UCLA spreading some love!
(It says FREE Metered Parking, in case you were wondering. And let me add that parking is LA is not cheap, so this is a rare wonder… probably only because all the college kids are gone for break!)
Posts Tagged ‘pictures’
Holiday cheer
laelene Posted in photo blog，Tags: holiday, los angeles, observation, pictures, ucla
02
January
2010
4
2010
laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: future, goals, pictures, social media, work
01
January
2010
A new year, a new decade. I haven’t thought much about resolutions, but here are some things I’ve been working on:
~getting a job. This is definitely the year I get one. Let’s just hope it’s sooner rather than later. I’ve definitely got a great lead right now! I’m pretty confident that I won one of the 5 interviews that Vidli is giving out for their Social Media Expert. Here was my blog entry about it. The competition is now closed and results are coming out today or tomorrow!
~electronically organize my life with Evernote, reQall, Dropbox, Skydrive, Live Mesh, or something along those lines… I just started using Evernote after getting it in October and I want to make a habit of uploading things so I can access information from anywhere with the internet. I’ve been using reQall to help me remember things. Too bad I’d have to pay to link the two accounts. I’m still trying to figure out what to use for what between Dropbox, Skydrive, Live Mesh, and others similar to them.
~start giving out my Google Voice number exclusively. This way it doesn’t matter what my number changes to in the future, people can always find me.
~use my mary@maryqin.com e-mail as the primary contact. I’ve been reluctant to in case I stop using my website, but I’ll probably always keep it and just use it for different reasons over the years. Plus if I use that e-mail, it will be an added incentive to keep my site going.
~begin sprinkling in some video blogging. I’ve done pure text blogging, then posts with pictures, and added in photo blogging. Now it’s time for the next stage with some video, whether of me talking, something interested I filmed, or (in the way future) something I edited together.
This will also be the year that I figure out what my life will be like more or less for the next couple of years. As soon as I get that job, I want to start creating a routine. Figure out when and where I can work out. Look into a physical therapist, chiropractor, or masseuse to help with my weak back. Go visit the dentist after way too long! Think about my next step in education – maybe take some online or night classes in the years leading up to that MBA. Save up for emergencies, future investments, and other such important items. Find a routine that fits Panda in frequently (which will of course change as soon as he starts working!). And then I’ll know how I can work my social life around that. 🙂
It’s a year of big change and I’ve been more than ready for awhile now. So here’s to 2010!
A numbers game
laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: cars, daddy, experiences, food, fun, interesting, mommy, panda, pictures, storytelling
30
December
2009
Today was my 24th birthday and I got to spend it with Panda and my parents. 🙂
I couldn't drive off without a picture first!
I got up early in the morning, surprising my parents, since I love to sleep in. Well, I had a date to catch! Since Panda does not have his own transportation, I went out to pick him up so we could have lunch with my parents. I was allowed a day of joyriding in my new car for my birthday, after which the car will be stored away until I get myself a job. Call it sort of reward and encouragement at the same time. I got a chance to set up the Bluetooth connection and made my first call with it to Panda. He couldn’t even hear a difference! Excellent. Now I’ll never miss a phone call in the car since my music will automatically be muted for incoming calls.
Isn't that the smallest cone you've ever seen?
So we drove back to my neighborhood and I called up my parents to direct them to the local Souplantation. I can’t believe we never knew about it before! But you know, now that I think of it, it looks awfully familiar and I think it’s been there for a long time, but we just never knew about it. So lunch was nice, with my dad and Panda doing most of the talking. My parents really enjoyed Panda’s choice of restaurant and it was quite healthy and filling. Plus, they had the cutest little ice cream cones! By and by, it was time to part and for me to head off with Panda for the rest of the day. We did a little strolling around the area before heading over to the dealership, since we’d noticed that the floor mats in my car were missing.
Look what we came across on our stroll!
With the paper mats in the way, we didn't notice at first that the actual mats were missing!
This fish must have been very hungry, since it spent the night trying to eat rocks.
