Big Island Trip - Part IV

Sunday (continued).

Hilo Town, approximately 3pm.

The plan was to split from the geology crew and catch a bus from Hilo to Kona. So when I was dropped off at the "gas station" with a couple of others, I was caught by surprise as I learned that the last bus to Kona departed an hour ago. This left me with a big decision to make.

Big Island Trip - Part III

Sunday.

I actually had breakfast this morning. I traded a bread bun for one of Lucas' (our driver) Trail Bars. The topic of conversation was Alaska, which I think might actually be the next State I visit. We also talked a bit about Argentina, where Lucas is from.

"So, Argentina... that's near Spain, right?"

FAIL, JERRY.

Big Island Trip - Part II

Saturday.

We left the camp early, geared up for an adventure like no other. I didn't bother having breakfast, knowing that I had some bread in the boot of Badass Black. At around 9am we reached the lava flows at Kīlauea, where I met up again with the MIX group and retrieved the aforementioned bread. Dressed in long pants, hiking shoes and garden gloves, we donned our fluoro vests and stocked up on oranges and muesli bars. After a quick briefing from my instructor, we crossed the safety rope and entered Pele's domain.

Big Island Trip - Part I

Friday.

It was about midnight when I decided to close my eyes just for a little bit. In about six hours I would be on a flight to the Big Island with my friends. I’d be at the airport in five hours, and leaving Waikiki in four. That meant that I had to be ready in three. Unfortunately, because I did close my eyes - even for a second - I sealed my fate to wake up two minutes before our airport transfer was supposed to leave Waikiki. Having not washed the dishes, cleaned my room, or (most importantly) packed for the trip, I was in a mad rush to get ready and shove whatever clothes I could into my bag. There was one important thing that I could not go to Big Island without: T.K.

Mixed feelings

Aloha!


I'm currently experiencing a ton (notice that I avoided saying "heaps") of different and weird emotions that seem to be having somewhat of a negative impact on my studies. For example, I feel:


Relieved after completing the paper for Hawaiian Studies that I had left until, quite literally, the last minute.

[A bit too] relaxed about the assignment for Filipino that I was supposed to submit yesterday, but didn't.

Stressed about the poster draft due tomorrow for Geology, which I haven't thought about.

Unenthused by the class in which I am currently sitting.

And those are just my feelings about classes at the moment.

"Heaps"

Aloha!


There's a particular word in my vocabulary that foreigners seem to always react funnily to. I never considered it a funny word at all, and it probably isn't, but I guess it's somewhat endemic to the Australian language. It's a great word, one that I happily and very frequently use.

Job hunting

Aloha!


I need to figure out what to do after this semester ends. Since this is my final semester of undergraduate studies, I'll be graduating around May next year (assuming I don't fail two or more of my classes here). And then what? Honours? Master's? Master's of Education? I know for certain that if I do decide to continue studying (which I probably will) it will take place after at least a six-month hiatus. Because four years out of a minimum three was just too much.

Am I ever going to Heaven?

Aloha!


For a while I've been wanting (quite desperately) to climb up the Ha'iku Steps, also known as the Stairway To Heaven. Two weekends ago it was about to happen, but due to that week's abundance of rain it was postponed one week. Yesterday we had a very early start. Got home at about 12.30 or maybe 1am after watching Due Date, then headed to bed for an hour of sleep. Getting up would be difficult, I thought, so I put some Lost music on my iPod and set several alarms on it to ensure I wouldn't sleep through it.

Procrasting procrastination

Aloha!


I have a midterm tomorrow morning for Hawaiian Environmental Science, as well as some work to do for Filipino. I need, however, to do my laundry (i.e. procrastinate). And yet I find myself sitting on my bed, doing absolutely nothing productive, while my textbooks sit in my backpack and my dirty clothes rot in a pile in the corner. And on my chair. And on my bed.

PUMPKINS

Aloha!


On my way over to Boring 101 yesterday, after finally exchanging digits with GG101L Guy, I came across an army of carved pumpkins in the lobby of the Architecture Building. There were plenty of them - maybe 20 in total - but I left my memory card at home and could only take five photos using the built-in memory. These are my favourites:

Dins

Aloha!

This past week I have had the best home-cooked dinners of my entire stay in Hawai'i. Why? Because someone else cooked them. Of course I chipped in for the groceries, but oh my goodness it was JUST.SO.GOOD to not eat the same thing for dinner four nights in a row.

Silent night

Aloha!


It's quiet in Waikiki tonight. A little too quiet.

On a normal night, or day, or span of 60 minutes in Waikiki, a loud and familiar sound can be heard. It isn't the song of the bird that likes to come into my room when I leave the lanai door open, nor is it the sound of serious study being done (as if that's familiar to anybody). It is produced every time a cat is stuck in a tree, or a couple of clear stiletto-wearing damsels engage in a catfight. Every time a tubby American's arteries get clogged with grease from their third helping of a McDonald's triple-quarter pounder, you'll hear the loud and familiar sound.

Hula

Aloha!


