Remainders of this year's 13.9 lb Turkey. Gobble gobble indeed!

How successful, or discomforting does our life need to be for us to be thankful? Are there kudos in life if we are more thankful?  If so, who measures how thankful we are? How many designer accessories must a girl have before she can consider herself blessed? And how sickly do we need to be before we realize how healthy we were before we got sick?

I ask these questions I swear it’s not because I’m trying to be annoying, but because I’m trying to figure out the common denominator of thankfulness. I know that everyone is different –either in social class, gender, race, financial situations, family background, lack of family background, etc. –but despite all the different responses we might get if we ask random people on the street what they’re thankful for, being TRULY thankful wouldn’t be about what we have (because that will vary drastically) but coming to the realization of what we don’t deserve….right?

If I hold on to this theory of what being truly thankful means, then I fail at being thankful all the time, because I think I deserve everything good that’s happened to me.

I was born into a family that loves and accepts me for who I am and what I choose to do. I’m constantly surrounded by people who believe in me and encourage me to be better. My friends are proud of me. From financial struggles, emotional breakdowns, and spiritual discoveries, these areas have been more than blanketed.

All of this is my everyday. Everyday I know this. Everyday I live this. Everyday there’s food on the table. Everyday my mother is only a phone call away. Everyday I come home and can find rest in my very comfortable bed. Everyday I wake up and go to work with people that put a smile on my face. Everyday I know there’s a purpose. Everyday has the potential to be mundane, or not. Everyday there’s life.

Blessings have become such a routine that I’m conditioned to think that I’m deserving of it all. How can I be thankful then, if I believe that I deserve all of this? –my job, my clothes, my relationships, my family, my health. How can thankfulness be measured then? Because if it’s by stuff then I think our current socioeconomic status could determine my thankfulness level.

Where is this going? I’m not sure. But I know this one very tiny but big thing. I can only be truly thankful not because of what I have. I can only be truly thankful because I know I don’t deserve any of it.

I like hanging out with these two.

Space Mountain @ 10am. No line!

We had an agenda: 1) Ride Splash Mountain 2) Fast pass for Thunder Mountain 3) Ride Thunder Mountain 4) Fast Pass for  Space Mountain 5) Ride Space Mountain…..

Light parade at Magic Kingdom

Butterbeer at Hogsmeade (Universal’s Islands of Adventure)

It was a good mini trip. Reverse psychology proved its effectiveness.

Cousin: I mean, you won’t die right? (referring to the roller coaster) I think you’ll have fun if you go on it. But you don’t have to if you don’t want to.
Me (thinking): He’s right…dammit.

At exactly this time last year I left JorJess‘s beautiful wedding banquet to catch a redeye flight. Before I left, I remember giving hugs for the first time to people I’ve known for years. I remember the four people who saw me off at LAX. I remember not being able to get past the metal detectors because of all the bobby pins in my hair. I remember seeing Sunny amused at my frustration and Tim with a really sad expression on his face. I remember opening their gift before take-off and then crying and cursing myself because I was leaving all I knew and had no idea what the hell I was getting myself into.

It’s been a year in Boston. I grew thicker skin and survived the horrendous winter. *fist pump*

Last year felt like last night. I feel different but the same…

Winter is coming soon and I’m curious what this next cold cold season will bring.

]]> http://nellechang.wordpress.com/2011/09/28/one-year-in-boston/feed/ 0 nellechang Screen Shot 2011-09-28 at 12.21.29 AM DSC07720 http://nellechang.wordpress.com/2011/09/08/all-about-me/ http://nellechang.wordpress.com/2011/09/08/all-about-me/#comments Thu, 08 Sep 2011 12:53:26 +0000 nellechang http://nellechang.wordpress.com/?p=354 ]]> This post could be self-refuting –maybe.

So I got to thinking…when do I stop talking about myself? And I’m mortified when I realize that I’m constantly talking about myself. First of all I have this blog that I secretly hope would blow up one day after a super insightful eloquent post. And then there’s my Facebook where it contains my photos, my profile, my status, my check-ins…my my my. And don’t forget my Twitter account, Yelp page, and Youtube channel (I can provide video and sound just in case you’re tired of merely reading my thoughts).

Can I just stop right here and transfer my thoughts to you so I can stop bitching? (Wait. This could possibly be another social network discovery –promoting ourselves through the medium of transferring thoughts. Genius!)

If profound statements can be written in 140 characters or less then I fail this morning of trying to be profound. That’s my problem. (Though we can argue that the problem is probably the feeling of the need for self-promoting and not actually the problem of generating substantial content.) Either or, I can’t be profound. I have no situation to analyze or say about myself that comes from myself. I’m actually not that interesting. And I’m okay with that. I’d rather learn about others. Not even learn and then talk about others. Just…learn and listen. It’s more interesting. It puts life into perspective. And waay less egocentric.

