I’m always a fan of my Bruins, and since they’re in the Sweet Sixteen, Panda and I are watching the game. It’s nice to hear familiar cheers and fight songs over the air. I’m not sure when the next time I’ll be back in LA will be, but it’s been many months and any reminder of my alma mater is comforting.
I even put together a random bracket for the Billion Dollar Bracket challenge. As you can see, I’m not doing so well…
Now excuse me while I cheer on my Bruins for Elite Eight status. Go Bruins!
So a long time ago I meant to review the outfit that Panda got for me, but when I was finally getting around to it I realized I didn’t have the right bottoms. I had him contact Fabletics and they sent the correct ones, so now I have both to compare. I think I’m just going to have to send the capris back since I ultimately like the leggings more. I chose this outfit because of the fun sports bra, which was such a unique design. I went bold with bright lime green on my tops!
One thing to note – according to the order, this is the Emanate outfit, but I also found the Elevate outfit that is the exact same… so I think they changed the name from Emanate to Elevate.
Fabletics is just under $50 per outfit credit and comes with a 2- or 3-piece set of athletic wear. Each month, three outfits are selected for you to choose from at the 1 outfit credit price point. You can always get other outfits at their VIP pricing of $50-80 (2- and 3- pieces available) or buy any individual item separately. Outfits are sent monthly unless you choose to skip (which is very easy to do). They offer a referral program that earns you points towards free outfits.
Get your first outfit for half off with my referral link! All Fabletics items are chafe-resistant and feature four-way stretch for comfort and movement.
Lorida V-Neck Top in Ultra Lemon Heather
Oh what a soooft top! Buttery soft? Absolutely. It’s wonderfully smooth and feels fantastic. It is moisture-wicking to keep you dry from perspiration. It does hike up on the shoulders if you’re lifting your arms a lot in your workout. Retail value on this is listed as $29.95.
Vaasa Sport Bra in Ultra Lemon
This sports bra provides medium bust support and does not have extra padding. It is super lightweight and fits snugly. I just love the criss-cross straps that keep it secure on your back. Its retail value is listed as $19.95.
Lima Capri in Black
These are the capris I was supposed to receive. I found that I’m not that into capris since my feet get cold easily. I also have thick legs so they’re kind of tight on my calves and I don’t feel like I get enough circulation. These offer maximum support, which explains why they’re pretty tight. As with all the other Fabletics bottoms I’ve seen, they include a hidden pocket on the right hip. Retail value is listed as $39.95.
Asaro Legging in Black
And these are the leggings that originally came with my outfit. I didn’t even realize they were the wrong product until I was coming to review them for a post! Turns out I like them better, so I plan on keeping these in lieu of the capris. As you can see these go the opposite way and are super long. I like the random seam that wraps around the leg. It offers medium support so it’s more comfortable for me. The retail value on these are listed as $49.95.
Funny how I ended up liking the mistaken product more than the intended one, eh? The Asaro legging is more silky feeling than the Nadi legging I got in my first outfit, which is more cotton-y. I love how long the legs are and I love the comfort of the Lorida shirt. I tend to prefer v-necks and it’s long enough that I don’t have to worry when I lift my arms. And the whole reason I wanted this outfit in the first place was that super cool sports bra! I can’t remember the last time I owned a sports bra, so it’s fantastic to have one for working out in.
[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 (well, Panda) just purchased this outfit and wanted to share what I got!]
Well gosh, I better get my Nov favorites up before it’s time for the December ones!
1. fall colors – This was the month of gorgeous colors. Fall beauty was everywhere to be found and I loved it. It’s one of the things about having real seasons that I was looking forward to. I don’t know if it was the richness of the leaves, but I swear even the sky was more pigmented.
2. touchscreen laptop – I’ve been using my new ASUS laptop and now I’m used to having a touchscreen laptop. It’s a lot easier than trying to navigate the touchpad. It’s very convenient just to tap on what I’m looking at. Too bad not all my devices are like that – I’ve found I try to tap all other laptops now too, lol. It’s hard to remember when I’m using other laptops that they don’t have touchscreens. Hopefully everything will just have that in the future so I don’t have to keep track.
