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!

Yogurtland

Aloha!

I normally try to post just one new blog entry per day, but you guys deserve to know about this wonderful, magical place known as Yogurtland.

I am really considering getting a part-time job here!

It's like the yogurt version of EasyWay. Seriously!

Step 1: choose your yogurt

Step 2: add your toppings

Step 3: weigh and pay

I, being completely new to this concept, only managed to squeeze out a strawberry yogurt with mixed jelly topping. Next time I'll start with mixed fruits, then add the yogurt, and top off with something new... Oh, the possibilities! Step 3 was the funniest:

"Would you like to have it here, or take away?"

*Unnecessary delay* "Take away please"

"And would you like a cover for it?"

"Um, yeah... Thanks!"

"How about some ice - would you like me to put it in a bag of ice for you?"

*Another unnecessary pause* "Sure!"

It's yummy, yeah, but next time I'm going ALL OUT.

Would you like some yogurt with your bag of ice?

I've had a taste of it, but since I ate my Souper Meal already (which I was originally intending to have for dinner), I'm saving the rest of this beast for later. What I'll do with all the ice, I don't quite know.

Mahalo!

I can't go out. *cough*. I'm sick.

Boo, you whore!

But don't freak out, it isn't some kind of island fever or poison ivy rash. Anyone who I hung out with during my last couple of weeks (or month, even) in Sydney would know that I was a bit under the weather (which I hear has gotten weirder lately), and I thought I got over it but obviously I haven't. I woke up at around 4.30am this morning, trying so hard to (a) die quietly and/or (b) get back to sleep. Because I couldn't do either, I got up at about 5am to sit outside. Nice foreign guy gave me a throat lolly to ease the pain.

--Flashback--
I am on Flight HA452 from Sydney to Honolulu. It has been in the air for about an hour, and my eyes are no longer sore from the tears I wept at the airport. I figure, since I'm not tired at all, I may as well read one of the books I just bought. I pulled open Seven Ancient Wonders by Matthew Reilly - one of my favourite authors - and read the first couple of pages before dozing off.
--End flashback--

I decided to continue reading Seven Ancient Wonders to occupy my time (no, I didn't doze off this time). At about 6am Sydney time (10am here) I called home, but didn't get the information I was so desperately seeking. I forgot that my mum goes to work early on Monday mornings. What a waste of 45c.

I went back to sleep after making that phone call. It is now 2pm here and I know I should go out, even just for a stroll, but I just don't feel like it today :( Not to mention the lack of quarters I have for TheBus, meaning I can't go to the shops to buy groceries. I really want some lemon and honey tea right now, as well as a whole bunch of apples to pig out on. All I have are pop tarts, chocolates, and a cup of "Souper" noodles. I can't wait until I move out of this hostel and into my place in Waikiki, where I'll be able to do my grocery shopping - and buy some real food - with little or no effort involved.

Souper meals - the 'O' is for 'finishing tOuch'

Mahalo

*COUGHHHHHHHHHH*

Lost in Waikiki. Literally.

Aloha!


I went to Waikiki this morning, after picking up breakfast from 7-Eleven (kids: don't try this at home). Breakfast consisted of a sandwich and a Twinkie. I didn't really spend so much time at the beach, which at the moment is still very much packed with tourists, because I'll be living nearby during the semester anyway - there'll be plenty of time to go.

T.K. at Waikiki Beach. I could have gotten a little more creative,
perhaps a photo in front of the water itself, but meh.

And speaking of my semester accommodation, I thought I'd go looking for it since I was in the area. The address of the building is 2280 Kuhio Avenue. I started walking up Kuhio, then realised the street numbers were increasing from 2500 so I turned around and walked the other way. Fail. I got to the end of the road and started walking back towards where I came from. Eventually I found the building I was looking for, but it took forever and I needed to go potty so I didn't hang around much except to take these photos.

Hawaii has a bus system known simply as TheBus. Students flash their ID card to get a free ride, but because I don't get my ID card until Monday, I had to feed the machine with $2.50. The annoying thing is that the machines don't give change, so before catching my bus home I had to do a bit of shopping.


