Posts Tagged ‘panda’

On the road from VA to SC

laelene Posted in photo blog,Tags: , , ,
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Panda and I got a chance to go to Myrtle Beach and this is what we encountered along the way!

long stretch of highway in north carolina lined with trees

There were the parts with trees lined on both sides of the road.

large blue water tower in the town of wilson

There were the parts with water towers looming above.

lawn mower vehicle driving along side of freeway mowing grass

There was the part with a bunch of mowers driving around along the freeway.

huge stop sign hanging like street sign over intersection

There was the town with the giant stop sign.

There was the last leg with a quiet neighborly road leading up to the resort.

bridge being supported by metal legs forming triangle shape

There were the parts with bridges supported by triangular metal legs.

unique pointy building structure by quantico

There was the part with a really interesting building near or in Quantico.

Green Festival DC 2012

laelene Posted in photo blog,Tags: , , , , ,
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This weekend, Panda and I volunteered for Green Festival and it was a grand old time! It’s the first time I’ve experienced a green conference outside of Opportunity Green and it’s quite the different experience. When we weren’t volunteering, we got a chance to go around to a bunch of the vendors/exhibitors and not only did I learn a lot, we managed to score some sweet freebies too.

panorama of the washington convention center in dc, south side

Our first view of the convention center!

panoramic shot of green festival dc 2012 in hall b of washington convention center

You get a full view of the place before heading down into the festivities.

welcome banner at green festival dc 2012

sample cubes of eco-friendly mattress material

This is what an eco-friendly mattress is made of!

kishu charcoal, the alternative to brita filters

I love this idea, but the price is rather steep. Still, one day I’d like to filter my water with something so natural.

banner for chopstick art exhibit

I wish I had taken a picture of the chopstick art, but you can see their product line for yourself. The folding baskets are so clever!

examples of truly-life's solid lotions in heart shapes

I love solid lotions (I have a strawberry one from LUSH) so I eventually caved and got myself their awesome leaf-shaped ones.

a pile of free things acquired from green festival dc 2012 on day 1

Check out all that we managed to bring back after Day 1.

Day 1 goodies: Bright Green tote bag, Bright Green laundry detergent, Repax water canister, Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies, Maid Brigade nail file, Maid Brigade small reusable tote, apple sauce, bananas & apple, Dr. Bronner’s Magic All-One soaps (baby-mild, peppermint, rose), Yogi Chai Rooibos tea bags, Ford chapstick, Nature’s Path Sunny Hemp trail mix, Clif Kit’s Organic fruit & nut bar in Cashew, Yummy Earth organic pomegranate pucker, O Organics raisins, wood chip for casting Ford Grant vote, Ford keychains, Ford Chicobag, Jarrow formulas supplements (Phosphomega, Jarro-Dophilus EPS, Bone-Up), Pharma GABA tablets, Joyful Bath Co soap Citrus Buzz, Joyful Bath Co pin, Mind Body & Salt soap, Truly-life soap, & of course a cotton Volunteer t-shirt!  The orange Chicobag and pens were actually from a LOHAS event the night before.

a pile of flyers, brochures, and cards acquired from green festival dc 2012

Let’s not forget all the marketing materials we managed to acquire, despite my best efforts to just get pictures and save paper.

gift basket tin pail set of joyful bath co oatsy floatsie soap, sisal pouch, and wooden soap cradle

After browsing tons of booths, this is the cute gift set that really grabbed me. I don’t know why, but I’m a sucker for a nice gift basket (and that includes the “basket” itself).

art installation using dangling water bottles on display

A neat art display of painted bottles.

crowd gathered at repax's bike giveaway

I really wanted to win this super cool bike from Repax! Apparently, so did plenty of other people. 😛

a pile of free things acquired from green festival dc 2012 on day 2

The trappings of my second day. You can tell I got a little crazy with certain samples.

Day 2 goodies: Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies, Hemp Hearts hemp seeds, Dr. Bronner’s Magic All-One liquid soaps & bars (spearmint peppermint, peppermint, lavender), Yogi Chai Rooibos tea bags, Ford chapstick, Yummy Earth organic puckers (pomegranate, blueberry, sour apple), Bright Green laundry detergent, Truly-life soap, & a The Oink Pad pen.

a collection of free things acquired from green festival dc 2012 on day 2

Panda and I had a little unofficial competition going to see who could bring back the most goods. This was his share of the goods!

Panda’s Day 2 goodies: Hemp Hearts hemp seeds, Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies, Clif Kid Z bar crispy rice in Cookies ‘N Cream, Nature’s Path Sunny Hemp trail mix, Dr. Bronner’s Magic All-One liquid soaps & bars (spearmint peppermint, peppermint, lavender, baby-mild), Yogi Chai Rooibos tea bags, Ford chapstick, Yummy Earth organic blueberry pucker, Bright Green tote bag, Bright Green laundry detergent, Repax water canister, & Truly-life soap.

a collection of products bought at green festival dc 2012

Oh, and you know, I decided to support some of the businesses there and buy their products.