3. yoga – I’ve been going to yoga again and picking up my practice, which is wonderful. I like that I can choose from a range of levels depending on what I’m feeling. I’ve tried everything from Hatha Yoga for all levels to Power Yoga with some meditation thrown in too. I look forward to continuing with my practice and getting strong enough to do a handstand one day!
4. going home – It was so nice to return home for Thanksgiving and be reunited with my parents, cousin, and cats. It was the first time I’d been back since starting work out east and it was a welcome break. We also got a chance to get together my family and Panda’s!
5. Bruins football – UCLA’s program has finally been doing better and it was so thrilling to watch our team beat USC in our football showdown this year. Our crosstown rivalry is going strong and with the liberty bell securely in our possession, we can proudly say that we run LA. 😉
6. fun hair styles – For a long time, I’d just let my hair fall however it wanted. It’s the easiest to do and requires absolute minimal effort. I started to play around with some hair styles more recently, particularly a side braid, French braids, or a bun. I want to try a braid that wraps around my head, but I’m not quite sure how to end it so I’ll have to test it out.
7. revisiting New York (and the city) – After over a decade, I finally got a chance to return to one of my childhood homes. It was so nice to be able to share that with Panda so he can see some of what used to be my life. It also became an opportunity to explore parts of NYC that I’m not that familiar with. It’s the first time I’d been back to any of my old stomping grounds other than a brief visit to Penn State many years ago. I’ve never returned to my homes in Kansas and Missouri, but I sure do plan on it!
8. long sleeve v-necks – I find these to be so perfect to wear. They’re comfortable, warm, and flattering. I can wear them under another shirt or alone and throw on a jacket for extra warmth. I even use it during yoga if it’s an extra chilly night. It’s easy to dress them up or down and if I don’t want my neck so exposed, I just throw on a scarf. Simple, the way I like it.
9. pumpkin flavored – I almost never get pumpkin flavored stuff, but somehow I ended up trying a few this month and they were quite good! This was a pumpkin souffle I got at a happy hour. Very yummy. I also had pumpkin spice caramels and a pumpkin creme brulee snack. Maybe I should try more pumpkin things since I really enjoyed those foods.
What about you? What did you find yourself gravitating towards in November?
Today I got around to learning how to surf after talking about it for the last 10 years. Wow, how did that happen?! Time sure does go by fast. Luckily, there are still plenty of years left for me to continue to try surfing. As for this first try, I joined two other girls for a group lesson in the morning. Panda stayed in shore to watch and take pictures for me.
It was extremely busy at Waikiki Beach, but Erik our instructor showed us the “sidewalk” that you paddle up, which is sort of a safe zone to the right of most of the surfing action. If you head up that channel, it’s pretty safe. Once you get far enough in (there were visual cues for us to line up to make sure we were positioned correctly), you’d wait in the “parking lot,” staying aware of your surroundings so you don’t run into anyone who may be coming in on a swell. When the coast was clear, we’d paddle towards Erik and he’d send us off on a wave.
We had practiced how to get up on the board back in the shop, ensuring we could keep a strong stance and maintain our balance. While the sensation of this force pushing you from underneath and behind was strange, it was relatively easy to get up and not flail around.
My first wave was a short ride and as I tried to get back on my hands and knees for greater stability, I fell over into the water. The second attempt wasn’t much better – my timing was a bit off. But by the third try, I was able to catch a wave almost all the way back to shore! On my way back I had one mishap where I wasn’t straight enough heading into a wave so I got turned around right next to a guy surfing. Thankfully, he was an instructor, so he was incredibly skilled at keeping us from colliding. Other than that, I was pretty proud of how well I was able to avoid any accidents, even getting out of the way of a fast-moving outrigger canoe (if you never had one charging at you before, it can be intimidating).