This morning in my Hawaiian Studies class we learned a little about hula kahiko - the traditional hula dance. It was first performed by men for religious purposes - each movement told a story, may have had a hidden meaning, and was often accompanied by chants. Later on, women started to participate in hula dances. Nowadays the stereotypical image of hula is of a woman wearing a lei, a coconut bra and a grass skirt, strumming her ukelele and dancing with flowing movements on the beach with a palm tree in the background.

The Rock

Aloha!


It's been a week since I bought myself a MacBook Pro. I have christened it "The Rock" (with the help of My Swedish Friend) because, quite frankly, it rocks. I admit that I haven't fully explored the inner workings of The Rock, but am proud to say that I have taken it to school every day and actually sat down and studied on it. Absolutely nothing has gone wrong with it so far...

Hiking

Aloha!


This weekend has been exhausting. On Saturday morning I cycled over to the bottom of Lē'ahi (Diamond Head) for another Geology field trip. In reality I was only there to hopefully see GG101L Guy again, but unfortunately he wasn't there. Our task for this field trip was to map the coastline in terms of the different rock types present. It was basically another exercise in colouring-in (as if I don't get enough of that in my Filipino class - but I'm not complaining). Note to potential exchange students: bring at least five different coloured crayons from home, you never know when you'll need them.

Wall updates

The morning after the night before

Alowghvsdssa...


Put simply, I got smashed off my face last night. Not my proudest moment (and I won't go into details about it), but I did learn a valuable lesson from this experience, and that is to pay attention to emails as I receive them...

I'm adding this to my wall.

A hhuioefwh jhfioweh

A negative blanketed by positives

...is still a negative.

Aloha!


Unfortunately I didn't get this job that I really wanted and am perfectly suited for. Here's how it went down:

Along the Ala Wai

Aloha!


First things first - my computer is on its death bed. For the past week or two it has been making very loud noises (on top of the loud, vacuum cleaner-like noises it already makes) and has been running exceptionally sluggishly. My roommate has noticed the sound, too - he equates it to something of a heart attack; like my computer is telling me it can't take any more and wants it to end. I have on several occasions considered throwing it off my lanai or even dumping it into the canal. The latter was inspired by some of the crazy stuff I've seen in and around the Ala Wai canal.

I need coffee

...or just anything to keep me awake during class.


Aloha!


My uni friends back home would know that I tend to fall asleep a lot during lectures. I know I'm not the only person in the world who does so, but I wanted my time in Hawai`i to be well-spent and because I do tend to enjoy sleeping in general (my Kaua`i car buddies can attest to this), I would much prefer to use the times allocated to lectures actually learning something.

I don't know where to begin...

So I'll start with this: I'm okay - I made it home in one piece, and I'm sitting in my room with the air-con on full-blast as I type this.

Write on my Wall!

Literally...

Aloha!


Inspiration struck me last night as I stared blankly at my wall. And there's nothing more inspiring to stare blankly at than a blank wall - it's like a canvas, only without it my room would instead be an extension of the hallway of the floor on which I reside. Anyway, ever since I moved in I've been thinking of stuff to put up there and now I finally have an idea...

A perfect weekend

Aloha!


I don't know about you, but I had a pretty freaking amazing weekend. Here's how it went down:

You're Jeremy?

Yep, that's me.

Aloha!


Yesterday I mentioned briefly that I wasn't looking forward to getting my geology midterm results. I seriously did not expect to get 94% for it, but I'm pretty stoked about that! Maybe Hawaiian geology is my calling?

I love my Kumu. Part II

Aloha!


You might remember from a previous post that I have a pretty awesome Hawaiian Studies teacher. Today her awesomeness struck again.

I've never been good with maps...

Aloha!


I decided to study out on my lanai balcony this afternoon. A welcome change from my usual desk (and the occasional table at Starbucks), it was very much appropriate for me to wear my two days-old prescription sunnies.

A new world, a new word:

 Gnarly

[adj.] beyond the limits of 'radical' and 'extreme'; excessively good or bad.

Aloha!

Okay, so I haven't posted anything in about a week. Sorry. I have some really good reasons, though, such as my gnarly (excessively good) trip to the Garden Island (Kaua'i) over the weekend, followed by a gnarly (excessively bad) amount of homework that's been piling up and up to the point of can't-be-botheredness.

Walang internet!

Aloha!

I need to practice my Filipino as much as humanly possible because FIL101 is - without a doubt - my hardest subject this semester. I'm so glad I'm only doing 100-level classes because I often hear from my friends in the MIX, who are taking 200, 300 even 400-level classes, about how much work they need to do every night. Screw that, man, I'm in Hawai`i - I'm gonna take it easy as!

Now to address the title of this post. It is generally agreed upon that within the building in which I live, the internet connection sucks. It is about as unreliable as an unsecured wireless network, and almost as slow. Having said that, I was able to submit some homework for my Filipino class that involved uploading a recorded monologue for the teacher to listen to. Here's how it went down:

"Magandang hapon! Kumusta kayo klase? Ako si Jeremy. Malaihollo ang apelyido ko, Jerry ang palayaw ko. Galing ako sa eskuwela. O, sige, diyan ka na. Pupunta ako sa kaarawan partido ng kaibigan. Adyos!"

