Posts Tagged ‘pictures’

Ostriches & earthquakes

laelene Posted in photo blog，Tags: , , , , ,
15 August 2012
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What do they have in common? Find out for yourself at the California Academy of Sciences Earthquake Exhibit!

i happily stand by the fence as baby ostriches eat in the background at the california academy of sciences

I totally went to the CA Academy of Sciences just to see these baby ostriches. So cute!!

lady feeds baby ostriches at the california academy of sciences

A lady walked around and fed the chicks. (Are baby ostriches called chicks?)

baby ostrich steps in food bowl at the california academy of sciences

One of the babies was a klutz and kept knocking over the food bowl!

both these baby ostriches managed to claim a bowl to themselves at the california academy of sciences

This is what I call “parallel eating” – maybe “parallel parked eating” is more appropriate?

baby ostriches all run from one end of the enclosure to the other at the california academy of sciences

For some reason it seemed they had to run from one end to the other – walking was not an option!

cluster of baby ostriches right against the fence at the california academy of sciences

They got up so close to the fence but I couldn’t touch them! Sad. 🙁

Robot romance

laelene Posted in photo blog，Tags: , ,
10 August 2012
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set of girl and boy robot charms on chains

So cute! His and hers robots.

Hollywood sunset

laelene Posted in photo blog，Tags: , , , , ,
06 August 2012
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view of sunset from griffith observatory with hollywood sign just visible on the right

From Griffith Observatory, you get a great view of sunset. On the right you can just make out the Hollywood sign.

Yuzen: my first subscription box!

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: , , , , ,
03 August 2012
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I’m beyond thrilled that I finally got a package today!  Exactly one month ago, I first got into this whole subscription craze and ordered the anniversary special from blissmobox.  Unfortunately, that meant that I’d have to wait until early to mid-August to get my first shipment (and I have been waiting rather impatiently).  Luckily, a few days ago I came across Yuzen when I was checking up on one of the blogs I follow.  Everything about this brand appealed to me – the name, the aesthetics, the eco-friendliness of their choices, even their messaging!  I tried really hard to resist, but honestly I couldn’t.  When I caved, I decided that I wanted this to be a special gift from my boyfriend (haha :-P).  So, I brought it up to him and spent some time convincing him.  I’m an extremely persuasive person, so of course I got my way and he put in the order to get this box indefinitely – yippee!

I feel really fortunate that they still had July boxes available and the very next day, my package was sent out!  Now it’s a mere three days later and I got a wonderful surprise at my front door.  🙂  It’s a good thing that a thunderstorm came rolling by, since I only discovered the package when I went to bring in the chairs from outside.  Either the post lady didn’t ring the doorbell, or all three of us in the house missed it.  Anyway, I’ll stop babbling so much and share some pictures, which I was very obsessive about taking.  I meticulously documented just about every single move I made.  Another day I’ll go into why I instantly loved Yuzen so much.  Today it’s all about joy and happiness and fulfillment and excitement and… ok ok, on with it:

collage of yuzen july box from arrival on doorstep to opening of box

They make it so beautiful! The experience of opening the box is worth savoring.

Upon opening the box, a fantastic scent wafted up – I nearly rushed through the opening process to get to it, but I took a deep breath instead.  After all, this is all about bringing a little zen (and happiness) to my day, so why not take it slowly and truly appreciate every little thing?  The inside card includes a lovely message from founders Jen & Ted about the wonders of summer, which inspired July’s theme of “bringing joy, discovery and a celebration for the senses.”  They sure did accomplish that!  I also got a wonderful surprise when I saw the note from Panda (the boyfriend): “This is for my Panda Bear: a monthly commitment to a happy relationship.”  Yay!  <3

collage of yuzen july box including ribbon, yuzen paper, and info card

I can’t wait to re-purpose the decorations, especially the Yuzen paper (which I will turn into origami jewelry to be sold at Panda Loves)!  When you open up the card, there’s information on each of the brands included in the box, as well as why they chose it.  I definitely appreciate this information and soaked it all in.

collage of yuzen july box taken apart layer by layer until all products visible

I carefully took the products out item by item until I found them all.  There are Lotus Wei flower essence mists to help you connect with your inner beauty, a Primavera facial scrub to renew your skin, some Himala Salt for a pure addition to your meals, Teatulia teas to enjoy an organic & healthy beverage, a People Towels hand towel to save the world from paper towels, and Kopali Organics mulberries as a superfood snack.  I absolutely love these products; what a great selection from Yuzen!  I’ll reserve my opinions on the products for some other posts before this one gets too long.  Excuse me while I go try them all!  🙂

Picture perfect timing – in pursuit of that great jump shot

laelene Posted in photo blog，Tags: , , , , , , , ,
31 July 2012
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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!

