So the farewell parties have come and gone and I am happily settled into my new home in Memphis. David was kind enough to photo/video document the final shenanigans going down in Dallas. Watching over the videos and pictures had me smiling ear to ear, and made me double check for any chocolate residue left on my glasses from Philip’s parting gesture. Lucky I knew how to take apart plastic glasses, otherwise I would not have found the little bit of chocolate on my lenses hiding out in my brown frame. Yes, it was gross. Very gross. But very memorable. Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to come out, and especially those who helped out. It meant a lot to me, and I couldn’t have asked for a better send off. Each of the gifts are slowly finding a home in the house, and fulfilling their purpose. The practical ones have been very helpful, and the goofy ones have made me smile.

Another thank you goes out to those who prayed for our house search. I feel as if every single prayer has been answered. We found an adorable house, in an awesome neighborhood, the perfect location, with an accommodating landlord, all our amenities, and within our budget! It really doesn’t get much better than that. The timing was great. In honor of National Night Out, our neighborhood association had a small potluck down the street the weekend we moved in. It is an annual event for them, and the turn out was great despite the evening heat and humidity. It was a great opportunity to meet our fellow street mates and ask around about the area as we sat outside beneath the misting fans. Our neighbors are very sweet, and they have not hesitated to offer a cup of sugar should the need arise–or butter, or milk, or flour, or pans (apparently she is caterer and is well stocked). She was probably one of the only people who cooked for the potluck. Everyone else deemed it safer to offer their favorite dishes from the local restaurants. Having just moved in, we sheepishly offered a bag of chips and dip ourselves. While not quite in keeping with the spirit of potluck, it offered an excellent taste of Memphis. The night ended with our next door neighbor dropping by with a welcoming bottle of wine in one hand. Never mind the fact he was happily sipping his own glass in the other hand at the same time. All in all, we feel pretty safe here, and that’s saying a lot for Memphis. With Amy as tour guide, we drove around midtown as she pointed out some local interests. It’s an eclectic and charming part of town–full of mom&pops, live music, local produce, antique houses, and trivia nights at every bar. Having been used to suburbia my whole life, it is a welcome change. Hopefully I’ll be able to highlight some of the cooler places here as I come across them.

Until then, the main priority is to get the house ready in time for school, and have as much fun as we can before we buckle down and begin some serious studying. Over half the class has trickled into Memphis by now, and the get-togethers have been planned at a steady rate. With every new friend I make, the city feels more and more like a home. The only thing missing now, I think, is internet at the house. We’ve been juggling the logistics of all our secondary utilities for the past few weeks, and have finally made a decision. It seems we didn’t make the decision fast enough, and internet won’t be set up until the end of the month. In the meantime, I’ve been making use of all the free wifi available throughout the city, and using my BlackBerry tether. This update has been brought to you, courtesy of the public library, main branch. Who knows where the next will come from?

As promised, I have been spending my free time on my all time unhealthy hobby of anime. I now keep track of my latest entires on my Anime List page, by the way. There are a few new series I’ve just started. Of the latest anime this season, I’ve chosen these three to sample:

Awakara Under the Bridge
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=11188

I found this little oddity while I was searching for some new romantic comedies. I’m trying to replace the hole left in my heart after Ouran High School Host Club, and it is still empty. I’m only a few episodes in, but I’m being distracted by the style. It’s a 2010 production, but it seems to have a few throwbacks to the early 90s in terms of coloring and saturation levels. Aside from the two main protagonist, everyone just looks plain weird and mismatched. I don’t mind weird, but give it a purpose and some consistency, please. I’m not grasping what the artist had in mind at all. Other than that, I’ve gotten a few good chuckles so far, and the girl is adorably stoic.

