Hordes of people enjoying a beautiful day out.
For those too lazy to walk.
Oh the things to do!
The games to play!
The prizes to win!
And the snacks to eat!
Some curious offers...
...and some strange selections.
Posts Tagged ‘los angeles’
Scenes from a county fair
laelene Posted in photo blog，Tags: county fair, food, games, los angeles, pictures
07
September
2009
0
A starry story
laelene Posted in photo blog，Tags: los angeles, pictures
02
September
2009
A whimsical journey through the (fake) history of time, as told by donated items of jewelry in the Griffith Observatory.
13 billion years ago: the Big Bang, an explosion of astronomical effects!
11 billion years ago: why how curious, a sudden onslaught of sheriffs emerge to police the universe.
9 billion years ago: furry felines floated in space, guided by the moonlight.
7 billion years ago: Hey diddle diddle, the cat had a fiddle, the cow's jumping over the moon. There is no dog to laugh at the sport, nor no dish to run with the spoon (yet).
5 billion years ago: well how could we have been counting time until now, for time has only just appeared!
3 billion years ago: an explosion of colors, planets, and stars overtakes the expanding universe.
Present day: Earth was so beautiful a mere hundreds of thousands of years ago and now? The future's to be seen! (To the right and up, of course.)
Had some fun interpreting a few of the gems I found in the timeline compiled of so many shiny little astronomical depictions.
Southern California drive
laelene Posted in photo blog，Tags: los angeles, pictures, wildfire
30
August
2009
There has been a huge wildfire raging in La Canada the past couple of days and I believe the smoke I’ve been seeing is from that fire. It’s hard to tell though, what with a handful of fires burning throughout the area. I generally get the best views while on the road, so this is a chronicle of the images I saw driving around town, as well as a random strange encounter on the highway.
Experience a drive in Southern California…
Wildfire smoke battles fluffy cloud.
Creeping upon the neighborhood.
Darkening the horizon.
A shocker in the mirror: fleet of cop cars. Rather intimidating.
Ok, so I guess I would suck at the one photo a day deal. I tend to get carried away with picture-taking. First I’ll start with storytelling through photos, then perhaps I will venture into the challenge of one picture (and only one picture) per day, every day.
Aquatic adventure & animal fascination
laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: adventure, animals, experiences, los angeles, ninja, storytelling, travel tales, ucla
21
August
2009
I’ve been meaning to take advantage of the UCLA Marine Aquatic Center for awhile now and finally got around to doing that today. They rent out kayaks to students for free (and of course I never got around to it while I was a student), so they can go enjoy a little paddling around the marina. I went with Ninja, who’s always up for any sort of adventure or new thing, and we got a two-person kayak so I would only have to pay $5. If I had gotten my own, it would have been $15 an hour! Ridiculous.
We got our paddles and sat into the kayak, then went off on our way. I think I took a paddle that was not quite long enough, since the motion kept getting in the way of my legs and I’d hit the side of the kayak as I made my paddles. Perhaps it was just lack of arm strength though. As we went along, we saw a sheriff’s boat pulling up to one entering the marina – was it “pulled over”? We also saw seals diving for fish and birds congregating where fish were being netted. A few items of trash floated near us, so we navigated so I could pick them up and put them up front to take back.
In the area where the water was very still, we managed to get a decent rhythm and speed going, which felt really good. At times it seemed we could just glide upon the water with our feet (and so we stuck our feet into the water to simulate that). We saw many boats with fun names or really cool designs, and many very fancy ones. Some were from the local area and others had come from other cities. There were even two or three floating homes at the end of some of the docks, complete with couches and dining tables and beds and pets. Now there’s a lifestyle.
As we approached the exit to the open ocean, rocks on the shore were covered with barnacles and scurrying amongst them were little crabs that looked like spiders or scorpions. A few seagulls were floating near the shore and we quietly approached them, gliding closer and closer until they decided we had invaded their personal space and took off. After we made an entire circle, we got back and cleaned off the equipment, got rid of the trash properly through the trash bins and recycle, and guzzled down some drinks to recover to from the two-hour effort. It was a nice little excursion and a fun way to exercise a bit and enjoy some nature-y sights.
