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/

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!

Here's the recipe: http://www.maangchi.com/recipes/oisobagi-kimchi

~my new favorite place to shop~

Last weekend, we went Korean-grocery shopping at H MART in Irvine @ the Diamond Jamboree Shopping Plaza. I've heard great things about this place, but I had to see for myself. Turns out it's HUGE, CLEAN, & they've got a great selection of everything you could ask for...not to mention the food court! This place is THE BOMB! In addition to H MART, there are TONS of other stores to shop and eat at! I think I could spend an entire day alone in this shopping center!

85 C Bakery Cafe
Ajisen Ramen
Ayumi's Japanese Grill
Balcony California Grill & Bar
BCD Tofu House
Beard Papa's with Haagen-Daz Ice Cream
Bibimar BBQ Chicken
Capital Seafood
CeFiore Frozen Yogurt
Crepes De Paris
Greek Islands Mediterranean Cuisine
Guppy Tea House Café
The Boiler
Tokyo Table

It's the perfect ASIAN shopping center!

Welcome to my kitchen.

Okay, so you all may be surpised to find out that I actually spent some hours in my kitchen cooking traditional Korean food. I was at work the other day when I decided to look up Korean recipes and was inspired to try some of my favorite dishes out. Of course, David was excited more than ever. I told him "You have to tell your mom and my mom I cooked for you so they don't think I starve you!" I've never really been a big fan for cooking from scratch but I realized that it's the only way to learn. I could've easily gotten recipes from my mom or David's mom, but they cook by experience and taste. I don't have that. So that's why I found my recipes on http://www.maanchi.com.

#1 Oisobagi (Spicy stuffed cucumber) - side dish

So I failed miserably on one of the steps where it said "add 1 tbs of sugar." I wasn't thinking and added 1 tbs of SALT! So you can only imagine the panic I went through to try to make it right. I still don't know....haven't tasted it yet. It may look tasty but looks are deceiving, you know? We'll see. http://www.maangchi.com/recipes/oisobagi-kimchi

#2 Mae woon gyeran jjim (spicy steamed egg) - side dish

First of all, there were way too many green onions.

It was okay. Probably could've used some salt (used soy sauce instead). http://www.maangchi.com/recipes/egg-side-dishes

#3 Galbijjim (Beef short ribs) - main dish!

For this recipe, I followed everything to the tee, but had to add some more ingredients (more soy sauce, sugar, & corn syrup) at the end because it was bland. At serving time, it was PERFECT!

Leftovers anyone? http://www.maangchi.com/recipes/galbijjim

#4 Vegetable Kimbap (sushi rolls)

Another one of my projects this week was making kimbap for the first time. I can't believe it took me this long to try to make one of the easiest Korean dishes ever.

I was craving this so badly the night before. It was quite tasty!

David's eyes lit up when he walked through the door and saw this on the table.

And for me, brown rice rolls. =) It's just as good! http://mykoreankitchen.com/2006/10/13/vegetable-kimbab/

Well, stay tuned until next time!

Satisfaction Guaranteed

OMG. I'm sitting at work and I've managed to somehow get access to http://mysoju.com. I'm currently watching ONE FINE DAY featuring one of my fav's GONG YOO! Anyhow, I just can't get over the idea of eating HOT, SPICY ramen right now! They eat it ALL the time on the drama and I can't stop licking my lips! Plus, it's the perfect weather for ramen because it's raining outside! OMG. What would I do for a hot bowl of ramen right now?!?!?!

Gotta have spicy kimchi to go along with it, of course.