Posts Tagged ‘experiences’

Personification

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , , ,
08 May 2014
0

We’ve always had a tumultuous relationship, he and I. I grew up loving him and spending as much time as I could with him (though getting his attention could be quite the conundrum). Over the years, I got to see him less and less as other priorities took over. High school and college were the most challenging for us. I couldn’t get enough of him yet I couldn’t spare my time for him. And so it was a battle, day in and day out. How much of my life would I devote to him? How much could I?

During college, when I found some time, I’d sneak little breaks in the day for him. I even missed out on some classes because of him. What a thorough distraction he is. An addiction that always pulls me in, demanding my time. There are few relationships in my life that are quite as consuming as this one. I will never completely leave him, nor would I want to, but there are times when I (would like to) need him less. I wish it could remain like that for longer, but then there I am, back in his grasp again.

There have been times I’ve been able to step away more effectively than usual (age has helped). I even began to think I didn’t love him anymore; I thought I could do without. But we are intrinsically linked, with so much history and a rich past that can’t be put aside. For awhile, it seemed to go well… then inevitably his presence crept back into my life. His influence over my mind is undeniable. Without him, I can’t focus, can’t think, can’t be a productive part of society.

I’ll always crawl back into his arms. I may not want to stay as long as I do, but oftentimes it’s for the better. Like tonight, I should go join him soon if I’m to have any hope of a good tomorrow. Mornings are always the hardest for me, if I’ve been with him (if I haven’t all night it’s easier to keep avoiding him a little longer). As the day starts, I find it near impossible to drag myself away and feel good about it. It’s all the stranger when Panda is coming home from work to join him as I’m leaving. I get a little bit jealous. When I return from work, I just want to crawl into bed with them both and join the party.

Oh, but he’s a greedy one – whenever I’m with him, he wants to keep me for hours at a time. I need to pick my times wisely, lest he take over my life in an unhealthy fashion. Then other days he eludes me and I close my eyes hoping to catch him. Eventually I succumb to him, but often after agonizing minutes of waiting, wanting. He’s certainly the boss of me, much as I try to control him. I never know how things will pan out; only he does.

Funny how he can be such a fickle mistress.

 

…Can you guess what I am personifying here?

cat laying on side of bed in deep sleep

Here’s a clue.

Easter holiday

laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses，Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
22 April 2014
0

For the first time in my life, I got Good Friday and Earth Day off (what a fabulously quirky company I work at) so Panda and I planned a little vacation for this weekend. I took Monday off so I’d have 5 days and his schedule is so odd with his travel that I’m not sure if he had to take any days off. Since he got solicited to sit in a timeshare presentation awhile back, we decided to schedule that for this little Easter break we’d be getting. The location we’d chosen was Myrtle Beach, because it’s about as far as we can drive in a reasonable time and we’d enjoyed it the first time we went. The timeshare offer was only for 2 nights, so we planned to spend a night in Charleston to explore a new place while we were at it.

As it turns out, he couldn’t make it back until the night of the first day of our trip (when we were supposed to be in Charleston), so we headed out in the middle of the night. He flew in at 5 pm, took care of some business, and we napped until midnight or so. We then crawled up and made sure Smokey had enough food and water laid out. I scooped her litter one last time to ensure the freshest box possible and we were off at 1 in the morning. We talked along the drive for the first two hours as it rained all through the night. I started to get tired between 3 and 4 and finally decided to sleep. I kept waking up paranoid that Panda would be too tired to drive, so I always asked him how he was doing before crashing again. We made a pit stop at a Chick-fil-a right as it was opening at 6:30 and I felt much better after eating. As it was getting brighter, I woke up again and finally felt somewhat refreshed. I offered to drive and took over for the last hour and something that it took for us to reach our first destination: Middleton Place.

green tree-lined road with little sky showing

As, such wonderful greenery!

panorama of middleton place near charleston south carolina

Welcome to Middleton Place!

small section of green rice paddy at middleton place

They have a mini rice paddy to give you a sense of what it’s like.