I bought a shell from the market, thinking that when I receive my change I could request some coins. Fail. The people before me who made a purchase from the same stall took the lady's last coins. So I went to Jamba Juice to get nice cold drink to survive the hot sun and some freaking quarters.

"Can I get a mango smoothie?"
"Do you want mango, or mango a-go-go?"
"...Mango a-go-go."

I eventually got back to the hostel and had a refreshingly cold shower. I don't know if the shower I used has a hot water tap, and I spent a minute trying to figure it out, but I guess it doesn't matter since it's hot enough outside anyway. For the past hour or so I've been in the lounge area, discussing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows with some transferring grad students. Most of the people at this hostel are students, and many of them grad students. Apparently to them I look older than I actually am:

"So are you doing your PhD or Masters?"

*BLANK STARE*

I just heard someone's phone go off, which reminds me that I wanted to find a solution to my long-distance telecommunications problem at some stage. Back to 7-Eleven I go.


Mahalo!

45 things to do in a 44-hour day

Part 1 - Sydney chapter

1. Wake up early (= 9.30am)

2. Eat leftover KFC spicy chicken

3. Finish packing (didn't happen until 3pm)

4. Call Optus

5. Go to the bank

6. Update Facebook status

7. Photocopy all travel documents

8. Repeat #7

9. Eat chicken casserole

10. Feed dog an English muffin and rub his belly
11. Purchase birthday present(s) in advance for brothers

12. Wrap up aforementioned present(s)

13. Hide present(s) in place(s) aforementioned brothers would hopefully never look

14. Repeat #6

15. Say goodbye to bedroom, pets and house

16. Travel by car to grandma's place

17. Wish grandma a happy birthday :)

18. Eat chicken salad sandwich

19. Purchase new Matthew Reilly books for flight and, secondarily, as a "part of my culture to share"

20. Proceed to check-in counter F at Sydney International Airport

21. Promise self not to cry while passing through gate

22. Chase after the sun in a Boeing 767 Jet


Part II - Honolulu chapter


23. Travel backwards through time
24. Regain consciousness with airplane breakfast on tray table (not chicken)
25. Clear customs confusedly
26. Look for person holding sign with my name on it
27. Receive welcome package including snacks, toiletries, University of Hawaii campus map and a pillow
28. Get dropped off at hostel and check in with nice lady who hasn't had her break and therefore cannot calculate
29. Freshen up for yet another Friday the 13th
30. Phone home, and then get disconnected due to lack of quarters
31. Report to International Student Services office in Queen Lili`uokalani Center
32. Meet Mr. MIX
33 Take a shot of Tuberculosis
34. Have first local lunch - Subway grilled chicken 6-inch sub
35. Consider whether or not I'm supposed to tip
36. Return to hostel and take advantage of free Wi-Fi
37. Repeat #6
38. Sort out stuff that needs to be sorted out
39. Stroll past a black cat. Look it in the eyes and walk away
40. Consider what's for dinner
41. Consider going to Waikiki
42. Phone home again
43. Have first dinner - chicken-flavoured ramen... Followed by chocolate for dessert
44. Wash dishes alongside German girl while chatting about how snobby Sydney Uni is
45. Publish this post

Success at last!

I have a place to stay when I arrive on the island!

It's a hostel that is, quite literally, a walk across the road from my uni. Which is great because I'll have so many things to do at uni during that week - attend orientation, get my student card, register for classes, have a tuberculosis skin test, etc. Plus, in my spare time, I can trek the Manoa Falls trail where Charlie was left hanging in a banyan tree by Ethan. And possibly have a photo taken by that same tree.

Maybe even in the same pose.

In other news, I'm going out tonight!

Mahalo!

You only need seven shirts. Max 10...

...said the lady who packed twenty pairs of socks into a Space Bag for me, knowing full well that I'm travelling to a place where 90% of the time I'll be wearing my Havaianas. As my suitcase slowly fills up with clothes, my wardrobe gradually empties. It has come to my attention that I don't wear a lot of the clothes that I own, which isn't many to begin with. Most of them are, as mother would kindly say, "from when I was bigger". But over the past few years - and especially after my trip to the Philippines last year - the number of shirts in my closet has increased significantly, and I can't decide which 7-10 to bring with me to Hawai'i.

