Home is Where the Heart is

I spent the weekend in New York City this past weekend, visiting my college roommate and his girlfriend and seeing a few other friends while I was there. The weather was amazing, and I finally realized how big central park really is. While in the park, we spent almost half an hour watching a bunch of people in a little skating rink dancing to some sweet tunes. Some wore roller skates, some rollerblades, and one guy was tearing things up in heelies (sp?), you know, the shoes with wheels in the heels. It was my first weekend away from home in a while. 

A couple of weeks ago, I was thinking about that scene in "Garden State" where Zach Braff and Natalie Portman  are in the shallow end of the pool and talking about notions of home. Braff tells Portman that he no longer feels at home in his home and he wonders at what point did this sensation materialize. When I was thinking about this scene a couple of weeks ago, I was thinking that home felt different to me as well. It's not that I didn't feel welcome in my home because I do, but I felt a sense that I didn't belong. Maybe it's just my independent side trying to peek through, but I definitely was feeling like there was something else to be desired. However, upon coming home from a fun weekend away, I was really missing home and glad to be home. 

It's tough to say when and why this sensation of not feeling at home happens. In college, although I was away from home for the majority of the year, I always felt at home when I came back. I think there is something about expectations of graduates to move away from their homes. In American culture, that appears to be the normal trend. It's a little different for me though. In Asian cultures, it's typical for people to live with their families well into their mid or late 20s. Often times, they only move away from their families when they marry into another. For me, being exposed to both cultures for the past 23 years, I'm often caught in the middle and often confused. However, regardless of where I am, I'm glad to have multiple places where I can feel at home. It's not just in my actual home but also when I'm with friends and other loved ones, hence "where the heart is."

Also, I was reminded of this phrase because I was playing a movie game in which "Where the Heart is" was mentioned. I think we decided that that was the one in which Natalie Portman has a baby in a Wal Mart. I usually don't feel at home in that place though.

Bad News

Today, John Madden declared his intentions to retire from the world of sportscasting. The long-time commentator and football juggernaut will be sorely missed. How will we know what's happening on that confusing mess of a football field without Madden as the torch to guide us along. Who will draw the most insane diagrams on the screen? It's always like looking at clouds when you were a kid and imagining shapes of dragons and unicorns, that's what Madden's artistry meant to me. I don't have the minute to post a picture of the man of the hour, but do google him for a good time.  

My prediction in light of these events: Football, as a sport, fails without its most famous icon and titan of the game. The NFL becomes obsolete, opening the door for arena football and its future superstar owner, Bon Jovi. However, that won't last very long as Bon Jovi will try to use the arena football's popularity to revive a rock and roll career. This will not go over well. In the end, wrestlers and UFC fighters develop an XFL-like league in which many fine athletes lose their lives. That's the bleak football future we can look forward to now that John Madden is retired.

Good News

Yesterday, the ship captain who was taken hostage by the Somali pirates was safely rescued and returned to his Vermont home. I've been watching this story on the news for the last several days and I'm really glad that everything turned out ok. From what I heard, these pirates boarded a ship and tried to hijack it, but the crew fought back and nearly got rid of the pirates themselves. The captain, fearing for the safety of his crew, offered himself as a hostage to the pirates. They held him inside a life boat for several days until a group of snipers took out the pirates in a successful rescue. I have tremendous respect for the captain and his fortitude as well as the Navy, which handled a potentially disastrous situation. My guess is that this Halloween, we're going to see a dramatic drop in pirate costumes. You heard it here first.

I heard news last night that I was offered a position on the SEAD staff again this summer. I'm pretty excited about the opportunity to be back in Hanover for a month in July. Some of my best memories have been made during the summer months at Dartmouth. I'm also looking forward to seeing who else I'll get to work with this summer. Blogging will also be a lot easier while I'm at SEAD because I'll be busy doing stuff all day which I'll be able to write about before going to bed each night. My life is pretty boring right now and blogging is becoming more and more difficult. 

I like the warming trend that seems to be taking place. I wouldn't mind some more of that.

Short Story

As promised, I'm posting a story I wrote as a freshman in high school. Don't judge too harshly. I was trying to remember if there was any sort of guidelines for this story, but I'm not sure. I think that we were asked to include our favorite color in some way.

