Posts Tagged ‘pictures’

First week of work

laelene Posted in general blog,Tags: , , , ,
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Happy Friday the 13th. 😉

Woo hoo! My very first weekend since starting work is upon me and boy am I pooped! Between adjusting to a new schedule, learning A TON, and trying to get the hang of things, I have been worn out at the end of each day this week. When I got home, I barely had enough energy to blog and crash. I think I forgot to have dinner one night, but it’s all fuzzy now. As always, I think I’m picking things up ok but gosh I wish I could be a natural at it and rock it like none other. I get a little impatient with myself sometimes when I feel like I’m “at par” because it just doesn’t feel good enough. I’ll be glad to recharge over the weekend and pick up again on Monday with a fresh approach. Let me share some random moments from this week!

Monday

cup of dunkin donuts iced tea drink with box of three chick-fil-a chick-n-minis breakfast sandwiches

I started my first day off right with a free breakfast!!

panera bread you pick two combination meal with chicken noodle soup and soba noodle salad topped with shrimp and spinach plus french bread on the side

I spent all day training with my manager and then we got lunch together. I tried the new soba noodle salad at Panera and I’ve found a new fav!

view outside office window of street filled with cars and buildings in background with sun obscured by clouds

Looking outside our office you can see parts of the Reston Town Center.

light wood desk with laptop, wooden framed picture, purple purse, black bag, and chococat mug

I’m trying to keep my desk space simple with just my bag, purse, mug, laptop, and framed picture. I’ve since added some snacks and acquired a phone headset.

first day of work care package items with picture in frame, bottle of coke, bag of chocolates, tube of lotion, twenty dollar bill, pen, note, insurance info, band-aids, and bag of chips

Panda was so sweet to pack me a care package. I knew there were snacks but throughout the day I discovered the note and money, then later on the picture frame, and finally the band-aids right before I left for the day!

bright colorful sunset with clouds in sky and trees to side

At the end of the day, I drove off into a beautiful sunset.

Tuesday

yellow and black slow down geese crossing sign stuck in grass by side of road

My second day, I took a different route and came across this sign warning us drivers of a geese crossing. Please disregard my dusty windshield.

giant hangover turkey burger from be right burger

One of the few girls in the office invited me to lunch and I had this fabulous turkey burger with fried egg and bacon, among other things. It lasted me two other meals as well!

I spent much of the morning training again and learning more about what I’ll need to do. By the afternoon, they let me loose on some of the research so I began digging away. We took a break as a company at one point so the CEO could share some awesome news with us – that we’d landed a very large and important account!

Wednesday

noodles and co pasta rosa with penne, spinach, mushrooms, and cheese in spicy tomato sauce

On Wednesday, I asked the trio in the room next to mine to come out to lunch and my manager made it too. I got the pasta rosa at Noodles & Co and I’ve definitely found a winner for future visits.

I had training with another manager for a couple of hours and continued to do research as I touched base with my manager to learn the ins and outs of my role. I got a company t-shirt just in time for the picture we took to thank the new account we celebrated yesterday. Fun times!

building being contructed lit up at night

When I left that night, I was surprised that the building next door had so many lights on.

Thursday

Gosh, I spent nearly the entire day working on getting my first batch of research compiled so I completely forgot to take any pictures. It was 2:30 before I realized I wasn’t really feeling hungry but boy was I getting tired. I spoke to Panda briefly, wondering if I should even bother to get lunch at that point and he encouraged me to do so. I checked in with the folks next door again and the two who were there were such sports that they happily accompanied me out. I decided to repeat my Panera meal and I gobbled it up without realizing I was hungry. I guess tired and hungry are hard to tell apart sometimes. A few times I thought it was Friday already, yikes!

Good news came again as another fantastic account closed a deal with us, so the CEO pulled us all together to share the details and congratulate the efforts of the lead and team.

