Category Archives: Things to Do in Houston

DC Chilling: Dating Myself Part 1

July 21, 2014Good Eats, Splore Washington, Travelbreakfast, chipotle, Dating, dc, film festival, hong kong, Korean, marlee in the mixx, metro, pole pressure, rice bowl, Roti mediterranean grill, tacos, TaKorean, tom yum district, Trader joes, WashingtonTimiKomo

Screen Shot 2014-07-20 at 11.35.30 PM

I have been in DC for about two weeks now and I’ve finally broken out of the watch-Netflix-in-my-room-all-day mode. I’m not much of a homebody, so that lifestyle got very old quickly. I decided I would make a conscious effort to see the city and all it has to offer. Thankfully, this is my third (and also my longest) time in DC so I could skip the typical tourist attractions. Thankfully, I bought the 7-day Unlimited Metro pass so I don’t have to worry about loading my card with train fare all week. My adventurous spirit often leads me down long rides on the metro to unfamiliar territory. I am ~~mostly~~ always by myself. On the 7:30 train to work by myself, venturing through neighborhoods looking for farmers markets by myself, trekking over to the Intro to Pole fitness class by myself, going to the Made in Hong Kong Film Festival by myself.

I am so accustomed to hopping on a train and not checking my plans for the day with anyone that it throws me off a little when I have to coordinate to meet up with people. I will say that it has been nice to occasionally meet up with friends for lunch or to hear a new band, but it’s also nice to just take myself out on cool dates. That’s how I see my adventures— like me taking myself out on the types of adventures I’d enjoy. I believe spending time with yourself teaches you your preferences and tastes. So far, I’d discovered a few things about myself:

1. My favorite spot in the movie theater is smack dab in the middle.

This weekend, I went to the Made In Hong Kong Film Festival and saw a great drama/comedy called “Aberdeen.” When I first got there, I was the only Black woman in the room. As the lights dimmed, everything around me faded away and I focused my eyes on the English subtitles. I laughed and gasped without shame, as did the movie-watchers on either side of me. And as the credits rolled, I clapped in appreciation. Yes, I’m that girl. I go to movies by myself, sit in the middle of the theater, and if the movie is really good, I clap.

2. I like enjoy a good Ethnic rice bowl.

Rice is the answer to world peace. It can bring together so many cultures . I’m a big fan of Chipotle’s rice bowls and I’m always looking to try out cultural equivalents. In DC, I have tried rice Tom Yum District (Thai), Roti Mediterranean Grill (Mediterranean), TaKorean (Korean). My favorite, hands down, was the TaKorean rice bowl. I tried it at the Union Market and I fell in love instantly. I was feeling especially carnivorous that day so I ordered my bowl (on the left below) with steak, pork, and chicken, cilantro, sriracha (first time trying this and I loved it), and lime cream. My friend/classmate, who I randomly bumped into at the market, ordered one steak, chicken, and a pork taco. It was hilarious watching people drooling and straning their heads to see what we were eating. You can see why:

3. If I go to a restaurant and breakfast is still available, I will order breakfast food (regardless of the time of day)

Pancakes, waffles, french toast, eggs…all day, everyday. That is my idea of a meal. My friend recommended I check out Busboys & Poets, which is a cool hangout spot/restaurant/poetry slam location. The service was good and so was the food. I had a classic french toast with eggs and fruit. I also ordered pomegranate lemonade! (Fun fact: I always get good vibes about a restaurant that serves pomegranate lemonade. It shows they’re open-minded and accommodating.)

Screen Shot 2014-07-20 at 11.35.05 PM — Brunch at Busboys & Poets

4. Bikeshare only makes me miss my Schwinn bike

I’m quite envious of DC bikers. One, because I’m nowhere near brave enough to ride on the road in DC traffic. Second, because I left my beautiful Schwinn bike at home and I’m forced to rely on things like Capital Bikeshare to get the feeling of the wind running through my hair. Don’t get me wrong, the Bikeshare is an ingenious idea and it definitely is a great way to see the city. I just don’t like how clunky the bike feels between my legs and underneath me. The membership fee options are not terrible, if you do it right. I like that you can drop off your bike at one of designated bike rack that is closest to you. Also all trips under 30 minutes are free. It makes biking a very convenient option. I like that DC is training people to get into the biking mentality. If you’re interested in biking through the city, check out the Capital BikeShare website here.

5. Lesser known musicians rock my world

I’m the type of girl who enjoys cover bands and thinks YouTube artists are some of the best musicians because they have a type of drive, raw talent, and desperation that makes a beautiful sound. On Saturday night, I heard a new band called Marlee in the Mixx. Their sound is Neo-Soul/Go-Go groove plus a lot of other stuff too. As I was listening, all I wanted to do is tilt my head back, sway, and raise my drink in the air. But being the musical creep that I am, all I could do was bob my head with wide eyes and sip on my water in appreciation. The lead female singer (Marlee) has a crazy mane of curly hair and she sings and raps. The extremely talented 9-member crew jammed together on the crowded platform. They seemed to be enjoying making the music as much as we enjoyed hearing it. The show was great and the atmosphere was grown and chill.