I had to record it several times because I kept stuffing up certain words and having to start over again. I hope what I submitted makes sense. Click here to see what Google Translate thinks I said. I just got off the phone with my mum. Both she and one of my work friends said that I should remove "partido" from the last sentence. Oh well, it's too late now. Looks like I failed again.

It's pretty late. I'm going to eat the chicken that I took from the party this afternoon. It's okay, I'm an international student.

A hui hou kakou!

Go you good thing!

...Said Jerry to the Aussie Dollar as it climbs into the pants of the US Dollar.

Aloha!


I got an email from UTS this arvo asking if I've taken any photos of T.K. since I've been on my trip. Short answer: yes. Long answer: nothing particularly exciting or creative at this stage. Although I will be spending the weekend in Kaua'i so I'll most definitely be taking T.K. along for a photo shoot. Here are some photos I've taken from my lanai:

Also, I have a new video update. This one's for Vanessa :)

A hui hou kakou!

Missing.

There are certain things from home that I'm starting to sorely miss. Here are four of them.

#4 - nutella. God, how I miss nutella. I came across a video on YouTube that made me quite depressed. It seems like only one or two stores on the island sell this chocolatey goodness, and both at ridiculous prices.






#3 - and I mentioned this in one of my earlier posts - Australian honey. The stuff they've got here is so not what I'm used to. I dunno, maybe every teaspoon of Hawaiian honey requires a tablespoon of sugar, but there's something not quite right about it. I particularly miss this right now because I'm feeling a little ill.

#2 - having a regular(ish) income. Not that I can't get a job here, but there's something weird about receiving a weekly allowance from myself. It's just not the same.

Last but not least...

I've been missing my dog a lot lately. I used to get annoyed whenever he barks at airplanes, strangers, and random stuff that only dogs can sense. But now, after only one month of being away, I've forgotten what his bark even sounds like. I got to see him when I Skyped my family a few weeks ago. Dad let him inside the house for a moment but he was reluctant to enter (usually he'd get scolded for it).

Well that's about it for now. I was mainly just here to take a break from my readings. I think I'll go have another pack of ramen before taking a couple more Panadol caplets and then resuming my study. It's been a quiet day so far and I haven't gone out at all, but maybe later I'll go for a walk to the store. And see if they've got nutella.

A hui hou kakou!

All aboard the Humbug Express!

Aloha!


In my two-hour break between classes yesterday I could have had a free lunch at the International Baptist Center as I usually do. Instead I bought yet another $5 footlong at Subway. I could have finished the homework that I was supposed to do for my Filipino class. Instead I did it at the very last minute and didn't even submit one part. So what stopped me from doing all of the above?

--Flashback--
I am on a quiet street, sitting on a tiny bike. No more training wheels. My dad is holding me up while I pedal and then suddenly he lets go. Why would he do that? Luckily a lot of practice and perseverance allowed me to remain upright for the seven or eight seconds of sheer terror. In those moments, it turns out, my dad ran across the street and fetched me a bunch of balloons that happened to just be sitting there - as if the balloon man wanted to congratulate me on my achievements.
--End flashback--

I've been thinking for a while about getting a bike. I haven't owned one since I was a kid, and even then they didn't belong to me. But I'm in Hawai`i, where it takes about 20 minutes to get almost anywhere by bike. Okay not literally, but you get the point. So anyway, Thursday was the big bike sale on campus. My awesome friend Ammi signed my name up after hers because I was in a class and couldn't do it myself. Here's how it went down:

1. Write your name on the list. I was #34 and there were a total of about 45 bikes.
2. Browse around for a bike you're interested in. I tended to look only at the blue ones. They ranged in price from $0 to about $50. Some were free for a reason.
3. Wait until your name gets called. It was a hot day and we were getting impatient. There were so many before us and we were becoming a little delusional from the heat and hunger, but by the time our names were called (in my case, "Jemmy") we were so excited that it didn't matter.
4. Shop for a bike with an experienced helper. Without hesitation I told my helper that I need a blue bike. There weren't many left. He showed me all the blue bikes they had and told me a little about them. There was a free bike whose derailers weren't working properly. We strolled up the aisle and eventually I found one that I really liked (although no kickstand).
5. Pay for bike. At this stage the heat and hunger pains were returning. The queue was long and moving slowly. I paid $30 for my bike and received some documents required to register my bike at some place I've already forgotten. Whatevs.

Introducing the Humbug Express! Why the name? Well, the brand is "Huffy" and I have a tendency to name things based on what they're already named (e.g. Lucius the Panasonic Lumix). In this case I was first considering "Huffington". Then "Hufflepuff". Then "Cedric Diggory". Then "Robert Pattinson". I settled on "Humbug Express" but I'm not too thrilled with this name at the moment. Your thoughts?

