Hawaii: Best/Worst #2

The Best Part about Hawaii: The Weather 

Maybe I've been here too long. Am i delusional to believe that Hawaii has the best weather? Im convinced of it. Part of the reason: I've lived and been abused by the weather in these places....

Texas (USA): Hot and Humid
Montana (USA): Cold, layers upon layers of Snow
The Netherlands (Europe): Cold..can be freezing
The Philippines (Asia): Rainy, Hot and Humid
California (USA): Exception here...its moist and Hot, but weather is not consistent.



So what makes Hawaii the best? 2 words: Stability and Unchanging. Temperatures do not fluctuate drastically throughout the year. On average, the temperatures remain between the mid-70s and the 80s. Every morning before I open all windows and curtains in my studio, i know i can expect two things: a little rain or a beautiful day. The latter of the two wins all the time. And when the curtain opens, a stunning ora of sunshine beams into this domicile. Its a heaven for me and its like this almost everyday.

I know I sound insane for thinking so much of the weather, but when you have fallen victim to harsh conditions like unbearable humidity or painfully cold nights, good weather is not too be taken lightly. Now it does rain here sometimes but compared to other places, rainfall in Hawaii is slow and light, and does not tend to pour. Also, the rain in Hawaii does not continuously fall for hours and days, as in other regions of the world.
I would say the only thing to be cautious about is Hurricanes. Hurricane season in Hawaii runs from the months of June through November. However, hurricanes do not hit the state often, as the islands are in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
 


The Worst Part about Hawaii: The cockroaches.

Im convinced that if Hawaii had a state mascot, it would be the roach. These little bug are prevalent everywhere. Big lesson i learned while living here, clean your dishes. Seriously, late at night thats when the roach army will come out and if you have dirty dishes in the sink, you're bound to see about 20 of them, big and small eating off your unwashed plates.

I am the Cockroach assassin of my house. I've developed a couple different ways on how to get rid of them. Let me share..

1. Spray-um: This usually the easy choice, although Raid can be both stinky and toxic. An easier remedy? Splash Hot Water on the roach. It will instantly die, and the leftover residue is just water. And no, not all sprays will kill a cockroach. You know you've tried air freshener, hairspray or WD40.... That just makes the roaches smell good, look good, and have less squeaks.

2. Flush-um: Its the PG version of killing... Less violent, less gory, and really effective. The only drawback about flushing these guys has is that it wastes water. If you can time it correctly maybe you can only kill roaches when you need to go bathroom.

3. Whack-um: Rubbah Slippah time! The locals here bust out the Kamaboko's when it comes to getting rid of roaches. Ever seen a local person kill a roach with a slipper? They go nuts. Usually, the force used is about 20 to 30 times more than is typically needed. But of course, if you've ever tried to kill one of those B52 bombers you know they are very strong. I caught one in my fist one time and the buggah actually bench pressed my hand open (true story). Jus' geev um when it comes to the slippah treatment, and stomp 'um till you hear the satisfying >pop!<

4. Eat-um: This method is rarely used on purpose. Ever looked closely at your platelunch and thought "I didn't order anything with legs?" It happens, and it's probably happened to you more times than you know.






So next time one of these cockroaches makes an appearance at your home, you'll know that if you see one, there are probably 47,525 of his closest relatives lurking behind the walls waiting to avenge him. You mess with him, you mess with his whole family. Enjoy roach hunting!

Book Review #2: Life of Pi

Life of Pi
by Yann Martel

"It is pointless to say that this or that night was the worst of my life. I have so many bad nights to choose from that I've made none the champion."

When a book keeps you up at night, prevents you from sleeping because you need to know what happens in the next chapter, the author did their job. They telling you a story that captivates your imagination and now you wanna ride the wave the whole way through. Thats how I felt reading Life of Pi.
Life of Pi is a magical reading experience, an endless blue expanse of storytelling about adventure, survival, and ultimately, faith. There are 2 parts to this novel. The first is the introduction of the protagonist, a 16-year-old Pi Patel who struggles with finding what religion is right for him. After a harrowing shipwreck, Pi finds himself adrift in the Pacific Ocean, trapped on a 26-foot lifeboat with a wounded zebra, a spotted hyena, a seasick orangutan, and a 450-pound Bengal tiger.Pi recounts the harrowing journey as the days blur together, elegantly cataloging the endless passage of time and his struggles to survive. This book will take you on a roller coaster and you wont see the ending coming.