Later at night, we came across a spider who had built a web in a parking garage. One of his web’s anchors extended straight to the ground, which was not the best idea, since it will get broken when residents arrive and drive that way. Ninja decided to help him out by relocating that thread to the ceiling, but unfortunately it wouldn’t stick. Instead we got to watch in fascination as the spider dropped himself down to the floor again and rubbed his butt against the floor to re-anchor his web. He then began to climb up again, using only his four forearms. His two hind legs dangled and from one of them, another thread was emerging. He then used that thread to attach to another part of the web to create a triangle and continued breaking up parts of the web and extending it with triangles.
It was a really cool process to watch and he didn’t seem to mind our intent stares. It’s unfortunate that he chose a poor location and will soon have to deal with another wrecked web (and probably worse, since Ninja was very gentle in how he moved the thread). Hopefully he will eventually learn that he will need a new place to stay permanently, or else he’ll be making a whole lot of extra work for himself, repairing that web all the time. It must have looked kind of funny, the two of us staring at what looked like nothing in the middle of a parking structure, then squatting down and staring at the floor, then standing up and staring towards the ceiling. It was all worth it though – we got a great first-hand view of how spiders make their creations!
The beauty of food
laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: food, los angeles, opti, pictures
20
August
2009
I love food.
I eat it all the time, I think about my life in terms of what to eat next, I socialize with people preferably with food at hand. It’s a great way of uniting people – after all, who doesn’t eat food? I even go around taking pictures of all the food I am served at various restaurants and gatherings. Sometimes it’s the presentation that makes it almost too good to dig into; sometimes it’s the delicious aroma that makes your mouth water and your heart fill with happiness. Seriously, good food can lift your spirits! The best thing is, it can be enjoyed over and over again – sometimes alone, sometimes shared, sometimes a little, sometimes a lot.
Since I think about food so much, it’s not unusual that I often get cravings for things. The family soup that I never get sick of, the ice cream that I can only take so much of, the kimchi fried rice that I’ll take spicy or sour, the pickles that crunch just right, the chicken pot pie that fills me right up, the blueberries that I gobble up – ah, the wonders of delicious food! Sometimes I get gluttonous and eat too much, then lay around exhausted by the effort, but I always enjoy it when I’m eating. My taste buds are happy (though sometimes get a little burnt by my over-eagerness), my nose buds (smell buds? scent buds?) are tickled, and my mind is thoroughly pleased with the results. It’s a pity I can’t eat as much as I used to as a child, for I find myself with a lingering desire to eat more even when I physically can’t take it anymore.
One of my favorite places to go as of late (and unfortunate for my health, I’m sure) is all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ. Between the cute little appetizer dishes, the tasty salad dressing, the rice paper, the egg soup, and the scrumptious brisket and bugolgi, what more could you ask for? Sure you come out smelling of meat and smoke, but that’s not exactly a bad thing, is it? I’m also a huge fan of BCD’s (which I like to joke is missing an A), which is a Korean tofu house that’s open 24 hours. Who needs Denny’s or IHOP when you can get those Korean appetizers, a small yellow fried fish, a bowl of fresh rice, a stone pot of boiling tofu soup, and a toasty rice soup at 2 or 3 in the morning? Granted, for those poor vehicle-less souls living on campus, I guess they have little choice, since they can’t get out to K-town. But hey, as long as you’ve got motorized wheels, you’ve got no excuses!
One new thing (gosh, everything I like these days seems to be Korean!) that I want to try is the Kogi trucks that go roaming around LA. If I ever catch one (or decide to chase after one), I’m sure it’ll be a fun experience to order some delicious food from the truck after standing in line for ages. It’s kind of like Sprinkles, where part of the experience is to stand in that ridiculously long line. In Kogi’s case, if you’re into tracking them down and getting a meal, you’ll have a blast. In Sprinkles’ case, if you’re into getting fresh cupcakes and observing the “please keep this door closed to keep our cupcakes fresh” sign, you’ll feel like those desserts were worth the effort.
