I was invited to attend an event at the Indonesian Consulate's Office this week. It's called…read moreCulinary Day. It was a very well-planned event. Originated from an idea of food presentation from Aurora Murabayashi, the wife of Consulate General of Japan. There were joined by the wives of several countries' consulate generals in Houston. We watched cooking demonstrations and got to try the dishes from Indonesia, India, Ukraine, Japan, Angola and Switzerland. The facility was beautiful and the atmosphere was amazing. I got to network with the food presenters. I also toured the museum promoting Indonesia. Lots of history in 75 years of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and the United States. I have heard there is an annual bazaar happening in August. I can't wait to come back to learn about the Indonesian culture and try more Indonesian cuisine.

After hearing rumors of how local Indonesians flock to the consulate on Saturdays from 11-2 for a…read moremarket style smorgasboard of authentic food, we decided to check it out. Walking into the empty consulate doors on a Saturday afternoon, we found our way into a large room with women casually sitting behind tables selling various dishes prepacked in ziploc bags and to-go boxes and ready to go. The atmostphere is very much like what you might find perhaps post-church service with families selling their home-cooked foods a la bake sale style. Each dish costs approximately $5 to $7ish dollars cash only, so between the three of us, we grabbed 3 or 4 items that looked tasty and sat down to chow down. I couldn't really tell you the names of anything we ate, but I can tell you that it was all pretty delicious and we were surprisingly very stuffed at the end. There was a banana leaf wrapped chicken and rice thingy that was tasty. There were a variety of curry coconutty saucy broths that were delicious and reminded us of filipino or thai foods. There was also a package of what were basically potato chips glazed in a VERY spicy sweet chili sauce that was like a crack addiction (or so I've heard). Overall, the selection was so-so, but apparently we arrived a little too late (1230). Apparently, there is a lot more food at 11 sharp, so we fully intend on returning here next time right from the start to get the full experience.

Not to be confused with the Internal District, which is a seller of cream pies…read more The International District is actually essentially a Vietnamese District, and that's what most people know it as, although there are some cool things from other nations in the area. But definitely, if you want some of the best Vietnamese food and drinks and snacks and desserts in all of the United States, you would come to this neighbourhood of this city, because Houston Texas is low key the Vietnamese Capital of North America.

I'm not sure why I expected my visit to the DPS office for license renewal to be efficient, my…read moremistake. My biggest issue with the queue is that there are multiple phases with no direction whatsoever. Once my initial number was called, i was told to stand in another line. After I stood in that line, I was escorted to another area that wasn't really a line and the agent I was on front of when on break. After I stood there for over 15 minutes with no acknowledgement, I finally changed lines in order to get assistance. When I was helped, the service was fast and pleasant. They just really need to do something about the phases of waiting.

I had to renew my license in person. This location is the closest DPS location to my house. I…read morehopped on line and was able to get an appointment for the next day. Checking in was seamless, I was able to check in just before I arrived. I had about a 30 minute wait time after arrival. There was someone inside the entrance guiding people on where to go based on what they were there for. She was very helpful. There is plenty of seating while you wait for your number to be called on the screen. At times I felt like I was in the movie Beetlejuice in the Neitherworld waiting room with all the characters around me. ha! The employee who helped me was very nice and chatty. I asked her to look at my photo before she submitted it - and she totally did. So sweet. Just know that this location is crowded and not in the best area, so don't get overwhelmed.

Here today! As time…read morepasses us completely by, have y'all noticed so have the service we receive at the post office? I remember when the mail carriers of the handling of our mail, the Post Master's was on top of EVERYTHING but not in 2024! To make this long review short and get to the point, because I've been moving around a lot I put in a change if address from this zip code over 8 months ago. Because I discovered I was expecting a very important piece of mail, I had to get back with the personnel here. NOT only had I personally been in touch with them a few months after my move, it's 9 months after. What brought me back was yet another piece of important mail I was yet trying to intercept, again y'all not to put anyone on blast I visited to speak with the individuals I spoke to over the phone. I didn't get to meet those individuals but I was handed a HUGE stack of mail that wasn't sent back nor mentioned that was here by the several individuals I spoke to over the months. NOT to mention, my telephone number was attached.....I throw my hands up!