The rest of the day was very chill as we hung out and enjoyed each other’s company. For dinner, I had a hard time choosing, so we found something on Yelp that was near his home and headed that way. Unfortunately, the place was closed for some reason, but thankfully, he had just gone to a nice Japanese place just down the street the day before. We went there and had a nice time eating and watching the fish doing silly fish things in the tank in front of us. Nice place and nice food. To round out the night, we made a pit stop at cha for tea, my all-time favorite boba place. They offer games there for people to play as they hang out, drink tea and boba, and munch on some food. We’ve got a little tradition of playing Connect 4 there, so we sat down to a showdown.
All too soon we had finished our drinks, played many a round, and realized it was time to head back for the night. I dropped him off and drove on home, enjoying the feel of the Corolla one last time. I came back to dozens of birthday well wishes from friends on Facebook and a steadily growing number of votes coming in to help me towards winning a job interview for January 4th! It’s great to have support and it’s been a fun way for me to earn my foot in the door for an exciting job. With just one day left, I’ll do one final push and hope for the best. I do believe I can stay in the Top 5 and earn an interview, but just in case I’m still working hard to ensure it’s taken care of.
In honor of the “numbers game” that my parents keep saying job searching can be, I thought I’d play around with some numbers myself…
1 lifetime:
2 parents
3 cats
4 countries lived in
5 states of residence
6 cars our family has owned
7 major relocations
8 cousins (and a step-cousin) I don’t get to see enough
9 jobs where I’ve earned money (3 internships without)
10 years old when I started documenting my life like the packrat I am
11 (and a half) places I’ve called home
12 grandparents, aunts, and uncles living in Asia (plus a step-grandparent)
13 years of keeping a daily journal
14 schools attended from pre-school through college (some simultaneously)
15 European countries traveled over a 5-week spring break
16, an eventful age: took driving lessons, attended Leadership Academy, went to Australia & Hawai’i, and moved to California from New York
17 (and a quarter) years’ worth of education thus far
18, the last landmark birthday (21 doesn’t count since I don’t drink)
19 affiliations with UCLA organizations throughout my college career
20 (intermittent) years in this country
21 major cities traveled to over that 5-week spring break
22 countries traveled to overall (not counting the 4 I’ve lived in for some period of time)
23 airports I’ve been through
culminating in 24 years of rich experiences!
I’ve certainly got a lot of stories. As always, things in my life tend to be more exception than rule, so these numbers may be slightly off, depending on your criteria. You get the idea though.
My “first” car!
laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: cars, experiences, pictures, storytelling
29
December
2009
Oh how unpredictable car buying can be! Yesterday I went with my mom to the Toyota dealership, set on choosing a Camry. I, of course, wanted the hybrid, but since it’s quite pricey and it doesn’t make sense financially to get it over the LE, I had my reservations. After all, I was out to make a responsible decision for me, my parents, our (mostly their) money, and the environment. I wish I liked a Prius enough to get one, but I just can’t get over the odd shape and look. Plus, I don’t want to have to deal with some bar thing blocking my vision in the rearview mirror.
So to humor me, the salesman (I’ll call him “Cary”) let me drive that around first. I loved how silent it was and the little whoosh sound whenever you brake wasn’t too distracting. Next up was the Camry LE, which was solid and nice, but didn’t thrill me. The gas pedal on this one was far more responsive and it took me a few seconds to readjust. We kept looking around at different models and Cary decided that I should drive the Camry S as well, just for kicks. The sound system in that one is far superior and it comes with fun seats that make it cool and sporty.
After those runs, I still had no clear choice of preferred vehicle. The hybrid was my dream, but too much money for its worth. The LE was generic and a bit boring, but was the S worth an extra 2K? The only thing I really liked on the S was the special fabric they use for the seats. That certainly isn’t worth the extra money. So, in an effort to satisfy my whim, we went looking for a silver hybrid with a moonroof (the one perk I reaaally wanted). As we were driving up the parking structure, Cary casually mentioned the Corolla as he pointed out a Corolla S. I was surprised that it looked quite nice, since I’d always been adverse to Corollas, thinking they were too small. They are quite a bit cheaper though, so perhaps I should have thought of them earlier. Saving money doesn’t hurt!
