Posts Tagged ‘pictures’

Why I no longer want to be an entrepreneur

laelene Posted in general blog,Tags: , , , , , , ,
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Every now and then, it seems like the world is beating me up. These are the best times for growth, but boy are they challenging. I’d been feeling rather downtrodden for the past week or two – a combination of illness and challenges with work were making me feel less than adequate. I was weak, always exhausted, and not nearly as productive as I wanted to be (and thought I could be). A looming sense of failure followed me around and made me question myself. It reminded me a lot of why I decided that being an entrepreneur might not be for me after all.

Back in early 2012, I had reached a point professionally and personally that gave me the courage to quit my job and start my own ventures. A year later, I had learned a lot and decided that the lifestyle wasn’t what I was looking for. I found that I couldn’t shut off from work and the stress of it followed me at all times of the day. I like more balance in my life, but it was hard to justify not taking care of work whenever it came up. I’d feel guilty if I didn’t handle things right away. It began to take over my life, even as I was seeking more control over it.

Today I came across an article on Inc.com that rang so true to me. It’s about the psychological price of entrepreneurship and talks about how taxing it is to manage your own business. When you pour your heart and soul into working on something, it can really drain you. If it doesn’t work out the way you had hoped, it’s easy to take that as a personal failure. That certainly does a number on your confidence. When you decide to pursue entrepreneurship, you better be ready for a crazy rollercoaster. And for me, it’s just not worth the stress. I don’t crave the recognition or attention at that scale, nor do I want to pursue that sort of money. So why would I put my health, my relationships, and my mental state at jeopardy to chase after that dream?

two kittens cuddling and sleeping together

If I could, I’d play with cats all day. So cute!!

And going back to my recent low, the article explained that some people experience strong emotions on both ends of the spectrum. You get really excited about things, but you also get really depressed about others. I may not be as bad as some people who are extreme to the point of manic, but I do think I feel emotions more strongly than many. It’s a double-edged sword, where I find myself easily joyful, but at the same time I can fall to deep sadness quickly. It may prevent me from taking greater risks for immense rewards, but those “rewards” are something I didn’t want anyway. Instead of money or power, I want to enjoy my life with Panda. I want time to hang out with him, to go to yoga classes, to have peaceful moments with my cats, to cook together, to enjoy trips… so really something more stable is suitable for my goals.

Once I’m done with my 365great series, I’ll start up a weekly series related to that, sharing ideas and tips for how to enjoy life more and stress less. Our culture is so caught up in accomplishments that we often forget the value of the richer experiences in life that may not produce an award or a higher paycheck or other recognition.

365great Day 314: Popcorners

laelene Posted in 365great,Tags: , , , , ,
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365great day 314: popcornersThis is seriously the only way I eat popcorn. I’ve never liked the squeaky texture of popped popcorn, so I rarely ever eat it. Popcorners offers the perfect solution – a nice crisp, condensed texture with the same tastiness! They have a most satisfying crunch that I love, much like a potato chip but with none of that grease. They’re a fun triangular shape and one of my favorite corn products. What a lovely way to enjoy corn in a brand new fashion. My favorite is their white cheddar flavor, which is light yet flavorful all in one. I’m a fan of a snack that is fun to eat and tastes great.

Outward appearances

laelene Posted in general blog,Tags: , , , , , , ,
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I often forget I am an Asian-American woman. Does it affect how people perceive my abilities? I’m starting to wonder.

For the most part, I go about my days without a second thought to differences in gender, ethnicity, age, or other factors. Everyone I work with is a different personality type in my mind, but I don’t consciously associate that with any other qualities. And likewise, I don’t think they treat me any specific way because I’m female or Asian. But then I read books about the Asian-American experience (particularly Asian-American women) and it gets me thinking if the way I’m treated is not just about my personality and behavior, but also largely affected by my appearance.

happy girl smiling taking a selfie with snow falling around her

Just a happy-go-lucky gal who loves the simple things.