Friday

The day started off with free bagels the CEO brought in! I helped myself to one, but felt kind of bad when I didn’t see others coming too. Apparently I’m the only one who doesn’t eat breakfast.

bowl of wonton soup at busara thai restaurant

Today I had a wonderful bowl of wonton soup at Busara Thai while chatting with our marketing guy.

green curry chicken dish with bowl of jasmine rice at busara thai restaurant

I tried something different and got green curry chicken, yum.

My morning kicked off slowly when we got me set up with a phone number and headset. Since they’re transitioning to a new system, and I’m one of the first, it took some time to figure out what we needed to do. Lunch ran a bit long so I came back in the afternoon to a ton of work I wanted to do. I hope I did alright performance-wise. I stayed late to make sure I delivered decent results, but was it great? I’m learning what types of lunches are long so I know when to refuse them in the future so I can work through busier times.

teavana perfectea perfect tea maker sitting on chococat mug

To be featured on today’s 365great, this contraption has been amazing for my tea brewing needs.

string of emails announcing shipment and tracking of subscription boxes

All afternoon I got notifications that boxes were shipping! Wow, what’s up with Friday the 13th being so good for me? 🙂

driving on freeway at night with lights dotting road and clouds darkening sky

I enjoy my drives home, relaxing to music and appreciating the features of my car. 🙂

365great Day 182: sea buckthorn

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365great challenge day 182: sea buckthornSea buckthorn is a fascinating fruit. Much like acai, it holds a certain mystique and is purportedly an amazing super fruit. One of my goals in life is to see these berries fresh, since you’ll usually find it harvested for various skincare or supplement uses. I certainly have my fair share of soaps, cleansers, lotions, and oils with sea buckthorn. I doubt many will ever really know what these berries are like in real life and that is fascinating to me. This berry in particular is cool because it survives in harsh climates, which is what gives it a lot of the nutrients that make it so sought after for topical application or consumption. I love the bright orange color with redder hues that make it seem really rich. The coloring reminds me almost of a persimmon. I wonder how it tastes (for some reason I imagine it to not taste so good… I wonder how accurate that is) in comparison. Whatever the case, I love seeing sea buckthorn as an ingredient. It’s a pretty great little survivor fruit.

365great Day 181: remembrance

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365great challenge day 181: remembranceI meant to get a picture of the flags at half-mast today but it didn’t happen. Sooo here’s a picture of some fantastic hats I got at Leadership Academy back when I was in NJROTC. I wore that hat and every other patriotic thing I could find (including shirt, pants, flip flops, earrings, and more) for the first anniversary of 9/11. By then I had moved from New York to California but my heart was still out east. It was a way for me to remember and honor the heroes of that day and feel a bit more connected to my previous state. I think it’s important even if you just take a brief moment to remember the important events that shape our lives and our histories. That’s why holidays and anniversaries and other celebrations are meaningful to us. While the shock and pain has faded over the years, I hope we as a nation never forget to look back at the people who lost their lives on 9/11. Remembrance is a great (and simple) way to pay respects to those who have gone before us.

Yuzen Fall 2013 edition (August-October) review

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Yay it’s Yuzen fall time! I’m glad that the weather is still acting like it’s summer since I haven’t gotten enough of the warm days just yet. But hey if fall has to come then what better way than with a lovely Yuzen box? 🙂 I got this before my UK trip but didn’t have time to review it until now. As you can see, the lighting on my pictures got worse and worse as I lost sunlight. Ah, the new challenges of working away from home. So are you ready?! Here are the wonderful products from the August-October box (unboxing video coming).

Yuzen is now $33 per quarter (it was $26 before but now they started including more products with the seasonal frequency) and each comes with around 7 or 8 eco-friendly beauty, skincare, food/snacks, and home products. Boxes are sent quarterly (Feb, May, Aug, and Nov) with no option to skip, but you can get one-time gift boxes too. Sometimes there’s a waitlist to get the subscription. They do not offer a referral program.