This doesn’t mean I’m going to stop posting random tidbits of my life on my 7 cyber profiles. I have family and friends that I’d like to keep updated with. And I hope my family and friends won’t stop sharing their lives. This post is for my own self-reflection. I need stop thinking my life experience is more than what it is. Enough with the naval gazing.

So tell me about yourself? I’d really REALLY like to know.

I’m not sure what all the baking is about, but I’m enjoying it.

Here are some pictures:

Cranberry and Orange Scones

My mom brought over her baking tray from California and told me to give scones a whirl. This was the first time I made scones NOT from scratch. Could’ve done without the orange. I think next time I’ll try blueberry.

End Product

Madeleines = FAILED

The first batch ended up being a total failure. Out of 24 shortbreads only 1 came out without a crater. Note to self: folding does not mean turbo whisking.

Perfection

The chocolate I used was the same as the dip used for chocolate dipped strawberries. I prefer eating Madeleines in its original lemony light form. The dip was purely for the aesthetically curious.

Nutella Dark Chocolate Chip Cookie Batter

I love Nutella and had to find a way to incorporate its deliciousness. Did you know that there’s a National Nutella Day??

Cookies

This was the first time I made cookies from scratch and realized substitution of baking soda for baking powder was NOT the best idea for a noob baker. Still had fans, but I think I could do better next time.

(Photo by Dreamstime) I stole this picture from What Gives 365.
No complaints. Only bad habits. I need inspiration.

The Commute

Greyhound Bus –we took the Greyhound bus from Boston (South Station) all the way to Niagara Falls, NY (3rd and Rainbow St). We spent about 12 hours on the road one-way. On the way to Niagara Falls we stop about 5x (bathroom breaks or bus changes) the three major stops were at Albany, Syracuse and Buffalo. On the way to the Falls the layaway at Syracuse was about 2 hours, which was slightly relieved with food choices at the station. There was a Subway and Dunkin’ Donuts, and a souvenir store that sold overpriced snacks (I said slightly relieved).

(4 hours into the drive and still smiling!)

The bus was relativity empty and each of us could’ve sat next to vacant seats. The drivers were nice and we kept on schedule if not arrived earlier at our check points. I spent an average of $80 per person for one a round trip ticket (between Boston, MA and Niagara Falls, NY)

Looking back though, I wish we rented a car instead of taking the bus. The the rental car and gas might have been a little more costly, however, we probably would’ve gotten to our destinations in half the time. I guess my logic when deciding between the two, well, was because I didn’t want to drive…laziness (and a healing herniated disc) got the best of me.

 The Hotel

Days Inn –If you plan on being outdoors for the most of your trip and can do without the shmancy hotel, I recommend the very modest Days Inn. The Inn is 3 blocks from the Falls, the Casino, and Wilson Farms (food market). The rooms are normal, just enough for the usual –beds, desk, TV, AC, night stand. There was nothing extra from the conventional hotel experience that I thought we needed so I guess the $277 for three nights sufficed.

Oh yes, there is a Denny’s inside the Inn that is opened 24/7. Menu is the same as all Denny’s, but the food tasted different. We ate there twice for the sake of convenience.

The Food

Being noobs in the small town we mistakenly ate at the Niagara International Food Court also out of convenience. With their plethora of ethnic foods that included Chinese, Indian, Italian, American, and Greek, we were drawn. As vast the choices were menus all had one thing in common –overpriced.

The most popular food stations at the International Food Court was the Indian food and the Chinese food. I’m almost guarantee the reason being because there were a lot of Indians and Chinese people at Niagara Falls. My mom ate Chinese noodle soup, I had a Greek pita wrap, and my brother had fish and chips. My brother had the cheapest out of the three dishes at around $9 something, and was probably the most aperitive dish.

Wilson Farms –Instead of overpaying for mediocre food we decided to venture to Wilson Farms food market and bought fresh fruit, sandwiches, drinks, and snacks. I think we paid about $30 in groceries for an entire day.

Casino Buffet –The last night of our trip we walked to the only casino in town and ate at their buffet. The buffet was pretty good. For $22 (none gamblers) there was a pretty decent food option. Foods included rime rib, cold shrimp, salad bar, noodles, pizza, pasta, fish, corn on the cob, soft serve ice cream, fried rice, fried noodles, broccoli and beef, rolls, etc. The food was actually pretty decent. The prime rib was good.

The Falls

Niagara Falls was an amazing sight.

One the first day we walked around the Niagara Falls State Park and it took us about 2 hours to stroll around half the park. There we saw the three Falls and were able to take closeup pictures with all three of them. Being on the American side where the falls began its drop-off our views of the entirety of the Falls were limited to only from a top perspective.

Niagara Majestic –We took a tour that drove us to all the highlights of Niagara Falls. The first part of the tour included going to the Canadian side where we got to see all three Falls in one gander. As our tour guide cleverly commentated, “The American side is the stage and the Canadian side is the audience.”

Crossing the Canadian boarder took a while since we traveled there in a van and had to wait behind other vans and buses. We had to get off our van and get in line to be individually inspected at the boarder. We needed our passports to cross the boarder and of course we needed our passports to get back into the US.