My First New England Fall

It was late October when I moved again for the seventh time in two years. My father worked for the military, and he was assigned to Cape Cod. I had never been in the North before; my father's previous assignments had been in the South, mainly on the West coast. My Family made the long drive from Florida to the quaint and sleepy town of Osterville. I was used to the city lifestyle, and I felt I wouldn't be able to fit in once again. My father pulled into a bed of broken shells that was our driveway. The house I looked at was a large Colonial, and it was probably as old, if not older, than all the surrounding trees. My parents told me it was the most beautiful shade of red they had ever seen. Red had always been my favorite color, despite the fact that I was color-blind. My handicap was always a barrier between the other kids and me. When I stepped out of the car, the frost immediately began taking frequent bites at my pale, freckled skin. I settled into my room and skipped dinner. I tried to get some rest, but I was so nervous about my first day at a new school. I guess I should've gotten used to it, this being my seventh time, but I was more nervous than ever.

I woke up and hunted the noise until I found its source and hit the button. I went through my usual morning routine, except for breakfast. I was used to the ordinary cold cereal or a pop tart, so I was overwhelmed by the delicious aromas escaping from the granite counter-topped kitchen, which flooded my senses. It made my stomach growl and my knees weaken. My mother had prepared a gourmet feast comprising of pancakes, bacon, waffles, eggs, ham, muffins, and toast. I hadn't had toast since I was six years old. My mother was always working; she was a very successful lawyer and had left her job so we could move to Cape Cod with my father. She was now a stay-at-home mom, something she'd never been before. She was able to leave all her work numerous times for my father. It made me feel like a coward, not being able to adjust like she did and fit in.

Although the food made me drool, I was too anxious about the day ahead of me to eat. I kissed my mother goodbye, grabbed my lunch and backpack, and was off to school at Cape Cod Academy. It was only a short walk to the school. I had been told it was a very small school, but when I saw how big the building and grounds were, my pulse quickened. I was afraid this school would be like the rest. One thing that comforted me was that the school was the same color that I saw it to be. 

It was my first year of high school, and I had no friends, no idea where my classes were, or if I would join the soccer team after school. I was meandering the hallways when a girl, who was also a freshman, asked if she could help me with anything. I turned around and saw a pretty girl talking to me. I immediately dismissed the fact that she could've been talking to me and ignored her call. She tapped me on the shoulders, and I turned again and was convinced she was talking to me this time, but still feigned ignorance.

 

"I'm sorry, are you talking to me?"

"Yes!" she said as she flashed a brilliant smile, "You must be new. Can I help you with your schedule?"

"Sure." I replied with less enthusiasm than I was hoping for. 

Either by divine fate or dumb luck, we had a lot of the same classes, so I followed her to first period and saw her in several other classes throughout the day. She was an angel; she spent all the free time she had with me in order to show me around the school. At the end of the day, she walked me down to the gymnasium and showed me where to get ready for soccer. After I changed, she even walked me onto the field and introduced me to a few of her friends, who were already members of the soccer team. I saw her again after practice on my way home. I just walked behind her and didn't say a thing. She turned around when she heard my clumsy footsteps. I found out she was my neighbor. 

"Want to walk to school with me tomorrow?" She asked.

"Sure." I said once again.

 

When I got home my mother greeted me with a glass of milk and some fresh baked cookies. She asked me how my day was, and I told her it was fine as usual, except this time it really was fine. Then my inquisitive mother asked me a question that made me rosy in the cheeks.

"Who's the red-head, Son?" she said with a sly smile. 

 

I told her about the friendly girl that helped me to my classes and who was also our neighbor. I did the little homework I had, showered, and had a great dinner that my mother prepared. I slept great that night and woke up refreshed. I was about to sit down to breakfast when I saw her - my new friend and neighbor - at the door. My mother invited her in for breakfast, and we ate together amidst awkward silences, broken only by my mother's playful questions. We left for school early, and that's when she showed me a new route through the woods. We sat down on a rock, and she kissed me on the lips. I was so startled, but even more startled when I saw a speck of red out of the corner of my eye. I saw the red leaves on the branches of a maple tree. It was so clear to me that I thought I could see each individual vein, stretching from the stem to the tip of the leaf. It was the first time I had ever seen color. 