Katanagatari
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=10765

This one is unusual in that each episode is 50 minutes long, rather than the customary 20-30, and episodes are aired each month. The style is fresh and interesting, and the characters are absolutely lovable. (I shudder when I think of the cosplay that could arise from this.) It doesn’t get hung up on cliches, and the story moves forward at a good pace. The only exceptions to this are the “fight scenes.” There is WAY too much talking. They literally sit there and talk for 5 minutes in between each slash and dash, and half of it seems unnecessary. Despite it’s title, it was probably not meant to be an action anime, but so much talking during and before a fight is really annoying. Despite this, the 50 minutes go by quickly. Very promising!

House of Five Leaves
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/ anime.php?id=11176

I love the style. The picture doesn’t do it justice. The scenery is gorgeous and the people are a sort of ugly-pretty. The colors are both vibrant and relaxing to look at. Admittedly the pacing is slow, and probably more for the older crowd. But the story and characters are very intriguing, so far. I want to know what motivates them, and how they came to be where they are. Besides, who doesn’t like a good feudal Japan story?
You can stream it on hulu (subtitled).

I have also finished a few older series, and will probably review them sometime soon.

So after having pimped myself out on our entering class’ Facebook group, I have secured a roommate. She likes to cook and I like to clean. Her name is Amy. I think we will get along swimmingly. The past several weeks have been occupied with finding a suitable rental house for two young ladies and a furry, four-legged friend. Or rather, her past weeks have been occupied since she is already in the Memphis area, and I’m still here in little old Mesquite. My contributions so far have been mostly yaying or naying her finds. So imagine how glad I was to be able to help when she asked me to search listings online.

Up until now we had hoped to find a good place through word-of-mouth from people she knew, or to be able to drive around nicer neighborhoods looking for “for-rent” signs. We have nearly exhausted those options either by being too late, too early, or having rejected them as too sketchy, too expensive, or too far. Being two lone females unschooled in martial arts, safety is our primary concern. Our second is to avoid a long commute to school each morning. In a city like Memphis, these two criteria alone have narrowed our options tremendously, let alone keeping it within student budgets. While we’ve been able to find a few places that fit the bill, they are far too run-down with old appliances (or lack of) to justify the asking price. I am starting to wonder if we are asking for too much. However, we still have time, and as time passes, one of our greatest enemies should disappear: the landlord unwilling to hold until August 1st for move in. We’re still hopeful, and more options may become available as students graduate and move out of the area.

If all else fails we can always rent an apartment and continue our search again later. I can’t fret too much. I know God is watching out for us. We were just on the verge of signing a lease for what appeared to be a very promising place. Just hours before finalizing things, Amy met a patient who happened to once live on that very street. On his information, we discovered that this area had frequent brake-ins from people who walk along the railroad tracks and hop the fences. She forwarded this concern with the landlord later that day and he didn’t even deny it! Talk about a narrow escape. Now we are doing triple research on the areas to be as certain as possible. Time is flying by quickly and the summer will be gone before I know it. I hope to have good news to post next time.

So I was rooting around old school records, and I came across this little assignment. If memory serves me correctly, I filled this questionnaire out during the first few days of 6th grade. It gave me a few chuckles, so maybe you’ll get a kick out of it, too. Here it is, complete with original spelling/gramatical errors and snarky comments.