Do I not get the respect I thought I would because of my gender, ethnicity, or age? Or do I not because I’m silly and goof off so people don’t always take me seriously? Do certain people pay me a little more attention because of how I look or do they just like my bubbly excitement over little things? Would I even be able to parse out that information? Does it ultimately matter? At the moment, it does because it’s creating a psychological barrier for me. I suddenly lost confidence in myself and my abilities and the doubt I have is related to my gender and ethnicity. If I were a man, would it be different? Would I have more confidence in myself even as I failed? If I weren’t Asian, would it be easier to express myself and stand up for my ideas?

I’m working to set myself up for success again and focus on attainable goals. It’s all too easy to be harsh on myself and judge everything I do as not good enough.

365great Day 313: Wrapp

laelene Posted in 365great,Tags: , , , , , , , ,
1

365great day 313: wrappI enjoy the Wrapp app because it offers a chance to get free money. People can gift you various amounts, sometimes at no cost to them and there is no obligation to spend a certain amount, so you just need to find something cheap enough in store! Panda and I gift each other $5 offers when they’re being promoted and are freebies. At Office Depot, you can get plenty of things for $5. At American Eagle… not so much. So it often depends on where you’re shopping and which brands are offering free money, but at the least you can get a discount if you were planning on purchasing there anyway. I got some shoes at Charlotte Russe on sale for an even better price by using the credit I had in my Wrapp app. It’s a great way to save at certain stores!

Escape Monthly January: Colorado Box Review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
7

Today the first Escape Monthly box of the year arrived in the midst of snowstorm Janus!

Escape Monthly is just under $40 per box (with code for 20% off your subscription – see end of post) and comes with a variety of food, home, skincare items themed around a city. Each box comes with a Moon Handbooks guide for that region. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a lovely recurring referral commission program.

escape monthly january colorado box products showing escape monthly january colorado box info card against blue and white chevron background escape monthly january colorado box info card opened with details of products included(click to enlarge and read full messaging)

Since Panda recently went to Colorado, I had him review this with me. He nodded approval at the locally-sourced products and noted that a lot seem to be centered around Boulder. I hadn’t paid attention to that, but yes three of the items come from companies there. We liked the sampling of products that captured many aspects of the area.

Here’s what came in the box:

Moon Handbooks guide to Colorado – I’m getting quite the collection of these guides. This one will come in particularly handy when I either visit Colorado again or move there someday! It’s one of the few states I haven’t lived that I definitely would like to relocate to for a few years. I love the thought of fresh, crisp air and all that lovely outdoorsiness. They seem to have a whole lot of healthy choice brands that are gentler on the environment and our bodies.

Not the Same Rocky Mountain Mud Bath in Stress Relief Blend – My next bath is sooo going to be muddy! I’ve never had a mud bath before, so this is exciting and I can’t wait to try it. It’s a heavy pack of powder and the clay in it is supposed to draw out toxins. I’m sure I’ll enjoy this relieving, detoxing blend. Once I see how messy it may or may not be, I’ll decide if I’d get more. I certainly love the idea and look forward to trying it.

Jackson’s Honest Potato Chips in Sea Salt – I haven’t tried a chip made with coconut oil before, so that’s new. These chips feel more solid and have a strong crunch without hurting the roof of my mouth when I bite down. I like the taste, but because of the… heaviness of each chip, I don’t think I’d eat much at a time. That seems to be a good thing since I feel more satisfied with less product.

bluecorn naturals beeswax aromatherapy candle in Tranquility – This lovely little candle is a wonderful blend of lemongrass, cinnamon, and rosemary. It’s so unique to see lemongrass and cinnamon together and I love it! I couldn’t stop sniffing this candle and I look forward to burning it. It certainly is relaxing and nice to clear the mind with just based off the scent. I’ll break this in when we get into the new condo.

White Girl Salsa Medium Tomatillo – The most unexpected of the bunch, I’ve got to say. I don’t think I’d ever associate salsa with Colorado, but I am amused by this product and hey, it’s made in Colorado! I think the tomatillo flavor is perfect for so many things and I’ve got to get some chips to eat this with. I’d also love to put it on some fried eggs or even cook some meat with it as suggested on the label. I’ll browse the recipes on their website and figure something out!