Perhaps one for every colour of the rainbow?

In other news, TWO DAYS... (and 20 hours, but still!) I'm a bit worried because I don't yet have a place to stay when I arrive in Honolulu. If it comes down to it, I may just have to camp on the beach for a bit. The thing that worries me about that is the number of, you know, b-o-d-y-s buried in the sand. Most horrifying is the idea of Nikki and Paulo emerging from out of nowhere as if they've been there all along, begging me for diamonds, acting terribly... If there's anything I've learned from Lost, it's that a gun can sometimes be your best friend.

*shoots Nikki and Paulo dead*

Mahalo!

I could play with HTML all day!

And I did... I pretty much spent most of yesterday working on the aesthetics of this blog (the rest of the day I was napping). For those of you who have seen earlier versions of this blog, I daresay you will be impressed with the new look. I have added a background photo to the title bar, which I took while snorkelling off Cairns in the Great Barrier Reef. From timeanddate.com I added clocks to display local times in Sydney and Honolulu, which should become a handy substitute for my previous "add four hours then subtract twenty" technique. Also with the help of Blogger Widgets I added a Facebook 'Like' button to the bottom of every post. So start liking everything, everybody!

One of the most exciting additions, I think, is the countdown timer that I also got from timeanddate.com, which I tried to fashion it to resemble the Swan station's timer as closely as possible - for the Losties :) (if anyone knows where I can get something that looks more like the real deal, PLEASE, for the love of Jacob, LET ME KNOW!!) Currently the timer counts down towards my flight out of Sydney, after which it will display something along the lines of "Time since HA flight 452 departed". I'm thinking, however, of changing it to display the number of days I have remaining in Hawai'i. If you have any other ideas, feel free to post a comment!

Other than that, I've just been playing around with HTML codes. I'm still relatively new to the blogosphere, so I'm going through a bit of a learning process. Anything and everything new excites me.

Mahalo!

P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney

I totally had a Dory moment today. I was in a rush to get to the post office this morning to send mail to Hawaii. The most crucial piece of information that I forgot to take with me was the address of the place it is being sent to. I had previously sent mail to the same address just last week, so rather than going back home to find the address, only to trek back to the shops and mail it, I picked long and hard at my brain to try and remember what it was. Here's what I came up with:

Hawaii Student Housing
1159 Bethel Street
Honolulu, HI 98610
USA

And I was right! For the most part... Everything except the zip code was correct. Now, if the answers from a Google search on "mail wrong zip code" are correct, mail is sorted first into zip codes, and then distributed from there. Hopefully the postal workers in the riverside town of Carson in Washington rectify the error before one of the five registered sex offenders in the area get their hands on my mail!

Mahalo!

NEW VIDEO

How many Lost references can you spot? I know there are at least two (aside from the music, obviously).

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Can $42/night seriously be considered "budget accommodation?"

For a student, I mean... I can imagine myself asking the question “do you do student discounts?” everywhere I go over the next four months. At the same time I can imagine the answer always being “no”.

Today’s post is only a short one – I’ve been a bit preoccupied with some other stuff, but you’ll be happy to know that I can cross “e-tax” off my list, FINALLY!

Oh, and work was pretty awesome too. That's about it. New video tomorrow (hopefully).

Mahalo!

One Week

That’s all I have left here in Sydney before I fly out. Which brings me to ask: where the hell did the time go!? Hopefully at this time next week I’ll be at my grandma’s place, wishing her a happy eighty-somethingth birthday while weighing my luggage a couple more times and then embarking on the ten minute drive from her place to the airport.

The other night I started making a checklist of some of the things I need to do before I go. Of the many things on the list, I have only crossed out two. I feel so unprepared.

