(photo: Princess Coco; photo from 2013)
My second love is pho and potatoes. Not together, of course. If you don't know, pho is a traditional Vietnamese cuisine consisted of a beef broth, rice noodles, and assorted meats and vegetables. There are a bunch of pho restaurants in Oklahoma City. My favorite is Bistro VII on Classen Blvd! I highly recommend it if you have never tried it. If anyone has any other restaurant/cuisine suggestions, please comment below. I am always looking for something new to try out. Potatoes are another one of my favorite foods. It is basically any potato product: french fries, chips, scalloped potatoes, baked potatoes, etc. I love it!! I especially love it with bacon and cheese. Yuuum!
Another thing about me is that I love to travel. I am sure there are lots of other people that do as well. My goal after I graduate is to go backpacking on my own in Europe. I recently did "training" for my Europe trip over spring break when I went to Chicago on my own. I have never gone anywhere by myself before, but the experience felt exhilarating.
Let's see....I like music? Some of my favorite artists are Lady Gaga, Kimbra, and Beyonce. Of course, I do love more than just that. Right now I usually listen to indie pop/electronic like Passion Pit, Young the Giant, and Little Daylight. I am slowly listening to more female indie pop/folk music like Yuna, Noosa, and Haim. If anyone has music suggestions, please also list them below!
Oh, your little Coco is the cutest! And as for food... oh, I absolutely LOVE Vietnamese food. When I lived in Berkeley, just down the street from me was a place called Saigon Express, very small, very simple... but the food was fabulous. Now I have to Google and see if it still exists...
ReplyDeleteYES!!! Saigon Express menu ... Now I am going to be craving Vietnamese food all weekend, ha ha. Anyway, I am glad to know it is going strong 15 years after I left there... that makes me happy!
And maybe you can use this class to explore the folktales and legends from the countries you want to visit this summer. Stories are not the same as getting to travel... but stories can provide a journey of the imagination, and that can be an adventure too! :-)
I am a foodie at heart and will have to try Vietnamese food. I have never heard of Bistro VII but will have try to it out next time I am in Oklahoma City. One of my favorite types of food is Thai food. I love curries with vegetables in it and love Sweet Basil or Thai Thai which are both in Norman.
ReplyDeleteI have always loved to travel and after studying abroad in Brazil, my yearn to explore other new countries grew. I also want to backpack Europe when I graduate in December because I will have about 6 months off until physical therapy school starts in June. My parents are hesitant about sending me alone so I may end up doing it through a program. There are some awesome college programs that do not count for credit but it is all college students and they plan everything for you. One of them is EF College Break. I am looking into doing a program in Italy and Thailand where I would volunteer at a hospital doing physical therapy. Let me know if you want any more information about traveling abroad. And if you ever get the chance, Brazil is amazing!
Well, Paula, you and I have a great deal in common. But let me first start by saying ... OH MY GOODNESS at little Yorkie Coco. I am quite sure she is spoiled rotten, as is my little Yorkie, Trooper. He thinks he is master of his domain, although my other animals disagree with him vehemently. Trooper and my daughter's Tuxedo Cat, Maximus, rough house all the time and provide unlimited hours of entertainment. I'm so excited to hear that you're planning a backpacking trip through Europe and that you chose to practice in Chicago. Chicago is my home town and I can't imagine a better place to be!! There are so many things to do and see!!! If you ever find yourself wanting to go back to Chicago, try to go in July as we have Taste of Chicago!! All, and I mean ALL, the special foods come out into the park and you can try as many as you like. And since Chicago is such a melting pot of multiple cultures and ethnicities, you can find Pho, Falafel, and anything else your heart desires... don't forget the beer.
ReplyDeleteAs for your music choices... I'll have to check out some of the artists you mentioned, as my daughter and I are always looking for new and fascinating artists and music!!!
P.S. If you like sushi, and even if you don't, a great Asian fusion restaurant in Norman is Meridian 180. They serve hot, cold, Korean, Vietnamese, Japanese...and I've had their Pho and I thought it was pretty darn good!!! I'm a foodie too, so I get where you're coming from!!
Good luck on your chemical engineering, girlfriend!! Chemistry and I do NOT get along at all, so more power to you!! :)
Paula, it was great getting to know a little about you in this post! I enjoyed reading about your varied interests. Your Coco is adorable--but I'm sure you already knew that. :)
ReplyDeleteYou and I have a lot in common in terms of traveling. I have always loved the idea of backpacking across Europe, especially in the mountainous regions. It would be a great mixture of adventure and new cultures. I would especially love to try all the different kinds of food.
Anyway, thanks for sharing a little about yourself! Good luck with all your future endeavors in chemical engineering!
That's awesome that you like Pho! Bistro VII is right by my house haha. Also, I love that your dog is "everything" to you. My dog is super important to me too, but he's a 95 pound golden retriever, so he is a tiny bit bigger than Coco. Also, Chemical Engineering is freaking hard, so I'm glad it's you and not me! Best of luck with what looks like a pretty tough semester! You'll do great!
