Tag Archives: graduate student

I Got TROLOLOLOL’D

Saw a link for TROLOLOL  http://trololololololololololo.com/ in my twitter feed, clicked on it and saw this happy dude go trolololo and I was like what the heck is this? First there was massive confusion, as in is this for real? Seriously!? And then I just couldn’t stop laughing.  Every time I thought his trololololing was coming to end, he would pick and go on another trolololing ride. Seriously it goes on for like five minutes and you really can’t see the timer on the actual website, so you’re just mesmerized by his wig, awful lip-synching, and lalala trolololo’ing.    I had no idea that he was such an online sensation as the Russian Rickroll.  Today when I saw the sunlight after such a long time, I just wanted to go Trolololololol lalalalala hohohoho hahahaha…

I found this YouTube version in case you’re too scared to click on the actual website hehe.

For a little history on Edward Hill/Russian Rickroll – click here

Wondering what the heck is this whole Rickroll thing all about? Then go here

My Tea For The Moment: Recently A couple of friends and I decided to meet up at Argo Tea for the first time.  It was really nice, the service was great and the girl at the register was awesome and gave me some good recommendations. I had a Soy Green teapuccino with Vanilla. It’s basically tea with frothy milk and it tasted real good. To that I also added a warm apple tart which the girl told me would go perfect with my tea.  Overall a great place, so go check it out.  Just a note that It’s actually inside the Flatiron building on the Broadway side so make sure you go around the building before you start running up and down on parallel streets like I did hehe.


Fortune Cookie’s Wise Instructions For The Day

Hello my friends! Hope you guys are having a great post V-day, Monday and oh of course a very happy Presidents’ Day!  So I was sitting there and day dreaming, having some tea and eating a fortune cookie when I looked down at the tiny piece of paper for a vague cookie prophecy because that’s what we all like to do.  Ha, and just like always a very special cookie message indeed, “The first step in making a dream come true is to wake up!”  Hey how did you know I was? Well, I wasn’t really dreaming you know…whatever Fortune Cookie, you’re weird.

Naturally to wake up and gain some energy,  I ate another one! And got the following message, “Your energy returns and you get things done.”

Woah! Now how did you know that Fortune Cookie?  Creepy, are you like the thesis police, have you been sent to remind me that I need to get back to work?   By the way, Fortune Cookies are not bad with tea at all.  Definitely a nice light snack to go with your delicious tea.

On another note do you need a good laugh?

Then check out the following:

The Muppets: Beaker’s Ballad

and the following list of songs and their descriptions.  You’ll have to click on the images in the bottom of the article.


My Tea For The Moment: I recommend trying out the White Peony tea at Radiance Tea House and Books.  First of all it was such a lovely find in the midtown area and the service was great too. As for the tea, It was really nice and light with this subtle hint of sweetness.  If you need something to eat with your tea, order a platter of Mochi.  You can choose 5 pieces from 9 flavors and they’re all Yum. My favorite from the five that we ordered was Green Tea, Black Sesame and Mango.  I’ll have to try the other four flavors next time!

Bookmark and Share

My First Bubble Tea!

Bubble TeaYes, I finally tried Bubble Tea!  I don’t really know why it has taken me this long but I’m happy to inform everyone that I really enjoyed it.  This great occurrence took place at  The Saint’s Alps Teahouse in East Village.  I tried out the Green Milk Tea and it was great! At first I was a little confused as to how you order them, I was wondering if you would say, could I please have it with the bubbles? or the balls? but thanks to my friend I didn’t really make a fool of myself and said it rather properly as in, could I please have it with the tapioca balls? Actually “pearl tapioca” like their site describes it would have been better but I’m sure you’re saying who cares!? Hey, I say it’s good to know! Oh and speaking of sites, you should know that Saint Alps Teahouse site is actually the Hong K0ng one. So don’t be surprised if you see crazy high prices because those are actually in Hong Kong Dollars!  As for the tapiocas that I tried, they were chewy and didn’t really taste like anything to me.  I’m sure they vary from place to place?  Has any one of you tried them?  Yes? Then tell me your Bubble Tea story! 🙂


My Tea For The Moment: Just keeping it simple and drinking STASH’s Organic Premium White Tea.  It’s nice and light and goes perfect with the post ugly weather day!

Bookmark and Share

Video

The Return 2010!

