All posts by Rina Hirate

Faneuil Hall: Blink!

December 2014,

BlinkOn November 22nd, at the Faneuil Hall Marketplace and Marketplace Center, the Christmas tree lighting ceremony took place. When I arrived, there were already a lot of people who were trying to see the lighting of the tree and the shows. Before the tree lighting, several artists performed in concerts, and fun shows were going on. Families, couples, students…everyone sang a song and enjoyed this event. I could feel Christmas, even though it was still the end of November!

“5…4…3…2…1…!” When the entire tree lit up, beautiful decorations and LED lights blinked. Over 350,000 LED lights were used! It was so beautiful; I couldn’t stop taking photos and videos. I want to visit again to take more photos! Every night from 4:30 to 9:30, a light and sound show occurs every 30 minutes. It must be beautiful. Wear warm clothes and visit with your friends! If you haven’t visited and seen Faneuil Hall’s big beautiful lighted tree, you should check it out!
Blink with CELOP Friends
Nightly performance featuring the music of the holiday pops event from November 22nd, 2014 to January 4th, 2015＊http://www.faneuilhallmarketplace.com/blink

In addition, check out the holiday events at Faneuil hall!
http://www.faneuilhallmarketplace.com/pdfs/holiday2014.pdf

Sargent Choice Recipe: Brownies

December 2014

By Rina Hirate
Brownie 1
I have always desired a healthy brownie. Every brownie I tried in the past was very sweet, but I ate brownies because I wanted them as a study break snack...

No worries anymore! Here is a healthy, not too sweet, and delicious brownie recipe from the Boston University Sargent Choice Nutrition Center!

Ingredients

  • 1 15-ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3 tablespoons canola oil
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (divided)

Brownie in OvenFinished Brownie
Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F
  2. Place the black beans in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs, oil, sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, baking powder, and salt and process until smooth. Add 1/4 cup of the chips and pulse a few times until the chips are incorporated.
  3. Spray the oil into the pan, smooth the top with a rubber spatula, and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4-cup chocolate chips.
  4. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until the edges start to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan before slicing into 2-inch squares.

Above photos by Rina Hirate

Sargent Choice
Check the Sargent Choice Nutrition Center website to learn about other healthy recipes!
www.bu.edu/sargentchoice

What is Thanksgiving Day?

November 2014,

By Rina Hirate

First Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving day is a national holiday in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. The original Thanksgiving Day was in 1621. When the Pilgrims who desired to become free from religious restrictions came from England, it was an extremely cold winter. Many people died because of hunger and disease. Fortunately, the Native Americans helped them to make crops when they arrived. The following year, they were able to grow a lot of crops. The Pilgrims commemorated their fortune and gave thanks to the Native Americans. This was the first original Thanksgiving Day. However, at that moment this holiday was not a national holiday...

Thanksgiving Dinner
Black Friday
Cyber Monday

In 1941 President Franklin Roosevelt decided that the fourth Thursday in November would be a national holiday: Thanksgiving Day. Currently, during the Thanksgiving holiday, people cerebrate with relatives gathering at one house to eat a big meal, traditionally with Turkey as the main dish, and side dishes like mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and many other dishes!

Black Friday is the Friday following Thanksgiving day. This is because it is regarded as the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. Many retailers are going to offer a discount sale to kick off the Christmas shopping season. In addition, this “Black Friday” means that retailers can make a lot of money on this day. It will be crowded everywhere. If you haven’t joined in Black Friday, you should. You will probably have a great experience!

Cyber Monday is the Monday following Thanksgiving day. Cyber Monday is similar to Black Friday, but the difference between the two is shopping online versus going out to shop at retail stores. For example, Amazon or other online shops are going to sell goods cheaper than usual. Perhaps you can purchase your favorite goods cheaper online!

Photo Credits (in order of appearance):
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving_(United_States)
freeinternetpictures.com/thanksgiving-day-united-states.html
businessinsider.com/what-not-to-buy-on-black-friday-2013-11
hdguru.com/just-announced-new-cyber-monday-hdtv-deals/

That’s Interesting! 90.9 WBUR Tour

November 2014

By Rina Hirate

WBUR 1
WBUR 2
WBUR 3

On November 5th, 8 CELOP students visited 90.9 WBUR, which is a department of Boston University, and a National Public Radio (NPR) member station. They are a fast-paced public radio station offering an exciting and creative work environment. Did you know that 90.9 WBUR’s location is right above CELOP, on the third floor!?

The most interesting part of the tour to me was the recording studio. We could enter the recording studio while they were broadcasting. It was a great experience for me to see their jobs. In addition, they told us that most people who are working at this radio station learned journalism before at college.

You can listen to this radio from your smartphone too. Download the app! It will provide great material for learning English: www.wbur.org

That’s Interesting! Sargent Choice Cooking Demo

November 2014

By Rina Hirate

Sargent Choice DemoOn Friday, November 7th, 5 CELOP students learned how to make healthy delicious Chicken Parmesan from professional nutritionists at the Fitness and Recreation Center cooking room. We learned not only how to make Chicken Parmesan, but also how to keep your body healthy by eating healthy food. The important thing is to consider balancing each meal. You should not eat only one ingredient. You can keep your body healthy and strong by eating a balanced meal.

To make healthy chicken Parmesan is simple. Here is the recipe! Anyone can make this easily. Let’s try to make this at your house!

Chicken Parmesan

Chicken Parmesan★Ingredients★
Makes 1 serving

  • 4 oz chicken cutlet
  • 1 egg or egg white
  • 1/3 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
  • 3/4 cup pasta sauce
  • 1/3 cup shredded cheese

★Prepare★

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F
  2. Crack egg into a small bowl and scramble with a fork.
  3. Put whole wheat bread crumbs into a separate small bowl.
  4. Dip chicken cutlet into the egg, covering both sides of the cutlet. Dip cutlet into the breadcrumbs creating a thin layer on each side.
  5. Place breaded chicken on a baking sheet. Top cutlet with 1/4 cup of pasta sauce, then top with shredded cheese.
  6. Cook chicken in prepared oven for 25-30 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked.
  7. Delicious Chicken Parmesan is ready!

Sargent Choice Cooking Demo

Photos by Rina Hirate

That’s Interesting! HGARC Tour

November 2014

By Rina Hirate
HGARC 1Have you ever visited BU’s main library: the Mugar Memorial Library? I guess most students have gone at least once. Then, have you ever checked the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center (HGARC) in the library? There are plenty of documents, poems, old newspapers or books, some belonging to famous politicians and celebrities. Many exhibits in the library surprised me. According to the Archive staff, these are only a few selected documents and they have more in storage. In addition, if you want to look at them for research, you just need to e-mail them! We have really good resources at BU!

HGARC 2We had a wonderful tour from a staff member who works at the HGARC on November 14th.. The guide told us how to keep these documents from getting damaged. Moreover, he suggested that it is important to keep documents on paper. It was a great opportunity to learn about these precious documents.

Photos by Rina Hirate