Bear Mountain Hike

Last weekend, my parents and their friends went hiking at Bear Mountain. I’d been wanting to go hiking with them for awhile now and since it was starting to get cold and the leaves are changing color, I thought it would be fun to tag along with the adults. The view and weather were amazingly beautiful. The hike was pretty tough for the first 30 minutes, and then it got easier. There were two little kids with us, they were so energetic and were basically running at the front the entire time! It took us nearly 4 hours (because we took so many breaks to take pictures and eat) to finish the hike, haha! Afterwards, we went to Congee Village in Chinatown because one of the sisters in the church was moving to China the following week. It was a long day but I really enjoyed it. It’d be even better if I had a couple of hours alone at the top of the mountain to sit on a rock and hang out before hiking back down. Maybe next time.

























































































































I think this was my favorite picture of the day














































If you look very carefully, you can see the NYC skyline in the distance (very faintly!!)

Charity Event

Two Thursdays ago a few of us attended a charity event held by a non-profit organization. The event was on a field inside a huge tent, a very unique setup. I loved the decorations – it was very autumn. The only thing was that I didn’t realize we would be walking on grass. I wore these really thin and high heels, and I kept sinking into the soil with every step. It was kind of annoying. The meal was interesting. There was a roasted pig, with the head and everything. It was really good! Apple dessert and pumpkin ice cream were my favorite sweets there. I even took one of the centerpieces home with me, haha. Speaking of pumpkins – one of these days I am going to carve a pumpkin. It’s sad that I’ve never done it before. Ah – the childhood days I missed out on.

Buffet Competition

Towards the end of the same busy weekend, a bunch of us went out to a Chinese buffet restaurant to celebrate two birthdays. This was the most ‘interesting’ buffet experience for me. Apparently, these guys have a tradition that whenever they go to this buffet place (which they had not done in a few years), they would split up into two teams and see which team can eat the most plates. Obviously, I would never think of an idea as absurd as this on my own. Food is to be enjoyed at your own pace, with a comfortable amount of conversation in between bites. Especially at a buffet place, you should be able to choose WHAT you WANT to eat.

But the competitive nature in me prompted me to change my eating strategy so I could eat more plates. Oh, and there are guidelines that you have to follow in this competition! I could not believe that they actually had rules made up! Like, a cup of soup equals ½ a plate, 7 crab legs equal a plate, 10 pieces of sushi equal a plate, etc. I still ate the things that I liked, but I was strategically thinking of what I could eat more of without getting too full too quickly while browsing through the buffet selection. In the end, I think I ate 4.5 plates (but I did stretch the rule of ‘not having too much of the plate show beneath the food’ by spreading out and flattening my food across my plate). At times, certain people would call into question the opposing team’s plate if they do not feel it’s a full plate.

Most of us were very uncomfortably stuffed at the end of the meal. My team lost by 8 plates, it was disgraceful. Hahaha. But it was definitely an interesting birthday meal.



















I think Gerald went a little candle happy ....


















The birthday duo

















Can't have a birthday meal without a group picture! We were all in pain at this point ... hahaha

Madelina's 30th Birthday Celebration

Continuation from last Saturday .... after the hiking / BBQ trip, I showered and got ready for Madelina's 30th birthday bash in the city! We start out at dinner at Asia de Cuba. The food was SO amazing. And the best part of it was the fact that we ate family style, so we got to try so many dishes!





































































This is such an adorable picture


















We had two people at the table who were feeling sick, so they asked for hot water. Our waitress must have thought we were weird. But she brought us very 'fancy' hot water.

















Close up of the chicken dish with sticky rice wrapped in leaves


















Mashed potatoes with lobster


















Tuna with wasabi























I think Madelina was trying to take a natural picture but I caught her with the camera, hehe

















Yay! Happy birthday Madelina! She doesn't look a day older than 21, so cute :)






















































No one else liked this ball of crispy noodles made from rice, I thought it was tasty

















After the awesome dinner, we went to a bar where a crowd of Madelina's friends were waiting for us (she had no idea we had invited so many people). They were waiting for over an hour because dinner ended so late!




































Lots of mingling




































































The Chen girls

Tallman Park - Hike and BBQ

Last weekend, I started out my Saturday morning by going to a park in upstate NY with my parents, their church friends and the young adults. The young adults usually don't go to these things, but most of their parents go hiking together every Saturday. This Saturday in particular the adults were going to BBQ so I figured it was a safe enough trip to get all the young adults and the adults together for a fun day at the park. For some reason, they don't really hang out with their parents in these settings. I mean, it's a bit awkward sometimes, but I think it's fun to put yourself in uncomfortable social situations and mingle with people you don't usually get to talk to! I like hanging out with the parents, hahaha.

So it wasn't much of a hike. It was more like a 45 minute stroll through the woods from the parking lot to the picnic / BBQ area. But it was really nice and peaceful and quiet.


















View from the picnic area. I can't believe people actually get this view from their houses on the tops of these mountains!


















Starting the fire. It took a very long time for the fire to start for some reason.


















Mmmmm .... Food ....























My parents ... dad, why do you wear a straw hat?


















Mingling / chatting / eating



































Roger and the little terrier. I think they became best friends during the BBQ.























So it's hard to tell, but they're actually playing frisbee. By jumping off the table and running to catch the frisbee. I don't understand why it's not enough to just play frisbee on the ground? Sometimes I really want to be in a guy's head for just one day to see what actually goes on in there.

















Given the fact that the young adults don't mingle with the adults often, I thought it went fairly well. How can you go wrong with BBQ and lots of food and a beautiful day?! The boys did not like how the parents kept wanting to take group pictures. But I guess that's how most boys are. Booooo.

Foodfest 9/21

Wow, I'm behind. So on 9/21, one of my closest friends from college, Tiff, was in town visiting with her fiance. A group of us got together for brunch at Artisanal.

I was a little early, so I caught part of the Mexican parade that was going on. There is never a dull moment in NYC.

















Half of the table. Those red pots are the cheese fondue.... SOOOO delicious. I can't believe how much I ate. In addition to appetizers and the cheese fondue, we mistakenly each ordered an entree too! I could barely move afterwards.


















The other half of the table - Tiff and Dave on the right (they're currently living in Shanghai). It was so funny, during the meal Dave goes, 'So I came all the way from Shanghai to NYC and I'm still the only white person at the table'! LOL. It was the first time for most of us to meet Dave, plus the boyfriends at the table were pretty much meeting for the first time. Even with all the first introductions, it was a pleasant and fun meal catching up with old friends and meeting new ones! There were three of us single girls there and I said to them afterwards that it's interesting to wonder about the guys who will eventually earn those spots next to us at these brunches. I think a good test in your mind is if you can see him getting along with your family and friends in these type of situations.


















We have no table manners ...


















We ended our meal at Artisanal around 4pm. I had a dinner with family in Flushing at 5:30pm. My aunt was visiting from Phoenix so it was nice for all of us to get together for a meal. I didn't think I could fit anything else inside my stomach. But surprisingly, as the food came, I somehow managed to eat MORE!!!!! I am such a pig.



































Yes, Sara is officially part of the Chen family :)

















Good times. I love food.