I Have Returned!

Yes, I'm back! It's certainly been a while, hasn't it? Let me give you a brief recap of what's been going on...

From May 13th to the 23rd I was in California! Got to stay and have lots of fun with Paul and his wife Lee and his step-daughter, Connie; also got to meet Mark and his family along with meeting and staying with a lovely young Christian family. Did soooooo much that it's hard to know where to start... drove around Hollywood and saw such places like the Stars Walk of Fame, Graumann's Chinese Theatre, Bel-Air, Kodak Theater, Capitol Recording Company building, the Hollywood sign, Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive and some plush housing areas. Nope, didn't see anyone famous. :P Also visited the Getty Museum which was really cool; LOTS of famous art painting, drawings, manuscripts, and sculptures.

We not only visited the Los Angeles area but also looked around Palm Springs and Santa Barbara a bit as well as going down to San Diego. Went to several 'parks' like Universal Studios (WOOHOO!), Wild Animal Park, San Diego Zoo, and Sea World and also took a tour around "Old Town" of San Diego. Even got to go to Coronado Island where the famous Hotel Del Coronado is (the famous hotel where the movie Some Like It Hot starring Jack Lemmon, Marilyn Monroe, and Tony Curtis was filmed).

Basically, everywhere was fantastic and I could go on and on. :P My pictures are still in Naomi's computer so when I get them all transferred to my computer, I promise to put up pictures. ^_^

Just after we got back,. then my parents and Aunt Doreen arrived in Honolulu then on Friday we all flew to the Big Island for my Aunt Jean's wedding. It was a really beautiful wedding and both Naomi and I got to be bridesmaids. We got our hair and make-up done "professionally" which was really cool. :P Again, will promise to put up pictures. Most of the time was spent with the wedding 'party' including many of the relatives of both Aunt Jean and Reed.

This morning we visited a church pastored by the pastor who did the wedding ceremony. He was a really nice man; from New Zealand originally! It was a really nice service and we all loved being able to be in the service. We were able to get an earlier flight back to Honolulu so instead of around 7:30 or so we got back around 4:30. Sooo nice! :P

Most all of us took naps since we were pretty exhausted from the busy weekend. Had a nice relaxing Taco Bell take-out for dinner then watched Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. It was my parents and Naomi's first time to watch it! SUCH a good movie... simply hilarious and I can't get over how cool of a character Gromit is even though he's just a clay character!

Off to bed now; good'night to all! Will get pictures up as soon as I can! What pictures do you want to see exactly? Just to get an idea of what you want to see and what I should put up. ^_^

~ERIN'S GRADUATION!!!~

Gonna keep this short and mostly just post pictures of the highlight of the day... ERIN'S GRADUATION!! Many congratulations to Erin for graduating college! The ceremony was really great and so many people came to be present for this important event!

At the ceremony I was able to really 'meet' Erin's whole family which was really nice as they are such a fun family. :P A few other classmates I knew were also graduating; one of them (a different Maki from my roommate Maki) graduated with honors and was one of the group of students graduating with a 4.0!) Down below you'll see a picture of me with her and some other friends including Robin (Linda Fujikawa's husband, the guy in the wheelchair), Matt, Masami, and others. Oh, just a interesting 'fact' but there are 20 students chosen all across US community colleges who receive a special award in excellence... and one of the 20 students was selected from Kapi'olani Community College! You can imagine how proud everyone was to have such a student. ^_^

Doesn't Erin look 'weighed' down with all the leis? lol!

After the ceremony, about twenty of us altogether went to Old Spaghetti Factory to celebrate. We really had a fantastic time and had so much fun talking, laughing, and having good fellowship.

And now... tomorrow I'm off to California! I'm so excited about the trip though the downer is that I have to get up at 4:30 in the morning for out 7:30 flight... *sobs* I really hope I can sleep well on the plane. Paul will be at the airport to meet us and then on Sunday we're all going to Universal Studios! VERY excited about going there as you can imagine! Certainly a dream come true!

For 'the end', here's a picture of Erin and Tina fooling around. We had been teasing Erin about having to wear dark glasses at the ceremony because of her recent eye surgery so we got both her and Tina to wear sunglasses. You can see how 'cool' they are... lol!

So I'm off to Cali tomorrow; I'll try to post blogs but we'll see. ^_^

The Semester Is Over! A Whole College Year Gone By!

Can you believe it? One whole college year has come and gone by! I had my last two finals today and it feels so strange to not have any schoolwork to do. :P SUCH a nice feeling!

Erin went to pick up her mother, grandmother, and two aunts at the airport early in the morning so I walked to my 8:15 class. It wasn't really a final exam class since we didn't have any exam. Instead we just got together, we all handed in our final papers, and while Mr. Cassity taught us about the Iran-Contra affair, we got to eat ALL kinds of goodies. ^_^ There was cake, hopia doughnuts (plain and chocolate), fudge brownies, coffee, a few different kinds of poki, fruits, and more! Definitely got very stuffed during the 'class.'