Hello hello, what’s up!? And I’m back!  First I need to apologize for my long break. I was so exhausted after the finals that I had to go in hibernation.  Granted I wasn’t planning on going away for that long but hey that’s what happens when you hibernate in a cold place with lots of snow!  I know, I know it wasn’t like I was hibernating out doors in an Igloo but still it was kind of like that and on top of that my muse went to hibernate as well. It’s not exactly back yet but since all the action starts today as in the new semester and craziness. I’m hoping it will return quite soon.

So hopefully everyone had a great break and a really happy New Years eve.   Before we move on, I just want to mention some future blogging plans.  Since this is my last semester and I will be extremely busy working on my thesis project, I might not be able to blog as much. I will try to blog at least once over the weekend.  In any case, I’ll see how the semester goes and if I find that I can do it more often then I sure will.  Plus, it also depends on how much you guys want me to keep writing.  So comments are encouraged!

I thought maybe I should start by sharing some of my hibernation period highlights. Some fun stuff I watched, ate and drank.  I might not be able to mention everything in this post but I’ll try to do them in my future posts if possible.

SO! One thing that I really enjoyed was this South Korean drama that my sister found.  It’s this old drama titled “Full House” starring Song Hye Kyo and Rain. You know the guy from Ninja Assassin.  This was a 16 episode drama done in 2004.   I had no idea how popular Rain was until after I watched this drama and the whole Stephen Colbert ongoing joke with Rain thing.  This was really a fun watch and I laughed a lot. I wish they made all dramas this short and sweet.  Song Hye Kyo’s acting was incredible and I wasn’t really sure of Rain’s acting in the first few episodes, however as the character and story developed so did his acting and ultimately they both ended up doing an amazing job.  They had a great chemistry and I hope they do something else together again soon.

If you’re interested in watching Full House then go here and follow the playlist.  They have it with English subtitles and that is how I watched it.  I wish I knew Korean but sadly I don’t.

Thanks hermana for telling me to check this one out! It definitely cheered me up!

I also got a chance to check out some not so typical Bollywood films.  One of them was Salman Khan’s “Wanted” I was interested in checking this one out because it’s directed by this amazing South Indian dancer, choreographer and actor Prabhu Deva. I think this was the first time that I actually didn’t mind checking out fight sequences in an Indian movie.  Normally you just want to forward through them.  The songs and dances are great and he definitely made Salman Khan look good after a very long time.  I think I liked it because it was very different and had a very stylish feel to it.  So if you’re looking for something different then check out this trailer.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8K6dYer4AA]

Here is a cool song from the movie that i really like!

The other movie that I just loved was “3 Idiots.” Anything with Aamir Khan in it is usually good.  Everyone acted really well and Aamir Khan and Boman Irani should get an award for this one.   I can go on and on but for short, it’s fun from start to finish and really well done so check out the trailer.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2b3hFCIkGLc]

By the way most Indian films come with English and other language subtitles in case you don’t know Hindi or Urdu and would like to rent them out.

And of course I had to watch Avatar, Sherlock Holmes and Princess and the Frog.  Maybe I’ll talk about these in detail in another post but for now I would say Avatar is a visual feast, Sherlock Holmes is fun if you’re open to new interpretations and The Princess and the Frog is really cute.   I basically enjoyed all three of them.  If you have a desire to discuss these in details then we can do that too.  Post a question and we shall ponder upon it!

No hibernation is complete without amazing food and I’m so glad that “Famous Hamburger” opened up a new branch in Ann Arbor, MI. I had some great burger feasts with the family and it was a lot of fun.  If you’re ever in town and are looking for halal burgers or not this is the place to be.  Everyone is really nice and the service is great.

Just look at it!  Ahh i’m hungry all over again! 🙂

I think this is a lot for the return.  I’m sure you guys don’t want to read this long of a post! So until next post, do good and be happy! Oh and a Happy 2010 to everyone! Hopefully it is full of happiness and exciting adventures!

My tea for the moment: I decided to try out Yogi Teas. This one is the Green Tea Collection and I’m specifically trying out the Green Tea Lemon Ginger flavor.  I wasn’t sure about this one by the way it has this strong Ginger lemon smell to it but it’s not as tangy as I thought it was going to be in taste. So not bad.


It’s Time For A Final Exam Break!

