Kimi's encounter

this story is too cool not to post. ahhh. this is not the first time i've wished our technology was so advanced that we could take photos with our eyes. i would have loved to see this experience.

email from kimi:

I just wanted to write to you guys to share an experience I had yesterday in the water. It was utterly amazing, and so different from what I expected. I caught no fish yesterday and was kind of sad about that since my ego wants to be reassured that I'm on top of my game. Also I have so much to do, that even though I know I HAVE to dive, I kept feeling like it was a waste of a day because I have to do get so much work done for the festival this weekend.

But one thing made it all worth it.

I totally flirted with and almost fell inlove w/ a Tiger shark.

It was seriously one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.

We were doing some blue water diving (deep water, cant' see/touch bottom). The boat just dropped me an Trav off and the other divers were still suiting up. We were by Kaena point, and the water was crystal clear.

I did a drop, just for the sake of diving deep and practicing, and when I was ascending I looked at Trav and he was pointing at something. I knew it wasn't an ono, because he wasn't sprinting w/ his gun.

I looked over and saw this huge mass just emerging up vertically towards the surface. I had no idea what it was but it moved so gracefully. I'm used to sharks making sharp short turns, and moving somewhat mechanically.

But this one just flowed w/ absolute grace until it finally hit the surface and turned broadside. I realized then it was the biggest tiger shark I had ever seen. I felt myself instinctually gravitate closer to Travis, but all I could think was "Wow!"

It was beautiful! I felt like I was in the best episode ever of Nat Geo. The water was so clear, that you could every detail of her(?) as she slowly drifted closer to us. Her fin broke the surface, and her colors and stripes were completely lit up. She was practically sparkling in the sun!
I just felt the urge to want to move closer to her. I wanted to just see how close I could get because she was so beautiful and big. Trav lifted the butt of his gun in the air (a sign for the boat to come pick us up)

And then I realized that we had to go. Because the boat was far, and if anything were to happen, we'd be screwed. Or if the other divers jumped in the water further down, and shot a fish, it would only take a couple of seconds for them to maybe have a very scary experience. So I raised my butt of my gun too, and felt a little scared an vulnerable, not knowing if the boat man was even paying attention.

But mainly, I just couldn't take my eyes off of her, and I was so awe struck by her beauty.
I heard the boat coming, and I just wanted the moment to last longer, but before we knew it, we looked up to see our crew checking on us. Trav said "you get on the boat first" and I looked back in her direction and she was gone.

But I feel so lucky to have seen that. I just wish it could've lasted longer.

The funny thing is that I'm afraid of sharks! Even the little ones (really little ones sometimes). Though you learn not to panic, they still just freak me out.

But this one drew me in, and I always thought if I saw a tiger that big, I'd crap my wetsuit. But it was probably the most magical moment I ever had while diving.

DOLPHINS!!!!

The first time I swam with dolphins I was about 6 yrs old. It was with my sister and it wasn't really swimming, more just floating as we held on to the side of the boat.

My dad owned at 13 ft Boston Whaler that he'd take us out on anytime he got the chance. On that particular day, my dad, mom, Kimi, and I all piled into that little boat, and headed out to the Lighthouse Islands, a favorite fishing spot. On our way out, we saw a large school of dolphins running with the boat, and Kimi and I excitedly shouted that we wanted to swim with them. My dad raced the boat up ahead, and told us to quickly put on our masks and jump in the water. He positioned us perfectly, and Kimi and I hopped in and held on to the side of the boat watching the dolphins as they passed through us.

It's a memory that always sticks out in my head as one of my favorite ocean memories. I swear I made eye contact with some of those dolphins and that they even smiled at me. And I can still remember with vivid detail, the look of Kimi's smiling face in her bright pink mask and the sound of the dolphins. I can also remember and our own sounds of excitement as we squealed in delight and tried our best to imitate the dolphins.

I'd be curious to know if Kimi has the same memory of this event as I do...

Anyways, fast forward to yesterday.

Ahhhh, big fat dopey smile, hand claps, sighs, jumping up and down, and more squeals of excitement.

Yesterday was pure bliss.

Yesterday is another one of those moments that will be forever ingrained in my memories.

Yesterday, Erik took me out to his dolphin spot to swim and take pictures and it was sooooooo much fun.

Whether I'm 6 years old or 30 years old, there is something about dolphins that has me giddy and excited past the point of any composure. That has me so happy I drool.

The night before, excited and hopeful, I continually turned to Erik and said "Ohhh, I really hope we see them! Do you think we will? We will won't we?? Please tell me we will. I really really really want to see them!!!"

He cautioned me about not being too expectant and gave me a quick lecture about the fact that I shouldn't have the attitude of going out looking for something, but instead, should just take enjoyment out of the day and whatever it would bring. He might have even said something about the ocean being filled of so many things both big and small and to appreciate it all. But I can't say for sure, because I wasn't listening.

Instead, I waited till he was done talking (or quite possibly, cut him off mid sentence) and continued my conversation... "We'll see them, right? And Do you think they'll like me? I love dolphins. I hope they love me too. I hope they want to play with me and get close to me. Ohh, Erik, I hope they like me, they will won't they???"

He rolled his eyes, groaned and then ignored me.

The next morning came and I again stated over and over that I really hoped we would see them. Erik gave me that "don't get your hopes up too high" look, again reminding me that we'd see what we would see.

I felt nervous with expectation.

When we arrived at location, I crossed my fingers as I looked out toward the ocean. Within seconds my eyes made out the sight of dolphins swimming and jumping from shore. My heart immediately jumped into my throat. I hugged Erik, thanking him profusely, while he laughed at me and said "but we haven't even gotten in the water yet." I then shot him a look, stated "see, I knew we would see them!" and then nagged him to hurry up as I got my gear on as quickly as possible, and he readied everything.

I was frantic with happy excitement.

The swim out to the dolphin spot was about 200-300 yards and as soon as we got in the water, I took off quickly. Occasionally looking back to see where Erik was, but being too excited to slow down and swim at an easy pace. He warned me not to burn myself out, but I couldn't help it. It was impossible for me to slow down.

Funny thing is, that as much as I was rushing, we made it to the spot at the same time, him calm, me huffing and puffing. I reminded myself of one of those drivers that speeds in front of everyone only to be stuck at the same traffic light up ahead.

And then we were there.

And so were they.

And it was so so cool.

Before I knew it, I was in dolphin soup. The water was churning with dolphins podding up and swimming all around us everywhere. I first saw then from above and then watched as they came into view underwater. Instead of letting them surround me, I chased after them quickly, trying to keep up, and get as close to them as I could.

It was such an amazing experience. Tons and tons of dolphins all around me. Dolphins jumping, swimming, mating and playing with one another. At one point, swimming behind them, I even got pooped on, and yes, even that, as gross as it may sound, was completely wonderful to me.

As time when by and my legs burned from kicking so hard, I learned to copy Erik and calm myself down and allow the dolphins and come and go as they pleased, taking shots of them when I could. Which actually allowed me to get closer and get better shots.

In moments, I completely forgot about my camera, too mesmerized by their beauty and playful spirits. And just floated, slack jawed, in complete awe.

It was soooooooo much fun.

And that's all. I want to write more, but it will all the the same thing.

Cool. Awesome. Amazing. Wonderful. Fun. Beautiful. Cool (again), Etc. Etc.

Ahhh, I'm so happy though. Still giddy and drooling and feeling so lucky.

It's an experience I hope everyone can have. Maybe not dolphins, per say, but any experience that has one filled with pure excitement and joy.

Okay, enought of my rambling. Here are some pictures from the day:

(Erik with a dolphin jumping in the distance)

(photo by Erik)

dolphins mating (bow chica bow wow)

me and my new friends (photo by Erik)

me again (photo by Erik )

descent (photo by Erik)

look closely toward the top of this photo and you can see the dolphin pooping

hiiiii little guy!

more dolphins. ahhhh.

close up. hiiii! again

light reflections

topsy turvey

Such a fun fun day.

Woeful complainy blah blah blahing

I'm way behind in my blah blah blahs... in the past couple weeks I've gone to Maui and Kauai. I've taken pictures of things underwater, laughed with friends, had pranks played on me at work and eaten good food. All blah blah blah worthy.

One should, in my opinion, never under estimate the power of blah blah blahs... They may seem little and insignificant, but they are the moments that make up the details of our lives. Like grains of sand contributing to the beach. Drops of salt water contributing to the ocean. Like breaths of air that give us life.

So easily forgotten, but so much a part of the whole.

I want to remember the little things as much as the big things. I want to find the same pleasure in the quiet easily missed moments as I do in the loud "I'll never ever forget this" moments.

But I've been tired and unmotivated and my blog is being neglected. I'm losing inspiration and feeling mundane.

Last night I had to write a piece themed "in search of..." I was disappointed as it didn't come out very well. I sent it in anyway, but cringed hitting the button. It was a shame. My whole life seems to be one big in search of game. I thought the piece would come easily to me.

The thing is, I don't quite know how to find whatever it is I'm searching for even when it's a search to find what I'm in search of.

Huh?

I know.

Sometimes I lose myself too.

Today's woe- writing.

Yes, this is another blog about poor non-writing me. How many of these have I written so far?

The answer: too many.

If you don't like your current situation then change it.

Okay, but how?


One of my favorite writers, Jenn Hee, wrote this piece on her blog: http://www.chooseourownadventure.com/?p=473. I loved it. Loved losing and finding myself in it.

Like her, I miss writing the way I used to and I understand her sentiments about her blog. About how some things, as great as they were, just don't last forever, but still, you want to keep it going, and you try, but when a thing has run it's course, it's run it's course. Although, maybe Jenn wasn't really saying that, and it's just me sticking my stuff into someone else's words. Using her as an ally so that I don't sound so alone in my silliness.

Silly:

• cockamamie: ludicrous, foolish; "gave me a cockamamie reason for not going"; "wore a goofy hat"; "a silly idea"; "some wacky plan for selling more ...
• pathetic: inspiring scornful pity; "how silly an ardent and unsuccessful wooer can be especially if he is getting on in years"- Dashiell Hammett
• a word used for misbehaving children; "don't be a silly"

Is it cockamamie that I miss my myspace blog? Is it pathetic?

Wait. Don't answer that. I don't really want to know.

The misbehaving child in me, has to whine about it. I miss that old blog. My place for everything. My blah blah blahs, back when they weren't so focused in on actual blah blah blahs.

But really, more than that, I miss who I was when I had that blog and contributed to it on irregular whims. I miss waking up in the middle of the night with a sort of frenzy in my fingers needing to type out the things in my head. It didn't matter if what I wrote was good nor not, it just felt good to write.

My daily blah blah blahs, despite my beach and ocean analogy, are beginning to feel like exactly what they are. Blah blah blah.

We'll see though. I am moody, wishy washy and apt to change my mind a hundred times. I'm the girl who tries on 6 different outfits only to go back to the very first one.

Maybe I'll change this blog once again. Maybe it will be the Daily Blah blah blahs "and More." The "and more" could hold an infinite number of undefined possiblities.

Isn't it funny how two little words can make such a difference?

"I" is just me, but you follow it with two words and suddenly everything changes. It becomes a statement of one's being (I am tired). A promise of unconditional feeling (I love you). A knife with which to cut some one down with (I hate you). An ending (I am done.)

With two words we can change the world.

With 773 words we can create a longwinded complaining blog.

Ahhh words. Can you see why I love them so?

Commercial Sunday

Malia has a gift for finding fun and random opportunities. Earlier this week she emailed the girls about an opportunity to participate in a commercial for Tenkaippin Ramen. Although I'm usually a little camera shy, I couldn't help but jump at the opportunity. One, I really like Tenkaippin's ramen and two, I thought it would be really cool to be in a commercial with a bunch of my friends.

So on Sunday I met Malia, Hazel, Chessa, Min, Kim and Wisa down at the restaurant. There were four other girls there and one guy, and we ate ramen, fried rice and gyoza as we filmed the commercial and caught up on each other's weekends. It was quite fun. I'm both a little scared and very excited to see how the commercial comes out.

just your average ramen shop filled with tons of girls

cutie pies hazel and malia

the lovely ms. chessa and me

chessa and i filled hazel in on "shakerface"

mmm... ramen

the entire crew

my girls

Saturday fun

Saturday I woke up to the sticky hotness of the summer morning. Desperately needing cool off and avoid wasting the day away, I went for a short dive with Erik. I've been wanting to go out diving with him for a while now, as he's an amazing photographer (you can check out his stuff here: http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/esaav22 ) and I'm hoping that in time, some of his skills might rub off on me.

He lent me his camera and let me have a go. It was fun, but I can tell already that it's going to be a long while before I master the art of underwater photo-taking. Erik took me to a secret spot that often has whitetip reef sharks chilling in the shallow, but yesterday we were out of luck. We did, however, see some small creatures here and there which was fun. The underwater world has always been fascinating to me, and it was even more so with a camera in my hands. Also, for the first time, I wasn't afraid to get close up to an eel... sure it was a baby eel, but still, I was proud of myself. The photos below are nothing great, but hopefully with more practice I'll get the hang of it.

erik in action

specks of silver

shrimp

baby eel

Later in the day I went surfing with Laarni out at Cliffs. Summer is here, and that means waves in town as well as big crowds. Despite the crowd, it was a lot of fun, and a lot of exercise. I forgot my leash, so I got to practice both surfing and swimming.

After that, we got ready to head out to Boardriders Kailua to support Garrett, my sister's bf, and his band Potluck. It was a once in a ten year time event. Garrett and his friends used to rock out on a regular basis back in the day. Last night they did their first and last reunion show. Knowing Garrett as I know him (quiet and almost shy in moments) I couldn't imagine him as the lead singer of a once popular punkrock band. I kept saying to others "I'm so excited and curious to see this!"

My curiousity came to an end last night and I have to say, it was AWESOME. I was really really impressed. It makes me kind of sad that this was a one time event.

Also, it was eww worthy cute to see my sister swoon over her bf.

friends gathering to cheer on garrett... check out how laarni drinks her beer

potluck groupies

hazel with her potluck t-shirt from 1999 (she used to watch them back in the day)

Potluck (john, arie, garret and basil on the drums)

blurry rockstar garrett

his #1 adoring fan

And then we headed back over the Pali into town... it was all in all a great Saturday from start to finish.

back through the tunnel into town (photo by laarni)

Art After Dark, Shaker Face and Amos Lee

Friday, May 29

Went out to Art After Dark with the girls. I've been attending this event pretty consistently for the past couple months and really like it. I don't know why... it starts and ends too early, the cover is $10, the drink lines are long and the place gets hot, but still... every last Friday of the month, I find myself excited for AAD. To me it's just F-U-N.

art after dark peeps

my peeps @ art after dark

Earlier in the week Chessa told me about this blogsite she found called Shakerface... I don't have a link but my google search lead me to this site: http://www.e4.com/e4site/doitandwin/1fac374781f0c26e9ee148e43fe13a04/entry-terms.e4. Basically the idea is to relax your face and shake it side to side while a friend takes a picture. It leads to some pretty ridiculous and unflattering photos, but that's the whole purpose. It's all about the dorky fun. When Chessa sent me an email about it, I immediately got excited and promised to bring my camera out. You're actually not supposed to smile when you make your shakerface, but that was a near impossible feat for us.

chessa's shakerface

heidi's shakerface

malia's shakerface

laarni's shakerface

my shakerface

kim's funnyface

double shakerface w laarni and heidi

double shakerface with kim and malia s.

What's funny is that shakerface bears a striking resemblance to drunkface... the next time someone catches a bad drunk photo of me, I'm going to lie and say "I wasn't drunk, I was just doing my shakerface!"

And if that wasn't dorking it out enough, as we waited in line to grab our drinks, a framed opening caught our eye, so of course we had to strike our poses there as well...

me


laarni (doesn't she look like she's posing for her driver's license photo?)

heidi- aww such a cutie

a rambunctious looking chessa

At AAD they gave out free Honolulu Magazines.. when I saw the subject I found Heidi and made her take a photo for me. I wish I had gotten Kim in there as well.

we know where the good teachers are at!

After that we headed downtown to see one of my swoon-worthy musical artists, Amos Lee. He played at Next Door and while I love, love, love his stuff in my ipod or cd player, it wasn't as great at Next Door... He did a good job and was a nice live performer, but the mood was a bit too mellow and the venue didn't match. Laarni repeatedly whispered to me that it'd be the perfect concert if she were out on a grass lawn in a hammock and while I just gave her stink eye each time she said it and told her "shhh," deep down inside, I had to admit she was right.

Still though, it was fun for me.

the streets of downtown honolulu

a blurry amos lee

And that is all for now. I hope every one's weekends are off to a great start.

home on maui

i flew home to maui this past weekend (5/22-5/25) to visit the familia and help my dad celebrate his 62nd birthday.

for the past 4-5 years my dad has been working on his dream house.

a couple months ago he and my mom finally moved into it. it's a magnificent house and going home this time felt more like going to some fancy hotel rather than actually going home.

i'm really proud of my dad. he started off his business with nothing more than a wheelbarrow and a hand mixer but from there continued to build and build. both his business and his life.

he and my mom remind me of that "easy street" song http://www.imeem.com/shakilama/music/5rxHHuJN/hawaiian-reggae-easy-street/ if you've never heard it,click the link. it's a cute song.

one of the things i really admire about my parents is that no matter what the circumstance, or what our economic status has been, their focus has always been on having fun and making the most of whatever we have.

and truth be told as much as i love this new lavish house, the haiku house is still my favorite house that i've lived it. mostly because it hosts some of my fondest memories. from the chickens, cows, pet pig named muddy who later got turned into dinner (very sad story actually), and other farm animals, to the irrigation ditch behind our house that we used to play in and fish for crawdads and prawns... to fishing and diving weekly for food and picking fruit to sell to the juice companies. the haiku house was in my opinion, the perfect way to grow up.

i still remember as a little girl having to run and grab the pots everytime it would rain so that we could catch the drips. to this day, the sound of water hitting a tin roof is still one of my favorite sounds.

haiku house... a place where our early childhood memoires were born

but, that being said. the new house is really cool too. it's big and pretty and when i'm in it i feel rich, and it's a weird feeling. almost like i'm an imposter in someone else's house.

keokea house... just a slight upgrade

in addition to being all big and lavish, it's also got a farm feel to it which i absolutely love. we've got goats and sheep and lots of raw land that holds a lot of promise and potential. there's also deer, wild turkeys, pheasants and franklins.

it was so nice to wake up early every morning and breathe in the cool kula air as i drank my coffee, then run down to the pasture to feed the goats and sheep.

my herd

this is coco, she's my favorite of the bunch

my maui weekend went as follows... i arrived on friday night and hung out with my parents. the next day i played farm girl and then helped my mom prepare for my dad's birthday bbq. i invited tawny and sesa to come over. tawny is my dear friend i've known since the 3rd grade and sesa i've known since my sophomore year in high school. words cannot express the love i have for these girls. it was really nice to see them again.

both are amazing mothers, and tawny brought her girls (naia and ariel) and sesa brought her boys (nate and seth). the kids had a ball running around wreaking havoc. i had a ball watching them and enjoying their fresh young energy. it was cute to see tawny and sesa in their kids' features and personalities.

sesa, tawny and me

naia, seth, ariel-- such cuties

nate-dawg. so well behaved and polite

at one point i let the little one's have my camera and allowed them to take one "money shot" each.

ariel's "money shot"

seth's "money shot"


naia's "money shot"

while i hung with the kids and tawny and sesa, my dad and his friends cruised out on the lanai. it's fun to watch my parents with their friends. listening to the banter, teasing and smack talking made me think a lot of my own frienships and how i hope they'll continue strong until my 62nd birthday and beyond.

wooden chopstick candle

what could he possibly be wishing for? he's already got me as a daughter heh heh ;)

the next day i visited my friend faith and her boyfriend and cruised with them down to the stretch of beaches between maalaea and kihei. faith had to meet up with some friends, and i was feeling quiet, so i took a long walk down the beach and tried to get a good shot of sandcrabs... no luck but i did make friends with a starfish.

star fishy friend


the following day i had to fly out in the morning, so my dad and i woke up early to make a birdhouse. one of my mom's complaints about the house was about the birdshit on the lanai, so we tried to remedy the situation. i learned a few things about skill saws the hard way, as i got suckerpunched by a flying piece of wood, while my dad shook his head. after that incident i left the cutting to him and took to gluing, screwing and painting.

a house for birds. plan to decorate it more when i go back

and that was that. my maui blah blah blah's... mellow. fun. heartwarming.