alligator laying on grass of bank and head of other alligator peeking out of water

Alligators were just chillin’! Can you spot the one in the water?

kneeling in front of giant bush of white and pink flowers

They usually have tons of flowers, but most didn’t survive the storm from the previous night.

crowd of kids and parents gearing up for easter egg hunt at middleton place

They were hosting multiple Easter egg hunts for kids that morning.

giant stork walking on path at middleton place

That stork calmly walked around like it owned the place.

brown water buffalo standing by water looking up

Was this water buffalo gazing up at the sky?

brown goat sitting on tree stump

When I first saw this goat, I thought it might be fake.

family of black momma pig and three baby piglets

Momma pig had some babies!

black piglet sniffing person's hand

This piglet was so hungry it tried to eat my finger.

brown and white water buffalo pair drinking water and staring

Getting stared down by the water buffalo.

brown and white water buffalo pair nuzzling

Aww look at them nuzzling.

group of different fowl including chickens, roosters, and geese

Such a pretty variety of birds on the farm.

petting farm cat walking on picnic table

Farm cats are always so bold.

giant white rabbit in cage with brown one behind it

Bunny rabbits for Easter! And check out my speckled egg nails. 🙂

peacock walking around farm near people

Peacocks just roamed around.

male peacock grooming feathers

A lady thought that this peacock grooming would actually spread his tail out.

male peacock with feathers spread out to groom himself

Such brilliant colors. Too bad this guy had no competition on the farm to give him a reason to show us his plumage.

white tents at middleton place for wedding

We were asked if we were the couple getting married here today. Do I look dressed for a wedding?! 😛

giant oak tree on middleton place property

A very large oak with plenty of character, even after some major branches fell.

pair of swans sitting in water by edge eating grass

As we headed out, we tracked down the swans.

two 2-piece meals of fried chicken with sides at bojangles

For lunch, we had Bojangles. We still prefer Popeye’s.

black and white bird flying in for piece of bread on ground

When I saw birds, I happily busted out the old bread I brought to feed animals on the trip.

parking lot in midst of trees with no paved roads or painted lines

The parking lots for the plantations were basically part of the forest.

charleston tea plantation america's only tea garden

The only place in America you’ll find them growing, harvesting, and making tea! Bigelow owns this one.

fields of tea plants and giant machine for harvesting tea leaves

Fields and fields of tea bushes that just look like a regular plant.

close-up of tea leaves of camellia sinensis bush

This my friends, is what you start with when you want a nice cup of tea.

horse-drawn cart with tour of charleston

Time to swing by downtown Charleston! Of course the first thing we see is a horse-drawn tour.

fragrance room at colonial candle store in charleston

At Colonial Candle, they had Fragrance Rooms where you could experience a candle.

fried green tomatoes atop bed of corn covered with cheese and sweet and sour sauce

For dinner, I tried fried green tomatoes for the first time. YUM

view of myrtle beach area inland from patricia grand hotel 16th floor

We arrive in Myrtle Beach and get a room at the Patricia Grand.

shrimp and grits, fried green tomatoes, hush puppies, and she crab soup at mr. fish

Lunch the next day consisted of all sorts of creamy options.

sea salt scrub made by fishermen in restroom of mr. fish restaurant

In the restroom they had a fabulous salt scrub that I almost wanted to buy.

store of all purple things at broadway at the beach in myrtle beach

Out to the Barefoot Landing area and I had to check out the Purpleologist.

wall of racks and racks of globe candles with many designs

Walking by another store, I saw someone making candles so I went in.

round candle with starfish and lionfish design

I loved the intricate look to them!

lady holdking candle while carving into it

I wanted a UCLA one, so the lady made it on the spot.

blue and yellow ucla globe candle hand carved

Check out that beauty! The yellow part will glow when I light it.

The final morning, I woke up just as the sun was rising.

