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.
Posts Tagged ‘experiences’
365great Day 281: gifts
365great Day 280: Eiffel Tower
La Tour Eiffel. What a breathtaking sight. It’s funny that this giant metal structure could be so strikingly beautiful. Climbing up it is even more awesome and I wish I could go sip tea atop the Eiffel Tower every day. When I finally got a chance to go to Paris, I made sure to go to the Eiffel Tower a few times. Yes, once just wasn’t enough. Ever since I decided to take French in middle school, I’ve wanted to go to Paris. And there I was, at my personal mecca and I loved it. I could stare at it for days, admiring how it shines in the day and lights up at night. If you ever find yourself in Paris, be sure to take the stairs up this unique structure. It’s a much better experience that way and the view is great up there.
365great Day 278: fish spas
When I was traveling in Thailand, I found a fish spa to go try. I’d started to hear of them while working in Singapore, but they were generally too pricey for my taste. Then I found this one at their night market and I just had to give it a go. These little fish nibble at your skin and eat the dead skin cells. It’s a bizarre experience, all those little mouths pecking at you. At first it was very ticklish and I had to take my feet out a few times from the over-sensitivity. Once I got used to it, it was a hoot. These spas are supposed to leave your skin softer since the dead skin cells are removed. I certainly felt like my feet were softer, but that could have just been from soaking in the water. Either way, it was a really fun time – odd, but great and I think everyone should at least try it once.
365great Day 271: pho
Pho is comfort food to me. When I’m not feeling well, whether I’m sick or sad, it’s the perfect thing to soothe me. I personally like it more than chicken noodle soup. I love the fragrance of the herbs, the thin noodles, the rich broth, and the experience of putting in the veggies when the soup comes out steaming hot. I like to get the plain noodle soup if I can, since I love it for the veggies, soup, and noodles. No need for meat for me! I always feel better after downing a large bowl and usually my sinuses and head will get cleared up by the end of it. It’s perfect for those down days and I can’t even remember what I used to do before I was introduced to pho. I guess I did get afternoon fevers pretty frequently in high school. I’m so glad that college brought me experiences like discovering pho because it’s now an important part of my diet, particularly in the colder months. It’s so great for a pick-me-up!
Weird. Wonderful.
Yesterday. What an… unusual day. Today. Another oddity. (But scattered in between were precious moments of wonder too.)
Let’s start from the beginning. I got to sleep in a bit yesterday because we had our condo walk-through scheduled for 10. It wouldn’t make sense for me to go to work first, so I just met Panda there. I originally planned on going to Target first to go return some stuff and get a notebook, but the time I allocated for that got taken up by a challenging deicing process. I’d completely forgotten about the icy rain the night before and found my car encased in one solid layer of ice.
I woke to a very frozen world!
I couldn’t even open the car door by pressing the button.
Haha, there was even a bit of ice standing straight up around that little stick thing. Nothing can escape the layer of ice!
As I was cleaning off my car, I heard crackling and I thought someone was pouring hot water on ice, but it turns out the trees were breaking apart.
When I finally got it all off the windows, I headed to the condo. Along the way, I was careful to keep a distance from the other cars. The van in front of me started shedding ice sheets when it picked up speed and eventually my own came flying off too. We met at our new home and were taken inside by one of the guys who manages all the construction. He showed us all the light switches, faucets, doors, rooms, plugs, appliances, windows, heating and cooling systems, plumbing, etc. We have a lot of low flow options to help save water, including the toilet, shower heads, and kitchen faucet. I played with a bunch of the windows, which flip inwards so we can easily clean the outside. Smart! The demo guy was baffled that I wore a heavy jacket and multiple layers, yet bounded around barefoot, even stepping outside like it wasn’t freezing out. I’d never thought that was weird and suddenly I felt like a nymph or something after that, haha. It was fun to see everything brand new and ready for use! This is our new place!!
I’m so glad we went with stainless steel appliances. Lovin’ the kitchen!
I joke about turning this into a dance studio… wouldn’t that be cool?
I can’t wait to have a shower where I don’t have to deal with a curtain!!
This sink is mine and the opposite one will be Panda’s. I might need some of his drawers though. 😛
The master looks smaller when it’s not the model home, but we don’t want a giant space anyway.
They provide us with a ton of manuals so we can figure out how to operate and maintain everything.
On the opposite end is my favorite room, the most massive one that’s about the size of a two-car garage. I would love to get a grand piano and pool table in it, lol. Totally not happening anytime soon, if ever. But the dream lives on… From this room you can see straight down to the kitchen.
