My So-Called Ramblings

Hiatus

2008-12-15T08:47:00.004-10:00

Okay. So I haven't been blogging regularly as promised. This is because I have gone insane and created another blog. A blog about the details of our (RY and mines) journey towards our special day. So with that said, I am officially taking a semi-permanent hiatus from here and instead you can come read all about how I stay cool during this tying-the-knot process over at ~ our wedding blog

Don't be shy now...come say hello and share all your bridezilla moments with me as well!

One more week

2008-11-20T21:59:00.003-10:00

It is exactly one week before Thanksgiving. How will you be celebrating your day?

RY's mom is flying in from Maui and the future in-laws will be coming over to our place. Similarly like last year, instead of cooking...they've ordered Zippy's Thanksgiving Meals to Go. All that needs to be done is pick it up that morning and to re-heat it when we come home. Once done with eating all that good food and cleaning up, must remember to check all the ads (mental note: buy NEWSPAPER) as well as make a list of what to buy before heading to bed.

And I'm pretty sure you know what I'm talking about ~ yes, it's those horrid after-thanksgiving sales, also better known as Black Friday. I'm pretty sure RY will ultimately want to go to Best Buy while I would prefer to be at the Waikele Premium Outlets since their sale madness kicks off at midnight! But with the current economic climate, some local retailers have already started to offer early discounts and other incentives hoping to get cash-strapped consumers (like myself) in the mood to spend! I'm not looking to buy anything for myself but more so for some great bargains as holiday gifts. Let's see what I find next Friday!

San Francisco

2008-11-19T00:31:00.002-10:00

Two days in beautiful San Francisco is not enough, especially when it's your first time!

So with that short span of time (despite the cold and rain), I tried my very best to absorb everything and anything! Some of the many popular and famous attractions that we manage to see were the Golden Gate Bridge, Twin Peaks, Union Square, Fisherman's Wharf, Ghirardelli Square and Chinatown.

We also got to see some of the other popular sights (Golden Gate Park, Nob Hill, North Beach and more) briefly while we were on a tour bus as well as on the cable car rides. Here are some photos I uploaded onto Facebook

It's November...

2008-11-14T13:47:00.003-10:00

Happy TGIAF!

Back from a mini vacation with RY and his parents'. Actually have been back since last Friday night but it's taken me this long to get back into my normal groove. We had a blast nevertheless or at least I know I did. We spent two full days in San Francisco and two full days in Las Vegas for some sight-seeing, shopping, good eats and gambling. We also celebrated two birthdays ~ RY's dad's and mines too the very next day. More on the mini vacation and photos to follow!!

skin health

2008-10-30T15:10:00.002-10:00

I've battled with bad skin since my teenager years and tried almost everything related to skin care to help combat and treat acne, scaring and dry/oily T-zone areas on my face. Today in my email inbox, I read something interesting about a healthy skin challenge where it advices one to do a diet makeover - to eliminate the foods that gives one lackluster skin. If I'm reading this right, I'm suppose to do my skin a favor and minimize:

- Full-fat daily products
- Red meat (especially processed meat)
- Sugary soft drinks
- Sweets (e.g., cakes, pastries, etc.)
- Alcohol- and caffeine-containing beverages

So in my case...now I know why I still have bad skin; and it's all because of what I eat and drink. Crap!!

Sun Yat Fai Lok!

2008-10-29T10:39:00.002-10:00

This time next week, I'll be a year older, hopefully slightly more wiser than today and I'll be in Vegas!! Woo-hoo! Now, I wonder what we'll be doing on that day?

Checklist!

2008-10-28T16:23:00.007-10:00

I'll be leaving on a jet plane come this Saturday night with RY. First destination is San Francisco and we arrive an hour earlier before his parents. I hope I'll be able to sleep; otherwise I better take some drowsy meds to make me SLEEP! It'll be my first time in SF and we're only spending two full days there. In my opinion...that's definitely not enough hours to fully experience a new place but I should not complaint as I'm lucky that they're even letting me come in the first place! Our next destination is Las Vegas for three and a half days. I hope it won't be too cold and in order to not forget anything, I'm making my list of things to pack and posting it here ~

- Jacket
- Sweater(s)
- Long-sleeved t's and shirt(s)
- Jeans
- Pants
- Scarf
- Gloves
- Skirt(s)
- Knee Socks/Tights
- Walking shoes
- Boots
- Undergarments
- Toiletries/Make-up/Hairbrush/Flat Iron
- iTouch
- Digital camera
- Video camera
- Chargers for cell(s)/camera/touch/videocam - Secret stash of $$$ for gambling/shopping - Guidebook/map/my list of things to do, see and eat
- Leftover Halloween snacks/chocolates/gummi bears
- Gum

What else am I missing and/or should leave out?

Not yet a bridezilla...

2008-10-27T15:39:00.008-10:00

Has it been that long since I last updated my blog? I blame procrastination, lack of interesting stories to share and a sheer of amount laziness for the lack of update! No sense I make promises either, as I haven't been too good about keeping them when it comes to blogging.

As I try to remember with my pea-size of a brain, nothing really does come to mind that I can share except for the fact that I've started with the wedding preparations. I have been researching on the different wedding vendors and comparing them by the services they provide as well as their pricing. RY and I have also looked at a couple reception venues ~ all of which are hotels in the Waikiki area. We particularly like one and now will need to really crunch the numbers to see if our budget will permit us to make "the" decision and put down a deposit so we may secure the venue for our selected wedding date. We have already decided on the church for our ceremony and now to make arrangements for our marriage preparation classes. What fun to look forward too! We've also somewhat decided on our wedding colors and I even started to do origami. My goal is to fold 1000 paper cranes and teach RY (with lots and lots of patience) to fold ONE before our wedding!

No hiccups you say? There's also been some vendors whom are just really bad at responding to both emails and phone calls to provide more information, but I'm not being too fussy or bothered about it YET as I still have a whole year to plan. From all that I've researched, gathered, and read...I'm trying my best to do most of everything on my own as oppose to hiring a wedding planner...and also not take my frustrations out on RY. He's been plenty patient with me, and a trooper for tagging along with me when he can to those bridal functions which he says "It's not his thing!" (me rolling my eyes)

Click on the link to view some of pictures that I took from two bridal events. More to come...I hope *grins*

Pssst: By the way...if you live here on the islands, read my blog and have suggestions or recommendations to offer, please do so as I am open to anything!!!

not feeling well

2008-09-19T14:11:00.000-10:00

Being sick is no fun! Sneezing, coughing (the painful and dry kind), stuffy and runny nose and major congestion!

This is after I as well as RY had gotten sick, twice, mind you. I suppose it had been coming since I haven't gotten this sick for a few years! I blame RY because he got sick first upon returning from our trip to SoCal (ohh yes, I've yet to blog about our trip).

We're on our way to recovery, so much so, instead of buying one of those Progresso brand "Chicken Noodle" soup, I found an easy recipe online and cook it myself in the slow cooker. The verdict ~ we enjoyed every last drop!

Where am I?

2008-09-03T23:18:00.004-10:00

I'm still here! Still very much alive, just haven't gotten back into the groove of blogging just yet, no matter how much I try to convince myself otherwise.

I've been keeping myself busy with stuff, mainly...wedding planning.

Yesh, some good news to share! RY and I have taken that next step in our relationship and had gotten engaged. Now I'm slowly getting into the hang of planning for that perfect wedding. So far, I've attended one bridal expo, bought a few bridal magazines, attended one bridal workshop and browsing the web for more ideas. Plus there's another bridal expo coming up soon in October which I'm still contemplating whether or not I should attend. This time around it'll be at the Hawai`i Convention Center...so bigger with more wedding vendors? Hmmm...! I am also wondering if I'll turn into one of those bridezillas as the months go by? We will see as there's lots to do...picking a church and reception venue, invitations, color and theme...and the list goes on and on!

...wish me luck...lotsa luck...

Rewind please?

2008-07-21T23:11:00.000-10:00

Another weekend...gone! It seems like there's never enough hours to fully enjoy the weekends off before a new work week begins.

But the weekend didn't go to waste...as R and I started it early with the premiere of The Dark Knight at midnight on Friday. It is by far the best movie this summer! Iron Man had held that spot but after watching Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker...I can't wait to go watch it again. If you haven't seen The Dark Knight yet...what are you waiting for?

Saturday, we drove out to Hawaii Kai to see ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro perform at the Towne Center. I've been a fan of Jake's for a few years now and never had the opportunity to see him perform live. Jake is so at home with music of all genres. He covers jazz, classical, blues and rock, infact, he's so good at what he does that it is easy to forget you're listening to an instrument that's just about 13inches long, with only 4 strings. This was indeed a truly great experience and not only did he play two of my favorite songs; "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper & "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" by George Harrison...I got his autograph and a photo taken with him...such a generous personality! (egads: Jake's so cute in person and that winning smile!!! *faints*)

AM still around...

2008-07-02T09:24:00.002-10:00

Bye Bye June. Hello July.

Gosh I've gone and neglected my blog yet again. Sorry. I'm still around just busy with other "stuff". I've loads to share and I haven't even finished my family adventures while they were here in Hawai'i. I'll be back to finish up and to continue blogging on a somewhat regular basis from then forth. Until then, be good and don't do anything I won't do.

Looking forward to tomorrow's July 4th celebrations at Aloha Tower. Anyone going?

My Daddy!

2008-06-15T16:04:00.002-10:00

I'm a little late in posting but better late than never right?

This post on this special day is to honor my DAD and fathers all over the world! Anyone can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a DADDY! The featured photo of my Dad was taken last month at Paradise Cove just before the luau festivities began. My Dad was very pleased to get tattooed (eventhough it's temporary)...

Happy Father's Day to all the Daddys in the World!!

grrr...

2008-06-13T10:46:00.004-10:00

I just got done reading today's Honolulu Advertiser and on its front page: "United to charge $15 fee for first bag".

Oh noes! This is not good news especially for us. I wonder when exactly did R's dad make our reservations for our upcoming November trip? This is really a stab in the hearts of travelers who are already dealing with the rising ticket prices, longer security lines, and the fact that we have to buy our own lunches and liquids on board the flight.

I guess I will have to shop conservatively as to not check in a second bag.

Summer Flip-Flops May Lead to Foot Pain

2008-06-13T09:53:00.011-10:00

Flip Flop Fettish
Originally uploaded by mexycan

Gee! I haven't been keeping up with my newspaper readings. But this I found to be a concern because well I'm one of many who wear slippers ALL THE TIME!

Flip Flops Bad for Health? So it seems according to this New York Times article. It reports that researchers have found that wearing slippers can can result in sore feet, ankles and legs. The researchers discovered that wearing slippers will alter the way a person walks, which can cause pain in the hips and lower back:

"For the study, the researchers recruited 39 college-age men and women and asked them to wear flip-flops or athletic shoes. They then had them walk a platform that measured vertical force as their feet hit the ground. A video camera measured stride length and limb angles.

Flip-flop wearers took shorter steps and their heels hit the ground with less vertical force than when the same walkers wore athletic shoes. People wearing flip-flops also don't bring their toes up as much as the leg swings forward. That results in a larger angle to the ankle and a shorter stride length, the study showed. The reason may be that people tend to grip flip-flops with their toes".

On top of that, a biomechanics doctoral student who presented the findings said this doesn't mean slippers should never be worn — just not be worn for extended periods of time ~ like everytime and everywhere ~ while shopping, to the beach, to the office because slippers are not designed to properly support the foot and ankle during all-day wear. Shoots! This means I've gone and caused myself some major back pains for the rest of my life. On the plus side of all of this, now I can go shoe shopping!

Happy Aloha Friday the 13th!

Waikiki By Moonlight

2008-06-05T16:41:00.003-10:00

Taking a quick break from blogging about my family adventures on Oahu.

A block party with food (courtesy of Doraku Sushi, Giovanni Pastrami and other various hotel restaurant kitchens) and entertainment. Who can pass up on such a good street festival? This took place last Saturday in Waikiki along Kalakaua Avenue between Kaiulani and Kealohilani avenues. I got there early enough but decided not to stay all the way to the end as I was by myself and didn't want to wander at night alone. I caught the first hula performance by the Merrie Monarch winners Halau Hula Olana. Other scheduled performances include Teresa Bright, Kalapana, Manao Company and the Japanese pop group Tube. Are they famous? Aparently they are because there was a large crowd of Japanese tourists in front of the main stage. Below are some photos that I took...

Also last night, I got to enjoy a 15-minute display of fireworks from my lanai (balcony). The occasion? It is the annual fireworks display off Waikiki Beach, organized by ROYAL COSMETICS, a Tokyo-based company.

Looking forward to this weekend's festivities...there's the Pan-Pacific Matsuri Festival as well the King Kamehameha floral parade. Let's see if I am able to check them out! Okay...back to regular programming...

Wednesday Blog

2008-06-04T15:57:00.002-10:00

Tuesday was Graduation day and I've already blogged about that. It was a good day but all too long and tiring. I was happy to finally get home around midnight, undress, wash my face and go to bed.

Woke up late Wednesday morning, got ready and headed out to pick RY's mom and my family before driving into Diamond Head for lunch at the Outrigger Canoe Club. My co-worker, S, is a member there and she wanted to treat all of us, including my other co-workers to lunch. Again, I think I'm getting old and forgetful. I had my camera out on the table but didn't take any pictures of the food ordered or even a parting group shot. Yup...I'm getting old.

After a really hearty lunch, we head on over to the Ward area for some window shopping. After several hours later, we head on back to our apartment to relax before going out again. This time to drop RY's mom off at the airport for her flight back to Maui. It was a short visit but am happy and grateful she was able to come.

Thursday...I let my family do their own thing. They went shopping in Waikiki at the International Marketplace and Hilo Hattie. And they used the free shopping shuttle and got to experience a fun, narrated trolley ride! I met up with them later at night at the condo as my dad cooked us dinner: FISH HEAD curry!! They showed me all of the items that they had purchased earlier in the day and even my Mom had a good time bargaining with the Chinese shop ladies for a cheaper price. To be continued...

Tuesday Blog

2008-06-03T21:35:00.010-10:00

The next day...I gave them time to sleep in, recover from any jet lag sensation and also slowly get use to the time difference (Malaysia vs. Hawaii is -18 hours). I had my long list of "things to do", "places to see" and "food to try/eat", however I had to figure out when to do what and how it will all fit so that I'm not driving all over the place.

We meet for lunch at the condo and my mom cooked her yummilicious nasi goreng (fried rice). We eat, we talk and I tell them to eat up quickly so we can head out soon and try not to catch the afternoon traffic. First stop is Pali Lookout. This tourist spot offers fantastic panoramic views of the Windward coast of Oahu. It was indeed a beautiful day as the sun was up, no vog and lots of cool winds. Actually it was too windy because it was just impossible for me to pose for a photograph as the winds was blowing my hair non-stop, and covering my face. So instead I became the photographer and snapped happily! Okay, maybe for just one photo.