The great thing about LA is that you never run out of good food to eat. I can’t wait to go back to Buddha’s Belly in Santa Monica for some Asian fusion and chocolate fondue, or over to Daphne’s for some amazingly tasty shrimp pita, or out to cha for tea to get the best boba in town and some yummy treats as well. There’s still plenty to explore, like this other place that has chocolate fondue (which I only knew of from pictures that Opti put up), or the various places lining the streets I often drive along. From Chinese to Greek, from Korean to Persian, from Japanese to Brazilian, there’s a lot more to try! It’ll be slow going though, until I find myself a job and have an income again! For now I’ll just take advantage of UCLA Young Alumni events (like the one tonight) to meet people and try new restaurants.
Oh, and let’s not forget the wonders of potlucks, BBQs, or just cooking with your friends!
Job market
laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: animals, daddy, environment, los angeles, ucla, work
05
August
2009
My dad just forwarded an e-mail talking about the boom in jobs in the green sector. That’s great but, umm, where are they?! I would love a job in some sort of environmental firm, especially if it’s a consultancy. But alas, the focus seems to mostly be on energy and more technical stuff, so maybe I really should look into starting up my own little thing. Unfortunately, I would really need a partner who has the scientific background or some sort of environmental degree. I’ve joked with Panda that I will start up a business with his brother, but hey, I’m totally up for that if it’s possible. However, I haven’t even met the guy, so that’s really just a fantasy. More realistically, I’ll be looking for a temp job to start giving me an income, then continuing my search for something a little more permanent as I try to build up a career.
One of my three darling kitties.
Today I looked into cat sitting jobs and considered applying to a pet services company. It’s not exactly my ticket to a high-profile job, but it certainly is my passion. I have a strong affinity for animals in general and felines in particular. What’s better than spending my days with them? I’d get a chance to move around the area, visit a bunch of cats, and occasionally stay over at people’s houses to watch the fellows. Doesn’t sound like a bad deal, but of course then comes the question: where’s the future in that? Even if I did run my own little business for that, I see it more as a side gig or something for retirement. It’s certainly not the type of job I’d like to make a career out of, but more of one I’d like to maintain long-term as a hobby. Short-term however, it’d be a great job to have as I try to find something with a bit more growth.
What I really want to get into is eco-consultancy, but where do I find such opportunities? I’ve searched online for quite awhile and came up with Sustainability Works in Santa Monica, which is a non-profit that helps local companies change their ways to become more eco-friendly. However, their focus is quite narrow and I’d like a company that services the greater Los Angeles area, so I’d get a chance to deal with people from a variety of cities in the area. It’s surprisingly hard to find a job that apparently is popping up left and right. Just gotta love how articles only talk about a trend without any sound evidence, with solid examples of companies hiring or something.
Tour themes were always a fun thing to plan.
I’m tempted to fall back on some old jobs just to earn some money (hopefully they’ve still got space for me!) in the time being. Sad how lack of money is such a motivator. 🙁 For the moment, I’m really interested in a job at UCLA. I remember seeing a friend leading some donors or other important people around campus for a tour and it seems that’s the closest I’ll get to being a tour guide for UCLA after graduation. Everything else is student-led, so I’m out of luck in my dreams of being a fabulous tour guide (unless I attend graduate school?). Well, we’ll see, I’ve been browsing the listings and there are some interesting ones!
Lack of motivation
laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: food, friends, health, los angeles, ninja, pictures, singapore, work
04
August
2009
My trusty scale.
I’ve been back for just about five days now and not worked out once. Instead, I’ve gone to all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ, stuffed myself with a huge plateful of dumplings, scarfed down a gigantic serving of kimchi fried rice, and fed myself otherwise unhealthy amounts of food. I’m still happily one jeans size smaller and ten pounds lighter then when I left for Singapore, but who knows how long that will last. When I first discovered this weight loss, I couldn’t believe it. I was at the doctor’s and using a kg scale and the conversion just didn’t seem right. But since I’ve come back I’ve tried a handful of different scales and even tried on pants one size smaller to confirm. Time and time again, I’ve been amazed that I weigh what I haven’t since my high school days. Of course it’s not just about weight, but I do feel more sprightly now (though that may just be psychological, who knows). Nonetheless, it feels good and I’m still a healthy weight. So, to keep it that way, I’ve really got to buckle down and get myself to work out during the day at some point, but it’s just too easy to fall back into my lazy routine.
