Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Vegas, again!

Another birthday->another great reason to celebrate in VEGAS! A couple weeks ago, we celebrated Hyunah's 26th birthday in addition to Jinju's first official visit to Sin City.
Margaret, Jinju, Hyunah, & me.
Vegas Vets.
Our trip: Checked into Caesar's Palace -> grubbed @ the Bellagio Buffet -> pre-partied in room -> TAO -> late night food @ cafe -> very little ZZzzzzz -> bye bye Vegas!
4 hours is NOT enough sleep. That's fo sho. I don't know if I can hang anymore.

V-Day

The best part of Valentine's Day is probably the goodies and treats that come along with it...chocolate covered strawberries, candy, cookies, chocolate, and anything else that will most likely rot your teeth! But in the end, it's all about the LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!
Sarah showed me LOTS of love with her delicious baked goods...sugar cookies & chocolates.
A little craft of my own: heart-shaped rice krispy treats coated with white chocolate and sprinkles.
I love V-Day pink M&M's.
My cupcakes - everything is cuter in pink!
Thanks to the dollar spot at Target, I had so many sprinkles to choose from.

We spent the entire day with our close friends Hyunah & Dan. First, shopping at Fashion Island in Newport, then yummy thirst quenchers at Javier's at the Crystal Cove...
Pomegranate Margarita. Yum.
Good times!

I love Javier's! http://www.javiers-cantina.com/
Then...a hearty brazilian meal at Agora Churrascaria in Irvine. I tried chicken hearts for the first time! Ew! http://www.agorachurrascaria.com/
*Below - something funny I found from this website:
Two months ago on February 14, Americans celebrated Valentine's Day. Some people feel that this is a ridiculous holiday promoted largely by the greeting card, flower, and candy industries, while others cherish it as a day of love and caring. But both opinions are forgotten by the end of February when the hearts and candy disappear. However in Korea, the tradition of a day of love happens not once a year, but every month on the 14th.

The Korean Valentine's Day is similar to ours in theme, but limited in scope - only Korean girls give chocolates to Korean boys. Girls are returning the favor in memory of a traditional folk character - a poor girl who was in love with a wealthy boy. The boy loved the poor girl, but was forced to part with her because of a parental mandate. Before he left, though, he gave her chocolates, her favorite treat. Today, girls in Korea return the kind gesture of love by giving chocolates to the boys they like. However, while boys don't have to do anything in February, their turn comes in March.

March 14th in Korea is White Day. On White Day, Korean guys give candy or chocolates to Korean girls. Waiting one month to reciprocate a gift takes the pressure off the boys because they have usually figured out exactly who likes them and gave them a gift in February. While it is not required that you give a return gift, that is usually the accepted thing to do. However, guys are not limited only to the people who gave them chocolate. They may give sweets to any girl they fancy. If you received chocolate or candy in either February or March, you take the following month off to plan gifts for the rest of the year. But if you weren't a recipient in February or March, then April becomes a month of singles celebration.

April 14th in Korea is called Black Day. The girls and boys who did not receive chocolate or candy in February and March all come together for a meal of black noodles, noodles with black bean sauce, usually served in Chinese restaurants. This may sound depressing and heart wrenching to Americans, but a Korean middle-school student of mine says that the group usually has a great time together at dinner. It is not a pity party, but a time to come together with other singles.
These series of holidays don't end on the 14th of April. Each month after April resorts back to gifts for lovers and friends on the 14th and are labeled according to the appropriate gift: Ring, Flower, Sock, Money, Music, Kiss, Rose, Yellow, and Silver Day. Exact gifts and holiday names may vary depending on where you are in Korean. So, if you were feeling down about Valentine's Day, you just might find good company tonite with the other singles at the nearest Chinese restaurant serving black noodles.


Pretty interesting, no?











































Sarah's Dedication Service

Wow, how time flies. I remember being a student and inpatiently waiting to start working and make $$$!~ Now, sometimes, I kind of miss being a student....studying in the library or at Starbucks, late night study sessions at Denny's, taking colorful notes in class, etc. But then when I hear Sarah complaining and stressing out about exams, all those thoughts immediately go out the door! Haha. I'm so proud of Sarah though. Who knew we would all end up in Loma Linda, this wee little town? Last month, I attended her nursing school dedication service and it definitely brought back some memories!
February 7, 2009.
The big white nursing cap. Wow. I can't laugh because I wore the exact same thing.
Congratulations Sarah!
Like I said...Wow. Big White nursing cap.
Hopefully, we'll recruit her over to NICU!












Girls' Night Out!

As you can see, I have a lot of catching up to do. Back in January, six of us (Angie, Tayler, Sarah, Elena, Helen, and I) celebrated Helen's birthday VEGAS-style!
Wining and dining @ Emeril Lagasse's Delmonico Steakhouse. Look at these gorgeous mamas!
Happy birthday Helen!

Emeril's Banana Cream Pie....OMG.
Getting ready for our GNO!
TAO.
Even though the trip was short-lived, we had a blast! Happy Birthday Helen!



13.1

There is no better time to set goals for yourself then in the beginning of the year, right? That's what resolutions are for, no?

Well, the whole purpose of running the Carlsbad 1/2 in January was so that I could get myself somewhat back into shape with intense training prior to the run. So did I take full advantage of this opportunity to shed some pounds? Nope. With very little training, Christine and I somehow managed to finish without any injuries. Phew.

Do you see me in the front? Haha. Yeah right. We were in WAVE 5...way behind.
Out of all the runs I've done in the past, Carlsbad was by far the best because of the weather! Who wouldn't want to run along the beach?
Finished at 2:33:50.
2nd time running her 1/2 and looking good! Great job Christine!

Yay! We did it!
What do you do after you've finished a 13 mile run?! You GRUB! It was my first time at the Beach Grass Cafe in Solana Beach and I absolutely LOVED it, despite the hour long wait. I enjoyed the best in town's UPSIDE-DOWN PINEAPPLE PANCAKES!
Turkey chorizo, avocado, tomato, spinach, cheddar cheese scramble. Yum.

And to reward ourselves, we spent the afternoon relaxing at the Burke Williams Spa in Orange County. It was the perfect way to end the day!












~Music of the Night~

Back in January, Hyunah, Dan, David, & I booked last minute tickets to see PHANTOM. It had been so long since I'd last seen the musical as a little child. The performers were awesome and some of their performances definitely gave me the goosebumps! I'm hoping to see the Vegas production sometime in the near future.
Before the show, we went shopping @ the Beverly Center.
@ the Pantages Theater in Hollywood.

Check out those binoculars!
We loved it!
Anyone interested in Vegas? http://www.phantomlasvegas.com/



Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Limited Edition!

I love spring makeup! Isn't it purty???
* Laura Mercier 'Gilded Garden' Shimmer Bloc *

Yummy in my Tummy....

In continuation of my efforts to make myself useful in the kitchen, I decided to make something appropriate for the recent cold weather...쇠고기 무우국 ("soegogimoowooguk") = white radish soup with beef. The funny thing is that David (who has been noticing my nice gestures lately) even asked "Why are you being so nice to me?" PUAHAHAHAH!