Anyway, now that I have a bike I need to buy some cool accessories to go with it. I already have some bad-ass paintball gloves to protect my delicate palms from its corroding handlebars. I'll probably get some bad-ass stickers to decorate it. And I'd probably want a helmet, too.

--Flashback--
I am cruising around the cul-de-sac on my brother's Jurassic Park (?) bike. There's nobody around, so I can be an idiot if I want to. I pop a wheelie, hands-free, and before I know it, I'm on the ground wondering what the heck just happened. I go back inside the house immediately, and pretend as though it never happened.
--End flashback--

Having not cycled (or done any form of physical activity) in years, I'm going to have to get used to all this pain on my thighs. Perhaps I'll go for a joy ride every morning, up and down the Ala Wai Canal - the first meeting place of my favourite Korean couple, Jin and Sun. Side note: I'm still hunting for Daniel Dae Kim.

A hui hou kakou!

How am I supposed to do my laundry...

...When a ridiculous percentage of the quarters in my wallet are State Quarters!?

Aloha!


Today at the vending machine, I specifically purchased a cinnamon roll costing $1.25 and paid with two $1 notes, so that I'd receive three 25c coins (quarters) in change. The stupid machine took my money and didn't spit any out.

Almost every machine that's coin operated here runs on quarters. That includes washing and drying machines. At The `Ōhia, washing and drying costs $1.25 and $0.75 respectively (which is why I'm still really peeved about that vending machine incident - the change could have paid for my drying). I ended up trading some notes for quarters at the store. Now technically I can afford to do two loads of washing and drying and still have enough coins for a soda. The problem, though, is that 60% of the quarters I own are State Quarters.

A regular quarter will depict, on the "tails" side, an eagle showing off its majestic wingspan. Between 1999-2009 the United States Mint was pumping out special quarters embossed with a certain design on the "tails" side, unique to each of the 50 States. I currently own 24% of the entire collection, and I choose not to spend them...

The elusive regular quarter-dollar

...Which means that after I do my washing, 100% of the quarters in my wallet will be State Quarters.

Okay, off to do my laundry!

A hui hou kakou!

Venting my spleen

Aloha!


A unanimous decision was made tonight. My friends told me I need to vent a bit of frustration that I have been keeping bottled up inside. And what a terribly effervescent piece of frustration to keep in such a loosely-lidded bottle - ask any of the aforementioned friends, I have been going on and on about this for days.

--Flashback--
I am at the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet with Yurika, one of my friends in the MIX. We are browsing through some t-shirts and I come across one that I really, really like. Faded grey camo. Perfect fit. And across the front of it is Hawai`i's state fish, the humuhumunukunukuapua'a.

--Flashback within a flashback--
It is the first class in Geology of the Hawaiian Islands. We receive handouts including the class syllabus, a diagram of the earth's layers, and an unofficial guide to pronunciation of Hawaiian words. The author of the guide promises, in the last few sentences of the paper, that even such a long word as "humuhumunukunukuapua'a" could simply roll off the tongue with practice. I commit this particular word to memory.
--End flashback within a flashback--

I stare at the shirt in awe. Here in front of me is a t-shirt that is perfect in so many ways. There is nothing cooler in the world, right now, than this fine piece of apparel. And at $3 per shirt (4 for $11 or 8 for $20), how could I resist? I'll tell you how - somewhere out here, in this seemingly endless chain of market stalls encircling the gigantic Aloha Stadium, I know for sure that I get a better deal. I decide to hide it underneath a stack of similar (but much less perfect) shirts just in case I need to come back for it. Yurika and I continue along from stall to stall and eventually share a huge and delicious lunch between us. We learn from the lunch lady that the stalls are pretty repetitive so there really isn't any point in going all the way around. As we make our way back to the same t-shirt stall I think to myself: "What other three shirts would I like to get for $11?" "Or eight shirts for $20?" However I return to the same spot to find that the one shirt I had fallen completely in love with had just disappeared. Frantically, I search the entire section for it, but without luck. Epic fail. I could try to find whoever now owned the shirt and then buy it from them. Or I could hunt them down and try to win it off them in a fight to the death. That shirt is mine - if I can't wear it, no one can.
--End flashback--

Yeah, so for the past few days I've been a bit bummed INSANELY TICKED OFF about this seemingly one-of-a-kind shirt. I can't find it anywhere else, and every time I do find something really similar it just isn't the same. What do I have to do to get my hands on it again? I have on at least two occasions walked into a store and asked, outright, "Do you have the humuhumunukunukuapua'a shirt in grey?" And I got really excited when I saw the last few syllables of the word on a kids' shirt, only to be let down by the drawing of a pig (pua'a) on it instead.

Seriously, I won't rest until I find this shirt again. I won't leave this island without it. And once I do get it, I won't even wear it. It's too perfect. I'll have it framed. And kept in a safe.

That's about it for today, I think I've gone on long enough. I had a great Labor Day weekend with friends but have reverted back to holiday mode. It is getting harder and harder to study as I make more friends and visit more places. There's one friend I'm about to visit right now:

Sleep.

