Posts Tagged ‘products’

Handywoman saves the day

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , , ,
28 February 2010
0

Sometimes the smallest things can really create extreme disturbances.  My laptop charger (already the 4th one I’m on), isn’t the best of quality (that’s what you get for just a few bucks, I guess) and only works when pressed firmly into the laptop charging port, at a certain angle.  When it moves just slightly, it will stop charging unexpectedly.  Add on to that a battery that barely holds a charge now and this means that whenever I am using my laptop, it will shut down randomly without warning.  Very inconvenient, especially considering how it’s taking much longer to boot up nowadays.

Thankfully, I have a mother who is quite the handywoman.  She’s great at fixing things and given her engineering background, a small thing like charger circuitry was a small task for her.  Once it was decided that I couldn’t care less what the charger actually looked like, she set to cutting the cable that hard started to sever on my original charger.  She took the original head, connected it to a charger that hadn’t developed a frayed wire, and soon enough I had a brand new charger to use.  The head fit perfectly into the port now because it was from the original charger and not one of the cheap ones I had gotten as replacements.  No more spotty charging results!  Problem solved.  To think, I nearly dished out $70-80 for a new charger just to get rid of that annoyance!

Work preoccupation

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , , , , ,
27 February 2010
0

I’ve been really preoccupied with work lately.  When I’m there, I don’t think about personal things, and when I’m home, I’m tired and just want to relax, which has meant the e-mails in my Yahoo account are piling up.  I’ve managed to go through them this weekend, but there are quite a few newsletters that will probably go unread for months.  I don’t follow my social networks the way I used to and I’m just barely pumping out posts here.  For some reason, I’ve been really tired during the time I’m at home.  Plus, the Olympics have been a nice distraction, which makes it easy for me to never think about turning on my computer.  Let’s not even go into the problems I’ve been having with my charger.  I’m about ready for a new computer.

It’s been a month now, so I hope that I can get into a better rhythm that fits work, sleep, meals, entertainment, exercise, relaxation, and quality time all in one nice bundle.  I don’t have much energy for cooking dinner, which hasn’t been good, so I really need to start getting more sleep.  The good thing is, one of the guys at the office told me about an app that lets you track your sleeping cycles!  I looked into it and found the Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock, which will monitor your sleeping pattern and wake you up during a lighter sleep stage so it’s easier to get up and you feel more rested.  It’s a really awesome app that you should go check out if you have trouble getting up in the morning!  I’ve only used it one night, so it’s still calibrating to my sleeping pattern, but it could be quite useful in the future.  For a buck, more energy and less time wasted pressing snooze is totally worth it.

A spin on dental hygiene

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , , ,
17 February 2010
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recycline's preserve toothbrush

How often do you replace your toothbrushes?  If you listen to your dentist, you probably do every three months or so, which means you go through three or four a year.  At that rate, Americans would be producing far more than the 50 million pounds of waste per year we already do from throwing those little guys away.  Since toothbrushes are inherently in need of replacing periodically, how do you avoid the waste issue?

Well, why not try Recycline’s Preserve toothbrush?

First of all, their handles are entirely made from recycled yogurt cups saved from ending up in landfills.  It’s free of BPA and the bristles are brand new, so you can rest assured it is safe to put in your mouth.  They consulted dentists to come up with the curved handle to help you reach those tricky places at just the right angles.  The tiered bristles are designed to fit around your teeth and gently massage your gums.  You have a choice of Ultra Soft, Soft, and Medium stiffness for the bristles, depending on your sensitivity.  Preserve toothbrushes also come in delicious colors such as Berry Red, Eggplant, and Pear Green.

Besides that, they come in a reusable travel case, complete with ventilation holes!  The case is made from wood-based plastic from renewable forests so you can feel good about using them too.  Once your toothbrush has reached the end of its effectiveness, you can send it back to Recycline in a postage-paid envelope.  Their partner company will recycle it for you and make plastic lumber for park benches, picnic tables, and boardwalks.  Rest assured that your environmental impact is minimized and every effort is made to keep plastic out of landfills!  If you like, you can even purchase a subscription to their toothbrushes and get a new one sent to you every three months, along with an envelope to send back your used one.

