Last 2 Days in Houston

Hello everyone!

I can't believe it's been almost a week since I graduated!  Since then, David and I have been jet-setting around the globe (well only half the globe to be exact  haha), but I wanted to take the time to share our last 2 days in Houston!

Since we had to attend commencement ceremonies both mornings, and then we flew out of Houston in the afternoon of the second day, we didn't really have much time, but we managed a trip to the Houston Zoo (getting use out of the Rice student ID one last time!) and tried 2 different restaurants that I wish I had tried earlier, so if you want to see/read more about them, keep on scrolling!

I had been the the Houston Zoo once before, but it was nice to take a stroll around with daddy on a gorgeous day.  Besides, these two bears kept us entertained for good 15 minutes at the zoo chasing each other and generally being their adorable, playful selves.

and look at this cute little bum getting stuck trying to climb over the ledge!  haha!  They were just the cutest things.

After we tore our eyes away from the bears, we wandered around the zoo chatting and enjoying each other's company until we came upon the giraffe feeding station.  I had so much fun last time feeding them, and I knew dad would enjoy them, so we bought ourselves some lettuce and climbed up to the feeding station.

Giraffes, in my mind, are such exotic creatures, and getting to feed them was so much fun!  They were very enthusiastic about the lettuce, and often we had more than one giraffe tongue reaching out for the leaf in our hands.  I have to say, they have possibly the longest tongue I have ever seen on an animal!  haha

aww they were crossed with us for not giving them any more lettuce..    ooh see what I did there?  =p  i crack myself up sometimes ahaha

ok, enough of that.. haha we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at the zoo, and turned our attention to our growling tummies.

We chose to try Cafe Brasil because for 2 years of my stay at Rice, I've heard my friends raving about the place, but for some reason, I had never been!  they have a beautiful patio surrounded by oak trees, and since it was such a gorgeous day, we decided to sit out there and order their Poblano Burger and the Chicken Verde pizza.

The burger was quite good, but the pizza really stole the show for me!  The pizza takes a bit longer to come out, but let me tell you what.. it's totally worth the wait!  You drizzle the lemon slice on top of the bed of arugula, and dig into the creamy, delicious, garlicky goodness!  really soo soooo good.  If you are still in Houston, or are planning to visit, you should definitely go give this place a try!  =)

Later that evening, we went to Goode BBQ so dad could have the full Texas experience, and after stuffing ourselves with so much meat, we celebrated the boy's birthday! so many candles!  such an old man!  ;)  but my family still thinks he looks 18  haha

For our last meal in Houston, we went to Benjy's.  We tried to go there for our first date, but because we didn't have a reservation, that didn't end up happening.  So this time around, we made a reservation, and I'm so glad that we could eat there before I left Houston! 

The decor inside is a really interesting mix of modern and antique feel, and the atmosphere was very laid back and comfortable.  We ordered three very different dishes-- shrimp and grits, salmon salad, and chicken and waffles--and all of them were really spot on!

oh chicken and waffles. I always thought that was an odd mix, but ever since I first tried it at 1 am on that fateful night, I've been hooked.  It is the quintessential southern meal in my mind, and it will always make me think of my time in Houston and Rice every time I have it I'm sure  =)

What a great way to close the Houston/Rice chapter of my life!  It has really been a wonderful time in my life, and I will always think back on this time very fondly.

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

--Janny

Rice Graduation 2014!

Hello everyone!

Almost exactly 2 years ago, I started this blog, having just graduated from University of Nebraska-Lincoln with my Bachelor's degree.  And here I am, 2 years and 2 days later, in the exact same spot at home, having just graduated from Rice University with my Master's degree!! man,, time has really flown by!  2 years of my life...  I can't believe it!  

I feel so blessed to have had the chance to study and meet so many amazing people at Rice these past two years, and though it was only 2 years (and that's really quite a short period of time), I have really come to think of Rice as home..  While I am so excited for the next chapter of my life to begin in Boston (one of my favorite cities), saying good bye to Rice and everyone there was definitely bitter sweet.

But before I get too sappy, let's get on with the festivities!

GRADUATION!!!  YAYYYYY!!!

Such a joyous occasion, isn't it?  

No matter how much you love the school, and no matter how sad it will be to leave it and move on, there's something incredibly exciting about graduating.  The whole school is full of energy, there are friends and family everywhere, and really, just the whole atmosphere is electrifying.  All of the hours toiling away in the practice room or in the library, the blood and the tears... (ok, maybe not blood... mm actually, yes blood. mmhmm)  it was all worth it, and you are finally done!!!