*Disclosure: As a super fan, I was invited to be the Yuzen Ambassador to help them spread the word about their brand. Starting with the October box, I began to receive them for free. I was not compensated otherwise and all opinions are my own, irregardless of my relation to Yuzen. I just happen to think they’re awesome (as does everyone else I’ve heard from). :)

This is the first time they’re using the new packaging, so I wanted to show you that first.

new yuzen box exterior box in rectangular shape with blue flowers on brown cardboard

The new box keeps the same coloring as the previous, but with larger flowers and a narrower shape.

new yuzen interior box fits perfectly into exterior box

Now there is an interior box, which fits just right into that exterior box.

new yuzen interior box in rectangular shape with white flowers on aqua background

The interior box is a nice cardboard perfect for reusing!

yuzen box fall 2013 warm red theme with red tissue paper and red and pink yuzen paper

The inside remains similarly packaged. No more ribbon tying the box together.

yuzen box fall 2013 contents in organza bag

The dimensions of the box now match the organza bag size quite well!

yuzen box fall 2013 with info cards and business cards on bottom

Each brand’s promotional material can be found underneath the products.

collage of unboxed fall 2013 yuzen boxes

Two of the variations for the fall box.

Click on the pictures for the full sizes so you can enjoy all the details of each product!  You can even zoom in to read all the messaging.

collage of verve organics soul sister lavender nut sugar scrub tubVerve Organicssoul sister scrub: I love me a scrub! This is the first one I’ve gotten that is dry like this, so that was a change. They have large grains of sugar so you can rub and rub and rub. I wasn’t sure what to do with it – put some in my hand and get it wet or get the area I want to rub wet and start scrubbing. It was a new experience for me and I really enjoyed the nutty sweet scent. I do wish it was a little more held together by something liquid since it was hard to keep the grains from just falling away unused.

collage of coola organic face mineral sunscreen unscented spf 20 sample tubeCOOLA Suncareface spf 20 unscented: I’ve used their cucumber facial sunscreen from one of the earlier Yuzen boxes and I have a similar sample of the rose scented sunscreen from Ipsy, so it’s nice to have the unscented as well. I’m keeping this sealed until I’ve worked through more of my current sunscreens (which I’m not very good at doing since I always forget to apply them). If it’s anything like the cucumber one, then I will like it because it absorbs really well for a light layer that doesn’t grease up my skin.

collage of ajara skincare ayurvedic beauty tridoshic bath tea bag sachetAjara Ayurvedic BeautyTridoshic Bath Tea: This smells really healing! It’s such a pretty combination of flowers and plants that it’s a shame all of that is hidden in a muslin bag. I love that everything is organic and it’s all plants that I recognize. I just took a tea bath recently so I’m not quite ready to use this one, but if I ever have a long day where I need some healing, this will be my first choice.

collage of torie & howard organic hard candy in blood orange & honey tinTorie & Howardblood orange & honey hard candy: Yes! How could you go wrong with blood orange and honey in a candy? Make it organic and it’s even better. I appreciate the individually-wrapped pieces since I was afraid I’d find one giant clump of hard candy (you know what I’m talking about). I love the packaging and the tin can is very well made. It’s not hard to open yet the lid doesn’t fall off. Great design right there. The candies have a cute little TH imprint on them and you can throw a few pieces anywhere you want them handy, or just take the whole tin along. 🙂

collage of juice beauty organic green apple peel for sensitive skin tubJuice Beauty – Green Apple Peel Sensitive: I have the Blemish Clearing version of the peel so I did a side by side comparison on my face. One half was covered with my original one and one half was covered with this one. At first the Sensitive one tingled more than the Blemish Clearing one, but then it soothed while the BC one continued to feel warm and tingle a bit. The formula for this one is milkier/creamier, which might be part of the soothing action. It smelled creamier to me too.

collage of acure cell stimulating body wash bottle with moroccan argan stem cell, argan oil, and sea buckthornAcureargan cell stimulating body wash: I really need to try a different scent from Acure! In the January Yuzen box we got the shampoo and conditioner in almond scent, which I found just didn’t suit my fragrance preference. This body wash also smells like that so I’m going to have to pass on it and have Panda try it for me. I do like the concept of argan stem cells, though I have no clue what that means. I’m also just a little obsessed with sea buckthorn after the Sibu product in the December Yuzen box, so I wish I liked this scent.