Click the picture to check out music from Marlee in the Mixx

In addition to the ones above, this week I also took myself out on a date to Trader Joe’s and to Pole Pressure. My stomach is thanking me for introducing it to Cocoa & Cookie Butter and my neck is cursing me for trying that one move at the end of the pole class. I had a good time. Would I go out with me again? I sure would! I can’t wait to see what I come up with next.

Happy National Orange Day!

March 24, 2014Splore Syracuse, What Are You Wearingbirthday, Syracuse, Syracuse UniveristyTimiKomo

Today is National Orange Day– Syracuse University’s 144th Birthday. #GoOrange

Pinterest Inspired: (Skinny) Spinach and Asparagus Dip

January 22, 2014Good Eatsappetizer, asparagus, cooking, dinner part, greek yogurt, recipe, spinachTimiKomo

I bought too much spinach and asparagus at the farmers’ market, so I decided to make a spinach & asparagus dip.

Ingredients

2 cups of spinach

10 stalks of asparagus

2 cups of plain greek yogurt

1/2 tsp of onion salt

1/2 tsp of garlic salt

2 tbsp of parmesan cheese

This was a relatively easy recipe. I’m not a great cook and I was able to make this for my dinner guests. It tasted pretty good. I’d recommend it.

Here’s the recipe: Skinny Spinach and Asparagus Dip

My Favorite Thing: Chocolate Chip Cookies

December 5, 2013Good Eats, LifeChocolate chip, Chocolate chip cookie, Cookie, love letter, sillyTimiKomo

The chocolate chip cookie is the world’s most beloved and popular cookie. It is mystifyingly delicious and emotionally comforting for all who encounter it. A woman named Mrs. Wakefield invented the chocolate chip cookie by mistake in 1930. Mrs. Wakefield, attempting to make her favorite Butter Drop Do cookies realized (mid-recipe) that she had run out of bakers chocolate. She decided, instead, to chop up a chocolate bar into little pieces and sprinkle then into the dough. So when they baked, the chocolate chips melted and the chocolate chip cookie was born. As you can see, the story of the chocolate chip cookie, is one of innovation at the risk of making a mistake. For that reason, the chocolate chip cookie is my favorite thing in the entire world.

The chocolate chip cookie reminds me of myself. No, it is not because I am also brown, small, and loved by all. It is because the chocolate chip cookie and I have many shared qualities. Like me, chocolate chip cookie is unique, inclusive, and adaptable.

No two chocolate chip cookies are alike. That is the beauty of baking a chocolate chip cookie. I will never be able to exactly replicate the distinct soft middle of an Otis Spunkmeyer cookie or the petite oval of a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie from Wegmans. But the chocolate chip cookie is aware that I am my own unique baker and it respects my individual style and approach to baking. The dough is pliable in my hands and accepting of whatever form I choose to give it.

That leads me to my next point: chocolate chip cookies are inclusive. Have ever thought about all the possibilities of chocolate chips that are out there? There are semi-sweet chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, caramel swirl chocolate chips. I think you catch my drift. The chocolate chip cookie is the picture of dessert diversity. It is inclusive of all flavors and has yet to reject any topping combination. The other day, I saw a recipe for a bacon chocolate chip cookie. Clearly, flavor discrimination is not an issue for the chocolate chip cookie. It is accepting of all.

And finally, chocolate chip cookies are adaptable. May times when I have found myself attempting to create a cookie from scratch, I have realized that I am missing an ingredient or two. I have been able to substitute ingredients and still end up with a delicious cookie. The chocolate chip cookie has taught me to be as adaptable in my own life. I have learned to utilize and maximize what I already have. I have learned to improvise and think quickly on my feet. And I have learned to make a masterpiece out of a mess.

Some would say that the chocolate chip cookie is simply overexposed and is just like any other cookie. I’d counter that by saying that the chocolate chip cookie is a metaphor for how we should be in our lives: we should unique, inclusive, and always adaptable. Just like the chocolate chip cookie.

‘Splore Syracuse: Beak & Skiff Apple-Picking

November 2, 2013Life, Splore Syracuseapple cider, apple picking, apples, Beak & SkiffTimiKomo

1379962_10151998495681983_120184332_n — They had free apple cider sampling.

apples7 — We tasted different types of apples, some crispy and tart, others sweet and soft

apples11 — Jen wuth her bottle of Hard Cider

apples10 — Delicious caramel apple cookie!

apples6 — Adam, my classmate buddy, and his girlfriend.

