Credit Moochers

Wasn't sure what image to use for this post, but everything's better with a minion, right? 

Don't you hate it when people get credit for something they didn't do? Especially if you put in a lot of time and effort to accomplish something, and then someone else gets recognized for it. It's something that really bothers me and I'm trying to figure out why. I think it's more the fact that the person gets undeserved credit, rather than the fact that I'm not the one receiving it.

I guess it comes in a lot of different situations, like putting a lot of thought into choosing a gift for someone, only to have your other friend buy it for them and pretend they thought of it themselves. Or giving an answer to a question during class in school, have the teacher not hear you, and then watching as someone else raises their hand and gets the credit. I find that for manual labor (mowing the lawn, cleaning the house, washing the dishes), I'm not bothered if no one notices. But as soon as the credit goes to someone else, without that person lifting a finger, then I get mad.

I guess it's the same with ideas, and I bet it's happened with everyone at least once in their lives. I can think of one famous example- of how Watson and Crick got all the credit for discovering that DNA was a double helix, when in fact much of their research and work was based off Rosalind Franklin, the actual researcher and taker of the photographs. Sometimes there's nothing you can do but just accept it, even if you have the urge to just shout out to the world how things really went down. Do that, and everyone will just think you're arrogant and self centered.

So here's my solution: if the person who stole the credit did it unknowingly, learn to let it go. If the person had malicious intent behind it, smile to the world as if you're happy he got credit for it, but then go beat out his brains in private later.

I Just Wanna Run- The Downtown Fiction

Smile First

I love it when people you're walking by on the street or standing in line with at the grocery store randomly come up and talk to you. People you don't even know, but they're just naturally nice and don't mind spending a few seconds of their time in conversation. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside, and always makes me more cheerful afterwards.

I also like just the random hellos and waves you get from people if you're passing them on your bike or running past their lawn, times when you don't have time to stop and chat. A lot of the people around my neighborhood are out a lot, walking dogs, jogging, walking, sitting on their porch, so I've gotten numerous different greetings. A personal favorite of mine is the head nod, subtle but meaningful. Usually it comes from other runners that I pass, sometimes who are listening to their ipods, so it's a gesture well received.

What I don't like are the grouchy old people who flat out ignore you, or the teenagers around your age that you may or may not recognize, but pretend not to know you. Or just the people that pretend to tie their shoe or look in the opposite direction just as you pass. That just annoys me. But what I've found recently is that a lot of people, no matter how grouchy they look, actually open up a lot more if you smile first. What I do is I smile and make eye contact- if they react, then I wave and say something cheerful as I go by. It's a lot better than not smiling and then not getting anything in return, and has a much higher success rate than hoping the other person is friendly enough to say "hi" or "how's it going" first. So I don't know, contrary to what people might think, there are still a lot of friendly people left in this world, they just may not show it.

So take a chance and smile first. It's hard not to smile back at someone who smiles first, even if it's a complete stranger. I find myself doing that more and more on my runs, trying to be the first to initiate some kind of cheerful greeting. It's just one little thing to make your day a bit happier.

Thunderstorm

I know don't about you, but I really enjoy things that explode and make loud noises in the sky. Fireworks are at the top of my list because they shoot off pretty colors too. Thunder is a close second. It's been a while since we've had a good lightning storm in Syracuse, so I just had to pause and watch the storm for a while this morning. There's this incredible feeling I get when I see the lightning streak across the sky, illuminating the clouds in one brief flash, and then the reverberating boom that soon follows. It reminds me of how powerful nature is (from the comfort of my house, that is). And how this flash of electricity is able to produce such a loud, cracking sound when it's right above you. There are deeper tones too, darker and rumbling as the storm drifts away into the distance. I wish it would stay a bit more so I could keep listening to the thunder. What do you like about storms?

Belief is... the USA Women's Soccer Team

Some things you just can't explain. If you were with me and the rest of the nation in watching the 2011 Women's World Cup Final today, you know exactly what I mean. With all that the USA players struggled and persevered through, with all the tension and excitement they saw in their matches, with all their team chemistry and patriotism, there was always the belief that they could do it. The belief that they could take it to the finals and go all the way. Even after the dramatic match-up and near loss against Brazil in the quarterfinals, that hope was never diminished.

