Barley Tea

Man, today is a high of 98 degrees. I'm dying out here. T_T  To make matters worse, every time I drive somewhere in the car my arm gets darker each second (due to the fact that we had to remove our limo tint on the driver and passenger window after the police gave us a freaking ticket!!!!!) My arm is the darkest part on my body right now so today I strategically wore a light long sleeve shirt. :P


Days like this are perfect for a nice cold glass of bori cha also known as barley tea. I remember as a kid I believed that all water in Korea tasted like bori cha. Lol. Not until I got older I realized that it was actually a tea and not a type of water flavor. Silly me........


Even though you're suppose to drink 8 glasses of H20 a day to stay hydrated and keep up nice skin, it was really hard for me. I hated the taste of water for the longest time and would try to get by with just 2 glasses all day with maybe some sweet tea squeezed in every now and then.

After we moved to Tucson, I realized that this lack of water lead to dizziness and headaches early in the day that would effect my work performance and social life.

I bought barley tea one day at the Korean market (after realizing that this was what bori cha consisted of.)
It was heaven to my mouth! Every time I quench my thirst with this I'm reminded of Korea and how all the restaurants offer this to the customers. I couldn't believe one time I dined at a Korean restaurant (in the states) and they actually charged for bori cha???? Thats upsurd!! That's almost like charging for tap water!! It's suppose to be free, darn it! That was the last time I ate there!!


If you ever go to Korea town in California, every Korean restaurant you go to offers bori cha (at no charge of course.) It's great!!


This tea is soooooo easy to make. All you need to do is buy the barley tea, dump the bag in a water pitcher and take out after 4-5 hrs. After that just keep it chilled in your fridge and serve at your convenience!! It can also be served as a hot tea as well. Mmmmm......so good for the winter!!! I usually carry it in my coffee mug..haha.

My phone is the best!!!

A while back I posted that I was getting the HTC Evo. While I waited patiently for this phone the stupid waiting list was freakin' long and it seemed like forever until they were going to have a full stock. Mind you, this phone came out in June this year and there's STILL a wait for it in the city I live in. Why??? Why doesn't the manufacturer know that if there's heavy advertising into your product then make more for high demand???? I called Sprint every other week (the time they claimed their shipment was due to arrive) and I kept getting the same answer,"We only got 3 in for our shipment and the next order in will be in 2 weeks. Call back then." And so forth in the waiting cycle of Michelle.


Well, not anymore!!! It was like destiny for me to wait because Sprint came out with a better version of the Evo (in my opinion) and it has a keyboard!!! When Anthony got the Evo he bragged constantly on how cool and high tech it was.....but I was a little comprehensive due to the fact that I can't text as fast with a touch screen.I guess I was a little relieved every time Sprint turned me down with a hope of an excuse to hold on to my BB a little longer.... I really didn't want to give up my blackberry for a huge touch screen gadget.


Boy, am I glad I held out. My Samsung Epic is the best!!! The screen is cleared and the mega pixel on the camera is a lot better than the BB curve.


This phone is literally my portable laptop! It's great!!! It makes a great hot-spot and even has a video chat. Clarity is great and the phone is yet sleek and compact!

Cheers to Sprint and their slow shipment!!

Cooking with Michelle 101- kimchi fried rice

So today class, we are going to learn how to make some de-li-cious kimchi fried rice also know as kimchi bokumbop. Although this dish isn't served in a lot of Korean restaurants in Korea or in the states, families love it and make it regularly at home. For me, I probably make it like 4 times a month! lol. I love it sooo much and its so easy to whip up.


Here's what you will need- (for 2-3 generous servings)

about a bowl full of cooked rice (i usually fill it past the rim)
1 1/2 cup of kimchi (the older I prefer because the better the results)
1 lb meat of your choice
1/2-1 onion (i used half an onion this time)
1 tsp of sesame oil
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp red pepper powder

First off start by cooking the kimchi on med high heat in a large pan or wok. 

I like to cut my kimchi into smaller pieces so that way there's more juice released from it and more kimchi per serving

After about 5 minutes of cooking, add the onions and meat (i used leftover bulgogi meat :D)

Continue to cook until meat is fully browned and onions are tender

This time I added some bean sprouts for "nutritional value" but normally I don't add/use it.

So, after 5-7 minutes all the ingredients should be well done and ready. Turn stove down to low.

Add the rice (it's better if it's cold or leftover rice....if you use fresh rice straight from the rice cooker the whole thing gets sticky and kind of mushy) 

Mix the rice well with all the ingredients in the pan. After it is well blended that's when I add the sesame oil and soy sauce. Sometimes I use a dash of pepper, garlic powder and sugar. It's all up to you. 

I like my fried rice spicy so I recently started to add spicy green peppers to it..add some 'umpf' t it along with some color..