(Want a free copy of this book? I have one to give away. Be the first to mention it in the comments and I'll send you a free copy)

Predisposed to liking Hamburgers

Due to my half American-ness and half Asian-ness, I've been exposed to different varieties of food growing up. But if there's one class of food that I consider my "default dish", its burgers. I feel this meal is not understood by many people outside of the US. My Japanese friend eats it with a fork and knife. Another friend of mine from China doesn't know how to hold one. I never considered it a big deal to know how to hold a burger till I met people who literally had the hardest time trying to keep all the condiments and vegetables from falling out. "Burger Holding" is a skill i have taken for granted. I've gotten a kick out of teaching people the sandwich and burger holding recently.

 Yesterday the craving came into play and I treated a friend to a burger place called Burgers on the edge, on Kapahulu Ave. One of the best in Honolulu, great burgers with so much flavor. You have the option of building your own burger with a plethora of options or you can order from their signature favorites. The meat they use is Kobe style wagyu beef, I usually go with this one. Maybe best part is their sweet potato fries, its a good swap from eating normal fries all the time. If you are ever in Hawaii, you have to stop by this place and recommend the King Arthur.

One King Arthur burger and another with Avocado (healthier) burger, sweet potato fries

The weather lately, light rain

Thank you Craigslist!

I came to Hawaii with a suitcase full of clothes and i plan on leaving the same way as well. During my stay here I bought a TV, some dumbbells and other things I needed for my studio apartment. Now I cant take all this stuff back with me, so what's the only logical thing to do?.. Craigslist. I cant beneficial Craigslist has been the past couple of weeks. Remember garage sales? (sellers put an ad in the paper, then on saturday they put all their stuff out in front of the house and neighbors and people come by to buy a shirt for 25 cents) I think people still to that today. Point is, if Garage sales were a McDonald's, Craigslist would be the drive-thru. Anything you want to sell, you place online WITH A PICTURE. It drives me nuts when people do pst photos of what they are trying to sell. How do you expect to sell something if you dont show us what the product is? So once you have your item posted, people will start to blow up your phone with texts, some negotiating with the prices and some willing to give you exactly what you ask for. It so simple and fast. Sure, ive met my fair share of weirdoes and people who were suspect, but the majority were customary.

Here are the Items ive sold so far:

Bought it for $400, sold it with a stand and DVD player, i felt like i broke even.

I utilized these the most 

Seriously, this was a steal. All those games, the PS3 Move, it hurts to go on.

    



Now the only big purchase left that i need to sell:

This bike has been all though the west side of Oahu. I know the next owner will enjoy this bike.

Hawaii: Best/Worst #1

Im going to be leaving Hawaii soon, and i want to comprise a list of the moments i've enjoyed about Hawaii and the ones i don't care much for but have been entertaining anyway.

The Best part about Hawaii: The Aloha Spirit.