And now heartbroken is the only word fitting to describe those players who gave it their all on the soccer pitch. Hope Solo, still a hero in my heart. Heather O'Reilly. Alex Morgan. Abby Wambach. The whole rest of the team that gave our nation a chance to believe in victory. I know I was along for that ride, jumping up with elation each time the US took a lead, both in the 2nd half of regular time (69th min), and the first half of overtime (104th min). Bowing my head in agony each time Japan equalized. And then the disastrous penalty shoot out.

As Coach Pia Sundhage said afterwards, there's no explaining it. Those first three misses from the US were excruciating to watch. Even then there was still the hope that the US would, like before, miraculously come back and take a championship they all deserved. With such a close, back-and-forth game, the 3-1 loss to Japan in the penalty shootout was an agonizing loss. I could see it in the eyes of the US players at the end, watering and shining with emotion, probably not alone with the millions of the watchers who were biting their nails and tugging their shirts throughout the entire match.

And it just goes to show how much a national game like this means to people. Not just the people watching in the US, but around the world and military bases as well. It doesn't have to be soccer, but the World Cup only comes once every four years, and soccer just happens to be the game with the characteristic of producing the unexpected, no matter how tragic. From the sport's point of view, it was a good match. You can't deny that it was a game well played for most all the players.

The thing that gets me is that the US team was so close to completing the journey, having completely outplayed the Japanese team in the first half but not able to finish any of their scoring opportunities. Their passing was strong, but their passion stronger. And that's what a winning team needs. The passion to play for themselves and for their country. From the moment the national anthems were played, there was a patriotic edge to it all. Especially for viewers like us that, just by watching, felt a fierce sense of loyalty and attachment to the team for what they did. They were almost there. I'm still crying over it. There's nothing now that will be able to deter that empty feeling of loss after such a cruel defeat. But find some reassurance that we'll still mourn together, all 300 million of us, as one proud nation backing one fantastic team.

WEEKLY CHALLENGE #2

So yeah, in case you missed my first post about weekly challenges or are too lazy to go all the way back to read it, I want to give readers the opportunity to suggest topics for me to blog about. Yeah yeah, some blogger-reader interaction if you will. But seriously, I don't want this blog to be about me and my life! That'd just be boring. And I bet something interesting is going on in your life right now, or you've thought of a cool idea before, or had some sort of breakthrough revelation about the way we eat pudding. Yeah, that kind of stuff.

I know the title says "weekly" challenge but I'll just do these sporadically as you readers warrant. Besides, "weekly challenge" just has a nice ring to it, don't you think? Anyways email me the answer to my "weekly challenge question" (I'll go easy for the first few ones) and then suggest a blog topic. I'll choose the one that's first and that is appropriate.

WEEKLY CHALLENGE NUMBER DOS:
-Who's lovely face is that posted above? (hint hint 2 p.m. Sunday tomorrow on ESPN. Go go USA!!)
-Email me at tomilkyway4@yahoo.com

My life.

What's one life out of almost 7 billion? Nothing, and yet everything.

I thought that the picture, though not exactly synonymous with this post, was a good addition nonetheless. Have you ever stood beside the ocean and just gazed out at the waves, stretching all the way out into the horizon, wondering how there could be such a big body of water right in front of you? Or laid on your back at night and stared at the stars, the endless expanse stretching out into space... Would anyone even care if I blogged about me, one insignificant life? Who cares about my personal life anyways?

But I guess some people might still find it fascinating. And I suppose the saying is "a penny for your thoughts." It's always interesting to see what other people's lives are like. For example, I really want to eat some cherries right now. Or go cherry-picking on a farm and climb trees, eating only the ripest ones that I can find. That sounds fun.

