When changes over time or audio components are key to understanding a point, nothing works better than a video to convey that message. Whether it’s watching the sequence of certain actions or seeing and hearing something happening, they’re able to offer a different experience beyond pure visual or auditory things. Today when I was heading back to the office after a morning in DC, I took a few seconds to get to the edge of the Potomac and see the iced over water for myself. It wasn’t until you got close and actually heard the creaking of the ice as it heaved against itself that you really felt the power of such a large surface being frozen. A video can share that feeling far more readily than just a picture or an audio recording. Likewise, with things like the way people move or how their eyes light up as they laugh – these are experiences best shared with the visual and auditory components synced up as they are in real life. It’s far more powerful that way and I’m glad that’s one way we can share parts of ourselves. It makes for far greater memories recorded.
Posts Tagged ‘experiences’
365great Day 320: videos
Artic chill
It’s snowing outside again and the cars are getting yet another layer of powder. Good thing I didn’t wash my car, which I considered doing at one of those gas station drive-thrus since I thought the snow craziness might have ended. This morning it was colder here in Virginia than it was in my hometown of Shenyang and as far as I know, that never happens. I mean, my birthplace is so cold in the winter that it’s like Russia or North Korea. Have you seen what they wear in those countries? Talk about bundling up like crazy. Even the Potomac has frozen with quite a thick layer of ice, which I got a chance to see today when I went into DC to apply for a visa.
So while we freeze our butts off here, let me reminisce about a beautiful spring afternoon in which I went to get the mail and found the tree humming with sound. Turns out there were many bees working quite hard.
buzzing tree from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
busy bee with pollen leg from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
365great Day 319: good timing
When the pieces of a puzzle fit together well, it’s a beautiful thing. Likewise, when timing works out for whatever stage of life you’re in and whatever you want to do, it’s pretty amazing. It happened to me again today and I am so grateful. Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been struggling to feel like I’m good at what I do at work. I was trying to work on improving my cold calling skills, but it was draining my energy and leaving me feeling unsure of myself. My manager and the CEO noticed I was struggling and knew I needed to experience some “wins” so they sat down with me and coached me. I felt much more confident, but was still doing something that I’m not strong in and wasn’t planning on doing long-term. For the time being, I wanted to put forth effort to learn and improve and try to be good at it, but I knew that a year from now I probably wouldn’t want to still be going at it. I felt like I was at the right company, but perhaps the wrong position. For the sake of learning and growth, I felt it was best to push through this tough period and see where it led me.
Then today I was pulled aside to meet with the CEO, my manager, and the marketing manager. As it turns out, they’ve been discussing my skills and positioning within the company and decided to do exactly what I was trying to figure out how to do: pivot. They see I like to write and strategize and socialize and tap into creativity to solve challenges, so they’re going to put that to work as I do more marketing and account management in a tweaked role. I was shocked (in a good way) by this sudden change, but I couldn’t have hoped for a better situation. I mean, I was preparing to read up on other roles I might want to do so I could approach the CEO and my manager with not just the problem (I don’t think my strengths are being utilized), but a proposed solution (areas in the company I think I could contribute more in). Instead, they kind of did that for me! It just so happened that a growing need in marketing was just the sort of thing that I could succeed in. I really love my company for how they noticed these things, thought about what can change, and acted before I got too worn out. I knew there were better ways I could contribute to our goals and now I’m repositioned to do what I’m good at and enjoy more! This also coincides with the start of a new year, a move to the new office (one of the cool rooms pictured), and my pending move to the new condo. So many new beginnings! It’s great timing indeed.
UK Vacation Day 9 Recap
I took my time with this post since it was one of the most touristy and there are a ton of pictures. This was our true tour day of London – we started off by Buckingham, went through St. James’s Park, checked out some house guards and stopped by their museum, went through Trafalgar Square, tried a Thai place, found an M&Ms World, explored parts of the British Museum, found some gifts in small shops and waited around for free wifi, crossed the River Thames, walked through the Southbridge Centre and Jubilee Park, fed pigeons, and got tons of pictures of the London Eye, British Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Bridge and Abbey. For dinner we tried to find a Bella Italia but were unsuccessful so we had tapas at La Tasca instead. All in all a busy day filled with walking that allowed us to see a ton before we headed out.