 

"I can see it, I can really see it!" I screamed.

"What can you see?" the red-head inquired.

"I can see fall," I replied, "and your hair. It's beautiful."

THE END

Still Waiting

No, not the sequel to the movie, "Waiting," starring Ryan Reynolds, Anna Farris, and Justin Long. I'm talking about the fact that Devin and I haven't heard anything from the people at CBS about the Amazing Race. I grow more anxious about it each day since it's almost April and still no word. I've been watching the current season each week and getting incredibly jealous of all the awesome/fun/amazing/challenging things the contestants get to experience. I want to remain optimistic, but it's getting tougher each day.

I can't remember if I did a book report on "David Copperfield". If I haven't, I probably will as long as I remember. I just finished "Wonder Boys" by Michael Chabon today. I was reading "Crime and Punishment," but it was hard to get into after a long read of Dickens. So I decided to shop around a bit and find something a less lengthy, and I certainly found that in "Wonder Boys." It was a very quick read, a lot of it being dialogue. I got it after a friend made the recommendation. That goes to show you that I do really appreciate and take seriously your suggestions. Cooper, thanks for the suggestion. It was a wonderful read; I enjoyed it immensely. I would say that anyone should check it out, but it seemed to me that this book is intrinsically male. That's not to say that a female couldn't appreciate it, but if you read it and hate it and you're a girl, I told you so. Anyway, it seems that Chabon writes a lot about Pennsylvania, mainly areas near and around Pittsburgh if that is something you're into. I'll probably post a little book report about "Wonder Boys" after I do the "David Copperfield" one. 

"Wonder Boys" got me thinking a lot about writing and writers and the industry of writing in general, spanning from the birth of an idea to the publishing of a book all the way to a book sitting in an old cardboard box or library, covered in dust. Working at Barnes & Noble, I think about that a lot too when I'm not trying to pick up the bookseller jargon. This book was accidently very well timed for me. There are other things I'd like to say about it, but the Celtics are playing right now, so it'll have to wait until the book report. In my thoughts about writing, I couldn't help but think about the really awful stories I used to write in my high school English classes. I remember both loving and hating creative writing assignments. I loved them because I could write about whatever I wanted which was a welcomed relief to the critical analyses of short stories and their longer counterparts. Don't get me wrong, I often enjoyed writing those too, but it gets old after a while. The incorporation of the creative writing helped vary the styles of writing and the amount of thinking needed. At least this is what I thought at the time. I never really took my creative writing assignments very seriously. I knew I could get away with writing a crazy story that really didn't make much sense as long as I wrote it well, grammatically correct and so on. After reading "Wonder Boys," I kind of feel a draw towards creative writing that I hadn't felt before. I feel like I wasted a lot of great opportunities to experiment with that side of writing. I guess it was always more work than I wanted to put in, so I just skated by, and Mr. Brown (English teacher) would say "Nice Effort, Khiet" or "Cute Story," but I never got a chance to develop anything I slaved over or put a lot into. I was definitely sympathizing with the narrator, Grady Tripp. Creative writing seems like so much fun to do for a living, incredibly tough but fun - inventing characters, places, traits, happenings. 

I was looking through some old stuff I had in my basement to throw away and I think I came across some old short story-type things I wrote in high school. Since my aim in this blog is to help you pass your time at work, I think I just might post such a story on my blog and we can all have a grand old laugh. 

Confused, but then not

I was up pretty late last night reading some Dickens and got very confused when I looked at the clock. I'm not a very fast reader. In fact, I would have to say I'm a rather slow reader, always have been. I like to take my time and make sure I understand everything and remember everything the first time around. Anyway, I started reading around 10 pm or at some point fairly close to that. I read for a while and then took a break for some Family Matters with Steven Q. Urkel. I picked my book back up and was reading a little more when I looked at the clock on my VCR (yes, I still have one laying around in my room) and it read: 4:30 am. The VCR is an hour early, so I thought to myself: Gee, self, you've been reading for quite a while. Maybe it's time to turn in for the night. I decide to check on my fantasy basketball team before I go to bed. I use my brother's laptop and realized that the clock on his computer read: 4:35 am. I then thought I was losing my mind because the VCR clock, which was always an hour off, was agreeing. I suspected his computer of being wrong at one point. I looked at my alarm clock, which is a smart clock and is supposed to know to switch for Daylight Savings, and it told me it was only 3:35 am. I didn't know who or what to believe! I didn't realize it until the next morning when I woke up that it was Daylight Savings; that was the culprit responsible for my confusion. It was just weird because I'm usually aware when these things happen and often complain about losing an hour of sleep. I guess I'm just losing touch with the world these days.