Since it looked pretty nice, I decided to try it out too. Turns out they’ve changed the Corolla a lot in the past couple of years and the Corolla S was not only roomy enough, it came with the seats I liked! So stylish. 🙂 On the test drive, I felt a difference immediately, which was due to a smaller engine. It’s louder and vroom vrooms a little when I accelerate, but otherwise it handled just like a Camry. I felt more comfortable in it and it even made me feel cool, what with bluetooth and a fancy 6 CD changer with JBL speakers. It has ample cargo space in the trunk and backseats that can be laid down for extra room. I didn’t care much for the skirt or spoiler, but I guess they don’t hurt. Oh, and of course it had my moonroof.
The same look of mine! As for the actual one, pictures to come...
You know the one thing I wanted that didn’t change? The color. Funny, since I went in thinking I’d get a silver Camry, but wanting to check out color options. Instead the thing I didn’t think would change did and the thing I thought would probably change didn’t. Life works out in odd ways, doesn’t it? So my mom and I were happy and energized after taking the Corolla S for a spin. We went home to update my dad on the new direction we were looking. Then began lots of researching online for prices and I called up our insurance company to ask for quotes. Then today, I got quotes from two more companies, compared, decided to stay with AAA, and in the mid-afternoon, it was back to the dealership. After many hours of pounding through numbers and paperwork, we finally came upon an agreed price and sealed the deal. I settled my insurance, they washed and gassed up the car, and I was on my way. 🙂
BuckyBalls!
laelene Posted in general blog, photo blog，Tags: experiences, interesting, opinion, panda, pictures
27
December
2009
Isn’t it precious?
Yaaay, I can officially cross off one item from my wishlist because I got a present from Panda today. 🙂 It’s an early birthday present and it already has my fingers numb from overuse. What is it? Well, none other than BuckyBalls!!! And what is that? Well, they’re magnetized balls 5 mm in diameter and you get a set of 216. Can anyone tell me the significance of that number? A trip to Wolfram Alpha quickly enlightens you: it’s 6³ (six cubed), which means that number forms a perfect 6X6X6 cube. Very handy for a condensed form of safe-keeping and transportation. And that is exactly the shape I found it in today when I unwrapped the gift. Let me also say I’m so proud of Panda because he has really taken my greening efforts to heart and took gift wrap from a present he received to wrap mine, made the bow himself out of old ads, and found a cute image to cut out of another ad to make my card. Isn’t that just lovely? The preparation was almost better than the gift. But if you have ever played with BuckyBalls, you can understand why it was just was almost better. Honestly, they are so great and amazingly entertaining.
Complete with carrying case!
In fact, they’re so loved that they’ve got a fan following with plenty of pictures to share on their own creations. That’s what I love about products that are so simple – it leaves a lot of room for innovation and creativity! This one also gives a great interactive lesson in magnetism and how polarity works. By trial and error, you can quickly learn how you can make some ball fit nicely in a square grid whereas others fit much tighter in a staggered grid shape. If you check out the pictures on the Facebook page, you can find many descriptions including “hedron” and other such nerdy terms. What better way to fall in love with science?
Testing out their magnetism…
…still hanging strong!
By this time the connection was weaker, but just that one point of contact allowed it to support that weight for awhile!
It holds pretty well.
Uh oh, once you mess it up like this, it’s really hard to fix.
Magician vs. illusionist
laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: daddy, experiences, mommy, opinion, pictures, travel
26
December
2009
I saw David Copperfield with my parents on Christmas Eve and though the show was good, it was not magical to me. Perhaps it is because I have come to an age where I understand some of the logic behind the tricks he does or perhaps it was because I found him to be rather arrogant, cuing us to applaud every little thing he did. Ultimately, he isn’t a magician, so I suppose I shouldn’t expect a magical experience. After all, he’s an illusionist and that part he did quite well, playing with our minds so that it was hard to fathom just how he pulled off his stunts.
I was also very distracted by his odd sense of humor and all-too-confident demeanor. I went looking for cool tricks that I just couldn’t explain, but he tried to mix in too much comedy for my taste. Certain things also appeared too staged, like the husband who slapped his wife’s butt when they were on stage because her knit dress was showing her undergarments. When David asked if anyone had any questions, it was way too obvious that the guy shouting, “Do it again! Do it slower!” was part of the show. It didn’t help that those aren’t even questions.
That's my daddy in the front row with the sweater on!