Mahalo!

Definition of 'Lost'

[adj.] having gone astray or missed the way; bewildered as to place, direction, etc.

Aloha!

Yesterday I travelled to Oahu's North Shore for a day at the beach with friends. Click on the links for photos :)

We went to Waimea Bay. It was beautiful. I took Lucius for a swim and we saw schools of pipefish and sergeant major damselfish. People were jumping off the rocks but I was happy just following the humuhumunukunukuapua‘a (Hawaii’s state fish). The water was so clear. We took heaps of silly photos like this one, this one, and this one. Taking this photo of Angela made my ears hurt. Back on the beach I revisited my obsession with macro and action shots. It wasn’t long before I got back in the water to try and look as 'Lost' as possible. More silly underwater photos here, here, here and here. It was such an enjoyable day at such a picturesque location. We have to go back.

So that was my yesterday! Scroll up to the top of this page. Then look to the right-hand side. You'll notice that I am now counting down to my trip to Kaua'i! Twelve days, baby!

Mahalo!

It's okay. I'm an international student

a.k.a. "Cheap Week"

Wednesday night: BBQ @ The Ohia. Some of the MIXers and I were about to go for it but then didn't bother because the queue was as epic as the Kumulipo. Instead we had dinner at Chili's. Best idea ever. Upon return to The Ohia, however, the crowd at the poolside barbecue had dissipated, carving a clear and direct path between myself and the sizzling meats. Was I hungry? No. Was it free? Yes. Did I get myself a cheeseburger? No - I got myself a double cheeseburger! Did I eat it? Of course I didn't. I saved it for the next day.

It's okay. I'm an international student.

Thursday morning: breakfast. I learned from the previous day's mistake that I need to eat something before going to class. I didn't really have time, though, so when I peered into the refrigerator and saw a mound wrapped up in serviettes, the word "genius" immediately came to mind. Because I don't yet have a microwave, I ate it cold. But that's okay.

I'm an international student.

Thursday afternoon: lunch @ the International Baptist Church. This is a free weekly lunch for international students. The meals are truly filling, and the staff are incredibly nice. I almost feel like I'm taking advantage of them just by being there, but it's okay.

You get the point.

Yes, I've been living really cheaply this past week. And probably for the next couple of weeks too. I've been trying to save a couple of bucks here and there, sometimes eating $2.50 worth of a $5 Footlong at lunch and having the other $2.50 for dinner, or living off my stockpile of spam (and burning my finger whilst frying it). I think this rather stingy lifestyle will be advantageous in the long-run.

Oh, would you look at that - I just booked a trip to Kaua'i!

Mahalo!

Black Smoke!

I had to share this one, for the Losties. This is a hydrothermal vent, where ultra-heated water seeps through the oceanic crust creating plumes of black smoke. The image popped up in my geology class this morning.

Did anyone else see the face?

It's been a while

Aloha!


I've been a bit lazy over the past few days in terms of posting here. Sorry. A number of excuses spring to mind, including:

• I have been extremely busy with classes and can't afford to waste time on the internet
• I'm exhausted from all this stuff I've been doing and don't have the energy to string a few sentences together
• I actually have a life

But you guys, I'm sure, need your Jelly fix every now and then. I'll try to post something once every two days at the very least. And if I have time, a video too.

In the meantime, I'll leave you with the word of the day:

whakapapa

[faka-papa] (Maori) genealogy; a sense of belonging within the community, connection to the land.

 

Methinks it's time for a spamwich.

Mahalo!

Yogurtland again

Aloha!


Last night we had yet another meeting of the MIXers. This one was at the Varsity which about as dirty and sticky as the reviews on Google had warned me. But I'm not complaining - it's nice to hang out with familiar faces and even get to know more... while sipping on some PEAR CIDER! *slurrrrrrrrp*

I learned from a couple of girls in the MIX that a certain Daniel Dae Kim was at Yogurtland the other day. My reaction:

Literally.

So I went with a couple of friends to Yogurtland today after class. While I ate my ice cream - a mix of chocolate and vanilla ice cream topped with strawberries, blueberries, banana and chocolate sauce - I kept my eyes peeled for the ex-Lost (now Hawaii Five-0) star. Nothing. Just a bunch of children rolling around on the wheels embedded into their shoes.

Anyway, I had Geology and Filipino today. I feel like I can ace Geology because I've done it before (although not in a Hawaiian context) but Filipino - oh my gash! Looking at the syllabus for that class was like...

Literally.

Anyway, that's about it for today. I suppose I should do some readings etc. Maybe do a couple of extra readings. Maybe plan my semester in terms of assessments, field trips and other activities. Yeah, I'll do all of that...

While watching Glee.

Mahalo!

I love my Kumu. Just saying.

Aloha!

This morning I was kinda freaking out about my Hawaiian Studies class. Mostly because I hadn't done all of the readings, since I spent a lot of time last night Skyping my family and friends. Which became advantageous to me in hindsight, because I actually read one of the articles out loud to a friend and was able to understand it more clearly. She, on the other hand, had no idea what I was talking about.