The hall bath is for the other bedrooms and guests. It’s the only counters that aren’t granite – the upgrade just wasn’t worth it.
Oh I’m going to love hanging out on the porch when it’s warmer.
I brought along my newest craft as a house warming gift to bring some holiday cheer to the place!
It’s so fascinating how the ice created that layer over everything.
I doubt we’ll be using the front door all that much, except to pick up packages that don’t fit in the mailbox!
Hello beautiful. I can’t wait to move in!
By the time we finished, it was about 11:30 and Panda and I went to get an early lunch together before going to work. Apparently I’d missed a fire alarm at our office that morning and not long after arriving, I was heading to the restroom when the doorbell rang. Since I was on my way, I went to answer it and found a guy from the power company telling me he had orders to shut off our power. I thought I’d been pranked and the shock of that announcement had me completely baffled. A lot of people weren’t in the office due to the weather, so I didn’t even know who to get. We eventually got that sorted out… whew!
By the time we went to lunch, the icicles were nearly all melted.
Some people decided that walking on the grass was better than the path, I guess.
Good thing these trees were trimmed last month, or the branches might have broken off. This looks so surreal.
Later in the afternoon, Autumnfall asked me to accompany her to the local grocery store to get some candy canes for a promo we’re going to run. Along the way, we had a ton of fun admiring our surroundings, getting pictures of iced over plants and the scenes along the walk. That’s when we saw that breathtaking hawk make a pit stop. As we were nearing the store, a random guy said, “Hey ladies” in a rather creepy way and as we were checking out, this old man stood waaay too close to us even though the line was for four possible registers. Just adding to the strange occurrences of the day. Back in the office, we took some time for a photo shoot with the candy canes and got some pretty hilarious shots. More to come on that, when the promo starts (we’re giving away candy canes)!
Our walk turned out to be quite the adventure, with giant puddles and hawk sightings and tunnels to go through. Oh, and creepy men too.
More iced up plants!
Iced up berries!
Ok, ok, just one more iced plant picture!
The fog was thickening and starting to obscure the cranes up top.
I promised no more iced plants, but here’s just some ice that fell from pine trees!
After work, I made that Target run I’d meant to do in the morning. I ended up exchanging one item and realizing that the other was from Charlotte Russe – oops! And of course I left, completely forgetting that I wanted to get a notebook too. There’s another Target on the way home, so I figured I could go there and also swing by a gas station for gas, but I completely blanked on the exit and missed it. I reeeeally need to write out my thoughts though, so I decided to make a slight detour to yet another Target. When I arrived, there was a girl crying her heart out near the front. It reminded me of how I’ve been feeling lately and I sort of wish I could bawl it out too. But for now, the tears won’t come even when my heart is heavy. Maybe the writing will help. While browsing notebooks, I found a really fun set of festive ones. Even better is that they’re eco-friendly. Always a plus in my book!
I thought this looked funny so I took a picture and then a Target guy happened to come to collect them and he explained that they use them to wipe off the carts. Since they don’t have a dryer, they just hang them where they can. How nice! A wet cart is certainly no fun to shop with.
Ooh, the fog is really settling in now.
My newest thought-catchers. 🙂 So pretty!
The blue one says “Looking at the stars always makes me dream.” -Vincent van Gogh
The green one says “Happiness is a bright and shining thing.” -Unknown
The red one says “Joy delights in joy.” -William Shakespeare
So finally, I made it home and was watching The Voice and The Sing-Off. After about an hour of the air running, I started to wonder why it wasn’t heating up. I tried resetting the thermostat with no success, so I just turned off the air and bundled up. After doing some writing, blogging, and news watching, I went to bed. I didn’t sleep very well, waking up frequently once it started to get light out. Around 7, I looked out to see the snow blanketing everything. The plow trucks hadn’t made it in yet. I kept going back to sleep and waking up to check on the status of the roads… things didn’t seem to improve much so I decided to work from home today. I had trouble getting up and really working because of the chillier air. I waited a few hours before calling management to send someone to look at it. I learned that there’s an emergency option that uses the heater in the closet rather than whatever’s outside. They figured the outside one got frozen over (no surprise there) so it wasn’t working. I just need to wait for the ice to melt to use it like normal again.
Why good morning, snow.
I went outside once the skies cleared and appreciated the sun for a bit.
When the sun came out, the snow melted from the trees quickly!
