Sunset 365

Ellen's Big Stimulus Package

2009-05-20T22:07:00.000-07:00

I have a friend in need. She has been a great friend to me for a very long time so I made an effort to return her kindness. 2 years ago she decided to "go for broke," leaving behind an unhealthy work situation in pursuit of a lifelong dream. Unfortunately, she actually did go completely broke despite a tremendous effort.

Ellen Degeneres ran a contest that ended today to grant a "Big Stimulus Package" to a few needy people. The rules of the contest was to write a story about a friend in need in 1500 characters or less.

The criteria for judging were 1. Originality, 2. Uniqueness, and 3. Demonstration of how any stimulus might be used.

It was quite a challenge. I ended up writing 2 different stories, both of which were almost double the maximum length. How could I distinguish my story in 1500 letters!

I figured they would receive 100's of the saddest sob stories imaginable. Since the severity of my friend's situation is somewhat questionable, I needed a different angle to capture the originality and uniqueness categories. So I wrote a mini-script.

The names have changed, but this is a true story. Here it is in exactly 1500 characters.....
(excuse my formatting...blogger doesn't support script format!)

EXT. A FARM IN RURAL VIRGINIA - NIGHT

An old garage is set apart from a grand Colonial farmhouse. The night appears tranquil, but things are not as they seem.

JEN (V.O.)
I always thought it admirable when a person has the courage to stand up and take charge of their life. So how did I end up like this?

JEN, 31, exits the farmhouse. She is wearing her pajamas and carries a toiletry bag.

JEN (V.O.)
I live here.

She creeps through the grass towards the garage.

JEN (V.O.)
No. I don't mean the farmhouse. I live in the garage.

INT. GARAGE - CONTINUOUS
The garage is a 200 sq ft box without a bathroom or kitchen. But the interior has been transformed into an oasis of calm. The room carries an Asian motif summarized by a Tibetan meditation bowl upon an old dresser. Her space is a perfect reflection of her demeanor.

JEN (V.O.)
No one should have to spend a lifetime in the same mundane, sterile, sometimes hostile and often belittling job and work environment. You're supposed to do something about it. So I did.

She opens her laptop and brings up her page: Jen's Healthy Living.

JEN (V.O.)
I did all the right things. I saved. I went back to school. I became a certified Health Counselor. I gave up everything to start my business, even my apartment. But it still wasn't enough.

She takes a final look at her livelihood on-screen.

JEN (V.O.)
The economy and other circumstances just were not in my favor.

She closes the laptop and dials a number on her phone.

JEN
Mom? I have something to tell you. I'm moving home.

It's alive! It's alliiiihiihiiihiiiive!!

2009-05-17T12:54:00.001-07:00

After a year of relative silence, I am reviving my short-lived blog. Let's see how many people I can piss off this time!!

Having been engrossed in my screenplay for the past several weeks, I discovered first-hand that actors are not the only ones that can get stuck in character! I've been "speaking" so much through my characters lately that I needed a way to reclaim my own voice. I needed to escape! Oh, and I think I might be drinking too much also! My brain feels like goo. Snap out of it!

Maybe blogging will help me recapture my voice. I've been debating whether or not this was just going to consume too much of my oh-so-scarce freetime, but I think I need it.

Chapter 1

2008-08-24T09:37:00.000-07:00

I just finished Chapter 1 of my book, but I'm not entirely thrilled. I'm pressing on with Chapter 2 but will come back to spruce it up later. For now here's a little teaser, the first few paragraphs to "17 Years Amongst Strays"......

The baby basket

I remember the day my life began. It started with a long journey, much like a trip over the Arctic from New York to Beijing with a layover in Hong Kong. I found myself being transported from place to place, getting in and out of one vehicle after another. Each segment of my journey seemed to last forever and was filled with bumps and the seesawing motion of stop and go. What little food that remained in my stomach was less than settled. My journey started in the brightness of a cold winter morning and ended under cover of an even colder night.

Before my trip I was primped and prettied, cradled and swaddled. Of course at the time I couldn’t comprehend why I was receiving such special attention so I felt as usual, scared and helpless. I was so scared in fact, that I hid my face beneath the thick pink towel that I was nestled in and allowed myself to be carried away towards my destiny. Only occasionally did I peak out to check my surroundings but from my vantage point there was never much of a view. I experienced more in the form of sounds and smells, like the smell of sweet perfume and the sound of car doors opening and closing and the engine’s continual hum accompanied by its suffocating fumes. A scattering of horns, chirping birds and the rush of cars passing by also caught my attention. But there was one sound that remained constant and captivated me most. From the voice of a young woman, a blend of Portuguese and English words swam through the air. Though I couldn’t understand what was being said, the words swirled and flowed in steady streams that at times washed away my fears.

