graduate

 December 17, 2010

BYU-Hawaii

Me & 2 siblings

My dad and mom cried a lot because they're so proud. :) Three of us graduated all at the same time. It felt weird finishing up finals...then actually sitting in a cap n gown at commencement. But it was fun. And fun is good. I feel good.

Off to graduate!

Look mom!

Stylish

yahhh trick yah

dancing in the kitchen...

is normal. here's my new freestyle video i posted on youtube:



oh and when i graduate in 11 days, i will practice and learn and study and create more of these. like, real ones.

Laie Temple Open House

My first time going through a temple open house. I went with some family...It was so amazing and I felt so comfortable in there. The detailing and decor was beautiful.

When the temple is re-dedicated next week, we will have the house of the Lord here again, just a few minutes away. It is such a special place...

The second time I went to the Laie temple open house, I went with my friend Elvis :)

And the third time I went with my family again...the little kids are so cute. Especially Kili as she kept perfectly quiet in the temple and pointed at all the paintings, stained glass windows, and pictures of Jesus. :)

So now we're all anxiously waiting for the Prophet, Thomas S. Monson, to come and re-dedicate our temple in exactly one week. So exciting and wonderful! :)

Learn more here about why we have temples, and here for details of the Laie temple.

a true warrior

what if i were as sturdy a person as a warrior...
fearless, valiant, proud.

there's a story from the book of mormon that has always inspired me to be brave. the story of the 2,000 stripling warriors. "stripling" meaning "adolescent youth". boys. sons. ammonites willing to fight in place of their fathers to defend their people and freedom. though young and outnumbered in war, every single one of these boys survived even after injuries from battle. they were faithful and fearless because they knew their duty to stand up for what's right... and that was motivation enough to be their best and to be selfless.

please read Alma 53:18-21. especially verse 20. and this is why i decided to write this blog. because of the inspiration and power of verse 20.

"And they were all young men, and they were exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength and activity; but behold, this was not all—they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted."

not only did they have the physical strength and fearless mentality to be great warriors, but they were TRUE - to themselves, to God, to everyone - no matter where or when. end of discussion.

and this reminds me of my little brother. he spoke a lot about these boys and their example. he tried to live like them...physically, mentally and spiritually. in fact, all my brothers and sister have been amazing examples to me - being real modern stripling warriors - standing up for what they believe in and being true.

so...what if i were as sturdy a person as a true warrior? let me re-word this scripture to describe the person i'd like to become:

And she is a young woman, Kuulei is exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength and activity; but behold, this is not all-she is a woman who is true at all times in whatsoever thing she is entrusted.

i'm so grateful for my family. beyond grateful. i love love love them. and i love the scriptures.

listening to

the new Kings of Leon album...

Click on the picture to go to their site and buy the album for only 7.99! :D That's what I DID!

i really love it. groovy. 

sing super loud smile super big dance around kine of enjoyment.

ps. it just so happens that my blog is named after another great album of theirs "Aha Shake Heartbreak". it just stuck with me.

Aloha 'Oe (Elder) Nehoa Akina

Hana, Nehoa, me: his mission farewell on Sunday. He spoke so well and lots of people came to support him. Great day. We'll miss him but I'm so excited for his 2 year church mission in Montana. :)

This is my note to him, written by Kiani on our mirror. "I'm not afraid to take a stand, everybody come take my hand" (Eminem lyrics) one of our favorite songs. See...Eminem is uplifting and truthful.

After the long day of cooking for the neighborhood that Nehoa invited to our house for his farewell.

Us girls with Nehoa at the airport. Seemed like he was just going on a little trip-coming back soon. But I won't see him for 2 years.

So i'm sure I'll have updates from his mission later. A lot will happen while he's gone...

Tomorrow as he enters the Missionary Training Center, begins day 1.

michael jordan

ok don't be too overwhelmed by my fascination with jordan. but i really do love him. he taught me a lot when i was younger just by how hard he worked and what he was able to overcome and accomplish. being raised in a sports-run family, i took the principles of the game and applied them in my life. it's great stuff :)

so for class i had to write a paper on a sports hero i have. here's the result...

It has got to be the most overused statement of all time, the ultimate cliché, yet believable in any case: Michael Jordan is my hero. There is no other professional athlete who has influenced and inspired me as much as the one and only. I pondered on whom I could choose to be my hero, my sports idol. There are many wonderful, hard-working athletes out there, however, Jordan has sprung the biggest basketball transformation in sports history.  The 1980s and 1990s saw the “greatest basketball player of all time”.

Honestly, when I was young watching the Chicago Bulls play on TV, I had no idea how amazing it truly was when Jordan would swish the fade-away jump shot or when he floated in the air, reversing the ball under the basket. In fact, I was only 2 years old in 1989 during his most famous moment, which has been named “The Shot” – the game winning field goal with 3 seconds left against the Cleveland Cavaliers. I did not experience most of his great winning streaks or his multiple Most Valuable Player awards. Yet I remember wishing that in every limousine I saw, he was riding in the back. I remember watching him in the mid-90s, marking my face with a red Chicago Bulls marker and paying close attention to the television. He led his team to victory again and again, and I knew he was a special person.