The final morning, I woke up just as the sun was rising.

people down on beach and chairs with tents laid out

By the time we headed out, people were roaming the beach. I had no idea those crescent things became wind-blocking tent things!

flipped car on side of road

Along the drive home, we happened upon quite the accident. Yikes!

No more date nights

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , , , , , ,
07 April 2014
0

Tonight, Panda had a Groupon that was expiring and needed to be used, so we arranged to have a date night dinner. As I headed home, I let him know to get ready and when I arrived, we eagerly headed out. We were both hungry and looking forward to the meal. When we got on the on ramp, Panda commented that he hoped he brought his wallet… and when he went to check, he found he didn’t have it!

plates of dishes from california pizza kitchenWe were instantly brought back to the night when he forgot his wallet on one of the earlier “date nights” we had out here. So there we were, waiting for our food at CPK when Panda realized he hadn’t brought his wallet. At that point, I wasn’t carrying around any sort of purse or wallet with me, so all I had was my phone. We stared at each other in disbelief as it dawned on us that he’d have to drive back to the apartment to retrieve said wallet. I then sat at the table as dish after dish came out. Pretty soon, the waiter started to look at me funny. Where was my dinner partner? Had he just left me?

It was a good 40 minutes before he finally made it back. I’d eaten some of the food, trying to go slow and wait for him. Meanwhile, our date night had become a singles night as we had to spend it apart. So this time when he forgot his wallet again, we were glad that at least I brought mine. Still, I’m never having a date night again. It always seems to mean a missing wallet. 😛

Cleaning ears

laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses，Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
31 March 2014
0

How do you clean your ears? (Or do you?)

The way I understand it, the Western style is to use Q-tips. This probably happens after a shower when the interior of the ears have been nice and moist for awhile, softening any sort of earwax you might have built up. Some rubbing around catches that stuff and whisks it out. Or something like that… I can’t actually vouch for it since I don’t clean my ears that way. What I’m used to is the Eastern way, which I’m sure Eastern Asians in particular are familiar with, if not our more southern counterparts too.

tools used to clean ears including flashlight, ear scooper, tweezers, and q-tip

Tools of the trade.

Cleaning your ears becomes a bonding event since it requires the assistance of someone else. They take an ear scooper – sometimes metal, sometimes bamboo – and gently make their way down your ear canal as you lay on your side and they shine a light in your ear. Your earlobe gets pulled this way and that to help straighten out your ear canal for easier viewing. When a bit of earwax is targeted, the cleaner gently lowers the ear scooper in, using the little spoon-like curve to try to scoop out the piece. This may take a little gentle scratching around the area to loosen the earwax if you have the dry kind, or quite a few scoops to get the sticky wet kind. Either way, it’s a practice in patience, determination, and trust. Both sides have to remain relatively steady and slowly maneuver to get the earwax. I’ll even incorporate tweezers when a piece can be pinched away from the wall of the ear. It’s a delicate procedure that requires quite a bit of care. After all, you don’t want to cause any bleeding or pain in the dainty skin of the ear canal. You could very well create hearing impairment!

I quite enjoy having my ears cleaned and sometimes I ask for them to get a little bit of scratching even if there’s nothing to clear. Sometimes my ear canals just itch for a little bit of attention. It must be something born of the habit of cleaning my ears that way. It’s a part of the Chinese culture that definitely stayed with me.

On meanness

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , , ,
23 March 2014
1

Dear Universe:

Why must there be unkindness in the world? Why are there those people out there who are so selfish and self-absorbed they see nothing else beyond themselves? Why are there those people out there who seem to revel in the suffering of others? Why are there those people out there who put others beneath them?

I’ve had the misfortune of knowing some unsavory people. Kind of like those “mean girls” you hear about. They’re cliquey and make everyone outside of their group feel unwanted and undesirable. They’ll only be nice to you to get something from you (or trick you into thinking they’d changed, only to pull the rug out from under you). They take pleasure out of making fun of people, or at least that seems to be the only type of humor that actually makes them crack a smile.