During what normally would have been my lunch break, I decided to take a shower. Now that’s one perk I like about working from home! When I want to refresh myself, I can just hop in the shower AND still have plenty of time to eat some lunch. Come 3 in the afternoon, I was getting antsy being alone with no one to talk to for so long while I tried to pound through work. I took advantage of another benefit of working from home and got changed into some workout gear, then went running! I can’t remember the last time I did that (sometime in college probably) and in snow? Gosh, that would have been over a decade ago. Still, it felt good to clear my head even if I was rather out of shape. I listened to some music and just tried to stay in that zone for as long as possible.
It looks kind of gross, but it kind of reminds me of a fungus I like to eat called wood ears.
Somebody had left some furniture by the side of the road, like this sofa. Would make for a pretty cool photo shoot!
When I decided to slow for a bit, I found a playground with a little climbing arch and climbed up to sit on it. It was so nice to peer into woods, groove to my music, and shut out the world for awhile. When it got too cold, I got up and jogged back. I had put the key to the apartment in my leggings thinking they were tight enough to keep it in place. When I was going up the final set of stairs, I stopped to pull it out only to find it was gone. I patted all the way down my legs and started to get worried… I guess I’ve learned a lesson about sticking a key in your pants. Doesn’t work so well when you’re jolting it around while running. Luckily, it had stopped falling down right around my ankle. Thank goodness! I then picked up with work again (albeit with slightly shaky fingers).
Saw this and couldn’t resist. I just had to climb it.
Sitting on the bars, enjoying the amazing air as I watched a squirrel in the distance.
My running path was a little treacherous but I didn’t slip once. What a serene place.
I’ve felt off ever since returning from my extended Thanksgiving break. Last week was cut short since I got back halfway through the week, which kind of threw me off. Now this week has only been two days and it feels like the week should be over already. My internal clock must be all out of whack. I hope tomorrow brings a more normal day; I could certainly use some boring old normalcy in my life right now.
365great Day 270: birds of prey
Like I just mentioned, I love birds of prey. My favorite is a tossup between an owl and a hawk. I think I’d like to be a hawk in the day and an owl at night. Once, I was in my backyard in LA and this gorgeous snowy owl silently glided up past our fence. It was absolutely breathtaking and magical. I stood there dumbfounded for a good minute or two, marveling at what I just saw and hardly believing it. I love the grace, the power, the freedom of these birds. They exude confidence and ability in a way that I admire and would love to embrace. Plus, being able to fly and see so sharply would be amazing. I’d get a kick out of finding a nice perch and staring out at the world, or soaring high above it all. It’s beautiful out there and what a great way to enjoy it.
To be a bird
Ah, to be a bird
Where air is my element
And I flit about nay a care in the world
Light as a feather, nimble as a mouse
Free to go up, down, all around
I could put it all behind me
Escape to another world
If I please, if I please…
And if I tire, I’d find a perch
Gaze down at the world so far away
Noticing every detail with my razor-sharp vision
Letting myself be free
Free to be me
Oh how glorious it would be.
I didn’t set out to write prose that resembles a poem, but I guess that’s how my thoughts sort of gathered themselves. It’s funny that I began writing this last night and then this afternoon, a hawk glided along to a stop near me, right on a rock on the ground. It’s not often you see these birds of prey so low to the ground, calmly sitting. It watched as I walked around to get a picture of it and let me take one. Before I could get a better position and zoom in more, it was off again, sailing ever so gracefully into the sky. I’m so inspired by these great birds – in fact, I’ll be writing about them again for today’s 365great.
Can you spot the hawk hiding behind the branches near the top of the rocks?
I’ve long admired these creatures, not only because they are so powerful and elegant all in one, but because they get to fly. I wish my body could allow me to go airborne whenever I want. It’s so beautiful up in the air and everything is so crisp and clear. They represent empowerment and freedom to me, which are things that I value deeply. Beyond that, I’d love to spread my wings and take myself away from this place sometimes. Wouldn’t it be nice to retreat from the world for awhile and find your peace? Get lost in your own thoughts and not worry about the rest of the world.