So, the next time you’re looking for a replacement toothbrush, think Preserve.  You’ll responsibly minimize your environmental impact associated with dental hygiene and even enjoy a better clean!  It’s truly “Nothing wasted.  Everything gained.™”  What’s not to love?

[written for OppGreen Insights]

Difference in perspective

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , , ,
08 February 2010
2

to-go ware chopsticksAs I was getting lunch at Kaya today, I noticed their chopsticks resemble the pair I have in my To-Go Ware set.  It reminded me of the day when Panda saw them and asked me why they were warped.  Months later, when another friend came back from grad school in the East Coast, he saw them and asked the exact same thing.  -____-  Whereas I and our other friend, a history major, saw them as artistic, they saw them as warped.  Wow.  A lesson in the differences between North and South campus majors!

to-go ware chopsticks with twisted ends

See the gentle curving to give them more character?


At UCLA, North campus houses most of the humanities and social sciences and South campus houses most of the life sciences and physical sciences.  The School of Theater, Film, and Television is as north as you can get, while the School of Engineering is in the southern half.  We often joke about this separation, but in this case, there truly is a disparity between the way we interpret things.  North campus majors recognize the beauty and elegance of a twisted shape; South campus majors recognize a purposeless deformation.  Ultimately, we’re looking at the same thing, but our differing opinions of the chopsticks’ design would easily lead to a scenario where I buy them, only to have Panda return them as he wondered why I bought them at all. It’s funny, isn’t it, how differently we view the world?

Advocacy

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , ,
25 January 2010
0

I’m an advocate.  Of what?  Well, anything that I like!  I’m not the type of consumer who happily uses products without sharing with friends and family.  In fact, I’m often selling them on certain brands and converting them to what I enjoy.  It ranges from free things to useful things to just plain cool things.  It’s often in technology or green products, but could be in anything that has caught my attention (take a look at my wishlist and sharelist).  In the coming weeks I want to start a series of posts showcasing some of these products and services I like best.  And perhaps, just perhaps, you’ll be convinced too.  😛  I’m just sayin’…

Better Life Cleaning Products

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , , , , ,
27 May 2009
0

better-life-starter-kitOnce again, Alice never fails to deliver.  See the first giveaway I entered for a waterproof pad and the second one I entered for lip balm, both of which I won!  This week’s giveaway is a lovely set of cleaning supplies from Better Life.  This stuff is truly remarkable.  They’ve got a line of cleaning products that is non-toxic, safe, biodegradable, and effective!  It’s hard to believe, what with growing up thinking that harsh chemicals is the way to kill germs and clean messes, but I’m loving what I see from them.  Talk about environmentally responsible!  Here’s a way to keep your household clean without worrying about what baby may put his hands on or what part of the house the cat may decide to start licking (I’ve had my cats randomly lick spots on the floor for no apparent reason o.O).  Who knew Mother Nature would provide us with all the ingredients we need to clean up our homes?  It’s wonderful to see such responsible products on the market that takes care of things on all fronts: people, planet, and performance.  Plus, they donate to non-profits that share their philosophy!  How great is that?

Having a clean home provides a certain level of comfort, especially when you know that these products are practically all-natural and so environmentally friendly!  Hygiene is important to health and healthy living allows us to truly enjoy everything in life.  To me, that’s the most important thing about household chores.  After all, who wants to have dusty counters and dirt in their food?  That just increases the chance of germs getting ingested and infecting our bodies.  Plus, keeping things clean helps keep your mind clear and bright too.  It’s so much more soothing to walk into a room lit by sunlight with gleaming surfaces than to walk into a murky room barely lit by the sunlight trying to shine through grime.  Having a clean and non-toxic home is all the more important so you don’t have to worry about what kinds of chemicals are you inadvertently breathing in or ingesting.  Instead, you can focus on the task at hand and not be concerned for your health or the health of your family.  In the end, using Better Life cleaning products can bring you peace of mind.  And what’s better than that?

