Coffee Break

I'm not really a coffee type of person (unless we're talking about the Maxim instant coffee of course.) Growing up as a kid I always heard/saw that coffee was the "drug" to get any adult up and ready for their day. Ever since then I promised myself that I wouldn't be one of those that relied on that coffee jolt to jump start my body or to use that as an excuse for unexcused grumpiness. Just getting 8 hours of sleep and eating a good breakfast always did the trick for me.

In Korea, it's a different story. Not that I needed the coffee, but I actually enjoyed it there. There are so many coffee shops that it's hard not to stop and pick one up. Plus, there they have other coffee chains that exist beyond Starbucks, thank goodness, so the coffee is actually good.

I noticed that all the cafes we've been to so far serve brown sugar on the table instead of white. If the brown sugar isn't to your liking or sweet enough there's also the option of sugar water or raw sugar rocks. I stuck to a cube of brown sugar and it seemed to do the trick. Does it make a difference in the coffee you ask? I think so. It gives it more of a heavier and sweeter taste. Yum.

Avec nos compliments

Remember my birthday dinner I had a while ago? To help make that night even more memorable the restaurant staff had given me a gift certificate for a future dinner.

I would have used it up by now but that restaurant is almost 30 minutes away from my house. Too far to drive when you're hungry.....and grumpy. Luckily, it's around Karina's neck of the woods and we made it a date night.

The sushi was just as good as I had remembered and of course, I had to get the flaming spicy salmon roll again. Is it just me or does food always taste good when it's a.) someone else's and b.) free.

Our fortune cookie was surprisingly dead on for that month. Karina's couldn't be any more right with the gift she (and my coworkers) had gotten me recently. Mine was somewhat a standard fortune, but the timing was perfect in this situation. Good job, fortune cookie!


P.S. Does anyone else have trouble with blogger's pictures uploading sideways sometimes? (and without being able to rotate them?) Hmm..... This must be fixed (or I need to learn the trick into fixing it.)

Making my list

I saw this at Target today.

How cute would this look in my kitchen or anyone's at that? I can just imagine it now- Every day I would walk in to get something to eat and this little thing would just put a big ol smile on my face. I definitely added this to my holiday wish list. Let's just hope Santa doesn't have selective reading.

I feel like the stores hold out on all the good stuff solely for this time of the year. Don't retail stores understand that their customers are suppose to be shopping for others and not themselves?? How can I pass up this Hello Kitty microwave? Well, no worries. As I took a picture of this I made sure Anthony was right next to me listening to my girly squeals. "OH MY GOSH!! Look how cute this is! I really want this.....and it's only $80. Wow, this is sooo me and needs to be in our kitchen. All my friends would love it yet be jealous of it..." Blah Blah, you know how us girls talk. I think my girl talk got implanted in his head pretty well. He just smiled and replied with a "Yep." Typical man answer if you ask me. 

Besides window shopping this weekend my time has been wasted invested on watching Cake Boss, Mad Men, Nana (yes, that anime series), and Weeds. I need to restrict myself sometimes because I'll find that I rather sit and watch all my new favorite shows on the laptop instead of going out with friends. *guilty* You know....... I just see it as saving money and spending quality quiet time with myself. Hey. I work a long week and sometimes at the end of it I just want to bum it around the house in my house clothes (do you have those too?) and snack on seaweed sheets. :)

Vera Wang- Black Wedding Dresses 2011

How do we feel for black as the new color for a bride? While these styles are beautiful and eye catching, I'm not sure if I could pull these off on my wedding day. I think the overall look and feel to it gives off a slightly dark vibe. These would totally be perfect for a Tim Burton wedding. 

What do you think? Is Vera Wang going to succeed in breaking the traditional white wedding dress mold?

source

Raw, please

We got treated out for lunch by Anthony's mom's friend one day. He wanted to give us an unforgettable dining experience that we would enjoy and take back with us for good memory.

Anthony is a picky eater except for when it comes to his beloved korean food. As for me, I'll eat just about anything. So I was excited to see what he had planned for us.

Here it was.

This restaurant raised and prepared their own cattle. Talk about fresh and organic, right?