Products bought: Bumboosa bamboo baby wipes, Hawaiian Moon Aloe cream, Berryplus liquid laundry soap, & Truly-life solid lotion leaves.

Entrees just aren’t my style

laelene Posted in general blog,Tags: , , , , ,
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table overflowing with plates of food including soup, salad, appetizers, breadsticks, and pasta

I love having tons of smaller items to eat!


For a period, Panda and I were eating out consistently (something like 3 times a week).  In that time, I came to a realization after he commented that I seemed to gravitate towards appetizers and desserts.  Indeed it’s true that I tend to prefer appetizer dishes, soups, salads, bread, tapas, dim sum, hors d’oeuvres, finger foods, and desserts.  These are generally things that come in smaller portions, don’t usually include much if any staple items (like pasta or rice), have stronger flavors, and are fun to eat.  All of that make them so much more appealing to me.

Smaller dishes mean you can try out a more varied set of food and it’s all the better when you can get a sampler platter!  This also fits really well into my snacking eating habit, where I can’t seem to eat much in one sitting, but I get hungry again soon after.   I have to eat about 4-5 times a day, just a little each time.  There are probably other reasons I can’t quite pinpoint, but non-entree dishes just feel right to me.  Meanwhile, full-on main courses are over-sized (especially in America), more bland, and generally less exciting.  Don’t you think so?

Picture perfect timing – in pursuit of that great jump shot

laelene Posted in photo blog,Tags: , , , , , , , ,
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So recently I went on a vacation to Hawaii and got to go snorkeling.  When we got off the boat into the water, there was the option to jump in, so of course I jumped (haha) at the opportunity.  Unfortunately, in my quest for that perfect jump shot, I only got a bunch of almosts and a couple of utter fails.  I guess not everyone has a knack for awesome timing like me.  😛  If only I could shoot pictures of myself jumping… I guess I could get a tripod, but I was really hoping that Panda could get the shot for me. Oh well, here’s what we ultimately got:

big splash in ocean where i jumped in

First attempt at the jump shot – got one big splash in the ocean instead.

floating in ocean with vest and waterproof camera

This is my “so did you get it?” look. And the answer is no. 🙁

in a pose ready to jump into ocean

I climbed back up after snorkeling for about an hour and we tried again.

floating under boat as seen through netting, giving two peace/victory signs

After that fail, I came back up under the boat for another try.

waving while floating in ocean after jumping in

Once again, it was “oops I missed it but I got you in the water.”

standing on boat leaning past rail ready to jump into ocean

This time he got me prepping to jump.

standing on boat knees bent about to jump into ocean

Well, this is when I was starting the jump… the closest we’d gotten so far!

outstretched jumping into ocean

Finally, some semblance of me jumping!! While I wish my feet were off the boat, this was good enough. We’d tried half a dozen times already!

Surf’s up (finally)

laelene Posted in general blog,Tags: , , , , , , ,
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Today I got around to learning how to surf after talking about it for the last 10 years. Wow, how did that happen?! Time sure does go by fast. Luckily, there are still plenty of years left for me to continue to try surfing. As for this first try, I joined two other girls for a group lesson in the morning. Panda stayed in shore to watch and take pictures for me.

It was extremely busy at Waikiki Beach, but Erik our instructor showed us the “sidewalk” that you paddle up, which is sort of a safe zone to the right of most of the surfing action. If you head up that channel, it’s pretty safe. Once you get far enough in (there were visual cues for us to line up to make sure we were positioned correctly), you’d wait in the “parking lot,” staying aware of your surroundings so you don’t run into anyone who may be coming in on a swell. When the coast was clear, we’d paddle towards Erik and he’d send us off on a wave.

We had practiced how to get up on the board back in the shop, ensuring we could keep a strong stance and maintain our balance. While the sensation of this force pushing you from underneath and behind was strange, it was relatively easy to get up and not flail around.

My first wave was a short ride and as I tried to get back on my hands and knees for greater stability, I fell over into the water. The second attempt wasn’t much better – my timing was a bit off. But by the third try, I was able to catch a wave almost all the way back to shore! On my way back I had one mishap where I wasn’t straight enough heading into a wave so I got turned around right next to a guy surfing. Thankfully, he was an instructor, so he was incredibly skilled at keeping us from colliding. Other than that, I was pretty proud of how well I was able to avoid any accidents, even getting out of the way of a fast-moving outrigger canoe (if you never had one charging at you before, it can be intimidating).

For some reason, my breastbone feels bruised from the experience. At first I thought that it was due to my bathing suit, but I just had a soft string there, no knots or pieces of plastic to dig into the flesh. Long after I got out, it was still hurting too. I thought I’d be more sore since I was feeling it getting out of the water, but I feel good so far. My triceps hadn’t gotten that kind of workout in awhile! I’d expected paddling to be easier than it was since I’m a good swimmer, but boy did I feel weak and inefficient.

Ultimately I’m so glad I finally took a surfing lesson and I can’t wait to try in the California coast sometime. Hopefully next time, Panda will be confident enough to join me.

