Lovin' the home cookin'

Moving out of the parent's house is a big step. You instantly develop complete freedom & power over your life. It's a liberating feeling that marks the transition to adulthood. I thoroughly enjoy being out on my own. There's no phone calls asking when I'll be home, no one nagging me about cleaning (although sometimes I do wish someone would keep me in line on that one), and of course, coming home in the wee hours of the morning without penalty (like I even do that anyways, lol). But one of the biggest drawbacks is missing my mom's wonderful cooking. I've been out for 2 years now eating the same shit over and over again (hello hamburger helper!). Now that I'm in my mid-twenties (eeek!), I wish that my mom had taught me how to cook. I can't even cook fried rice!! There are so many days where I yearn for some home cooked Vietnamese meal.

This past weekend, my mom called me up to come home and eat some delicious pho that she was cooking. If you're anything like me, you're totally into pho. It hit the spot... 100 percent! One day I'm gonna have to learn how to make pho for myself. Until then, I'll keep mooching off of my mom's cooking ;)




Tonight I'm headed to the Houston Livestock & Rodeo. I'm ready to eat some funnel cake & play some fun carnival games :) Bring it on Houston!

Fish Fish Fish!

Seafood. Food from the sea. I can't get enough. I've always thought that beef won my protein craving heart, but in hindsight, I've always gravitated towards salmon if given the chance. And don't get me started on crawfish. I'm already counting down the days until crawfish season hits. One more month! I guess you can say it's the Vietnamese gene in me that craves those yummy creatures from the waters.

One of my fave places to hit up is Pappadeaux. I remember the first time I ate there. I ordered the cedar plank salmon. The moment it touched my tongue, I was in heaven. To this day, I still consider that my all time favorite dish. It's been almost 2 years since that day, and I'm still waiting for something else to "wow" me like the salmon did that day. So for Valentine's day, we went back and got the salmon & some raw oysters (another fave!). It didn't disappoint. Of course, anyone who has gone to Pappadeaux knows that they aren't exactly known for their service. I've come to accept it. I just eat my food & savor its flavors.

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Last night, I tried out a new sushi place, Sasaki. It's a small place tucked into a slew of other stores. The place is charming. It looked legit. They had the cutest plates & cups! The food was ok. I was a bit disappointed in the lack of sushi varieties. I wish they had more special rolls that you could choose from. Instead they had a wider array of non-sushi Japanese foods. I liked what I ordered but I don't think I'd be going back. I need more sushi!!

I love it when my coffee smiles back at me

I think I've found my dream home.

Freezing cold Houston

These last few days we've seen one of the worst winter storms in America. From tons of snow to chillingly cold weather, this winter has not been a disappointment. We've (Houston) been lucky to avoid most of the havoc that the rest of the country has been experiencing but sooner or later it was bound to catch up. Which it did, last night. In the nearly 10 years of living here, I've never seen it so crazy outside. We had some major ice problems. All the overpasses in Houston we're basically shut down & there were car wrecks everywhere. I was fortunate enough to get approval to have the day off because I think I'd be a bumbling fool if I tried to drive out there.

So here I am, nice and cozy in my apartment. Enjoying my now three day weekend :)


1. my frozen Christmas lights on the porch
2. Junie nice and bundled up... she's prepared for winter alright, hehe. Oh and her sweater is all ripped up because her wide chest makes it impossible for doggie clothes to fit her. They all have to be "custom" made. LOL
3. hot cup of coffee fixes everything ;)

PS - This weekend, the hubby & I are going to look at houses. That's right, we're ready to buy our first home! Eeeek, so exciting. I've already started a mental image of how I want to decorate our place. I can't wait.

It's time to celebrate, boys and girls!

First off, YAY!!! I developed my film today and they turned out MUCH, MUCH better than previous pictures. I'm a lot happier with this batch than the previous ones. With a little persistence and inspiration (thanks Alice!!), I'm starting to get where I want to be. I have quite a ways to go but it's comforting knowing that I've made at least some progress.

