Wednesday, 31 July 2013

It's Tea Time: Teavana's Sweet Fruit Garden


'It's Tea Time' is a segment of my blog where I will feature tea (loose-leaf, bagged, etc.) and my opinions on it!

Comment "Tea-Rex" in the comment section down below haha :)

Today's Tea Time features Teavana's Sweet Fruit Garden
Sweet Fruit Garden is an herbal tea. Teavana's website describes it as: 

"Taste summer year 'round in every bright and rejuvenating cup. Lusciously sweet and sour Morello cherries & tart raspberries lead the way, channeling impromptu sun-dipped picnics. Highlights of hibiscus soften and refresh while apple, pineapple and papaya play in a garden of quenching delight."

Because it is an herbal tea, it is recommended that it steeps at 98C water for 5-6 minutes. It is priced at $6.80 for 2oz, which is around 56 grams. (This is based on the US website. I believe I paid around 7$ for 60 grams. I found that Teavana staff tend to put too much since I asked for 50g. Then they would ask if it is okay so watch out! Agressive upselling!)

Review: It is a pretty good tea. The only thing that shocked me was how tart it turned out to be. The name should really be "Sour Fruit Garden" Other than that, it is very unique and it steeps into a light orangey-red colour in the water. The tart-ness can really be offsetting if it steeps for long periods of time so be wary of that. It smells amazing and I bet it would work well with added sweeteners. I don't tend to add sweeteners myself but if you don't like very sour things, get your honey/sugar/artificial sweeteners ready!

As for it being iced, I haven't tried it yet to give you a good opinion. I'm afraid of making iced tea, as I find it very difficult to make it work.




I recommend this tea if you want to try out new loose-leaf teas. If you are new to teas though, I would skip this one and try other teas as this one may be too 'out of the box'. If you are adventurous though, it's a good one to go for!

Overall Impression:
Taste = 7.5/10 - Very Very Very Tart, especially if you oversteep
Aroma = 4/5 - Oddly enough, it doesn't smell that tart. It smells like a fresh fruit basket!
Quality = 8/10

Total = 19.5/25! Overall pretty good!

For more information visit Teavana 

Thanks for reading the post! Comment down below any recommendations on new teas I should try, or teas I should write a review for! Have a nice day everyone :) !

Tuesday, 30 July 2013

Under The Dome: The Endless Thirst


Under The Dome is a hit TV series based on the book crafted by none and only Stephen King. If you haven't heard anything about it, please attempt to watch the first episode after this post. I swear, you will be hooked! I swear, it is almost as good as AMC's The Walking Dead or AMC's Breaking Bad. I really can't decide which is better! It's crazy because I've been obsessed with the two latter shows since they aired, which shows how good Under The Dome is.


( My only complaint is how I have to wait 7 long days to watch another episode! haha )

Comment below "Alligator Fingers!"

This will just be a synopsis of what occurred, in case you missed the episode! (This post will feature the most important points in the episode)

After being bombed in the last episode, the whole town of Chester's Mill figure out that the dome is still firmly in place. Linda informs Big Jim of the town pastor's body, which upset him. (Big Jim killed the pastor) The cops' walkie-talkies and the radio station is not functioning properly as some weird interference is present within the dome. Linda asked Barbie to join the police, however, he refused. He would help her out though. Big Jim also reinforces everyone that the supplies(food, water, etc.) will be sustained. (yea right ?)



Angie smashes a snowglobe into Junior's head (finally) and makes a run for it. Meanwhile, Alice instructs Carolyn to stop the car because she, at this point, is going delusional. She gets out of the car and walks towards the middle of the road. She almost gets hit by a truck (thank goodness she didn't! She's one of my faves,) and the truck hits the water tower instead. Large amounts of water gushes out of the tower. Here we learn that Alice hasn't taken any insulin for a long while so she is rushed to the hospital. The hospital also doesn't have any insulin left.



Dodee, with Julia, uses this device to find what's disrupting the radio station. Meanwhile, Linda and Barbie sees the scene of the water dome and rushes to the lake to gather water. Unfortunately, the water is not safe; fish are floating on the surface. They inform Big Jim that methane is polluting the water. Big Jim, who has a map of Chester Mill's wells, goes to Ollie, where a well is located.



Terry, the store owner, has a line-up of customers wanting supplies such as food and water. He says that he is no longer accepting money. Instead, he expects customers to pay with the currency of propane or batteries. The townspeople receive the news that water sources are depleting so they want to stock up.

On the other hand, Big Jim is in Ollie's farm-place-thing. Ollie agrees to give his water to the town for some of Big Jim's propane. He then states how peculiar it is for Big Jim to have so much propane when it is needed (very weird indeed)


The townspeople go berserk. They start a riot in the "downtown" area of Chester's Mill, stealing everything that they possibly can. Barbie, Linda and Junior are all attempting to calm everyone down, but there's no hope. Meanwhile, Norrie and Joe try to steal insulin from other diabetics in the town. At this point, Dodee and Julia realize that the power source is moving.

Angie, who's been running away from Junior all this time, ends up in the diner. She tells Rose everything: how Junior kidnapped her, how Big Jim was reluctant in releasing her, etc. Rose believes her. Clint and Waylon (two losers.. ugh I hate these guys!) breaks into the diner to steal some food. One of them beats Rose until she's dead (:'( ) and the other hits Angie. While unconscious, one of the gross men goes outside while the other stays with Angie (probably to do something very nasty?)