          

     Even at such a young age, I appreciated Jordan’s soaring skills. (Although it did help being raised in a very athletic family with my dad as a dedicated basketball coach and five intensely trained brothers.) Michael Jordan was quick and powerful. He had an edge on every other player on the court. His offensive game was explosive and memorable to say the least, but he also dominated defensively. Overall, he is the most decorated basketball player of all time with five regular-season MVPs, six Finals MVPs, and three All-Star MVPs. Additionally, he is a six-time NBA champion, two-time Olympic gold medalist, back-to-back slam dunk contest champion, and more.

I remember taking note on his low stance as a defender. I remember his clutch follow through on every shot. I remember his style and spunk, playing with such intensity. There’s something else I remember about Jordan but this time it has nothing to do with physical talent. He was incredibly strong mentally. Even though there was an unbearable amount of pressure on him, he had the capability to complete his game with nothing but the greatest effort. His mentality was to be a challenge to the opponent as well as a challenge to himself. He gave every game his every bit of energy and still kept a sense of humility. I admire him for being such a devoted, passionate, creative, optimistic, and influential basketball player. 

  

He was truthfully in my mind in junior high school and the excitement carried into high school as I played sports. 

Even now, I will always remember the heroic “Air Jordan” being an outstanding example to me, making me push myself in practice. He encouraged me to envision someone better, someone higher, someone smarter, someone I could work towards and become. As my hero, he still encourages me to challenge myself in everything I do, developing invincible characteristics.

"My attitude is that if you push me towards something that you think is a weakness, then I will turn that perceived weakness into a strength." -MJ

party time halloween!

i love halloween because i think of parties with fun costumes and creative food :)

like how i want to make all these treats this year...

pumpkin quesadillas. omg. hahaha cool.

of course. classic. i love this.

mummy cupcakes! easy and....cute?

creepy brew! i love halloween drinks! and i love the idea of adding gummy candies to soda/lemonade/juice. especially the swamp theme here

cheese bats! so awesommmmm!

come to my party!

i'm dreaming of life

found this photographer on flickr...his travels are beautiful and now, he's in europe.

i'm loving the colors and the light fixture and the door opening to this view.

this is a dream life. standing at the edge of that balcony, wearing a long flowing dress, soaking in all the colors and the wet air.

last semester

it's my last semester of college. just to give an idea of how busy i am, here's my hectic schedule:

sports and culture (where i learn about all sports and how awesome they are and how they make people so strong and smart and beautiful)

american sign language (i'm so happy so happy to be learning a new language and i'm so happy)

eternal marriage (religion class learning about how to make marriages last for forever!)

video production (online. watch videos and make videos.)

ok so now you know that i am not actually complaining about my classes. i love them all. i'm so smart for fixing my schedule so i'll have an amazing last semester.

but really i'm still stressing with work and all the work on top of that. and knowing that i'm supposed to figure out what i do "post-grad", "when i grow up", "with my life"..and so on. ok stop trying to scare me already cus i'm sure life will be just the same. exactly. the same.

golf fan?

my 4 year old nephew is a huge golf fan. he's super smart and very skilled. he is very excited to introduce his new youtube page :) i helped with the video. and while working with him, it shocks me how clever this guy is.

i want to watch

i've spent the last hour reading and clicking around about indie films and upcoming movies and great actors. i just really want to see Blue Valentine when it comes out in December! and the French film Heartbreaker, which seems to have already come out but I can't find it playing or on DVD anywhere....HELP.

That's all i've learned today.

ok i just watched Broken English. loved it for its reality. no romanticized drama or fairy tales.

pandora my friend

i can't sleep. the bed does not call my name. this does not make me feel golden during the day.

maybe it's pandora's fault. my radio friend has been playing the past 3 hours. ugh keeping me up dancing and singing. insomniac much?

underwater hotel? yes please. my favorite idea. maybe i would sleep. uhh i take that back. i might be too fascinated by the ocean.

speaking of the ocean, my (3 yr old) niece and I watched Little Mermaid together. the other day we went to the golf course. she dove.... stomach to the grass...and says, "I am a mermaid" in a lovely, mature, singing voice. like no one could hear her. just...reminding herself that she is a mermaid as she looks back at her feet (fins).

Friday Freestyling

dance episode in my kitchen

i know i'm crazy but i like to dance in my kitchen. this is episode 3:

my horoscope?

So I got bored and I like to read things that supposedly knows exactly who I am and what I will be doing in the future..haha.
But actually, today's horoscope is kinda cool/funny because it's what I was going to blog about anyways!
I'll be graduating from BYUH in 4 months or so...ok so it's 128 days! I've been looking at different options for my life, trying to keep in mind that I CAN achieve my dreams - that I can end up doing something I love and enjoy.

Presenting today's horoscope:

"No matter how busy you are now, it's crucial to set aside a block of time where you can sit and dream about the possibilities ahead or freely talk about your hopes for the next phase of your life with a close friend. The Moon's current visit to your 11th House of Long-Term Goals takes your mind off the everyday noise of your job. Give yourself a break; instead of worrying about tomorrow or next week, extend your vision much further into the future."

