It is my unfortunate duty to inform you that I will no longer be working at Gap as of November 27th, 2006.This will give me exactly two weeks to complete my work as scheduled and it would be an honor if you could read this letter as my official two-week notification.There is no central reason for leaving but rather an accumulation of reasons.Initially, I began working in order to lessen the burden of my parents’ financial obligations due to the fact that my father was laid off.Although he remained unemployed throughout the year, he recently found a new job.We are all very proud and thankful.However, I find myself eager to focus more on school and extracurricular activities again now that I am not as obligated to maintain an income.
In addition to the fact that my parents no longer need my assistance, my second reason for leaving is that I want to finish my last year of college with a strong GPA.I find myself under immense pressure to finish out strong with work on my plate as well so I’ve decided that leaving will provide me with adequate time to manage my grades more effectively.I, along with my parents, believe that this is the best decision for me right now.
Furthermore, last year during the holidays, I sacrificed being with my family so that I could help out the store by working 40 hours a week throughout the holiday season.My grandfather passed away just over a year ago and my entire family celebrated Christmas for the first time without him.I prefer not to make the same mistake again of not being there with them this year.I plan on dedicating my entire winter break to spend with my family back home in Arlington.
As you may have noticed, I’ve given a lot of time and thought into this decision.Needless to say, this was a difficult decision to make but I have faith that the time is right for me to go.I’ve enjoyed my time working for the company and this particular store here at Barton Creek.This was my first job and I am proud to have been a part of such a great team for over a year now.I’ve met many talented and respectable people.I’ve learned many things that I wouldn’t have otherwise.I’ve made memories here that will last me until the last days of my life.I wish the best for all of you and I know you will continue to strive for the best.Thank you for everything!
I've always had a profound respect and admiration for the art of Tae Kwon Do. My first exposure to it was back in the 6th grade when Thomas and I first became the best of friends. I was in Vovinam and he had been in Tae Kwon Do ever since he was a kid. We went to each other's classes to see what it was like. Of course, the distinctive characteristic of Tae Kwon Do is the emphasis on kicking and its application in sparring while Vovinam has more focus on performance and choreography which exhibits Leg Techniques and Acrobatics. Tae Kwon Do leans more towards the Martial side of Martial Arts, whereas Vovinam leans more towards the Art side. We would practice with eachother outside of class when we used to hang out at each other's houses. We would spar, choreograph fights on camera, and practice doing tricks. Although I could out-perform him in acrobatics and stunts, he would always have the upperhand when it came to 1 on 1 contact sparring. From then, I always wanted to take some classes in Tae Kwon Do to enhance my sparring skills but I never had the time. I remained loyal to Vovinam until the time I quit. Then I had the opportunity of picking it back up when I came to UT.
Well it's my last year here before I graduate. I feel as if time is running out and I have very little time to do what I want to do and get the most out of this whole college experience before it's all over. I am more eager than ever to try new things. Someone handed me a flyer for Tae Kwon Do classes one day outside of Gregory Gym. There is a ton of martial arts and organizations in general to join on campus for a relatively cheap cost. I kept the flyer but I wasn't sure if I wanted to invest the time just yet. Today I felt an urge to show up for class. So I strapped on my extra white Karate Gi on and headed over to the Rec. I saw Joe, who I knew only through the fact that our Vovinam class would often have to use the same room as his Tae Kwon Do class and we would wait for eachother or share the mat. We greeted each other, although we never really talked. The class was waiting for the other class to finish up. I waited with them.