Then, I drive into Kaneohe to see the famous Byodo-In Temple that is situated inside the Valley of the Temples Memorial Park. It is a replica of the 950-year-old Byodoin Temple located in Uji, Japan on the southern outskirts of Kyoto. Also, if you are a LOST fan, this location served as the family home of the Korean actress, Sun. We take more pictures and walk though the grounds and temple before heading back into town...downtown to walk some more.

This is also the night where my family gets to meet Ryan and his parents for the first time. I even bought KFC and took it over to the condo for dinner. However realize later because of excitement and nervousness, I forgot to take pictures. To be continued...

Monday Blog

2008-06-02T15:19:00.006-10:00

Before I go on, I must shout out a HUGE "thank you" to Rho, Jon, Angel, Melissa, Simon, May, K and Jaxon for your congratulary wishes from my previous post.

With that said, I must get back into the groove of blogging regularly now that I'm officially done with college.

So my family flew here to be with me for my graduation and the 10 days that they were here, went by too fast. They arrived early Sunday morning and after dropping off their luggage at the condo-unit they were staying at, I drove all of us into Chinatown. We first started with a hearty dim-sum breakfast at Mei Sum restaurant and then walk through while shopping for grocery so they cook and save $$$ instead of eating out. Before heading back to the condo, I'd thought I drive through Waikiki first but somehow there was something going on and traffic into Waikiki was at a standstill. Literally.

We return to the condo, and I end up taking a short nap while they unwind, unpack and enjoy the breathtaking ocean and mountain views from the 36th floor. We end the day with more grocery shopping at Don Quijote and pizza for dinner. To be continued...

graduated!

2008-05-19T10:41:00.004-10:00

YEP! Last Tuesday was graduation day. Two years flew by real quick where now I've completed the MBA program and I proudly graduate with distinction. It is the day that I am officially done and can say that my college days are finally over. Well, not unless I decide to go back and obtain my Ph.D! Highly un-likely!! Anywaes, all graduates had to attend a reheasal that Tuesday morning and by the time I got done, I had to rush home, get ready to head out again to meet everybody at Ala Moana Shopping Center for lunch at Donburiya Dondon (family are still getting used to the larger-size food portions here as opposed to the ones served in KL). We walked around for a bit, checked out Nordstroms (it's nice, huge and EXPENSIVE!!) and then rush back home to get ready for the ceremony. It was a great night and I'm thankful for everyone that came to see my commencement. Thank you for the memories and the love!

It's been truly non-stop from one activity to another since last Sunday when my family flew in from Malaysia. I've been playing tour guide and chauffeuring them all over to check out the many tourist attractions on O'ahu. They got to meet with my collegues and boss as well as RY's parents and relatives. They're having a good time and as for me, I'm happy, tired and totally sunburned from all of our fun activities. They have three more full days of sight-seeing before they say goodbye to me and Hawai'i. What's plan for those days? More shopping, a hike up Diamond Head crater, driving through Tantulus, more adventure through Waikiki (must not let them pass through International Marketplace again!!) and more shopping. I have plenty photos to share as well so as soon as I find more time to spare, I'll upload them for your viewing. Soon. Well...maybe next week, after a trip to Maui for the 3-day Memorial Day weekend break with RY on the superferry! Have a great week and a wonderful weekend if I'm not back before then to post a new blog entry. Take care and hugs all around to everybody ;)

No pain

2008-05-08T22:14:00.004-10:00

It's true. I've become a nemu*nemu fan. It is about two best friends (Ani & Kana), their companion pups (Anpan & Nemu) and their adventures. I can relate because being an only child, I had the tendency to talk to my stuffed animals in the privacy of my room as a kid. Okay. I still do it from time to time with my current stuffed animals. Who doesn't? Enough about me. I first found out about the comic and its creators when their story was featured in the Honolulu Advertiser for the Kawaii Kon event. Now I'm hooked.

When I saw and read this latest nemu*nemu comic, I saw myself. Yes. Sadly, this is how I feel almost everytime I get done playing with either the PS3 or XBox. I admit I do not like playing with RY because he is so competitive. I play for fun and can play for hours no matter how frustrated I can get when I lose. Yes. I'm a sore loser too! Haha. Okay. Now. You. Can. Stop. Laughing. At. Me.

April blogging

2008-05-03T22:20:00.006-10:00

So I said I would blog last weekend and I did not. Not that I didn't want to but one thing led to another and well other stuff came before blogging. Where do I start? A lot has been going on during my absence from blogworld. Again, I must apologize for not coming by to your blogs to read, comment and say hello.

RY and I celebrated our fifth anniversary a few weeks ago. We haven't been on an official date for a long, long time due to his work and my somewhat busy school schedule, so it was really nice to dress up and go someplace fine. He had the night off from work, so he slept in most of the day so that he wouldn't be tired during our dinner. Our dinner reservations was for 6.30pm at Morton's steakhouse. This was our third time eating there and I really, really love this place, not only for its good food but for its romantic ambiance. Sure it is expensive but for a special occasion, you get what you pay for and this place was worth every penny. RY's filet mignon and my lamb chops was cooked to perfection and the blueberry souffle dessert was ohh, ohh, so creamy and flaky - it is my first and best souffle ever! Not bad for someone whom will not eat any other desserts other than tiramisu.

As some of you know, Nordstrom opened their 1st Hawaii store back on March 7, 2008. Can you believe that I still haven't gone into the store yet? Sure I pass by it while walking or driving through Ala Moana Shopping Center and yet I haven't had the urge to go check it out. in fact, I haven't gone shopping in a long while either. For someone who loves to shop, I can amaze myself sometimes with such restraints! I'll continue to wait and share this experience when two of my favorite ladies come into town in a few days time to visit me.

I have just one more week of classes before I can officially say "I'm done"! Last Saturday, RY joined me to attend HPU's Spring 2008 Honors brunch at Dole Ballrooms. I'd applied for an honor society earlier this year, got accepted and was inducted officially for membership into Delta Mu Delta. Too bad our sponsor wasn't as elaborate as the other sponsors because he didn't hand us our cords and pins nor did we get to pose on stage for pictures. RY tried to capture me on film but he said I walked too fast across and should have paused for a moment or taken my time. Ohh well, I do hope I don't look too much of a nerd/dork/geek for the official group photo taken by suzums!

With that said, now I look forward for graduation and to celebrate my commencement with my family and RY's family.

He's Hot!

2008-04-24T11:40:00.001-10:00

Oh dear...April is almost over and I've only blogged once so far. Sorry! I'm still alive plus I have been somewhat more active on twitter as oppose to everything else. Reason? This one class has practically taken over most of my time as I've been busy researching/writing/designing for both the presentation and paper tea project. We did the powerpoint presentation in yesterday's class and hope we were able to impress not only our professor but also the class audience! So one task down...now just to tweak and polish the paper portion before next week's class. Few more weeks and then you'll never ever have to hear me grumble about school no more! ::promise::

On another note, my couz Melissa, tagged me with this somewhat fun meme. My list goes beyond the required number for this tag, however the following are my five ultimate hunks (in no particular order)...ohh, also it's not so much on looks only but the whole package (accent, personality, sexy, etc...):

Christian Bale

Hugh Jackman

Milo Ventimiglia

Takeshi Kaneshiro

Ryan Reynolds
Not tagging anyone but please feel free to do it. Will blog more over the weekend.

NKOTB

2008-04-05T22:58:00.005-10:00

20 years ago. They formed to become my favorite boy band ever! Five boys ~ Joey McIntyre, brothers Jordan and Jonathan Knight, Danny Wood and Donnie Wahlberg calling themselves New Kids on the Block. For the first time, I was infatuated. Infatuated with not one, not two but five boys! I have all of their albums, practically memerized every word of the lyrics and had their posters all over my bedroom. Now I have to say that Joey McIntyre was always my favorite as a young, impressionable teen. How can you not love him especially when you hear him sing "Please Don't Go, Girl" and sounds like he serenading you? And...yep, he still is. The band is reuniting after calling it it quits in 1994. I'm excited! I'm very excited! Are you?

Last Day in the Sky

2008-03-31T08:47:00.002-10:00

I started flying with Aloha Airlines upon my second trip to see R on Maui as he only flies with Aloha. It's because of them that R and I were able to travel inter-island to Maui for holidays and special occasions. Yesterday, we find out that they are shutting down all passenger operations effective at the end of today's work day.

It is truly a sad day for everyone especially since they only announced they were filing for Chapter 11 earlier this month. This is their second time in filing for bankruptcy protection in the past four years blaming the high cost of fuel and the continuing, what it calls illegal, airfare war brought on by their inter-island competitor, GO! Airlines.

Aloha Airlines has been flying between the islands and to the West Coast for the last 61 years. It just will not be the same without them. No one, especially the 1900 employees, even imagined they would find themselves without a job so soon! My prayers go out to all the families affected by this sad event.

tick tock...

2008-03-30T16:29:00.004-10:00

I so can't wait to have weekends to do simply nothing but relax! Okay, maybe not do nothing but at least free from not worrying and doing class reports and preparing for presentations! Looking forward to being able to go to the beach this summer (my skin tone is rather pasty right now!) and getting back into the groove for picture taking (besides my usual parades and festival shots). I miss that.

Blue No More!

2008-03-29T23:23:00.007-10:00

It took some clicking, tweaking, tinkering, and finally I can say that the video option on my camera will not portray the yucky blue effect that I've been experiencing on many of my videos taken in the daytime. It may have been my itchy fingers too after I'd gotten the camera and started to tinker with the menu options. Duh! Sure, its picture quality isn't as crisp and clear like this one or even this one, heck...I'm thankful I even have a video function on my camera. Anyhoo...it's fixed and I'm a happy camper now!

14th Honolulu Festival

2008-03-19T23:25:00.003-10:00

Sonoda Gakuen High School
Originally uploaded by miszbabykiss

Yup, last weekend Hawaii played host yet again to this annual festival...and events involving culture, performances, craft fairs and more took place at four different venues. Most of Saturday was spent at Ala Moana Shopping Center watching the many interesting performances that included Taiko from Japan, hula dancers, Suga Ren dancing Yosakoi and more hula dancers!

Sunday was another full day of activities and this time it was spent in Waikiki, first at the Convention Center with more performances, crafts from Hawaii and other Pacific Rim countries, Hawaiian quilts, Mikoshi exhibits and a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. Then, I strolled on over to Waikiki Beach Walk to catch its last two performances of the day by Eun-Sun Jung Korean Dance Studio and Lani Hua Hoa Uozu. What fun!!!

Then I cool off with a tall cup of Iced Thai expresso from Starbucks before heading towards Hyatt Regency Hotel to secure a good spot for photos during the festival finale...which was the Grand Parade. All in all it was a good weekend, too bad it had to rain at the tail end of the parade! Click here to view more photos

Saturday (Part 2)

2008-03-08T21:46:00.016-10:00

This Part 2 post was suppose to be complete and posted here on my blog about three Saturdays ago but I kept putting it off due to other "stuff". Now I feel I betta write a really long post before I forget all of it. So how do I begin...

That particular Saturday (02/16/08), the celebrations for Chinese New Year was being held in Waipahu at the Waipahu Festival Marketplace. I've never been there nor experienced CNY outside of downtown's Chinatown, so I figured it was worth the experience. Scheduled to start at 11am, I get there and find it to be a typical bustling marketplace with vendors selling vegetables, fruits, meats, clothes and even feng shui displays. The lion dance were already doing their thing and I got to see the tail end of its performances as there were 3 lions performing. There were also three Taiwanese ladies who danced three different types of Chinese dance that reminded me of those Chinese fan dances that I participated or watched during school concerts. In addition to that, there was also the narcissus bulb carving, some karaoke singing by anyone in between performances and finally a visit by the Narcissus Festival queen and her court. It was a somewhat interesting day!

The following Saturday, R and I spent a good part of the morning at the Honolulu Zoo. As usual, my main attraction was Rusty and Violet, my two favorite orang utans. The day started out well as most of the animals were out and about, instead of hybenating (or should I say they were hybernating in the open!), however it's started to rain...not drizzle...but a heavy downpour that we came home drenched! The best part, we got to see Berani (which means Brave in Malay), the tiger that had a quick escapade outside of his cage a few days earlier. Good thing the zoo had not opened yet to the general public and the zoo people were able to get to him before anything bad had happened.

And last Saturday (03/01/2008), R and I were at Ward Warehouse for the 56th Cherry Blossom Festival/Heritage Fair. It celebrates the Japanese culture with the sights and sounds of taiko and odori performances, martial arts demonstrations, hula performances as well as mochi pounding and bon dance demonstrations. The 55th Queen and Miss Congeniality Richelle Nakata and her Court as well as the other Queen contestants. In addition, shoppers got to see and buy local food, clothing, accessories and collectibles. While watching the hula performances, we devoured on a rather good Loco Moco from L&L!

a new single

2008-02-28T09:06:00.008-10:00

Wow! Has it been that long ago since I last blogged? I had every intention on continuing Part 2 of my last post, but other things came up and I guess I got lazy. My bad! Additionally, I haven't been by to many of your blogs to read and leave comments, and I apologize for that. Thus, I won't promise, but I will try to finish up on Part 2 when I some more free time to spare between school and work.

But todays post is about something else. I just found out that Mariah Carey has a new album E=MC² and officially will be available for sale in stores on April 15.

At the moment, you can hear and see her first single "Touch My Body". I got to download and hear it for the first time a few days ago. It's a catchy tune and it didn't really get me going at first, but after hearing it on random play several times more, I think it is working its charms on me. It's quite a jam and pretty hot!

Mariah has always been one of my favorite female artists for her powerful vocal range. I've been a fan since I first heard "Love Takes Time" play on the radio because the lyrics brings on a personal feel of how it takes a long time for healing and there's a ray of hope even after being treated and/or treating a loved one wrong. So the question to ask is will this new album be a bigger and better follow-up from her last multi-grammy winning "The Emancipation of Mimi"? We will see. Enjoy the song and music video which premiered yesterday (February 27) on MTV's TRL.

What Do You Think Of The Track?
The Video?
Let me know

Saturday (part 1)

2008-02-16T23:40:00.004-10:00

Last Saturday was one real hectic day! R woke up way earlier than usual and he decided to wake me up an hour later so we could go together to Thom's Barber Shop at Ala Moana for his haircut and then to Like Like Drive Inn for breakfast. I made a fuss in the beginning just cause it was Saturday and I felt like sleeping in. But being that Ryan had to work that night, I gave in and woke up to get ready as this would be the only time we will get to do something together.

We finally get to Like Like and there was a line out the door. There's always a line when we go there no matter what time of the day, however that morning it moved along rather fast and after a five minute wait, we get sitted at a booth. R proceeded to order his regular hamburger steak topped with onions, gravy and rice while I got myself 2 over-easy eggs with hash browns, portuguese sausages and wheat toast. In addition to that, we ordered a side order of small fried rice and a short stack of banana pancakes. I don't know how we did it, but we managed to finish almost everything except for the fried rice which we boxed to take home. I guess we were just really HUNGRY!