Alright guys it’s time for me to go on a mini break. My finals begin next week! If all goes well, I shall return once the nightmare is over in two weeks!  Remember don’t worry, drink lots of chai, tea, coffee, hot cocoa, whatever you need to get through all your projects, papers, exams,  final thesis, or life in the next few weeks in general.  I leave you guys with some of my favorite musical compositions  that you can listen to while you study or just take a break.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcDb8-aX26U]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=df-eLzao63I]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1iZXyWLnXg]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOA-2hl1Vbc&feature=related]

There’s a whole album on concentration! Here’s one with beautiful pictures of Venice.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYDo8j8IDiA&feature=related]

Good Luck guys! See Ya soon 🙂

My tea for the moment: Okay so besides going through the whole finals stress bit, I got sick this week as well.  The nasty cold finally caught me!  I’ve been coughing up a storm and the three teas that seemed to work on my throat were STASH’s Chamomile caffeine free herbal tea, Lemon Ginger caffeine free herbal tea and Chai White Tea.  All with a couple spoons of honey. Of course I didn’t drink all three at once but yes, I did drink them in all in a day.  I was basically just trying to fix my self as much as possible before my class and they each seem to have some key ingredient like Chamomile, Lemon, Ginger, Cinnamon etc so I thought hey why not!

Bookmark and Share

Cereal Selection and Therapy

If you’re the kind of person who spends endless hours in the cereal aisle because you just can’t seem to decide which cereal to get, then the handy flowchart from “What Should I Eat? Cereal Edition”  is just the handy  guide you need!

Even cereal mascots need therapy sometimes…

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hj2twApbapU]

So which cereal do you like?  Favorite Cereal Mascot?

My tea for the moment: I’m trying out STASH’s Mangosteen Green Tea.  According to the box, It’s a green tea that “blends naturally sweet and slightly citrus mangosteen  fruit with juicy pear flavor.”  Mangosteen which is referred to as the “Queen of Fruits” in Asia also has a touch of Matcha which is speical green tea used in the Japanese tea ceremony.

Bookmark and Share

Fun Thanksgiving Day Videos To Go With Your Turkey Sandwich!

Hi everyone! Just wanted to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving Day! As you guys eventually sit back and relax and munch on those post turkey dinner sandwiches, here are some fun Thanksgiving videos that will make you smile!

Cats celebrate Thanksgiving too you know! hehe.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncoocXgF7-I]

Remember when Joey in Friends got a turkey stuck on his head! This was one of the funniest scenes ever.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A99qU5aedjo]

And then there are these two funny ads…

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIBgBHMsqug]

I’m sure everyone has had at least one slippery turkey moment! hahaha.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L3bGKlxzGE]

My tea for the moment: I was wondering if there are any special Thanksgiving day tea flavors out there and guess what? I found this “Pumpkin Chai Tea” that sounds like an interesting blend.  It’s by Coffee Bean Direct and you can read the details here http://www.coffeebeandirectblog.com/new-tea/pumpkin-chai-tea/.  If any of you already tried this one, let me know!

Bookmark and Share

5 Funny Videos To Make You Laugh!

Hi guys! I came across these videos and they made me a laugh a lot.  Now since It’s already November and kind of dark and gloomy, I thought it would be cool If I helped us all prepare for the upcoming Winter blues.  So here are 5 videos that I hope will make you laugh and if they don’t then I’m sorry you must have a serious case of SAD and maybe you should watch Tom and Jerry!  And if you have already watched them, then check them out again because you know they’ll be super hilarious the second time around! 🙂

5. Abed and Troy’s Spanish rap “La Biblioteca” in the show Community.  Best way to learn your vocab words!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7io6a6a1qY]

4.  “Do Re Me” stunt in the Central Station of Antwerp, Belgium.  Ahh I always wanted to run around like Julie Andrews on that mountain, okay well that’s another dream but I also always wanted to break out in a crazy dance on DO RE ME in public! Don’t laugh, you know you so wanted to do it as well! 🙂

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EYAUazLI9k]

3.  Heavy Metal Pussy Cats! If you’re obsessed with cats and waste an enormous amount of time on “I Can Has Cheezburger” then this is for you! LOL!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAfpq6EPKck]

2.   Twilight: New Moon Deleted Scenes 2.  My favorite part is Edward secretly dancing to Beyonce’s song “Single Ladies” hahaha.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fT8aC_T9-Hw]

1.  The Batman Scene –  Yes another clip from the show “Community” where Abed dressed as The Batman goes to rescue his peers towards the end.  This is the funniest take on Batman’s speech.  I can watch this over and over again!  And you should too!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqEl_3o094c]

Hope you guys got to relax and laugh a little, now go back to work! 🙂   You know, I think I should do a list of the best new shows for you guys soon.  By the way, which of the 5 videos did you like the most?