She wore vintage-burgundy ten-hole Docs in a size five. More prominent than the sound of her footsteps was the impact, the vibration of her thick soles on the pavement despite the fact that she weighed a mere ninety-five pounds. Though it was an even thirty-two degrees outside, she wore a red plaid skirt with black stockings. Only a heavy tweed coat compensated for her unseasonable attire. Her shoulder-length dark brown hair was tinted with the deepest red and she wore lipstick to match. And when she raised me up to look into my eyes, I was just five feet from the ground. The first time she did this she told me her name, Cassandra.

7 Days - Tuesday

2008-07-23T22:58:00.000-07:00

7 Days - Monday

2008-07-23T22:07:00.000-07:00

7 Days - Sunday

2008-07-21T21:53:00.000-07:00

The bar has been raised

2008-07-11T01:02:00.000-07:00

The past week or so here in Santa Monica has been cold and gray. By cold, I mean 72 degrees. Part of the reason I left DC was cause I just couldn't stand the cold, gray winters anymore. But after 4 months of crystal blue skies and upper 70's, I'm all down-in-the-dumps cause it's 72 and overcast! I guess that's why my last post was so morbid. I took it off, but then decided that it was still a good story, so voila! It's back.

Oh well, I saw a bit of Sun today and rode my skateboard down to Venice beach after work today. I had a couple beers and then skated zig-zag back. So it's all good!

The Reset Button

2008-06-10T23:31:00.000-07:00

In life it is rare to be afforded the luxury of pressing the reset button. I am what you call lucky, extremely lucky.

I didn't leave DC because of Liz. Moving to LA was something I always wanted to do. In fact, Liz was part of the reason that I stuck around DC for as long as I did. If it weren't for her, I'd have left a long time ago. But in the end, she definitely pushed me over the edge. Too many things about DC (and New York) reminded me of her. Clubs, restaurants, coffee shops, streets, streetsigns, sidewalks, benches, flowers and trees. Even work. And worst of all was my own home, the place that I came to each and every night! And so I fled.

I have no history in LA. When I step outside into the bright sun and smell the fresh ocean breeze blowing in off the Pacific, everything is clean. And though she crosses my mind on occasion she no longer consumes me, and the memories are fond. And all is well.

My new wheels!

2008-04-23T23:40:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I went out and bought not one, but two new sets of wheels. I guess I'm livin' large! After I got my wheels, I cruised around town and took some pictures. Check em out!

New Wheels

Doesn't she look good with palm trees on the hood?

Amber basking in the Sun and craving fresh sparrow!

My home in Santa Monica - "The Patio"

The best looking Elementary School I've ever seen!

Temple in Chinatown

The Hollywood sign from afar

Welcome to Google Lite!

2008-04-18T01:16:00.000-07:00

This past Monday my manager pulled me aside and told me that he thought I was doing a fantastic job and that he wanted to convert me to regular staff as soon as possible. I gladly accepted.

2 years ago I interviewed with Google up in the San Francisco Bay area. It was an intense, grueling ordeal. I endured 4 phone interviews over the course of two weeks, each lasting an hour. And that was just their screening process. But I was very proud to finally be awarded an all-expenses paid weekend excursion to SF during which I would visit the Google-plex for 6 hours of interviews with 6 different people.

I had a bad college experience. I was what you would refer to as a "twinkie" or a "banana". You know, yellow on the outside and white on the inside. I spent my college days chasing white girls and drinking in my frat house. But it turned out to be someone else's world that I was trying a little too hard to fit into, instead of my own. That's the very condensed version of my college experience. Those were the loneliest 4 years of my life.

So one of the first things that I witnessed when I stepped onto the grounds of Google was a gaggle of young Asian women in flip-flops and belly-button-exposing tops. They walked across the courtyard between two buildings carrying their laptops and notebooks as if they were heading to their next class. In between interviews I further recall the following scenes: punk guy with 12-inch mohawk playing foosball, offices with disco balls hanging from the ceiling, pretty Asian girls peering over their cubicles to look at me, all the free snacks and SmartWater, and who can forget the Vegetarian, Thai, Chinese, American, Mexican, and Vegan cafes. All free, of course.