As soon as the doors opened and people started leaving from the prior class, we all went in and started the warm up immediately. It was probably the most demanding warm up I've had all year. I started getting cramps because we didn't stretch out first. But it was a really refreshing drill that got me pumped up and ready to go. The first hour was for beginner level students so we did some basic kicking drills against the wall and some stepping drills with partners. After that first hour, the advanced portion began. I was hesitant at first so I just watched. Then when I saw how basic the drills were, I joined in. We did kicking drills and counters with partners for a while, then we gathered in a circle to begin the sparring portion. I really liked the format of it because it was random voluntary selection of pairs and it was either 30 seconds long or first to score a point. That way, we didn't get tired or boggled down. I watched everyone else go first. Again, I felt hesitant because I am not a big fan of sparring. Someone always gets hurt when I spar. But I felt like I needed to just go for it since the opportunity was right there. I ended up fighting 3 black belts. I did better than what I thought I was capable of. The drills really helped. The last guy I sparred was the most intimidating. He seemed like he's been training for a long time. We began with a short stand-off, waiting for eachother to make the first move...then I surprised him with a quick roundhouse to the chest and there was a loud SNAP. Everyone goes "Ooooo" and apparently according to Joe, that was a point. At the end of class, everyone kept coming up to me and introducing themselves, seemingly out of mutual respect. I really enjoyed it. I felt stronger, faster, and more strategic in my sparring techinique. I think I'll take the next step and sign up for class, pay my dues, and begin training to compete in tournaments. This might be the last chance I get to do something like this before going off to Law School and being trapped in the monotony of the real world as a working professional.
Eiryne and I had hopes of going out to Las Vegas for my 21st birthday but unfortunately, it did not work out. Well it was Summer now and that usually means one thing for MY family, lots of traveling! My family had plans to go visit Grandma in California and I decided it was time to take Eiryne with me to meet the rest of my family over there. We were both really excited about this opportunity. We didn't want to leave Batman and Sophie with anyone either so we decided to just go ahead and take them along with us.
It just so happened that the flight directly to Los Angelas, CA was pretty full so we decided to fly to Las Vegas and rent a car to drive the rest of the way. Of course, we planned it so that we would have most of the day to enjoy Las Vegas before heading home to Grandma's. Arriving at the John Wayne Airport, we were surrounded by slot machines once we stepped foot down the gates towards baggage claim. I've been to many airports but none of which had slot machines lined up like vending machines in the middle of no where. Once we got our rental car and managed to fit all of our luggage in, we headed down to the strip of Las Vegas!
We took a while to find somewhere to eat because we all wanted Dim Sum but they were mostly closed and hard to find. We finally found a place and enjoyed a variety of Dim Sum plates Vegas style. There was also an Asian Mall that we walked around for a while, only to realize that there wasn't much to do or see inside. After finding a parking spot outside the Little Italy area, we went into the casino area. I was finally of age to gamble so I went with my dad to the tables to get my first taste of Vegas gambling. The others waited patiently in the lobby area. I watched my dad play with a couple of strangers. We started losing all of our chips so we headed over to the black jack table where my dad had better luck. Unfortunately, I found the whole ordeal rather unamusing and called Eiryne to meet me up. We headed out to the strip to check out the fun and excitement that Vegas has to offer. It's been roughly 6 years since I had been to Vegas so I was still excited to explore it all over again. We had limited time so we had to rush through everything. Unfortunately my new video camera that I brought along ran out of battery and we couldn't find a power outlet to recharge. So we settled with taking lots of pictures instead as we stopped to watch shows, shopped for gifts, clothes and souvenirs. The puppies got a lot of attention from all of the other tourists that walked by. They were a bit scared also. After a few hours of shopping and site seeing and taking pictures, we had to head to Grandma's before it got too dark.
A few hours on the road passed as we headed out to the desert-like mountain ranges. My dad pulled over to an old country-looking gas station where we used the bathroom and bought drinks. It seemed pretty intimidating at first until I struck up some small talk with the owner. He was curious about our ethinicity and wanted to learn how to say "thank you" in Vietnamese. I couldn't refuse an eager man's request so I took a moment to teach him. My dad had grown tired by then so he told me to take the wheel. As the day approached to evening, I had the pleasure of driving through the mountains with its awe-inspiring curves, swurves, and elevations. The sunset never looked so magnificient, as it peirced through the rugged tops of the mountains in the distance. I'm afraid everyone else was already fast asleep except for my mom, who stayed up just to watch out for my driving. It was the most pleasant drive I've ever experienced in my day.