collage of sanitas vita-rich serum bottlesanitasVita-Rich Serum: Part of their Moisturize line of products, this is a super rich serum. A single squirt was way too much for my face so it really packs a punch. I think two drops would have been more than enough for my entire face, so you can imagine that this would last a long time! Since I accidentally over-applied I had to rub it in for quite awhile. It still left my face a bit shiny since I couldn’t absorb all that, so definitely be careful when dispensing it. This is probably best used at night for your bedtime routine.

collage of sphatika with elixir of quartz crystal rose cleansing foam bottle face washSphatikaRose Cleansing Foam: Ok, this already wins because it’s a foaming dispenser. I get such a kick out of these and I really enjoy washing my face with pre-foamed cleansers. Elixir of quartz crystal sounds super fancy but of course is something I know nothing about. Nonetheless, I liked this product and found it to be very soothing. It’s supposed to be gentle enough for babies so that makes sense! Apparently the Bulgarian Rose Oil they use is rare (and hey I’ve never heard of it, so it must not be that common).

collage of sphatika with elixir of quartz crystal vitamin a night creme bottleSphatikaVitamin A Night Creme: If you didn’t get the foaming wash then you would have gotten this Sphatika product instead. It’s a rich night creme with a nice light scent I can’t quite place. I enjoyed the slightly flowery slightly herbal smell of it and found it to be very relaxing. It’s anti-aging too, which is a nice bonus. I’m so glad I got to try both Sphatika products! Being a Yuzen Ambassador rocks. 😀

What a lovely healing box we got this time around, perfect for the transition to fall. These products offer more protection for your skin as the seasons change and your skin adjusts to colder weather (unless of course you live in a tropical or desert region!). I really get a sense of warmth from this set of products that’s totally fitting for the change to autumn. I also love the new box design! The inner box is now going to house my nail polish collection and I’m sure I will find many uses as I accrue them.

Did you get this Yuzen box? Which version did you receive? What was your favorite product?

 

365great Day 180: care packages

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365great challenge day 180: care packagesOn my first day of work, Panda prepared a little care package baggie for me. I knew he had put in some snacks and tube of lotion in there, but I had no idea of the surprises ahead. So yesterday I got up and headed out first to Chick-fil-a to redeem a free breakfast offer. I got those little bite-size sandwiches (so cute) and sat back in the car. The next stop was Dunkin’ Donuts, where I was going to get my free iced tea. That one required a coupon ad thing so I went to pull it out to make sure I had it. That’s when I discovered that the pen holding together the ad and the insurance info had more items clipped in! Turns out he’d written me a sweet note about starting my new job and he put a $20 bill there for good measure (lunch money, you see). I was really happy and enjoyed the wonderful surprise. Hours later, as I was reaching in the baggie to pull something out, I discovered that there was more! This time I found an adorable little picture frame with a picture of us soon after getting engaged. 🙂 I made sure to put that on my desk. By the end of the day, I was ready to head out and go home. As I was cleaning up my bag and putting things away, I wondered what that paper was at the bottom of the bag. What I pulled out was two band-aids! Hehe, apparently Panda really wanted me to be prepared. I loved discovering more and more little thoughtful gestures each time; it certainly brightened my day. Care packages are such a great way to share meaningful, practical gifts.

Deep food coma

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The first few days we got back from the UK, I was doing pretty well with the getting up in the morning thing. I’d wake up around 5 or 6 and decide that it was too early, so I’d let myself slowly drift off again until about 7. By then my body couldn’t take it anymore and wanted to get up. Because of these earlier starts, I also got tired earlier in the day. In fact, as soon as we’d get back from dinner, I’d jokingly wrap up in my new sherpa throw and say, “Good night!”