1. When I grow up, I want most to be an artist
   Haha!
2. The hardest thing to do in the world is count the stars
   Hmm that’s strangely… philosophical.
3. If I could have three wishes, I would wish for 1. World Peace 2. have a whole lot of money 3. to have good friend(s) (like Meagan)
   No wonder I couldn’t become an artist. I have no imagination. I like how I was willing to concede to having just ONE good friend. Now, I remember dear Meagan, and she was indeed a good friend. I wonder what she’s been up to?
4. If I could change my first name, my new name would be Angelica
   I think I had this “angel” obsession phase going on.
5. If I could live anywhere in the world, I would live in Cannada [sic]
   I went to Canada the summer a few weeks before I wrote this. Apparently it made a good impression on me. o.O What on earth was I thinking?!
6. The funniest dream I ever had was about jumping of Hover Dam [sic]
   I don’t see anything funny about this. I wonder if my teacher worried about me after she read this.
7. If I had a million dollars, I would shop ’til I drop
   Lame.
8. The best thing about middle school will be having a choice of lunch
   This really was the best part about middle school.
9. Most people do not know that I like to rollerblade and play the piano
10. My dream house will be a large 100 bedroom mansion with maids
    And to think I keep telling Long I want a smaller, cozy house
11. The most important thing in life is to achive your goal [sic]
    Ambitious! I think all those motivational posters worked on me.
12. If I were President of the United States, I would lower the taxes
    Haha!
13. If I could write a book, it would be about school life from a kids point of view
    See, if I had just done what I wanted to do, I would be the one banking off the Wimpy Kid series.
14. The best thing about elementary school is I learned to read here
    Too true. That and playing CandyLand in ESL.
15. If I could change anything in the world, I would change the vilonce level everywhere [sic]
    I guess I really did want peace.
16. If I could invent some new technology, it would be shoes that can fly
    No, thanks. We have enough obese people as it is.
17. If you looked in my backpack, you might find the most unusual book
    Such a wild child!
18. If I could travel back in time, I would go to 4 BC (year) because I would like to see when Jesus was born
    Cute. Although the linguist in me really really really would love to see what happened at the Tower of Babel.
19. If I could travel in time to the future, I would go to the year 2050 and see the new technology
    Nerd.
20. My favorite here is my mom because she made me what I am today
    <3 mama Hong
21. If I could build anything, I would build my own house because I don’t like sharing rooms
22. If I could change the desks in classrooms, I would put a labtop computer for every desk [sic]
    I saw it when I went to 2050 and thought it was SO cool.
23. The person that I most admire (other than my family members) is my teacher because she is so patient
24. If I could be a volunteer, I would help animals
25. One of my greatest accomplishments has been to make it through 5th grade
    Okay, before you laugh, let me tell you I had a really tough 5th grade teacher whose namesake was an evil teacher in a popular children’s fiction series. At the tender age of 11, I really thought I wasn’t going to make it out alive.
26. The best thing about college will be no parents!
27. I can hardly wait until I turn sixteen because I will be taller
    Ironically, I don’t think I have grown an inch since I was 16.
28. One of the most unusual things about me is I’m so short
    I know this isn’t unusual, but I was the only Asian kid in my grade, okay?

I’ve been pegged to read this book by all my kids, and Christina wanted to know my thoughts. I must admit, I was pretty interested in seeing what all the hype was about. I am going to review this novel–both as a huge fan of Harry Potter and YA/Children’s books in general, and as an adult reader. I’m not going to summarize it, so read it here if you need.

Let me say this first: It was an enjoyable read. Action-packed, humorous, and engaging. It only took me two sittings to finish, and I know I laughed out loud a few times. I will probably read the sequels just to find out what happens. If you just want something fun and easy to read, it will not disappoint. I can certainly see why kids like it. But what if you’re looking for more? Hear me out and decide for yourself.

Let me get the Harry Potter stuff out of the way first. For those who are not aware, one of the biggest criticisms against the Percy Jackson series is the shameless resemblance to Harry Potter. As a loyal HP fan, I was ready to be disgusted. This one review from amazon comes to mind:

… Young demigod Percy Jackson, bedeviled by monsters, prophecies that he can’t figure out, and nasty plans laid out by fellow a demigod, the evil Draco–oops, I mean Luke, son of Hermes and co-conspirator with Voldemort–oops, I mean Kronos–who wants to destroy Hogw–yikes! I mean summer camp! Sheesh! Where the mudbloods–I mean mortals–rely on a halfblood prince–I mean heroes–who–oh, forget it! …
-James Webster “Storyteller”

Turns out, it wasn’t so bad. Most of the similarities were just age-old archetypes. Nothing new. (However, “Half-Blood Camp” and the “Houses” were pushing it.) I think the most notable resemblance is that Riordan managed to create a world parallel to ours and then explained all the reasons why we have been unaware of it until now. But Rowling wasn’t the first to do so, and so why should she be the last? It seems to be the most effective way to draw an unconventional reader into the world of fantasy without weirding them out. I have many friends turned off by the thought of reading a fantasy novel from sheer cheesy-geeky factors. Somehow once that fantasy world is introduced through the eyes of a sensible, normal, real-world character, everything is a little easier to swallow. I raised an eyebrow here and there, but for the most part, I forgive the HP resemblances.