At the start of each class, Kumu (instructor) picks a handful of students to give a summary on the readings. Today, being the first of these summary presentation days, she gave us the opportunity to volunteer our summaries rather than picking names at random. This was a chance to study the readings well, offer our answers, and get 15 points out of the way from the beginning. So when nobody volunteered to be the first speaker, my shaky hand seemed to slowly raise itself into the air.

I gave my summary and understanding of the article, trying as hard as I could not to say "um" too much. She then proceeded to ask some questions about the article - some which I knew the answers to, and some which I had to bluff - and within a few minutes it was over. At the end of the class I received my mark and was over the moon! Maybe she was being nice because I was the first to volunteer, or maybe I explained it better than I thought I did.

Either way, it doesn't matter. I just earned 15 marks towards this class.

That's an entire three percent.

Heck yeah.

Mahalo!

My other two classes

Aloha!

I know you guys are just dying to find out which one I dropped out of, but first I have to tell you about Geology of the Hawaiian Islands. I'm gonna get this out of the way now:

I GET TO MAKE A POSTER FOR THIS SUBJECT!

All my insides burst out in a pyroclastic eruption of joy the moment I heard that.

The subject itself sounds really interesting, although the first few classes will basically be a revision of geology. Yawn. I'd already planned my poster in my head.

Oh, who am I kidding? I drafted a PowerPoint slide with customised backgrounds and transparent text boxes with a gradient fill and line, and researched potential topics for my poster as soon as I got home. I just love making posters. Too bad it's not due until December 2.

I can't say much about Beginning Filipino because today's class was cancelled. The instructor for that class, Imelda Gasmen or "Tita Ime" was sick, but hopefully will be better by Thursday. She's got some really good reviews on ratemyprofessors.com.

So which course am I dropping? Finally, you get some answers!

67% of you said Filipino, and I had a feeling you would say that. I was a little reluctant to take this class to begin with, and initially it was only because I couldn't find anything else to do. But I hate to break it to you - this is not the class I'll be dropping. In the words of my Hawaiian Environmental Sciences professor, "If you don't know the language, you don't have culture." In the words of my mother, "I hope you'll be okay with all of the subjects especially Filipino so I can talk to you in Tagalog when you come back here."

100% of you were correct in NOT voting against Hawaii: Center of the Pacific :)

So that leaves Science of the Sea, Hawaiian Environmental Sciences and Geology of the Hawaiian Islands. I got one vote against each of these. To the person that voted against Geology - how dare you! I'm really looking forward to making that poster! And Hawaiian Environmental Sciences - I intentionally painted that class in a not-so positive light, but it's actually really interesting. Side note: I've got to find another word for "interesting". I'm not dropping either of those classes.

Science of the Sea. Have you seen those i-clickers!? THEY ARE COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY AWESOME... Unfortunately that's the only cool thing (to me) about this class. I've covered the content already, and the classroom is such a trek away from my previous room. Plus there is no way in hell that I'm gonna let myself suffer through chemistry and physics all over again.

One person got it right in my poll. Congratulations, Nicole - you've won yourself an i-clicker!

I'll try to do more polls in the future. This was fun :)

Mahalo!

I totally forgot to put a title here

Aloha!


My semester began at 9am this morning, but it was from 8.23am that I found out exactly how widespread this campus is. Here's a summary of my classes so far:

Hawaiian Studies 107 - Hawaii: Center of the Pacific
This class is great. It's only a small one - about 35 students, of which I was the lucky last to register into - and one extremely enthusiastic Hawaiian teacher. You get that vibe off of her, that she knows what she's talking about and she really wants you to understand what she's saying. Because it's a small class, she gets to know us individually (me in particular because I'm from Australia) and encourages us to participate in discussion.

Topics to be covered include the history, traditions, culture and environment of Hawaii.

Oceanography 201 - Science of the Sea
This class is huge. I think there are about 200 students doing it (although that might be a vast exaggeration), mostly freshmen. It sounds like the main professor is Australian. He knows about the trek from Hawaiian Studies to the other side of campus for this class, and sympathises. Now, the coolest thing about this class is that student participation comes in the form of an i-clicker. The i-clicker encourages blind participation, meaning students don't have to worry about making an idiot of themselves when answering the teacher's questions. It looks like a remote control but with buttons lettered from A-E, and when the professor asks a multiple-choice question you just press whichever you think is the correct response, and immediately a column graph pops up on the screen with all the responses. It's really quite cool.

End sales pitch.

Biology 123 - Hawaiian Environmental Science
This class is small but held in a large room. The first few classes will discuss what science is all about, after which we will take this knowledge and apply it to the isolated environment of Hawaii. The professor is a bit of an oddball, and hopefully from now on he'll stand on the lower level of the auditorium instead of looking down at us like today. One of my Japanese friends is doing this also doing this class.

