ppl think turkey is the best thing on thanksgiving, along with mashed potato, stuffings, and cranberry sauce... but they are missing the vital part of this special holiday, the reason that this day is called "thanksgiving"

i'd like to give thanks to God, for carrying me through this tough year, whether academically or socially. even though i've strayed from You, You never really gave up on me and continued to support me in every aspect of life. from now on i'll try to be a better Christian than i currently am. please continue to help me, because i know i can't tackle it alone.

i want to thank my parents. when i was in high school, i've always thought how "unfair" they could be sometimes. always argued with my dad about the littlest things. but now for the first time that i'm away from home, i've realized how much they really cared about me when all along i'm taking this for granted (you don't know it's there until it's gone). they paid me semi-monthly visits to my dorm (4-5 hour drive from houston to austin) just to ask how i was doing and bring me chinese delicacies that i could not have on campus. now i just realized how ungrateful i've been the past... 18 years. and i'm glad that my parents are so awesome, and i will start to appreciate them much more from now on.

i'm thankful for the best roommate a guy could possibly ask for. he's kind, understanding, tolerant, and helpful in every way. so far i'm amazed that he has put up with me the past 3-4 months. he never complains when procrastination keeps me up till 4-5am in the morning; he helps to provide transportation for the grocery trips; he cheers me up at times when i'm down by either making a VERY VERY random comment or running me over with a banshee in Halo (bastard! =)) for that i'm very grateful.

and i'm thankful for all the new friends i've made at UT, along with the old friendships that i've cherished and rekindled. i'm thankful for a dorm room on the 14th floor with a great view of the tower, for insomniac neighbors that don't mind us sleeping daily after 3am (since they never sleep), for awesome RAs on my floor that are so nice and helpful and eager to assist you, for me surviving the first semester as an EE student at UT (thank God), for the bright stars that i could never fathom when i was in pollution-infested Houston, for my unreliable alarm clock that enabled me to sleep through my most boring classes, for the air condition system that kept the room cool all day long (you can always put more layers on, but there's just so much you can take off >.<), for me getting all the classes i need next semester despite of a late registration, and for everything that went so smoothly for me, and the rugged experiences that helped me to mature as a person.

happy thanksgiving everybody!