When to Throw Away Cosmetic Products and More

I was cleaning up my apt last night and was not sure if I can still use my expensive but barely used make up, so I google expiration date of make-up. I put the result in the chart below for future reference. 

 

Cosmetics/Skin Care/Tools (Expiration date from the time you open it)

General tip: 6 months for liquids; 2 years for powders

Foundation (expired when  the ingredients begin to settle or separate).	3-18 months
Concealer (always wipe the brush after use if the concealer comes in a wand and brush package)	6-12 months
Powders, Pressed powder ,  blush, bronzer	2 year
Mascara, liquid eyeliners (Never "pump" your mascara as that introduce bacteria)	3 months
Lip gloss & Lipstick	2 year
Eye/Lip Pencils, eye-shadows (May last >1 yr but sharpen pencils at least once a week to prevent bacteria. Product expired if it dries or crumbles.)	2 year
Facial Cleansers & Moisturizers (expired when oils and fats begin to separate)	6 months
Facial Toners	1 year
Natural Cosmetics ("all-natural body washes", etc.)	6 months
Natural-bristled brushes (use mild soap)	Wash once a month
synthetic brushes  (use mild soap)	three to four times a month
Cosmetic makeup sponges (expired when the sponge begins to tear)	Wash after every use, Toss within 1 month
Nail polish (expire when consistency turns gooey or stringy)	2 years
Sunscreen	6 months
Hair products	1 year
Fragrance (prolong life by keep in the fridge)	2 years (maybe longer)

 

House/Domestic Stuff:

Pillows	Every year (every 2 year if using pillow cases
Mattress	5 - 10 years
Smoke alarms	10 years
AC	Until it die
Vitamins (pills)	2 years
Fire extinguishers	Every 10 years
Water filter	20% past its expiration indicator
Cutting boards	sanitized after each use: Wash the board with detergent and hot water; then rinse and flood with a solution of 1 part full-strength white vinegar to 4 parts water and let it sit for five minutes. Rinse with clean water, pat with a clean towel, and air dry.
Contact Lens	3 months
Toothbrush	3 - 4 months (exception for some electric toothbrush heads, may be up to 6 months, see manufacturer for instruction)
Anti-bacterial cream	1 year
Rubbing alcohol	Till it's gone

CrossFit - Day 7

Warm up:
0.5 miles on Elliptical
1 rounds of
* Samson Stretch (hold 20 seconds for each side)
* Squat (10 reps)
* Sit-up (10 reps)
* Push up(10 reps)

WOD:
I completed 4 rounds in 10 minutes:
*13 pounds Front squat, 5 reps
*Lat Pull down with a functional Dual Pulley System(80#) [I did this instead of pull up], 10 reps
*tuck jump (instead of Double-unders), 15 reps
Tuck Jump is much harder than I thought. I have to take break between 15 reps

CrossFit - Day 4, 5, 6

Day 4 is rest day. I did just that.

Day 5 WOD is to do as many round as I can of front squat, pull up, and double under. Unfortunately, I was too tired from work so I didn't do this.

Day 6 - I am going bike 16 miles with friends. I think that'll make up for not doing WOD.

I'll do Day 5 activities on Day 7.

CrossFit - Day 3

Today I was not very motivated to go exercise because I was tired from a demanding day at work and was still sore from yesterday. At the end, I was able to talk myself into sticking with my original plan and did the exercise.

Warm up: 3 rounds of 10-15 reps of
* Samson Stretch (once each round, hold 20 seconds for each side)
* Squat (15 reps)
* Iron Cross (20 reps, 10 each side)
* Sit-up (15 reps)
* Scorpion (20 reps, 10 each side)
* Back-extension (10 reps)
I forgot to do the push up.

WOD (puppies/buttercup level): Northwest Regional Event 4
Burpees (10 reps. I did this instead of Row because our gym don't have rower and I read 1 burpees = 1 calories. I couldn't do 30 calories yet)
13 pound Thruster (10 reps. Couldn't do 20)
(I skip the 3 beginner rope climb because I couldn't do it)
20 dumbbell swings (10#)

10 Burpees
13 pound Thruster, 10 reps
10 dumbbell swings, 10 pounds
10 dumbbell swings, 20 pounds

10 Burpees
13 pound Thruster, 10 reps
20 dumbbell swings, 20 pounds

I did quite a few substitutions today due to lack of equipments and my physical ability.

I am looking forward to tomorrow's rest day :)

CrossFit

A friend told me about CrossFit and how it wants you to have more time for life by device exercise that maximize result with minimum amount of time.

I really like the shortness of daily workout(~15 minutes, not counting warm up) and the variety that prevents me from getting bored (by following workout of the day [WOD] on this site).

My goal is to exercise 3 days, follow up 1 day of rest.