Norrie and Joe go into a house to steal some insulin, finding that a little cute probably 7-year old kid has diabetes and needs the medicine. Norrie gets a conscience and returns all the insulin except for one. Finally, Dodee and Julia hone in on the signal. Norrie and Joe are the source. They show them the video where they have seizures whenever they touch.


Barbie comes to the rescue. He beats up Clint and Waylon and saves Angie. While the town still is in a riot, Big Jim, after grabbing the water from Ollie, shows up as the rain starts pouring. Everyone stops and is glad. They start collecting the rainwater. Julia, Dodee, Joe and Norrie go towards the edge of the dome. Norrie touches the dome and the radio starts in a car maybe twenty feet away. Julia and Dodee promise to keep the secret that Joe and Norrie are connected to the dome.


Barbie and Julia kiss in the rain (aww! But Barbie killed Julia's husband!!!) Angie wakes up after being unconscious and wakes up in Big Jim's house. Junior walks in on them talking.





I admit, the ending was a bit abrupt, but the episode was amazing, nonetheless! I especially was off my seat when they killed Rose, cursing the two stupid men. Can't wait for the next one !!!!

Monday, 29 July 2013

New Playlist Sunday N2


Now I know I'm posting a day late, but that's because I was studying yesterday for an exam. Better late than never though, right? Today will feature more of my new songs in my playlist this week. Comment down below what your new playlist Sunday looks like! Also, feel free to comment on my song choices this week !

Comment "Jumping Monkey" below ha-ha


Karmin - Acapella


Now I've been listening to these guys way back when they used to post covers of famous songs such as "Look at Me Now" by Chris Brown and "Super Bass" by Nicki Minaj. I've supported them back then and I continue to support them now. I swear, this girl has some talent! (Her name is not Karmin by the way, it's just the name of the duo) I like how fun and unique this song is as it belongs in the growing hip-pop genre. Perfect song to listen to in the car!

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - Wing$


First off, let me say that I am in love with Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' album, The Heist. It definitely changes the genre as far as hip-hop goes. They produce quality music with quality lyrics. What more could you ask for? Conscious rapping has definitely been downhill since Lauryn Hill, Lupe Fiasco and Andre 3000 are nowhere to be found. Thank God for Macklemore! It's another song from him that will definitely make you think. The primary focus is consumerism and it delivers a very strong message.

Fergie - A Little Party Never Killed Nobody

A pattern! First will.i.am's Bang Bang now Fergie! This is again from the Great Gatsby soundtrack. I swear, I must watch the movie now because these songs are crazy good! This song is so much fun. It goes buckwild when the beat drops. This one is definitely hard to resist. I know you want to listen to it! Be warned, you will dance until the sun rises the next morning!

Queen - Somebody To Love

Amidst of all of the 'modern' or recent additions of this week's installation of New Playlist Sunday, a classic song turns up. It's simple: Queen is legendary. Freddie Mercury's voice is stunning, leaving you wondering how it's humanly impossible to sing that good. I guess I get sad whenever I hear the song because I can never sing like this man. Nonetheless, listening to this song will make you fall in love with it and this band.
QUEEN!

Thank you for joining me today with New Playlist Sunday. Wait for the next one next week! Have a good week everyone :) !

Saturday, 20 July 2013

New Playlist Sunday N1


This segment will show new music that I've discovered for the new week ahead of us! Some of them are rediscovered, but they are all my jams of the week nonetheless! I know they will be on repeat all week long. For some reason, I have a tendency of overplaying songs that I love until I vomit. Is it just me being weird ;)?



Comment down below on any song recommendations that I should listen to, or any thoughts on my song recommendations :D !


If you can read this, I applaud you! It will be our new game. Comment below "chicken feet" just for fun haha

New Playlist Sunday N1

One Republic - Counting Stars


Guys, I am literally obsessed with this song. It has so much energy while being powerful at the same time. You can never go wrong with One Republic! It has been on repeat since I heard it on the radio. It's one of those "stop the car! what's the name of that song???" moments. You need to listen to this one. You need to.

(My sister is sick of me singing it but those who can't sing should sing louder right?!)


Azealia Banks - Venus (Ibiza Edition)


When I first head of this new release, I stopped whatever I was doing and searched for it on Youtube. I wasn't disappointed. This is the perfect song to party like crazy, but I'm never invited to any parties so I wouldn't know. I really love the part when she sings in French. I take French in school but I can't understand a thing she says. I guess that says a lot on what kind of a student I am. :P

And besides, how can you go wrong with Azealia Banks? Her style is so original, unique and fun. She's definitely one to watch!


Hoodie Allen ft. Kina Grannis - Make It Home


Now I know this one has been released four months ago, but it's still really good! If you haven't listened to this one, it follows the hip-hop hit formula: amazing verses with an infectious chorus. I just discovered Hoodie Allen this year and man, he is dope dope dope! 


Will.i.am. - Bang Bang




Despite the song being 5 minutes long (yikes!), it is absolutely perfect! If you watched the amazing Great Gatsby, you probably know this one! It's by Will.i.am., which makes sense as his production is stellar (even though his lyrics aren't... sorry ;) !) This one really caught my attention as I watched the Voice UK Finale. He performed this with Leah McFall, a contestant, and to be honest, she was the reason I got the song! This version doesn't have her, but I don't mind that much.

Bang Bang ~ !!


That's everything for my New Playlist Sunday! Enjoy the new week everyone!