Kids who prefer a more “hip” and action-packed book will prefer Percy to Harry, hands down. I know we can’t all have the same preferences, but it makes me sad. Personally, I like the charming and slower pace of HP. It gives the characters time to grow and develop in response to smaller, everyday situations. You really feel the characters maturing through their experience, so when that dramatic moment comes when they are tested, you are confident they will do what is right, and their motives are convincing. In that respect, I felt the Percy Jackson series sacrificed depth for action. For this reason, I think this series will not stand among the great, but fade out of popularity soon enough. But hey, at least it got some kids reading.

As an adult reader, there was one thing in particular that rubbed me the wrong way. I felt Riordan was trying way too hard to appeal to the down-trodden kid of America. Percy’s grades are average because he has dyslexia, but that’s because he’s a demigod and his brain is wired for ancient Greek. He has ADHD, but that’s just his battle instinct to notice details and keep him alive. His beloved mother is victim to a smelly and abusive step-father, but she stayed with him because she knew his scent would keep Percy hidden and safe. (Although, I’ll admit the dyslexia and ADHD were pretty clever, but the bit about his mom is weak at best.) Not that I want to crush the hopes of children everywhere with harsh realities, but c’mon you can’t shelter them forever.

But what bothers me more than the oozing pathos, is the message. Frankly, this “escapist” view of life presented to kids is a little annoying. I am compassionate and like to help, but I despise pity. Disadvantages, setbacks, and handicaps should either be embraced, or overcome. Not given pretty explanations to make us feel better, or used as excuses. It is an insult to those who have managed to succeed in spite of everything.

In a nutshell: Enjoyable, but nothing to go out of your way to read. I thought I would be turned off by the HP resemblances, but there were other things that left a greater stench in my nose.

I recommend to: Anyone who just wants an fun book to read and learn about greek mythology while they’re at it. Just hope you don’t read into like I did. It might leave you on fire with ideology rants.

A new chapter in life merits a new layout, I think. I have been a rather poor and infrequent blogger in the past, but I hope to remedy that starting this fall. Because this fall I will leave my friends and family in Texas behind, and move to Memphis, TN for the next four years to get my O.D. degree at Southern College of Optometry. The acceptance is tentative, but seeing as I’ve already finished my coursework and B.S., it won’t be a problem. As long as I’m not silly enough to neglect some paperwork, and I still have a pulse and fully functioning set of eyeballs, I should be in.

At this point, I am simply very excited. As moving day comes near, I’m sure I will be sad to leave, but not right now! I have been reading the course catalog over and over like a giddy little kid. The first semester courses include physiology and anatomy, which were my strong points in undergrad. Hopefully that will help. UTA standard of education, don’t fail me now!

My first task on hand is to find a roommate or mates, and start apartment hunting. I must say, we are entering into a very curious era where looking for living partners online is normal. But you have to admit, stalking a person’s Facebook page can give you a pretty good idea of what they’re like. I shudder to think of what will become the norm by the time my own children go to college! A few people have wondered why I chose Memphis of all places–as well as concerns about the general safely. Frankly, I chose the school, not the city. It’s certainly not Dallas, but it’s got a few charms of its own. As far as safety goes, some common sense and a can of mace should do well enough. I’d like to think I possess an ample amount of both.

Anyhow, enjoy the new layout. I’ll be tweaking it in the weeks to come. I’ve purposely left a generous space for posts with the full intention of writing much and including nice, big photos. It will be a fun way to chronicle my new experiences, as well as keep you guys posted. Be excited!!