I finished the book The Perks of Being A Wallflower during the time when I was reading there. It's about a high school freshman finding his friends and the way of life. It is written in the style of a diary book, and the language flows naturally. I really like how everything makes so much sense to me, as I am a teenager myself, and a lot of confusions that the character is going through are not that unfamiliar at all. I'm glad that the ending is not as sad I expected. The character has to face the fact that all of his friends are going off to college, including the girl he has always loved. But he decides to face it with a positive attitude, with all the lessons he has learned from his relationships with his friends, his teachers, and his family. 

   I just googled it and found out that it was now made into a movie, starring Emma Watson. I watched the trailer and thought that the movie might be a little bit less depressing than the book. I'm not saying that the book is sad; in fact, the ending is probably one of the happiest I've read for a long time, but there are parts of the book where the character gets really depressed because bad things happen sometimes, and what he can do: what a high school freshman can do? I would really like to watch this movie tomorrow. 

   During lunch time my mom and I went to the Whole Foods Market right next to the bookstore. I had no idea what abundance meant until I walked into this food market. It would make an African kid cry. We ended up getting a huge bowl of New England Clam Chowder, my favorite food back in the boarding school besides guacamole (because of their scarcity: we usually have it once two weeks). 

   It does not only sell foods, but some organic shower products, clothes, and accessories as well. I couldn't wait to get out of there, because the clam chowder was really filling, and I couldn't wait to finish the book. 

   I also bought another book written by my favorite writer, Alice Munro. It was out probably a week ago, and the New Yorker had a very recent interview with the writer. I can't wait to start reading it. 

   In the evening, my mom and I went to her friend's house for dinner. The host cooked more than 14 dishes, and all of them were so very Chinese and incredibly delicious. I hadn't had real Chinese cuisine for a long time (except cooked vegetables and fish that my mom made couple days ago), so I ended up eating a lot. And then I played Monopoly with other people, but I was so bad at the game. It has something to do with the fact that I started the 5th, so most of the places were already bought by the players when I went there. I stayed around for a while and went back home before the game ended. It was a great dinner, and it again reminded me of how much I truly miss Chinese food. I was just talking to my friend, Cam, and when he asked me about my Thanksgiving break, I told him I was happy because I had lots of real Chinese food. He was cooking for a restaurant in his hometown, so he's pretty experienced in food, but he said he hadn't had any real Chinese food. All of the Chinese restaurants near Hotchkiss are very much Americanized, unless you know the owner personally. Last time our Chinese teacher took us to China Inn, the owner cooked our dinner himself, with lot of dishes that were not on the menu. It turned out to be amazing. 

   So at this point, I only have one more day left in Austin. It has been a great week, and truly relaxing. I may need to catch up on the application work (for March break) tomorrow, and hopefully my mom will let me watch the movie at night. Apart from that, I can't think of a better Thanksgiving break. Right now I really really miss my friends and cannot wait to get back to campus and finish the last three weeks of the first semester. 

   So pumped! Stay tuned!