By the time we get home, it's time for R to go to bed so that he'll get his eight-hour sleep before work and I get ready to head back out to Ala Moana Shopping Center to check out the Chinese New Year festivities. It was schedule to begin at noon but by the time I arrive at 11.30am, there was already a large crowd gathered by the center stage and most of the lion dance teams were waiting for the event to begin. I tried to find the most ideal spot for picture taking but from where I stood, there was a couple standing in front of me whom were slightly taller than me whilst their kids sat on the ground. So I just decided to make best of what I could. Finally it starts a couple minutes late...but it was well worth the wait. I got to see this year's Narcissus Queen and her court, 6 highly-regarded local lion dance teams performing martial arts demonstrations as well as dancing with their 2 best lions to represent each of the 12 animals in the Chinese Zodiac while warding off evil spirits with firecrackers. This year's event celebrates the Year of the Rat, the first of the twelve-year cycle of animals, and which in ancient times, was traditionally welcomed as a protector and harbinger of material prosperity. How fun! Following the conclusion of the center stage events, the lions will dance throughout the center along specified routes collecting lai see (lucky red envelopes) from more than 110 participating merchants as well as shoppers, a Chinese custom that encourages luck and prosperity in the New Year.

Did you watch the SuperBowl last weekend? We recorded it on the DVR since R had to work that night too so he was asleep during the game. We watch it together the next day but only to watch for the commercials. Some funny stuff! So this weekend, Hawaii plays host to the NFL All-Star game, otherwise known as the ProBowl and the game has been held at Aloha Stadium since 1980. Around 2.30pm, I decide to head over into Waikiki to check out the Pro Bowl Football Festival at Kapiolani Park. Mainly it is all about football fun for the entire family with interactive games, non-stop entertainment, official souvenirs and fan contests. A Pro Bowl All-Star Block Party was to be held in Waikiki on Kalakaua Avenue later in the evening however I wouldn't be able to make it as I have another engagement to attend. I stay for a good half hour to check out the activities and take pictures before heading back home to get ready for next outing.

Remember me say that I wanted to go see them perform? I did! I really did! And yes, I went by myself...no regrets! Although I did not buy the USD300 VIP tickets and sit upclose to the stage, the mere experience of being there to hear Brian and Hwanhee sing and see Brian and Hwanhee dance live was simply, totally AWESOME!!!! In between their performance sets, a couple brief interviews was conducted and even had a fan interaction with giveaways of calendars, posters, CDs, etc. for some lucky people in the audience. These lucky people were chosen by a random drawing of seat numbers. These lucky 7 got to play a game in which a balloon was placed between them and either Brian or HwanHee (one on one), and the goal was to hug them until the balloon popped. ENVIOUS! The night continued on with Brian and Hwanhee performing a few of their solo as well as group songs ~ I'd recognized most of the songs that they performed and some were a personal favorites! Even from way up where I was sitting, I can see them looking HOT as always in their many different stylish outfits and Hwanhee even ripped off his shirt at the end of his solo performance. What a way to end a really great day!

Happy Hearts Day

2008-02-14T11:38:00.005-10:00

Ryan and I send our heartfelt Happy Valentine's Day wishes to you and yours! We hope you have a nice & memorable V'day, just as special as you are yourself. xoxo

50 Valentine’s Ideas...

2008-02-12T12:39:00.000-10:00

That Won't Break The Bank. Yup you read that right! Two days left until Valentine's Day so there isn't a whole lot of time to come up with that special "something" for him or her. So as I was browsing through the web last week for gift ideas, I came across this posting here and its owner, Kyle was kind enough to give me permission to re-post and share it with y'all. I wonder if R will get a kick from reading this list if he hasn't already gotten me something...(although I'm not expecting anything).

1. Make her a music mix with songs that remind you of her.
2. Wash her car and leave a nice note inside.
3. Leave stick-it notes around the house; write the things you love about her on them.
4. Organize and clean her bathroom.
5. Pick up the kids from school and give her some quiet time in the afternoon.
6. Set up a bubble bath for her with candles and her favorite book.
7. Do the laundry and put the clothes away.
8. Clean out and organize the pantry.
9. Make her breakfast; serve her in bed.
10. Give her a back massage certificate. You do the massage.
11. Vacuum the house.
12. Dust the house.
13. Do the grocery shopping and make dinner for her.
14. Surprise her at work with lunch, go for a picnic.
15. Leave a few love letters around the house.
16. Play hooky for part of the day and spend time with her.
17. Wear your silk red boxers and dance for her. (I never did this)
18. Stop at Starbucks and get her favorite drink.
19. Open the door for her all day long.
20. Dinner date? Come to the front door and pretend it is your first date.
21. Make her favorite dessert.
22. Get her favorite jewelry cleaned; do it yourself. (not hard)
23. Flirt with her all day long.
24. Heat her towel in the dryer and have it ready when she gets out of the shower in the morning.
25. Paint her toe nails. (Bull Durham anyone?)
26. Organize the 2 messiest drawers or cupboards in the house that drive her crazy.
27. Re-enact your first date as close as possible.
28. Go see a matinee movie together.
29. Clean out the refrigerator and put her favorite Jamba Juice smoothie inside.
30. Finish that "honey-do" list that is 6 months old!
31. Opt for her favorite plant instead of flowers that will have to be thrown out in a few days.
32. Write her a love poem.
33. Give her extra time to herself; take the kids to allow this to happen.
34. Leave her love messages on her cell phone and home phone.
35. Make her a homemade Valentines Card out of red construction paper.
36. Rent a movie that you would typically not like, but she would. (Anything with Matthew McConaughey!)
37. Use red lipstick and write something romantic on the bathroom mirror.
38. Take her on date and not tell her anything about it. Take her to where you first met. (if possible)
39. Set up a foot soak for her; play her favorite music while she soaks.
40. Give the kids a bath and get them in bed by yourself; give her the night off.
41. Wash the dishes, load the dishwasher, don't let her lift a finger.
42. Buy 3 of her favorite magazines and put them by the bathtub with some candles.
43. Clean the toilets. The one job she hates more than anything else!
44. Get some paint swatches and offer to paint a room in the house how ever she wants.
45. Vacuum out her car.
46. Give her a foot massage.
47. Fill her car with red and white balloons. Blow them up yourself.
48. Hide her favorite candy bars around the house. (Don't hide them really well!)
49. If she pays the bills, do it for her, and then balance the checkbook.
50. And last but not least, combine any variation of the above 49. For example, clean the toilet while you are giving her a foot massage. Oh wait, bad example, but you know what I mean! Have fun with it and be creative!

Feel free to add your favorite Valentine's Day gift ideas!

Hint: I especially like numbers 6, 17, 43, 47 and 48!

P.S: Thank you to all for your well-wishes for Chinese New Year. I had a full day of going here and there on Saturday so I'll share that in my next post. *hugs*

San Nin Faai Lok

2008-02-06T22:40:00.001-10:00

I want one too!
Originally uploaded by miszbabykiss

It's still the eve over here but the new lunar year is being celebrated elsewhere such as Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong, and etc with lai sees, lion dances, good food, and firecrackers. As for me, I'm trying my best to thoroughly clean house right now (this is thanks to that caffeine boost I had for dinner) so that I can sweep away some of that bad luck from last year and make it ready for some very much needed good luck! I even manage to decorate 2 paper cutouts of Chinese auspicious phrases (which I have no idea what it says since I can't read Chinese...LOL!) on the doors. Alright! I'm taking a break from cleaning to post this or should I say I'm multitasking and sorta doing both simultaneously...anyways...continuing on...

It's been a long while since I've celebrated it with my parents so I do get a little homesick around this time every year because nothing beats than celebrating such a special occasion with one's own family. Here in Honolulu, Chinatown always play host to most of the Chinese New Year festivities and it was celebrated last weekend with a parade and lion dances to usher in the Lunar New Year as well as to evict bad spirits. I didn't go due to bad weather (it was forecasted to rain), however the CNY celebration will continue on this weekend at differing locations so I will try to check a few of them out and blog about it with pictures. *crosses fingers*

Until then, here's wishing Gung Hay Fat Choy (which loosely translates to "Congratulations and be prosperous") to all that are celebrating this auspicious lunar new year! It's also my dad's year...yes, he's a Rat (and last year was my Mom's...how cool is that?) ;P

repentance

2008-02-06T12:41:00.000-10:00

Today is Ash Wednesday and it marks the beginning of Lent. This I realize half hour later after I had had pork adobo for lunch. Can I make it up for another day? Probably not ehh? Uh-oh...do you know what else this also means? Yup, I will need to decide on what or which vice(s) of mine that I'll give up during this period of forty-days before Easter. Can I hear you say "Uh Oh"?!?!

Coming soon...

2008-01-31T16:54:00.000-10:00

What I would or wouldn't give to have him as my Made of Honor at my wedding *smiles*

Party mix = Potpourri! LOL!!! So yeah, it sure does take a real man to become a maid of honor

Do I?

2008-01-30T21:56:00.000-10:00

buy take-out or cook?

Now that R works the graveyard shift, we don't eat dinner together unless he has the day off. So cooking for one isn't all that fun unless I have a certain craving to satisfy. Tonight I came home a little later than usual from school and for some reason I was also more hungry than I usually am, although I did have a hearty korean spicy squid with rice and kim chee meal for lunch...and I'll admit on other days I either have a light lunch or skip it all together. See, I'm rambling away and not making any sense! Anyhoo...I checked the refrigerator...no leftovers, I ate the remaining Kare Ayam last night. Bummers! Next, I checked the pantry...I didn't want ramen or saimin, I did have the right ingredients for fried rice (spam, leftover rice, mix vegetables, kim chee and eggs) but I was too lazy to get the wok out and have to prepare and cook. I look some more and found something rather appealing: Knorr Pasta Sides ~ Fettuccini in a sour cream and chives sauce. Reading the instructions...bring 2 cups of water and 1 tbsp. margarine to boil, stir in contents of package and continue boiling for 7 minutes or until pasta is tender. Seems easy to do, right? And I'll have a somewhat yummy meal in 7 minutes. Not bad...it's quite good to be honest and this is the first time I'm trying this particular flavor. Okay, let's not forget that I was hungry too and I finish every last noodle, 2 serving bowls (sorry R as I ate your share too)! Now that I'm all full and satisfied, I'm off to watch my Korean drama (Daughters-in-Law) on the DVR. Nighty-nite!!!

Fly to the Sky

2008-01-27T00:43:00.000-10:00

Would you?

I just found out that my favorite Korean duo ~ Fly to the Sky will be here on February 9 performing their first concert in Hawaii at the Hawaii Theatre. I first heard them perform "Missing You" on one of those music shows on our local Korean (KBFD) TV network and I've been in love with them ever since. There are other Korean artists that I listen to such as Shinhwa, G.O.D., Kim Jo Han, Jang Nara and BoA but Fly to the Sky remains as my number one all time favorite. True, I'm not Korean, I don't understand the lyrics to any of their songs but the way they sing their songs especially the slow ballads (it has that R&B feel to it)...they all have become instant favorites of mine. Plus they're not only good singers, but both Brian and Hwanhee are rather good looking too! Right? Just say I'm right...(hehe)

So should I go to the concert? Can I go? By myself? I really want too...is anyone else going?

Movie Date

2008-01-25T10:20:00.000-10:00

I must say...going to the movies...ain't cheap nowadays, even the matinee movie ticket has gone up quite a bit! After shelling out $15++ for 2 matinee movie tickets and another $18++ for popcorn, mochi-crunch and 2 sodas, the "Chinese" in me started to grumble silently under my breath! I can just imagine how much the regular non-matinee movie tickets cost...grrrrr...

Last weekend, was the 1st of many more 3-day weekends to come, so R and I decided to go on a movie date. He let me choose...I'd wanted to see either 27 Dresses or The Bucket List, but the showing times were just a 'lil too late in the day, so I settled on Cloverfield. I was rather curious from the trailer I'd seen the last time we were at the movies and back then the movie didn't even have a title yet! An attack on New York City by something that kinda looked like a giant monster...now who could resist that? I've not seen the more recent trailers like R has...so he started to say...

R: You sure? We can watch something else...
Me: Yeah.
R: Don't grumble and say we're watching "my kind" of movie coz I am letting you pick...
Me: Yeah...YEAH!
R: Ohh, be prepared. You might get sick.
Me: Why? Will there be a lot of blood and gory things happenin? Won't it be somewhat like God-zilla?
R: Umm...it's shot like the movie, Blair Witch...
Me: BLUR LOOK. That wasn't so scary.
R: Not sick like horror scary but more like motion sickness and a possible headache.
Me: Still blur...

Overall, I really did (for real, I did!!) enjoy the movie minus the slight pain in my eyes from concentrating so hard on what was going on. After 15 minutes into the movie, I finally get R's point about getting sick 'coz the whole movie relies on the first person perspective to tell it's story and was shot with hand-held cameras! Okay, so I'm a tad bit slow to catch his point, but I'm not like that all the time, only SOMETIMES and only when it involves movies! Can't help it when your better half can correctly guess what's going to happen in a movie or a TV show before it does and sometimes spoil it for you. In addition, I think I do suffer some motion sickness as I can't for the life of me read in a moving car without feeling sick. Anywaes, I won't give out any spoilers but do expect heart racing moments of terror and excitement in good measure as well as smaller monsters to make it all the more complex, feeling the movie's terror from behind the lens. And no, it's not a giant lizard, but it might as well be! Ohhh, should something like this ever happen and I'm not with R for no particular reason, he betta come looking and rescue me! Go watch it, be cautious and maybe take a motion-sickness pill first and then let me know what your reactions to the movie. Okay, now I'll patiently wait for Cloverfield to be released on HD-DVD! Hah!

Happy Aloha Friday!

why?

2008-01-22T23:53:00.000-10:00

Photo courtesy of Time magazine. You will be missed dearly!

FATALITY

2008-01-17T15:14:00.000-10:00

Such a horrifying breaking story!

I just heard on the radio that H-1 freeway is closed at Vineyard because police are investigating the death of a toddler as witnesses said that they saw a man throw the infant from the Miller Street pedestrian overpass. OMIGOD! I just finished reading this and I'm feeling so sad yet angry for this horrific act on an innocent life. Traffic is a mess just about everywhere in town so avoid being on the roads if you can, otherwise just be prepared to have a longer than usual driving time to whereever you need to go.

Just yesterday there was another possible case of domestic violence fatality, where a woman was brutally beaten to death by a man (believed to be her ex-boyfriend) using a rifle or shotgun in Kailua and this is just a week after the fatal stabbing of 39-year-old Jenny Hartsock of Kalihi, whose husband has been charged with murder. What is this world coming to? Such tragedies like this should not and never happen especially here in Hawaii, a beautiful paradise of an island!

Here are some recent updates:

Man throws tot off bridge onto H-1
Mother had state help with child care
Grief pours for slaying victims
Higa had used drugs

and a memorial tribute courtesy of Hawaii. Thank you again for letting me share this video. Aloha ~

Main Bunga Api

2008-01-17T01:05:00.000-10:00

The long awaited post!