I got some good suggestions for books to put on my reading list. Thanks for those. Also, it's a rolling admissions list, so keep them coming if you have any suggestions. Best suggestion of the year gets a cookie.

Here's a joke: What are we going to do with all the Daylight Savings?

Punch line at the very bottom.

Speaking of books before I decided to put in a joke that's not going to be remotely funny, I may be working at Barnes and Noble in the near future. You know, the bookstore. I went to the mall and saw they were having a "job fair" so my friend and I filled out the application. I use the quotation marks because it wasn't much of a fair. I wouldn't even call it a "job small get-together." Anyway, I talked to a nice lady for a few minutes about where I went to school and stuff I like to do, that kind of thing. On my way home, I got a call to come back the next day, which I did. The lady on the phone called it a "second interview" but it was hardly that at all. I'm starting to think that Barnes and Noble have trouble calling things as they are. I've been to their store, and they actually do sell books so at least they got that right. This "second interview" which I had to drive 20-25 minutes for lasted for less than 10 minutes. The lady I was talking to didn't even ask any questions except: "Can you make the orientation this Thursday?" We could have easily had this conversation over the phone. Geez. I was sitting there in a dress shirt, tie, and a nice sweater for this. When I talked to the first lady, when I was filling out my application, she told me that they would call for a second interview that was more formal, so I decided to dress up. Silly me! So that day was a pretty huge waste of time. Now I don't really know what to expect for the "Orientation." Are they going to have me come by and tell me where the books are, where the magazines are, and where they have the CDs? If that's the case, I don't need to go. I've been to that store before. I've also been kicked out of that store during All Day Mall Day (it's exactly what it sounds like). That's a long story worthy of a post dedicated entirely to it.

Not exactly blown away by Barnes & Noble, but I do like the layout of the store and books. They sell Rubik's cubes, so I'm definitely going to get one as soon as my employee discount kicks in. As much as I love them, I refuse to pay full price for one (around $12). That's definitely a great thing about the job, the discounts. The "second interview" lady told me all about them, so I guess that was more like an orientation than anything, which means "Orientation" might be running the store by myself for a few hours. Anyway, she said 30% discount on anything on the floor, by which I think she means mostly books and Rubik's cubes.   There was hardly anything on the floor floor, they keep the place pretty tidy. She also mentioned 50% off the Starbucks Cafe which could be very nice indeed and 20% off electronics, namely CDs and movies. O, never buy movies from Barnes & Noble, very over-priced. I'm pretty sure that a DVD from Best Buy would be cheaper even with a 20% employee discount. I'll look into it soon enough. If you guys want to buy any books, let me know because any 30% discount of mine is yours.

I have a semi-evil mastermind plan in the works. I'm going work there and buy all of their books (all of them, every single one) at the discounted rate and then sell them to the public at a slightly lower price than B&N. Basically, I'm going to acquire a B&N at a discount of 30% and open up my own bookstore. I might have been confused about Daylight Savings, but I couldn't be thinking more clearly than right this minute. Now all I need to execute this brilliant plan of mine is to find a partner that can back me financially until we start turning huge profits. Plus, I don't think I have enough space in my basement; we'll need at least one more basement. In return, your name will appear in the store name. It could be:

Chhu & Fallon

Chhu & Chithran

Chhu & Marshall

Chhu & Cockerill

Chhu & McCarthy

Chhu & Yu (it rhymes, this could really sell some books)

Chhu & Belkin

Chhu & Lee (all Asian, all the way. You too, pyu)

Chhu & Sadler

I think I've exhausted the names of those who read my blog. It's sad that it's under 10 names, but I'm optimistic that this master plan of mine will make me a giant in the book-selling world, which might bring on more people to read my blog. If you read my blog and I didn't include your name, please let me know via reader comment that you do or in a private email to me. It would really boost my self-esteem if I had at least one more reader, I'm only looking for double digits, here, not asking for a national following. That's khiet.chhu@gmail.com if the hyperlink doesn't work.