I came to Hawaii in the beginning of this Year (2012). Spring classes for University started 5 days after i landed in Hawaii and i was able to enroll just in time, one of them being a Religion class that i needed. During the second week of Spring quarter (still fresh from the Mainland), the class was separated in groups and we were to answer a simple question, "What is the culture here in Hawaii?". My group comprised of Me, a guy who just got stepped off the plane from California, a filipino woman who was a little obnoxious, and a hawaiian guy who expression seemed like he would rather be anywhere but class. So after the initial awkwardness of not knowing each other, Jen the filipina spoke up and said Hawaii is about people and family and blah blah...her train of thought was going nowhere. She kept repeating the phrase "ya know what i mean", sort of like she was pressing her opinion on us, seeking for a head nod. In my mind i was thinking, "no, i have no clue what you mean". The whole time the Hawaiian guy kept silent. Next it was my turn to give my opinion, but i quickly let it be known that I didn't have a clue, partly because I didnt want to embaress my self like Jen just did and also i want to quickly hear what the Hawaiian guy had to say. So i turned to him and asked him what he thought. He smirked and said, "If you are good (or respect) the land, the land will be good to you". I'll never forget those words. It was my first real understanding of the place I had just arrived at. Thats exactly what this place is. Its about the land, the people who live here and the people before it. All the street signs are names of famous kings and queens from the past, you cant escape it. The color, the mountains, the smell, the slowness of pace.. These islands are separated from the rest of the world, and it feels like another universe. You are one with this island, cramped in yet spacious at the same time. The water is almost a teal color and the waves penetrate the "memory" part of your brain, so you'll never forget that sound it makes. The locals are quiet, observant and out spoken when they want to be. They communicate by "talking story" with one another, trying to get by another day, spirits high. The culture is gentle and colorful, the spirit beautiful. I know i will take a part of it with me when i leave.




The Worst part about Hawaii: The Tourists

After living here a while, you start to understand. Its no secret that a large part of Hawaii's economy depends on the amount of tourists and the revenue they bring in. But its hard going into Waikiki. I understand why locals dislike going to that part of the Island, unless they work there, or there's a festival along the streets. Tourists don't respect Hawaii. It's probably not their fault, they have no clue (or care to know) what this place is about. I live in Makiki, which is half a mile from Waikiki so ive seen it all. Ive seen the shoppers: from name brands to cheap tourists gifts, waikiki has it all. Then theres the partiers: ... bachelorette party where theres always one drunk chic who cant hold her liquor. Of just the group of friends who just "vacation" around the bars. The Tanners: people at the beach all day. The dirty business men...etc. Ill stop there, but you get the point. Im not saying all tourists are like this because there are some who go outside of the "city" and learn about the history, immerse themselves in the culture, go on hikes, see the scenery..but its not common. Dont get me wrong, I dont hate or even dislike tourists (I am one sometimes), but i can empathize with how to locals feel about tourists coming here which has forced part of Hawaii to become a commercialized amusement park.

Japanese for DInner and Malasadas

Im not sure if it was the Japanese Book review that i did earlier but for some reason i was wanting Japanese food for dinner. Anyways i called up one of my friends who lives by UH Manoa and we decided to go to Sunrise Restaurant. My friend had been there before and she said it was a family owned business. She wasn't kidding either cause right when we walked it, it looked like someones's living room. But the beauty of it right? It felt like we were somewhere other than Hawaii. Somewhere in Okinawa, a small village outside of the big city. We shared and ordered Ox Tail, Mixed Sushi platter and Yakisoba.

Yokisoba

Mixed Sushi

Ox Tail Soup

Leonard's Bakery

After leaving Sunrise we both weren't quite full yet so we headed over to Leonard's Bakery. Now if you ever visit Hawaii (Oahu, Waikiki area) there are two places in which you much try. One is Rainbow Drive-in where they serve some great Hawaiian food, and the other is Leonards bakery where you order the award winning Malasadas. What is a Malasada? A malasada (or malassada, from Portuguese "mal-assada" = "light-roasted") is a Portuguese confection, made of egg-sized balls of yeast dough that are deep-fried in oil and coated with granulated sugar. Ridiculously delicious and they're filled with custard. We got three; original custard, flavor of the month and one Li Hing flavored.

All in all it was a good night. My friend did fall hard off her bike at one point on our way to Sunrise but luckily nothing severe.

Malasada Me

Malasadas, Yum

Movie Review: Ted

Before I decide on watching a movie in the theaters, i go online and look up the rating of the movie i want to see on Rotten Tomatoes. The commercials for Seth MacFarlane's movie Ted was hysterical. I thought, "A movie with a drunk obnoxious bear?" Im in, plus MacFarlane, creator of Family Guy can do no wrong right? On Rotten Tomatoes there are two types of opinions, one is the opinions of the movie experts, the "critics". The second is the opinion of the people, the "fans". Critics gave it 68% while the fans gave it 84%. Usually these two percentages are fairly close, but this was a huge gap.

