And so my computer does, giving them the juice they need.
I got these lovely things at Best Buy from the RewardZone. 🙂
When I first heard of rechargeable batteries that can just be plugged into a USB port, I was concerned the the width of the USB port was juuust too big for the AA batteries, but alas, it’s a perfect fit! I wonder if they designed them to work together like that or if it was just a happy coincidence.
Lately I’ve been wearing a pair of white-frame sunglasses that I got at the LA County Fair. They’re modeled to resemble Ray Bans (I think that’s what they’re called) and because of their shape, they fit my face easily. I often run into trouble finding sunglasses that fit my head because I tend to have a wider distance between temples. Most sunglasses hug my eyes and leave red marks on my cheeks after wearing them for awhile. I usually end up with a headache too.
It’s a fortunate thing that I bought this pair, because I’ve been using it consistently ever since. It seems the more you wear shades, the more you need them. Is it just my imagination or have my eyes really gotten more sensitive to sunlight? Whatever the case, psychologically at least, I need sunglasses on a bright day. I actually just got these on a whim at the fair because I thought that the white frames were outrageous enough to be silly, yet mainstream enough to not get stares. I’m always on the lookout for a snug pair that will fit my face and I suppose now I understand why the real Ray Bans are so expensive.
Well, using and abusing the white pair so much, I found one day that I didn’t know which bag I had it buried in. My purses become black holes, so it was hopeless to find the things without dumping out the entire contents of my bags. Unfortunately, I was on a time crunch, so I grabbed the first pair I could find – a brown pair I’d bought a long time ago. I think I got them at my favorite (and now non-existent) shop in Westwood, Good Choice Gifts. I do remember I had gotten the matching black pair because I couldn’t decide (as usually is the case). I’ve since misplaced the black version.
Look at how happy I am!
I ran off, sunglasses in tow and put them on just before driving the car out of the garage. And suddenly, bam. The world looked beautiful, happy, better. After so long wearing my black shades, I had forgotten the miracle a little brown shading can do for your eyes. Forget rose-colored glasses! Brown is most cheerful color of all.
If you’ve never owned a pair of brown sunglasses, I highly recommend them! I’d say lighter shades of brown are better, giving just enough tint to the world without darkening it too much. Filtering everything through this new lens on life makes greens greener, blues bluer, and everything richer! I swear the sky has never looked so appealing than when I saw it through these sunglasses.
And hey, if the world looks happier to you, you’ll probably end up being happier too! 🙂
Belonging to an alumnus whose nickname is Frisbee (because he was on the Ultimate team).
Our class gift was far from exciting, but I'm still a proud '08er.
I'm totally getting myself one of these when I own my own car.
Whoa, I can't believe they've actually branded this!
About a year and a half ago, when I was living my final year on campus, I had a spectacular roommate who was an amazing musician (among many other things). I had written a little post-it to myself that I stuck on my desk and one of our friends came in and read it: “I fiddle.” Somehow, from there, Ms. Mariachi got the impression that there was a new product on the market called an iFiddle (must be her musical background). The friend and I then proceeded to tell her this story:
Apple is coming out with a new product modeled after a real fiddle, which you can hold just like one, but instead of having strings, it has sensors that recognize when your bow and fingers are on it. It can then play notes just like you would normally, but the great thing is you can connect your iFiddle to your computer and play background music to accompany your notes, or choose to have them transcribed into a composition as you play! They’re coming out with a whole line of other instruments you can play with it as well, so you can get really creative with the pieces you compose. You can also hook it up to your iPod to play back pieces you were working on, or use a song you have on there as the accompaniment for your work. Then through iTunes, you can edit your compositions and share them as new songs…
We had this whole elaborate story going, both of us building off the other’s inventive descriptions until we got to a point where we just couldn’t contain ourselves anymore. We burst into hysterical laughter that Mariachi had completely fallen for our ruse, which was neither planned nor rehearsed. In fact, it was completely spontaneous and neither of us had a clue as to where it was going as we spoke! That’s the beauty of improv! And all the better that she believed us through and through, and was excited that such a product was coming out. Just gotta love the random moments you have with your friends. I just wish I could remember more of the fabulous details we were able to think up on the fly so that you could truly appreciate our brilliance that night. 😉
A beautiful specimen of a sand dollar I found.
I was crushed when I dropped it and it completely disintegrated! :(
A special treat waiting for us!
Their names are architecturally-inspired.
So it's rather like Diddy Riese ice cream sandwiches... take your pick!
So this is the window in the back where you get your order.
Happily got mine.
They specially printed the Education for Sustainable Linving Program logo!