After leaving Beak & Skiff, we had an impromptu photo shoot on the side of the road

I can now cross apple-picking off my Syracuse bucket list!

Behind Every Interesting Chair is an Equally Interesting Story

September 17, 2013Splore SyracuseChair, Couch, Furniture, shoppingTimiKomo

Chair #1

On our way home, my friend (who will remain nameless) spotted a couch on the sidewalk in front of a house. The owner saw us admiring the cute design and yelled from her window that we should feel free to take it. At this, my friend got excited and attempted to lift the couch. We then realized that we were about 3 to 4 blocks away from our neighborhood. At the thought of dragging the couch all the way down the street, I had already resigned, in my head, to leave it where we found it. A kind stranger walked by and suggest, half in jest, that we hoist the couch upside down on my bike and wheel it down the street. We had no other option, so off we went, down the street with our curb shopping spoils. We received many stares and glances. All the while, I reminded myself that I was doing a favor for a friend and tried not to think about how my friend had even convinced me to transport the couch in the first place.

Chair #2

This fabulous high heel chair was spotted at the Westcott Street Fair in Syracuse this weekend, in front of the Boom Babies store. It’s funky and retro. It would make a fun personal chair to brighten up the color of a room.

Chair #3

This chair was a hard plastic chair in the shape of a hand that we found in front of a consignment shop. Something about it made me feel like a little kid and I had to sit on it.

I’m not sure how I found so many cool chairs this past week, but it made me feel like Goldilocks. Of all the 3 chairs we saw, we only took the couch (chair #1) home. The other two belonged to the stores.

#31WriteNow: Friendship and Fish Tacos

August 9, 2013Friends, Good Eats, LifeTimiKomo

Today was a day of celebration for my friend-classmate, Julia, and her family so we decided to have a friendship dinner.

Step 3: Pan-fried the fish (medium heat)

Step 4: While the fish is still moist, mashed it with a fork and lower (or turn off) the heat

Step 5: Put the fish on a tortilla, add cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and any other toppings

Dinner was full of great food and great company. I hope we can make these kind of hangouts a repeating thing. These ladies are so much fun and we always end of talking and laughing long after the food is gone. I’m glad to have them in my grad program.

I don’t know Julia’s recipe for the fish tacos but I will definitely ask her for it so I can share the wealth. I love fish tacos, so I would definitely put it to good use.

‘Splore Syracuse: Farmers’ Market

July 6, 2013Splore Syracuse, Things to Do in Houstonfarmers market, flowers, fresh, fruit, vegetablesTimiKomo

Syracuse has a farmers’ market so we took a trip down to see it. This post will be mostly pictures. Enjoy!

I plan on coming back to the market with some cash in my hands. This time, I was mostly walking around and taking pictures. I only bought a small leather watch with a glow in the dark face for $7. The produce was fresh and affordable. There was a lot of variety. It’s a great alternative to the grocery store for fresh fruits and flowers.

The Syracuse farmers’ market gets my stamp of approval.

Good Eats: Strong Hearts

July 6, 2013Splore Syracuse, Things to Do in HoustonTimiKomo

Yesterday I tried out a new vegan restaurant in Syracuse called Strong Hearts. My roommate strongly recommended their “milk”shakes.

As soon as we walked into the restaurant, I was immediately reminded of Austin, TX. It was a small shop with a hipster vibe. A few of patrons had ear gauges and full sleeves of tattoos.

I stepped up to the counter and burst out laughing at the names of the milkshakes. They were combinations with titles like “Nelson Mandela”, “Elizabeth Cady Stanton”, “Cesar Chavez”

I ended up getting the “West Memphis Three”, which is a chocolate mint shake. It’s made with vegan ice cream but I couldn’t tell. My last encounter with vegan desserts was a vegan chocolate chip cookie from the cafeteria in undergrad that tasted like dirt and dark chocolate.

I was pleasantly surprised with this vegan shake. It was thick and surprisingly filling. The shakes came in biodegradable cups and straws.

So that was the good. Now for the ugly.
The pizza…was horrendous. I was feeling adventurous so my friend Mirakol and I split a vegan pizza. We had a pesto, tomato and spinach pizza.

Sounds delicious, right? Wrong. Something just didn’t sit right. It’s not the fact that there was no meat, because even my carnivorous self can get over that. It may have been that there was pesto where I expected tomato sauce. I decided to scrape off all the toppings and eat the pizza bare. The crust tasted fine. I could tolerate it but I couldn’t eat more than two slices.

Overall, I’d give the shakes at Strong Hearts a thumbs up. Everything else was a meh. If I’m ever brave enough to come try the food again, I may try their breakfast.