Finally, it is New Years eve. We wake up to a gloomy morning and it's pouring outside. R's mom had to work half a day so we tagged along hoping it will stop raining and clear up just enough so we can kill some time til about 1-ish and walk around in Lahaina. The rain did stop even now and then, enough for us to check out Lahaina Cannery, the new Barnes and Noble across the street, Whaler's Village at Ka'anapali and a quick drive through on Front Street.

We come home with lunch from Cupie's and spent the rest of the day at home cleaning up for the new year, helped R's mom prepare for dinner and watch TV while R napped on the couch. I even got to speak and wish my parents "Happy New Year" when my mom called me on my cell which was a really nice suprise! After a hearty dinner of rib roast with gravy, tempura, shrimp fritters, potato salad and leftover ham, it was finally time that we get to play with all that fireworks. It was a nice night, although cold and slightly windy, it was a somewhat clear night and did not start to rain heavily again until after half past midnight. Overall, it was a loud yet fantastic way to ring in the new year with loved ones! Now to look forward to tomorrow's New Year morning breakfast with the traditional ozoni.

Click this to view several videos of the novelty fountain displays.

2008 Ohana Festival

2008-01-13T21:44:00.000-10:00

Yup...the annual New Year's festival presented by the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii (JCCH) was celebrated today the Japanese way with lots of good eats such okonomiyaki, mochi, andagi, bentos and local plate lunches, roasted corn, and KC Drive Inn's famous Waffle Dog. Wait...it is not all just about food, but it does also showcase much of the Japanese culture; for instance ~ mochi pounding demonstration, bon dance, taiko (Japanese drumming), Japanese/Okinawan dances, traditional tea ceremony, bonsai displays and more. We had our share of fun and some really good food, which by the way was so good, I forgot picture them before gobbling it down like a hungry fool. Ohh well...there's always next year! My only disappointment was the 3 for $20 Japanese trinkets which I had purchased where I found later was defective and I guess it's my bad since I did not inspect it before buying and by the time I did finally open the box, it was too late to drive down there because the festival was just about to be over. Boo! Click the following to view more random shots , taiko video, Japanese dance video, and another Japanese dance video. Ain't they just so kawai'i?

Stocking up on fireworks

2008-01-12T16:26:00.000-10:00

After all that anticipation...Christmas morning came and went...we opened our presents, hugs and kisses to say "thank you" for the gifts we received, we then proceeded to the dining area to have a home-cooked breakfast (made by R's mom) of fried rice, over-easy eggs, bacon and portuguese sausage. I was still a lil sleepy, so having a cuppa of coffee did help wake me up as I continued to enjoy my breakfast.

R, on the other hand, had his own priorities. Instead of finishing breakfast first, he proceeded to find the Long's ad for fireworks which officially goes on sale the day after Christmas. He came back to the table with a writing tablet, the calculator and started to make his list. Bear in mind, there was still a box downstairs with plentiful of leftovers from last year yet he said those weren't enough plus we're out of the fun novelty types. I didn't want to argue but could not help myself to take this shot...so serious and determined to buy almost every type of fireworks! He even kept reminding me all day that we had to be up and ready to leave before Long's opens at 7am. Me being me, made a case and said that was too early to be anywhere except in bed and he can go get them without me but he argued back and suggested we could go after-Christmas shopping when he was done with his fireworks purchase. Me being the crazy shoperholic didn't have any comebacks to that statement, and hence I gave in.

So the next morning, he filled the shopping cart to the brim with different varieties of fireworks ~ mostly fountains, tanks, morning glories, and rolls (50,000) and bricks of paperless firecrackers. As you can below...R's damage to his wallet was a lil over $100! Now to patiently wait until 9pm on New Years eve when we are finally able to play with them.

Happy New Year

2008-01-08T20:35:00.000-10:00

Happy 2008! So, I'm eight days a lil late but it is the thought that counts, right? R and I celebrated both holidays on Maui with his parents and we had our share of good eats, presents, sight-seeing, and fireworks! Yes, you heard me right...FIREWORKS (that's for another post, hehe)

More photos to follow suit, I promise. So did you have a good Christmas and New Years?

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-23T00:04:00.000-10:00

To my blogging friends...

Wishing you and your loved ones,
A Christmas filled,
with picture perfect moments!

Will be away on Maui for the holidays so I'll see you next year when I get back!
Have a Blessed Christmas and a wonderful New Year and oh yeah, may you find the spirit of Hawaiian holidays under your tree!

Keyword Meme

2007-12-22T12:06:00.000-10:00

Right! I'm suppose to be cleaning the apartment right now but here I am in front of the computer, checking email, reading blogs and trying my darnest to view my Facebook profile. Everything else works except for my profile page. Ugh! From some reason...I'm getting an error page (Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage...) and I've even removed or disable many of the unused applications. Still no luck. Ack!

So before I sign off and/or do any damage to my monitor screen...I'll do a tag which was passed on to me from Pretty Tin-Tin. Here are the directions:

1. Post 5 links to 5 of your previously written posts. The posts have to relate to the 5 keywords given below (family, friend, yourself, your love and anything you like).

2. Tag 5 other friends to do this meme. Try to tag at least 2 new acquaintances (if not, your current blog buddies will do) so that you get to know them each a little bit better.

3. Don't forget to read the archived post and leave comments.

So here goes...

Family: a tribute to my mom, poppi, maui 122006
Friends: working in teams, a great time, par-tey time
Yourself : a shorter do, grad school, nylons
Your love : the gift, Happy 3rd anniversary, missing you
Anything: I feel the earth move, a new toy, cooking

There you have it. Now whom do I pass it onto...okay, so I'll tag Trinity, Rho, Melissa, Yvy and Kyh. Have fun and remember that this is your last weekend for those last minute Christmas shopping for gifts :)

Also, before I forget, I'd like to thank May, Angel, Yvy, Rho & Jon and Vina for the christmas card and thoughts. All very pretty and nicely situated on the new entertainment center.

What's Up!

2007-12-21T09:56:00.000-10:00

Happy Aloha Friday and TGIF!

So now that school is out, I thought I could get back to blogging regularly, however because of the holiday season and lots to catch up on backlog stuff at the office...I don't really have a whole lot of personal time to do my own thang. Anywaes, here's some updates on what's been going on with either myself or interesting happenings on the islands.

1. Although it's not officially out yet, but I was able to check on my grades for this past semester. Let's just say...my Mommy & Daddy will be very proud at how well I aced all three classes!

2. R, his mom and I went shopping on Black Friday at midnight. We didn't get the most desired item which was on sale that made us stand in line (in the cold) for four and a half hours at Circuit City. So instead we came home with this and this which was purchased from BestBuy.

3. We experienced the worst storm ever on December 5, 2007 ~ toppling power lines from Nanakuli to Wai'anae, power outages and streams of bumper-to-bumper traffic on all the Hawaiian islands.

4. I'm not a football fan. Heck, I don't even know the game at all (although my better half played football in high school, I still don't get it!) But I'm proud to say (even though it's not my alma mater) University of Hawaii's Warriors closed out a perfect 12-0 football season as beat the Washington Huskies 35-28. Colt Brennan threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Grice-Mullins with 44 seconds left to give Hawaii the victory. On New Years Day, they will play in the prestigious BCS (Bowl Championship Series) against Georgia in New Orleans.

5. In the last couple days, we've witnessed a few major fatal auto accidents. The one that stands out the most is the fatal head-on collision caused when local playwright and children's book author Lisa Matsumoto drove the wrong way on the H-1 Freeway. She had such great talent and will definitely be missed. My condolences go out to her family and ohana.

6. I'm proud to say I'm all done with Christmas shopping. As usual, it was no easy task to figure out what to get and for whom...but that's all taken care of. Now to get them all nicely wrapped up and placed under the tree. Ohh wait, we'll be on Maui for Christmas so which means I'll have to wrapped R's and his parents gifts on Maui just in case we have problems with security check at the airport.

7. Last but not least, the ultimate must-do and must-see attraction this time of the year ~ Honolulu City Lights ~ is Honolulu's largest Christmas spectacle; where one gets to see a Shaka Santa and his sidekick, Tutu Mele. Below are some photos taken on the night after my last final with R, Ritsuko and her hubby.

Am I Weird?

2007-12-20T16:53:00.000-10:00

Donna tagged me first and now Rho. I remember doing a similar meme long, long time ago but let me see if I can list seven random and/or weird things about myself. The rules are as follows:

1. Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 random and/or weird things about yourself.
3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
4. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Here goes...

1. I admit being very stubborn, it takes a lot of effort, patience and smartness to convince me of something I see wrong!
2. I can sit for hours and contemplate all of the things that I need to do - really ought to do right away - and yet not take the slightest action to begin doing them.
3. I'm actually a very shy person. Anyway up to now, I am pretty quiet and shy around people I've just met.
4. I tend to talk to myself while sitting in front of my computer, if there's absolutely no one around (either at the office or at home) and if I'm driving. It's not some rambling dialog that makes me sound crazy, but rather where I enter into this little world of mine and I vocally express creative conversation with myself out loud!
5. I love listening to foreign music although I have no idea what the heck they are singing about.
6. I don't like to go shopping with other people when I have serious shopping to get done. We can go to the store or mall together, but we must separate so I can do my thing.
7. I cannot and will not function without a cup of coffee in the morning.

Being it is the holiday season and all, I am not tagging anyone else but please feel free to play along!

what would you do for ...

2007-12-17T10:13:00.000-10:00

Had to share this...how many of you feel like this every Christmas? This was me last year when I was hunting around for R's PS3 (never again...yeah right!)...

can't come any sooner...

2007-11-29T00:14:00.000-10:00

Relax ....... Just 2 More Days to go to the weekend...

Beautiful...

2007-11-28T13:51:00.000-10:00

Trinity of Rooms of my Heart gave me this Beautiful Site award. She even dressed me in a really lovely pink gown.

Thank you, Trinity! I'm so humbled that you picked me. We've just gotten to know each other recently and I'm proud to say that it's really nice to have you as a friend.

Thank you again!

Pssst: I'll be back later to reply to all of your comments for my previous postings...sorry for my tardiness...it's been crazy this last couple of weeks with lots and lots to do!! Be back soon...

Happy Turkey Day

2007-11-21T15:34:00.000-10:00

Thanksgiving Day Turkey Song:

O turkey dear
O turkey dear
How lovely are thy feathers

O turkey dear
O turkey dear
There could be nothing better!

We celebrate Thanksgiving Day
By putting your carcass on display.

O turkey dear
O turkey dear
You thought we were friends who came to greet you.

O turkey dear
O turkey dear
We gathered here to eat you!

O turkey day
O turkey day
The family is all together

O turkey day
O turkey day
We've over come bad weather

Seeing the family is so fab
We'll see ya'll again in rehab.

O turkey day
O turkey day
We'll drink away your memory.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving everyone and I'll see you at the malls on Friday!!

do you sing?

2007-11-15T00:22:00.000-10:00

Okay, so I just got done watching the Daily 10 on E! in order to get my daily dose of entertainment gossips and this 14 year old Pinay youngling was featured to be the next big star! You heard me right...only 14!! Dang, I wish I could carry a note like that *smiles* Anywaes, the video below shows her singing on a Korean show ~ SBS Star King ~ amazing right? And did I mention she's only 14??? Okay, now listen to her sing "And I'm Telling You", a duet in the second video and an interview in the last video.

and ohh yeah...Matt Damon has been crowned People magazine's 2007 Sexiest Man Alive! Scandalous...

sam-pat [38]

2007-11-12T12:04:00.000-10:00

Another tag...doubled team by sweet May and Yvy to answer not one, not two and no...not even three but thirty eight questions.

And so the inquisition begins...

1. Name one person who made you laugh last night. Laugh? I'd have to say Ryan.

2. What were you doing at 0800? Hurrying out the door to pick Ryan up from work.

3. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? Researching for my Econ 6000 monetary policy paper and presentation.

4. What happened to you in 2006? Nothing special that I can recall...work, almost halfway done with my MBA and another somewhat blissful year with Ryan...

5. What was the last thing you said out loud? "I love you!"

6. How many beverages did you have today? Two - coffee in da morning and water now. 

7. What color is your hairbrush? Black and silver.

8. What was the last thing you paid for? $2.67 for a lightbulb. Otherwise, I'd be studying with candles around the apartment last night.

9. Where were you last night? At home alone, trying to study but ended up surfing the net for a bit before watching Live Free or Die Hard on DVD.

10. What color is your front door? Off white.

11. Where do you keep your change? In my wallet.

12. What's the weather like today? Mostly sunny 83°F, perfect day to be at the beach.

13. What's the best ice-cream flavor? Cookies and cream

14. What excites you? When I'm with Ryan, food, photography, retail therapy and looking forward to a vacation.

15. Do you want to cut your hair? No, after the last haircut, I want my long hair back.

16. Are you over the age of 25? Yes! Just don't ask how old!!

17. Do you talk a lot? Depends on the company. I'm always the quiet one in the group, the listener than the talker.

18. Do you watch the O.C.? No.

19. Do you know anyone named Steven? Yes.

20. Do you make up your own words? None that I can recall...

21. Are you a jealous person? Yes.

22. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter 'A'. Adriana, Amy...

23. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter 'K'. Kay, Kavitha...

24. Who's the first person on your received call list? Ryan.

25. What does the last text message you received say? "Hey, wanna do lunch at Maple Garden with some other Malaysians?"

26. Do you chew on your straw? No.

27. Do you have curly hair? Only when I did a perm back in 1995 to look like Mariah Carey. Yikes!! Now I have natural waves because of that perm.

28. Where's the next place you're going to? Christmas in Maui hopefully, but til then...I'm stuck here on Oahu for school and work.

29. Who's the rudest person in your life? I'll copy what May said "Oh, I could name a few, but let's not point fingers lest those fingers point back at me!"

30. What was the last thing you ate? Mini bento from a BBQ place next to Pearl City Longs.

31. Will you get married in the future? Hopefully!

32. What's the best movie you've seen in the past 2 weeks? American Gangster on the big screen and Ratatouille on DVD.

33. Is there anyone you like right now? Yes, he's asleep right now.

34. When was the last time you did the dishes? About 10 hours ago.

35. Are you currently depressed? No.

36. Did you cry today? No.

37. Why did you answer and post this? Because two sweet and pretty girls ask me too!

38. Tag 5 people who would do this survey. Rhoda, Myra, Anjali, Simon and Pretty Tin.

Hurray!

2007-11-05T23:00:00.001-10:00

Happy Birthday
Originally uploaded by starfire

Today is my birthday and yes I'm a year older *sighs*

Nothing special was planned as I had to work and go school during the day and R is working tonight. So here I am, typing this before I go on to finish my homework assignment which is due by midnight.

I won't say how old I am today but there are several of things I had always thought I would have achieved by now, but today is no day for regrets. I'll just be happy and rejoice in the significance of the day.