So those were the three classes I had today. Tomorrow I've got Geology of the Hawaiian Islands and Beginning Filipino. That makes five classes altogether; 15 credit hours out of a minimum 12. I know that by the end of the week I will drop out of one of them, and I've pretty much made my mind already.

Can you guess which one? Vote in the poll below:

What class will I drop out of?
	Hawaii: Center of the Pacific
	Science of the Sea
	Hawaiian Environmental Science
	Geology of the Hawaiian Islands
	Beginning Filipino
pollcode.com free polls

I'll let you know the answer in the next post. For now, I've got some readings to do.

Mahalo!

Colour me overwhelmed

Aloha!

So I've moved out of the hostel and into my... Apartment? Unit? I don't know what to call it. I spent the past few days really looking forward to this - to finally unpacking all of my luggage and really settling in. And when it finally happened, BOOM, all my unpreparedness hit me like a big yellow school bus.

At the risk of sounding cliché, it all happened so fast. One minute I'm in a cab learning about how the driver's old roommate mixed paint in the driver's rice cooker, and the next minute I'm thrust in this overwhelmingly thick haze of independence. I want my mother.

--Flashback--

I am at the post office for the second time in less than a week. Again I find myself mailing a cheque, to the same address as before. This time though, I mail it to the entirely wrong zip code causing mayhem within the postal services, inconvenience for the recipient and general lolness for the sender.

--End flashback--

As it turns out, that second cheque did arrive safely at its intended destination. And by the looks of things, it wasn't even necessary - the money was credited towards next month's rent. Awesome.

First order of business: find room.

My room is on level 15 (of a possible 17) and at the end of the hallway. It is conveniently far from the elevator, meaning I won't hear a "ding" every time someone goes down. Poor Fumie - one of the Japanese girls I met the other day at MIX orientation - has to suffer that pain.

Second order of business: meet roommate.

Brian (I totally forgot his name) is from Maui and is studying at Kapi'olani Community Center. His girlfriend Nikki is a cheerleader at my uni. They both seem nice and so far we've gotten along well. Hopefully he wasn't being serious when he suggested I buy alcohol for them. I'm not used to 21 being the legal age to drink. It seems like such a foreign thing.

Third order of business: purchase sheets.

I spent a ridiculously long time at Sears looking for sheets and towels. It was the most confusing hour and a half of my life. What the heck is a "fitted sheet"? A "flat sheet"? A "sham"? "Comforter"? This is the stuff I need my mother around for. I seriously wanted to cry in the middle of the store.

Next: find out exactly what I just bought.

Fail. A fitted sheet, as it turns out, is the thing that wraps around the mattress. I bought a pack that includes one of those, plus a flat sheet and a pillowcase. So now all I have to sandwich myself between are the top and bottom sheets. I'm counting on the weather not getting too cold while I'm here. It's been good so far. *touches wood*.

Finally: find out which keys open which doors.

I have a room key, a laundry key, a "Fob" key, and tomorrow I will receive my mailbox key. One thing I couldn’t figure out was the Fob key. It is an electronic swipe key shaped a little like a guitar plectrum, used to open the entrance doors and access the elevator. I am at long last learning to ask for help :)

I’m going to stop now, particularly because I need some rest. Tomorrow I’ll pass by the Waikiki Aquarium and see if I can get a job there. Technically, since it is run by my university, I can work there if they have a job for me. Fingers crossed.

Mahalo!

Moving on

It's time to bid farewell to the youth hostel. It was a sincere pleasure staying here at Hostelling International Honolulu - one of the best last-minute decisions I've ever made, I think.

Geckos commonly scurry about, predating on insects and
looking cute in general

In two hours' time I will move on to Waikiki, leaving behind the wonderful atmosphere created by fellow students in this "place between the worlds". I like to think of it as the place where the students stay before going their separate ways - whether to a residence hall on-campus or a share house off-campus. This is where it begins. For the Losties, this is somewhat like the sideways universe of Season 6.

I met a lot of other students here, and befriended many of them. The best thing about almost everyone here being a student is that we're all in the same boat - either waiting (like me) to move to the next location, or still searching for that place to call home. I think it'll be rather boring here after all the students have left, because the remaining type of guest would be holidaying backpackers who mostly keep to themselves.

The staff here are nice, too. One in particular is fantastically awesome. He's going to teach me how to surf. In my dreams *droooooooool*

An hour has passed since I started typing this. That's one down, one to go. I think I'll continue reading my book to pass the time.

Mahalo!

Statehood Day

One of Hawaii's many public holidays, Statehood Day commemorates the archipelago's admission into the United States of America as the 50th state about five decades ago. It is also the day I decided to "unintentionally explore" downtown Honolulu.

I mentioned in my previous post that I've been searching for a local SIM for my phone. Today I wanted to go to Best Buy - where I know they sell O2 Wireless SIM cards - so I Googled directions to the place and made my way there by bus. I was sitting on the bus for an hour before getting off (Google estimated a ten-minute trip) and unfortunately I was nowhere near my destination.

WAY OFF.