Chocolove Orange Peel in Dark Chocolate bar – Mmm, rich dark chocolate with crunchy bits of orange peel make this bar delectable. Their branding fits the theme of mail/a postcard very well and I’d be absolutely thrilled to receive this in lieu of a letter! It is so delicious and smooth and crisp. The chocolate is very firm and takes a bit of strength to break. It’s fantastic and I’d definitely get one if I saw it in a store.

Bobo’s Oat Bars in Peach – Oh I just love the peach smell of this. Lightly fragrant and sweet in a subtle way. I’ve never been huge into oats, so it was quite dense for me and I could only eat a little corner. That bar would last me a good six rounds! It’s very tasty and just the sort of thing I’d bring on a road trip, hike, or other activity where I want something to sustain me. I don’t see myself eating this as a normal snack.

Colorado Aromatics Lavender Mountain Mist Hand & Body Lotion – How perfect that there was a lotion just as the cold hits us again and I started to run low on my supply at work. If you like lavender at all, you will love this. What a wonderful scent that is so soothing and relaxing. It definitely has aromatherapy qualities and I can see it being the perfect lotion to use for a massage. Treat yourself by rubbing it in and savoring that scent, letting it calm you.

Pike’s Peak geode – The bonus item this month is adorable!! I’m afraid to break my rock so I’m going to keep it whole for a little while. I’m so curious what it’ll look like inside though! I hope it developed well on the inside. I wonder if I can find a rock outside to practice on or if I just need to go for it with this one. I want a nice break into two pieces, but I can see myself shattering it. Well, we happen to have screwdrivers at the new office due to all that furniture-building, so maybe I’ll bring it in to work next week!

The theme of this box could very well have been finding peace because so many of these items promote relaxation and simple enjoyment. I feel very well pampered and I’m pleased with that. What do you think of this Colorado Escape Monthly box? If you want to sign up, try one of these codes (not sure which ones are still active): COLORADOESCAPE or YOURESCAPE for 20% off the lifetime of your subscription or GIFTESCAPE for 25% off.

For February the city we get to explore is New York, which should offer a ton of options.

escape monthly january colorado box info card back with preview of next month's box theme of new york

[This post contains affiliate links. Signing up through them helps support my subscription and I’d be ever so grateful. 🙂 All opinions are my own and I received no compensation for this review. I just purchased this box and wanted to share what I got!]

365great Day 312: boots

laelene Posted in 365great,Tags: , , , , , ,
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365great day 312: bootsWhat better footwear for winter are there than boots? They keep your feet snug and warm and even manage to protect your ankles and sometimes your calves or knees, depending on their length. They may not be the most flexible and you certainly don’t want to run in them, but for trudging around in the cold, they’re a wonderful solution. I rarely used to wear them, but now I can’t be without them in the winter. I think back to my childhood wearing normal shoes in winter and wonder if that’s why I always felt freezing. I mean, your toes are bound to get numb after awhile if you don’t protect your feet enough. When I wear boots, I don’t have to worry about wind or snow making my feet icy cold. They’re great for protecting against that!

Furniture building

laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses,Tags: , , , ,
1

Today started off well, with little traffic on the roads! Since DC has so many workers who observe federal holidays, most people were off to MLK Day. When I got to work, it was a more troublesome story, with spotty internet and phone for the first hour. By the time I finally got service back, I began to discover that any phone calls made would be in vain since everyone I was trying to contact takes federal holidays. Sooo I got to work on our new Salesforce migration, making sure any data that didn’t make it over was in the system.

At noon, we met for a company all-hands so the CEO could tell us about our move to the new office space! I’d been hearing about it ever since I started and finally it’s almost here. In fact, one week from today we officially start on that side. How exciting! At 4, a bunch of us volunteered to go over to the new space to build furniture. Between desks, chairs, side tables, and stools, we had our hands full for the next 7 hours. I just finished up at 11 and I’m feeling good about helping out with our new furniture. I was too busy building for many pictures, but here’s what I got:

large room with tons of white desks

The new place is sooo much bigger! We won’t even take up a quarter of it.

view of reston town center ice rink and sunset in distance from nearby building

Spectacular views are to be found on all sides, like this one of the ice rink.

two mesh ikea lawn style chairs freshly built with cardboard boxes in background

The very first chairs I worked on happened to be quite challenging.

three motorized desks newly built with adjustable heights

After building four types of chairs, I spent the rest of the evening making these handy motorized desks. I think I need one for my home!!