The service here is extremely slow and inefficient. The staff appear unmotivated and unwilling to…read morehelp, which delays the entire process. Automating more of the operation could significantly improve efficiency and reduce these unnecessary slowdowns.

The Houston West Chamber is a great organization. I've been a member for nearly 5 years, and it's…read moredefinitely benefited the company I represent. Jeannie, the President, and her staff are very engaged with the over 700 members. The chamber had a growth spurt this year, when they absorbed the membership of the former Galleria Chamber. This isn't just a chamber of commerce where you join, get a certificate to put on your wall...and that's it. This is an active living, breathing, vibrant organization. Their motto is "In Business. For Business." Many members are servant leaders and ascribe to the netweaving concept, understanding that referrals and helping others build their business reaps it's own rewards. There are many events held at a variety of times, at locations from the Galleria to Katy, to accommodate just about any schedule and budget. Their "Women Driving Business" committee hosts some of the hottest business-networking events in town, the chamber is behind the always fun west Houston beer & wine festival "Zest in the West", and the annual October Golf Classic is one of the best golf tournaments in town. I've joined (and not renewed) many different professional & trade organizations over the years in Houston & Chicago -- the HWCOC is tops in my book!

Excellent orientation yesterday. Looking forward to Jumpstart and all the networking events they…read morehave to offer. Stafford extremely helpful and friendly.

I don't know about this location but the one in the heights is useless. They do not care about the…read moredisabled population, they drag their feet and treat you like your lower than dirt. If anyone in authority reads this..please do something about this injustice. All I want to do is get training and find substantial employment and get off disability..Something DARS should be doing but failed me and probably many more.

sgt. Dieng was helpful and professional during my enlistment process. He made sure that everything…read morewas moving smoothly and would update me on what was happening.

TSgt Prins bae was helpful and professional during my enlistment process. If something came up he…read morequickly got it resolved, answered texts/calls promptly, and treated me with unequivocal respect.

I love a great library…read more The Robinson Westchase Neighborhood Library is truly a gem! Needed to get a book for my Newcomb Alumnae Association Book Club. It was available at the Robinson Westchase Library, so I made the trip to pick up my book. The library is a treasure. Open and airy, it just invites you in to check out books. Lots of shared parking spaces. The librarian pulled my book to the front desk. Walk across the bridge to Camden Park. This urban park is so nice. Worth it to cross the bridge and have a walk or sit on a swing.

My kids loved this library! The automated book return was cool, they loved the different sections,…read moreeverything was clean and the staff was knowledgeable! I also felt very safe here! My daughter was throwing a fit in the restroom (screaming was involved) and the security officer came in to check if she was ok.

I set up auto billing on a credit card. After the first bill I see an $8 service charge. I try and…read morelog in to change it and am unable to enter and receive this message "Access to www.houstonwaterbills.houstontx.gov was denied. You don't have authorization to view this page." I verified it was the correct site and tried again. Same result. I went to chat and asked to change payment method. After 7 minutes of verification they said I they could not change payment method and said to call the main number for help. I called and said I wanted to change payment method. Again, after all kinds of verification I was told I had to change it online. After trying several times with the agent online I was told the site was down and to try back later. I guess when you are the only game in town then customer service really does not matter.

Another day, another boil notice from the City of Houston. Yet again, the City of Houston has…read moredropped the ball, and can't provide Texas' largest city with clean, safe drinking water. Apparently the pumping station had a power failure (thanks Ercot) and then the backup generator failed. Nobody seemed to notice until it was too late, and water pressures went below a safe threshold. Remember during Snowvid in 2021, Valentine's Day, Winter Storm Uri, when they couldn't keep the taps flowing? Yea, that sucked, and people died. Remember in 2020 when a pipe burst, and they had a boil notice for the entire city back then too? Get your act together. The trust that the public has in your water utility is going down the drain. I'd drill a private well in my backyard if they'd let me, but I don't think that's feasible. In the mean time, we're going to the store to get more bottled water, and boiling everything that comes out of the tap.