Or, alternatively, why is there a bit of a mean streak in so many of us? There have been a couple of guys (and a gal or two) I’ve known throughout my life who have been viewed as a bit of an outcast. People would snicker behind their backs about their awkwardness or their strange choice of dress or whatever. They’d giggle to each other about some joke that he (or she) was the butt of. Few people were true friends to these unfortunate souls who didn’t quite fit in. I’d usually be nice enough to them, but I can’t say I embraced them as friends.

I generally try to be kind to people, but I’ve certainly fallen victim to this trap of ego (or whatever it is). There are people I’ve judged, probably unfairly, based on some trait of theirs that may not have defined them the way I let it. But to be consistently that way? To exclude people at every turn? I just don’t understand people like that. It makes me sad that anyone would find pleasure in feeling superior to so many around them. I try to just ignore it, but it’s hard to when I care so much.

I wish we could all be nicer creatures. Life already provides so many ups and downs; what purpose does making it harder for others serve? Oh right, to boost those people’s self-esteem. Selfish. There are those who would say to let it go, let karma take its course. But you know what? Karma doesn’t always get its timing right. Some people never get that kick in the butt they deserve in their lifetime. Life just isn’t fair.

But I sure wish it could be more so.

So hey, if you’re in a good mood, why don’t you make some more stars align and bring out more harmony? Our species could certainly use it.

Sincerely,

~Mary

Flight fear

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , , ,
13 March 2014
0

The past two days have been a bit of insanity, sometimes even bordering harrowing. My travels started Tuesday around 3 am EST (3 pm in China). I got to the Beijing Airport for my flight at 5:30 and arrived in Chicago about 13 hours later. Along the way, I experienced possibly the worst bout of turbulence that I’ve ever been through. The shaking of it made me run through scenarios: the plane wing breaking off (could the pilot still keep us somewhat upright?), falling from the sky (how should I brace for impact?), surviving the crash and attempting to stay warm and alive on the ground (how many layers of clothes could I put on?)… yeah, I’m a little freaked out from the Malaysia missing aircraft mystery and thinking of all kinds of awful possibilities.

view over arctic landscape from plane window

Somewhere over the arctic regions we got hit by some major turbulence.

In Chicago, I waited three hours to board the plane to Dulles and made it back slightly nauseous, but ok. We went home for a brief break and I slept three hours before crawling up just before 5 am to go back to IAD. This time I took a flight back to O’Hare to transfer to Louisville. We landed in some pretty fresh snow powder and then I watched as my 9:30 CST flight got delayed to 10:45, then 12, then 12:15, then 12:30, then 12:45…

plane landing on snow from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

And as I waited, nearly all the flights turned to delayed or cancelled. I got in touch with the partners I was going to visit and then sat back, hoping I’d still make it out in time. I finally got to Louisville at 3:30, checked out my rental car, and made it to the office at 4. I had booked a flight out at 5, but when I arrived I saw it’d been delayed until 6, so that gave me some time. I met with a few people before hightailing it back at 5. I returned the car and asked about my flight, which was going to Cleveland (now at 6:20). The delay would cause me to miss my connection, but luckily for me, an afternoon flight straight to Dulles was delayed by 4 hours and scheduled to leave at 7. I went to wait for that flight and made it back to Northern Virginia by 9:30.

fluffy cloud coverage with pastel colors in sky

Getting up in the sky, things were beautiful.

vibrant colors of fading sunset over cloud coverage

The sun set and we continued in the darkness.

Our approach to the runway turned out to be one of the most nerve-wracking 25 minutes of my life. We made a giant loop around the airport as we slowly came down, tilting left and right, shaking a bit, and making me feel like I’d developed motion sickness. I actually had to grip the hand rest to steady myself a bit and feel more secure in my seat. Once again, I thought about ways to survive falling out of the sky. I even imagined crash landing on the freeway or breaking our fall in a forest. I did not feel well! It was quite the series of flights giving me plenty of scares. I usually feel really secure on a plane, but this time around I was nervous leg after leg. I’m ready to stay grounded for awhile.

fractured light on scratched up window of plane

Finally on the ground, the sparkles of lights got fractured by the scratches on the window. Rather pretty.