'Iolani Palace is where I got off the bus. I don't know why, but that's where Google told me to go. So I walked around the palace grounds, taking photos of the statues like the tourist that I very much am, but as much as I walked (and walked, and walked) I couldn't find Best Buy at all. I got a little excited at every hint of blue writing on a building, only to be let down each time I saw it read "Honda". Hunger eventually got the better of me so I stopped at Subway for another $5 foot long.

Above: Queen Lili'uokalani statue. Top left: King Kamehameha.
Top right: Hawaiian state flag atop the 'Iolani Palace.

It was only on a full stomach that I decided to finally ask someone if there's a Best Buy in the area, and the Segway-riding security guard at Hawaii Pacific University told me that there isn't one nearby. You'd think I would ask for directions to the one that I know does exist, but no.

I gave up on my search after a little bit more walking - my legs were starting to ache - and caught the bus back to the hostel (which was extremely difficult as I had no idea where I was).

There are at least three things I've learned from today's (mis)adventures:

1. I need to find accurate directions before journeying into the unknown
2. I shouldn't be afraid to ask for help and admit that I'm lost; and
3. I should probably invest in a map of the island.

While it wasn't my best day in Honolulu, I certainly can not say that I've had a bad one so far. After all, it was great to be welcomed back to the hostel this afternoon. By a certain somebody.

Mahalo!

Apologies for my absence. Here, have a video.

Aloha!

Well, there really wasn't much to say about yesterday. I got up at 8.30am, went to ISS orientation, returned to the hostel at 12 for a 3-hour nap, ate my pop tarts, walked to 7-Eleven to purchase some ramen, returned to the hostel to eat the aforementioned ramen, discussed human trafficking with some of my new friends while munching on organic grapes, and that was about it.

Nothing of particular interest, really. Today, though...

*NEW MAP UNLOCKED!*

...I visited Ala Moana Center, which I guess is like one of the main shopping centers in the area. I didn't really explore much because I was there with a goal - I was searching for a local SIM card to use in my phone, but wasn't lucky. I want to get an O2 Wireless SIM card but it looks like I'll have to travel further to get one. Ala Moana Park is nice though. Quiet.

Ala Moana Park. Click to embiggen.

Oh, I also made another video (just a short one)

A mosquito just bit me. I need to go and find my itch cream.

Mahalo!

Even the Hawaiians can't pronounce my last name

Nor can they spell it correctly...

 Aloha!


I know I said I'd have a new video today, but I've been so busy with a lot of different things that I never really got the chance to make one. And I'll be busy tomorrow as well, so you'll probably have to wait just a little bit longer than expected. Sorry.

As you can tell, I got my UHM student identification card today. I was so excited about it that I didn't realise the spelling error in my surname. I'll have to go back some time to have that fixed, and I'm not taking 'no' for an answer. More importantly though, see that sticker on the left-hand side of the card? It means I can catch any bus going anywhere on the island for FREE.

Also today we had our MIX (Manoa International eXchange) orientation day, which was a great opportunity to learn a little more about Hawaii, get to know some other exchange students and eat free pizza. I let T.K. out for a bit but he was feeling camera shy.

The view from the QLC lana'i. Click to enlarge.

"In Australia, we drive on the right side of the road. And by right I mean 'correct', so the left side."

The funny thing about this joke is that I don't drive.

But yeah, I met so many nice people. The one person I was actually looking for - the other Australian - wasn't there today, but I did meet a couple of Kiwis, one of whom is also studying marine biology :) Later on a bunch of us went out for ice cream.

I think that's all for now. I got my tax return back, which is GREAT. I am already planning some island-hopping adventures. Don't get too jealous.

Mahalo!

The good news is I don't have tuberculosis!

The bad news is that after I had my first dose of MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine as an infant, we moved away from Holland and I never got the second one. So today, after twenty years without it, the fatty deposits in my right arm were once again subjected to the prick of the needle. I guess it's not that bad, I mean what if I never even received the first vaccination?

Also today I enrolled into my classes for the semester, which are as follows:

• Science of the Sea
• Hawaiian Environmental Sciences
• Geology of the Hawaiian Islands
• Beginning Filipino

I know what you're thinking - why, Jerry, are you taking four classes when you only need three before you graduate?

I'm wondering the same as well. And I'll probably drop one of the subjects soon anyway. But when I spoke to the exchange officer (Mr. MIX) on Friday, he said that I may as well do four seeing as though I'm allowed to - and how often do you get to do a subject for free? His words, not mine. The idea wouldn't sound so insanely ridiculous if I could participate in sport and/or leisure classes such as SCUBA diving, tennis, badminton or aqua-aerobics, but the only "sport" offered this semester is weight-training (which is full anyway). So yeah, I'll see how that goes. Enrolling into that fourth subject was hard enough - not only deciding what to take, but what time my classes should be (I would have opted for an earlier class but 7.30am is pushing it just a bit).

I mentioned on Facebook yesterday that I'd take a photo of my bear-shaped honey container. HE'S SO KYOTO. 

Also - organic pop tarts! nom nom nom nom nom!

New video tomorrow :)

Mahalo!