A-Z Challenge 2016: D for Don’t Stop

Published on April 5, 2016April 5, 2016 by Yinglan15 Comments

I think this is a good quote for the topic because it kind of stand for what I’m doing at the moment. As some of you know, I was to move out last month but I chose to stay due to financial troubles and sometimes, I still regret my decision because I thought if I move out, I could forget everything and focus on myself for once but the truth is, with so much worries of financial troubles, I couldn’t focus on anything.

At the moment, I’m planning on December because that’s when I will finish my second undergraduate degree and hopefully have a better job. I know that December is still a long ways to go but I know that time can speed up if it wants to and I also know that as long as I don’t stop and keep pushing, I will eventually achieve my goals.

Click here to catch up on my latest A to Z Challenge entries.

Image Credit: Pinterest

A-Z Challenge 2016: C for Change

Published on April 4, 2016April 4, 2016 by Yinglan10 Comments

Did I tell you about my new friend, Kat? I met her in school a few weeks ago and at first, I was very happy because making friends had never been easy for me and it’s been a long time since I’ve had a friend. We hit it off and during spring break, I secretly visited her. I’ve been doing so many things secretly lately that I’m starting to get a rush.

Anyway, her home was extremely simple, few furniture and decorations. However, I noticed she had a few posters of pretty girls taped against her kitchen wall. “What’s up with those?” I asked.

“I want to be like them.” She replied right away. Why, I asked her. “I want to be beautiful!”

At that moment, I felt puzzled. She’s already beautiful. She has a husband who loves her for her, who allows her all the freedom she desires, not requiring her to go to work, let her buy whatever she desires, so why would she want to go through the trouble of changing her appearance?

Click here to catch up on my latest A to Z Challenge entries.

Image Credit: Google

Share Your World – 2016 Week #13

Published on April 3, 2016April 3, 2016 by Yinglan8 Comments

Are you left or right handed? Right handed.

If you had only one TV, would you prefer the TV in the living room or another room?

I only have one TV and it is all the way down in the family room and I think that’s a good place because my room is very small.

Have you ever participated in a distance walking, swimming, running, or biking event? Tell your story.

Oh, have I? I’ve participated in a jump rope contest when I was in China. Not much a story there other than it was a huge embarrassment for me because even though everyone in school knew I didn’t know how to jump rope, they still made me and while everyone did 100+ repetition per minute, I only did six. I think the teacher was just a big bully to choose me for such competition.

I also participated in a 50 meter dash in middle school and although I was racing against the slowest person in school, I still lost because something happened at the last second which force me to slow down. It was the strangest thing. I began feeling dizzy, weak, and breathless. It was like I couldn’t breathe. I think it had something to do with my heart but I never found out. I just knew my heart had some minor problems back then. Let’s just say I was once again humiliated.

Complete this sentence: Love is… .

Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

Share Your World Challenge

Image Credit (except noted): Google

A-Z Challenge 2016: A for Aspirations

Published on April 1, 2016March 29, 2016 by Yinglan27 Comments

Continue reading “A-Z Challenge 2016: A for Aspirations” →

Safe Haven

Published on March 27, 2016 by Yinglan35 Comments

As few of you know, I’ve been seeing a therapist since the beginning of this month and I think it’s time I update my current mental situation. Continue reading “Safe Haven” →

Marooned to Salt Lake

Published on March 25, 2016March 26, 2016 by Yinglan38 Comments

Have you ever been to a dog park and seen the dogs run wild and free while their owners sat on the sideline chatting? They look just so happy, don’t they? Being off the leash? Continue reading “Marooned to Salt Lake” →

Share Your World – 2016 Week #12

Published on March 23, 2016March 22, 2016 by Yinglan6 Comments

Wanting something to quench your thirst, what would you drink?

Cool water (not ice cold but not room-temperature warm) but if it’s very hot outside, I’ll take an ice water. Then, I’ll drink the water and rub the ice against my skin to keep cool.

What made you feel good this past week?

I finally made a trip to the Family History Library in Downtown Salt Lake and learned how to search for my family. I’ve been wanting to go to that place for a long long long time because I’ve been super curious about my genealogy and now that I’ve gone, I know how to continue with my search.

When you’re alone at home, do you wear shoes, socks, slippers, or go barefoot?

I’d always go barefoot, that is unless I’m on hard floor. Otherwise, on carpet, I’d be barefoot. I’m not really a fan of wearing shoes because I’m clumsy and wearing shoes would just increase my chances of tripping.