Fashion-un-ista

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , , ,
30 July 2012
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Fashion and I have an awkward relationship.  I’ve never really felt like I was a fashionable person, or that I understood fashion, or even liked it.  I probably own some things that can be considered fashionable (or at least it was in its prime), but I certainly didn’t pick them out because I knew they were.  Most of my clothes fall into the categories of tacky, practical, free, and/or branded.  I’m a sucker for a free t-shirt or a UCLA-branded anything.  I also totally bought into the various groups I was part of – swim team, track team, JROTC, and other student groups – each of which had its own set of clothes that you could buy to show your association.

I tend to get the most “normal” clothes I can find at places like Charlotte Russe, Forever 21, and Kohl’s.  I don’t go for the stuff that makes me look indie or hip or preppy or whatever.  I don’t connect with those identities, so I don’t really buy clothes that would make me feel that way.  I’m also not into fashion brands of any sort and probably can’t identify most of them.  I saw a place called Bottega something by Rodeo Dr and I thought it was Bottega Louie, a restaurant I’m particularly fond of.  The only Coach or Louis Vuitton stores I’ve been to were in Vegas and they made me highly uncomfortable (who likes to shop with security guards staring?).

header image from tse parfait blog

Case in point: Tse Parfait blog. Full of creative partial shots and TONS of fashionable stuff that confuse me.


Yet, when I see people dressed so fashionably and taking cool pictures with their DSLRs or using Instagram, I kind of wish I had that sort of inspiration.  I am creative in many ways, but not with my clothes, accessories, and makeup.  In fact, I don’t even wear makeup and I rarely wear more than plain stud earrings.  I thought of this because I recently came across a bunch of blogs, all of which seem to have the same themes: fashion, photography, food (and a combination thereof).  These people take such creative pictures, or vivid ones, or just plain beautiful ones.  They’re the kind of people I’d expect to find at a lomography store, with thick frame glasses and really cool bangs and skinny jeans.

I don’t want to look like them, but I wish I had that kind of skill with a camera.  They have this ability to take pictures of parts of things and then piece them into a collage for a stunning masterpiece.  They turn Instagram into their personal playtoy and pump out all kinds of cool images.  Meanwhile, I’ve avoided using Instagram because it’s too overwhelming for me to decide how to take a picture and then filter it.  My pictures are practical – they show you exactly what I thought was interesting, but not really in an interesting way.  So I guess this isn’t so much about how disconnected I feel with fashion, but more about the creativity I associate with fashionable people and how they all seem to be pros with a fancy cam.  Photography is one thing I plan on learning more about, and while I plan on taking a class one day, I don’t know if I’ll ever be as innovative as the fashionistas out there.

Feline dozing

laelene Posted in photo blog，Tags: , , , ,
27 July 2012
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This afternoon, Missy decided to make herself at home on the back of my thighs and on my butt while I lay on the ground. She slept in many positions for about two hours before getting up!

missy the cat sleeping on my butt and back of thighs

missy the cat curled up on the back of my legs

Position #1: all curled up.

missy the cat laying on back of my thighs with arms and legs dangling off the sides

Position #2: relaxing and letting the limbs dangle.

missy the cat snuggling in and tucking face into arms

Position #3: cozying up and tucking in her face.

Using those photos, I decided to make a collage on Diptic that I then posted on Instagram.
collage of missy the cat sleeping on my butt and back of thighs in many positions

Afterwards, I shot a couple more positions that she slept in…

missy the cat sleeping outstretched on back of my legs

Position #4: all stretched out.

missy the cat sleeping on back of my legs with head and arm dangling down the side

Position #5: the dangle.

view from the ground of missy the cat sleeping on back of my legs with head and arm dangling off the side

Position #5 from ground level.