Nevertheless, there were some entertaining moments and he certainly is skilled at his crazy illusions. The night ended on a high note when my dad was one of the audience members who go to go on stage and be vanished into thin air. He eagerly went up and when the show was over, came out laughing heartily after having been a part of the show. That was definitely worth it and we got an autographed picture for his troubles. So in the end, it turned out to be a fun time, but I do believe we could have used a little more disbelief to enjoy it more.
Pontiac limo
laelene Posted in photo blog，Tags: cars, interesting, los angeles, observation, pictures
25
December
2009
Saw this guy on the freeway as we were exiting.
Now there's a model of limo you don't see often (or ever).
Yes, it’s the same car, FYI. I happened to get in front of it so I could catch it in all its limo glory!
“Concealed” snails
laelene Posted in photo blog，Tags: animals, interesting, observation, pictures, ucla
24
December
2009
I randomly noticed these while standing around one day. So cool!
Note the one in the far back too! I was going for a sort of artistic angle. 😛
And then there was this guy, tucked away.
Kitty cleaning
laelene Posted in photo blog，Tags: animals, experiences, future, panda, passion, pictures
22
December
2009
- Beautiful eyes, but oh so unused to human contact.
- Peekaboo!
- Don’t look so expectant!
- Had to protect him from hurting himself and popping out his rectum again.
- Not much of a mover.
My ideal laptop
laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: future, opinion, pictures, technology
21
December
2009
sturdy
long battery life
operates
fast with lots of programs
large screen
loud sound
webcamI nearly
I nearly broke my charger yet again yesterday, when I tripped on the cord at a very bad angle. It’s got me thinking that I’d really like to just get a new computer rather than consider charger #4. However, my computer is in pretty good shape and it’s a pity to get rid of it. At first I was looking at some of those websites that pay you for a used laptop, but then I remembered all my relatives in China who’d love to have a nice and (relatively new) computer like this one! Sometimes I forget how lucky I am, with access to the latest electronics and the funding to afford the ones I want. The past two or three cameras I’ve had were all taken back to China after I broke them, fixed up, and given to a relative to use. Same thing goes for my first laptop. Seems like I tend to replace my electronics when my clumsy hands break them.
Maybe I'll go back to my roots with a Dell.
So, though I’m not yet in the market for a new laptop, I do anticipate a new in the next year. That got me thinking about the qualities that I need in the perfect one… It would need to be sturdy to stand up to the abuse I put it through, occasionally dropping it, usually holding it precariously, and often stretching it to its limit. I’d need a long battery life because I tend to use it heavily and if I am ever away from an outlet, I need to still be able to survive! I’d also want it to operate very well with multiple programs running – I tend to have 10-30 tabs open in my browser at any given point, with some flash programs going, my instant messaging platform, a picture viewer and uploader, music player, and some documents I’m working on. It needs to multitask like I do! It also needs to be able to store my huge collection of pictures, videos, music, and documents, as well as support my myriad of programs.
Being the brand-loyal kind of person I am, I'll probably opt for another HP.
What else? I’m a huge fan of large screens and both my laptops have had wide screens. I need really good speakers because I’d like to be able to hear things from afar and sometimes I think I’m a little hard of hearing. There’d also need to be a built-in webcam for those days when Panda and I are not together and I need to see him on screen to be at ease. It should also have a keyboard that can stand up to minor spillage and crumbs so I don’t have to worry replacing that. And I think that they all come with wi-fi standard now, so that shouldn’t be a problem (but would definitely have to be a feature). It’s also nice to have a CD-RW and DVD-RW drive, in case I ever need it (which isn’t that often). Finally, I must have a card-reading slot so I don’t need to worry about cables to get pictures off of my camera.
As for things I haven’t had yet, I’d like bluetooth in this next one. Not crucial, but a fun feature to have. I have a remote for controlling media on this one, but I hardly used it, so that’s just a perk if it’s there. Oh, and I’d like a long battery life without the really bulky battery that sticks out. I like the angle it puts my keyboard at, but I don’t like how it doesn’t fit well into things. Plus it’s suuuper heavy, so a lighter computer would be nice. And that just about sums it up! I’m sure when I start looking at features now in laptops, I’ll find a few more things I’d like to have.