Would you rather live where it is always hot or always cold?

Uh, how about neither? I don’t like either of those extremes. I think somewhere in between would be just fine.

Share Your World Challenge

Image Credit (except noted): Google

A-Z Challenge 2016 Theme

Published on March 21, 2016April 1, 2016 by Yinglan28 Comments

I didn’t know this is theme reveal day, otherwise, I’d be more prepared. Anyway, this will be my second year participating in the A-Z challenge and I signed up several months back. If you look at the sign-up page, I’m number 168, that should tell you just how long ago I signed up.

Last year, I didn’t really had a theme even though I “claimed” I did. I just went with whatever I could think about that day. This year, however, I do have a theme and that theme is

Quotes!

Each day for 26 days, I will feature a quote. The topic or author of the quote will match to the letter of the day. For example, I for Inspiration. I got the idea from doing the 3 Day 3 Quote challenge and from last year’s participation. Beneath the quote, I’ll write something, maybe the quote is related to me somehow or maybe I’ll pose a question.

I hope you will enjoy the weekday quotes for the next month. Now the question is, can I keep up with this theme? Or will I go off to some random theme in the middle month like last year? Who knows?! I guess we’ll see.

Share Your World – 2016 Week #11

Published on March 20, 2016 by Yinglan21 Comments

How many siblings do you have? What’s your birth order?

I don’t have any siblings but if I did, I’d be the second child. My mom had a miscarriage before me. So if that didn’t happen, I’ll be the younger sibling. Actually, I wouldn’t even exist because of the one-child rule in China. So consider me the lucky one.

In a car would you rather drive or be a passenger?

I would rather drive because I think I’d see more as a driver than a passenger. As a passenger, I’ll more likely fall asleep.

When you lose electricity in a storm, do you light the candles or turn on the flashlight? How many of each do you own?

I have a lot of candles at home, boxes and boxes and they’re all from a while back. We buy rare candles from thrift store and our friends gave us a few boxes. Also, some people collects coins, some collects stamps, my mom collects candles and candle houses. I bet you can’t even tell that inside that house is a candle, right?

Front

Back

However, I like flashlights better, at least a flashlight does not have the risk of a fire.

List at least five of your favorite types of animals? (any animal to domestic to wild to marine life).

Dog
Cat
Panda Bear
Bear (black/brown/white)
Sheep (year of the sheep)
Koala Bear
Kangaroo
Lioness (not a fan of the mane) or young lion
Tiger

Share Your World Challenge

Image Credit (except noted): Google

Share Your World – 2016 Week #10

Published on March 13, 2016 by Yinglan13 Comments

What would you ask for if a genie granted you three wishes?

Be smarter, flexible in the mind, and cunning
Be braver, courageous, and able to stand up for myself (have more guts)
Be more daring and adventurous in life

What experiences are most meaningful to you?

Probably one of those things I may never achieve (the quote). A meaningful experience is something unique (out of routine), new, memorable, and in the moment. Like going bowling for the first time or for me, trying new foods for the first time.

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be a lot of things. My dream career kept changing as I grew up. First, because my mom was a teacher when she was in China, so naturally, as a kid, I wanted to be a teacher too. I got a taste of that and I hated it. Next, I wanted to be a singer and then a movie director, and then it was a graphic artist. At the moment, even at nearly 25, I still haven’t achieve my dream career. It’s still evolving and may never stop.

Complete this sentence: The best day of my life was….

There has been quite a few best days and one of them resurfaced last week during my therapy session. When I was in Texas and living with my step-grandparents, we would go to church on Sundays and then after, we would stop at a fast food joint and they would get me whatever I want. My favorite place was Burger King.

The sizes at the Burger Kings in Texas are different from anywhere else. Its smallest is a medium, and then large, and king. The medium were plenty big, at least bigger than what I have at the Burger Kings in Utah.

Anyway, I would have the Big Fish and a milkshake and I was the happiest girl in the world. I no longer cared of how ridiculous I looked in high heels, dress, and make-up, at that moment, I was in a different world and this is why it’s one of the best days of my life because I got to forget temporarily how screw-up my mom and step-dad were and how they couldn’t stop fighting.

Share Your World Challenge

Image Credit (except noted): Google

Nature’s Art

Published on March 9, 2016 by Yinglan11 Comments

This picture was taken at Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada last September. I stopped there on my way home from Las Vegas. It was incredibly hot that day, almost 100°F and it was dry heat so every breath I took in burned in my lungs. I enjoyed the desert landscapes anyway.