Oh yes, a most familiar scene.
Let me describe to you my life after college and before my stint in Singapore. I’d wake up ridiculously late, anywhere from 2 or 3 in the afternoon to even 6 PM at times. I’d casually drag myself out of bed in the heat and either go downstairs to pig out for a bit or go online and sit on the bed, typing away. At some point I’d hop in the shower to wash away the grossness from lounging around all day. I’d eat dinner around 8 PM and occasionally go for a nighttime stroll with my mother afterwards, as I promised my dad I would when he went back to China and couldn’t accompany her anymore. We’d walk for about an hour in the brisk night, then I’d get back and hop straight back into bed, prop myself up, and go online for the remainder of the night. I even set up a little snack station next to my bed, so a variety of food and drinks would be available within arms reach. I’d stay up all night on my laptop and fall asleep sometime between 6-9 AM, when the world lit up again and everyone else around me was just starting their day.
It’s no wonder I didn’t lose any of the weight I’d gained in college, despite eating less overall. Instead, my belly grew out a little and my thighs thickened, though of course I never noticed a thing, with such gradual changes. I don’t want that to happen to me again, so I’m trying to spend less time working on the bed and go downstairs to the dining room table to go online. I’ve also been keeping busy meeting up with people and hanging out in the places that I love. Unfortunately, much of that involves food, and plenty of it! It’s ok though, I just need to get off my butt and get my heart rate up to keep off any buildup. Maybe I’ll dust off that bike in the garage, or maybe I’ll bring out my beloved longboard. I do plan on learning how to surf once Ninja gets back from being Indiana Jones, so that should help with toning!
But for now, I have little motivation and all the reason to lounge around in bed all day. I’ve really got to start looking for a job though.
Readjustment
laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: los angeles, singapore, travel
01
August
2009
It’s ironic that I’m having more trouble finding time to write after returning, since I have no set schedule in my life and therefore could really do it anytime. Of course, instead I find myself distracted and not even noticing how much time goes by. Granted, I’ve been doing a lot of things to settle back in, like depositing money into the bank and looking into a new phone to get. I even confirmed the weight I lost while away and began to car hunt. Now I’m rather tired and running late for an entry, but it’s way past my bedtime. My scalp managed to fall asleep so I’ve got this strange tingling on my head and it’s quite hot in my room, which is making me veeery lazy…
I’m going to sleep now before I do something to jeopardize the lack of jetlag, thanks to my carefully-planned sleeping pattern to allow a fast adjustment back to PST.
In transit
laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: experiences, los angeles, mizu, panda, pictures, singapore, starfish, travel, typea, zen
31
July
2009
Oh no! I’ve missed a day, so I will make a quick belated entry.
Friday morning started with a very groggy me lounging in bed half-awake, trying to will myself up when I got a call from Mizu. Thinking it was my alarm, I picked up the object ringing at me and pressed something, apparently picking up. I read the screen and wondered why Mizu’s name appeared when it dawned on me that I had picked up the phone. Confused, I spoke into it and found him speaking back to me, telling me he’d be there in just a few minutes. I rushed to get ready and woke up Typea as planned, so he could help lock up after I went out. It took some stuffing, but we managed to get all my luggage in the car, all the while wondering how we managed to do it the first time around, even with a full car. With that, we were off to pick up Zen and meet Starfish at the airport.
I can't believe this is the only picture I took in the airport.
I checked in with no problems and even had 5 kg to spare in one of my bags, so I added some more to it from my carry-on. The four of us got some breakfast together and then said our goodbyes as I headed in. Once I made it through the passport check, I waved to my little sending party and went to my gate. I enjoyed the free internet they had and sent an e-mail to Panda before I boarded the plane for the first leg of the trip. I had been given an emergency exit window seat for more leg room, but I hadn’t realized that the window would be so far away when I had agreed to it, so I regretted my decision. The trip to Tokyo was fast and painless and soon enough it was time to get off, go through security, and reboard the plane with a fresh crew.
