Heading out to colder climates!

Heading out...

(this post is pretty picture-heavy)

Yesterday, I was reminded by my cousin that the last update on my blog was a month ago.. Oops! So much for being discipline and consistent. I blame it on finals though... HAH! .... ok.... and lots of procrastination too!

Finals week is over and it was pretty crazy, but I think as compared to Malaysian standards, it really isn't! I remember the SPM and PMR days where we had to study and had finals consecutively for one month or so. And I know that people are still having those tests.. so who am I to complain. But I sure am happy to be done with finals and have break to look forward to.

Talking about breaks, Thanksgiving break last month was a blast!! I had so much fun, that I forgot about school and work. 

Here's some highlight of some of the things I did during the break.

We did "geocaching". Basically it's like treasure hunt that anyone can do anywhere. People will hide caches that can be anything like medicine bottles to bags. They will hide these caches in certain places. These caches contain some random objects in it and if you find the "treasure", you get to sign and add your name on a list of people who have found this cache and made their mark! :) 

This is a picture of Andrew, being a serious geochacher and trying really hard!! :) LOL. good job!

I was kinda skeptical about geochaching at first, but it gets addictive, especially when you are desperate to see what's in the cache. Also, if you decide to take out any items from the cache, you will have to replace it. I think we placed a band-aid in one of the caches, so if you find one with some band-aid in it, you know who put it there :)

Here's how long one of the list is. It's pretty amazing how many people are really serious about geocaching :) 

 We were invited to some of our friends' house to have thanksgiving meal together. I don't really have pictures of the food. But here's a pretty picture of Jessica before we went to a Thanksgiving meal.

Since the weather was kinda chilly and campus was pretty quiet, we decided to have a cookout using the firepit in the Heritage dorms! There were grilled chicken, vegetables and roasted s'mores that night. They tasted so good!! It was a fun time of hanging out with friends as we enjoyed all the delicious food. 

The firepit wasn't too big, but it did the job. Anna worked really hard that night and did most of the grilling. :)

                           People chilling on trees. A common sight in Cherry Grove Apartments.

                                                 







                                       Andrew trying to be "like a boss"

 And then on Friday of the Thanksgiving Break week, we took a road trip to Memphis, which is roughly an hour and half from Jackson, Tennessee. I absolutely love Memphis for all the great Asian eats there and some awesome Asian groceries they have there. Memphis has a larger population of Asians and we as Asians, tend to flock together... mostly for good food!!

This is our favorite Dim Sum place in Memphis, Golden Coast. Actually this place is located in Cordova,TN which is a little nearer to Jackson than Memphis is.

 They have char siu pau, siu mai, har gao, loh mai kai, ngau lam!!! Almost everything I crave for in the Dim Sum category..But I can't say it's as good as the one in my hometown, Ipoh though.

Next stop, Bubble Milk Tea! Always a welcomed treat! 

After satisfying our food cravings, we headed over to Shelby Farms where we indulged in nature's beauty. This place is just so serene and beautiful, and the warm and sunny weather that day complimented the scenery perfectly. 

Oh, and we always have to stop and say "hi" to the duckies!!

Here's my friend, Hannah, being Hannah!! :) She has an awesome camera and was the one who uploaded all the amazing pictures on Facebook. Love this girl. :)

                                                                Anna being Anna. ;)

  May being unusually demure and girly looking. :) 

Gorgeous Day!!!

We had Hot Wings for Dinner after our attempt driving round looking for Thai food failed. The wings were ok, but just a tinge too spicy. But it was surprisingly good food given how "sketchy-looking" the place was. 

On another note, I got myself a new toy during Black Friday's craziness!! :D We waited in line for about an hour and waited another 2 hours?! to pay. I guess you can say we had the full American Experience of Black Friday. I was glad we were not at Walmart where it was just out-of-this-world crazy. We went to Target and I was pleasantly surprise at how organised they made it. 

 SO happy with my new gadget. :)

      Then, we were invited to the Watsons house for dinner! Uncle Vince always makes the best curry and we always feel so welcomed at their house. This is a picture of the sunset that was so breathtakingly gorgeous that day.. This picture does not do it justice. 