For some reason, my breastbone feels bruised from the experience. At first I thought that it was due to my bathing suit, but I just had a soft string there, no knots or pieces of plastic to dig into the flesh. Long after I got out, it was still hurting too. I thought I’d be more sore since I was feeling it getting out of the water, but I feel good so far. My triceps hadn’t gotten that kind of workout in awhile! I’d expected paddling to be easier than it was since I’m a good swimmer, but boy did I feel weak and inefficient.
Ultimately I’m so glad I finally took a surfing lesson and I can’t wait to try in the California coast sometime. Hopefully next time, Panda will be confident enough to join me.
As I was watching basketball players the other day, I was staring at their numbers and began to wonder why we can’t use letters too. What’s wrong with putting a big Q on the back of a jersey? Or using two letters, like AZ, SJ, LY? They’re certainly faster to say than “twenty-three” or “fifty-seven.” After all, the only letter with more than one syllable to pronounce is W, whereas most two-digit numbers are three syllables. So in terms of efficiency, it makes more sense.
It’s not like we use numbers because we somehow need to put athletes in order of number. And even if so, we can alphabetize letters! Plus with two-digit numbers, you can only have 100 possibilities, versus 676 if you use letters, so it’s far less likely to repeat. That way when a certain person’s is “retired,” there are still plenty more to choose from. It all seems to make sense, yet, it’s not how the sports world works.
Perhaps the concern is over being able to remember who’s who, but isn’t it the same with numbers? After you see them enough, you learn the association and number so-and-so just becomes letter this and that. Besides, this works nicely with the whole “lettering in a sport” idea. I don’t see why it wasn’t ever adopted. If I were to start a team of any kind, I’d get us jerseys with letters on them. Why not question the norm and stand out a bit?
Oh yes, even Kobe has one.
No, I am not writing about the Lakers’ victory today. But in these weeks leading up to these games, Los Angeles has been speckled with Lakers flags. You can’t drive anywhere without seeing them! You know what I’m talking about. Those little flags that flutter in the wind as cars drive, barely hanging on for dear life as the wind whips them into ragged pieces of cloth. They’re super annoying for reasons I can’t seem to pinpoint, but admit it, you think so too. As an avid Lakers fan, I’m sure you wouldn’t admit though, would you?
Then I heard there were riots going on after Tuesday’s game? What insanity. Today everyone left for work early, leaving me all alone because they had to rush home to catch this momentous match-up. Oh, and of course they spent the day figuring out how to bet to win the most money! I am amazed at the level of obsession fans have. It’s really quite interesting to observe, so long as it doesn’t get dangerous. I made sure to stay home tonight lest there were trouble on the streets, from elated Lakers fans or bitter Celtics fans. At least summer has come and most students have moved out of the area for this week to be at home before summer school or internships start. We got some loud honking and rowdy behavior, but nothing too bad.
Seriously though, what is it about the Lakers that makes Angelenos go wild? Maybe it’s just because I don’t connect with the city the way that I do my school. I can imagine being that excited if UCLA basketball or football won a championship. But the Lakers? Though purple is my favorite color and they do have Jordan Farmar, it’s just not enough to get me to join in the wild celebrations. I wouldn’t mind so much if those annoying flags weren’t a part of the picture… By the way, click on the picture to see the source and read the article that comes with it – you’ll find another gem of a picture there.
After watching the Winter Olympics this year, I truly believe that part of the judging should include a new, universal field: sportsmanship. After all, it’s not just supposed to be about competing for medals – there’s a reason it’s called the Olympic games. Emphasis on the fun-loving part that is just supposed to bring out the best in everyone. It’s meant to be a coming together of the elite athletes of the world for some friendly competition. However, some countries take it far too seriously and see it as a matter of international acclaim and national pride.
Whatever happened to sportsmanship? A pat on the back, shaking of hands, or word of congratulations when the competition is over wouldn’t kill you. And even when the going is tough and everything sucks, you should save your prissy whining for behind the scenes. Or better yet, take your grudges and make some positive change out of it. But when people show their nasty sides on camera, it leaves an indelible impression that overshadows much of their positive aspects and achievements.