365great Day 311: external drives

laelene Posted in 365great,Tags: , , ,
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365great day 311: external drivesIt’s so useful to be able to store files on an external drive, whether a thumb drive or hard drive. It makes it easy to access certain files across devices quickly and allows for backup of important files. In my new laptop, I had the HDD replaced with a SSD, so I had the original hard drive sitting around. I recently got a case for it so I can use it to store all the older files I have. With 750 GB of storage space, my whole life’s worth of content can fit on there. It’s such a nice way to keep all my old files consolidated without cluttering up my current laptop’s hard drive. Of course, if I lost it or broke it I’d pretty much lose everything up until a year ago, so I’ve made sure to start backing up all that on various other storage options too. But for quick browsing of massive amounts of files, I prefer an external drive. I don’t need internet access like with cloud-based solutions and I can easily carry it around with me. It’s a great way to store my content.

UK Vacation Day 9 Recap

laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses, photo blog,Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
1

I took my time with this post since it was one of the most touristy and there are a ton of pictures. This was our true tour day of London – we started off by Buckingham, went through St. James’s Park, checked out some house guards and stopped by their museum, went through Trafalgar Square, tried a Thai place, found an M&Ms World, explored parts of the British Museum, found some gifts in small shops and waited around for free wifi, crossed the River Thames, walked through the Southbridge Centre and Jubilee Park, fed pigeons, and got tons of pictures of the London Eye, British Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Bridge and Abbey. For dinner we tried to find a Bella Italia but were unsuccessful so we had tapas at La Tasca instead. All in all a busy day filled with walking that allowed us to see a ton before we headed out.

[Catch up with Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, and Day 8 recaps.]

pretty red flowers against green grass in front of buckingham palace

A beautiful day to explore London!

panoramic of buckingham palace and gates of green park

The fancy gates of Green Park.

guards on horseback riding towards buckingham palace

Queen’s Mounted Guards trotting off in formation.

queen's guard standing by gate

One of the Queen’s Guards standing watch by a gate.

pigeon mid-motion flying in to park and landing

A pigeon flies in to get fed.

holding out piece of food for goose to eat

It’s a battle of wills and I win if they’re hungry enough.

swan family swimming in single file line with four gray swans and one mature white swan

A swan family all lined up.

young gray swans with ducks and other birds

That little swan has a funky leg!

view across st. james's park lake with london eye in distance

From St. James’s Park, we catch a glimpse of the London Eye.

girl mid-talking in front of st. james's park lake with view of london eye in background

Caught me in the middle of saying something!

girl posing in front of st. james's park lake with view of london eye in background

A normal pose for posterity.

girl using iphone to take picture of lake

I grab a shot of the lake from the side.

view of st. james's park lake from bank

And here’s the picture I took.

churchill war rooms entrance

No time for the Churchill War Rooms, but maybe on the next visit.

mounted guard sitting on horse guarding gate

Quite a job, sitting still on a horse all day.

girl standing next to horse with guard sitting on it

I didn’t want to get too close in case the horse flipped out.

closeup of girl searching for wifi on iphone

Gettin’ up close and personal as I find some free wifi to use.

trafalgar square with nelson's column and the national gallery in background

We find our way to Trafalgar Square.

lazy pigeon sitting in middle of plaza not moving

The world’s laziest pigeon resides here.

national gallery across trafalgar square

Tons of activity in the square.

bright blue rooster at trafalgar square

What’s up with the bright blue rooster?

chalk drawings of international flags on plaza at trafalgar square

Carefully laid out grid of flags drawn in chalk in the plaza.

