchess, or ultimately becoming Elite!  Real life is so much more fun when it feels like you’re in a game.

Imaginary enemy

laelene Posted in video blog，Tags: , , ,
01 April 2011
0

The mowing is too loud for you to hear, but that bird is seriously flipping out at the strange noise on the other side of the wall!

ruffled bird from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

Fame

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , ,
27 March 2011
0

Practically speaking, I’ve never wanted to be famous.  Not in the Hollywood starlet kind of way anyway.  Of course I’ve fantasized about it from time to time, but when it comes down to it, it’s just not something I’m interested in.  I don’t want paparazzi following me around taking pictures/videos of of me whenever I try to go about my daily business.  I don’t want to have to have body guards or publicists.  And I certainly don’t want to feel like I need to “look good” every time I step out of the house.  It’s just too much upkeep!

I’m mostly talking about the kind of celebrities who get their fame from being in entertainment.  They’re the ones surrounded by glitz and glamor (and always having to keep up with the demands of that lifestyle).  People judge them on their looks and follow their every move.  They are judged on every aspect of their lives, from their relationships to their physiques to their actions.  It feel like almost every instant, eyes are on them, watching, recording, judging.

Why is it that we obsess over these people?  Who cares if they went grocery shopping, played with their kids, or went for a run?  It’s insane and I’m glad I’m not a part of it.  With this sort of attention comes the constant pressure to look presentable whenever you leave your house, never argue with people, and basically be a vision of perfection.  Every single day.  Why the general population seems to expect that celebrities must be wonderful all the time baffles me.  We’re all human and we can’t get things right all the time.

The famous lifestyle is a sort of lifestyle that just doesn’t work for me.  I am perfectly happy to dress down and be comfy when I’m out and about.  I wear light makeup about twice a year and I can’t imagine going through a whole routine every morning.  I work out whenever I get around to it and I don’t really notice my fluctuation in weight.  I don’t care about brand names and can’t recall the maker for any given item I own.  I lose my temper, I get annoyed with people, and I argue when things really strike a chord with me.  Sometimes I sleep in and get to things late.  I spill liquids, stain my clothes, and get crumbs everywhere.  Back in college there were times when I didn’t make it to class.

If I was famous, I’d get judged for every single one of those “mishaps,” which to me are really the normal course of life.  I’d much rather be known by name and not by face, for that kind of fame usually comes with a more meaningful contribution to society (not that performers can’t have meaningful contributions).  Contributions to literature, science, academia, business… these are the types of things you get recognized for in a paper or on a building, not on TV.  And that’s the kind of thing I want to be known for some day.

Birds of prey

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , , ,
20 February 2011
1

Lately I’ve noticed a lot of larger birds on street lamps (mostly by the highway). It started with this one owl by my high school, and has continued with more owls and some hawks. They’re big and beautiful and I only wish I could stop for a picture! It makes me wonder if something has changed lately to make them come out more. Perhaps their habitats aren’t what they used to be? Or they’ve learned to pick up the hobby of car-watching?

I am intrigued and I wish I knew a naturalist or someone who follows wild bird patterns. They could probably shed some light on the situation, since I feel like these birds should be deep in a forest or high in the skies, not sitting on a lamp post overlooking the I-5. At the very least, wouldn’t they take shelter in the branches of a tree? Even with the rain lately, I’ve seen them out and about, sitting atop their metal perches in the cooling rain. If I was them, I’d be in a tree trying to stay dry, not out in the midst of the downpour.

Oh, and I came home to find one of our lawn chairs torn apart one day. Looks like one of those birds could have done it. What’s up with the migration into human territory? I thought there was plenty of greenery and trees for them in the mountains by La Canada. Instead they’re coming out to places with sparse tree growth and high concentrations of human activity. Weird.

Pregnant police with clown shoes

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: ,
15 December 2010
0

That was the image I created in my mind to help me remember three topics to write about – being pregnant, the police, and shoes (or more accurately, shoe boxes).  Yeah, when you come up with such ridiculous imagery like that, it’s much easier to remember what you were trying to remind yourself when you were driving home.  I seem to have this uncanny ability to forget all the things I told myself not to forget in the car.  The moment I get out and into the house, my mind is elsewhere.

I’m thinking of getting the mail.  I’m thinking of what to eat for dinner.  I’m thinking of things to do when I get online.  I’m certainly not thinking about what I was just 10 minutes before!  And unfortunately for me, I tend to have quite the collection of brainstorms when I’m driving.  Gotta keep my mind occupied, right?  So I think of random interesting things and usually those become potential blog entries that I try to remember to write.  But, many don’t get written because as soon as I turn off the car, I’ve got a million other things to consider.  And out go all those ideas from the drive!

So one time, I decided to use the power of visual memory and put the three things I was trying to remember into one cohesive image.  The items I wanted to write about were 1. how I never want to be “that” pregnant, 2. my fascination with law enforcement, and 3. how Scions look like shoe boxes to me.  What do you think of my image?  I was having trouble putting the shoe box into the picture, so I went for shoes (and the goofiest kind I could think of).  Perhaps I should have thought of a pregnant police officer driving a Scion, but that just didn’t seem silly enough for me to remember.  And hey, it worked!  As you can see from the posts I linked to, I wrote about each of those topics.  🙂

Powerful imagery.  Try it sometime!

Ink and paper

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , ,
12 December 2010
0

I miss writing.

Not so much writing to express myself, to create something, or to document things.  What I really miss is the physical act of writing.  I’ve been maintaining this blog for about two years now, a few months after I stopped keeping my daily (handwritten) journal.  So all my thoughts and experiences are captured on the keyboard, electronically.  Then at work I spend my typing emails, instant messages, and clicking around the internet.  Hardly a need for pen and paper.  At home, I talk to Panda via instant messenger and communicate with other friends through email and social networks.

It’s been awhile since I’ve had to sit in a class or meeting and take notes.  I haven’t had a need to write a letter to anyone.  I don’t even pass notes to my friends like I did in middle school.  Now it’s all happening through my computer.  And after two years, I’m finding that I want to get back into writing things again.  Sure, it can be a waste of paper, but there’s something so satisfying about watching ink flow onto paper.  I’d like to catch up in my journal (yikes, two and a half year’s worth of stuff to write!) and use my wonderful sets of pens again.

I suppose that’s my inspiration.  I have some fantastic pens that make me itch to use them.  One set is scented, smelling like anything from strawberries to blueberries to grapes or lemons.  The other set Panda got for me and they’re designed to prevent check fraud.  They also happen to write really well.  It’ll be a bit overwhelming to piece together my life since I stopped keeping track of my daily experiences, but I might just start up again and get back into the world of writing.  I’ve always found it a sort of pleasing end when I run out of ink in my pens.  Think of all the things I wrote (and maybe also doodled) with that pen!  The marks that were left behind!  I love preserving memories.

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