After adding all the ingredients then you're done!! *Ta-da!* I packed it up for lunch and sprinkled some sesame seeds on top for presentation.

Then I used some left over odang panchan (fish cake) and garnished the rice with it on the side...mmmm!

**Normally an egg is added on the top but I didn't feel like cooking it today so I left that out...

Me, study? uuhhh.....

Why??? Why must I procrastinate on my Korean homework? I always wait until the day of to study for the quizzes. T_T  Today my teacher assigned some worksheets that needed to be done....We move at a quick pace in the 2 hrs that we have and today was quickly jumped into verbs.

These verbs have to be memorized by Thursday!!! That only gives me a day!!! I can't remember all these in one day!!! AAAGGHH!!! One thing I definitely did not pick up from my Korean side is my motivation to study...hahaha.


I like how my teacher picks the cute pictures for the action... ^_^

One thing that would make the test easier is if she just said the Korean words and we had to write it as oppose to us listening to the words in English and having to write in in Korean. *blah*  Doesn't college understand that people have full time jobs they need to attend too???? *sigh* Well, no excuse. I just need to push harder and think about how this will all be worth it somehow and someday............

Now as I finish this post it may easily be assumed that after this I might actually go study for this quiz on Thursday. But actually, I have to finish  a 3-5 page report on American social norms mixed in with capitalism with a dash of fast food corporation empowerment. Yeah.....that paper is due on Thursday as well and my progress you may ask?.........at a stand still. *sigh* Focus, Michelle!! Focus!!!!! Maybe it's this fortune I got in my fortune cookie 3 days ago..... hahaha-

I'm relying to much on pure luck and trying to wing things out........hhmmm.....well, whatever works..hahaha!

A good day......

I have  long weekend ahead of me! Work is going to be busy tomorrow, going out of town the weekend and starting Monday I have homework that's due on Tuesday!! Then a 5 page report is due Thursday!! Aggghhh!! Overload!! Today was my only day to catch up on errands and exercise my window shopping. :D I'm a little lazy to write a full post but here are some cute pictures....yup yup.....

Anthony got me these super cute erasers from a craft store.

Hello Kitty is slowly taking over...bwahaha!! I don't mind!

Lipgloss in doughnut display..yummy!

I wish I had these when I was a kid...... :(

Catching up on new fashion...

Hmmm, apparently I'm behind on the "latest" fashion trends. Dr. Martens came out with Hello Kitty style docs and they are super cute! I love how HK is getting more exposure and slowly taking over the world! Bwahaha!!


"Sanrio teams up with Dr. Martens to create five limited edition shoe styles to celebrate their respective 50th anniversaries. All styles are full-grain leather with a soft feel and the original Dr. Martens air-cushioned sole providing underfoot comfort and durability." 

Although, I would never but these shoes I wouldn't mind having them just to say "I have Hello Kitty Dr. Martens!! Boo-ya!" Of course no one one care except my HK obsessed asian friends...which is like 2... T_T
It's hard being in my early 20's still loving HK while the American culture frown upon this and think it's "Childish nonsense and a waste of money. Grow up!!" as they would say.


Did I mention that I even wanted to take the HK plane?? Yeah!! Cool, right!!?? (You don't have to agree, I'll just share my excitement within myself.) Eva Airways, a Taiwanese based airline, has 2 HK planes that they use for short routes in Asia. Unfortunately, these planes don't do international flights as of March 2009. T_T
So, I'll just droll over these pics and wish one day I'll be in Asia needing to take a short trip to the Disneyland in Japan. hehe.

Now, before I went off track to the HK airlines, I was talking about fashion. Fashion is expressed in so many ways and Lady Gaga is obviously the queen of individuality.....But what the HELL was she thinking at the VMA show?? 

The first 2 outfits were original and "gaga" like.....................

Now Gaga had good taste when it came with sticking to one of her favorite designers- I actually loved this dress she wore and thought it was classy. She can look pretty at times. Her makeup is "normal" and fresh looking....The designer is the recently deceased( Feb. 2010) Alexander McQueen.One day, when I have money from the skies, I would love to get my hands on one...any one, of his dresses.....and flaunt it around for the day....

This dress is beautifu!! Something I would choose on my big day!!

Anyway...back to the program-----------------------

The second dress was made by Armani (the king of cologne's as well.....as you know from my previous blog :D) 

But the third dress???? Uh..I didn't know I was watching the Food Network?? What was she thinking???

Now, it didn't surprise me that she wore this particular style of dress. But I didn't think she was going to use REAL meat????? What happened to good ol' look-a-like fabrics??? Must be nice to represent the U.S. as the country so rich we can wear our food around for pleasure and just discard it after.....*long sigh*