The tour included the Journey Behind the Falls, which was an elevator ride down behind the Horseshoe Falls where we got to see the waterfall from the bottom up.

Prepare to get a little wet!

We saw other sights on the Canadian side such as the world’s largest whirlpool.

Don't let the seeming calm water fool you. Beneath the surface are dozens of vortexes!

  Lit Falls and firworks!

Taken from the Skylon Tower

Fireworks start at 10pm on weekends and holidays

Maid of the Mist –On the second day we took the latter part of our tour where we saw basically the same sights but from the American side.

We went to the Watch Tower and took an elevator down where we hopped on the Maid of the Mist Boat Ride. The best standing position would be Starboard (Right), Bow (Front) of the boat. The ride was a total of probably 20 minutes. Stopping in front of the Horseshoe Falls, we got to experience the magical Mist.

The boat stopped right in front of the Horseshoe Falls. As we were looking directly at the Falls, even though the boat was fasten, seemed like we were drifting forward.

Cave of the Winds –This was probably the most exciting of all the sights. We took an elevator down near the Bridal Veil Falls and walked up the decks which were lodged into the rocks at the bottom of the Falls. The higher we climbed the deck the closer we stood to the plunge pool, and the more we felt the falls.

Watch Tower

Maid of the Mist

Why the poncho?

Cave of the Winds

The entire tour ran about 9 hours (split into two days). Cost for the tour totaled $467 for all three of us. The tour was pretty legit especially if you want to see EVERYTHING. Besides the big attractions we saw attractions on the inner parts of the Falls such as a Buddhist Temple, Fudge souvenir store, giant flower clock, abandoned energy plants, Skylon Tower, whirlpool, and more that I don’t remember.

Lena, our Canadian tour guide was phenomenal. She was professional, a good story teller while implementing facts and humor. Lena pointed out all the clean public restrooms and made sure everyone was having a good time. Our American tour guide wasn’t as fun or professional in my opinion. She seemed disengaged with the group.

Perks of the tour was that the admissions for all attractions we went to were covered. We were also comfortably driven around a small van with 20 others and were able to cover more grounds without getting off our butts.

The Niagara Falls town is rather small and all major sights are easily accessible by walking. So instead of taking the tour we could’ve gone to the following attractions at pretty reasonable prices for a major tourist attraction: Journey Behind the Falls ($9-12), Cave of the Winds ($9-11), Maid of the Mist Boat Ride ($9-13.50), Skylong Tower (Free if you eat at the tower and $10 if you just want to go up the tower).

If I could go back again I would bike the Niagara State Park, take the Whirlpool Jet Tour, stay in a hostel (if I were going with friends), rent a car for my trip, stock up on water, and explore the Canadian downtown.

The Experience

I felt small and powerless standing near the Falls. The energy projected from the water was unyielding, which made me remember the unchangeable things in life. Nature is intense.

And that ends my sentimental speech and a very long reflection of my trip. Hope someone can find this useful if you decide to visit this extraordinary park.

The weather is warming up here in Boston. It’s nice walking outside with only one layer of clothing with a light jacket in hand just in case the night gets a little chilly.

Communication between my cousin and I has improved since 6 months ago. Before we would fight and have disagreements at least once a week with tension lasting for couple of days. Now our arguments probably last no more than 2 minutes and down to probably once every couple of weeks.

Six months is how long I’ve been a teller at TD Bank. Administration and repetition are not my strong points, so I’m surprised the steadfastness I still have about the job. Even though 6 months is not long to most people understand that I have a tendency to mentally and emotionally checked-out with uninteresting and tedious situations. But looking back, I’m glad I kept engaged.

I can’t believe it’s been more than six months since my move to Boston. It feels like it’s been so much longer than that. I feel like life has so much more to offer. And the sooner I recognize my worth and abilities the sooner I will be able to venture into the next chapter of my life.

Via: http://aceonlineschools.com/awesomely-bad-and-funny-student-responses-to-test-questions/

If Judy was my kid and I constantly got called in for teacher/parent conferences because of behaviors such as this I would pretend to act upset in front of the teacher. However, once we leave the presence of her uncomical instructor, I would take Judy out for ice cream and pat her on the back for thinking outside of the box.

I should probably never have children…

Side note, when is it appropriate to create our own answers?

Song #1:  Hot in Herre
Artist: Nelly
Album: Nellyville

In his 2-door, red honda civic, a cute boy introduced me to Nellyville while we went cruising one day during the summer before my freshman year of high school. I remember having a conversation with the boy but was distracted by that midwest twang coming out of the stereo. The next day I went to Radioshack and bought my first rap album –Nellyville. One of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

Hot in Herre probably wouldn’t be considered a classic. But you know a song left its mark when the popular reaction from a group after someone complains about the intolerable heat is, “so take off all your clothes!”

Go ahead, I know you want to sing the rest of that line….