Before I knew it, I was parking in Grandma's driveway. We were finally home! After we unloaded all of our luggage inside, I went around and introduced Eiryne to each and every family member present. They already knew all about her and saw our pictures but this would be the very first time I had ever brought a girl to meet the relatives. They welcomed her warmly. We spent the rest of the night playing with the puppies. Ol Lisa was outside so we let her in to meet Batman and Sophie. Batman was barking at her furiously. Lisa was just curiously sniffing at their bag, since we did not let them out yet. Sophie was also curious. They looked like they just saw their mommy since they looked like. Lisa looked huge in comparison to our little babies. I was scared to let them out but we eventually did and Lisa would chase them around. It was fun seeing them interact.
Over the next few days, there wasn't much going on. Usually when we go to California, there is a purpose such as Christmas celebrations and the like. This time, we were just there for the heck of it so there wasn't much to do. We went to Gi Ba's house like we always do and ended up playing hours of charades. Yeah that's how bored we were. But it was a fun time hanging out with my little cousins and siblings, who aren't so little any more. My older cousins were still out of town doing their own thing so this was a good opportunity to bond with the younger ones.
We made a bet in the middle of the game, that I would buy ice cream for the winning team. It made it more competitive but I ended up agreeing to buy EVERYONE ice cream. My uncle dropped us off at the movies the next day to watch Superman Returns. We came early to buy our tickets and to get some ice cream nearby. I was really excited about Superman. I've been waiting to see it ever since I read about it last year. The entire time as I was watching the movie, I kept thinking to myself "wow this is amazing! Bryan Singer manages to keep the classic themes of the old Superman movies yet mixes it with a new modern feel." I was totally enthused all the way until the ending credits.
Back at Grandma's house, I had time to talk to my Uncle, Cau Nam. He is the only uncle on my mom's side but I never had the chance to bond with him. He took me out to the backyard where we sat on Grandpa's aged swinging bench. His intent was to ask about my relationship with Eiryne, to make sure that I'm not rushing into things and that I know what I'm doing. I ended up learning a lot about him as a person, about his relationship with his wife, about some of his political and religious views. He learned a lot about me as well, about my knowledge of life, priorities, and ambitions. I have many memories as a child, sitting on that very bench on a warm and sunny day...This memory would be different. I am now a 21 year old man, getting to know my uncle for the first time, sitting there on that same old antique bench, quietly squeeking every time I swung back and forward. There we were, just two guys contemplating life under the star filled sky outside Grandpa's backyard.
The next day, we went to the mall and we all bought some clothes and later met with the aunts to eat at the food court. Then we came home and played with my baby cousin, Mimi and the puppies. My aunt brought her new puppy, Biscuit too. So we had four of them running around. Poor Batman and Sophie kept getting bullied by the bigger dogs.
For our last day, my parents, and Eiryne and I took the rental car back to Los Angelas. I had to get back for work but we had plenty of time to hang out at the Phuc Loc Tho Asian Mall. We had to stop by to meet up with my parents friends at this cafe. They were there for a high school reunion. We went to get something to eat after their little meeting. We were looking for some Chinese Barbeque style food but we couldn't find one so we ended up settling for more Dim Sum at his place called Seafood Palace. It was really fancy and the Dim Sum was really good so I'm glad we went. Then we had to get dropped off at the airport. It was a really fun trip and Eiryne had fun meeting my family as well.
With school over and everything, I found myself having some free time and an itching desire to get out and have some fun. Howard asked me to go to 6th as he always does, but this time I agreed to go. I picked up Chris and we met up with Howard at one of the bars there. It was pretty crowded because people were celebrating graduation. We ran into Tien and Tu outside of Bar Austin which was pretty exciting. I haven't seen Tien in a long time. We headed up to the stairs in Bar Austin and found a bunch of the old VSA people there. Everyone was surprised to see me because I never go out. I still didn't drink though. They tried to get me to over and over but failed. Peer pressure doesn't work on me. I still had fun just seeing everyone again. It was almost like old times again...Almost.
After the 6th street scene, a smaller group of us decided to get a late night snack at Denny's. It was fun hangin out with old friends and new ones that we met that night. I prefer sitting down with a small group for a meal and witty conversations over standing around a crowded, noisey bar any day.
Congratulations to my ex-wife (VSA wife) Kim Vu for graduating ON TIME! I wish you well in your future endeavors. Congrats to all of those who graduated this year as well.