sidewalk chalk artist sketching face of diana princess of wales

This guy was working on a chalk portrait of Princess Diana.

t-shirt with sperm in place of nike logo and "just did it" messaging

We stop by a local store and find random t-shirts like this.

t-shirt with image of guy with heart at crotch and girl with heart near heart and "the simple truth" messaging

And another cheeky shirt here.

basaba eathai sign on street

Trying out a Thai place for lunch.

yellow flowers and floating candles on water

What a cute decoration idea!

spring rolls and noodle soup at busaba eathai restaurant

Food was pretty good and the place was very modern.

m&ms world london and sign with tons of crests

After lunch, we stumble across an M&Ms world.

shop fronts at london's chinatown

Our walk randomly brings us to a strip of Chinese establishments.

girl standing by starbucks holding out phone

Yet again standing outside taking advantage of free wifi…

entrance to british museum

Then it’s time to visit the British Museum!

shadows of seagulls seen standing atop dome from inside of british museum

Inside the museum, we look up to find seagulls.

seagull standing atop dome seen through from inside british museum

They sure seem to be enjoying the view.

storefront of amway in london

I had no clue Amway made it over here (and was still in business).

black british taxi on london streets

The taxis here look so funny.

view of london eye, british parliament, and big ben from waterloo bridge

Onto the Waterloo Bridge and we gaze over the River Thames for a lovely view.

view of eastern london buildings from waterloo bridge

On the other side of the bridge are all sorts of funky buildings.

sign on waterloo bridge detailing london skyline

Here you can pick out the attractions using the guide.

large statues and mural by waterloo bridge in london

We head into Southbridge Centre and find quite an artsy scene.

storefronts at the festival of neighbourhood area by river thames

A stroll along the waterfront includes plenty of restaurants.

festival of neighbourhood sign in london

What is this Festival of Neighbourhood??

street performers by the river thames

Street performers doing their thing.

brightly-colored merry-go-round in london

What a bright merry-go-round!

swing ride at jubliee park in london

A swing ride at Jubilee Park offers thrills.

feeding a pigeon a piece of bread

I sit down to feed some pigeons.

crowd of pigeons fighting over food

Gettin’ kind of crazy in here!

closeup of little brown bird with white specks

Some brave birds got super close.

view of people standing in pod of london eye as it slowly goes up

We watch as people pile into their pod on the London Eye.

set of condensed tank top and shorts that expand with water

I was so tempted to get one of these.

silhouette view of british parliament building across river thames

Against the glare of the sun.

girl posing with view of london eye and aquarium

Nice view from the bridge!

choppy waters of river thames

Rushing waters of the Thames.

closeup of big ben clock tower

There are so many points to the clock tower.

panoramic view of westminster from side

Westminster Abbey was closing for the day so we just looked.

boat-shaped tour bus of london

What a fun tour bus look.

pedestrians walking on streets of london

Blending in with the pedestrians.

metal map of london attractions

Another map of attractions.

tapas dishes at la tasca restaurant in london

A dinner of tapas.

churros with chocolate sauce, strawberries, marshmallows, and powdered sugar at la tasca restaurant in london

Ending the day with churros!

365great Day 310: Pinkberry

laelene Posted in 365great,Tags: , , , , , ,
2

365great day 310: pinkberryPinkberry was the very first frozen yogurt place I ever had and it still remains my favorite. I like their ever-changing seasonal menus and their always reliable original flavor. They don’t overwhelm me with topping choices, yogurt flavors, or permutations thereof like the buffet-style places that charge by weight. I’m also a fan of their app, making it easy for me to pay and rack up points. They even send me a free offer for my birthday every year! I will forever mourn the day they decided to discontinue their shaved ice offering, which was my all-time favorite item to order. Imagine a MASSIVE bowl of shaved ice, Pinkberry original frozen yogurt, a variety of fruits, and condensed milk drizzle. It was fabulous and oh so satisfying, but I guess ultimately not popular enough. What a pity. Nonetheless, Pinkberry still offers plenty of tasty treats that are great and I’m totally going to try their new hot chocolate sometime.

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