These are from La Madeline. I'm not gonna lie, I'm not the biggest fan of this place. Everyone always raves about it, but for some reason, every time I go, I always order something I'm not too fond of. That day I ordered a house favorite... the chicken parisien. It was okay. Nothing spectacular. I felt that it was a little too heavy, too early in the morning. I only ate half the sandwich :( Fortunately, we ordered the tomato basil soup, which never disappoints. All in all, it was an okay visit. This place is slowly, emphasis on slowly, growing on me. I'd still rather go somewhere else for food.

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The second food stop of the day was at The Chocolate Bar. Ever since the last cold front came through, I've been DYING for some off the hook hot chocolate. So the funny thing about the hot chocolate is that it comes in this teeny, tiny cup. 4 oz. to be exact. When they first gave it to me I thought that they had mistakenly given me a sample cup. But I slowly realized that the hot chocolate that they make is so rich that 4 oz. is MORE than enough. I barely finished it. And to top it all off, we ordered some turtle cheesecake. It was really good at first but the more I ate it the more I felt like I was eating butter. The cheesecake literally melted in my mouth and it felt so fattening. I'm ashamed to say this but I only ate like 4 bites. I still love this place. It's the chocolate go to location here :)

I will always love my burgers & fries

Barnaby's Cafe. God I love this place. If there is even a remote, miniscule chance of going here, I'm down. I've covered Barnaby's in an earlier post but this time I visited the original location. It's located in the quaint Midtown neighborhood surrounded by bars and houses. The restaurant is small and a little run down but it exudes so much personality. From the rainbow colored walls (the restaurant was founded by a gay man) to the pictures of a sheepdog (the restaurant was named after the owner's childhood dog), this place has won my stomach & heart.

As per usual, I ordered my awesome cheeseburger and fries (with extra seasoning, please!). There's no picture of it because it was too massive to fit into the frame, hehe. Besides, pictures take time & I was ready to tear that burger to pieces.

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So lately I've been in a photography stump.. well, more like an editing stump. I can't seem to find my niche in editing. I feel like my style is too eclectic and it bugs the crap me. I feel like I should be more stable in the way I process my pictures. Every time I edit a picture, I always doubt myself. Most of the time I find myself going back and re-editing a picture that I just got done with a few hours ago. I wish there was a simple solution.. like an all around, amazing photoshop action that will take care of all my pictures :)

I guess I just gotta keep trucking. It's a frustrating journey but I'm not giving up. I want to continue learning and growing. Good luck me!

I call "success" on Christmas Day

Our first gingerbread house
Christmas came and went. I always get bummed out that Christmas has passed. It means 364 more days until next year. I'm gonna miss all the Christmas music that they play 24/7 on the radio, all the lights hung up every where, and the holiday cheer that everyone seems to adopt. This is definitely my favorite time of year and I'm gonna be looking forward to next year... no matter how far away it is :)

Christmas was great this year. Nice sit down lunch at the father-in-law's house and then dinner at the mom's house. I was actually more stuffed than I was at Thanksgiving. There were lots of presents and family and friends. It was nice to get out. Even though I always complain about having to see the family, it was a treat bonding with everyone.

Now on to New Years!!

Korean BBQ - revisited

Here's 2 snapshots of me, in all my glory, enjoying some delicious Korean BBQ that I blogged about here. Check out ALL. THAT. FOOD. I think we only ate about half of the meats and most of the side dishes were only tasted once. I think in the future we need to be less gluttonous when we're ordering the food ;)


I rocked that panda hat :)

Craving fulfilled :)

The hubby took me to eat some Korean BBQ for the first time a few weeks ago. I wasn't expecting too much except how awesome it was to cook our own meats at the table (hell yea!). Little did I know that that night would alter my cravings into a whole new system. It was that night that got me hooked on Korean BBQ. I can't believe I'd gone 25 years without EVER having eaten Korean BBQ. The food was amazing, life changing. It was since then that I've had a constant craving for some Korean BBQ. And tonight, I was definitely satisfied.

We ordered the variety platter. There was 4 different types of meat that we cooked and they were all delicious. There's this dip that's to die for. It has a nutty flavor and it goes great with the beef. I wish I knew what it was because that was heaven on earth. But unfortunately, there aren't too many pictures because I was too busy being a pig :/

I've found a new food obsession. Thanks a lot Korea.