• Pack
• Get eye test
• Finalise accommodation
• Go to the bank
• E-tax
• Early vote
• Call Optus
• Call Unwired
• Get travel insurance
• Print e-ticket and itinerary

Sure, some of the items on this list can very easily be checked off, such as calling Optus to change my rate plan and Unwired to cancel my contract. I don't know why I'm still with Unwired - their services truly suck. However some of the other items remaining on the list worry me a little. How much longer can I delay packing? Who should I vote for in the upcoming election? And how the hell do I not remember how to use e-tax!?

Meh. One week. That's plenty of time to do all of the above.

Mahalo!

Twelve things I won't miss about home...

I was talking to my friend yesterday about how some Australian TV commercials really piss me off. In fact I can hear an ad for Colgate in the living room right as I type this, and I seriously want to bitch slap each testimonial-giver in the face. Anyway, I began thinking of other things that I most definitely will not miss when I go abroad, including:

• Sydney’s public transport system: for the past few months I’ve had to pay up to $57 per week for transport, which sucks. Balls.
• Construction work at my uni: they inconveniently blocked off the shortcuts going from building to building, which also sucks balls.
• Idiotic parents of feral rat-children: they disturb the peace at my place of work.
• Bogans: need I say more?
• WESTERN SYDNEY in general: to say “shit happens” here is a vast understatement.
• The federal election: I know I should care about this, but to be honest I really don’t...
• Tony Abbott’s face
• Julia Gillard’s voice
• David Koch: his face AND voice.
• Any Channel 7 personality, for that matter.
• Springtime hay fever: [dust × pollen] ^ itchy, watery eyes = ANGRY JELLY.

I could write an extensive report on the many things I will sorely miss – especially my friends. Whether we’re travelling hours away from the city to unknown locations simply to purchase a pack of Snickers-flavoured cookies, or having dinner at a local café while discussing whom we would have to kill for a good job, as long as I’m with my friends, I’m bound to have a blast. The whole point, however, of me going on exchange is to step out of my comfort zone, away from what is familiar, etc... and, um, yeah!

So hopefully there aren’t any bogans in Hawai’i. Fingers crossed tightly that I don’t suffer from the pains of hay fever while I’m there. And thank goodness for the $20 semester-long bus pass that I'll get as a student at the University of Hawai’i!

Mahalo!

Introducing T.K.

T.K. is the travelling koala. He is perhaps the fugliest koala you’ve ever seen and I feel rather embarrassed to have to take him with me on my exchange, especially since emblazoned across the front of his baby blue tank top is the logo of my home university.

The purpose for carrying around this otherwise useless plush toy is to help promote global exchange at UTS. Currently (and if I remember correctly) only about 5-10% of students take part in a global exchange program, and UTS wants this number to increase to about 20%. So they thrust upon us these furry gremlins and asked us to take photos of the them in exciting and exotic locations while abroad. Supposedly, there will be a prize for the most creative shots, so I’m going to actually try to get a few good ones. Ideas at this stage include:

•           T.K. surfing at Waikiki beach
•           T.K. making a sandcastle
•           T.K. dancing the hula
•           T.K. finding Nemo

Feel free to post your ideas of what else T.K. should get up to in Hawai’i in the comments below.

Mahalo!

IT ALL STARTS SOMEWHERE...

...and the shockwave6653 story starts with this video. Although if you want to get technical, it started long before the video, but I won’t bore you with the details. “5 reasons why I should go to Hawaii” is, in summary, an advertisement for yours truly. I used it as part of my application for a semester-long student exchange in Hawai’i during the second half of 2010. In hindsight it was quite unnecessary, on at least two levels – making a video wasn’t a requirement of the application process; and the content regarding GPAs was, as I soon discovered, highly irrelevant. Nevertheless, my application was accepted by both my uni and the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, and I will be embarking on this journey in just over one week!

I have set up this blog as a means of communicating my experiences, thoughts, ideas and general ramblings not only to my family and friends back in Australia and all over the world, but to the new friends I will inevitably make along the way, as well as anyone who has the time and ability to read. If you’ve made it this far, you’re doing great.

In addition to this blog, I will try to make regular videos to post on my YouTube channel, so go ahead and subscribe for updates! I look forward to sharing the aforementioned experiences, etc., with you as much as I look forward to getting...

Mahalo!