My tea for the moment: I wanted to spice things up a little bit so I decided to try STASH’s premium Chai White Tea.  It’s a little stronger than the usual White tea but it smells like hmm… Christmas for some reason.  I do not kid, just try it and tell me if you feel the same.  It must be all that cinnamon, allspice and cardamom mixture!

Bookmark and Share

I WANT YOU TO KILL ME!

zombie-3flipIf you’re one of the cool people who were secretly following the pattern on my calendar and hoping for a blog post on Tuesday and Friday, I really apologize! I had four papers along with two presentations due this week and after lots of overnighters my brain became all mushy and I looked like that zombie dude from my previous post.  However, after a day rest, I am back with an awesome zombie question that a friend asked me and now I will ask you!

So here’s the deal friends, what if you and I are together in the zombie world, when I suddenly get bit by a zombie and we both know that I will eventually turn and come after you! So to protect you, I ask you, I WANT YOU TO KILL ME at once! What will you do? Will you kill me before I turn? Say NO and let me bite your head off? Or say YES and finish me off!?

I’m hoping for some fun answers and discussions so don’t be a party pooper and respond!

My original response to my friend was that it doesn’t matter – If I ask you to kill me, I know you will say no, and then we would argue and waste so much time over it that I would turn into a zombie in the process and will eventually come after you! Perhaps the lesson here is that we should all wear a helmet in zombie land to protect our heads from getting chomped off? 🙂

Or we could all take the following quiz to determine the time it would take us to turn into a zombie and go from there!

The Zombie Bite Calculator

My tea for the moment: Egyptian Chamomile from Harney & Sons, one of my favorite brands.  I went for this particular one because the zombie #2 face above reminded me of all the evil dead in the movie Mummy which then made me look at the word “Egyptian” and go ahhh with all these connections I must drink this! Try it, it doesn’t taste like zombies at all but rather has this fine scent of green apples. 🙂

And So It Begins!

A blog, where I contemplate life over a cup of tea.

Everytime I get worried, sad, happy, or speak of any kind of emotional trauma around my family, the first thing that appears out of nowhere is a cup of Chai!

Imagine if you will please in English and (Urdu) languages.

Dad on seeing me all worried.
Dad: What’s wrong?
Me: I think I’m having a heart attack. No seriously I have this pain right here in the middle or is it here. Maybe it’s an ulcer. Oh great either way I’m dying.
Sisters out of nowhere: Oh great it’s her phantom pain again!
Dad to me:  Oh no beta (dear)  Koi baat nahin (no worries) come have some Chai.
Dad to siblings: You! Go make some Chai for your sister! No arguments!
Sisters: Oh God, why do we have to make tea for her?
Sisters to each other: You do it! NO, you do it! It’s your turn. No It’s not. It’s yours!
Mother in the middle: Oh God, when will my girls grow up!
Me trying to ignore the noise and drama in the back: Seriously, my life is a mess and you want me to have a cup of tea! How is that going to resolve anything? It won’t help me find a job or pay my black hole of debt.
Dad: shh it’s ok, just sit down. Everything will be alright.
As I argue, the cup of Chai is placed in my hands and I am told to drink it.
Me:  Yeah so I was saying, hmm… okay wow, this is really nice, oh could I get some cookies please too.  Girls! Could I please get a blanket while you’re at it.

Next thing you know you’re all calm and wanting a second cup of tea!
*note: The word  “Chai” in Urdu and Hindi languages means tea.

So this is how it normally goes.

If you come from a culture that lives and breathes tea then you know what I’m talking about!  Tea is the answer to everything; it’s the first and the last thing.  It’s the romantic approach to life.  It’s the way of life. It’s an art. Oh I can go on an on but my blog is not about tea!  Although I will recommend you guys some good teas and tea places as I go along.

You know as a struggling poor graduate student living in NYC, it is quite normal for me to suffer from periodic emotional issues, and unexplained bizarre phenomenon BUT I say don’t worry, drink chai! And everything will be alright. There is a lot to discuss and ponder upon.  So please come join me as I contemplate life, look at some interesting happenings over a cup of tea!  Both caffeine and de-caffeinated  coffee and tea people are welcome!