So i called up my friend and we went and saw it. The movie did not disappoint, it was one the funniest movies ive seen in a long time. Ted is raunchy and funny but it's also surprisingly sweet natured. Theres points int he movie when you forget your watching a Rated R movie. The Party scene with Flash..haha, im laughing just thinking about it. My friend who is Chinese, her first language isn't English but she loved it. The crazy gags deliver laughs, but even crazier is, by the end, how much affection one feels for this most unconventional family. Credit to Wahlberg, he brought the Teddy to live. MacFarlane is known for his "flashbacks" in Family Guy and he incorporates those same tricks with ease in this movie. Easy recommendation, if you enjoy comedy you wont be disappointed.

USA Basketball

One thing im excited about the summer for is the Olympics in London. All the different sports are intriguing but only a couple stand out for me; Basketball, Track and field, swimming. Basketball is at the forefront. The NBA is coming of off a dramatic season with the Miami Heat led by Lebron James and Dwayne Wade winning the Championship, against Kevin Durant and Russell Westbook of the Oklahoma City Thunder. And if that wasn't interesting enough, we get to watch the NBA's best (Kobe, Melo, Chris Paul) compete for the Gold. In my opinion the only competition this team has is against Spain (Gasol brothers) and Argentina (Ginobli). Im really hoping for some good international competition but if USA can beat those two teams, the American National Anthem will be playing during the award ceremony. Tell me what you think?

Book reviews and Giveways

This is the first week of book reviews. I will review either one or two books. You the reader of this blog have to opportunity to own this book, as i will send 1 copy out. All you have to do is comment on this blog and the first person that mentions they would like to read it, I will send them a free copy. Remember I only have one copy so it will go to the first person.

The first book is the 47 Ronin Story by John Allyn: 47 Ronin Story is the classic Japanese story of Lord Asano of Ako and one of the bloodiest vendettas in Japan's feudal history. In a shocking clash between the warriors and the merchant class of seventeenth century Japan, there emerged the most unlikely set of heroes--the forty-seven ronin, or ex-samurai, of Ako.

Japanese culture interests me. From the current culture to the old. Im convinced it was instilled in me growing up. Lets see.. watching Teenage mutant Ninja Turtles and the Japanese cartoon Dragonball. About half of the Asian families i knew had swords in their house for decoration. My favorite video games like Street Fighter all showcased Karate moves. So the interest in the culture has always been there. This book 47Ronin is a fun read. Its exciting, daring and lovely. It has everything you want in a Samurai story; fighting, loyalty, geishas, drunk japanese men, revenge and redemption. The Samurai is an impressive example of men who refuse to compromise their honor or integrity at any cost. BTW: Rumors are they're making a movie out of this book and Keanu Reeves plays the protagonist.

Day 1 with 1st Podcast

Welcome to this blog. My name is Sean and i would like to start of by saying thank you for reading this. I want get into the world of blogging and podcasting. This will be my second attempt at this. My first attempt at blogging, which was last year, went exactly like i thought it would; I was enthusiastic about doing a podcast and blog but soon lost interest. I lost all motivation and after one year, so here I am again back at it. One thing ive always enjoyed doing is listening to podcasts, and ive always wanted to try it myself. Its been an itch in my life thats needs scratching. The only thing is im not quite sure if i have what it takes to successful in it. All i know is i like to talk and i hope the the things that come out of my mouth are interesting enough for people to actually listen to. I have alot of questions and doubts about it. Things like "Why are you wasting your time?", "This dream will never amount to anything", "What will you even talk about?" I guess i somehow let this doubts stop me the first time i attempted this. At this point, the feeling of me doing a podcast so so strong, i need to find out if its for me. So here it goes, i hope you enjoy.

Here is the first podcast :) It covers the what this podcast will be about. A little about me and what i hope to accomplish with the blog. (pls be patient while i find out how not to make it something you download but a track with a play button on it)

Click here --> SeanPod1.mp3