Thanksgiving long weekend report

"Thanksgiving always makes you wish you had a bigger stomach." -- Ruth

I had a great long weekend as we went to two gatherings and ate lots of good food. The break was definitely pretty awesome. Read on to find out more!

Thursday

So our family friend Henry invited us over for Thanksgiving for the first time ever. It was a busy day as there were many things that needed to be done. Mom prepared the gifts while I listened to online lectures. I later watched Superman: Unbound on the Amazon Fire TV before we left for Henry's house.

There were several young people present - not only were Henry's daughters Ruth and Connie both home, they also had two other families over. I enjoyed meeting their cousin Janet and her husband Howard, the Tings and Ruth's boyfriend Steven. Our family friend Grace was there as well, although she left early as the Lius had other things planned.

Of course, no Thanksgiving is complete without tasty food. The Changs prepared lobster and crab while the Tings brought a turkey from Whole Foods Market and several side dishes. Our contribution was Mom's famous red bean buns. The seafood was easily the best part of the meal, although everything else was delicious too, such as Ruth's homemade butternut squash soup. I was full before I could try all the dishes.

Janet's family left after dinner as their daughter had to go to bed. The girls then invited me to play board games, to which I gladly obliged. Let me tell you, Cranium is damn hard if you don't have Wikipedia memorized. One thing for sure is that it's a great way to exercise the brain.

Scattergories was also pretty fun. Ruth, Charity and I formed a team while Connie, Eric and Steven joined the other. The whole thing was hilarious, especially with Steven's dirty answers. I guess being less than classy has its merits because Steven ultimately won. Everyone had so much fun that we didn't leave until 1 a.m. On the whole, the party totally rocked.

I'd definitely like to thank Henry for having us over. Speaking of which, I'm also thankful for the other great things that happened this year, particularly my cousin Connie's wedding in Pasadena. It was something I had eagerly anticipated, especially considering that I never get invited to weddings. The day trip to San Francisco and my 10-year high school reunion were also nice.

Friday

The local Chinese newspaper had a coupon for a popular Indian restaurant in Millbrae called The Third Eye Restaurant & Bar. The deal was too good to pass up, so Mom suggested going there for lunch. The coupon turned out to be valid only for dinner, but that wasn't an issue because the lunch buffet was already discounted. The selection was limited but otherwise delicious. The three of us took a stroll around downtown Millbrae before heading home.

The rest of the day was uneventful. I studied for most of the rest of the afternoon, although we watched the 1949 film Le Silence de la mer for Henry's film club. That was an interesting movie.

Saturday

The morning began with a stop at Costco as we were short on groceries. From our experience, Costco usually has many samples around this time of the year. However, because we arrived earlier than usual, there was barely anything available. Oh well.

We had a quick dinner before heading to Henry's house again. Everyone had a good time discussing Le Silence de la mer while enjoying snacks. This felt like an extension of the Thanksgiving party to me. The not-so-fun part is that I got a bad headache afterwards. Blah.

Sunday

The headache went away after a good night's sleep. The plan was to go hiking somewhere, but thanks to the rain, the soggy trails changed our minds. I spent most of Sunday listening to online lectures but still got to watch Dawn of the Planet of the Apes on the Amazon Fire TV in the afternoon. Though I liked Rise of the Planet of the Apes more, the sequel wasn't too bad.

All in all, the break couldn't have been better. I can't wait for New Year's Eve. In the meantime, feel free to check out my pictures from the long weekend.

Currently watching: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes