My 28th Birthday! With Age Comes Great Wisdom

On December 27, 2007, I turned the big 28! The day of, I went to work as usual and then Fiona (my roommate) took me out to dinner at Hops. We hadn't talked in so long and it was nice for us to catch up. That day, I also decided to have an impromptu birthday dinner gathering at our place.

On Friday, December 28th, I invited some friends over for dinner. I made some Jambalaya, baked a carrot cake, and we had some drinks. It was so nice to be in the company of friends. I spent half the year working hard, but I didn't spend enough time with friends. The new year should bring more reconnecting with friends.

2007 was definitely a growth year for me. I've come to realize that getting older brings new dreams and goals in life and new wisdom. I came across an old verse in the Bible that I think applies to anyone, whether they're spiritual people or not, at a time in their lives that they have realized that the rose-colored glasses are off and the HD vision is switched on. So different when you know what the heck is going on and have some direction in life!

Ending in 2007...

"For in much wisdom is much grief. And in he
that increases knowledge, increases sorrow." - Ecclesiastes 1:18

With greater knowledge, comes hard decisions in life. That can mean letting go of people that weren't positive in your life or finding that you were going down the wrong path in your career. I try to look at every mistake as a new opportunity.

I have also realized that every second, minute, hour, day and month of my time is precious. It's an opportunity to do something good, to make someone laugh, to love myself, and to learn something new. With that said, my message to everyone that reads this is to let everything you do mean something. And with that I close...

Looking forward in 2008...

"It's the possibility of having a dream come
true that makes life interesting." - Paulo Coehlo

Last Day in Hawaii

(You should probably start reading about Milo the Chocolate Lab for the beginning of my stories about Hawaii.)
(Statue ofDuke, the original Hawaiian surfer, on Waikiki)

My last day in Hawaii I spent running errands while everyone was away. I had damaged the mirror on my rental car, so had tons of stuff to take care of with that and I bought more souvenirs and mailed them off. I saw my cousin, Junior, who lives in Diamond Head for a couple hours and then met up with Jennie, her man, Trevor, Amanda and her friends visiting from Japan at Duke's restaurant. Mahalo guys!

Waimea Falls Park

Peacock at the Waimea Falls Park in Hali'ewa during our road trip.

While on our road trip, we simply gased up and pointed to some places on the map. We were going to go to the Surfing competition, but time was running out since we left only at 2pm and sunset was at 6pm. One of the main things I wanted to see was a waterfall. Waimea Falls did it. The botancial gardens there were beautiful. It was greenery everywhere. Too bad we only got there one hour before closing. We hiked to the waterfall and got a quick glimpse, but it was too late to swim in it. Oh well :)

Doesn't it look like we were superimposed in this shot? Well, that IS a real waterfall.

Wai'a'nae: Fun Times on the West SIDE!!!

It was Sunday after a trip to Pearl Harbor, when I decided to head to a less touristy side of the island (and to give Jennie and her roommates a break to study and write papers). I had found a cheap overnight stay on Craig's List with some guy named Thunder, a Native American guy, and his partner, Tina, over in Wai'a'nae. My plans to go to the island of Kauai never came to fruition as the task of planning it seemed daunting to me, especially since the cost of a helicopter ride, a second rental car and overnight stay, might send my budget for this trip through the roof. When I first got to Thunder and Tina's I was a bit taken aback since the place was in transition and was being renovated. I quickly met Stacey, who was now a New Orleans/Californian transplant and was staying with Thunder and Tina in the hopes of finding a place to stay in Hawaii. The same night that I arrived, our hosts made us delicious burgers.

Sea Turtle Siting!
The same day that I arrived, Thunder drove Stacey and I to a spot where we could see a sea turtle beaching himself on the shore. This was such a rare sighting on the island, but the West is mostly underdeveloped and it's where most Hawaiians live, so a beaching on this side of the island must've been much nicer than some touristy place like Waikiki for this sea turtle.
That same night, Stacey and I went to the beach at night. Yes, we did go at night and ended up meeting a local Hawaiian nicknamed "G." He rode his little moped into the beach right behind us and immediately was curious as to where we came from. He also told us about his desires to leave the island for Las Vegas (a place many Hawaiians seem to want to go to because of the gambling). He was a young buck, I'd say about 21 or so, hustling on the streets and probably needed to hear some stories from the mainland. I had read that this side of the island is where the native Hawaiians are and that many of them face all kinds of economic hardships. Sad for an island that brings in so much money from tourism, yet doesn't share the wealth with the people that are native to the place. Gentrification at work as usual.

Bright and early the next morning, Stacey and I headed for the Mahaka beach (still on the Wai'a'nae coast). It was sooo peaceful and so nice to be the only soul on the beach until a few straglers came around. We saw a lone surfer paddling along the shore and dangerously close to some rocks, but he never stood up to surf.

Hello Stacey, Morning Glory. Stacey and I later went on a road trip along the middle of the island where we visited the Dole plantation and got stuck in traffic after a surfing competition. Thunder and his friends suggested we try eating at Hali'ewa Joe's, a famous restaurant in the Surfing Capital.

Road Trip! Road Rules Hawaii

Jennie Major (left) and Amanda Gomes (right) are both studying at the University of Hawaii. Jennie, I met while studying abroad in Moscow and Amanda I met while on the JET program in Japan.

Soon after this picture was taken, Amanda and I decided to take a road trip down the east coast of the island of O'ahu on the Kamehameha Hwy where we stopped at a Macadamia Nut farm for fresh coffee and tons of Macadamia Nut products. We also happened upon a shrimp shack for some food and rolled through Hali'ewa, the "Surfing Capital of the World."

Polynesian Cultural Center

That pig was dead before I got there, I swear!

After the show, it's the after party! (read below)

Hot! Hot! Hot! Many of you have already heard about my regrets for growing up on the wrong side of the world. I would like to document proof of why Polynesian men are the hottest on the planet, but first, I guess I should tell you about my experience at the Polynesian Cultural Center sans the pictures.

Friday morning, Diane and I Thelma and Louised it down the Kamehameha Hwy and made a few stops along the way to take some photo ops, particularly of the Chinaman's hat. When we finally arrived at the Polynesian Cultural Center, it was around noon and the place was crowded with tourists, mostly Japanese of course. We bought an $80 ticket for the full luau and Polynesian dancing experience.

There were "villages" set up around the center (which we learned was attached to Brigham Young University - a Morman institution). Each village described the life of a different Polynesian island: Fiji, the Maori of New Zealand, Tahiti, Hawaii, Somoa and a few other smaller islands. It was all very educational, but we didn't REALLY see what Polynesia was made of until we saw the Parade of dancers floating on the boats down a canal that showcased each island's dancing.

(Dancers from Somoa) (Tahitian Dancers, the stars of the show)

The Luau

Usually, the best thing about any culture is their food. After a long day of oggling beautiful island men and watching dance shows and seeing performances, it was time to eat. Diance and I finally got our ceremonial "leis" and took pictures with, you guessed it, more beautiful people representing the Polynesian islands. We settled down to a less-than-entertaining host and ate buffet style after they presented the pig. (see picture above)

Up with the sunrise in Kailua

After arriving at Honolulu airport, nearly 4 hours late, Jennie Major, one of my good friends from study abroad in Moscow, came to pick me up with her boyfriend, Trevor. I was extremely tired after being on several different airlines/planes before finally arriving at my destination. My bags were misplaced in the airline shuffle, so all I had was one pair of clothing, a bathing suit (the one you see to the right) and some toiletries in my carry on. That was good enough for me. When I got to Jennie and Trevor's place, I met one of her roommates and her other roommate's mom, Diane. Jennie was really nice and allowed me to sleep in her bed while I was there.
I was clothless the following day, since my luggage had yet to arrive. I was told that if that happens, then the airline will pay you back up to $100 (keep your receipts!), so Diane and I went shopping at the local Island Wear shop in Kailua (the sleepy beach town Jennie lived in). I got a really cute white sun dress, some nice shoes and tons of toiletries totaling $100. After that shopping bonanza, Diane and I were hung out while I waited for Jennie to get home to take me to pick up my rental car. The rental car people forced a sweet Honda Accord with a sunroof down my throat, but after some maneuvering, I got used to it.
Early the next morning, Diane (who had just arrived 1 night earlier) woke up early, as did I at 5:30AM. We both decided that since jetlag got the best of us, we might as well make the most of it and watch the sunrise. You can see me bikini clad above, but it was the most perfect temperature I'd ever experienced. The water was warm and there was a breeze. After a few moments on the beach, Milo, the chocolate lab arrived and started playing with coconuts. Read below...

Milo the Coconut-eating Chocolate Lab

Five Minute Blog Entry:
I got here just a day after the heavy rains, so it's still a bit cool and there are some sunshine showers every once in a while. I thought that I might miss out on photo ops, since my camera equipment is on my luggage. So for today, we do a Luau at the Polynesian Center.

Anyways, got up to watch the sunrise this morning with Diane, my friend's mom, and we met little Milo, the coconut eating chocolate lab. Here's a YouTube video of him: http://youtube.com/results?search_query=milo+and+the+coconut

Enjoy!

Miami 2007 (Includes Pix of My Tattoos)

Going to Miami this weekend was the first of two vacations I'm taking this Fall. One was to Miami (this past weekend) to see my mom graduate from Le Cordon Bleu, a culinary arts school in Miami and the second will be to Hawaii in November.

While in Miami, I hung out with my friend, Michelle, on South Beach. I've known Michelle since the 9th grade. We did a whole spa day: got a spa pedicure, manicures, and uh, oh yeah, I got a tattoo while on South Beach....

Tattoos

That's "Jina" in Japanese, created by my friend, Sachi. The bottom character is the same character used in "Na" or "Nara" which is the prefecture where I lived in Japan. It's sooo unlike me to get something like a tattoo, but 2008 will definitely be a different year for me: A year of change.

Hawaii Here I come!

Me, in Japan, dressed up as a Hawaiian girl for the Halloween party.

Well, I had orginally planned to visit Japan in November, but my best friend, Michelle, couldn't come with me because she just started a new job. Sooo, those plans will be put on ice until next Spring. Perhaps for the REAL Sakura season?

Well, I had thought about going to Hawaii in the Spring of this year, but I could never get it together and once again I was hoping for a friend to join me. This time around, I just said that I was going to do it! I have friends there and it's an English-speaking destination (to me a REAL vacation doesn't include having to think to hard to buy a glass of water in another language -- Japanese ok, but any other, ummm now). Sooo, the most exotic English-speaking beach destination was Hawaii! Found a SUPER cheap plane ticket and planning to go in November!

I guess it's back on the gym for me.

Promoted!

Jemelyn, Dara (the deputy director that had faith enough in me to get me this job) me and her friend, Beth outside of the Bulgarian Embassy in Washington, DC this Spring.

As of today, September 3rd, 2007, I am now the Training Specialist of the Public Diplomacy Training Division at the State Department's Foreign Service Institute (a mouthful, right?).

What's changed? Before that, I was the program assistant supporting the Public Affairs Officer and Information Officer courses. Now, as the Training Specialist, I'll be developing workshops on the use of Public Diplomacy and technology, coordinating regional media training overseas, coordinating the migration of all online writing courses and continuing to work on the division newsletter. I'm really excited about it because I get to work on a variety of projects and pace myself on getting the job done. I'll keep you updated on how I'm doing.

Dara, the deputy director, was really sweet and gave me a bouquet of flowers to celebrate my promotion. She has really been mentoring me over the last year and I truly appreciate her believing in my potential within the Department.

Bianca Sukiyama in Color

What do you think? Cover art for The Adventures of Bianca Sukiyama by the Amazing Amanda Gomes. My partner in crime. Please pray that we'll get picked up by a comic book publisher after I publish my own book!

Life Happens

Angelina Jolie is doing what I hope to do one day: Save the World! Photo Courtesy of http://www.tattoo-house.ru/

Now that I'm 27, I have a whole new set of things to worry about. It's still, "What college am I going to?" I am finding that not only am I concerned about what college I will go to for grad school, but I am worrying about what career path I'll take.

I've often described myself as a jack of all trades, but the ace of none. In the past, this has allowed me to do anything, but now I find that it simply makes it harder for me to choose my future career and life path. I still love all things international, but I'm finding that I have a talent for communications such as newsletters, writing web content and other PR related things. Then there's my favorite genre of writing: fiction.

I won't know where I'll end up until the end of next year. I guess I'm just going to put things out there like grad apps and take adult ed classes and whatever comes back, I'll pick up and go in that direction. Life happens. Long gone are the days when I control my own destiny, now I am waiting for life to happen to me. It's much easier to "flow like water" as my friend, Carlos, would say. That way I won't get in my own way and I can adapt in whatever environment I end up in....

I have spent most of my summer contemplating my next move in life. Some of the things I'm planning for 2008 are:

- to enter grad school and get my master's in Communications, International Development or Creative Writing.

- start my REAL career

- get my personal life in order

- Help save the world!

... by voting for Obama!

- Release my book, "The Adventures of Bianca Sukiyama"


Lately, I've been asked where I want to be in a few years. I've been encouraged to join the Foreign Service (I plan to take the test in December). I can think of a few people who are doing the things that I would hope to be my legacy. Here's a few people that are doing exactly what I'd like to do:

- Angelina Jolie (see photo above) - Ok, so Angelina didn't exactly start her career as a very responsible person, but I am amazed at how passionate she is about everything she does. That's something to be admired. She works with the UN. She adopts children. She has an idea about how SHE might be able to change the world and she's doing it. Who cares about her personal life! This woman is doing things that only she can do with her celebrity. I respect that.

- Oprah Winfrey - Oprah for President is all I have to say. I can't think of anyone that is more positive than Oprah. I can't even imagine America or the world without benefiting from Oprah in some way, shape or form. I just can't say anymore except go to www.oprah.com .

- Mothers Like My Mom - Of course, I aspire to be a mother one day and all I can think of is my mother and how balanced of a mother she's been. I love my dad too and without him, I wouldn't have that balance. But when I have my first child, I want my mother to be there every step of the way. She's an amazing woman and it's no wonder my friends all love her and respect her. I want to be a mother just like her. Classy, classy woman!

Sightseeing in San Antonio

Gina, Violeta and Amanda.

Outside of the Alamo. Gorgeous flowers were everywhere in San Antonio!

















The Alamo

Letter from the Alamo. They really thought that they were going to make it out of there alive. The story goes that these people held themselves up in the Alamo to stave off the Mexican army. During that time in the 1800s, the Mexicans owned much of Texas. While this multinational group of soldiers were killed in the end, a messenger got to allied forces elsewhere in Texas for a call to action. "Remember the Alamo" is what those allied soliders thought of as they crushed the Mexican army and made the Mexican general sign a treaty to hand over all of Texas. For 10 years, Texas was it's own Republic, until they joined the Confederacy at the beginnings of the Civil War.

The entrance to Mi Tiera, a restaurant we ate at for brunch on the way to the Mercado. Sort of unique, right?

Me waiting for my cake in a LONG line of people at Mi Tiera. I LOVE those flowers. Everytime I saw them, I thought of Rivera's (famous Mexican painter) paintings.















We had some guys come up and sing Guantamera for us (for a small fee of $6). It was so beautiful. We had some really good brunch there for a very good price. I'd definitely recommend going to that restaurant. The pastries were fabulous. I'm still savoring my big slice of tres leches cake.







Mi Tiera pastry shop. I LOVED the decorations. After leaving the restaurant we went to the Mercado which was right behind the restaurant. Amanda and I kept seeing these paper streamers in the restaurants in there and we loved it! I also saw some other cute things, like these little color ceramic cats and lots of Rivera-inspired prints. I ended up buying some souvenirs for my roommates and a beautiful colorful blanket. I REALLY enjoyed my last day there. It was so relaxing.

Wedding Year Continues... in San Antonio

Near River Center as we listened to this Peruvian band.

So, as you all know, I have been invited to and/or went to so many weddings in the last year. At any given time, I had 3-4 wedding invites sitting on my desk. This time, it was Arsema and Teddy (Dominican Republic) and Violeta and Michael (San Antonio) on the same day, June 23rd. Violeta's wedding won out, because I've known her longer, the trip was affordable and it's in a place I had never been before.

I arrived in San Antonio on Friday morning and met up with Violeta (the bride), Erin (Noxon) and Amanda (Gomes) to some pretty mild weather. It was unusually rainy that weekend and cooled it off. We rented a car with GPS, because none of us were familiar with the city and we didn't want to waste too much time trying to figure things out with a map.

First pix at the airport.

Later Friday night, we went to dinner with Vio's new family to this nice restaurant that had female Mariachi singers, apparently the only All-female Mariachi band in the city. Of COURSE, I totally forgot my camera.

After that, I finally got settled into the motel to wait for Cheryan to come in from Canada at around midnight. Apparently, when there's lots of rain, the crickets come out. Ooooh, they came out all right and they came out into my room! I was terrified. The weird thing was that NO ONE else in the motel had that experience, so it was like I brought the plague with me or something, because the motel manager switched me into another room and I had the same problem, but not as bad. Weird!

Anyways, Saturday was the big wedding day, but us girls went to breakfast with her family at this very nice and very cheap Mexican restaurant for breakfast. After that, we went to the Famous RiverWalk for some good old sightseeing and some lunch. See pix...

River Walk in San Antonio

Cheryan, Amanda (Center), Mommy-to-be, Erin (far right) waiting to take the River Walk boat tour.

Saint Antonio

After doing a little sightseeing, we were ready to get down to the business of helping Violeta get her wedding on! The wedding started at 7PM and it was held at the Koehler House. It was a very beautiful house with beautiful chandeliers, a winding staircase and beautiful landscaping.

Violeta with her father.

The blushing bride, Violeta Garza, with her new husband. Cultural Connections factoid: Violeta is Mexican American and Michael is Dutch American. If you'll remember Celia and Ken's wedding, she is 1/2 Indian and Spanish and Ken is Japanese.

The Return of Bianca Sukiyama

Ok, so Bianca Sukiyama is coming back. I am VERY excited to announce that I am working on my final draft for a collection of short stories most of which will revolve around the character Bianca Sukiyama of the "The Adventures of Bianca Sukiyama" series. I had originally written this story back in my freshman year of college as one short story, but when I moved to Japan, I decided to fill in the blank with a series of stories. The stories were illustrated by my friend, Amanda Gomes, and I hope to continue to use her illustrations in the new book.

I am planning to self-publish the latest in these "Adventures" and hope to put it out there mostly at online book sellers. My collection of poems, "The Internal Music Series" will be published at a later date. I figured that this was just the time to make all of this happen.

I hope to have good news about the progress of my manuscript sometime in August. In the meantime, continue to read my blog!

The 48 Hour Film Project

The 48 Hour Film Project is a film festival that comes to various cities around the world. Teams have 48 hours to produce a film from scratch to submit in a film festival in the host city. I joined a team in the 48 Hour Film Project. I wanted to join the team as a scriptwriter, however, the producer had already found a writer. Instead I joined the crew in various ways. The experience was amazing and I'm totally inspired to write more.

On the set of "The Reposed."

The producer, Marianna Lafollete, fixing the mic to actress.

All of the leaders of the films premiering at AFI theater in our group.

The Fam

I love my boys, Ty and Devin! My dad and stepmom went to Germany to pick them up for the summer. I went to South Carolina to see them the first weekend they got back. We went to Chuck E. Cheese for Devin's birthday.

Our First BBQ Together

The roommates and I decided to have our first BBQ of the year.

Lindsay's brother, Shane, at the BBQ.

Fiona and Jemelyn.