My Birthday :D

Born: April 6, 1987

I was refreshed from the weekend's LDS General Conference, but Mondays are usually the hardest days to get through. Especially since it was my birthday, I was way more anxious to get done with school and work. Actually, I had 2 finals on my birthday and a horrible work meeting. :( But I was, of course, cheerful and excited for another day to celebrate.

My friends took me out to dinner...awesome. We ended up at a place called Shabu Shabu House, A japanese restaurant...good grinds!! Seriously one of my fav places now! haha!

They give you a big plate of meat and veggies and you cook it right in front of you in some hot water. Then you eat right outta pot with some sauces and rice! Mmmmmm...

The people there were so nice...we stayed well over their closing time and they just had fun waiting for us. I just liked it a lot. That's all. :)

And here we all are...Christy, Gavin, Jenni, Kuulei, Lei, Nancy, & Saxon...
And we went to Dave & Busters for dessert...raspberry cheescake...

I decided that since my birthday was on a Monday, it just means I get to celebrate all week! So, there are definitely more pictures coming because I still got more parties! :) No joke..

from beginning to end

fast post.
thursday.
woke up on time (unusual) even before my alarm went off
parents being spontaneous, took me and sister to hukilau cafe for breakfast :D
late to class, took notes on how my lifestyle should not have to change according to my wealth
ate free pizza at work
late to class (haha), shared to the class the myth of the sleeping boy at kahana bay
boss called me into office to tell me i have been reaching his expectations
boss filled out paperwork for a niiice raise :D
happily went home
with family talking story
crashed for a few hours
culture night practice
hung out with good friends
filmed for a video i'm making
"vula" gas station
listened to music, cruised the web
about to fall asleeep.....

i'd have to say a great day from beginning to end.

Therapy

There's nothing like a bright, beautiful morning,
breathing in the salty, thick air
and feeling the tingles of the crashing waves
through my body.

Once again, I found myself in need of relaxation.
My heart needed to be revived.
So I went to a place I love - POUNDERS BEACH.
And did something I love - TAKE PHOTOS.

^One of the first few pictures happens to be my favorite.
Sunrise, today.

I love the sand
and walking in the sand barefoot.
And I love the way the water
looks on the sand as it pulls back to the ocean.

These crabs are invisible
until you sit down and focus.
Then you can see the tiny creatures
shuffling, digging, creeping.
A whole colony.

I tried catching that gleam of orange light
on the top of the water.

Once again, I feel the need to rejoice
and express my gratitude.
I live in such a great place
that never seizes to amaze me.
Pounders beach is so awesome!

A Great Example

I love my daddy.

Charity

"And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understanding all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have no charity, I am nothing." 1 Corinthians 13:2 (italics and bold added)

I have been thinking a lot about how I can be a better person. The idea of charity has been pressing my mind for some time now. I absolutely love that word and everything it stands for. Charity is pure love. A love that is so hard for me to imagine, yet you know what? "It is the love that Christ has for the children of men and that the children of men should have for one another. It is the highest, noblest, and strongest kind of love and the most joyous to the soul." (lds.org Topic Definition)

LOVE is more than a feeling. Love is an action. An action of service and hoping for better in the world. If we believe that we can make a difference and we can give hope to anyone in need (and hope in ourselves) then we can love...and serve.

"Wherefore, there must be faith; and if there must be faith there must also be hope; and if there must be hope there must also be charity." Moroni 10:20

At BYU-Hawaii I'm working on a project with several other students. It's called @RTIMOS Productions. It is a music/dance concert held on campus. The purpose is to create a space of peace and cultural understanding, and to teach principles of leadership through the performances of BYUH students. Our next concert coming up in March is focusing on service. Our theme is: Soul, Heart, and Hands.
It's that progression of finding it within our souls to see other people and love them. We will put that love from our heart into action as we truly serve others.
(Visit our website at artimos.org and watch our past productions!)

"Be the change you want to see in the world." -Gandhi

"Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another." Romans 14:19

No matter where we are from, or where we are at the moment, or who we think we are, we can all help each other and share our love.

This is how I will grow to be a better person.

Who am I?

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." -Martin Luther King Jr.

Jollyday Season

Being busy with school and work distracted me from realizing the rhyme and reason to the season. A few things stood out this Christmas that made everything more special and helped me remember what Christmas is all about.
I think the first thing was that when I talked to my brother Kaihe on the phone, he said "bye! Merry Christmas!" I was like woah! Ok! Ok! :D
Also, I watched a great movie that has now become one of my favorites. It's called Joyeux Noel. It's about Christmas time in 1914 on the WWI battlefield. I highly recommend watching it! Christmas time or not, it's a great movie.
And for the most intersting thing...3 Japanese kids stayed with us for 10 days to enjoy Christmas with us. They're names are Ryo, Go, and Hiroko. Ohh my gosh they were sooo funny! It was so fun to have them here! They barely spoke any english but we still found ways to communicate. We taught them english words and they taught us Japanese words. A lot of inventive sign language was used too. I was really excited to hang out with them. I guess I just really wanted to have a big impact on them and I wanted them to have a good experience.

My nephews and nieces really liked them too. They all had a lot of fun together. My two oldest nephews wrote a long list of Japanese words so they could try to speak to them. But, as crazy as they are, they would sometimes ramble off thinking that Ryo, Go, and Hiro could understand. That wouldn't work out so well. Hiro (11) is funny - he would say "ah, yes" and repeat whatever you said. He did not know english. Ryo and Go (13) are the oldest ones and they knew a little more.
They toured around the island with the group they came with, but most of the time they stayed with us and we took them to different places. They really liked "shaving ice" and the fireknife dancing and they also really liked playing cards. They went Christmas caroling with us - the only song they knew in English was We Wish You a Merry Christmas. We sang that a lot in the past few days. :)


Christmas Eve was kinda weird because Mom and Dad didn't do any shopping so they had to go on Christmas Eve. So at home it was only Me, my little sister and brother with the 3 Japanese kids. I made Char Siu chicken and we had our little meal around the table. It was nice. Then finally everyone came home and we had a party and played games.

So I realized I'm still a little kid and I still get excited Christmas morning. I was the first to wake up (at 8:30) and I danced around the house while waking everyone up. I was just anxious to have Christmas with the Japanese boys, and also to see what my mom and dad thought of the gifts I got them..

I'm just grateful because I realized that Christmas is about sharing and loving. But the love is not measured by the price tag of gifts. It is the giving of gifts that is most enjoyable as you see the happiness that you have shared. This Christmas, my family was able to share our Aloha with three youngs boys from Japan who all really grew to love us too.
As the Christmas season comes to an end, I keep reminding myself that these feelings of love and gratitude do not end. I can continue to share whatever I have to make others happy and to fulful their needs.

So Christmas was interesting and different than usual, but that's what makes it all memorable. Aloha to all, and to all a great year!