When the first plate came out I thought that was our main meal. It was a good enough portion to get us all full especially with the bowl of rice and salad on the side. Nope. It was just an appetizer. This appetizer was so good and tasted really fresh. The cook had raw fish prepared on the plate with sesame oil on the side for dipping sauce. This whole time I'm eating it and thinking what kind of tuna is in the center. I looked over at Anthony and his mom. They're both eyeballing me asking if I like it. I reply with a big smile and nod my head as I'm slurping the "tuna" in my mouth. Anthony chuckles and says, "You know that's raw beef your eating, right?"

"What?? Are you serious? Is that even legal?" I sternly asked trying to play off my mini panic attack. After all, it was a treated lunch so I didn't want to look rude and disrespectful  in front of his mom's friend. I just sucked it up and continued to enjoy it as if I thought it was raw fish.

I liked the beef and it tasted like, well, like eating raw tuna. There's really no smell or flavor to it, but it's so good dipped in that sea salt covered sesame oil.

Then comes the main meal. I was so full from the appetizer I didn't know how I was going to finish the BBQ meat. In Korea it's very rude to decline food offered to you whether it's the first plate or if they offer seconds. You can't just waive your hand and say you're full. You just got to find some more room in that little stomach of yours and pack some more food into it. I learned that after the fact. So I sucked it up and Anthony and I ate every last bit of what was on our plate. Gosh, by the time we were done I had to take a seat and just relax. One thing I like about most of the restaurants in Korea- the free coffee they offer you at the end of you meal.

This is a must try restaurant if you're ever on the Jeju Island! It was definitely a memorable experience.

November Sun

It's already November and guess what? It's warm and sunny here in the lovely desert! My sandals are still being put to use and my jeans are still tucked away. This week has been in the high 80's and it feels so nice.

I've been enjoying my new job (but spending more money using the excuse that I must get more work clothes.) I still have to get use to working a 9-5, but it's been okay so far. Waking up in the morning isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be (now that I got my body on a new sleeping schedule.)

The holiday season is right around the river bend (remember that song from Pocahontas? hehe) This means heavy traffic, snowbirds coming in, and messy store racks every where I go. Hmmm....not really looking forward to it. :/

Not only is it November but it's only 19 more days until my Zelda game comes out! That's what I'm really looking forward to if you ask me. Oh, and the new Twilight movie. I know, yes, I am one of "those." I'm not the crazy fans though that must see the movie right at midnight and will wait 4 hours in line. No, no, no. I usually wait a week or so and go during the cheap matinee time. I don't like to go with other girls squealing down my neck and getting shivering pleasures while imagining Edward's on the honeymoon with them.....if you catch my drift.

You know how breakfast is my favorite meal of tha day, right? Well I came upon this interesting blog just recently called- Simply Breakfast. I love seeing what she comes up with next and I try to copy the exact thing, but............too lazy. I just whip out the instant oatmeal and drink a mug full of hot green tea before work. Less time consuming, but by far not as tasty as her posts look.

I've been wearing these croc shoes all summer long and I love this green skirt I found at F21. Olive green is my favorite color (along with mustard yellow) for clothing articles. And I'll let you in on a secret- I'm not the type of girl to change her handbag every day/week/month. I've been using this Coach bag for 3 months now......Hey, I got it because I like it, not to be stuffed hidden in my closet. Last year I only rotated my bags twice. My friends were getting annoyed seeing the same one every day......which lead to every month. Hahaha....What can I say? I like to use my things up and wear it as much as possible. This is how I feel that my money was put into worth.

Halloween Party

I've never been to a Halloween party up until this past weekend. *lame, right?* While everyone was parting and dressing up I was somehow always working...or just got lazy and lost motivation after my work shift.

This year was different.....but so close to me just lounging around like every yearly tradition. My best friend decided last minute that she wanted to go to this Halloween party. Good for her I thought. But then she asked me to go with her. I had to actually think about it and I felt bad. The last time we actually hung out was here and that was a couple months back. Not to mention she lives about an hour and some change away from me so I wanted to be a good bestie and make the effort to show some friendship effort as I mentioned here.

Well all in all it was a fun night! I'm glad she dragged me out of my comfort zone and we danced the night away!


Here we are- Me, as a teacher/secretary/foreign exchange student (pretty much whatever people wanted to think I was. This was on a last minute whim so I just threw some things together. Ha.) and my friend as a red riding hood.