Oh, to be a bird…
UK Vacation Day 7 Recap
On day 7 of our grand UK adventure, Panda and I explored the streets of Edinburgh and found a bunch of museums. The morning started off with a silly moment, when Panda got my ring stuck on his finger… and we thought he might have to wear it around all day for me. 😛 I got a delicious treat at a cute bakehouse, we swung by the cafe where Harry Potter was written, and of course went to check out the castle (getting a few items in the gift shop but not actually going in). Along the way, we came across two Chinese ladies asking for directions and I regretted not helping. We wanted to also check out this place called The Mound, but I think they were closed so we skipped it. For dinner, we got Pizza Express and I discovered my new favorite pizza. Later at night we got hungry again so we went out to a Chinese place where they were very interested in chatting us up. I guess Chinese-Americans don’t come around that often.
[Don’t forget about Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, and Day 6 recaps.]
We started the day off right with a hearty breakfast British style.
I’ve never seen a salt and pepper shaker as one unit! I want.
Off to the bustling Princes Street. There’s just a bit of blue sky out there.
So bright and cheery against the other dull colors.
Classic building in these parts.
Caught me chillin’ on these cute roads.
We found the world’s end!
We arrive at the Museum of Edinburgh to find we were there on exactly the 500th anniversary of the Flodden Campaign.
What a cool staircase.
Hehe, I was amused by the midget next to the giant.
Those shoes do NOT look comfy.
Ambulances here use blue and neon yellow.
Stumbled upon Mimi’s Bakehouse, where I could hardly choose just one thing to try!
Such a fun light frame.
I decided to opt for the Malteser bar. Yummy yummy.
We made a quick stop at the Museum of Childhood. Strollers used to be so much simpler.
I’ve never heard to this shoot the moon game and I haven’t a clue how it works.
Next up was the grandest museum of all: the Museum of Scotland! Gorgeous room.
Weighing in against animals, I am right around the same as a giant anteater. Fun fact: Panda and I are almost exactly the same weight – sometimes 2 lbs off but often identical.
This is the only breed of cat in the world that can climb down trees, thanks to claws that go the other direction! If only household cats could get those claws…
I spent all this effort sending a Morse code message to Panda only to discover he wasn’t paying attention! Men.
So perfect for me! My feet and back get sore easily, so I happily grabbed a seat to rest on.
The fun little cafe with a view of Edinburgh Castle in the back, where JK Rowling did much of her earlier writing.
Apparently this place inspires plenty of writers!
We can just make out the ocean out there. So cool! I wish we could have gone to visit but it’s far.
Up, up, up to the Ednburgh Castle.
There was some sort of event there and they were taking down the bleachers they’d set up.
Spectacular place to live. We decided not to go into the castle but just enjoy the views and shop.
Such cute soaps! I recorded the brand so I can remember to get these one day…
Not quite what we imagined when we order dough balls, but they were good!
Panda go La Reine and I go the Pomodoro Pesto in the back – FAB. I love thin crust, fresh tomatoes, mushroom, and pesto.
What a beautiful place Edinburgh is. So much greenery!
Such a quaint path down into the Princes Street Gardens.
Such a beautiful burst of color against the drab.
Seeing this inspired me to get one back when I was stateside!
Time to consider changing your priorities along with it?
Panda always loves his Singapore noodles.
365great Day 267: tigers
I love felines of all kinds and my favorite of the large cats would have to be tigers. They have an air about them that is awe-inspiring and their strength yet grace is captivating. Their stripes are so fun and vibrant; it’s a unique pattern that no other big cats have. I got a chance to visit the Tiger Temple when I was in Thailand and it was such a special experience. When I approached the area where the adult cats were lounging, everything hushed and I carefully navigated through them with my guide. They didn’t seem to mind much that people were milling out and either let me touch them gently or didn’t even feel my hand stroking them. My favorite part was petting the baby tiger though – it was already quite big, with giant paws and far more strength than me. Yet, they still had an awkward, adorable quality about them. I absolutely loved being able to get so close to these creatures – what a great vacation stop!
Storytelling
I’ve had some pretty random and interesting experiences in my life. There are the moments when I had crazy encounters with strangers, the cool things I got to experience as a result of living in Los Angeles, and wonderful childhood memories. I’d like to share more of these, since a good story can be captivating, entertaining, and powerful. Perhaps I can hone my writing skills enough to write short stories!
Driving, driving, driving, til she needed to go.
This, in addition with Katana’s recent request that I read over some ideas she has for a book, make me want to share more of my life stories and grand adventures. I could share the times I took rides with strangers in foreign countries, the wacky times I spent with rich guys, the amazing things I got to do as a child, the fun experiences from college, and so much more… I just wish I could put together words as well as the writers I know (Autumnfall & Katana). Alas, I’ll do my best and hope to provide some worthwhile reads. Stay tuned!