So, send my gifts to my apartment. I'm waiting...(email me if you need my address...hehe)

xoxo

update: I forgot to add this ~ my birthday card from R

TOP 25 WAYS TO TELL YOU'RE GETTING OLDER

25. You think "libido" is an Italian pasta
24. The tooth fairy has more of your teeth than you do
23. You wake up with that awful "morning after" feeling...and you didn't do anything the night before!
22. You drink prune juice. On purpose.
21. You start complaining that "they're building car seats TOO DARN LOW!"
20. You sit down to breakfast and hear "SNAP, CRACKLE and POP," and you haven't poured milk on your cereal yet!
19. You start thinking that Sarasota, Florida is a lot more "cutting edge" than most people give it credit for
18. Your pharmacist calls you by your first name
17. Your sweetie says, "wanna neck?" ... and hands you a piece of chicken!
16. Your car battery goes dead because your turn signal was on for two week straight
15. Lawn care has become a big part of your life
14. You call that place you keep leftovers the "ice box"
13. You begin to think of an RV as "one sweet ride"
12. You're sitting on a park bench and a scout comes up and helps you cross your legs
11. Conversations with people your age often turn into "dueling ailments" (what does "dueling" mean anyways?)
10. Your sex drive suddenly shifts into "PARK"
9. You can remember when the dead sea was only sick (was it?)
8. At buffets, you complain if they don't have tapioca
7. You think of a "quickie" as napping at a traffic light (haha...I like this one!!)
6. Your back goes out more often that you do
5. You have an uncontrollable urge to feed pigeons in the park (nope, never gonna happen as I don't like pigeons at all)
4. Many of your co-workers were born the year you got your last promotion (hey I'm the youngest at the office...so this ain't true!!)
3. You play BINGO and you like it (yeah, coz it's fun :P)
2. You light the candles on your birthday cake, and a group of campers show up with a bag of marshmallows...

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST...

1. You find cards like this tasteless and insensitive (wouldn't you?????????)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Jeez, you're suppose to make me feel YOUNGER...not OLDER than I already am, honey!!!

Now you all know how much R loves me! Should I continue giving him the silent treatment for this card? Good thing I have a great sense of humor but I'll continue pouting to score more cuddles and kisses!!

Happy Halloween!!

2007-10-31T21:23:00.000-10:00

Boo!!

So what did you dress up as today? I was planning too but because of work and errands to do during lunch and then after work, I decided not to dress up. To get into the mood of Halloween (since we weren't planning to go out), Ryan and I have been killing da DVD playa by watching one horror movie after another. To admit, I hated horror movies whilst growing up. In fact, after seeing Oliver Stone's The Hand, I refused to watch anything remotely horror based for the longest time. I had nightmares that "The Hand" was always nearby and I'm its next victim...SCARY!!! I think I outgrew my fear as I got older and my love for horror movies kicked in sometime during my high-school years. So do you have a favorite or top 10 horror/scary movie list? Here's mine:

10. Hellraiser (1987)
9. The Blair Witch Project (1999)
8. Audition (1999)
7. Silence of the Lambs (1991)
6. The Sixth Sense (1999)
5. Hostel (2005)
4. American Psycho (2000)
3. Poltergeist (1982)
2. The Exorcist (1973)
1. Saw (2004) ~ The best HORROR film ever. End of story!

What's your FIVE things?

2007-10-26T12:14:00.000-10:00

It's fever tag season alright!!! This time around, I've been tagged by Mr. Albie himself and I must say thank you again for giving me the titles of Miss Hawaii and Miss Bento!

5 THINGS FOUND IN MY BAG

: Motorola Razr V3 (Dragon Tattoo)
: Casio Exilim EX-Z57
: Blue iPod mini
: Keys for da car, da apartment and da office
: M.A.C "Lovechild" tinted lipglass

5 THINGS FOUND IN MY WALLET

: Credit Cards
: Cash
: ATM/Debit Cards
: Receipts that I should shread or toss
: Loose change

5 THINGS FOUND IN MY ROOM

: Bed with 8 pillows and comforter
: 4 table Japanese Shoji Paper lamps
: Closet and dressers filled with his and hers clothes
: Rory, my HP laptop
: Dirty laundry

5 THINGS I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO DO

: Take a year off to travel all over the world
: Design my own clothes
: Get married, stay married, have kids and live happily ever after!
: To absorb powers of others I have been near and recall them like Peter Petrelli
: How to hotwire a car and eventually learn to drive stick-shift

5 THINGS I'M CURRENTLY INTO

: Superpoking and Rock, Paper & Scissors on FaceBook
: Making and revising my Christmas wishlist
: Online shopping at Amazon.com
: Redecorate and declutter the apartment
: Get a new tattoo

5 BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE TO TAG

: Rho
: Jon
: Pretty Tin
: Melissa
: Letti

Happy Aloha Friday, Happy TGIF! and have a merry and wonderful weekend, everyone! xoxo

prayer

2007-10-18T12:12:00.000-10:00

One for the girls

Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the Lord my shape to keep.
Please no wrinkles Please no bags
And please lift my butt before it sags.

Please no age spots, Please no gray.
And as for my belly, Please take it away.
Please keep me healthy, Please keep me young,
And thank you Dear Lord, For all that you've done.

Five tips for a woman...

1. It is important that a man helps you around the house and has a job.
2. It is important that a man makes you laugh.
3. It is important to find a man you can count on and doesn't lie to You.
4. It is important that a man loves you and spoils you.
5. It is important that these four men don't know each other!

Foot Note:

One saggy boob said to the other saggy boob:
"If we don't get some support soon, people will think we're nuts."

how time flies...

2007-10-17T00:34:00.000-10:00

Yes! I know...it's been awhile since my last post. I'm on the computer and online for most of the day...be it at work, school and even at home. Work takes up most of my time during the week while I have classes on Mondays and Tuesdays. When I am done with both and come home after a really long day...all I want to do is veg out on the couch and watch anything on the tube rather than study that thick economics textbook (what is supply and demand, again?) or do homework assignments or online discussions. What I rather do is read your blogs (which I know I have neglected as well) since I give all of my attention to Facebook. It is all that super pooking, making more moolah or my recent favorite ~ Jan Ken Po challenges (otherwise known as "Rock, Paper & Scissors) that keeps me away from blogging! Now you know why I have neglected my blog.

P.S: Albie, I did not forget about the tag yet...

desktop ala mode

2007-09-28T00:09:00.000-10:00

Another tag! Rho tagged me to do "My Desktop Free View" so that I can join the rest of you whom have already completed it (this is indeed a popular one, I must say!). I use 3 different computers (work, R's PC and my lappy, Rory) hence three different desktops.

I ran into a slight (which then turned into major) problem with my "PrtScn" button as it would not capture anything and I tried not once, not twice...but many, many times on all 3 computers and no luck. Was to the point of giving up too! But I persevered and instead googled for a "free screenshot program", found one and installed it on all 3 computers.

My next duty is to tag 5 more people so that they too can show off their desktops:

Anjali
Jaxon
Yvy
Abaniko
Simon

Here's are some quick instructions:

A. Upon receiving this tag, immediately perform a screen capture of your desktop. It is best that no icons be deleted before the screen capture so as to add to the element of fun.

You can do a screen capture by: [1] Going to your desktop and pressing the Print Scrn key (located on the right side of the F12 key). [2] Open a graphics program (like Picture Manager, Paint, or Photoshop) and do a Paste (CTRL + V). [3] If you wish, you can "edit" the image, before saving it.

For MAC users: Press  [ Shift ] and [ 3 ]

B. Post the picture in your blog. You can also give a short explanation on the look of your desktop just below it if you want. You can explain why you preferred such look or why is it full of icons. Things like that.

C. Tag five or more of your friends and ask them to give you a Free View of their desktop as well.

D. Add your name to this list of Free Viewers with a link pointing directly to your Desktop Free View post to promote it to succeeding participants.

People who have already pimped their desktop list:

iRonnie - I Set No Corner | Thess - Thesserie | Rebecca - Skippy Heart | Knoizki - A Dialogue With K | Dicey - Dice Six | Pao - Lifelog | Beng Hafner - Kauderwelsch | Bluepanjeet - OTWOMD | Melai - Manilenya | Kofi - 3 Shots Of Espresso | Marni - Midori-X | Nika - Clay Pots and Wooden Spoons | Marie - Vanidosa | Girlie - Hip n Cool Momma | Mariuca - Mariuca | KK - My Good Finds | Rho - RhoRho's Flow | Consuela - ...My So-Called Ramblings...

I wish for...

2007-09-27T15:16:00.000-10:00

Remember the TV show "I Dream of Jeannie" and/or the movie Alladin? Well, Miss Yvy left me a comment in my last post and said that "u've been genied!" What this means is that I get to ask The Genie King and the Genie Princessa to grant me a wish...with conditions ~ I need to put up the Genie Symbols! So here it goes :

***Start Copying Here***

Rules:

1. Write a short paragraph about your visit by the two Genies and include a link to the blog that passed on the Genie Symbol to you.
2. COPY the Rules and ENTIRE List below and post it on your blog.
3. List down your wish.
4. Place your name below the last name on the list and pass on the Genie Symbol to at least 5 other bloggers.
5. Please put up either one (or both) of the Symbols of the Genies on your blog to show that the Genies have visited your blog:

The Genie King, the Genie Princess and their trusty Genie Buddy have visited:

Mariuca would like to wish for happiness and success.
Adrian would like to wish for good health and happiness.
Emila would like to wish for happiness and success.
Trinity would like to wish good health for Jan's brother and Yah and Wan and success.
MPG would like to wish for love and peace.
Jean would like to wish for stress free work environment and happiness.
Cbenc12 would like to wish for health, happiness and luck for my family and friends and me too!
Mistyeiz would like to wish that all her wishes comes true when she wishes for it.
Consuela would like to wish for happiness & good health of her mom and dad; prosperity, good health and success for her boyfriend, and peace, love, wealth, good health, beauty and happiness for everyone else!

Welcome aboard the Magical Flying Carpet for the Ride of your Life!

Alakazam!

***End Copying Here***

Next, I pass the Genie off to my following blogger friends:

Rho
Jon
Pao
MnM
Neko

now...on to do the next tag...

free concert

2007-09-23T11:43:00.000-10:00

Beginning September 1st, Ala Moana Shopping Center has been hosting a string of free concerts every Saturday night featuring local Hawaiian artists. Last night's featured performers were Beach 5, Halau Na Mamo O Pu'uanahulu and Keahiwai. Click on this and this to see Beach 5's performances and this and this to see hula performances by Halau Na Mamo O Pu'uanahulu. I've come to appreciate Hawaiian music over the years and Keahiwai is one of my local favorites, so that is the reason for me being there to see them perform live. Keahiwai is composed of Mailani Makainai and Lei Melket, and in last night's performance, they played all of my favorite tunes. Click on this (Promised Love lyrics), this (Over lyrics), this (Fits So Well lyrics) and this (Falling lyrics) to hear their songs. There was even a wedding proposal before the last song was sang and Lei dedicated it to the newly engaged couple :)

TV Week

2007-09-20T11:05:00.000-10:00

I watched the pilot premiere of a new teen drama called Gossip Girl last night. There has been a lot of buzz everywhere about it so I figured I give it a try. It is the new CW show that pulls back the curtain on the lives of spoiled rich kids on the Upper East Side, Manhattan New York.

They are the pretty people, the party people, the people you want to be -- and their comings and goings are all documented by the watchful and anonymous internet blogger, Gossip Girl. Just from last night's pilot alone, there are plenty of betrayals, forbidden relationships, and mysterious intrigue to keep any young soap opera enthusiast (like me) engaged. In addition, it also featured music by Rihanna, Fergie, Justin Timberlake, the Mooney Suzuki, Hanson, Amy Winehouse, Angels & Airwaves and others.

It's not bad...it's like watching Beverly Hills 90210 all over again because it powered by the same style, torqued with melodrama and moved from sunshiny California to under the Big Apple's pewter skies. Will B and S remain best friends? I guess I'll have to continue watching each week to find out! There's an encore on Sunday night if you missed last night's premiere.

Oh yeah, Heroes returns next Monday (Yattaaaaa!!!!) and Smallville on Thursday, September 27 with a brand new season!

Busy Hands

2007-09-17T17:59:00.001-10:00

Busy Hands
Originally uploaded by A2 Lebowsky

...No, I ain't busy knitting but I've been spending most of my time typing short summaries or discussions. I wish I could knit but then again I don't have the time!

Sorry for my lack of postings as well as not coming by to your blogs to read and leave comments. Now that I'm back in school, I have limited time to do anything else but assignments and research. Okay, I admit, I do procrastinate at times (well, any possible time I can) and when I do, I'm either online checking email or am on Facebook (damn addicting, I tell you!)

Anywaes, I'm still here...surviving, not looking forward to the new week and it's only Monday. *sighs*

xoxo

couch potato...

2007-09-10T16:56:00.000-10:00

...and that was what R and I did this weekend! After work on Thursday evening, we drove to Sam's Club to shop for some essentials and also pick up "Heroes" on DVD. We watched a couple episodes that night during dinner and we've been hooked on it ever since. We decided to stay in over the weekend, and watch it as a non-stop marathon until we were done. The last time we did such a thing was a few years back when we were both sick together and we watched Dawson's Creek ~ Season 2 and 3!

Just as an overview for those of you who haven't seen or heard about it...it is about the story of several people who "thought they were like everyone else... until they realized they have incredible abilities" and ultimately, this disparate group of people will be asked to save the world. My two favorite characters are Peter Petrelli (played by Milo Ventimiglia) and Hiro Nakamura (played by Masi Oka).

So now, am looking forward to the second season which is scheduled to premiere on September 24, 2007. If you haven't seen it, give it a try. Well...who else is a fan?

Labor Day Weekend

2007-09-07T09:28:00.000-10:00

There's always something happening on the weekends here on the islands. This past weekend, one of Hawaii's most popular cultural events; the annual Okinawan Festival celebrated its 25th anniversary.

Just for your information, the first Okinawans arrived in Hawaii from Japan's southernmost prefecture in January 1900. Another wave arrived World War II, and today there about 20,000 people of Okinawan ancestry in Hawaii. The ties between Hawaii and Okinawa remain strong, with a sister-state relationship between the state and the Okinawan prefecture formalized in 1985.

Unfortunately, I missed most of the festivities and food at Kapiolani Park but was lucky to see some of the performances at Ala Moana Shopping Center on Friday afternoon before heading out to Waikiki for the parade. Check them out by clicking on this, this, this and this. I enjoyed the last performance the most but sad to say I wasn't able to record the whole thing on my camera as my card ran out of memory. I guess I'm to blame partially for it because I didn't erase my previous photos and videos as I usually do after downloading it onto my laptop. Ohhh well!

The other things that I managed to do either myself or with R includes watching WAR at Dole, baking chocolate fudge brownies together, a day of sun-tanning and swimming at Waikiki Beach, sleeping in, piggin' out on a delicious garlic chicken bento from Mitsuken and watching The Incredibles, Monsters, Inc. and Finding Nemo on DVD. What do you know...it's another weekend already! Happy Aloha Friday to all *grins*

Spaghetti & Meatballs

2007-09-05T16:21:00.001-10:00

Spaghetti & Meatballs
Originally uploaded by Sashertootie

A wealthy man was having an affair with an Italian woman for several years. One night, during one of their rendezvous, she confided in him that she was pregnant. Not wanting to ruin his reputation or his marriage, he would pay her a large sum of money if she would go to Italy to secretly have the child. If she stayed in Italy to raise the child, he would also provide child support until the child turned 18. She agreed, but asked how he would know when the baby was born. To keep it discrete, he told her to simply mail him a post card, and write "Spaghetti" on the back. He would then arrange for child support payments to begin.