curled up on couch with new super soft and comfy sherpa throw blanketNext thing I knew, Panda would be getting ready for bed and turning off the lights. For some reason that always woke me up, though I very easily slipped back into sleep. Then another hour or so later I’d wake up and force myself to get up to blog for the night. I am dedicated to my craft, after all! If the only thing I get right is that I post every time I tell myself I will, at least I will have that. Most recently I have a goal of one post a day in addition to my 365great post at the end of the day. I’ve been doing quite well and throwing in posts about random things, mixing in reviews and pictures and whatnot. I was not about to let some strange sleep schedule jeopardize that! 😛

But what I’ve learned is that jetlag + sherpa + dinner = major food coma/crash. I mean, 8 PM I’m sound asleep as if I’m 5 again. Actually, I’m not even sure I slept that early as a child. It’s just not my thing! So I’ve got to say, this sherpa and plush blanket is one magical thing to get me to fall asleep so well. I can’t get enough of it and I’m already thinking about getting more (much to Panda’s chagrin, lol). I’ve had to resist using it tonight for fear of falling asleep before either of my blog posts are up. Alas, work now keeps me busy in the day and I need to write posts at night! This will take some getting used to.

365great Day 179: Canvas

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365great challenge day 179: canvasIn honor of my first day of work, I had to mention Canvas. The moment I started interviewing for this company, I knew it was what I wanted. I loved the product and service, I connected with the company philosophy and culture, and I enjoyed speaking with everyone I met. I even stopped applying for other jobs and threw myself wholeheartedly into the interview process because I wanted it so much. Luckily, I got the job and now I’m thrilled to join the Canvas team. So what is Canvas and what do we do? Well, we help businesses revamp the way they do business to be more efficient, more accurate, and more green. We do that by providing a mobile app that people use to collect information from their mobile devices. Gone is the need for paperwork like invoices, work orders, checklists, and time sheets. By turning all of that digital, you can update information in our database in real time for access on any internet-connected computer. It eliminates the challenges of paperwork like when they get lost, are illegible, or are incomplete. We can even prevent inaccuracies by providing timestamps, GPS locations, and pictures! I mean, it really is a fabulous solution that brings paperwork to the digital age and I’m so proud to be a part of this company. I love the green and tech components, which are two of my passions, AND I love the start-up culture that I thrive in. I’m pretty stoked about my role too. 🙂 So hey, if you think you know a business that could use Canvas, be sure to let them know! It’s very empowering through its robust solutions. You know what I say: great!

When bugs try to enter

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large bug crawling up car window to crackI don’t know what it is about bugs and Panda, but they sure seem attracted to him. I previous shared a video of a bumblebee that wouldn’t go away from the window. It almost seemed to be searching for him each time it flew by and I was afraid to open the porch door because it nearly came inside. Just last night, this bug acted as if it wanted to enter the car as Panda was trying to get out. We kept the door closed hoping it would fly off again but it climbed up the window until it found the crack (and thank goodness it didn’t come in!!). I got out on my side to take a picture from the opposite view but as soon as it saw me it went off. Apparently I do not hold the same attraction that he does.

Then of course there are the mosquitoes that have gotten a few tasty meals out of Panda’s blood. That one at least makes sense, since they like to feed off us. But when it comes to the variety of other insects that have a strange fascination with Panda, I am just baffled. Does he emit some odor that only bugs can detect? Perhaps they find him fragrant as a flower? Or do they just like how he looks? 😉 It’s kind of a funny situation, especially considering how he is not a fan of bugs. While I will play with them, he avoids them. And it might be just that that attracts them. Ironic.

closeup of cicada sitting on stairsOh, and on a separate bug-related story, when we were heading out earlier in the day yesterday he told me about a grasshopper sort of thing on the stairs. We get to that part and I find a cicada lying upside down. Just as I was saying something about it being dead and he was trying to explain how it was alive, I went to pick it up by the wings and flip it over to show him what a cicada looks like up close. Suddenly, it started to flap its wings manically and I screamed so loud as I quickly let go! I nearly threw my phone from my hands from the shock. I really expected it to be dead. I mean, what cicada lies on its head? Must be a dying/weak one. So yeah, lesson learned – poke it first before trying to pick it up. This is like the time I was young and saw a cool fuzzy rock. I went to pick it up only to find it was actually a grey bumblebee and it stung me. I had no clue bees could be that color! And hey, how cool is a fuzzy rock?! Yeah… maybe my interest in bugs isn’t a good thing.