365great Day 363: living abroad

laelene Posted in 365great，Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
12 March 2014
0

365great day 363: living abroadWhether working, studying, or just plain living abroad, it’s the type of experience I think everyone should try at least once. I’ve done them all, like visiting family in China for summer break (and going to school for that year when I was 9), doing an exchange program in England, and working overseas in Singapore. This was from my last night in Singapore, as I packed up my desk and bid farewell to my coworkers. It had been quite an immersion into their culture, completely unlike anything I was used to yet familiar in many areas. It’s amazing what you learn in a few weeks of entering a different society. It’s easy to stay closed-mind in a bubble if you never leave your home country, but normal travel doesn’t quite change you the way living abroad does (even if it’s only for a few months). I really value all of my time abroad in the various capacities that I was there for. Spending extended time in any other country opens your eyes to other ways to view the world and it’s a great learning opportunity for all.

Plated review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: , , , , , , , ,
08 March 2014
0

Awhile back I mentioned that I wanted to try Plated and then I got a comment from them offering a first-time discount. By the time I was ready to go for the offer, I had seen a Facebook promo for a “free” box (you pay shipping). Since I didn’t hear back from them when I asked what they could offer me beyond that, I decided to just try the box at that discount.

Plated is $15 per plate (serving) or $12 per plate with a monthly $10 membership fee (or as discounted as $96 for an entire year). Boxes are sent weekly unless you choose to skip (which is very easy to do) and require a minimum of 4 plates. They offer a referral link that gives 2 free plates to both the person you referred and for your next order.

plated cardboard box with large red circle logo

inside of plated box with silver insulation lining keeping food cool

Inside the box is thick insulation.

collage of plated spinach and cauliflower empanadas with spinach salad recipe card

First up are the spinach and cauliflower empanadas with spinach salad.

collage of cooking plated spinach and cauliflower empanadas with spinach salad dish

plate of spinach and cauliflower empanadas with spinach salad

The result were some lovely empanadas!

I really enjoyed this dish and ended up gobbling up way more than I thought I could in one night. They’re kind of like an oversized dumpling and I love both cauliflower and spinach, so the filling was just to my taste. It was nice to have a little bit of fresh spinach on the side too, tossed in a tart dressing. It made a wonderful lunch the next day and I’d totally make them again. I might even try putting a little bit of meat in there for some more substance.

collage of plated arroz con pollo recipe card

This one was Panda’s pick.

collage of cooking plated arroz con pollo dish

The green pepper was moldy.

plate of arroz con pollo

A very South American looking dish.

I liked this dish, but I don’t think I’d crave it. The green pepper I got was moldy and I contacted Plated’s support with no response. I used a little bit of it from the fresh parts that were still ok. This was the first time I’d ever cooked rice this way, first heating it on the stove and then sticking it in the oven. I definitely could have added more seasoning to the rice since it was rather bland.

While I did enjoy the dishes I tried, I find Plated to be higher priced without the better ingredients, recipes, or service I’d be willing to pay for. I don’t like the monthly membership fee, which inflates the price of the already more expensive dishes. I cancelled my membership before they charged me for it and don’t plan on reordering with them for the time being.

I was also put off by their poor service – at first things looked promising when they got back to me saying they’d send me a box for free to give me a little extra beyond the Facebook offer. But when I replied with my meal choices, I never heard back. And on the moldy pepper front, still not a peep from their customer service. They could have really impressed me by sending me a free box to review and being responsive to my delivery issue. If that was the case, I might have kept ordering from them.

[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!]

Paying respects

laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses, stories，Tags: , , , ,
07 March 2014
0

In modern China, you’ll find an eclectic mix of old traditions and new lifestyles. Even as they build skyscraper after skyscraper, tucked in between those giant buildings are tiny little ones from ancient times. And even as buildings get built and land gets cleared, you might notice many large bumps of dirt scattered around. Those are the graves of our ancestors, preserved through time as the world around it changes.