For yesterday's workout, I did:

Warm up: 3 rounds of 10-15 reps of
* Samson Stretch (once each round, hold 20 seconds for each side)
* Squat (15 reps)
* Iron Cross (20 reps, 10 each side)
* Sit-up (15 reps)
* Scorpion (20 reps, 10 each side)
* Back-extension (10 reps)
* Push up (bend knees, 10 reps)

WOD: 3 rounds, 15, 12 and 9 reps of
* Overhead Squat with an empty EZ Curl Bar (~13#)
* Lat Pull down with a functional Dual Pulley System(80#) [I did this instead of pull up]

Lunch at the Beach

L.A. had another gorgeous, sunny day today.

Since I am only a few minutes from the beach, I bought tacos and tamales at a local supermarket and had my lunch at the beach.

It was so nice!

Note to self: Have lunch at the beach more often.

May I Take a Vacation?

Although I been working for a long time now, I am still not used to the idea of asking permission to take time off. I thought one characteristic of adulthood is the freedom to spend time however one choose to. However, for anyone holding a job, this is not the case.

I love my job, but every time I have to submit a vacation request, I feel a little twinge in my heart and wish I have the financial freedom to takeoff whenever I want.

All About L.A. - Things I Want to Try and Things I Love

 

After seeing list of things to do in L.A. by Caroline On Crack, I was inspired to make a personal list of "things I want to try in Los Angeles". Since I plan to stay in Los Angeles for a very long time, I am going to keep this as a "living list" (i.e. as I find more interesting things,  I'll add to this list).

 

And since making list is one of my hobbies, I had a lot of fun writing down "things I love about L.A." Many on this list are things that I re-visit whenever I get a chance. Beware! If you do things in this list, you may fall in love with L.A. too. 

 

Items are listed in no particular order.

 

Things I Want to Try in L.A. (Want to do any  of these with me?)

1. Try the restaurants listed in my ever-growing Yelp bookmarks 
2. Downtown Art Walk
3. Go watch an Angel City Derby Girls or a L.A. Derby Dolls Tournament
4. Bike on the Strand, from Playa Del Rey to Redondo Beach
5. Watch a movie in the Grauman's Chinese theater @ Hollywood & Highland
6. Go to a concert at The Disney Concert Hall
7. Go visit the Bradbury Building
8. Go sit on that bench in the "500 Days of Summer" (in Bunker Hills, on the corner of 4th and Olive.)
9. Do more pretty, easy hikes (Sandstone Peak sounds pretty)
10. Mulholland Drive from 405 to 101
11. Go to a Lakers game in the Staples Center
12. Santa Fe Dam and Recreation Area (because I drive by it so many times but still haven't visit this place)
13. Wayfare's Chapel in Palos Verdes
14. Go see wild buffalos in Catalina 

 

Things I Love About L.A.

1. Endless food variety and numerous great restaurants to try (though I often make repeat visits to places that I rated 4+ stars). L.A. has some of the best Chinese food, Fusion food, Japanese food….
2. L.A. offers so much diversity that one can never get bored. Regardless of who you are and what you are into, you will find things you are interested in L.A. The list of "things to try at least once in L.A." is never-ending.
3. Yummy variety of food available at wee hours (1am - 6am).  Delicious Chinese/Korean food at 3am taste so much better (to me) than Denny's
4. Watching firework synchronized to great music at the Hollywood Bowl. Always bring a picnic basket.
5. The Getty Center garden, its special exhibits, and its events
6. Unbelievable amount of free summer activities; here's a 100 examples.
7. Point Dume, hiking along the beach and look for sea creatures in the tide pool
8. View of the entire Los Angeles county from Mount Wilson Observatory parking lot. On a clear day, you can even see the ocean.
9. Old Town Pasadena
10. Kayaking in Alamitos Bay and the Naples channels. If you go at the right time, in addition to the mansions, you will also find star fishes and jellyfishes.
11. Awesome Salsa scene, every night of the week
12. Walking around Larchmont Village, especially on Sunday (Farmers Market)
13. Walking around Main St. @ Santa Monica, especially on Sunday (Farmers Market)
14. Walking around Venice canals
15. First Friday at Abbot Kinney 
16. L.A. beaches. I love watching waves crashing onto the beach; while sipping a cup of hot coffee/tea.
17. Pacific Theaters Vineland Drive-In
18. Driving on PCH from Santa Monica up to Malibu
19. The Huntington Library
20. $15 (full body) massage in San Gabriel Valley
21. Walking in a sea of brilliant yellow mustard flowers at the Palos Verdes View hiking trail in April
22. Outdoor movies during the summer (available in almost every cities; or you can befriended Vero & Whitney so they'd invite you to their next private screening)
23. Visit The Griffith Observatory just before sunset (I think I'd love watching sunrise at Griffith too but I don't wake up that early).

  

Lucky

L.A. has been hit with rare storms, hence, the waves at the beaches are huge.

I wanted to see some big waves, so this morning, I drove to the beach for a bit wave watching.


Not many beaches have parking right in front of the beach, not many people live within minutes drive from a beach, and not many people have the luxury to wake up at normal hour and go to a beach before work.

I am bless.