lei cha

My mom sent us a package that got to us right after my birthday, and inside the package there was a can of Lei Cha. I've heard of this Hakka tea but never had a chance to try any until now.

The can looks nice and it says it's "Lei Cha" but that was pretty much it. No brewing instructions or much of any thing else... I got online and found some instructions on making this tea... pretty much everyone has a different ratio of mixing the tea with water, which confused me a bit, but then I decided to make a 1:6 ratio of the Lei Cha (already grounded) and hot water.

This Lei Cha smells really good, with fragrant from the spices and nuts, and I especially love the hint of almond in the mix... but it it tasted like herbal soup of some sort... and I didn't quite know what sort it was.

John finished the 6 oz. of Lei Cha I made... I think he was a bit confused about its flavor as well, but he finished it anyhow. From what I read online, some people add sugar, and others add salt to taste... hmmm... that makes me wonder. I don't know when I'm going to make it again, but before I do I'll do more extended research on how to make it property, or how to make it yummy... because it really didn't work for me this time. oi!

peanut butter jar

John bought a new jar of peanut butter, and put it on the kitchen counter, and then didn't see the jar when he was going to make some PB&J.

And then we found the jar "twisted" open, the foil torn, and about a good inch and a half licked clean.



It was Naicha. It'a always Naicha. And when we tried to confront her with the jar, she sniffed it and tried to lick it again.



When we finally place the destroyed jar in between her paws. She tried to ignore it, and pretended she had nothing to do with it.

super freshness

We always cook our Chewy Pearls (the tapioca balls) fresh, and it's a very good thing. Recently we got a new and fresh shipment of the "raw" Pearls from Taiwan, and we've noticed that they are very "lively" when we cook them... because they are so fresh!


Overflowing due to the extreme freshness of Pearls!


Barely burnt bottom?

Anyhow, we're being extra careful when we cook these, and continue offering you the best and fresh Chewy Pearls and bubble tea!

my b-day cake

People asked me if I baked anything for my birthday this year. No, I didn't, and I almost didn't get to have my birthday cake.

It seems like that birthdays are not that big of a deal any more after high school. However, each year John and I will still try to go to a nice restaurant, or pay visits to somewhere fun... but birthday cakes? I really haven't had a real birthday cake for a while.

Anyhow, for my birthday this year we went to IKEA and picked up a couple great shelves for my craft room, and while we were there we had to have their apple cake; and this time we also had their chocolate cake... so yes, these are my birthday cakes this year.


Yummy apple cake. ALWAYS yummy.


Chocolate Mousse Cake.

The chocolate mousse cake was suprisingly yummy! The mousse was smooth and delicious, but not too sweet or heavy, and the chocolate cake layer was moise and light. Yummy yummy.

yummy Thai Green

John and I have been testing and experimenting with different teas to make our bubble milk tea. We found this wonderful Thai green tea and spices that work very well as a milk tea. Yummy.

saigon pho

Fumi's girlfriend Jenny recommended that we try Pho from "Saigon Pho", and we did. It's located in "Little Mexico" or "Little Saigon" (you can call the area either way because there were many South American shops and markets, and also many Vietnamnese shops and markets there) near Redwood Road.


The restaurant was simple and clean, and the servers were happy and helpful. We had the pork rice paper rolls as an appetizer, and the mint leaves in the rolls are interestingly yummy, and the dip was good, too. I did wish the dip would have been spicier, but it was good.


I had the "Saigon Pho Special" rice noodle soup. Yummy. The soup was light but ver flavorful.


John had their house special "Egg noodles with Duck Soup". I tasted some of the soup and it reminded me of a soy sauce stew that I make sometimes. John was especially delightly about the big piece of duck meat.

Hmmm... I think I need some yummy Pho again pretty soon.

birthday present

I was ready to head to bed and saw there was something under my blanket. It was an interesting-looking box. I suspected it was inspired by my new packaging method.



I took it upstairs and opened it carefully. It was the Sony digital camera! Yay! John got it for my birthday.



I think I'll be shooting a lot of fun things very soon.

mexican flan

The other day I saw a conatiner at the store and it claimed to be "Authentic Mexican Flan". Of course I had to buy one and try it.

It was thick and creamy, and its texture was in between custard and pudding... not quite as flan-y as the ones I'm used to.



Flan and pudding are always interesting to me... and now I've tasted a flan that's totally different than the flans I've had. I think I'll just have to eat more and do extensive research to find out what exactly is going on.

bourne is cool

John and I went to see "The Bourne Ultimatum" today and it's AMAZING. This one was probably the fastest-paced movie among all three Bourne movies so far. Matt Damon was HOT and he was so GOOD.

Everything happened so fast, and I thought I might have missed some things already. I can't wait for the DVD to come out!

Did I say Matt Damon was HOT? hehe

library debt

I've been bugging John to go pick up books for me at the library. I'd been just a little shy about using my library card for the past few weeks. OK I confess I had an outstanding library debt I had to pay for.

I borrowed a bunch of books at one point, and missed the due date by a few... and they added up.

Usually I could check out my books using the compuaters at the library, but today I forgot my library card, and John forgot his as well. I had to go to the counter to check my books out.

And it finally came. Seven dollars and sixty cents. The lady at the counter was kind enough to inform me that I didn't have to pay for the whole amount today... but I figured I was going to be a good citizen, and paid for the whole amount.

I am now library debt-free. The lady at the counter was nice enough not to give me mean eyes or a lecture, but I did get a very long library debt receipt.