This time I asked for any other window seat and the air hostess got a guy to switch seats with me. I had a nice chat with the people sitting next to me and then enjoyed a few movies before taking a nap. Unfortunately, much of the latter part of the ride was suffered in discomfort as the girl sitting behind me put her knees up on the back of my chair and began to move around constantly, kicking, kneeing, and pushing the seat annoyingly. I decided to take it as an erratic massage or a broken massage chair of sorts. I didn’t know if bringing it up would just make it worse, so I just kept moving around every time she did. I definitely liked her best when she was asleep. At least I figured out why my chair wouldn’t lean back at first when I tried earlier on.
Looks like an upside-down dolphin. Where are we?
After way too long, we had breakfast and began our descent into LAX. I watched the scenery pass by, trying to spot the UCLA campus or anything else I may recognize, but I couldn’t tell which cluster of tall buildings was downtown and everything else looked unrecognizable. Coming out, I found Tom Bradley International Terminal to be under construction – yet another thing that looked foreign to me. However, once I got out to the street, I was back in my comfort zone, familiar with the area and accent, content with the sunshine and temperature, and ready to be on my way. I patiently waited for Panda for about 40 minutes (he couldn’t get off work too early) and happily spotted him 15 minutes early! We loaded up my stuff and I clung to him, thrilled to be able to feel him again. He’s gotten thinner from the busy, stressful days lately, but gosh, he looks good dressed up.
We got some Quizno’s for lunch and ran a few errands before crashing at his place, which I got to see for the first time. I was given a card and key so I can let myself in as needed and he read his card to me, as we like to do. We don’t have an anniversary day, but it’s about that time, so he got me a Happy Anniversary card. 🙂 I gave him the tie and cuff links I bought him and promised him his other gift the next time I see him, since that one was buried somewhere in my luggage. We got to hang out for a few hours before my mom came to pick me up and get dinner. I spent the rest of the night unpacking and telling my mom stories about all the things I had acquired (which really wasn’t much). Strangely, I don’t feel like I was gone for so long. Everything is pretty much as it was and I immediately fell back into most of my old life patterns. Things do smell different though.
The experience
laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: business, experiences, food, future, los angeles, opinion, travel
25
July
2009
photo credit: Ocha-Neko on flickr
I wrote earlier how things are transitioning from a service market to an experience market. Consumers aren’t just looking for great service anymore, but want the entire experience from the first point of contact to the last to feel authentic to whatever it is supposed to be. I found this wonderfully true at the spa I chose in Phuket, where the website, building interior and exterior, and all their services combined for a wonderful sense of tranquility. That’s exactly how it should be and I’ll definitely go to them when I return someday.
As I was searching for a dim sum place to eat at in Hong Kong, I read about one place that apparently is one of the few restaurants that still served dim sum on carts that are pushed around. Of course that was the very one I chose, since dim sum just isn’t as fun when you order it off a menu. It was surprising to me that they’d be phasing this out, since it’s a great part of the experience and that’s what truly makes it unique. Without that, where is the fun? Restaurants would do well to keep that tradition alive, or else the dishes become nothing more than some appetizers on their menu.
Sadly, when I got to City Hall to locate the restaurant, I found it is under renovation, so I was redirected to a place called Jasmine in the La Jardine building nearby. It turned out to be one of those fancy places that I hardly frequent, offering bird’s nest and albacore or something like that. I don’t really care for high class food, but I was desperately hungry and wanted dim sum, so I went anyway. The food itself was tasty and they still served them in the bamboo containers, but it was so unceremonious it made me sad. No lady pushing a cart, touting her choices. No cutting the food in front of me or adding soy sauce and other last-minute touches. No sheet filling up with stamps to indicate the dishes I’d eaten. Just a waitress placing my orders on the table.
I can’t wait to go back to the dim sum place I eat at in Alhambra and have a nice hearty brunch with some friends. That’s another thing – eating dim sum alone is extremely boring! You can only order so many dishes before you don’t know what to do with yourself. It’s far better to have more people sharing the dishes so everyone can get a little taste of each yummy item. So I guess my craving for the dim sum experience will have to wait at least another week.