The end of this week should be pretty exciting. There's the "Orientation" on Thursday along with the Thursday staple, Old Man Basketball. Friday is even bigger! It's the 10th Annual Cape Cod Academy March Madness Alumni/Faculty Basketball Game, also known as CCAMMA/FBG. It's a mouthful, but it's also a really good time. Guess what? There's even a pizza party afterwards! All friends and family of any Seahawk is welcome! Come one, come all! Seriously, any of you guys could show up and watch the game and eat pizza until you puke. It'll be great! See you there.

Punch Line: 1. Keep it until a rainy day

      2. To use as a flashlight at night

      3. Invest in the stock market? Too soon?

Told you it wasn't funny.

Random Thoughts

I got a library card the other day at my local library. It seems strange that I never had one before, but I guess I was more fond of playing outside than reading when I was a youngster. I'm still fond of playing outside, but there are fewer people to play with and I'm much lazier than I used to be. The Jonathan Bourne Public Library is pretty small. I looked around a bit when I turned in my application and got the card. I saw some cool art books in the reference section that might be interesting to look at on a rainy day. I also picked out my next book to read, which is Crime and Punishment. I remember reading a little bit about it on a friend's blog; he seemed to enjoy it quite a bit, so I'm going to give it a go. I'm still working on David Copperfield, though, about halfway through. Another cool feature of the library is their decent collection of books of tape and CD. I would like very much to take out some of those and listen to them in the car. Some people need music to drive. While I enjoy listening to music in the car, it's not exactly a necessity, so I was thinking I would just listen to a soothing voice read me a story every time I step into my car. 

Let me know if there are any book recommendations you care to give.

I know it's long passed, but I never really mentioned anything about the Oscars. Not that I have a whole lot to say about it, but I did watch it so why not? Overall, I thought it was a very nice event. I didn't see all the movies nominated, but I saw most of them. I thought it appropriate that Slumdog ran away with so many awards. I also thought there was something poetic about the way in which the child actors in the film were received when they returned to Mumbai. It sort of echoed the message of the movie to me. Although, returning to the slums is not quite the same as winning millions on a game show.

I've also heard other people's opinions on the Oscars, and in general, it received fairly high marks. I enjoyed watching it most of the time and thought it was great that they brought past winners down to announce the nominees for certain categories; it was sweet. Penelope Cruz was very pretty and gave a nice heartfelt speech and Kate Winslet absolutely deserved the win. All in all, it was a good show. One thing that I didn't enjoy as much was Huge JackedMan. Hugh Jackman did too many musical numbers. I know he has some background in musical theater and all that, but I wouldn't have known he knew anything else by his performances at the Oscars. A little more variety would have been much appreciated.

I saw a really great show on the Golf Channel the other day. It's a show called "The Haney Project." I don't know if you have ever seen Charles Barkley's golf swing, but it could easily be one of the worst golf swings in the history of the universe. Check out the link below to see his swing in action. It's a pretty long clip, but just check out the first minute or so. In that minute, he reveals his awful golf swing as well as a gambling addiction (although, it's for a good cause). If you didn't know, Sir Charles had a little gambling debt to settle a few months back that was all over sports news. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNlmEus21Zs&feature=related

Barkley also got arrested several weeks ago for a DUI. Needless to say, things haven't exactly been running smooth

for the big guy. Yet, of all his troubles, I still think his golf swing ranks right up at the top. So this new show 

chronicles an attempt to correct his swing. Hank Haney is one of the game's greatest teachers. He used to or still is 

coaching Tiger Woods, I'm not exactly sure which, but Tiger Woods was definitely a student of his. The man is a

heck of an instructor, to say the least. Already after a couple of days which Barkley, there are noticeable changes in

his swing. Let's hope he can keep it up.

I don't know why the font changed in that last paragraph and, frankly, I don't give a damn.