This winter has been rather cold and wet for Southern California. Got a lot of heavy rain like this and even some snow!
pouring rain from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
Posts Tagged ‘experiences’
SoCal winter
laelene Posted in video blog，Tags: experiences, los angeles, videos, weather
04
January
2011
0
New pad
laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: change, experiences, moving, panda, parents
02
January
2011
I’m all settled in! It was a jam-packed day of driving around, moving furniture, and otherwise getting comfy in my new abode.
I picked up Panda around 8:30 and got back home within an hour. My dad then came along with us to get the rental truck, which took something like 40 minutes! There were only two people in front of us in line, but the one guy working took his time and made quite a few mistakes too. Except for standing the in cold for so long and getting a rather curt, “What do you want?” greeting, we had a pretty smooth transaction. The guy even had his dog Harley and some treats for the boy, so I fed him one when he came around to sniff me. My dad drove the truck back to our house since he’d driven moving trucks before, for the many moves we’d done during my childhood.
At home, Mom was already moving things out to the curb for easy loading to the truck. Between the four of us, we got everything packed up within half an hour and were on our way down to my new apartment. As we left our valley, it began to drizzle and the whole way down was wet. We had to move everything in the rain, but at least it wasn’t coming down too hard. My shoes and pant legs did get very wet though. This time we managed to get everything up to the apartment in about 45 minutes and I was surprised that even the large items could fit in the elevator. I hadn’t imagined it to be so big. My dad and I went to drop off the truck before the rental place closed and we were charged $10 for dropping it off after-hours. Meanwhile, Panda, my mom, and my new roomie stayed to set things up in the apartment.
When my dad and I got back, it was time for my parents to trek out to Hollywood to do some duty-free shopping for some relatives. Panda and I then went out to Costco, Staples, and Bed, Bath & Beyond to look for a desk for my room and a shower curtain for the bathroom. I ended up buying a bunch of food to stock up on. 🙂
New Year’s Eve gathering
laelene Posted in photo blog，Tags: events, experiences, family, holiday, pictures
31
December
2010
My parents and I went to a gathering of some family friends down in Newport today to celebrate the upcoming year. There were six of us “kids” (the under 30s) and we had fun chatting over lunch at the kids’ table, playing some Wii Fit (I learned I am very well balanced on the board), and singing karaoke songs, English and Chinese. I drank a lot of tea and tasted a cool one from Hawaii with a macadamia flavor.
A funny moment came when I first arrived and the host daughter introduced me to my mom, not knowing we were related. 😛 “Why yes, actually, I have met her…” Haha! and here are some shots of the food we enjoyed:
The main attraction: lots and lots of food!
This gigantic bar of chocolate came with its own hammer so you can break it apart.
25th birthday
laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: birthday, experiences, home, panda, parents, travel
30
December
2010
What a busy, busy birthday! I got into LAX around 2 am and got home sometime past 3. After scarfing down some food (I can’t believe the airlines didn’t offer a single meal after all the delays and overbooked flights they put us through!), I was asleep by 4. I woke up just before 9, probably because I’m still sort of on EST. I took a shower and renewed my auto insurance, then went to get Panda.
We took a stroll around the park, had a huge lunch at a Northern Chinese style restaurant, ran some errands, and made the congested trek over to Sprinkles in Beverly Hills. I got my usual: a red velvet and a chocolate marshmallow and then it was time to rush off to the apartment complex to drop off my first month’s payment and sign the lease. I completely forgot that plenty of people actually went to work today, so I hadn’t expected the kind of traffic we got stuck in! Nevertheless, we made it to my soon-to-be new home in time to take care of the paperwork. Tomorrow my roommate does the same and gets the keys so we can officially move in this weekend. 🙂
By that time, we were running late to meet my parents at Din Tai Fung for dinner. Fortunately, we got there at the same time that they did so neither party had to wait for the other. We did, however, have to wait to get seated. Tonight was more crowded than the previous couple of times I’d been by DTF to eat and we were waiting for a good 40 minutes before getting a table. We ordered 10 items from the menu and chowed down as they started to serve dish after dish. Everything was steaming and delicious and soon enough we were all stuffed.
My parents headed home from there and Panda and I spent some time sitting together to talk and rest a bit. He’s getting ready to move out to work on the east coast, so things are going to be changing quite a bit in another two months or so. By and by an hour passed and we had to get home. I dropped off Panda and just got home not too long ago. There’s been a lot of traveling and not so much sleeping for me in the past day, so I’m just about ready to crash before we go celebrate New Year’s at a family friend’s place tomorrow afternoon/evening.
Aboard the Norwegian Sky
laelene Posted in photo blog，Tags: experiences, miami, pictures, storytelling, travel, travel tales
27
December
2010
Woo, I’m back from my cruise and here are some pics of when we first got on 4 days ago.