Mostly I’m referring to Plushenko, the biggest twerp I’ve ever seen on the international stage. There have been plenty of idiots, bigots, and the like, but none quite like Evgeni Plushenko. Though he is undoubtedly a skilled figure skater, because of his rude behavior and cockiness, I can’t help but remember his performance as subpar. Then again, his performance wasn’t all that great anyway. Sure, he had one fancy trick, but that doesn’t make him better overall. I think the Russians are the only ones who think he should have won gold. But anyways, what really bothered me about him was that he only cared about winning and had such an inflated head, I’m surprised he fit in the arena at all. There’s confidence and then there’s arrogance. Oh, and there’s also blatant rudeness when you claim to have won the platinum medal. Excuse me?! Way to disrespect the judges, your fellow skaters, and the Olympics at large all at once. For that, he doesn’t deserve any medal at all.
The other thing I was bothered about was actually Joannie Rochette’s behavior off the ice. Sure she’s had a tough couple of weeks after losing her mother, but manners shouldn’t escape her. For her performances, she definitely held herself together well and her emotion afterwards was touching. All was well until I saw her taking a picture with Mirai Nagasu back stage. She didn’t even smile, stood awkwardly, and rushed off as soon as she could, even as Mirai was thanking her. That sort of coldness was completely uncalled for, especially with a young girl who probably looked up to her. On the ice she handled her mother’s death with grace. Off the ice, she was an ice queen. Small move, but it shattered any sort of image I had of her before.
Oh, and of course there was the celebration that the Canadian women’s hockey team had that raised many eyebrows. Another consideration when the world’s eyes are on you and hordes of young men and women look up to these athletes. I think it’s important that they carry themselves with grace. It’s not easy to be them, but the trade-off of being in the spotlight is the scrutiny you come under. If you’re not ready to handle it, perhaps you’re not ready to be a household name. So, in an attempt to encourage better behavior and actually acting like role models, I really think the Olympics should implement a scoring system that includes sportsmanship, covering everything from not doping or cheating to holding yourself gracefully and respectfully.
Maybe Asada just doesn't smile, but she sure doesn't look all that pleased. Nevertheless, she remained poised.
I’d say Kim Yu-Na and Mao Asada were great examples of this, for instance. Even though Asada didn’t win gold and it was obvious her silver didn’t make her very happy, she accepted it gracefully, without any fuss. And of course, Kim, the shining star, was a poised gentlewoman the whole way through. Some Olympians could really learn a thing or two from them.
Ok, rather unrelated, but both have to do with the word “wave.” First, a wave that went around the Rose Bowl. Fifteen (maybe sixteen) times!
Then, wave boarding afterwards! The wave board I got in China had light-up wheels, which was just plain fun and awesome to play with in the dark.
In the spirit of the Olympics going on now, here are some clips from the Paralympics in 2008!
Starting with a 100 meter dash by blind runners. They get partners who run with them, so it’s a challenge of teamwork too. Their running buddy can’t cross the finish line before them, but must also stay within a certain distance, so they’ve got to be about equally fit.
men’s 100 meter from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
Then on to the 4X100 on wheels! Check out the guy who was going so fast he flipped himself over!
men’s 4X100 meter race from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
And finally, the medal ceremony for the 4X100 relay.
I love my alma mater. This is how we get into the spirit for sports games:
1. Get pumped up listening to the UCLA Bruins Marching Band.
how far we’ve come, bruin style from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
2. Go to the Rose Bowl and be entertained as Red Bull parachuters wind their way down from the sky.
redbull parachuters from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
3. Cheer your team to touchdowns (and dance along with Joe and Josie Bruin).
ucla touchdown from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
4. Enjoy a lovely halftime show, including a showdown between some young’uns.
little footballers from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
5. Celebrate a victory where the lights of the Rose Bowl are turned off just so we can do an 8-clap in the dark.
rose bowl dark from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
6. Round off the night with a firework show!
rose bowl fireworks from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