Finally, she yawned, got up, stretched, and moved to a spot on the floor. I was free to move again!
missy the cat yawning after sleeping on back of my legs

missy the cat stretching out her arms and back after long nap

missy the cat curled up to sleep on the floor

Blog makeover

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , ,
26 July 2012
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Yesterday I finally decided it was time to update my blog’s look since it’s been two or three years and my needs have changed.  While my old theme served me well, I wanted some different features. For one, I wanted my intro section to be above the fold. Additionally, I wanted the subscription box to be visible above the fold too. I planned on adding a “Follow Me” section with icons linking to my profiles on social media sites, but that wouldn’t be immediately apparent on the old theme. Other than that, I wanted a similar three-column layout with nice use of colors, but something a little less flashy.

So here’s how my blog looked before and after the changes:

maryqin.com blog using the wordpress theme notedpad chaos

The old look.

maryqin.com blog using the wordpress theme page style

And the new look!

As you can see, there’s more width in the blog post section to allow for larger pictures and videos. You also get more content above the fold since the lists are more condensed vertically. Finally, it’s much easier to see who I am, how to subscribe to the blog, and where to find me on other sites! I’m quite pleased and I’m sure this theme will last me a few more years.

Desserts first

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , , ,
25 July 2012
0

holding a pineapple-flavored ice cream cone at the dole plantation in hawaiiBack in high school, my best friends and I fancied ourselves famous (at least to the Olive Garden waiters) for being the “desserts first” type of people.  Every time we got together for a meal at Olive Garden, we’d insist on our dessert item as the appetizer.  We usually got a very confused and momentarily dumbfounded waiter who’d check with us: “Are you sure you want to have the dessert come out first?”  We’d confidently confirm our choice and eagerly await the sweet treat.  To a certain extent we did it to be rebels, but it was also a way of doing what we wanted instead of what was expected.

Over the years, I haven’t gotten the chance to continue this tradition, much to my dismay.  I always start a meal saying I’ll get dessert only to get halfway through the entree and be too full to continue.  Luckily, at most places they have desserts that I can just eat at home for cheaper anyway so I don’t feel like I missed out on too much.  Instead, I happily stock up on loads of sugar-laden snacks at home to satisfy my unwavering sweet tooth.  In fact, I have so much junk food at home that it often becomes my meal.  I have a bad habit of forgetting lunch these days, or grabbing an ice cream bar in lieu of something more filling/less sugary.

Really what it comes down to is enjoying what I like.  Why do I need to go through a ritual of drinks, appetizers, and entree before I can get to my dessert?  There shouldn’t be obstacles in my way for such a simple goal.  In many ways, this little choice speaks volumes to my own life philosophy.  I believe in being able to enjoy what you want and not having to hold back because the world told you so.  As long as it’s not irresponsible, I don’t see the harm in having my cake first or buying that item I like or treating myself to a massage.  And so I do eat, buy, and experience what matters to me.  Don’t get me wrong though – I exhibit a lot of self-control when it comes to making these decisions!  I don’t jump at every opportunity to do what I want; I make sure to weigh the pros and cons extensively before diving in.

Cat crime

laelene Posted in photo blog，Tags: , , , ,
22 July 2012
1

two cats both looking up at window high up

Yesterday I came downstairs to find both my cats staring intently up at the living room window that’s near the roof.

injured hummingbird resting on window ledge

It turns out that what I thought was a large moth was actually a hummingbird that one of them had caught. It found refuge on the window ledge.

missy the cat who brought in the hummingbird

There’s the guilty party who caught that hummingbird and brought it in.

bunch of hummingbird feathers strewn on the floor

This is the “crime scene,” where Missy probably wrestled with that hummingbird and it managed to fly away.

two hummingbird feathers in the palm of my hand to show scale

Here are two of the feathers so you can see how dainty they are. Unfortunately I had to leave for the day and by the time I came back, I found that the hummingbird must have tried to escape again only to get caught. 🙁

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