365great Day 178: cuties

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365great challenge day 178: cutiesYou may call them clementines or mandarins (maybe even tangerines or satsumas) – I know these easy-to-peel “baby oranges” as cuties. It’s one of those things where the brand name becomes the commonly used term (like kleenex and band-aids). Whatever you choose to refer to them as, what I have in mind are the small citrus fruits that are so fun to eat. There are a variety of them and I’ve probably had all the aforementioned kinds before, but it’s so hard to keep track of which exactly I’m eating. What I enjoy ara e the ones that have the skin that practically falls off and no seeds to deal with. They’re nice and juicy with a sweeter taste than oranges and most other citruses. One of the easiest to consume fruits that makes a great travel companion. What a great way to get more fruit in my diet without all the chopping or washing or storing needs of most fruits.

Goodies Co. August Taster’s Box review

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So ever since I first heard of Goodies, Panda and I have been signed up simultaneously. Many months we’ve gotten the exact same box so we’ve decided to cut out his subscription and just keep mine. At first we thought it’d be hard to share and we’d want to try everything out for ourselves, but we’re buried in snacks so I think sharing will be nice. 🙂

goodies co box august 2013 contents

For August, I got Taster’s Box #7, which came with Ojo Mango & Blackcurrant fortified eye care nectar, Snyder’s eatsmart naturals Garden Veggie Crisps, Poplets sea salt & butter toasted corn centers, Tangy Zangy Twisties sour candy, Orion One and Only Cookie-Cracker, and Barnie’s Coffee Kitchen Hawaiian Hazelnut liquid coffee brewstick. Check out my unboxing video to hear my initial reactions.

I was curious about the mango and blackcurrant taste of the Ojo eye care nectar since I’ve never seen that flavor combination before and I have no clue what an “eye care nectar” is. It actually reminded me of a very strong undiluted orange squash* and I’m not sure how I feel about the taste. It’s not bad, but it is different from what I’m used to. But hey, if it actually makes my eyes better I should definitely drink more of it! My first thought when I saw the Snyder’s Garden Veggie Crisps was that the flavors are the same as the Veggie Straws I was once addicted to. Once I tried them, I found them to be nothing like those snacks, which are more airy and salty. These crisps are very crunchy and somewhat tasteless. Great if you’re sick of normal greasy oversalted chips and want to still chomp on something crisp. I like my snacks super salty though. Next up was the Poplets toasted corn centers, which is kind of like eating the taste of popcorn but just the kernels. They’re a bit too hard for me and I can feel them grinding through my stomach. Very nice taste that is flavorful without being overwhelming though! Moving on to sweet treats with the Tangy Zangy Twisties, which are chewy sour candies in short segments of rainbow-colored cylinders. Yum! I love sour candies and this is a wonderful balance of sweet and sour. I love the chewiness of the twists as well. The Orion One and Only Cookie-Crackers are addicting!! There were a ton of thin cracker cookies inside and Panda and I managed to gobble through nearly all of them. I had to exercise restraint so I could enjoy some more later. They’re crisp but not too hard and what a fabulous combination of sweet and salty! I’m pretty sure I’ve had something similar from an Asian market before and I’m surprised I haven’t been addicted this whole. Definitely need more of this. Finally, there’s the Barnie’s Coffee Kitchen liquid coffee stick that I shall have to pass on to Panda since I don’t drink coffee. I like the idea of its convenience, though we’ll have to see about the flavor quality.

Overall a good box, with items I really liked and others that were interesting to try (and now I know what they’re like). Did you get a Goodies box too? What do you think of these snacks?

 

*In the UK they have squash drinks that are concentrated juices that you dilute with water to drink. To my American eyes though, that word makes me think of a vegetable. So just to clarify, I meant it in the drink sense!

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