Project 365 - Day 99 - Baptism/First Birthday

This afternnon Mom and Dad got baptized! It was really nice with people from their small group there and a bunch of other people who got baptized too. Now our whole household is baptized!

Tonight we had a first birthday party to go to. They had Hawaiian food which was awesome! All my favorites, lau lau, lomi salmon, kalua pig and chicken long rice. And they had a clown who made some amazing balloons! I've never seen anything like it. He had a truck that was a few feet long and made out of 60-something balloons and a huge, long dragon that had a movable mouth. It was really neat.

Project 365 - Day 98 - Broken phone?

My phone was acting really weird today. When I tried to turn it on it wouldn't go on, or it would flicker and shut off. Then after that it wouldn't turn on at all! I was getting worried so I turned it completely off and let it sit and turned it back on. After that it was fine. Then tonight when I went to look at my pictures I had this picture waiting for me.
Now I don't know how it did it, but my phone took a picture of it's own screen when it was in lock mode. Since the camera is on the back of the phone, I don't know how this happened. Hmm...try and figure that one out!

Project 365 - Day 97 - Seek Week

It's Seek Week at our church, which means that this is a time of fasting and prayer. So, for our family we decided on a different kind of fast. We are fasting from tv, internet and books (except the bible) for three days. Today is the last day and I have been pretty strict on keeping with the fast; I only come online to do the blog and I haven't even been listening to the radio in the car or at work. It has been a great week of reconnecting with God and getting into his word more. Here is a scripture that has really been jumping out to me.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:38-39

Project 365 - Day 96 - Poke Stop

We picked up dinner tonight from the Poke Stop in Mililani Mauka. They just opened on December 18, 2008 and are owned by the same owners of the Poke Stop in Waipahu. When we went in the employees were very nice and helpful and showed us how to order and asked us if we wanted to sample anything and when we left, they all yelled, "thank you!"
The food was also pretty good too. I had one of the specials, Garlic Ahi plate lunch. It was $10.95 but had four pretty good size pieces of ahi. I didn't care too much for the dressing that came with the tossed salad but all in all it was really good for the price. I also got some Ginger Scallion Shrimp Poke which was very tasty!

Project 365 - Day 95 - Can you see it?

We had small group prayer at my friend's house tonight. It was neat because while I was outside I spotted something off in the distance. Can you see it in the picture? Well, if you look just to the right of the tree trunk, you can see a tiny white ball. That tiny white ball is actually part of the military and is really a big white ball that floats on top of some concrete pillars in Pearl Harbor. It floats out to see and protects us from nuclear attacks and missiles.
Pretty neat huh!

Project 365 - Day 94 - Panko Fingers

We had tonkatsu (pork cutlet) for dinner tonight and I helped. As you can see above, I had Panko crusted fingers! It's funny cause if you look real close, it looks like my pinky finger is just a stub. Hahaha! But it's just because of the breading and the angle of the camera. Although I do think maybe my pinkies are shorter than normal...hmm...that's weird.
The tonkatsu actually came out really good. We had a new secret technique this time that we learned at New Year's Dinner.

Project 365 - Day 93 - The Shack

I just finished reading The Shack by W.M. Paul Young and it was an excellent book! It's a fiction story of how a man meets God in a shack. I can't really say too much without giving the story away but it is a must read. It totally changed my view and my mental image of God and it was a great story to read.
Today was an average Sunday, we went to church and had breakfast at IHop afterwards. For dinner my Dad made some delicious meatloaf!

Project 365 - Day 92 - Waialua Public Library

Today we visited our third public library of this year, Waialua. We actually had to use the GPS to find it. But it was a very cute library and the staff was very friendly and helpful. We happened to arrive right at children's story time so it was a bit crowded.
Since we were in the area, we also drove down to Mokuleia. I didn't know it but it's the area where they filmed Lost! We saw some trailers and the beach where the plane crashed and the houses where The Others live (which was actually Camp Erdman). I don't really watch the show but I still thought it was cool.
We had lunch at Storto's in Haleiwa. The Ali'i with papaya seed dressing is awesome! I took some pictures of all of this but my phone ran out of battery power so I only uploaded one picture in time. If we go there again before the year is out, I might uploaded it and blog more about it then.

Project 365 - Day 91 - Brownies

We had some yummy brownies for dessert tonight. They had caramel and walnuts in them.
Today I had to drive up to UH for my last day of the class I'm taking. A normal drive in would take maybe 40 minutes. Today it took 85 minutes! I was late to class but it was all good because the instructor hadn't started yet. And yesterday, coming home took me 80 minutes! Traffic on this island is really horrible. I can't wait until we get some rail transit down here. Even if I don't use it, it should alleviate some of the traffic on the road.
But brownies make everything better. :)

Project 365 - Day 90 - UH East West Center

Today I was taking an OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) class at the University of Hawaii at Manoa's East West Center. I got there early and the room was empty so I took a picture. There's actually a funny story behind that; after pulled open the door and walked in, the door shut behind me and when I looked, there was no handle or nothing, it was a completely blank wooden door! I panicked for a bit and walked all around the room before I realized that I pulled open the door to get in and I just needed to push at it to get out. :) I know, I'm silly. But at least I figured it out.

