Tag Archives: life

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!

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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!

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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.

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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!

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Inflatable Turkey Anyone?

Inflatable Turkey in a can!  Seriously? What could you possibly do with an Inflatable Turkey? Tease your guests?  Or starving students? And i can’t believe it’s out of stock till 2010! What craziness is this people!?

My tea for the moment: I’m going with some solid Jasmine Green tea.  By solid I mean your basic loose tea.  I’ve noticed that I don’t really have to strain this particular one since after a few seconds, it just sits in the bottom.  However, there have been other kinds where depending on the mix it will float to the top.  That usually happens if there are petals involved.

So What’s The Deal With The Balloon Boy?

477I don’t know if you guys heard but today was all about the balloon boy! When I first saw the title I was like oooh a real life “UP” maybe?  Ahh that would be so cool!  Finally, I would be able to travel around the globe in the cheapest way possible.  Okay so it might be a little risky, scary, and perhaps a little too adventurous, hmm…yeah I can see being attacked by birds especially Hitchcock’s “Birds” they were all so creepy, and there is the whole thing with coming into a plane’s way but hey let’s not go there, yikes and what if all the balloons popped!? I mean are helium balloons really durable? And of course am I really qualified as a grumpy old person yet?  But then does it really matter? At least they take you up, up and away and you don’t have to worry about checking in or paying fees for your luggage, see what I’m saying (taking a sip of my hot beverage) Ahhh…lovely! Ok so how did I get here, YES! The balloon boy!

So after all that serious thinking I actually read the article and saw the picture of the runaway balloon.   Two things, one the balloon boy is really not a balloon boy because guess 1A-Balloon-1016.ART0_GP2RNQGA.1+NY123__CORRECTION_Boy_in_Ba.JPG.embedded.prod_affiliate.156what? He never even got on the balloon! Whaaat!? Yeah, that’s what I said! He was actually just hiding in the attic because his father had yelled at him earlier.  It was his older brother who told the dad that “Falcon” that’s the kids name might have taken a flight! And you can imagine the rest of the horror! But fortunately little Falcon is just fine. And second, this is no “UP” kind of balloon ride! I was so disappointed to see a gray flying saucer looking balloon instead.  Really? What is this? Man, I was really hoping to see thousands of colorful balloons with an attached house floating around.

Anyways the good news is little Falcon is out of hiding and his father will try never to yell at him again.  Unfortunately on the other hand people are now debating whether or not this whole thing was real or a hoax? I don’t know and I don’t care!  But in case you want to hear the whole interview, check out not the balloon boy and his family in an interview in the following link.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/102720/nbc-today-show-was-it-a-stunt-balloon-boy%E2%80%99s-family-speaks-out

My tea for the momentLipton‘s Decaffeinated Black Tea.  Try it with some milk and sugar or without with a touch of mint.  Either way it’s a great black tea for such a brrrr…cold weather!

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!