So in order to match the title, I suppose I could start listing things I’ve done in the past week or so in chronological order. Or maybe I’ll try to squeeze my full autobiography into this one post. Or perhaps you readers would prefer something simple and to the point, maybe along the lines of:

Typical teenage boy. Eats food. Fighting parents. Likes girl. Dealing with summer assignments. Sleep. Playing video games. Running for soccer. Looking for a job. Wants people to follow and leave nice comments on his blog. ^_^

That's a pretty good summary. But if you really want to know more about my life I guess you could talk to me. Or write me a letter. Or Facebook stalk me. Or send me emails. Or ask questions on my blog. Or send me subliminal secret messages through fortune cookies. Yeah, I'd be impressed with that last one.

That ice cream cone in your dreams

Have you ever dreamed you were eating in your dreams, only to wake up before you could eat whatever it was you were dreaming about? It always seems to happen to me with really delicious foods, like an ice cream sundae or a slice of pizza or a candy bar. Maybe I'm just going to bed hungry, but some of my dreams involve me either chancing upon or procuring some form of food. And then of course, as I'm about to take my first bite I kick and wake up. Like really? At least I should get to finish whatever I dreamed of eating first before waking up and forgetting what the rest of the dream was about.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2- The Bittersweet End

So this is it, guys. Midnight tonight- the very last Harry Potter adventure: Harry Potter and the Death Hallows Part 2. (Here's the epic trailer for funsies:)

Harry Potter fans and non-Harry Potter fans alike have to admit that it’s a pretty heartfelt moment, to be at the very end of such an epic adventure. It came once at the release of the last book, but now it’s another whole conclusion with the finale of the movies. I mean, the books were amazing. But I feel it’s the movies that really characterized the saga and brought the series to life. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint… their portrayals of Harry, Hermoine, and Ron couldn’t have been better.

Even Alan Rickman (Snape) and Tom Felton (Malfoy) took on their roles perfectly. And for those who read the books and then watched the movies, you know what I mean when I say those portrayals live on every time you re-read the series. The books and the movies as they came out one after the other really shaped each other. (If you follow the movies but haven’t read the books before, go start reading the series. I guarantee you will find it ten times more enjoyable. J.K. Rowling is pure genius, and there are so many smaller plots and nuances that the movies don’t have time to portray.)

So thank you, J.K. Rowling, for creating such a magical world and a story that will live on in kids, teenagers, and adults alike. The Harry Potter series has already become a classic that will continue on forever. I don’t care what the English teachers say, the Harry Potter series has more “literary merit” than most books I can think of. And more. For us current teenagers and college students, we grew up with Harry Potter. We grew up during the spell of waiting anxiously each year for the new release of the book and the next movie that would come out. We watched the actors grow up with each new movie.

There’s not many series that can compare with the scale of good vs. evil that exists between Harry and Voldemort. And quite honestly, I think there is no series that tops Harry Potter for the vividness of the characters (I mean come on, just look at Dobby), or the depiction of Hogwarts and the whole wizarding world. I can’t imagine how many kids and teens have wished before that they were invited to Hogwarts, or able to perform magic with a wand, or flying on a broomstick playing Quidditch. I mean, I can’t put it any other way. Harry Potter made for a very magical childhood.

And before we go on the last exhilarating ride tonight, just take a look back and smile at everything that has preceded this last movie. “Through the Pensieve” by genrocks sums up everything I just said. (I teared up when I first watched it)

Memories are forever. So know that it all ends tonight, but not really. 

Oriental Supermarkets FTW

I was in Han's Oriental Grocery earlier today while my mom did some shopping and couldn't help but notice the one white guy eagerly browsing the aisles at 11 in the morning. I mean, it's not a big deal and there's no unspoken rule that only asians come to buy stuff, but this guy had such a big grin on his face that I knew it must've been his first time in the grocery. He was looking at everything with a mixture of delight and astonishment as his Korean friend kind of led him through the store.

He had several different drinks in his hands, a bag of shrimp crackers, and other delicious oriental market snacks, so I knew his friend was taking good care of him. It was just fun to watch him look at everything with such interest. But I guess that's how people in foreign countries always feel with Americans ogle over their markets too.

This guy acted exactly like a tourist's first time in the store. I couldn't help but smile, glad he was having so much fun shopping and getting to eat all those snacks later. Oriental supermarkets are awesome places to be when you know where all the yummy stuff is.