It’s been 10 years since my paternal grandmother died, so our family arranged a get-together to honor her and pay our respects at her grave site. An assortment of cousins, aunts, and uncles came. Most are my grandma and grandpa’s nieces and nephews (my dad’s cousins) and their families. Our extended family branches out in ways I don’t even know and can hardly keep track of, but all that matters is that everyone who came is family.

paying respects burning chinese paper money at ancestor's dirt mound grave siteThe day started off by meeting up at my grandpa’s. Around 10:30, the male lineage of the family (my grandpa’s sons and families plus his brother’s families) went over to my great-grandparents’ grave. Through the winding streets of the city, down an alleyway, and into a small area next to homes rising around it… there you’ll find a little locked door that leads to a walled-off area just big enough for the large dirt mound that covers my dad’s grandparents. A loud burst of firecrackers set things off to announce our arrival. My uncle set up the fire and we put in stack after stack of yellow paper representing money. Ashes rose up from the flames, gently carried away by the breeze as he spoke to our ancestors, telling them who was there and that we would be visiting my grandmother afterwards. We even offered them some (fake) US dollars, burning them to send them up to the heavens for my great-grandparents to use. My uncle kow towed on behalf of all of us and we let the fire die. This was my first time visiting this grave site and I’m glad it’s been preserved despite the growth around us.

long trail of people making way through crop fields to visit grave siteWe then went out to my grandmother’s grave and the rest of the family met us there. We had 12 cars in total, carrying around 50 people. For each who could make it, there were many more who couldn’t, but it was a really good showing. My grandma is buried out in the middle of wheat fields, in a spot chosen for good feng shui. I’m not sure exactly how they know that that particular mound is hers, but the family knows.

rows of fresh green wheat crops in winter

This is what wheat looks like in winter? I never knew.

setting up dirt mound grave with flowers, picture, and offerings

Upon arrival, we got to work setting up the site with flowers, a picture, and food offerings.

preparing paper money for burning at grave

Some of us working on getting the paper money offerings ready so they’d burn easier.

extended family gathering at grave site for memorial

As the fire got started, we all gathered around.

setting off fireworks at grave site to announce arrival

A massive round of fireworks crackled in the air and set off the proceedings.

offering stacks of paper money to fire at grave

Some of the money was folded into fun shapes.

fire burning fierce with new shiny paper money offerings

The foil money really fueled the fire!

giant pile of paper money burning in front of dirt mound grave site

The fire burning at my grandma’s grave, letting her know we were there and sending up offerings.

stoking large pile of burning paper at grave site

People took turns stoking the fire and making sure everything got burnt.

kow towing at grave site with smouldering ashes of burning paper

After an uncle read my grandpa’s letter to grandma, we all took turns kow towing and talking to her.

365great Day 347: perfect fit

laelene Posted in 365great，Tags: , , , , , , ,
24 February 2014
0

365great day 347: perfect fitWhen things are just right, doesn’t it make you feel happy? I love when things fit perfectly, whether it’s the right size, personalities, colors, or otherwise. Take this bowl, which we have deemed the “pho” bowl at home. It is exactly what I need whenever I bring home pho to eat. It’s large enough to hold all the broth, noodles, and veggies that I want and I never have to worry about anything spilling out! Similarly, I feel that same satisfaction when I find clothes that fit just right or a blanket that is just the right softness and warmth. I found it with my cat Missy, who is exactly the right kind of cat for me. We’re truly two peas in a pod. You know all those phrases – made for each other, yin and yang, complements, soul mates… the perfect fit. I have that with Panda too – I really can’t think of anyone who as a whole could be more perfect for me. Sure there are clashes and incompatibilities, but I am constantly amazed at how right we are for each other. It’s a beautiful thing and such a great feeling when you find that fit, whatever scenario it may be.

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