I just got off the phone with a dear friend of mine. Her name is Nina. She's married with two children and has been a huge inspiration to me.
She had a dream about me.....?? Wow horoscopes and dreams? She just assured me that I have a lot of potential and she thinks I'm special :) She gave me advice about my job and about future plans.
I am so grateful for my friends and family who are so thoughtful of me. I have a lot of loved ones who are far from me and I miss them and think about them often.
I just want to visit everyone wherever they are and help them, serve them, give back love that they have shown me.

Today's special picture: the coin we received from the President at BYU-Hawaii.
The other side of the coin says "Enter to Learn, Go Forth to Serve"
This side shows the Laie Temple and a "meaning" of A-L-O-H-A.
Atonement - Love - Obedience - HA (breath of life)

hi. i'm updating my blog.

i like sunsets.

6 weeks of shaking

i'm not lost. i'm not confused. i'm not desperate for answers.

seriously life is great.
i'm just waiting. i'm progressing day by day, crossing duties of my list, learning, living in excitement, living easily, looking forward to family time and road trips.
if you asked me a month or two ago, i would have said...

"holding on to patience wearing thin"
yes, this has to be what i've been waiting for.
yes, i have to pursue this happiness i feel.
but wait, oh great.
no, i really don't know what to do, what i want.
no, this can't be happening to me.

i think all my emotions were getting shook like a snow globe
then i watched them fall as i stood still.

then i realized it's ok to feel sad and intent. but only for 60 seconds.
then i realized everything i was missing in those 60 seconds:
laughter, hope, family, talent, friends, ocean breeze, sleep.

so i got back up and filled my heart with hope and love. i smiled. and counted every blessing. i only got so far before i broke down in tears for being so selfish, failing to acknowledge these miracles before.

so on to better things!

my dancing episodes!

I'm starting a YouTube page with my crazy free-dancing! haha! Go to YouTube, subscribe and enjoy the spontaneous fun...here's episode #1!! :) hahahah

23

Got up at 6:30am and went to Waimea Bay to relax (yes, before the sun came out). Hana and Nehoa came with me :) So it was cloudy and cold but it honestly is nice just being there alone, enjoying the silence and scenery. So we laid down on the towel cuddled together with the umbrella over our heads.

Once it cleared up a little, we decided to take a walk. By the time we got to the other side of the beach, it started POURING. ahhhh great! You know what's funny, though. When it's raining, the beach becomes really calm and crystal clear. The drops falling on the top just seem to turn it into ice or something. It's really pretty.

Well, the sun finally came out and I went swimmmmin! I was the only one in the water! Well...there was a turtle. And an old man doing laps. And I'm sure many fishes and nasty creatures under my feet. But I love them all.

Pretty rainbow. Gonna be a great day! It already is!

Skipping the daytime...going straight to dinner. Everyone was waiting for me at home. The girls decided it was a princess party and didn't tell me! They're so adorable I want one of them.
We danced to Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus and other radio Disney characters. We danced til they dropped.

My favorite (and only) present. Kihei made me a CD of his cool songs and picked me flowers. He loves me. :)
That was my fun-family-filled birthday! Happy 23!

my theme song

This is what I think of myself.

Dance. Dance. Dance.
by Lykke Li

Having troubles telling how I feel
But I can dance, dance and dance
Couldn't possibly tell you how I mean
But I can dance, dance, dance So when I trip on my feet
Look at the beat
The words are, written in the sand
When I'm shaking my hips
Look for the swing
The words are, written in the air
Dance
I was a dancer all along
Dance, dance, dance Words can never make up for what you do
Easy conversations, there's no such thing
No I'm shy, shy, shy
My hips they lie 'cause in reality I'm shy, shy, shy
But when I trip on my feet
Look at the ground
The words are, written in the dust
When I'm shaking my hips Look for the swing
The words are written in the air
Dance
I was a dancer all along
Dance, dance, dance
Words can never make up for what you do
Dance, dance, dance

click on the picture to go to her site!!!!!
you can get a free download of a cover she did of "will you still love me tomorrow"!!!!
<3

i just bought new books!

I just pre-ordered some books and got a third one just so i have free shipping.. haha

SO EXCITED FOR MOCKINGJAY!!!! (3rd/final book of the Hunger Games)

Just saw an ad for this book and thought it looked interesting. Actually, they compared it to Royal Tenenbaums, one of my favorite movies. So...I gotta read it!

This is the third book I got so I could get free shipping. Seems inspiring. Should be a good summer read...I'm actually not much of a reader. I like it though and I want to be better.

dance concert!

I just realized I haven't blogged about my dance concert! It's what I worked so hard for...it happened one night...and then it was all over...and i miss it.

I danced in the intro piece, a contemporary/jazz, hip-hop, lyrical, another hip-hop/breakdance (this one I choreographed), hawaiian hula, another hip-hop, a turkish dance, chinese fan dance, bollywood, another contemporary, and the finale. 12 all together. best thing i've ever done.

Yes, there's a lot of pictures.

My lovely teacher, Nina..Mahalo.