It's the little things in life...

One of the best thing to come out of winter is drinking hot chocolate with loads and loads of marshmallows :) I'm one of those freaks who constantly add more marshmallows when the others in my drink have melted. I think one time I gave myself such a huge sugar rush from adding like half a bag of marshmallows into my hot cocoa. It was great!

So last night I made some hot chocolate and cinnamon rolls to go along with the relaxing I was about to do. It definitely felt great being able to kick my legs up on the couch, pig out on cinnamon rolls, and watch tv. Nothing beats it.



Today I did something I never do... I went out and bought fresh flowers. I was in a "domesticated wife" mood, I guess. I wanted some baby's breath but the store didn't have any. So I settled on some flowers that were actually used in my wedding a few months back. I wish there was a farmer's market or something by the house so that I can keep buying flowers from local florists and not have to pay out my butt at some franchise store. Oh well, having the flowers sitting on my desk makes me happy. I feel good about life every time I look at them. It's the little things in life that brings a smile to my face. Thank god for weekends ;)

alive & kicking

It's definitely been awhile since I've last updated on here. Lots of things have changed. For one, it's cold outside now. Thank god for that because I was getting worried that this heat wave was gonna stick around for most of winter. Thankfully, a cold front came through a few days ago, bringing with it crispier, cooler weather. I've been frequenting the dog park more often now that I won't instantly burn the second I step foot outside. Junie sure does appreciate it :)

Speaking of Junie, a few weekends ago was Pet Fest. There's sort of a tradition to head out to this annual event with little Junie (even though this is only the second year we've participated). It's so much fun to see all the booths and rescue groups there. We try to go see Junie's foster mom at the Lone Star Boxer Rescue booth so that we can show off how gorgeous Junie has become :D Vicki fostered Junie when she was rescued from the pound a year ago. She gave Junie a loving home and helped train her to be the perfect companion. It was definitely nice to see them bond again. I made sure to spoil Junie rotten while we were there. I got her a few doggie treats as well as a banging pair of goggles that she totally rocked out.


So recently I've had a humongous craving for some crab. I don't usually eat a lot of seafood (mostly because beef is my calling) but this time, for some reason, I just HAD to get me some crab. There's something about cracking open the shell to reveal succulent, juicy meat that'll be dipped in butter that I couldn't steer clear of. I can't come close to describing how satisfying it was to eat my Crab Daddy Feast (that's right, the big man's crab platter). Now if only crawfish season would hurry up and get here. Then I'd be in HEAVEN.

A little different.

Even though I've been doing photography for almost 5 years now, I've never done it professionally. I had a very brief stint as a secondary photographer at a wedding once that confirmed my dislike towards professional photography. There was something about the pressures and volatile nature of it that I couldn't stand. It was because of that wedding that I swore to myself to never try turning my hobby into something professional. My controlling nature and fear of disappointment keeps that promise alive today. Besides, I like photographing inanimate objects. They always do exactly what I tell them :)

So this morning I had the pleasure of being a human tripod for an engagement shoot. I was summoned to help hold the off-camera flash so it was a nice opportunity to see what goes on during a shoot like that. It was pretty interesting. It took me about 2 hours before I loosened up enough to bust out my own camera and take a few pictures here and there. And I guess because the pressure wasn't on me, I was able to comfortably snap a few pics. I am still by no means dipping my feet into this field but it was pretty fun. Until my arms started killing me from holding that darn flash for 3 hours.



After the long, and HOT, morning of shooting and sweating, we made our way to Barnaby's Cafe. A friend introduced me to it a few years ago and I've been hooked ever since. They have, in my opinion, the best burgers and fries in Houston. They sprinkle this awesome cajun seasoning on their fries that make them to die for! I always ask for a little extra on the side :) It's such a cute, adorable restaurant with loads of personality. They even let you bring your dogs with you (only on the patio, of course). I always find time for their food.



It's exciting getting back into photography again. It's been a good year and a half since I last did serious photography. I lost my drive and ambition somewhere along the way and went into a long slump so it's totally awesome that I feel that bug bite again. I'm excited for what's to come. Excited for what I'll come up with and what I'll create.

It's been too long. It's good to be back :)