The wrapper is edible too (made of rice paper), so no waste!
It’s been a long and exhausting weekend for us at Opportunity Green, as we worked long and hard to throw a fantastic conference for everyone. A lot of lessons have been learned on my end, watching how the intensely crazy registration panned out for us and getting a behind-the-scenes look at how things were running. We didn’t expect so many people to show up to the event, so it was challenging to handle the overload in capacity, but it’s great that we got so many interested people to attend. All in all I had a rewarding experience, getting great feedback from participants who were so thankful and appreciative!
Working the registration table for speakers, sponsors, and press!
I’ve also had some fabulous conversations come out of these past couple of days, as I randomly chatted with other volunteers, a few sponsors, and some of the attendees. It’s wonderful that people are so friendly and most were very patient with us. Granted, registration delays were probably expected for those who showed up without being registered online already. Things also worked so well because we had dedicated interns diligently working from the wee morning hours til late in the evening, volunteering our entire weekend to make this event happen. Of course, the OG full-timers were working even harder, sleeping less, staying longer, but never complaining about how exhausted they must have been.
Many a time we had to be resourceful, giving, and downright creative to get the work done, but as one of our staff pointed out, we never lost our cool. It never occurred to me just how useful that must have been in keeping everything running smoothly, but it’s true! I suppose that’s a large part of why the participants were so enthusiastic about their experience at the conference, because they never saw any of the fires we were putting out throughout the day. That’s exactly how things should be! It will get hectic and overwhelming at an event of this scale, but with everyone working the event being level-headed and patient, we got through just fine.
Now it’s time to enjoy the trappings I did manage to get from the conference (like these awesome bamboo USB drives from MINI USA and a lovely Whitelines notebook) and let my body recover. Everything aches or throbs and my mind is so cloudy I keep on making typo errors, but I’m glad to know that tomorrow I will have no more physically draining activities. Rather, I’ll be working hard on my sample entries for Change.org, as I apply to be a freelance blogger for them while I look for a job and try to get more involved in the green space.
At the office one day, we get a surprise visitor!
I was trying to get him to look at me - it's hard!
His name is Troy and he's a whopping 13!
I made my temporary pet clams a little pool to chill in.
Close-up of one of them.
They're everywhere! So many potential pets!
Nestled in the hillside of Hong Kong is Victoria Peak, one of the highest vantage points in all the region. It is well-situated in an area that allows for spectacular views on both the north and south sides (though really it has a great panoramic view), which is probably why it has become a tourist destination. Atop “the Peak,” as it’s known, sits the Peak Tower, a funny goblet-looking building that houses a shopping complex and offers unbeatable views from its rooftop. And so, one sunny day, I went to seek out what the Peak had to offer.
The view going up.
I took the MTR to Central Station and began to follow the sparse signs to get to the Peak Tram. After climbing up a very steep hill, I finally found a sign that assured me I was going in the right direction. Right around that corner was the tram station, tucked away under one of the many high rises in the area. I got myself a ticket and waited for the tram to arrive, marveling at the steep grade of the hill. I don’t think even San Francisco has such a steep incline!
The tram eventually made its way down, gently halting before letting off its people. I got in and grabbed a window seat, wondering what the grooves in the ground were for. It wasn’t until we were climbing up the mountain that I realized without those grooves, people would slide the entire length down the aisle. Along the way were some stops, which showed us just how vertical we were. Eventually, we got high enough to begin seeing some wonderful views. Everyone stared out the right side of the tram car to enjoy the landscape before us. After a few minutes, we reached our destination and filed out into the gift shop of the Peak Tower. Clever move on their part.
So many shiny things!
I, however, ignored all the flashy items and headed straight up. I came across the Bubba Gump’s that is up in the Tower and decided to settle for a quick lunch. I got a table with a fantastic view of the harbor and enjoyed a lovely meal there. As soon as I could, I took the final escalator up to the roof, where a gentle breeze filled the air and beautiful photos ops were everywhere. I took some pictures myself and asked another tourist to take some for me as well. Below me lay a clump of buildings on Hong Kong Island. On the opposite end was a view of the ocean dotted with islands, stretching out into the horizon. Along the face of the hill was a windy road for cars to drive along and in the distance, housing for those privileged enough to get such nice property. There was even a little garden for strolling that I wish I had the time to go visit!
I wanted to stay longer to enjoy the peaceful view and bright skies, but I had a ferry ride to catch, so I took a quick spin around the perimeter of the roof and headed back down to catch the next tram down. My visit, though brief, was still satisfying.
The south side view, in case you were wondering.
