What Is Home?

Inspired by my mother accidentally calling my college dorm my "home."

What is home?  Frankly I can no longer tell.  About thirteen years ago I was planted in a humble house that didn't have much to it other than the foundation, the walls, and the roof.  I didn't budge for many years, but oh how my heart dreamt of going beyond the horizon, where the dull flat earth collided with the limitless expanse of the sky.  Sometimes I could envision myself floating up higher and higher, so that my fingertips could slide along the outline of the circle of the sun.  Something real would always pull me back down.

Yet what was imagined is now real, and what I thought was the future is now here.  There is a me-sized hole in my parents' house.  I call it a house because, well, I don't know what my home is anymore.  It is a new reality that I must grasp.  What is mine?  Who have I left behind?  Who is just ahead of me?  Where is my home?  My body is being stretched everywhere at once, but I can't reach far enough to touch anything.  I am suspended between wonderful, almost-forgotten memories of an old world and a new universe that becomes more and more familiar with each day I spend there.  I am no longer content in my parents' house.  They know that, and I know that, but I still think of them everyday.  I want to soar into the new and unknown, but I still embrace the olden days.  Is where I live now my home?  The question spins around my head in an endless whirl of I-don't-know.  Will I ever know?

The answer is to be decided.

Memories

I first started writing this little piece for my youth group at my last summer camp.  After the first draft I didn't touch it until I realized how quickly my time at New Heart was drawing to a close.  So, after A LOT of editing, this is the final product.

Memories

To New Heart Youth Group

Something funny about a memory is that I can never remember it.  I know that day happened, but my mind’s view is as foggy as the mirror after you take a shower.  I wish I could remember so well that it would be as if I’m reliving the moment in its pure, crystal clarity that I’ll never see again.  There will always be an inadequacy when it comes to remembering any time.  The time when we played Apples to Apples for the first time, or I climbed up the rock wall at camp, or someone stole your Koole-Aid.   I will always be reaching, but never quite touching what I long for.  What is it that I truly ache for, and why do I go on about an essence that can’t be regained?  What is the reason I want to remember so desperately?  The reason is you – as crazy and irritating and funny as you are.  Though my last time here will inevitably become a blur, nothing will change the fact that for all this time you have been a very dear friend.

I finished my childhood with you, which automatically makes your place in my life extremely special.  Don’t get me wrong, there were times were I felt like throwing you out of a two-story window – sometimes even a three-story window.  Ah, but I have to admit that you guys were pretty story-worthy.  There was “Kike’s Koole-Aid,” “Picturesque,” a few poems, and memoir I wrote in Creative Writing about the time I got face-slammed by a snowball.  Out of all the memories I share with you, those creative pieces are only scraps of paper out of an entire novel.  You’re my friend, and though I wish we wouldn’t end, know that your face has been permanently sketched into my brain.  Your image, though half-muddled in the chaos known as memories, will be with me for as long as I can hold on.  All I ask is that you hold onto me, too.

Despicable Me 2: Not at all despicable!

So I saw Despicable Me 2 yesterday with a friend, and I have to say that it did not disappoint.  Gru was on the good side, but I could still see the remnants of his former "evil" (i.e. purposely blasting his neighbor with water when she tried to set him up on a date).  True to his role as a dad, Gru continually tried to block his oldest daughter Margo from any association with boys (does it matter if she's texting a boy or girl? no, UNLESS IT'S A BOY!).  The minions (of course) were hilarious every minute they were on the screen, and the three daughters were absolutely adorable.  Gru's developing relationship with his partner Lucy Wiles was great to watch as well; it was endearing to see how nervous Gru got whenever it boiled down to asking a girl out.  Plus, the scene where Lucy first meets Gru - involving a LIP-STICK TASER - was both funny and shocking (pun totally intended!).

Considering the loving family dynamic Gru had with his girls and the comedic antics of the minions, I would say that sequel is definitely on par with the original movie.  I was a little disappointed that Vector didn't make a reappearance as the villain, but the new one served the necessary purpose regardless.  I genuinely enjoyed being reunited with the characters I fell in love with in the first movie.  If you liked the original Despicable Me, get off your butt and watch its sequel!

Vacationing in Hawai'i

There were several things I learned on my recent trip to Hawai'i: (1) ocean water is supposed to be transparent, (2) do not, I repeat, DO NOT feed the animals (especially pigeons), and (3) my Aunt Renee looooooves shopping.  I'll give a synopsis of each day in a few sentences.

Day 1 (Arrival): I had three more hours of the day than I thought I would because of the time difference, and thankfully I didn't get air sickness.  Flushing the toilet on the plane is kind of scary (you might know what I'm talking about if you've been on a plane).

Day 2: Sunday morning means going to Mass at the local Catholic church.  My aunt and I then went to a little museum to learn about Father Damien and his work with lepers in Kalaupapa.  After that, HELLO WAIKIKI BEACH!

Day 3: We went on the Pearl Harbor tour in the USS Missouri (also called the Mighty Mo), where the peace agreements were signed to end World War II.