[Catch up with Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, and Day 8 recaps.]
A beautiful day to explore London!
The fancy gates of Green Park.
Queen’s Mounted Guards trotting off in formation.
One of the Queen’s Guards standing watch by a gate.
A pigeon flies in to get fed.
It’s a battle of wills and I win if they’re hungry enough.
A swan family all lined up.
That little swan has a funky leg!
From St. James’s Park, we catch a glimpse of the London Eye.
Caught me in the middle of saying something!
A normal pose for posterity.
I grab a shot of the lake from the side.
And here’s the picture I took.
No time for the Churchill War Rooms, but maybe on the next visit.
Quite a job, sitting still on a horse all day.
I didn’t want to get too close in case the horse flipped out.
Gettin’ up close and personal as I find some free wifi to use.
We find our way to Trafalgar Square.
The world’s laziest pigeon resides here.
Tons of activity in the square.
What’s up with the bright blue rooster?
Carefully laid out grid of flags drawn in chalk in the plaza.
This guy was working on a chalk portrait of Princess Diana.
We stop by a local store and find random t-shirts like this.
And another cheeky shirt here.
Trying out a Thai place for lunch.
What a cute decoration idea!
Food was pretty good and the place was very modern.
After lunch, we stumble across an M&Ms world.
Our walk randomly brings us to a strip of Chinese establishments.
Yet again standing outside taking advantage of free wifi…
Then it’s time to visit the British Museum!
Inside the museum, we look up to find seagulls.
They sure seem to be enjoying the view.
I had no clue Amway made it over here (and was still in business).
The taxis here look so funny.
Onto the Waterloo Bridge and we gaze over the River Thames for a lovely view.
On the other side of the bridge are all sorts of funky buildings.
Here you can pick out the attractions using the guide.
We head into Southbridge Centre and find quite an artsy scene.
A stroll along the waterfront includes plenty of restaurants.
What is this Festival of Neighbourhood??
Street performers doing their thing.
What a bright merry-go-round!
A swing ride at Jubilee Park offers thrills.
I sit down to feed some pigeons.
Gettin’ kind of crazy in here!
Some brave birds got super close.
We watch as people pile into their pod on the London Eye.
I was so tempted to get one of these.
Against the glare of the sun.
Nice view from the bridge!
Rushing waters of the Thames.
There are so many points to the clock tower.
Westminster Abbey was closing for the day so we just looked.
What a fun tour bus look.
Blending in with the pedestrians.
Another map of attractions.
A dinner of tapas.
Ending the day with churros!
The holiday break
With just about a day left before Panda and I headed back to LAX to return to our life out east, I started to feel anxious. It had been a wonderful two weeks, exactly the sort of healing, growing, relaxing, and enjoying I needed. I was kind of worried about getting back into things at work and all the other obligations being back entails. Luckily, the transition hasn’t been that bad at all and I’m happy to be (what is now) home.
Here are some highlights from my time in balmy SoCal. Other moments included hanging out with my mom, chatting with my cousin (and helping her get a new laptop at Best Buy), enjoying quiet moments alone at the mall, meeting up with some AKPsi pledge bros, grabbing lunch with an old UCLA AFROTC friend, catching up over tea with a friend I met at a Gogobot event, a session with my microdermabrasion guy (it’s been over a year!), relaxing at my fab reflexology spot, and reminiscing over old pictures (many that will slowly make their way into blog posts).
And off we go on our winter vacation.
We got upgraded to first class on the way in! I smartly brought a blanket.
As we took off, I tried to spot our new condo with little luck.
The creepy gray clouds tried to climb over the fluffy white ones…
Breakfast is served! I enjoyed the potatoes au gratin best.
Gettin’ frosty up here but I’m toasty in my blankie. 🙂
What’s that brilliantly bright light in the distance? I think it was probably a large lake catching the sun.
First order of business at home is to hang out with Missy.
Umm, how does this even happen to an apple?!
I discover a new favorite snack at the mall: Tornado Fries! Take a whole potato, swirl cut it, spread out along large stick, fry, and sprinkle on various powders for flavor. Fun!
Had my ring cleaned at my jewelers for the first time since getting it and it was nice to catch up with the owner.
Hehe, Missy doesn’t mind that the pillow is crushing her. She loves snuggling with me anyway.