Perfect Organics Lip Balm

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , , , ,
20 May 2009
0
photo credit: Perfect Organics

photo credit: Perfect Organics

I am absolutely loving Alice.com‘s giveaways.  I mentioned the site before on a previous product they were giving away, which I actually won, so I’m thrilled to try it out.  Now they’re on to their next one (gosh, who knew they’d be so generous?) and I want to win again!  This time it’s another wonderful product (though I must admit I’d say that for all their items, since it seems they are all environmentally responsible) – Perfect Organics Shea Butter Lip Balm!!!  There are three flavors: Citrus Orange, Vanilla Twist, and Fresh Mint.

My preference is for the light, refreshing Citrus Orange, which also fits perfectly with their springtime theme.  And take a look at their ingredients for that flavor: Organic Shea Butter, Organic Sweet Almond Oil, Organic Hazelnut Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Orange Essential Oil, and Non-GMO Vitamin E.  Seriously, that’s just amazing.  I’m really loving this company and all that it has to offer.  I’d love to see how such an organic product compares with the other stuff in the market.  I can just imagine how the crisp smell will liven up my day whenever I open up the lip balm for some serious moisturizing.  I sure hope I’m that lucky again!  🙂

Well, for this one they’re asking what springtime beauty rituals I have.  Being a person who doesn’t use makeup as much as possible and pretty much sticks to some foundation and mascara, there’s not much I change seasonally in terms of beauty.  However, I find that spring makes me want to feel clean and fresh, so I wish my skin was better and I didn’t use anything to try to even out the blemishes.  I guess the one thing I do do is become more conscious of is lotioning, since the shorts don’t hide your dry legs and kneecaps quite like a trusty pair of jeans!  I’m not sure if that is considered “beauty” so much as general maintenance, but it does have to do with bringing out the springwear!

So if you’re ready for spring to get into full swing, why wait?  Go check out this awesome giveaway and we can both have luscious lips.

AquaNotes: preserving inspiration

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , , , ,
13 May 2009
3

I follow @modite on Twitter, who works for @alice, a start-up that makes errands easier, faster, and cheaper (at least this is my understanding of it – they’re still finishing up beta testing, so I don’t really know yet).  Through her, I found out that they’re currently doing a promotional giving away AquaNotes, which are these waterproof pads.  I think that’s pretty amazing!  Basically the product is designed for placement in your shower so you can write stuff as you wash up.  No longer do I have to dry off before jotting down notes of random ideas that pop in my head (and risk losing those thoughts in the process).  Now, whenever I think of an idea for a blog post, an interesting observation to share, errands I need to run, or I suddenly remember something that happened or an item that I want to get someday, I can write it down!

aquanotesThose of you who have read the description to the right will know that this blog is based on all the things that I jot down in my “fat lil’ notebook.”  I write down everything I think of that is notable in it, including books to read, places to go, names I like, things to stock up in my pantry when I have one again, ideas for a wedding, and so much more.  You can see it’s pretty random stuff, so I never know when I’ll think of another item to add to my collection of lists.  Now I never need to worry about soaking the notebook and risking losing everything!  With AquaNotes, I can just write it all down as it comes to me and easily transfer it over to the appropriate list as needed.  I’m really excited to actually experience this product, since it’s an extension of something I already do.  I’m a “shower thinker,” as they say.

It would also be fun to leave messages to those that I share my shower with, or stick up a sheet outside and not have to worry about if it’s going to rain or not.  Plus, whenver I go to the pool, I can bring it along to write down whatever strikes me as I lap around the pool and get lost in my thoughts.  As a swimmer, this is truly an invaluable product, since I can use it during workouts, at the hot tub relaxing afterwards, or in the locker room showering after that!  They even provide you with a water resistant pencil to write with, complete with holder.  All items suction onto the wall to be easily accessible.  The possibilities with this are endless!  And you know what the best part is?  It’s environmentally friendly!  Not only are the pads recyclable, they’re non-toxic and printed with soy-based ink.  How cool is that?!  I love green products.

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