Before heading home, I stopped by the campus bookstore to get the two books I'll be needing for my summer class. Yes, in case I hadn't mentioned this, I'll be taking a summer internet course; Hawaiian Studies 107. Sounds like it's going to be fun and hopefully not too difficult. :P

Anyway, walked home and around 11:30 or so, Erin, Naomi, and Mrs. Sato came back from Erin getting her eyes lasered!! That's right, Erin can now see perfectly without the use of glasses or contacts! She was really tired and of course went straight to bed. Her grandmother and two aunts were out shopping but Mrs. Sato had gone along so we were able to have a light lunch together at home. It's so good to see see her again! ^_^

It was study study study until around 2:30 when Maki and I had our final, final, FINAL exam! It was our Geography exam and thankfully, it wasn't too difficult even though it was a cumulative test of the whole semester. I know I made a few questions but I also know that I got the bonus question (everybody know where Nepal is?) :P

Got home and ran a few errands with Naomi. For dinner, Maki made chicken/tomato dish which was really good (we finished everything... lol!). Was able to chat with some people and here more 'reports' on how the renovation is going back home in Japan. Watched Sense and Sensibility and now writing my blog.

Still can't believe that I don't have any schoolwork to do! ^_^ Tomorrow's certainly going to be a big day, what with Erin's graduation and all. And on Saturday... Naomi and I are heading for sunny California! Yes, the two of us are going to go to Los Angeles and San Diego for about ten days. We'll be staying with my Paul and perhaps we'll get to see Mark, also (remember he was an exchange student at Yokohama University a while back?). Soooo excited to be going to California... HOLLYWOOD!!! I'm sooo excited about getting to be in Hollywood... I wonder if I'll get to see any movie stars... lol!

G'night to y'all! Thank you for all your prayers during my first year of college!

Only Two More Finals Left and Erin is FINISHED with her Schoolwork!!!

Ah, very late already but I have lots to mention today! ^_^

Woke up in the morning (naturally), and began work on my final draft for my final History 282 paper. Mostly did final research stuff to prepare. Around a little before 1:00, Naomi and I picked up some sushi for lunch then we both went to get haircuts! We have our 'regular hairdresser' named Monique who is sooo good at her job! She 'knows' our hair well so knows how to cut it just right. I actually didn't cut too much, around an inch trimmed off all over. Feels so 'light and layered' right now; just the way I like it. ^_^

Naomi and I stopped by this workplace for her to pick up some things and got to meet some of her clients/bosses (I don't really get it... :P). But anyway, the COOLEST thing about the trip was that in the private garage, there was a white Porshe Carrera!! I've never really gotten up close to a Porsche before so that was really cool. Didn't touch for fear to leave any prints; it was sooo purrrrrty!

Rest of the afternoon was spent writing up my History paper. Was veeery close to finishing but decided to start on my Japanese final paper.

At around 6:00, Naomi, Maki, and I went to the campus to see Erin's class presentation of their portfolio work over the semester. Of course I would have to say that Erin's work was by far the best among all the students' works. :P We saw a few familiar faces at the 'show' including Cameron, Christi, Brandon, and Tina who came to be Erin's 'suppor/fan club.' ^_^ (The girl in the picture with Erin and Naomi is Lisa, a good friend/classmate of Naomi's).

We left around 7:00 though Erin has to stay longer to receive other guests. Picked up Jack'n'theBox for dinner and after watching some tv, Erin came back and the four of us went to celebrate by going to eat ice cream at Bubbie's. The ice cream was delicious and I especially liked the waffle cone. Many congratulations to Erin who has finished all of her schoolwork!

Went home and Erin was nice enough to help me write up and FINISH my Japanese final paper! I'm sooo happy that it's done! Only have to finish my history paper then take the Geography final exam on Thursday. Oooh, can't wait until the semester is really over!


Off to bed; it's REALLY late now.... :P Till tomorrow!

A Day of Being Lazy But Still Got Things Done and Had Fun ^_^

Going to keep this brief since I need to be getting to bed. I slept in really late today (the latest since the beginning of the semester I think!) and had lunch instead of breakfast. :P I know, very bad but I guess I needed to sleep. Watched a little tv then did some studying for my History final exam which is on Monday. Wrote up my study guide which I'll be sharing with my classmates.

That was pretty much it for the afternoon besides doing a little writing though not very much. Around 5:45, the four of us went to the church for a special farewell-potluck for the Nebraska Christian College group which had been here for the past week. Was able to have good fellowship among the college students and other church members.

Got home pretty early since the group had to leave quickly to head for the airport. I was able to get a lot of pictures from back home in Japan! ^_^ Thanks so much Maria for all the pictures and videos! It was nice to see the church people, our wonderful guests, and the wonderful work they've been doing for our church! Many blessings to all!

