San Diego Thanksgiving Holidays

Ahhh...just by seeping in the slightly salty air I could almost feel my body gradually surrendering to the profound greatness of mother nature. It's been quite awhile since I last went on a vacation. Thus this Thanksgiving holiday was a perfect excuse to rejunevate myself physically and mentally. Early Friday morning, the group of 9 of us set off on our 2-hour road trip down south to San Diego, where tranquility lies...

On our way there, we couldn't help but stop for a brunch break at the beautiful town of La Jolla (*pronounced la ho-ya). While we were there, we spied on some famous sea lions basking in the sunshine near the beach.



Right after lunch we headed for the reknowned San Diego Zoo. It's been quite some time since I've stepped foot inside a zoo so this visit better be an experience I'd been waiting for. Alas, i wasn't all that impressed with the zoo. Most of the animals looked as if they were under-nutritioned or tired. Maybe it's just the awful relaxing life at the zoo resulting in their lazy movements. I wonder if the animals would actually lose their natural instincts if they were ever released back into the wild.

Anyways this panda was super cute, munching away on her bamboo! It was my first time to see real-life panda.


The next morning, we set off to Seaworld. I have been there some 3 years ago when I first came to the US. I remember having a jolly good time the last time I was there. And Seaworld was definitely more fun than the zoo, in my humble opinion...


Nevertheless we were all drenched wet and shivering cold by the end of the day. We went on several different splashing rides which were pretty cool.


Since there wan't really a line at the Wild Wild West ride, we hopped on the next car ride that came although we were pretty much wet inside out. Therefore, after another ride, all of us were completely soaked!! I would always remember this trip as the wettest and coldest one ever!


That night we had lunch at Little Italy. Although the selection of shops are pathetic compared to New York or Boston, we discovered a quaint little restaurant which offered a plethora of srumptious dishes, especially since we were famished after a day of adventures.

Turkey Day

It's that time of the year again for the next most celebrated festivity - Thanksgiving. These past few years I have been in the States, I have always visited friends' homes for the grand Thanksgiving feast. This year however I'm not as fortunate to get leave from work.


Nevertheless my cousin decided to roast our own turkey - Chinese style. Since none of us have done it before, it seemed like an awesome idea and I was all out for doing something other than staring into the computer screen.


My cousin cleaned and wiped the turkey inside out while I attempted to mix a miscellaneous type of sauces to procure the ultimate marinade. It was quite a task waiting for the turkey to darkened into a glossy sheen. My cousin had to take the turkey out every half an hour, change sides, butter and honey it for a total of 3 hours.

To say the least, the turkey was a hit and was polished clean!


Auntie was kind enough to invite all 15 of us to her home for a Malaysian-style Thanksgiving buffet. Here is her famous fried wantons.


And here are some amazing lobak and fried tofu.