Im planning to make a ramen soup bowl complete with floating chopsticks -- hoping to use real sticks -- any hints / ideas on how I can secure the chopsticks to my support rod -- going to use a balloon stick as my support.  Thanks.

I would use a wire that goes into the ramen noodles and attaches to the chopsticks where the noodles wrap around them. Or another skewer that's attached to the chopsticks where the noodles wrap around them to hide it.

^^^^^^ that's a winner!