One day, about 9 months later, he came home to his confused wife. His wife said, "Honey, you received a very strange post card today." "Oh, just give it to me and I'll explain it," he said. The wife handed him the card and watched as her husband read the card, turned white and collapsed.

On the card was written: "Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti. Two with meatballs, one without! Request bread..."

Back to School

2007-09-04T09:29:00.001-10:00

Back to school
Originally uploaded by Avolore

How fast the summer and weekend went! The day has finally arrived. Today is "back to school" day. My first class starts in a few hours and I don't know if I should feel excited, nervous, anxious, scared, about school or not. School seemed simple when I was younger. Everyone told me where to go, what classes to take, and how to finish my homework. Now things are different; there are so many choices and priorities competing for my time. I just hope to see some familiar faces so I won't suffer by myself in this course ~ Economics. I also hope the professor will go easy on me as this is not my best nor favorite subject!

Changing to another subject...I enjoyed my long holiday weekend and had plenty of fun doing diferent things. I will write about all my adventures in another post. Until then, have a great Tuesday!

beach bum

2007-08-29T16:07:00.001-10:00

Two weekends ago, I spent the day soaking in the sun (and some occasional dips in the water) at Waikiki Beach. Sad to say, I have one more weekend left to enjoy! Because after this 3-day holiday weekend, my 2-month vacation from school ends and I start the new Fall semester next Tuesday. Boo!

There's a lot of festivities happening this weekend (Okinawan Festival, Queen Lili'uokalani's birthday celebration) which I may try to go check out if I'm not busy at the beach or the shopping malls!

The Monday Three Things

2007-08-27T16:49:00.000-10:00

Three random things I did this past weekend:

Cooked dinner (Mochiko Chicken and Musubi) on Friday evening and later headed out into Waikiki to stroll through the shops and beach.

Slept in, made breakfast (or more like brunch), did some household chores, dinner with R at Cattle Company in Pearl City (photos to be uploaded shortly) and spent the rest of night playing Samurai Warriors 2 on the PS3.

Spent Sunday morning with R at Circuit City deciding whether or not we should spend more $$$ on DVDs and games, drove to Waialua to visit R's grandpa, wash car, nap, cooked beef curry and watched Mr. Bean's Holiday on DVD.

Your turn. Name three random things you did this past weekend.

iMusic/iMeme

2007-08-24T12:54:00.001-10:00

Song Hye Kyo 019
Originally uploaded by hichetu

This is so long overdue! Mr. Knoizki tagged with a music meme awhile back (sorry for not doing it sooner). It's Friday and in a couple hours...2 full days free from work and time to be naughty and perhaps cheeky too! No specific plans yet but since its the weekend, I love to do things as time goes! Back to this meme, I admit it was a little difficult completing it (so much so that I spent a good amount of time doing quite a bit of research) as I've not listened to a whole album since...I bought my last CD back in 1997 and after discovering that I can download it online either for free or for a fee. I still have my old collection of CDs hidden away in many CD booklets...maybe I should goes through them over the weekend (if time permits) and add some tracks onto my iTunes playlist.

iFive (5) - You're going on a long journey, what five albums MUST you take with you? Albums that you need to listen to regularly.

Album: Confessions
Listen: Yeah!
by: Usher

Album: FutureSex / LoveSounds
Listen: What goes Around as well as My Love
by: Justin Timberlake

Album: Sunday Morning
Listen: Close to You
by: Jake Shimabukuro

Album: It's Time
Listen: Quando, Quando, Quando
by: Michael Bublé Feat. Nelly Furtado

Album: Collision Course
Listen: Numb/Encore
by: Linkin Park & Jay-Z

iFour (4) - What four albums/songs do you most associate with a journey or travel experience? You know, the ones you listen to that instantly transport you back to a place and time.

Album: 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of the Jets
Listen: You've Got It All
by: The Jets

Album: The Very Best Of Beverley Craven
Listen: Feels Like the First Time
by: Beverley Craven

Album: Alone in IZ World
Listen: Over the Rainbow
by: Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwo'ole

Album: The Collection
Listen: That I Would Be Good
by: Alanis Morissette

iThree (3) - Your three favorite songs of all time?

Album: Gemini
Listen: Everything I Do
by: Brian McKnight

Album: Mariah Carey
Listen: Love Takes Time
by: Mariah Carey

Album: The Essential Luther Vandross
Listen: Here & Now
by: Luther Vandross

iTwo (2) - Two feel good songs, the ones that are guaranteed to lift the blues and put a smile on your face.

Album: Al Green - Greatest Hits
Listen: Let's Stay Together
by: Al Green

Album: Baby One More Time
Listen: (You Drive Me) Crazy
by: Britney Spears

iOne (1) - Absolute, overall, undoubtedly the best album of all time, in your opinion.

Album: Greatest Hits
Listen: November Rain
by: Guns N' Roses

This tag is open to all to do as I'm not tagging anyone specifically. Until then, have a wonderful weekend! *hugs*

Let's dance...

2007-08-21T10:09:00.000-10:00

I would have if I knew how or if I wasn't by myself. On Saturday, I drove like a madwoman back into town from Hawaii Kai so I could experience my first Bon Odori otherwise known as Bon dance at the Jodo Mission of Hawaii. It was scheduled to begin at 7.30pm and I got there around 6.45pm after securing a sorta good parking spot nearby. The colorful lanterns were up and as soon as I sat down on one of the many folding chairs, all of the lanterns lights came on. Pretty! It wasn't as packed as I'd imagined it would be but it did get crowded as the night goes on. Some were dressed in their colorful yukata or an informal kimono for summer wear, while others choose to wear happi, or a workman's livery coat. The dancers that were performing dressed up in their full kimono garb. I would love to own one someday :) Below are some photos that I took. Enjoy!

Dancers movements are driven by the beat of the drum. Using live or recorded music, dancers encircle a wooden tower called a yagura and dance in the storytelling step dances that relay simple tales of rural Japan and early plantation days in Hawaii. Also, the live or recorded music varies with slower songs to fast upbeat favorites such as a dance using a towel. This one lady sitting next to me starts to tell me stories of how she's been dancing all these years and her favorite is "Tanko Bushi," a song that tells the story of coal miners. Click on this, this, this, this, this and this to view videos I got to capture on my camera. The one thing that really bothered me was this one kid who kept jumping like a monkey in front of me everytime I tried to record the dance on my camera (you'll see him!). I gave him stern looks but had no effect on him watsoever. I even felt like slapping the little bugga but I didn't want to create a scene (I should have!). And his parents who were standing behind me did nothing! Stupid!

The "Bon season" is an important part of the present-day culture and life of Hawaii. As the festive dance and ono food might be the main attraction, the o-bon season's purpose is remembering the deceased. O-bon literally means "lantern festival." The mellow, old-fashioned lights are intended to illuminate the path of the spirits of ancestors as they return in this season. The spirits are honored with offerings of flowers, food, prayers and incense in temple rituals and on family altars. But the popular expression of remembering the dead is the bon dance. This form of sacred dance dates back 2,500 years to the founder of Buddhism, Shakyamuni Buddha.

I'm really glad I got to experience this happy celebration with other island residents! Next year, I want to check out several bon dances around Oahu and hopefully by then I'll know how to dance. R tells me that of all them, the one to go is Haleiwa Jodo Mission because it completes its Obon observance with a Toro Nagashi, lantern floating ceremony.

free concert

2007-08-19T09:33:00.000-10:00

The weekend is finally here! What's a girl to do with all this free time? R had to work, therefore I have two days to do my own thing. Sleeping in was fun but I didn't want the day to go wasted just staying home. I could have stayed home since there was some household chores to be done ~ laundry, organizing, etc...but where's the fun in that? So after waking up, showering, having a cuppa of coffee and saying goodbye to R as he left for work...I planned my Saturday. I decided to head out east to browse through the shops at Hawai'i Kai Towne Center. In addition to that, there was going to be a free concert ~ performed by award-winning singer-songwriter John Cruz.

Who is John Cruz, you ask? I have no idea either since I've not heard of him or his songs, but thought I drop by and enjoy an evening with some (hopefully) great Hawaiian music. And indeed it was...with him strumming away on his acoustic guitar. I later googled him and found out that he is world-renowned for his virtuosic, crossover style that encompasses pop, rock, folk, and native island music. Here's a little bit more on him to share with you.

From the time he was a young boy growing up in Palolo Valley on Oahu, John Cruz knew he was destined to play music. Whether inside or outside the home, his earliest memories were filled with song. His Hawaiian grandmother had a beautiful voice and sang in church. His mom loved the Motown sound and had an extensive record collection. His dad played country music and taught John to perform live shows at a very young age. His brothers and sisters were all musically inclined and, along with numerous aunties, uncles, cousins, neighbors and friends, they have surrounded John with the gift of music for his entire life. Although John grew up in Hawaii, it wasn't until he moved to the East Coast in 1983 that he developed his own style as a singer songwriter.

During his 12 years in the Northeast, John cut his musical teeth in subways, coffeehouses and bars in New York's Greenwich Village, as well as in the clubs and local haunts from Martha's Vineyard to the Boston area. While attending the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, John ventured in to acting and dancing, which strengthened his command of the stage. He spent six years in theatre and dance companies, performing everywhere from Lincoln Center to Washington D.C. John starred in a variety of shows, including ensemble productions, two-man plays and gospel inspired musicals. Often the leading man, his roles spanned a wide range of characters and ethnicities. He has played a Chinese immigrant, an embittered Native American and a Hispanic hustler, to name a few.

As a member of the prestigious New World Theater, John played the lead role in "The Dance and the Railroad," by Tony Award winning Broadway playwright, David Henry Hwang, of M. Butterfly fame. John's outstanding performance was nationally recognized in the finals of a collegiate drama competition. John returned to Hawaii in 1995 to help his brother Ernie record his album. At the time, Ernie was in the immensely popular band, the Ka'au Crater Boys. He invited John to play bass with them and to play his own songs during their shows. The exposure to large crowds gave John's music a substantial fan base before it was even recorded.

When his first album, Acoustic Soul was released in 1996, it made an artistic and commercial impact like few other recordings in Hawaiian musical history. Acoustic Soul to date has sold about 100,000 copies in Hawaii alone. John produced the album himself and released it on his own label, Lilikoi Records. It spawned the radio hits "Shine On," "Sitting in Limbo" and "Island Style," which has become a local anthem. Most songs from the album still receive daily radio airplay and can be heard on numerous compilation CDs, in hotels, airports, shopping malls, school music classes, commercials and just about everywhere else music is played within the state. Acoustic Soul won two Na Hoku Hanohano Awards in 1997 -- one for Contemporary Album of the Year and one for Most Promising Artist.

In 2005, John added the Grammy Award to his list of honors. His original song "Jo Bo's Night" was featured on the compilation CD Slack Key Guitar Volume 2, which won the first Grammy ever awarded for Hawaiian music. Over the years, John has attracted some stellar fans. Stars like Jack Johnson, Jackson Browne, Jimmy Buffett, Trey Anastasio, Lisa Loeb and others, have shown their support in various ways. World Champion surfer Kelly Slater featured three of John's songs on his new DVD, "Letting Go," which was released worldwide in the Spring of 2006. He invited John to play at the Quiksilver Pro surf contest in Hossegor, France, as well as on his MTV special, "The Kelly Slater Celebrity Surf Invitational 2006." John's recent touring has included stops at the massive Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Tennessee, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Summerstage in New York's Central Park, Carnegie Hall and prominent national venues up and down both coasts.

In October 2006, a documentary film on his life, "Made of Music - The Story of John Cruz," debuted at the Louis Vuitton Hawaii International Film Festival in Honolulu. A few weeks later, it was honored with the Aloha Visionary Filmmaker Award at the Molokai Film Festival. It was recently chosen to be screened at the Pacifika Hawaiian Film Festival in New York City, in May 2007. It features John's signature candor and wit, as well as a personal story that tugs at the heartstrings, and music that will delight and inspire. Jack Johnson, Jackson Browne, Kelly Slater and Jake Shimabukuro add color and insight to an already powerful story. John has distinguished himself as one of the most talented songwriters that has ever come from Hawaii. This well-earned reputation will become even more solidified when he releases his long-awaited second album in the Spring of 2007. It promises more of the warm, heartfelt melodies and passionate, soulful vocals that John's fans have grown to know and love.

aftermath

2007-08-18T10:20:00.000-10:00

It's been sorta a lazy week for me. Besides work...I haven't really been doing anything productive!

As from my previous post about Hurricane Flossie, well, thankgodness, there is no bad news because Flossie weakeaned and lost its hurricane status as its maximum winds dropped below 74 mph. After a few brief downpours in the late morning, the day turned out to be kind of nice with some tropical breezes and mostly sunny skies. Those of us who'd been united in threat were released from fear, free now to get everything back into our normal & regular daily routine especially for those who live on the Big Island. As for me, I didn't have to stay home alone preparing for the worst because R had to work the late shift that day. Everything worked out for the best!

FYI: Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. In May, forecasters said the Hawaiian Islands and the rest of the central Pacific faced a slightly below-average hurricane season, with just two or three tropical cyclones expected because of lower sea surface temperatures.

Flossie on radar

2007-08-14T09:10:00.001-10:00

Flossie on radar
Originally uploaded by skeeterbess

According to forecasters with the National Weather Service, Hurricane Flossie, now a Category 2 hurricane, will bring tropical storm force winds and waves as high as 25 feet to the southern parts of the Big Island of Hawaii today.

At 5 a.m. today, the center of Flossie was located near latitude 16.9 north, longitude 154.1 west, or about 205 miles southeast of Hilo, and 390 miles southeast of Honolulu.

Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 40 miles from the center and tropical storm force winds (from 39-74 mph) extend outward up to 145 miles.

Yesterday, Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim declared a state of emergency for the Big Island. Kim urged residents to listen to local radio stations for announcements on evacuations, school closures and other storm related information.

As for R and myself here on Oahu...we've been preparing ourselves too as a pre-caution with bottled water, non-perishable food, candles/flashlights/batteries, etc. I had a hard time sleeping last night because of the rather loud sounds from the strong gusty winds and rain hitting against my bedroom windows. After an hour of tossing and turning, I reached over to grab my trusted Ipod to help me sleep...