Rice decided to have 2 ceremonies, one for each of the degrees (Bachelors, Masters, and Doctorate) and one for everyone, and since my Dad was coming, I decided to attend both! The only downside to attending both of the ceremonies was probably the fact that we had to line up at the crack of dawn... ok, so maybe not really the crack of dawn, but 7:30 A.M is close enough for me haha.  I had doubts about whether or not I could wake up for it, but what do ya know, I managed to get myself out of bed at 6, get ready, and line up in time!  Now, they probably didn't need us to be there so early because we had about an hour to burn as we waited for the ceremony to actually begin, but we made good use of that time and took some photos!

yay for sneaking in my phone to the ceremony   haha

and we also got in a selfie right before we were called to line up to enter   haha

and here we go!

Rice had separate ceremonies for Undergrads, Master's, and Doctorate candidates so that the Commencement wouldn't be so long, and that made our ceremony really short.  all of us got to go up and take our fake diplomas (real ones are coming in the mail in about 6 weeks I guess) and it only took about 45 minutes!

After the ceremony, there was a reception at the music building (wait.. where is that building again..? haha), and lots and lots and llooottss of photo taking, so here are a couple of those  =)

With Daddy!!

and with the boy. We met during my first semester at Rice and started dating soon after, so Rice will always have a special place in our hearts  =)

got the hood (that goes all the way to my butt) for my degree, pink velvet for music (why!! why pink?!  ok, I suppose pink isn't so bad  haha), and blue and silver chevron for Rice!  =D

and the Master's degree graduating class of 2014!!  

wooohooooo~~  We're freeeeee~~

oops, the professors joined us. getting our acts together and posing nicely for one more photo  haha

The next day, we had the Commencement for the whole school with a very inspiring speech by Dr. Gayle, President and CEO of CARE USA. That day, we were so incredibly thankful that we didn't have to sit through everyone going up to the stage, shaking hands with the president, getting our fake degrees, and walking back down.  Houston is in full summer mode and the ceremony was outside in the blazing sun, so even though I was wearing a light summer dress under the robe, I was still dying by the time the shortened ceremony was over.  Thankfully, the Graduate Student Association had icy water bottles ready for us when we walked through the archway (symbolic tradition for Rice folks)! We just had to go find the banner, and we were awarded with the life-saving liquid.  If you think that was a dramatic statement, you obviously didn't sit in the blazing Houston summer sun for a few hours in cap and gown...  haha

Rice, it's been incredible.  Thank you so much for all of the opportunities and the awesome people you bring together.  I will miss you and everyone that makes you so freakin amazing  ;)

I'm now back in Seattle, and I'm not sure that it has really sunk in that I won't be returning to Rice next year... but I'm super excited for this summer filled with traveling and performing, and I can't wait to share those adventures with you!  

Thank you for letting me share my life transitioning to and then living the graduate school life at Rice , and I hope to see you around as I do it all over again at Boston University for the next few years!  =)

Have a wonderful week, and thanks for stopping by!

--Janny

4 Ingredient Chocolate Chip Cookie

Hello everyone!

The thing about moving out is that it takes more than 1 day to pack everything you own and move out of your house. But while you are packing stuff away, you still have to live...  so it's the art of balancing what needs to be packed away first, and what needs to be packed away last, and etc.  However, there comes a point where the interests clash, like yesterday when I wanted to bake cookies.

I don't have butter, I don't have eggs, I don't have flour (they've all been given away last week because I didn't think I would need them anymore.. I should have known better!), but I still wanted cookies.  I suppose I could have just gone to the store to buy those ingredients, but it seemed wasteful to me to go and get new boxes of all of the ingredients when I knew I would only have time to make 1 batch of cookies!  So I just had to make do with what I had (plus a new bag of chocolate chip cookies, but I know I'll go through that before I leave.  I mean, it's chocolate.  haha)

And thus, this 4 ingredient chocolate chip cookie was born.

I really wasn't sure how it would turn out, but I'm happy to say that it's actually surprisingly good! and the best part?  it's pretty darn healthy!  =)

So this is what you are going to need.

• 3 ripe bananas
• 2 cups of oats, blended in the food processor
• 1/2 cup of almond butter (could also use peanut butter)
• 1 cup of chocolate chips!

yup, that's it.  could not be simpler, right?

so let's begin by preheating the oven to 350.

then, pulse those 2 cups of oats in your food processor.  You don't have to do this step if you don't want to, but this kind of makes a substitute 'flour'.

Mash the 3 bananas with 1/2 cup nut butter of your choice, then mix in the oats.

Lastly, stir in the chocolate chips!

I must say, it looks pretty legit, doesn't it?

After that, all you have to do is shape the dough into a cookie shape.  Remember, the dough isn't going to expand or flatten out, so really make it into the final shape you want

Pop it in the oven for 12-14 minutes, and voila!

I've tried my hand at 'healthy' cookies before, but this is the best one so far!  AND I got my cookie fix without having to go buy a whole lot of ingredients before I left town  ;)

I hope you enjoy the recipe as much as we did!

Thanks for stopping by!
--Janny

Happy Mother's Day!