It was college all over again and it felt so right that I should get another shot at it. It must have been heaven-sent. But two weeks later I was told that I just wasn't the right fit for the company. I moped around for a month with no wind in my sails. I now reference that whole episode as "The divine non-intervention."

Enter Edmunds.com. I've been secretly calling this place "Google Lite." This place is awesome! I had no idea that a car website could be so advanced, organized and profitable. I think that they semi-officially model themselves after Google. The walls about the company are painted in the same brilliant colors, everyone is between the ages of 28 and 38, the ethnic diversity is perfectly balanced, and the overall atmosphere is very progressive with overflowing creative energies. Tonight there was a party to celebrate some major milestones. And tomorrow we have the day off in observance of Earth Day.

I no longer need that second chance. I'm comfortable with who I am and am living in the world that I've chosen and created for myself. But nevertheless, I am very happy to be here.

Matt's Greatest Hits - Volume 1

2008-04-11T00:32:00.000-07:00

I was reminiscing tonight and I thought of these few moments that will live with me forever......

Opening the windows of my Adams Morgan condo at dusk on a cool Fall day and hearing the Gibbons and Siamangs singing over the trees from the Zoo on the other side.

Sitting on the edge of the surf at Vung Tau, Vietnam in the hot sun. Feeling the water wash over my hands and my lower half. I reached into the sand and as the water retreated back into the ocean, tiny living shells revealed themselves. I watched couples, families, and children playing all around me. I finally felt a part of my own world. With each incoming tide I felt my soul being cleansed.

Waking up with Yoyo's big cartoon face 2 inches from mine. The vibe of his purr on my throat. The pressure of his weight on my chest. The sting of his untrimmed claws on my neck. Tickling my cheek with his whiskers.

Babysitting Jana at 2 in the morning on a chilly Fall evening. Jana is a giraffe. Her mother had just died and I was part of a team of volunteers looking after her. I remember the sound of late night revellers on Connecticut Avenue and being startled by a rampage of elephants at 3am that had suddenly decided to splash around in their pool and toss around a beach ball!

"Wicked" in NYC. Watching Elphaba on stage and holding Liz's hand.

Detoxifying the Soul

2008-04-06T23:57:00.000-07:00

There are many reasons that I came to California. Some of those were premeditated like the weather, the Sun, the beach, and the culture. California is the most Asian-friendly state in America. And of course there's the main reason I came, to uncover my personal legend which for now will remain my personal mystery. But other reasons existed that were less tangible. They were things I could feel but could not yet put into words. This weekend I found a way to describe one of those reasons: I am here to detoxify my soul.

Friday after work I had a few beers with a bunch of people from work to celebrate my favorite co-worker's birthday. I had three over the course of two and a half hours. Afterwards I went to have dinner with my dad. Another hour later I was back on the road to rejoin my new friends. It was a 45-minute drive that I decided to try and make 30. Sometimes I hate my car for being so damn fast! Don't get me wrong, everyone who knows me knows I love horses, but 300 of em? Completely inappropriate for anywhere other than the Autobahn in my opinion!

So try this: stand up straight with your feet together and hands by your side. Lift one foot six inches off the ground and count one-one-thousand, two-one-thousand, three-one-thousand, four-one-thousand, all the way up to thirty-one-thousand. I can barely do that shit when I'm completely sober! The officer who pulled me over claimed to smell alcohol on my breath and subjected me to sobriety tests. So the above plus three other tests and a Breathalyzer left me fairly shaken. I blew a .029 which is way below the legal limit, but the truth is that I could still feel the slight effects of the alcohol. I escaped with a mere ticket for speeding and changing lanes without signaling.

I admit I was driving like an ass, so I spent the rest of the weekend trying to pull together why I did it. Thank God I didn't end up in jail or worse yet, get into an accident. I do feel badly if I endangered anyone else.

I've concluded that I actually wanted to get caught. I wanted to test my limits. I wanted to see how hard the cops of LALa-Land really are (and yes, he was a hard-ass). I was strangely tired of speeding around DC in my G for two years without ever getting caught. But most importantly, I wanted to get caught for something less serious than a DUI or worse yet, an accident. I needed a good slap on the wrist to save me from shackles! Twisted? Yes. Foolish? Yes. Reckless? Yes. But I do feel detoxified of this one small toxin. And I'm ready to move on. There are a few other more serious toxins that I need to get rid of.