For my birthday, I basically hopped from restaurant to cafe to bakery to restaurant. Happy taste buds and belly!
Oops, we over-ordered for food. Two people got what five probably should have.
Missy walks all over me and I love it.
When she’s like this, how can I work? Too cute.
I had a quiet NYE just watching the show on TV.
Ringing in the new year with this guy jamming on his electric guitar! #culvercitycharacters
Lol, I never got to check out the Westwood Farmer’s Market once it was moved to Thursday, and now here I am.
My absolute fav to get at Gushi.
Little miss princess.
Trying out a new pizza joint in DTLA with my Gogobot buds.
(re)Met a Gogoboter and we do some selfies.
Got together with old friends who I met the year I met Panda! Yes, the picture is intentionally blurry.
I couldn’t leave LA without bringing some treats.
At the airport, I got dinner since I hadn’t eaten all day.
I thought we got a pepperoni and mushroom, but we accidentally left off the mushroom part of the order. Oh well!
Festa di Carrabba First Tastes
Woo hoo, it’s time for another Carrabbas First Tastes event! This time they’re celebrating the new year with this tasting menu. It’s offered as a three-course meal with appetizer, entree, and dessert. We got to try all six possible entrees!!
This time I showed up a little late and found Panda sitting with a mother and daughter pair. They were super friendly and we had a grand old time chatting it up as we enjoyed course after course and drink after drink.
First up was the arancini appetizer, breaded and fried balls of risotto, sausage, bell peppers, and romano cheese with marinara sauce. I like the crispy shell and soft interior of this one, with a blend of savory flavors. It kind of reminded me of a small (Italian) version of the fried balls from Seoul Sausage.
The first of the entrees was the parmesan-crusted chicken, sauteed and covered in breadcrumbs. A grilled lemon offered a wonderful zest to the taste and I enjoyed the rich flavor of this one. The meat was not super succulent but it wasn’t too dry either.
Then we tried the potato-crusted haddock, which looked like hash browns at first. It was topped with a creamy mustard sauce and fresh diced tomatoes (mine happened to be missing that bit). I can’t say I’ve ever had fish and potatoes together, so this was an interesting combo. I liked the texture, but it didn’t have much flavor and I’m not sure the mustard sauce was fitting. I still gobbled it up though! I like how it feels lighter than a pasta dish.
I was looking forward to trying the champagne shrimp & scallop linguine because I love shrimp, scallops, and mushrooms. It’s a solid dish that I would try if I ever felt like a creamy pasta. I kind of like how the cream gathered at the bottom so you could get as much or as little as you like, to taste. Don’t know if that was intentional.
The grilled tuscan skewers came a little out of order, but that’s ok! A normal skewer would have six of these, I believe. I liked the combination of the tomato, red onion, and grilled sirloin. Great complement of flavors!
Mmmm, probably my favorite dish of the night (not counting dessert). The “forever braised” beef brasato was wonderfully tender and worked really well with the risotto. It’s rich and filling. I loved it even though I usually don’t care for beef!
The last entree of the night was the lobster mac & cheese. I thought the corkscrew pasta was perfect and they were quite generous with the lobster portions. You won’t need to dig around wondering where/if the lobster is there! I’m not a lobster person and this one was creamier than I’m used to, so it was decent for me. Perfect for lobster lovers though.
Throughout the meal, Panda took notes as feedback for the restaurant. At the end, the proprietor collected the feedback to review. I guess I should have written something down!
Finally, we ended the meal with a wooonderful sogno di cioccolata dessert. The brownie portion was amazingly dense in just the right way and the chocolate mousse and sauce added to the rich taste. We all devoured our pieces. What a meal!
UK Vacation Day 8 Recap
I can’t believe it’s been nearly four months since this trip and I’m still updating on it. Only two more to go after this one!
Day 8 was a chill day, with a late checkout and leisurely stroll from the hotel to the train station. We swung by the Co-operative, a grocery store, and the House of Fraser, a chain that reminds me of Macy’s. We wandered along the quiet of Rose Street and found ourselves some cookie tins commemorating Prince George at the train station. The train from Edinburgh to London took most of the day and once we were settled back, we got dinner at Nando’s. Since we got drink vouchers at the hotel, we stopped by the bar to get drinks (sodas) before calling it a night.