ReplyDeleteHi Paula! First of all, Coco is so cute! I've never tried Pho, but it sounds delicious. I'll have to look for Bistro VII next time I'm in the city. That's so cool that you're planning on backpacking through Europe alone. I haven't every traveled anywhere alone but I want to start in the next few year. Good luck with the rest of your semester!
ReplyDeleteCoco is such a cutie patootie in that photo. I had no idea you wanted to go backpacking around Europe after graduation?! How cool, please let me know when you're going so I can live vicariously through you. Also jeez your classes sound hard this semester, I have no idea how you handle it all so well. I'm glad I got to read this because I'm learning even more about you that I never knew before. Come over more often and we can experiment with potato recipes. See you later gurrrrlllll
ReplyDeleteHi Paula, I enjoyed reading your introduction. The picture of your dog was so cute!!! I also have a dog that is everything! He is a Shetland sheepdog and I miss him all of the time while I’m away at school. I think it is so neat that you want to backpack across Europe after you graduate. I think so many people get caught up in establishing a career instead of living life while we’re young.
ReplyDeletePaula,
ReplyDeleteI am so glad someone else shares my obsession with potatoes. Mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, fresh potato chips, and french fries (my fav) are just the best thing you can eat. Especially drenched it melted cheese, bacon and chives! (and ranch of course). I also love to travel! I think it would be so fun to backpack through Europe, but I don't think I would have the guts to do it alone. So good for you!! I bet that would be an unforgettable experience! Have a great semester, and good luck after graduation :)
Paula, wow that is quite the course load this semester - go you!! That is definitely a lot of science courses, so it must be nice to mix it up a bit with a Mythology and Folklore class.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Coco is absolutely adorable! I totally understand what you mean when you say you take a lot of photos of your dog. About 80% of the photos on my phone are of my dog. I guess you can't help it when they are so cute, am I right?!
Well good luck in all your courses, and I look forward to reading your stories this semester!
Chem E, eh? I have a friend in the same major who also has the proclivity to take some of the harder classes all at once, and it shows in his eyes, although I think he's doing better this semester (he's National Merit and one of the smartest guys I know, so if anyone can handle it, he can). This class must be a nice change of pace for you amidst all those sciences you’re taking. Although you have a busy schedule, I hope that you get a lot out of this class. Have a great rest of the semester!
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to meet you Paula! Your course load sounds quite hefty, I wish you the best of luck with all those science classes! I love the picture of your dog. I am a dog person as well, while I do not have one with me currently at college I love going home and visiting my jack russel terrier! I love to travel as well, and I have been to two places in Europe, Greece and England. You must visit both of those countries, they are both incredibly different yet beautiful. You will love Europe! Hope you're having a great semester!
ReplyDeleteKudos to you for having such a hard major! I have a few friends that are CHEME, and I know they tend to be stretched thin. I hope everything goes well this semester! I will say that I have had pho, and I was surprised by how much I liked it. The last time I ate it was when I was in OKC for some volunteering, but I cannot remember the name of the restaurant.
ReplyDeleteHi Paula! I'm trying to visit introductions I haven't seen yet before I finish up the class, so here I am! I definitely understand your engineering pain, I graduate this semester and am majoring in Civil Engineering, but I assume they are all equally torture. I still have never tried Pho somehow, so maybe I should work on that. I’ve noticed a lot of people this semester talk about their desire to travel, which is awesome to see and I love hearing where people have been. I lived in Chicago for 5 years and it’s still my favorite city in the world!
ReplyDeleteHi, Paula!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading through your introduction and getting to learn a little bit more about you! First off, I have to say your dog is absolutely adorable. I am a dog lover myself, and miss my dog dearly since he is back at home.
Also, you mentioned that you like to play flag football. This is kind of random, but did you play in the intramural flag football tournament? I saw your profile picture and thought you looked familiar!
Wow, way too many science classes. I could not handle that, but I am a Math major, so I get the same reaction all the time. Your dog is adorable by the way! I have never tried pho before but I love love love food, so I might have to try it sometime. Hope you are enjoying your semester!
ReplyDeletePaula,
ReplyDeleteI am impressed with your workload this semester. I started out as a Chemical Engineering major, so I know that those classes are no cake walk. MoHeat was the toughest one I took. While we share some chemical engineering experiences, I cannot say that I agree with your feelings for pho. I tried it once with my dad, but did not like it very much. However, I know a lot of people who really like it.
Hello Paula! First of all, how are you surviving this semester if you're taking so many difficult science classes? Props to you, because I wouldn't be able to accomplish that without pulling my hair out form the stress. Also, your dog is sooooo cute! I love animals, especially dogs. I have a shiba inu which no one really knows what that is, but it's like a miniature huskey. Additionally, potatoes are my favorite food and because you have listed Passion Pit as one of your favorite artists, I have a huge amount of respect for you. It was great getting to learn a little bit about you. You seem like an amazing person! Best of luck with the rest of the semester!!!
ReplyDeleteHey Paula, I'm finishing up for the semester and I wanted to thank you for your comment on my storybook. It was helpful and encouraging and much appreciated!
ReplyDelete