The Sun

2008-04-03T22:54:00.000-07:00

I wrote this story almost 3 years ago during my first trip to Vietnam.

I snapped my picture as I leaned out from a boat tied to the dock in My Tho, a small riverside market town in the Mekong Delta region. It was hot, a scorching 95 degrees! The sky was pure blue. The sun's rays slithered down, working their way onto every patch of my exposed skin, causing it to sizzle.

Through my new eyes, she was the most beautiful child I'd ever seen. She was brilliant. Her face was calm. Her skin, tan. Pieces of hair blew over her eyes in the gentle breeze. 8, 10, or maybe she was 12. It's hard to tell with Vietnamese. I myself am commonly mistaken for 18. I couldn't tell if at her age, she had managed to come out of her home this morning stylin in the rags that she picked off the wire clothesline suspended from the balcony of her parents' 500 square foot, 1 BR apartment where she lived with her mother, father, brother, sister, grandmother and grandfather, or if she was from a family of means, in a 1000 square foot, 2 BR apartment with her mother, father, brother, sister, grandmother and grandfather.

I sat on the boat contemplating, wondering why was she here on this dock? She wasn't begging, she wasn't selling, she wasn't eating, she wasn't playing. She just stood there still, radiating brilliance and staring at the water and holding something that I do not remember.

As the boat pulled us away to our next destination, I realized that I would never see her again and would never know her. I would never know why she was standing there alone on the dock. I would never know if her home was 500 or 1000 square feet. I would never know if she was hungry or full. I would never know if she would grow up to be what she is capable of, like Miss Saigon, or Miss Vietnam, or Miss Universe.

Back in Saigon, on Pham Ngu Lao, my mother and I climbed off the bus along with the other tourists. This was the part of town where the hippies, expats, and Vietnam Vets slept, drank, ate, smoked, and had sex. We walked to the corner of Pham Ngu Lao and De Tham. There on the corner a group of Vietnamese men congregated on their parked motor bikes. A small group of baby tables and baby chairs were semi-arranged along both edges of the corner with a few random people sitting at them including one pretty, young girl. An older Vietnamese man stood near the edge of the sidewalk studying the crowd. It was a fairly typical street scene. A tall foreigner approached the Vietnamese man. After a few words were exchanged the Vietnamese man motioned to the young girl. She approached. She took the foreigner's hand and they walked away together and rounded the corner. My mom had crossed the street and had taken shelter from the Sun underneath a fruit stand umbrella. I paused for a moment and prayed for the Sun to keep shining in My Tho.

The Black Cat

2008-03-26T00:48:00.000-07:00

Amber arrived on my doorstep shortly after I graduated College. It was the Winter of 1994, over 13 years ago. I had just moved out of my mom's house and was making it on my own for the very first time, in a tiny efficiency on the corner of 15th and Swann Street. 13 years ago, 15th and Swann was a different place than what it is today. I'd walk out the door each week on Friday and Saturday nights trying not to make eye contact with the locals drinking 40's on their doorsteps. I'd speed-walk one block East to a wildly strange and grungy bar called The Black Cat. It was like my second home back then. Sandy recognized my affinity for that place and one night she left a tiny stray kitten on my doorstep and knocked on the door. Amber has been with me ever since. We are eerily similar in our temperament and general personalities. There is a saying that pets become like their owners. We've grown to know and understand each other perfectly. Every night she sleeps with her head on my shoulder. I love her like a child. And in return, she loves me unconditionally.

Last year Amber was diagnosed with Kidney disease. A year ago, she was expected to live anywhere from 6 months to a couple years. I take care of her by giving her fluid injections every other day to help keep her hydrated. Other than that, I give her as much attention and affection as I can and I've made her home as comfortable as possible. At this stage in her life, I might be the only one that can keep her alive. Nothing and no one depends on me more than Amber, so in return she is my top priority.

P.S. She's been sitting in my lap the entire time that I wrote this.

Inspiration

2008-03-25T00:33:00.000-07:00

On the plane to LA when I visited back at the beginning of Feb, I finished reading the Alchemist. That was the last bit of inspiration in a very long string of inspirational happenings that I needed to nudge me towards finally making my move.

