experiences « ((little fat notebook))

Posts Tagged ‘experiences’

365great Day 20: packages

laelene Posted in 365great，Tags: 365great, exciting, experiences, fun, mail, packages, pictures

03 April 2013

Who doesn’t love receiving a package? (Assuming of course, that you’re not the target of some crazy bomber.) Whether it’s finally getting to open what you ordered or the surprise of a gift from someone, packages have a sort of magical quality. They can make just about anyone smile with anticipation. Gift or not, the process of opening a package always feels like you’re opening a gift and that makes you special. This is probably why I’m enthralled with subscription box services – not only do you get a package every month, but what will be inside is a lovely mystery. It really is like having your birthday every month! (More on those later – they deserve their own 365great day.)

Packages in general, whether mailed to you, handed to you, or discovered by you, are the type of thing that bring a bit of joy. Just think of the delight of a child digging in to a present on a birthday or holiday! Those sparkling eyes, the excitement, and that wide grin before the gasp of “oh my gosh I love it” as they run to hug you. Of course, not all packages are so well-received, but I think secretly, each time we see a package, we can imagine a scene like that. Even with products bought online, there’s joy in finally getting to open up that box, assemble the item (if appropriate), hold it in your hands, and try it out. The potential for that sort of happiness in each package is what makes them great.

Weird Custom

laelene Posted in video blog，Tags: experiences, hotel, travel, videos

02 April 2013

At the Custom Hotel, there’s this strange light… was it meant to be a nightlight??

color-changing nightlight from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

365great Day 17: photo challenges

laelene Posted in 365great，Tags: 365great, experiences, photo challenge, pictures

31 March 2013

Learn more about 365great here.

Today marks the end of the March photo challenge! I chose to participate (mainly on Instagram) in #FMSPhotoADay, the one by Chantelle of FatMumSlim. Granted, I only joined in partway through the month, but I’ve been enjoying it and I think I’ll keep going through April. I like the challenge of taking a picture each day based on a single word, phrase, or idea. It keeps us alert to what’s going on around us and helps train us to see an opportunity for a cool shot in just about anything. I think it definitely makes creativity more accessible and fun; I’m a huge fan of trying to interpret the prompts in a unique way.

If you want to get better at anything, you should practice, so this is an excellent first step for amateur photographers. Get your feet wet, keep on doing & trying , and I bet you’ll improve! A nice side benefit of all of this is that you join a community of others working towards the same goal. It’s a lot of fun to share neat photos and see what others have to share as well. Maybe you’ll even make a friend! Plus, the feeling of successfully completing a month-long challenge is pretty rewarding too. Challenge yourself to a photo contest of some sort, join the community, and learn along the way! I bet you’ll feel pretty great next month.

365great Day 11: snow

laelene Posted in 365great，Tags: 365great, experiences, opinion, pictures, snow, weather

25 March 2013

Learn more about 365great here.

Yet again, as we were hoping for signs of spring, nature decided to take its own course and lightly blanket us with snow this morning. And even though many people are complaining and griping about this endless chill, I think there’s always a beauty to snow. There’s something truly wonderful about those light, fluffy flakes floating down and slowly layering until all you see is a landscape of white. In just an hour or two, your world can turn from tones of brown and green to bright, bright white! I love looking out the window to suddenly find my neighborhood transformed. It’s magical.

I wish that more people took a moment to sit in awe of the beauty in front of them, even as they have to get up in the cold and trudge off to work after digging their cars out of the drifts. I think all children do as they trot off to school! Everyone should retain that sense of wonder and wide-eyed enthusiasm. Snow is such a cool phenomenon and it makes an excellent & versatile playtoy. So while the plants have shown the first signs of spring and everyone is tired of the cold, don’t let it diminish the experience of snow. The way that it can alter our landscape and be so much fun to play in is what makes snow great to me!

My waist & my ankles need to breathe!

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: clothing, experiences, habits, opinion, quirks

25 March 2013

I really dislike wearing pants with high waists and socks that go above the ankle. For some reason, they make me feel like I can’t breathe. Why my belly button and ankle bones psychologically affect my (perceived) ability to breathe is beyond me. All I know is that it’s a pervasive feeling that I have to purposefully ignore to overcome it. So, I take the easy way out and don’t wear articles of clothing that make me feel that way. That’s why I love low-rise jeans, sweatpants, dresses, ankle socks, and booties. Am I the only crazy one out there?