 They always have exquisite Christmas decorations and everything in the Watson's house just feels "homey" and elegantly simple at the same time. Spending time chatting and having food in their house is definitely one of my favoritest things to do ;>

 Oh, and how can I forget our shooting experience at the Matlock's house on Thanksgiving dinner. I must say Mr. Matlock was pretty bold to teach us and let us try shooting on his gun, since most of us have maybe only fired and tried our hand at shooting guns once. But it was an amazing experience and we had a ton of fun meeting the Matlock's family and eating with them. They are really kind people.

Aim and Fire!

After Thanksgiving break, school felt so dreadfully long and tiring. But now that finals are over... Here's a video showing you how we partied, international style. :D 

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10200132904030379&set=t.830349931&type=3&theater

anyway,

I AM LEAVING Jackson in a few hours to visit my friend, Ming in Chicago, the Windy City. For those of you who have never been, it is called the windy city for a reason... IT IS majorly WINDYYY!!! As it is now Winter time, it is going to add that much more of coldness. I am gonna try not to freeze into a giant ice cube as I head to New York and Boston for Christmas and New Year's too. 

I am so excited to be finally going to New York, even though it's gonna be a high of -5degree celsius and low of -12degrees. 

I wil try to update my blog in Chicago. But till then, see ya and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!! and remember to cherish and spread more love and joy during this festive season! 

Thankful for Thanksgiving

T.H.A.N.K.F.U.L.

I am finally starting a blog! :)

To be honest, I had wanted to start a blog a long time ago but just never gotten down to it.
I guess I wasn't just as disciplined enough. But now that I have started one, I am determined to keep it alive, maybe not where it is updated daily but enough to keep friends and family back home posted on events in my life and also for me to document memorable moments in my life.

Since I came to America, I have not done a very good job with updating and keeping in touch with people back home, so this blog will be a good indicator that I DO WANT TO KEEP IN TOUCH WITH ALL OF MY FRIENDS, it is just a little hard with time difference and schoolwork.

Anyway...
I thought it will be a good idea with starting my blog with the recognition that I am extremely THANKFUL for everything in my life. Through ups and downs, by the grace of God, and with the support from people around me, I have had moments of bitterness and sorrow but also periods of joy and elation and contentment. I believe this is all part and parcel of life and all experiences help shape me and help me grow continually.

Which brings me to the title of my blog.... "This and That, Is Life". I thought for a long while about what the name of my blog should be and was inspired by this song from a singer I really like.
This is the song...

The singer, David Choi, is one of my favourite, he is an American-born Korean living in Los Angeles. He made a name for himself in YouTube land and I just love the melody and the lyrics of his songs.

I especially LOVE this song and whenever I hear it, it makes me want to throw my cares away and sing along with it. The lyrics just remind me to not take myself too seriously and to know that there is always a silver lining in the cloud. No matter how hard life is, we can still look around and find blessings and joy.
So, I just wasn't very creative with my blog title but I think it still works and it is appropriate for my blog. ;)

The title is also very timely as Thanksgiving day is approaching and we are now on our Thanksgiving Break!! There's so much to be thankful for, good friends, good food, plenty of rest.. etc.
One of the best thing about being in America is getting to witness and be a part of the celebrations of holidays we don't celebrate in Malaysia. For example, Halloween ---->>>>
We were REAL excited when we got to dress up and celebrate it with our friends on campus!!!

Thanksgiving is another celebration that I got exposed to when I got here.

                                        

Basically, it's a time to get fat and stuff your face with TURKEY.
YUMMMM!!!


However, on a much serious note... Thanksgiving also reminds me of my dad, since he passed away the eve of Thanksgiving. I have always thought how ironic it is that the day of his passing is so close to Thanksgiving. However, I think that God is reminding me that I have to be grateful for 18 years of wonderful time spent with a father who loves me sooo much!! And for the fact that I know that my dad is in a place where he is the happiest. :)

ANYWAY, just thought I would share my thoughts and updates on this blog and I hope to be consistent with posting updates regularly.
Thanks for reading!! :D
Happy thanksgiving!! NOW go get fat!! LOL.