Hello everyone!

Happy Mother's Day!

I haven't been with my mom in person on Mother's Day for the past 8 years because it always happens during school, and I've been away from home all of those years attending school...  so sad... so much schooling... le sigh..  haha   But this year, at least I'll get to see her in a week, and I can't wait!!   =)

Like I said, I've been doing this going-away-for-school thing for a long time now (starting in high school), and while I absolutely loved being away for school and being incredibly busy doing anything and everything, I do regret one thing; the fact that I didn't make more time to call not only my parents, but also my baby bro and baby cousin. While we are at school and being incredibly busy, it's easy to forget to keep in touch with our families.  But now that I'm older (sooo old  haha), I find that I miss my family more and more each day, and I regret missing out on my baby bro and my cousin's development through middle school and high school so much...  I guess I kind of knew that I wouldn't see my family very much when I decided to attend a boarding school for high school, but I don't think I quite realized how little I would see them.  I mean, for the past 8 years, I've only gone home twice a year or so, for a total of about 3 weeks per year.  =(  Thankfully, I'm still young, my family is very close, and hopefully we'll get to create more amazing memories for many, many years to come  =)

Anyway, the post became a bit sadder than I intended  haha  but there's been a couple of sudden deaths among my friends' families, and I just miss my familia more and more as I get older. I know everyone is busy, but we just never know how long we have with our loved ones, so we should treasure every moment!   =)  

So all of the mamas out there, Happy Mother's Day!  Thank you so much for being there for us through all of the happiness, sadness, temper tantrums, illnesses, and every big and small moments of our lives.   And to my Mommy, thank you for being there for me, especially theses two years.  You've been such a God-send, and I really wouldn't have been able to survive without you.  I love you so much, I'm so proud of you, and I can't wait to see you soon!  =D

I hope you all have a wonderful day, and thanks for stopping by!

--Janny

Life after classes

Hello everyone!

So classes have been over for a week now, and I thought I would have so much free time...  oh how incredibly wrong I had been...  haha

Even though Houston is in full summer mode, (80 to 90 degrees every day!)

I have been stuck inside most of the day learning music, or performing music..  Here is the Pierre Jalbert Piano Trio that I have to learn before I leave the country in 2 weeks that has been giving me so much stress haha.  

The piece itself is awesome, don't get me wrong, but the fact that I will be performing this the week I get back from Korea and Taiwan, after not touching my violin for more than 2 weeks, really really really stresses me out.  Not only do I have to learn this, but I have to learn 3 other new pieces during the next 2 weeks and the week I get back to this country, so...  yeah, so much for summer break, huh?   I just have to really plan it out well because my tendinitis has flared up again, and the last thing I need is to have to take time away from my violin even more..  le sigh.. 

During the nights, I have been performing this hilarious musical with the Music Box Theater here in Houston.  This week was the closing week, so we got to play for a full house almost every night, and it was so much fun!  =D   a lot of playing, and some more learning music really fast because we had 1 rehearsal before I had to jump into the performance (I was subbing for a friend), but it was all worth it because it was such a fun musical to play!

Even during all that, we did manage to fit some cooking and baking and generally just eating lots of food, as you may have come to expect from us.  haha.  Sometimes, we did resort to ramen at midnight, but after a long night of performing, that's all you crave at times.  We know it's not good for us, but it sure was delicious.  Oh, and we made some broccoli/tofu side dish to go with it so we felt a little better haha

We also went out to eat, which is pretty rare for us, but,, desperate times call for desperate measures? actually, it was just on one of our H-Mart trips, and someone had ordered this in front of us in the food court, and it looked so good that we just haaadd to get it ourselves  haha  It was pretty amazing though  =p

Our experimental kitchen also got some action when we tried to make a loaf of seaweed bread.  In Korea, we eat seaweed, called Gim, a lot, and it's one of my favorite side dishes ever!  I mean, just give me some rice, Gim, and some Kimchi, and I'm set to go just about every meal.  So we thought we'd incorporate it into bread and see how it turned out. I had high hopes for doing a recipe for it here on the blog if it turned out well...

The making process went smoothly, and we had fun trying to take some action shots of the Gim falling into the dough, etc.

but while it looked really good when it came out of the oven and all that...

it wasn't really blog recipe worthy...  and we ended up eating it with some Kimchi...  haha

yeah... so we'll just keep experimenting a little more, and maybe we'll perfect it at some point!

There has also been some craft projects,,,

and lots and lots of packing...  our apartment is looking so chaotic and empty all at once!

In our free time, when we manage to find some, we've been exercising and getting into the usual David/Janny fooling around, doing things like this..

=)
so that's been my life after classes so far!
I'm sure there will be even more of that in the next week and a half until I graduate, and I'm going to try to make the most of my last week and a half in Houston.
Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you have a wonderful week!
--Janny