"To realize one's destiny is a person's only real obligation.......And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."

Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore.

2008-03-24T00:05:00.000-07:00

It wasn't until this past Saturday that it finally hit me that I was in a different world now. I've been sick ever since I arrived here, my awareness hazed by the lingering buzz of Nyquil. I also became engrossed in my new job. Each day, four walls deny me the sensations of Southern California. How irritating! By the time I get home and feed Amber the sun is beginning to set, and the day seems hardly different from any other day. Well, there's still the palm trees!

But this weekend, on Saturday, it hit 80 degrees for the first time and Sunday was a mirror image. I went out for a bite Saturday afternoon and then took a walk down to the beach. I was surprised to find the beach crowded. I wasn't expecting to see it so busy so soon. And as my feet hit the sand, my shirt instinctually came off. I sat near the edge of the surf and watched and listened to the Ocean and the seagulls and the kids laughing and splashing. I looked back and up to the top of the bluff at the rows of palm trees and the rows of apartments and condos lining Ocean Avenue. "Holy shit, I live here!"

I sat there feeling the warm sand in my toes for a solid half-hour, until my back started to burn.

Full Moon behind Palm Trees

My street during the day

First Sunset

2008-03-11T11:24:00.000-07:00

Last night I watched my first sunset from the cliffs overlooking the beach. I felt both happy and sad. I also had dinner with my dad. He's been here for the past 2 weeks on business but today he is heading back to DC. When we were finishing up dinner, I changed the tone of our conversation. I told him about my growing passion for writing.

In regards to the Vietnam War, American History obviously tells the story of both the triumphs and sorrows of the American involvement in Vietnam. But when speaking of triumphs, the hero is always American.

My father was a translator for the Americans during the war. He has seen, heard, felt and even tasted more than I could ever hope to understand about that conflict. But all of that experience has been locked up inside of him for over 30 years. He has always kept it secret and guarded. Many of his colleagues and friends have encouraged him on many occasions to tell his story, but he hadn't the ability to write it himself and he has never trusted anyone with his story. But when I told my dad about my desire to write his story, I could suddenly see into his heart and his mind and I knew he was finally ready to open.

He called me later in the night and told me that he was going to tell me everything.

Stripping

2008-03-10T12:36:00.000-07:00

I started the day at 6am (Pacific Time, mind you). It was still dark outside and the air was a chilly 50 degrees. I walked out the door wearing my boots, my jeans, a t-shirt, a sweatshirt, my poofy green North Face and my Red Sox hat. The purpose of this disturbingly early start was to pick up my car from the shipping facility.

By 8 am I took off my North Face and stuffed it into my backpack as I waited for the facility to open. At 9 am, I threw my sweatshirt into the back seat of my G, rolled down the windows and opened the sunroof. By 10am I was sweating so took off my hat. And finally, when I got home I kicked off the boots and put on some flip-flops.

That's where this story ends. :)

Airport Security

2008-03-09T22:27:00.000-07:00

I travel a lot and I thought I'd mastered the art of the expeditious security screening. It's really very simple. Right off the bat, grab 3 plastic containers and line them up. Place your shoes in tray #1. Your jacket/hoodie goes in tray #2. And the last tray is for your laptop and plastic ziplock. Your bags bring up the rear. Push your entire column onto the belt all at once. Your stuff is guaranteed to come out in the perfect order!

But today a slight twist was added to the whole process as I brought my cat Amber with me to California. She's a black cat with yellow eyes (they were amber colored when she was a baby). She's my girl and she's a complete sweetheart. For future reference (keyword future), additional steps should include: Send all of the above through the x-ray first. Place carrier on the counter. Take out cat and hold on tight! You should NOT do what I did today which was: Freak out and let go of cat! Watch cat run through the security booth! Run down the hall in socks chasing cat! Look back and observe 5 security screeners chasing with you!

Amber eventually ran into a corner and I was able to snatch her back up. There was applause, smiles, a bit of laughter, and lots of "awwwwww, sooooo cute!" I'm not sure who was more shaken by this near disaster, Amber or myself? But we made it to Cali safe and sound. I love how the baggage claim at Long Beach airport is actually outside! Amber and I sat on the pavement in the 78 degree sun waiting for our bags to come out and shared a little chuckle about our latest adventure.