365great Day 10: aromatherapy

laelene Posted in 365great，Tags: 365great, aromatherapy, candles, experiences, mist, pictures, spray

24 March 2013

Learn more about 365great here.

Smells are a powerful way to evoke emotions and memories. Lately, I’ve found myself using this sense a lot more, what with burning candles and spraying mists to enhance my mood or try to induce a different one. Even just the act of lighting the candle or spraying the mist has allowed me to intentionally set what I wanted to do and how I wanted to feel. Whether you want to relax with a calming scent, energize with a revitalizing scent, arouse with a warm scent, drift off to sleep with a soothing scent, or even feel more empowered with a vibrant scent, you can find something for just about every emotion-enhancing need.

Some of the products I’ve explored are the energy shifting sprays by hellomellow, the aromatherapy candle by Bath & Body Works, the eye pillow by Herbal Animals, and the energy mists by Lotus Wei. Through spraying my pillow and my face, lighting up a candle, and covering my eyes with the herbal pillow, these products have helped me reach better moods whenever I’ve felt frazzled or down. I’ve especially enjoyed these mini rituals that allow me to take care of myself .

An education on auks

laelene Posted in video blog，Tags: animals, aquarium, behavior, experiences, observation, videos

23 March 2013

What are auks? Well, that’s exactly why you’re getting a mini lesson on them! You’re probably most familiar with puffins, which are part of the auk family. These birds may remind you of penguins with their coloring and living situation, but what distinguishes them from penguins is that they can fly (whereas penguins cannot, if you didn’t know). Check out some videos of their behavior, including eagerness at feeding time and pretty fun wing-flapping and foot-kicking.

puffin feeding time from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

hungry auks from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

flapping auk from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

auk belly swim from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

auk propelling kick from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

Siddhartha

laelene Posted in video blog，Tags: attraction, auditorium, buddha, childhood, experiences, live play, tourism, travel, videos

11 March 2013

Did you ever read about Siddhartha? I remember it was on our reading list sometime in middle school or high school and I thought it was a decent read. The story of the prince who gave up riches to reach nirvana and enlightenment was played out in this play at the Lingshan Auditorium where the giant statue of an adult Sidd overlooks the equally impressive Taihu Lake. The spot was carefully chosen for good feng shui and it’s a nice place to spend the day visiting! This auditorium is the same one where the roof is composed of an optical illusion.

siddhartha in the rain from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

lotus dance from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

Scenting the room

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: candles, experiences, fragrance oils, home

09 March 2013

In the latest Yuzen box, I got a lovely red flower candle that I love. It’s been over a decade since I last used a candle so I was pretty excited to give this one a try. I’ve burned it for about 8 hours now, which is just over halfway through its life cycle of 15 hours. For such a tiny candle (only 1.5 oz), it sure does burn for a long time! I’ve loved the enhanced mood you get just from being in a room with a candle gently flickering, day or night. I feel cooler and the space immediately feels homier. Pretty great for such a tiny change. 🙂

This has really gotten me back into candles, though this time around I’m looking for soy (or other plant-based wax) candles, which I hadn’t heard of back in the day. Since my childhood, I’ve learned a lot about more eco-friendly products and when it comes to candles, plant-based ones are the way to go. red flower is a wonderful eco-friendly brand and I’d like to get their larger 6 oz candles that are topped with flower petals! Also, one of the brands that I really want to try is Diamond Candles, partly because of the novelty, and partly because of their scents. They’ve got really strong branding and very active social media channels and right now I’m dead set on winning a candle since they hold giveaways so often.

However, I also want to try fragrance oils since I seem to be sensitive to the burning of the candles. My throat gets a little scratchy and I even get a bit of a headache. I’m extremely sensitive to particles in the air! Ever since I went tunneling at UCLA (exploring the underground tunnels there), I’ve suddenly become what I deemed a “smog-o-meter” – whenever the quality of the air outside drops, I’m sure to know it. It was very dusty down there and that seemed to exacerbate something in me. In fact, in the three months directly after my tunneling experience, I had a nasty cough that would rear its head whenever I went outside. Things have calmed down since, but I’ve always been sensitive to smoke, particularly whenever someone is smoking in the same room. I think that the smaller flame from the tea light should be fine since I’ve never had an issue with that. I’m looking forward to testing fragrance oils soon!