I’ve chosen this picture to represent this week’s photo challenge and discover challenge because I believe the word, harmony, has a lot of different meanings. In my mind, harmony is a group of people, animals, and even objects come together in peace and create something amazing and to see, well, that’s invoking a sense, right?

When I look at this picture, it reminds me of this. In a way, this desert landscape is a work of art created by mother nature and this is how I see it:

Each time a gust of wind goes by, a group of sandstone particles would volunteer to surrender their place, they would choose to explore elsewhere even though they knew that once they leave, they’re never coming back. Over time, as more and more of these sandstone particles choose to move on, to travel and find a new home by means of the wind, a gaping hole would be in their places and sooner or later, the rock will look more and more like a block of Swiss cheese or it will transform into a peculiar sculpture that looks like the upper half of a man’s body.

Daily Post Photo Challenge – Harmony

Daily Post Discover Challenge – Blogging the Senses

Share Your World – 2016 Week #9

Published on March 5, 2016 by Yinglan10 Comments

Have you done something you truly want to do today? Continue reading “Share Your World – 2016 Week #9” →

Cee’s Black and White Challenge: Sepia Tone Only

Published on March 3, 2016 by Yinglan14 Comments

So I finally brought my camera with me to school but so far, I haven’t been able to capture a lot of images. This is one of them. My original goal was to take this in the dark because the minute and second hands light up but I missed my chance. Now, I’ll just have to wait until winter to capture it again.

This is a magnificent object in the school. It’s about the only thing that stands out for miles and with the mountains in the back, the scenery is breathtaking.

This was taken in the moment, just seconds before I had to sprint to catch the shuttle last week. For some reason, the mountains look incredibly close. It looks like the mountains are just beyond those buildings and stairs.

Cee’s Black & White Challenge

It’s March!

Published on March 2, 2016 by Yinglan13 Comments

It’s March and look, ding dong, the witch is dead. Continue reading “It’s March!” →

State of Mind

Published on February 28, 2016 by Yinglan20 Comments

Continue reading “State of Mind” →

Share Your World – 2016 Week #8

Published on February 27, 2016 by Yinglan6 Comments

What household chore do you absolutely hate doing? Continue reading “Share Your World – 2016 Week #8” →

The Final Straw

Published on February 26, 2016 by Yinglan37 Comments

Last night, I wanted so bad to hurt someone, something. Punch a hole in the wall. Rip my pillow in half. Throw everything at the wall. But I couldn’t. Damn that sentimentality. Continue reading “The Final Straw” →

Cee’s Black and White Challenge: Weather

Published on February 23, 2016 by Yinglan7 Comments

The past few weeks, it’s not been pretty here. Fog, haze, and gray skies, everyday not to mention the horrible air quality. Typical Utah winter. Continue reading “Cee’s Black and White Challenge: Weather” →

Share Your World – 2016 Week #7

Published on February 20, 2016 by Yinglan8 Comments

What are you a “natural” at doing? Continue reading “Share Your World – 2016 Week #7” →

Secrets

Published on February 18, 2016 by Yinglan6 Comments

I am terrible at keeping secrets. If you tell me a secret, I will have to tell someone or I might explode. Continue reading “Secrets” →

Failed Imitation

Published on February 17, 2016 by Yinglan7 Comments

I gotta be honest, when I saw this week’s photo challenge, I was a bit stumped because after I saw so many posting pictures of them or someone posing with statues, I knew I wouldn’t have any of those pictures lying around especially I don’t like to pose with things. After brainstorming for a few days, I finally came up with just the pictures to show.

When I took these pictures last December, I was still experimenting with the new camera. Both were taken with the Intelligent Auto setting (a what-turned-out-to-be-a useful setting). However, right before I pressed the shutter button for the first picture (the pretty one), the Intelligent Auto setting switched to Night setting and the flash was immediately turned off. I tried to snap one more (the second picture) but for some reason, the setting was reverted back to Auto. Thus, that’s the reason for the second picture.

Somethings just cannot be imitated, that includes shooting photographs.

Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge – Life Imitates Art

Against the World

Published on February 16, 2016 by Yinglan15 Comments

What did I do to get on the wrong side of the world? Why did the world had chosen me as its victim to be bullied? What do I have to do to make my world stand up straight again? Continue reading “Against the World” →