Shipping and Handling Woes

The Post Office Gods are toying with me. The custom handmade fairy tutus for my nieces was a non-delivery and the post office can't locate the package nor can I find the "suppose" attempted delivery slip. The book I ordered from half.com is lost in transit and I am still waiting for my refund. My Cambodian stamps and money has yet to arrive after nearly 3 weeks. Really, does it take that long to send paper items from Cambodia? I have a custom bag coming by way of Australia and another bag from So.Cal that might not make it here by the time I leave for the 31st. Forever21 and JCrew orders were just recently shipped when I ordered the items on Tuesday! I don't know why it took so long to process but I paid more for fast shipping so I should get it soon, right? Huy...remind me to not wait till the last two weeks to do everything. I don't even think I will have time to put together the baby gift if things don't arrive on time! Good grief...

Craft Happy!

I'm a self proclaimed craftophile who loves browsing online craft sites and going to craft show. I always see an endless flow of possible DIY projects but I think sometimes I bite off more than I can chew. I started to make a pinata earlier this month but now it's only semi-finished and I started another project that I recently decided to scratch because I didn't have all the supplies and materials needed to make it. I find myself easily fixated with an idea but than I become bored or distracted with a new idea. I know...I have too much time on my hands.
I've decided to make a list of projects I'd really like to make for either myself or as gifts to friends and families.

Martha's Vineyard

An escape from the hustle and bustle of city life. Martha's Vineyard is the perfect island getaway to celebrate our two year anniversary. I am looking forward to exploring this idyllic summer retreat rich in New England history and maritime culture. The island has a number of towns that have their own particular charms, from secluded cliff walks, historic light houses to swanky shops and boutiques. I have not been to the island in many years so I'm not sure how well my memory will serve me especially since I have a terrible sense of direction. But I do remember my favorites including Murdick's Fudge in Edgartown and the small fishing village of Menemsha, which holds the title of the BEST sunset lobster on this side of the coast. It's definitely a romantic hot spot for the lovebirds. As cliched as it is I still plan on creating some memorable "us" moments there with the S.O. The quaint town of Vineyard Haven boosts some of the most scenic beaches and breath taking views of the ocean. I can fondly remember the first time I was standing there on the beach, eyes squinted toward the strange formation of the waves in the distance, and with my legs firmly planted in the wet sand. I was standing before it, beckoning to its strength and force. Behold...Mighty Atlantic.

Locked In - Diving Bell

The story of Jean-Dominique Bauby is truly an inspirational one. This man’s legend is clear proof that all of our worldly desires lie at our fingertips; those with only the mightiest grasp can attain anything. Incapacitation only measures our accomplishments as much as we will it to. A man who was paralyzed from head to toe still managed to set his insecurities and limitations aside and publish a novel. After watching the film, I felt a greater sense of appreciation for the things most of us take for granted like being able to touch, to feel, and to move. I simply can't imagine what it's like to be a prisoner trapped in my own body...

Jean-Dominique Bauby, a French Journalist was the editor of Elle magazine before he suffered a massive stroke in 1995. The stroke resulted in a rare condition called Locked-In syndrome. His muscular functions were paralyzed but his mental capacities were unaffected. His only way to communicate with the world was to blink his left eye which he used to dictate word for word his memoir. He died of pneumonia a few days after his book was published in 1997.

About Me Essays

Do you remember having to write about yourself for college admissions? Well with the scholarship process, it's the same ol shit...

I love to write but I hate to write essays for scholarship money. Every year I go through the same process of applying for financial aid on FASFA and renewing scholarship applications that always include stupid essay questions. My biggest scholarship comes from the local hospital and from work. State and Federal scholarship and grants/ loans cover for the rest of my college expenses. I never have to write an essay or be interviewed by a panel of judges when I apply for federal and state aid but when it comes to private funding, a long lengthy process usually ensues. My biggest peeve is when I am asked to describe myself. How does one sum up their entire being in 5 lines or in 5 minutes? I hate the "About Me" section of the essay. I hate having to sit in a large conference room under the bright lights and scrutinizing eyes of the people who will determine my fate...okay not my fate, I'm being dramatic here. But it seems I always struggle with having to tell someone about me without listing references and past experiences like a job resume. They don't want to hear that or read it. I know what they are asking...they want to know who is this girl with the strange long name. Will the real Charyvongmonyrath Chim please stand up?

I am...a little bundle of contradictions. I live my life between the one hand and the other, weighing up the odds and waiting for it to come out even. I am normally a happy person that's outgoing, loving and yes even lovable at times. On the other hand, I am sometimes very pessimistic, fearful, introverted, paranoid, disillusioned with the world as it is and wishing how it might be. I am a city girl at heart. I love the noise, the concrete mile high gravestones, strteching out into one large mausoleum, the hustle and bustle flow of city life and the never ending grime of Providence traffic. Well no, I actually hate the traffic. But it sounded good. I am a typical Cambodian person who loves her prahok and papaya salad and food on the stick. I try to be the obedient daughter, traditional and polite to elders. I am also that all-american girl. I love sports particularly baseball and I bleed Boston. Catholic schooled in my early years but brought up tolerant, free thinker, self assured, dogmatic, liberated but restrained. What my grades and scores can tell you is very little. But I find it difficult to sum up, "everything-about-you-we-don't-already-know-but-you-thi nk-is-interesting" in such a small space and short period of time. I don't think my personality is going to come across at this one-time luncheon. I'm just not good with first impressions. But I can tell you is that the real me, Charyvongmonyrath Chim loves her life, her job, her family + friends. She loves her inconsistencies, she loves to make people wonder what she will do next. She might be a flaming liberal with her politics, a teeny weeny bit hypocritical in her actions. But what she is really trying to do is change the world and trying to stop it from changing her too much...