Shokudo

2007-08-09T12:23:00.000-10:00

About a month ago, my boss treated everyone at the office for lunch at Shokudo; located at 1585 Kapiolani Blvd. (on the ground level of Ala Moana Pacific Center) for some Japanese gourmet treats! We got there a tad bit early so we had to wait outside before they officially opened for lunch. As soon as we entered...I gasped! It was just too pretty to be a restaurant. I love its interior setting and we were seated in their box-seat dining area. So cool! It's known to be a casual kinda dining restaurant but I personally felt it had that upscale ambience because of its state-of-the art décor and hanging Japanese paper lantern lights. I wonder how it looks like at night during dinner time...and also secretly wished that I could hire the interior decorator for free to come by and make my apartment look that nice *smirks* Even the bathroom was pretty so much so that I stayed in there longer than I should have just taking pictures. Luckily no one walked in while I was doing it. It would have been really e m b a r a s s i n g!

As for the food...the menu offers a variety of pupus, salads, fish-and-meats, rice-and-soups, sushi, sashimi, nabe, ishiyaki, noodles and desserts. I could not decide on 2 dishes but in the end ordered their seasonal special "Ishiyaki Crispy Rice with Seafood Sauce" as my entree and "Tempura Ice Cream with Pineapple Sauce" as dessert where I shared some with my boss. The rice was a little too crispy and the seafood sauce was a little bland for my liking. I guess I should have ordered the "Garlic Shrimp with Rice" as it was much better tasting than my dish! Other dishes that was ordered and I got to get a lil taste of include the "California Roll", "Unagi Rice", "Chicken Karaage with Spicy Tartar Sauce", "Rock Shrimp", "Seafood Dynamite" and "Green Tea Cheesecake". They were all really good and hope to go back again to try the other choices! Thank you boss...and can I ask already when is our next luncheon?

Tribute to life

2007-08-03T09:09:00.001-10:00

Tribute to life
Originally uploaded by ~FreeBirD~

George Carlin's Views on Aging

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions.

"How old are you?" "I'm four and a half!" You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key.

You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.

"How old are you?" "I'm gonna be 16!" You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life . . . you become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony . YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!!

But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED ; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're Just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?

You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50 and your dreams are gone.

But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would! So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.

You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a
day-by-day thing; you HIT ! You get into your 80s and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime And it doesn't end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; "I was JUST 92."

Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a
little kid again. "I'm 100 and a half!" May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!

HOW TO STAY YOUNG

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay "them"

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud...Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music , plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it! If it is unstable, improve it! If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9 Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall , even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

10.Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER :

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. We all need to live life to its fullest each day!!

Italy dethrones Hawaii...

2007-07-31T10:56:00.000-10:00

Pulled this off the Associated Press website.

After reigning for a decade, Hawaii lost out to Italy this year as the No. 1 honeymoon destination in a survey by Modern Bride magazine.

The 11th annual "World's Best Honeymoons" survey was conducted through a network of 6,000 luxury travel agents who ranked their 50 favorite honeymoon spots. The results appear in the magazine's August/September issue.

Italy was ranked third on last year's list. This is the first time the country has come in first on the honeymoon survey.

Second on the list was Hawaii, which was the top destination in the Modern Bride survey for a decade. Tahiti came in third, followed by Costa Rica at No. 4 (up from No. 10 last year), Mexico, France, the Maldives, Anguilla, Fiji and Greece.

Other "bests" on the list were Caneel Bay, St. John, in the U.S. Virgin Islands, for resort with best beach; the Setai in Miami, for resort with best bar; the Four Seasons in Chiang Mai, Thailand, for resort with best spa; and the Mandarin Oriental in San Francisco for most luxurious bathrooms.

The Premier Overwater Villa at the St. Regis Resort, Bora Bora, French Polynesia, was cited for having the "ultimate honeymoon suite."

Mexico, Las Vegas and the Dominican Republic were named most affordable honeymoon destinations, and Costa Rica, South Africa and New Zealand were named best places for adventure.

So tell me, where would YOU like to go for your honeymoon? Or if you have any honeymoon story to share...

got Facebook?

2007-07-24T14:45:00.000-10:00

This is currently how I spend my time online: playing around with its many fun applications! I got this invite the other day to catch-up and reconnect with an old high-school friend of mine. Since then, I've been hooked! Facebook is a social networking site that enables people with common affiliations to network with one another ~ similarly like MySpace and Friendster. It was originally launched as a destination for college students to connect with one another, however the site has expanded now to include companies, professional networks and geographic regions. Join now if you haven't already and become my friend!

Tetris

2007-07-20T15:28:00.000-10:00

I remember playing Tetris first on my Game & Watch...then upgraded to a Gameboy ~ day and night non-stop until my eyes and fingers got tired when it first came out. What is Tetris? Shapes called tetrads fall, one at a time, from the top of the playing field to the bottom. The object of the game is to keep the blocks from piling up to the top of the playing field. To do this, the player must move and rotate the tetrads as they fall, attempting to fit them together. If the player can completely fill one horizontal line with colored squares, that line disappears and any filled squares above move down. If the player is unable to fill lines completely, the tetrads will stack up and eventually reach the top of the playing field. The game ends when a new tetrad that is placed at the top of the playing field is unable to drop at all due to the filled blocks.

If you still don't know what I'm talking about...then go read more about it on Wikipedia! A friend found this while browsing on YouTube and forwarded it as an email to me. It was so HILARIOUS that I had to share it with all of you! The Japanese re-invent a new way of playing Tetris...(LOL!!) Enjoy...and ohhh, have a wonderful and happy weekend!

rockin' away!

2007-07-19T13:11:00.000-10:00

I'm sorta back. I'm all moved in into the new place...sorta...I still have a few more boxes to go through until I can officially say I'm DONE! No photos yet but hopefully in the next couple posts, I describe to all a little bit about my new accommodation!

Just a few days ago...dear, sweet and cute Ms. May awarded me with a really cool title ~ Rockin' Girl Blogger. Very happy and honored! Thank you! Mahalo nui loa! Merci beaucoup! Danke! Terima kasih! Domo arigato! Xie xie! Doh je! Khawp khun makh! Nandri! Salamat sa iyo!

It's nice to know that I do indeed rock although I don't rock as much as you do but here wishing you a BIG Thank You for passing the badge on to me...and now it's my turn to pass it on to 5 more mademoiselles because YOU all rock!! Copy the badge above and wear it on your site with pride for you are all rockin' girl bloggers!

Rho

Ritsuko

Vina

Anjali

Yvy

on the move...

2007-07-10T16:07:00.001-10:00

Moving day in Oakland.
Originally uploaded by moucri

It's moving time again! That's the main reason why I have not had a chance to blog since finishing my summer class. Seriously I hate to move. It's a torture to pack everything and then having to unpack almost everything at the new place.

After less than a week of calling around and looking at several apartment units, I submitted a rental application for the "one" apartment that I really liked and wanted! So while I waited for a response, I thought I'd apply for my second choice as a back-up but as I was typing the application up, I got the call for the 1st property manager, letting me know that I got the place. Overjoyed! So now I'm busy packing everything into boxes ~ I didn't know I had SO MUCH STUFF! Actually I did, I just chose to ignore it! Argh...it's gotten to the point where I cannot move/walk easily around the apartment. Thursday is moving day, Friday is cleaning day at the old apartment...so until then, I probably won't be back until next week...blogging from my new apartment (well that is if my RoadRunner is up and running) *grins* Also, if I remember or have some free time, I'll be sure to take a few photos of the apartments!

belated wishes...

2007-07-05T23:11:00.000-10:00

Am a day late in wishing everyone a Happy July 4th...I really hope you had a wonderful day. Seeing that both R and myself had the day off, we simply just chilled. Instead of spending it at home, we took a drive out to North Shore for some ice cream. The craving for pineapple ice cream brought us to Dole Plantation. My first time there was sometime last year and gosh, they did some major remodelling and expansions since then. Being that it was a holiday, the place was packed with locals as well as tourists. After spending a good twenty minutes in line to buy the ice cream, that first bite was simply...SINFUL! It was so sinful that I even forgot to take a photo of the ice cream or me taking that first bite! Below are some pictures taken while we were there. There were pineapples everywhere...

We came home around 3pm to relax before heading out again to my office building, the open parking area on the 6th floor, to watch the Fourth of July fireworks show from Magic Island. Its sponsor, Ala Moana Center, has been sponsoring what is described to be the state's largest Fourth of July fireworks show in the state since 1991. Below are some of the firework shots I manage to capture with my crappy camera or you can click on this, this and this (will upload soon) to watch it on video. Enjoy!

school is OVER!

2007-06-29T23:50:00.001-10:00

Finals are OVER!
Originally uploaded by metaphora

School is over...finally! And it could not come any sooner...

The last 2 weeks or so has been very hectic for me. Today, I finished all of my school work for this semester! I had my last in-class session as well as a group presentation on Quantitative Methods this past Wednesday and I took the final today. So officially, it's all done! I'm free from school ~ textbooks, exams, assignments, quizzes, presentation and group work for the next two months! Woo-hoo...I'm so excited...let's celebrate. *cheers*

I'm so looking forward to a fun and relaxing weekend without any worries that I have not finished my homework.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

*hugs*

Hawaii and the pacific

2007-06-17T23:10:00.000-10:00

Last weekend, Hawaii played host again to the annual Pan-Pacific festival. It's a three-day fun-filled with events such as traditional performing arts, hula, cultural demonstrations and more. The festival celebrates the relationship among the people of Hawaii, Japan, the US mainland and other Pan-Pacific regions. Last year, I had a great time at the Ho'olaule'a (block party) along Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki. This year, I skipped that (due to the light showers plus I was too tired from my class earlier in the day) and instead went to the see the traditional Taiko Festival on Saturday at the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center.

Taiko is a drumming style of Japanese origin. Literally, taiko means "fat drum," although there is a vast array of shapes and sizes of taiko. Taiko has continued to find a place in religious ceremonies, both Buddhist and Shinto, and it is extremely common to find taiko in both temples and shrines. Taiko, although utilizing ancient instruments, has been infused with a thoroughly modern spirit, and has continued to grow in popularity in both Japan and throughout the world. With a incredibly deep traditional base to draw on, and with groups such as Kodo pushing taiko music to ever greater musical heights, taiko stands poised to become a part of the universal musical language drawing our world closer together. Click on this and this to view some of the performance captured on my camera on YouTube.

Sunday marked the last day of the festival and it ended with a really colorful parade along Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki. I was going to stop by Kapiolani Park first to check out the Kaze or Wind festival but decided to forgo it in order to get a good spot for my pictures. I thought I did but had to move because of the sun and glare in the first few shots. So I walked quickly down the street to find spot (not in the sun) and continue with my picture taking. The slide show below shows more photos taken by me of the Taiko festival as well as the Mahsuri parade. Enjoy!

a shorter do

2007-06-12T22:24:00.000-10:00

It's been three months since the "hair cut" and gosh...my hair got somewhat longer in that short span of time! It is also a little out of shape where it was starting to frizz and curl where it is not suppose too and I am getting too lazy to have to deal and style it everyday with styling products and what-not. When we (Ritsuko and I) met for lunch, of the many conversations we had, one was about our hair and the idea of having a trim since it's getting really hot due to the current summer weather. Plus, the length and how it started to fall onto my face when I'm at work, bothered me a lot so much so that I had to tie up what little hair I had into a tiny ponytail. But then the shorter strands would not hold and eventually fall back on my face. Argh!

I asked Ritsuko again if she was still planning to cut her hair and we finally made an appointment with her stylist, Jamie to have our hair done together last Wednesday. Me being the undecisive and fickle-minded girl as to how I wanted my hair to be cut so I sought out the assistance of hairstyle magazines...tagged a few styles and brought one particular magazine along with me so I could show Jamie the potential hairstyles for my hair. Instead of looking at the styles I had tagged, she told me how she planned to cut my hair and I just trusted her. First, she shampooed and conditioned my hair. Then, she brought her scissors out and made magic with my hair. I sat patiently for about 20 minutes before I saw the end result. She even taught me how to blow dry my hair without having to style it too much. I must say...I was impressed! Thanks Jamie, you did a fantastic job! Now to decide if I should go back and have some highlights done...

Next was Ritsuko's turn. I had school that day but had a couple hours left to spare so I stayed until Jamie was done with Ritsuko's hair. First, Jamie did some minor coloring and touch-ups on Ritsuko's hair. After letting it deposit in for about 30-minutes, she goes on to shampoo and condition before the actual cut. What do you think? Did Jamie do a great job or what?

Okay, enough procrastinating...I have to get back to studying for tomorrow's midterm. Ohhh, I am so not prepared! *sighs*

on the road

2007-06-07T00:05:00.000-10:00

I've been tagged by several of you! The first tagger, Simon, tagged me with this travel meme several months back and only now (a thousand and one apologies) am I able to finally do it! I've always had the itch to travel ~ to see a new place, to experience and learn a new culture and to taste and savor each new cuisine along the way. When I was barely walking even, my parents were kind enough to bring me to some of the Malaysian states of Terengganu, Malacca, Penang, etc which I barely haveany memory off. However, the places that I do remember and had enjoyed myself are Perth, Adelaide and Sydney in Aussieland, London in Britain, Singapore, Las Vegas, Disneyland, Maui and some parts of Narita town in Japan during some of few stop-overs before flying home to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Anywaes, this tag is about where I would like to go next and gosh...how can I limit it to just one place? I wish I could teleport myself to such exotic destinations ~ Italy, Maldives, Korea, Cabo San Lucas, Switzerland, and many more, with no worries of customs, layovers and flight delays! And now that it is summer time, it a perfect chance for a mini getaway.

What I really would love to do is to go on a roadtrip to see the great U S of A by visiting town after town, state after state! To me, a roadtrip is like the most flexible way to travel and there's nothing like a road trip to help one understand the magic of the open road. Picking a destination...now that will be the hardest since there are so many things to see...figuring exactly where to start from and ending up. Boston ~ to walk the historic Freedom trail and take swan boat ride in Boston Public Garden; Miami ~ learn to salsa at a fancy nightclub and perk up with a shot of coffee in Little Havana; New York ~ take in the view from atop the Empire State Building and see a broadway show; Montreal ~ enjoy the summer's outdoor jazz and comedy festivals; and San Francisco ~ climb aboard a cable car, drive across the Golden Gate Bright and dine on dim sum in Chinatown. Then, there's the Pacific Coast Highway, Route 66, Great River Road, or the Tamiami Trail.

Okay, I betta start my planning...

Next, to tag five people...gosh, who do I pick? Volunteers? So I pick Rho, Donna, Yvy, Vina and Ji-In

Below are the "exact" instructions ~

**Start Copy**

Instructions:

Proposition : Where do you want to go Next, OUTSIDE OF YOUR COUNTRY, for tourism, work , study, whatever.

Requirements: Find some info about the place, itinerary etc, pics if possible so you get MORE Traffic coming in, and maybe some people can find somewhere to go to. Excludes your NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOUR, ie Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, a country that borders yours.

Quantity : FIVE PEOPLE!