[Miss some? Read about Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, and Day 7 recaps.]
I think the only time I eat breakfast is at hotels.
A random sighting in our way to the train station. Girl Scouts, anyone?
I love the small streets like these.
Onto the train and back down to London we go.
It’s so picturesque!
Excited to be back in London!
Which way to platform 9 3/4?
Looks rather futuristic in here.
Taking a pit stop to use the wifi before heading down to the tube.
Back at our hotel in Victoria!
We found this chicken place called Nando’s.
Grab some nuts while you wait.
They have all kinds of tasty sauces.
I opted to try their pita, mashed potatoes, and garlic bread. Delicious!
Panda got the grilled dark meat, rice, and garlic bread.
The newer double deckers look so sleek.
Holiday traditions Asian-American style
Merry Christmas to those who celebrate!
My family has sort of stopped, but the holiday season is a time to celebrate in general and that we do, in our own little ways. While the rest of the country was scrambling to get gifts for their loved ones around this time of year, I was sitting back and only had to figure out what to bring to the company white elephant last week. Other than that, I really didn’t have any gifts to get. Since I ended up putting together items I had at home (champagne, cookies, and a hangover drink) for the white elephant, I haven’t had to buy a single gift for the season. This actually seems to be pretty common among many Asian American households, so I doubt we’re that unique.
The last time we broke out the tree was 2006 I think.
Sometime around high school, I began to really notice how impractical it was to wait til the end of the year just to get a camera or some article of clothing that I could have been enjoying long before. One time when I asked my mom for a particular item only halfway through the year, we decided that it would count as one of my holiday/birthday presents. From that point on, it made more sense to get what I wanted/needed when the timing was right and then we’d just do some small thing at the end of the year more as a gesture than anything else. Over the years, that transitioned into a family trip in the winter and no official gifts. We’d also make sure to get at least one meal together as a family. It’s more about the time and experiences now.
This year for Panda I asked what he wanted and he said much of the same. Time spent together now that we’re both back in LA. We’ll visit some of our favorite stomping grounds and also take some time to explore new ones. I’m finally going to get to a restaurant I’ve wanted to eat at for ages! And that’s how I see us celebrating my birthday in a few days – a whole lot of eating, driving, exploring, and picture-taking. Just the way I like it.
The commercial products? We’ll get them as we see fit, when we see fit.
Fun festivities!
Today was a chill day, with a couple of wonderful moments. Panda and I ran some errands and got a chance to swing by the condo so I could take some pictures while it’s still relatively empty. It’s still so weird to think this brand new place is ours. We then went off to the gift-wrapping event that the rental office was throwing at the clubhouse. Turned out to be quite a nice event! And I spent the day reading Fifty Shades Darker, which I just finished. I finally caved into the whole Fifty Shades of Grey hype and it’s been a nice distraction from real life. More on my thoughts when I finish the last of the trilogy. For now, here’s a peek at my surprisingly amusing day.
We arrive at the event and check in. They have a nice tree set up!
It’s nice and festive everywhere you look.
All sorts of gift-wrapping items were strewn all over the place and catering from Carrabbas kept us full as holiday shows like Elf played on TV.
Panda wrapped up a gift for my cousin and I found the boy in the back to be hilarious.
On our way out, we helped them clear some of the Carrabbas. I laughed hysterically as one of the guys looked at our dashboard inquisitively. Oh what fun!
The dash, my lap, and the passenger floor were taken up by all our plates and stuff so Panda had to drive with my newly delivered packages on his lap!
365great Day 281: gifts
While I’m generally not into gifts and presents, they’re still fun to get sometimes. The surprise element of getting something combined with the mystery of what it is can be a fun and exciting experience. I enjoyed the white elephant exchange at work today and it reminded me of some of the joy that comes along with gifting. I was careful with what I chose and I’m sure it will be appreciated by the recipient. Some people went with silly gifts for a laugh, others went with totally random stuff and it was interesting seeing what it all was. You can find some funky items out there! It’s also really nice to get gifts for those who usually do without, which is why Panda and I will be donating a toy to kids each year. Ultimately it comes down to the experience of sharing time or care (for me at least), and that’s why gift-giving can be so great.