Vacation
laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: experiences, family, habits, parents, travel, vacation
23
December
2010
Well, today’s the first official day of my vacation! The only other time I took days off were to volunteer for Opportunity Green, which wasn’t much of a break since that kept me busy. So this is the first time since I started my job that I am going on a vacation, truly going on one with days off, travel, rest, and the whole shebang. Usually I can manage one or two of those items, but now I’m taking advantage of all three. Plus, my parents are here to enjoy this vacation with me and we’re going somewhere exciting and new. 🙂
I spent the bulk of the day on a plane, going from LA to Atlanta to Miami. I slept as much as I could and pigged out on cheap pasta for lunch and dinner. When we arrived in miami, most of the day had been lost – I left 9 am from LA and got in to Miami around 7:30 (local time), so after settling in, eating dinner, and resting a bit, it was already time for bed. I wasn’t sleepy though, so I’ve been up playing games. Tomorrow we get on our cruise ship and head for the Caribbean! I’ll make sure to get some pics on my phone so I can post some.
Family united
laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: experiences, family, future, opinion, panda
20
December
2010
Once a year, around this time, my family gets together for the holidays. You’d think it’d be easier since it’s just my parents and I, but we’ve got lives on various parts of the globe now. Very reliably though, we go on a family vacation together for the holiday season. Last year it was Vegas. The year before was Cancun. This year? It’s time for the Bahamas!
For our second cruise ever, we will go from Miami to Nassau to Great Stirrup Cay and back again. Pretty exciting and I just can’t wait to play around in the ocean. I’m thinking of going on a snorkeling adventure with some sting rays (they are one of my favorite sea creatures!) and just enjoying the beautiful waters out there. Hopefully the weather will be agreeable and allow us to enjoy everything the islands have to offer. 🙂
It’s really nice to get together with my parents now. We’ve moved past the stage when I was a rebellious teen, always butting heads with them. I’m still stubborn, but my life is really in my control now and it’s great to have the freedom to make my own choices and share my life with my parents. Plus, there’s a lot more to talk about when you don’t see each other for extended periods of time. This year in particular I’m really excited because I’m finally moving out on my own with my first lease! I always subletted before, so it’s kind of cool to have ownership of a lease and know that half of that apartment is mine. It doesn’t hurt that is has awesome amenities and perks and is super close to work too!
When we get back from our little vacation break, I’ll spend a day with Panda for my birthday and then it’ll be time to get ready to move! I’m glad my parents will be around to share the experience with me, see the new place, meet the new roommate, and help me get all settled. I’m looking forward to the end of this year and the beginning of next. So many good things to come!
Settled
laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: experiences, opinion
18
December
2010
Finally, I’ve got a place to live near work now! After weeks of searching, I found a suitable apartmentmate to split a two-bedroom with me. I can’t wait to get rid of the commute and get back 3 hours of my life each day! Plus, I am going to get around to some things I’ve wanted to do for awhile – yoga, working out regularly, maybe even get back into swimming again. 🙂
We get our keys on New Year’s Eve and have the weekend to move in! I’m really excited, but I’ve got to figure out how to transport some furniture (and which items to bring). I’m going to need to get a desk as well. Once the big items are in, I’ve got plenty of time to bring all the little things over. And then I can relish my new digs, complete with pools, jacuzzis, grills, gym, media center, mini movie theater, and so much more!
Yay for a wonderful start to the new year!
Here to save the day
laelene Posted in video blog，Tags: experiences, los angeles, videos
14
December
2010
I’m always fascinated by law enforcement/public servants (or whatever police, firemen, and paramedics are categorized as). The firefighters work to fix things after an underground explosion and the helo flies overhead to scan for something. All protecting us in their own way.
reeling firehose from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
helo overhead from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
Work zone
laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: experiences, opinion, work
09
December
2010
I’m far too tired to churn out a more cohesive piece tonight, so just some thoughts about recent developments.
I like it when I get in the zone at work and the day flies by. Things are picking up now and this week went by very quickly for me. I can’t believe Friday snuck up on me like that! I guess it helped that we had our holiday party last night, which kind of made it feel like a mini weekend. Unfortunately, it meant a lot of driving for me and I’m still exhausted from not getting enough rest. I also had an event today, but tomorrow I’m home free!
I am really happy that the gears are churning up to a faster speed again – I could only do so much working a one-woman team of me, myself, and I. And just in time for me to feel good about the work I do prior to the longest break I’ll get this year! 🙂 This is my first official winter break from work and I’m taking a week and a half off to cruise with my parents and hang out with Panda to celebrate another birthday, another new year.
I’m definitely looking forward to what 2011 will bring our company. We’ve been getting a lot more people in the office, which might also be part of what’s making me feel more productive. There’s just more activity all around! And it certainly helps to have a manager around to answer all the questions I have. I no longer have to operate as my own little island. I enjoy company!