Aloha Oahu & Hawaii!

laelene Posted in photo blog,Tags: , , , , ,
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view of hawaiian island molokai from plane

First official view of a Hawaiian island (for this trip anyway).

first view of city on hawaiian island molokai from plane

First view of Hawaiian civilization!

first view of hawaiian island oahu from plane

And here we are, approaching Oahu.

view of pearl harbor from descending plane

During the landing, we fly by Pearl Harbor.

view of hickam air force base on oahu from plane

And also get a glimpse of some jets on Hickam AFB.

large aloha sign welcoming passengers in honolulu international airport hnl

A big ALOHA from the airport! Off we go to our vacation adventure.

Bumblebee stalker

laelene Posted in video blog,Tags: , , , ,
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Panda seems to have a bee stalker friend – it’s huge and apparently obsessed with his window. Or maybe it’s trying to tell us something with its dance…

Ritzy living

laelene Posted in photo blog,Tags: , , , ,
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When Panda and I had the fortune of staying at the Ritz-Carlton Marina del Rey for a few days, I was excited to document the experience. Here are some of the highlights from that stay; click on pics for the full size.

do not disturb door hanger at ritz-carlton marina del rey

A fancy and cool take on the "Do Not Disturb" sign - California Dreamin' (makes me wonder what they have for outside the state).

water bottles with ritz-carlton logo at ritz-carlton marina del rey

They've branded their own water!

ritz-carlton logo on paper travel mug and ceramic mug at ritz-carlton marina del rey

Whether you like your hot drinks in the room or to go, they've got you covered.

ritz-carlton branded milk and dark chocolate at ritz-carlton marina del rey

Yum, Ritz-Carlton chocolates.

blue and gold ritz-carlton couch and throw pillow at ritz-carlton marina del rey

Sitting enjoying the silky couch and pillow.

ihome alarm clock at ritz-carlton marina del rey

A nice fancy iHome alarm clock was playing soothing music when we entered.

bathroom accessories at ritz-carlton marina del rey

They had a nice display of all the things you'd need in the restroom.

glass scale in bathroom at ritz-carlton marina del rey

Oooh, a fancy glass scale! I was afraid of breaking it when I stepped on - it just seemed so fragile.

toilet at ritz-carlton marina del rey with phone in reach

Hmmm, now what do you need a phone for while in the restroom?

toilet paper branded with ritz-carlton sticker at ritz-carlton marina del rey

Should I be surprised that the toilet paper got branded too?

view of the marina from ritz-carlton marina del rey

What a beautiful morning and a spectacular view overlooking the marina!

view of inland los angeles from ritz-carlton marina del rey

Looking inland towards downtown, you get a pretty great view as well.

view looking down at pool and hot tub at ritz-carlton marina del rey

They've got an awesome saltwater pool and hot tub. If water can be more slippery than itself, that's what it feels like.

bed at ritz-carlton marina del rey

The cleaning people usually leave my pillow and baby panda like this on the bed when they make it.

enjoying the pool at ritz-carlton marina del rey

I couldn't resist going for a quick swim in their pool. It felt so comfortable!

bag that the morning newspaper is delivered in at ritz-carlton marina del rey

In the morning as you leave, you'll find a newspaper hanging from your door handle.

Dream schedule

laelene Posted in general blog,Tags: , , ,
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My, how time flies when you’re enjoying yourself!  In my first week of scheduling freedom, I have started most days around 8:30-9 in the morning, when I wake up naturally.  I then spend the morning whiling away time enjoying an episode of The Voice or some Plants vs. Zombies gaming action.  Around noon, I packed up and headed out in search of places where I could sit and read or go online while enjoying the sunshine.  Sometimes I ended up hanging out in my car and oftentimes I found myself driving around to various parts of LA – Culver City, Santa Monica, Westwood…

I filled up my tummy for lunch, then spent the afternoons first online, then reading through the first book I plan to cross off my reading list: Switch.  Before I knew it, 5 o’clock would roll around and Panda would get back from work to find I wasn’t around.  I’d head back to meet up with him for a brief break to decide where to eat and off we’d go.  By 9 or 10 we’d be back for the night, winding down the day.  All in all a very relaxing and leisurely schedule for me!  Perhaps because it was so nice, it went by in a blur and suddenly I find myself at the end of the week wondering where all the days went.  Luckily, I now have the weekend to enjoy and more weeks of working online and reading offline to look forward to.

Photography skills

laelene Posted in photo blog,Tags: , , ,
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I like to tease Panda about his photography skills because his pictures usually come out blurry. Here is one such case where he took a picture, which looks kind of cool, but doesn’t exactly show you what it is we were trying to capture… (though now that I look at it from afar you can kind of tell it’s a bird). Click on the pictures for larger views!

blurry picture of red bird in background, with focus on branches in near view

This is Panda's idea of a good shot, which is great if you're trying to get branches and not the bird.

clear picture of red bird in trees

This is my idea of a picture in focus. Less artistic but you know what the subject is! 😛

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