Watched For Your Eyes Only which was very 'hisashiburi' ('has been a while). The Bond girl is in my opinion perhaps the most beautiful Bond girl in the whole series. Seriously, she's absolutely gorgeous!

Anyway, off to bed now, sorry this is short. I have a lot of pictures from the potluck but I'll put that up tomorrow. As Edward Murrow would say, "Good-night and good luck!" :P lol!

Last Day of Classes!

Going to keep this short since my computer is making odd noises... :P Today was the last day of classes! HURRAH! So wonderful though I'm going to miss some of my classes like the History classes and Theater class.

Had History class in the morning then studied with Nichelle a bit for our final next Monday. Then I went to Mr. Cassity's office to talk to him about my paper since I was having some trouble with it. A 'quick' visit turned into a 45 minute meeting (:P) but it was really good and nice to be able to talk to him one on one.

Went home, had lunch, then basically relaxed all afternoon in the living room, watching some tv and also doing my hobby project. It's coming along really nicely which I'm very proud of. ^_^

Erin prepared dinner which was very scrumptious then watched the second part of the House, M.D. two-parter. It was a cliffhanger ending which made me go "AHHHH!" so now I can't wait until next week's episode. :p American Idol was after that and happy to know that Elliot is still in the now Top 4! I have a feeling though that he's going to be leaving next week. Mou, and when he's the best of the bunch...

Was able to do some homework and prepare for my presentation which is this Friday. Now I'm off to bed. Tomorrow I'm babysitting Malia and Bella then as for the rest of the day I don't have anything planned. Wow, no more classes!!!! ^_^

Tomorrow I'll Be Having My Final Class for the Semester!

I'll make this another quick post which I hope you won't mind! Today I had the last of my Tuesday classes before our finals; hurrah!! First class was HIST 282 and it was confirmed that instead of a final exam, we're just going to meet together and have a party while we discuss the Iran-Contra Affair. lol, sounds like lots of fun. ^_^

Next was theater class and we watche four groups perform their scenes. Everyone did well, especially this one group who are just incredible. They chose a great scene and their acting was really good. Naturally they were the only ones I gave an A+ to. Class finished at 12:00 but we were all saying good-byes, making plans to meet over the weekend, and exchanging phone numbers so I didn't leave the campus until 12:30. I made such great friends in this theater class. ^_^

Went home for lunch then went back to campus for my Geography class. There were only perhaps 15 students attending today which was a bit 'sad' considering it was the last Geography class before the final next week. *shrug* Oh, well. We played a quiz game to help study for the final. Maki, Kaori, and I were one team and we were definitely the ones with the highest scores. Hurray for us!

Walked home with Maki and watched some tv. Ate dinner (Naomi prepared tonight) then watched tonight's episode of American Idol. Was a 'weird' episode with some good songs and some oddly 'not-so-great-songs.' It's down to five contestants now and we're all trying to figure out who's going to be going home next. :P Watched House, M.D. after that, the first part of a two-part episode. I'm all excited to watch the second part tomorrow night... :P

Going to bed fairly early again which is good. I have my last class of the semester tomorrow! AHHHHH!!! I just can't believe it! Incredible isn't it? Then just one more week of finals then I'm done!

'Penultimate' is Such an Interesting Word... (Just a Random Thought)

Walked to school in the morning for my 'penultimate' History 152 class (next to last class). :P It was a really fun and interesting class as we learned just how and why WWI began. History is soooo fascinating that I can't understand anyone who doesn't like history. So strange... Had a quiz which hopefully I got all correct. Just found out that our final for this class will be next Monday... at 7:45 in the morning! Whew... so early... in a way that's good I guess but I still wish I had a little more time in the morning to study... Oh well.

Came home and wrote up some papers which I needed to send out to my final presentation partners for Japanese 298 class. My computer was cooperating at the time which I'm thankful for. Everything's slow but at least I'm able to use Microsoft Word.

Picked Naomi and Maki up at noon then after having a nice lunch of ramen, Naomi and I went to Ala Moana to do some shopping. Had to go by Ward, too, to finally find what we were looking for. Got home just around 3:00 and I started on my History 282 FINAL quiz. ^_^ Yup, the final quiz which I'm sooo happy about. Hurrah! Of course, I'm having them again next semester when i take HIST 281... but I won't think about that now. :P

Today is Monday so it was my turn to make dinner. Decided to make German potatoes and maboudoufu which all turned out quite excellent if I do say so myself. ^_^ Seriously though, I'm just glad that everything was edible and that I didn't burn the kitchen down. :P

After dinner I finished up my quiz while getting to chat with some friends. Now it's off to bed; tomorrow I'll be having the last class for three of my classes... and then only one more class! Of course, then there's finals... but... I won't be thinking about them right now. ^_^ G'night, sleep tight!