Tag Mode : Chain Link. 15 of them. You leave 15 people and their DEEP LINK of their Blog Name and TAGGED POST and hit out for five more. So it will look like

Simon living it up in Hong Kong
Laundryamah having fun with Hyun Bin in Korea
Azrin going Down Under
MaRLinda in Disneyland Paris
Athira and her Balamory Antics
Msau to Japan
Shoppingmum to Europe
Angeleyes off to Bora-Bora
Giddy Tiger snorkelling in The Maldives
Jess to Europe
Mybabybay wants to go Round The World
Immomsdaughter visit World Heritage New Zealand
Just My Thoughts whale watching at Monterey Bay
Bubba Stuff lomancin, in Tuscany, Italy

**Add in the blog you got the tag from and tagged post.** (In this case, for example, you should add : Consuela getting behind the wheel to enjoy a road trip across America")

Extra Rules: you cannot Tag another person who has performed the Tagging Rights to Travel. Check yr commentators. Make this tag interesting. And pay those people in the list a visit, you never know if you can pinch / recycle some ideas for your next entry!

**End Copy**

indian cuisine

2007-06-04T13:11:00.000-10:00

About two weeks back, I met up with Ritsuko for lunch in Chinatown. Initially, we'd planned to dine on DIM SUM but then changed our minds when we met up around noon. We decided to have Indian food, so we went to Zaffron for their lunch buffet. It was my first time eating there for lunch as previously I've only tried their dinner buffets and that was like probably seven years ago! It was not crowded when we got there. We did ask the hostess if we could check the dishes first before deciding to order. There wasn't much of a variety offered but since we were both craving for something spicy, we caved in. The hostess had us seat at a table closest to the buffet line, poured us 2 glasses of water and informed us that we could start eating.

There were three types of chutney to try (tomato, tamarind & apple), fresh salad, stir-fry mixed vegetables, chicken curry, basmati rice, stir-fry okra (lady's fingers), and a coule more dishes that I do not remember their names (sorry!). We also ordered a side order of naan bread. Feasting on the food hit the spot...although it was not as spicy as I would have liked it to be. I'm guessing it's toned down so others who enjoy the food without draining the taste with ice cold water every few spoonfuls (hehe). To end the meal, one can enjoy a sweet and creamy hot chai tea.

According to the restaurant's menu: "Zaffron was named after the spice Saffron. Blooming only three weeks out of the year, it is quickly harvested by hand. Each flower will yield only three female threads (stigmas). This is Saffron with it's unique flavor and beautiful color, one of the rarest and perhaps the most expensive spices." The lunch buffet costs us $9.60 per person. One can also dine at Zaffron's for dinner. A buffet that includes a variety of dishes will run for $19.20 for adults and $7.20 for children under six.

At World's End

2007-05-29T20:31:00.000-10:00

Waking up really early on a Sunday morning is not a normal thing that I do. But I did so because it was Ryan's birthday [Happy Birthday, boo *kisses*] and we did plan from the night before to go watch the first matinee screening of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End at the nearest theater. Checking Sunday's edition of Honolulu Advertiser as well as confirming it online, we drive out to our trusted theater ~ Dole Cannery as their the first show is at 9.45am!

From last year's second installment, "Dead Man's Chest", I wanted to know how does Capt. Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) escape that giant sea monster that swallowed him? Will Elizabeth (Keira Knightley) and Will (Orlando Bloom) ever trust each other again? And whose side is Barbosa (Geoffrey Rush), Jack's formerly dead rival for the helm of the Black Pearl, really on this time? I was also so looking forward to seeing Captain Jack Sparrow, with braids dangling, nostrils flaring and being the loopy character he is that is made up of twitches-swagger-and-flounce the first two Pirates of the Caribbean. In fact, Captain Jack Sparrow did not make his first facially histrionic appearance until the 30-minute mark. A really long wait!

I won't get into specifics...the movie was all-right, I won't say it was a terrible movie, but that it was terribly misguided and highly disappointing. Much of the pleasure of the first two movies was their silliness; by contrast, "At World's End" takes itself more seriously than a movie based on a theme-park ride probably should. Refresh my memory: Wasn't the first Pirates movie a hit because it was fun? Sure, there's a few laughs along the way ~ Sparrow and and Barbossa bicker - fighting for command of The Black Pearl, comparing telescope sizes, and debating the proper pronunciation of the word "are" in the process - but it's nothing compared to the way Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush hammed it up in the first movie. The action front was a letdown as well - apart from some scattered skirmishes here and there, the only large-scale set-piece arrives at the end of the film when the Black Pearl and the Flying Dutchman do battle in the middle of a stormy sea. Go see it if you've seen the first two but be warned...it is the last, longest, and most tedious of the bunch!

Pssst: did you get up and leave as soon as the credits came onscreen or did you wait to the very end and...?[well, now you know!]

busy...busy...busy

2007-05-24T16:43:00.000-10:00

Pardon my absence for the last couple days...I've been trying to play catch-up at the office with paperwork that I've put on the "to-do-later" shelves since January 2007. I've been going through them ~ sorting, filing, shredding, etc...

It's been two weeks since I started my summer session and so far (knock-on-wood), it's going well. It's a little boring but I think I can endure with it for another 5 weeks and then I'll have two glorious months to go to the beach, eat out more, party again and possibly work on my final Professional Paper. Ohhh, can I also share with you my final grades for last semester...it came out officially yesterday! Or would you like to take a guess? C'mon...take a shot...

okay...okay

all three classes...

all...

A's

hehe...all that some-what hard work, bitching and complaining...I'd betta have gotten A's for it!

On another note...R will celebrate his birthday in a couple days and I have yet to buy him a gift. He's picky as he only wants certain things, I'm picky because I don't want to buy him a PS2/3 game as he'll almost all of his time trying to beat the game than with me...so I'm in a little bit of a dilemma. Suggestions?

shrek is back...

2007-05-19T18:55:00.000-10:00

Returning to "Far, Far Away" is always a happy homecoming!

We woke up early this morning to catch the 1st screening of Shrek the Third at Dole Cannery. If you've enjoyed the clever and very funny Shrek adventures so far, Shrek the Third will not disappoint; it's on a par with the entertaining original, and even a bit better than Shrek 2. The first 15 minutes of this picture had me rolling in the aisles. It felt so good to laugh that hard. I won't give away any spoilers, except like the first two Shrek films, the movie is significantly based on fairy tale (specifically Grimm's Fairy Tales) themes. The plot is smart and involving (but not overly cluttered). The animation remains vivid, colorful and enticing. Overall, there are some nice lessons to be learned about confidence in oneself and not buying in to what others say about you that are good things for kids to hear.

laugh out loud

2007-05-18T08:14:00.000-10:00

Happy Aloha Friday :) Finally...the week is over and I'm looking forward to the weekend.

My GF emailed me this a while back and while going through my inbox yesterday evening, I remembered that I wanted to post it here. Caution: Must be 18 and up to read. For those of you who do understand it (Singapore English/Singlish), please don't be offended. It is meant only as a joke and nothing more. It can be censored but then again, it spoils the whole effect and it won't be as funny. With that said...enjoy and don't forget to laught out loud at the end! ~out

Dear Ah Beng,

I went to my local Orh Kwee Keng at Geylang Lorong 69 for my regular dose of oral $ex, but the girls all told me police now say cannot. I can't afford full intercourse and hand job very buay song. How like that?

Sucky Situation

Dear Sucky,

Aiyah, listen to the mata (police), lah. If the police say cannot, I am sure they speak from personal experience.

I checked with my neighbourhood police post and they confirm got one judge say blow job is illegal. I ask them, if blow job cannot, then suck job still legal, not? They say also buay sai. Na beh!

I understand your frustration. Not being able to get a blow job makes me and all of my kaki very too lan. In fact, some of them want to find the judge who say cannot and "settle" with him. I told them, eh, don'tch like that, lah. Hooting a judge is no use, one. Must persuade him. So I suggest maybe kipnap him go JB and get some kway there to, ahem, play his flute and demonstrate for him how oral $ex is a nice and natural thing.

Assuming he can get it up, of course. (I think so he can, but maybe he need some help, because the other day, I went to sit in his court and got someone say, "all rise" before he come in. See, even he needs oral help to make him rise.)

But anyway, that doesn't solve your immediate porblem. I think in this case, foreign talent maybe can help. After all, they suck, so they should be able to teach us how to suck too.

I say they can help because I was watching this ang mor flim called "American Pie", where some guy needed something warm and wet to put his little brother in, and he used an apple pie.

So maybe you can buy an apple pie from Mehdonner's. It's quite cheap. (Just don't tell the auntie what you want it for, wait she offer to do it for you instead. I donno about you, but I prefer the cheap pie to her chee...you know.)

Maybe we can adapt a bit. Maybe a Portuguese egg tart. Or can also use fruit. Microwave a papaya. Esperiment, lah.

Of course, if all these cannot satisfy you, then boh pian must go overseas to find real blow job, lor. I know this sucks, but then, that's what you want, right?

Ah Beng

it's over!

2007-05-16T13:08:00.000-10:00

Please don't end! Last night, I watched the series finale of my favorite show ~ Gilmore Girls...I was really sad and a little disappointed watching last night's episode; you can tell the story was meant to continue and not end abruptly like it did. On the other hand, it did have some closure ~ leaving us feeling like Lolerai's and Rory's life is moving towards a good direction. I am disappointed the show is ending with such short notice. I wish they could come back with another season... *tear*

Gilmore Girls was first aired in October, 2000. After seven seasons, the show is done. No more Lorelai, no more Rory and no more Lorelai and Luke! In fact, I didn't start to watch it until mid-season of Season One, but ever since that day, I've been hooked. Gilmore Girls is a humorous, heartfelt, multi-generational drama about friendship, family and the ties that bind. The show revolves around this strong, warm and loving mother-daughter relationship and it's really a relationship that one would hope to have with one's own mother or daughter (a constant reminder that together, they can endure anything). Who knows...when I have a daughter of my own someday, we can be a Lorelai and Rory duo.

It's been great while it lasted; goodbye Lorelai, goodbye Rory...goodbye Gilmore Girls. Now to wonder and ponder what I can do on Tuesdays at 7pm...

buzzing about...

2007-05-15T00:02:00.000-10:00

DVDs...

Besides being extremely busy trying to finish my term papers by its due date and study for finals last semester, I still managed to set some time aside to watch movies that I'd downloaded via Bittorent (bless you!). It was my time-out from my everyday busy life and everything else as well as my personal time to spend with R. Among the titles that we got to watch are:

I still have a few more saved on the external HD and waiting to be burned onto a DVD...but I guess those will have to wait until after the 7th week...let's see if I can last that long...*sticks out tongue*

monday...

2007-05-14T22:13:00.000-10:00

boy do I hate Mondays!

I really do! I started my summer class today and I can already foresee the stress and the overwhelming bad feelings associated with this particular topic that I'd initially dropped in my second semester. I hope I made the right decision to take the accelerated version since summer session is a shorter period in comparison to the regular spring and fall semesters. I have my fears, I'd say it now...I'd be lucky if I can score a B+! Statistics has never been and will never be a strong suit for me so I will need all the help I can get to pass this class. I've always enjoyed Math and it was one of my favorite subjects in high school but somehow Statistics...I could never grasp it no matter how hard I tried. And it went all downhill in junior college at KDU. I could never retain the things I learned about it and now...I just hope to pull through. Wish me luck for the next tortorous seven weeks of my life.

I hope to not grumble about this class here as I want to have happy thoughts when I blog.

sunday...

2007-05-14T21:22:00.000-10:00

...is a day of rest!

Well in my case, I spent it shopping ~ where I went to Ala Moana Shopping Center first to scout for a birthday present for R but since I could not find anything, I drove out to Waikele Premium Outlets to see if I'd have better luck there while also shopping for myself. Well, after 4 hours of going into and browsing through most of all the stores, I came home empty-handed. Errr, okay, stop twisting my arm for the truth ~ actually I came home a with a very LARGE Nine West shopping bag ~ in it 4 pairs of shoes. A girl can't have too many shoes...now can she? All of them were on sale for $29.99 each and if you buy one, you get the 2nd one 50% off. Now...who can resist that?? Instead of spending $200++ on one Coach handbag, I got myself 4 pairs of shoes which I can alternate for work as well as for going out. So I overdid it, but d@mnit...I was feeling generous and wanted to spurge! Instead, just humor me okay... *grins*

selamat

2007-05-14T00:11:00.000-10:00

...so I have two days of freedom from school, textbooks and term papers. I had to make the most of it...to do nothing, anything, something and everything within the next 48 hours! Both days I slept in until about 11-ish and then when about to do something fun.

Saturday

I spent most of the day at Kapiolani Park to join in and celebrate all things Filipino. The Filipino Community Center in cooperation with the Honolulu Filipino Junior Chamber of Commerce play hosts to the 15th annual Filipino Fiesta. Among the fiesta's celebrated guests and entertainment are Jaya Ramsey, Ogie Alcasid, The Royal Hawaiian Band, Kristian Lei, Marlene Baldueza, Janilee Nariano and much more. It also featured food booths with some authentic Filipino food along with local Hawaiian/American plate lunch style food as well, craft booths and cultural demonstration. It was really fun and entertaining to enjoy some tasty grubs (my favorite ~ pork guisantes) with some power tunes by Jaya and Ogie. They flew in from the Philippines to make a special appearance and were also promoting the #1 Filipino TV network and the shows they hosts on gma.tv. I've not heard of them being that I'm not a Filipina/Pinay but I must say they both can sing; I especially love Jaya's deep, powerful voice and infectious personality. Check out some of Jaya's and Ogie' performances here, here and here.

When the fiesta ended at 5pm, I strolled into Waikiki, stopping by Starbucks to buy me a grande Iced Thai Expresso before continuing on with my stroll. Before heading home, I make a quick pit-stop at this nail store (I forget the name) for a pedicure and manicure. Okay, so I'll admit it was a tad bit too PINK for my liking but I'm sure it will grow on me. Ohh, how I feel pampered! *grins*

...to be continued

a tribute to my mom...

2007-05-13T09:27:00.000-10:00

I want to thank you...
for being there
when I needed you;
for listening, caring,
and sharing;
for showing me that my dreams
can come true
and making me believe in me;
for all of the sacrifices
you made for me;
for sharing your wisdom;
for teaching me
to be independent,
and for having the
strength to let me go
out in the world on my own;
and for trying to make life
special and meaningful
for me always.

I love you so much...Mom...

Happy Mother's Day!

eureka...

2007-05-11T22:59:00.001-10:00

I'm done! I'm finally done with school! F I N A L L Y! It could not come any sooner...

...Okay, okay, I admit...technically, I am not really done...but the semester is finally O V E R! *woo hoo* *throws confetti*

Ohhh, happy ALOHA friday! I know, I know it's late but heck...I'm in such a good mood! It's the happiest T.G.I.F. by far and I had my last final today too. I was anticipating for it to be really...really tough (Finance 6000), but after glimpsing through the 3 pages of 10 MCQ and 3 essay questions, I can say for sure...I'll pull through :)

Now to plan 2 glorious days of doing something, anything but read a texbook or write a paper. Why only 2 days you ask? Well...it's because summer session starts on Monday. But let's not dwell on that until Monday. Now I have 2 full wonderful days to catch up on a lot of things that I've been missing out

any thoughts or ideas to share on what I should do?