Day 4: 'Iolani Palace, the only royal palace in the U.S. used as an official residence by a reigning monarch (the last being Queen Lili'uokalani).  After that the Foster Botanical Garden, which was absolutely breathtaking!  More beach time afterward.

Day 5: Polynesian Cultural Center was a great source for learning about the traditions of Hawai'i, Tahiti, Tonga (whose pronunciation is still disputed between me and my aunt), Fiji, Samoa, and New Zealand.  Plus, seeing half naked guys ALL day?  Not a bad deal!

Day 6: Snorkeling at Hanauma Bay.  I got water up my nose, but it was totally worth it.

Day 7: At the third oldest aquarium in the U.S., I tried identifying all the fish I saw while snorkeling.  In the evening, I went to the hot tub while Aunt Renee went shopping.

Day 8 (Departure): I saw the largest Hawaiian T-shirt IN THE WORLD at Hilo Hattie's, where I impatiently waited for Aunt Renee to finish her last-minute perusing.  We watched Jack the Giant Slayer for the first time on the airplane ride home.  Ah, back to breathing smog.

One of the best parts was - oddly enough - the plane ride.  Being on a par with the clouds, and eventually soaring so high above that they looked like puffy white islands on the ocean, made the sky seem so much more touchable, obtainable.  It made be believe that those sky-high dreams I have are more within reach than I always thought.  My head was literally in the clouds for a few precious moments, and that was okay.  I have a little more hope now.

All in all, I had an amazing trip that I'm not likely to forget.  I'm grateful for such a wonderful opportunity, especially if I never get to come again.

Graduation 2013

My mother asked me what I would have said if I was the one making a speech for graduation instead of the valedictorian.  At the time I told her that I didn't know, but now I realize what I would have said.  Pulsations of thrill spread throughout my body as I made that final walk with my classmates to begin the graduation ceremony.  The flurry of familiar faces blinded me to the single fact that flailed its arms frantically to try to gain my attention.  Only when I had received my high school diploma, turned around, and beheld the football field did I recognize that this was the last time I would see most of these people, either for life or at least until the ten-year reunion.  How many times had I rehearsed my excitement in my head?  Yet there I was, stricken by the revelation that had failed to beat down the doors of my enthusiasm for all of senior year.  It was really over.

As much as I hated the last-minute weepy feeling of nostalgia and loss, I would not have lived my last four years any differently.  It is a far better thing to have seen every smile, heard every laugh, and felt every tender embrace than to have lived an ignorant but painless four years without the people I have met.  At West Covina High School, I have learned what it means to be a true friend, how to balance extracurriculars and academics, and how much a great teacher can affect a student's life.  The mundane yet life-altering experiences that confronted, greeted, befriended, and surprised me will never lose their mark on my heart.  Never would I trade the dear people I have loved and lost in West Covina.  So as much as I hate to say goodbye, dear friends, I would hate it far worse to give up saying hello; the memories of you are too life-changing to let go of.

EPIC... was it really that epic?

So today I went with my family to see Epic, based on a book written by William Joyce, and I had a good time.  Dad said that it had a weak storyline, and I agree mainly because I find the concept of secret-world-with-little-people a regurgitation of Arthur and the Invisibles.  However, it was really great to be hearing the voice of Josh Hutcherson for the whole movie and I liked the romantic intrigues.

The movie did succeed in having me thinking, "WHEN IS EVERYTHING GONNA BE OKAY ALREADY?!"  Needless to say I was absorbed into the movie and was sufficiently entertained with suspense and humor at the same time.  I laughed my head off several times, mainly due to the slug and snail.  For me, the animation gets a resounding ten out of ten - seriously, the animators should get an award.  The scenery of nature was absolutely beautiful, that's how well they nailed it.  The ending was really sweet, since everything is wrapped up with a reconciled father-daughter relationship.  Though I wouldn't necessarily describe the movie as totally "epic," I give the movie an overall score of an eight out of ten.  If you want an excuse to get out of the house and have a nice time, I recommend seeing this movie with your friends.  Later, bloggers!

Neil Simon's Plaza Suite

So Saturday night, I went with my dad to see West Covina High School Theater Department's production of Neil Simon's Plaza Suite.  I saw the play for two reasons: (1) as a theater lover, I always want to support my school's drama department, and (2) it's the last play of senior year, duh!  The play showed three different acts with different characters in the Plaza Hotel, suite 719.  The first act featured a woman who realizes on her 24th (or 23rd) anniversary that her husband has been cheating on her with his secretary (oh, how original!).  The second focused on a real scandal, consisting of a Hollywood producer seducing his old high school sweetheart, a married woman.  The third, my favorite act, was about two parents who are frantically trying to get their daughter Mimsey out of the bathroom so she can get married.

There were definitely some laugh-worthy moments, and the set was a job very well done (kudos to Tech Theater for setting that up!).  My dad seemed to like the background music playing before the play started.  Was the production worth paying $8 at the door, even though I'd read and seen the movie version of the play already?  Definitely.  The third act especially did its job of making me crack up, but I liked the other acts as well.  Overall, I'd say the theater department's time and effort were well spent on this play.  Go Bulldogs!