Project 365 - Day 89 - Stitch face

I have many nicknames for my dogs. Stitch is also known as: Stitch face, Stitch-Man, Stitches, Stitchers, Ditch. Poki is also known as: The Poki-Man, Poki monster, pokimon, pork gisantes, polkahantas, P. Sawyer, Pokester, Poke.
Anyway, I just realized that I am allergic to my dogs. :( I have traced back my wheezing, itchy/swollen eyes and hives back to them. But I still love them lots! Even if I had known that I would be allergic to them years after I got them, I still would choose to have them. These two are the best most funnest dogs ever.

Project 365 - Day 88 - Inauguration Day

Happy Inauguration Day! Barack Obama, our 44th President was sworn into office today! But besides the inauguration, today was a pretty average day. Just went to work and came home.

Tonight we had fried chicken, stuffing, white/brown rice and broccoli for dinner. It was really yummy! American Idol is playing right now, but I'm kind of tired out it because it seems like the just put anyone through. It's entertaining, but I think I'd rather catch up on my sleep tonight.

Project 365 - Day 87 - Oreos and Milk

Double-Stuff Oreos and milk was my dessert tonight. I like to dunk my oreos until they are a little soggy on the outside but still a little crunchy when you bite it. You have to time it just right, because if you wait too long it crumbles in the milk, but if you pull it out too early, you don't get the milk flavor.
Today was Martin Luther King Jr. Day and I had to work. :( Probably one of the few who did. But it was okay, the day went by pretty fast and it was kinda quiet.

Project 365 - Day 86 - Cherries

Life's a bowl of cherries. That's what I thought when I took the picture for my blog today. Then I thought, what does that even mean?!? Anyway, we had cherries for dessert tonight. There were very yummy.
After church today, we headed over to Kapolei to check out the new Simply Organized store. The store is located across the street from the Kapolei movie theatres in the new Kapolei Crossroads shopping center. I really like that store. We bought some plastic containers to take our lunch in and also a brush for the dogs. For the first time, the dogs actually really liked to be brushed and they both sat still.
We had lunch at Hapa Grill. I had the Fried Noodles with Teri Beef. Mmm. :)

Project 365 - Day 85 - Bodies the Exhibition

A couple of friends and I went to Bodies the Exhibition today at Ala Moana. Since tomorrow is the last day, tickets were only $15. It was actually pretty interesting. I have to admit that I was a little grossed out at times, but it was very educational. It really made me appreciate good health and how everything is so precise and works together for humans to function.
We walked around Ala Moana after that and ate lunch at Bubba Gump. We had a really nice view of the ocean and there wasn't a cloud in the sky! I had the Shrimp Scampi which was awesome! It was really one of the best I've ever eaten. I can't wait till I can go back and eat it again.

Project 365 - Day 84 - The Alley

We ate dinner at The Alley at Aiea Bowl. This is the second time I've been there but it was my boyfriends' first time. I was planning on taking a picture of their garlic shrimp but I totally forgot. I did get a picture of dessert though. We "shared" a lemon crunch cake. I say "shared" because I ate most of it. He was trying to finish off the spicy soy beans. Which was also good, but you have to like spicy food. He ate the hamburger steak for dinner which he said was good also. He ate the whole plate...the whole plate! It's a little pricey, but I totally recommend this place.

Project 365 - Day 83 - Pupu night

Thursday night is pupu night at our house. We eat any kine stuff for dinner. Tonight we had spam musubi (with spam lite and spicy spam), lil' smokie sausages with cheese and steak. It's very healthy food. At least it's happy food. :)
Anyway, the picture on the left is how my brother eats his spam musubi. For some reason, he always needs to add his own flavor to whatever we cook at home. Tonight, he added ume paste to the spam musubi. Mmm...

Project 365 - Day 82 - IHOP

We ate at IHOP for dinner tonight. I was adventurous and tried something new...a corned beef hash and cheese omelet with pancakes. It was actually pretty good. I should note that the corned beef was the canned kind, not real corned beef. I always get the omelet because it comes with pancakes. It's not so much the pancakes I love, but the syrup! I LOVE the butter pecan syrup. If you haven't tried it, you should. It's great!

Project 365 - Day 81 - Dilbert

This is my Dilbert calendar. I bought it for 50% off at Barnes & Noble. It's fun and exciting to go to work each morning because I can tear a page off and read a comic first thing in the morning.
This calendar is teaching me patience and self control. Everyday I want to rip off extra sheets or peek and look to see what tomorrow's comic is but I know it will ruin the whole point of a day by day calendar. Anyway, we'll see how long it takes before I have a bad day and end up reading through to the end of the year.

Project 365 - Day 80 - Day off

I had to stay home from work today because when I woke up this morning, my eye was still swollen shut! It felt a lot better, but I still couldn't put my contacts in. So, I rested all day. I got some stuff done at home, did laundry, folded clothes. But mostly just watched tv and read. But now my eye is all good to go! So it's off to work tomorrow for me.
Since it's Monday, we watched a new episode of One Tree Hill. I really like this show! It's so interesting to watch their dramas. :)

Project 365 - Day 79 - Teddy's/Library #2

After church, we went took a drive to the East side. Since there are only two libraries on this island open on Sunday and we were heading in that direction we stopped at the Kaimuki Library. Unfortunetely, there was a water main break and the library was closed. :(
So then we headed to Hawaii Kai and ate lunch at Teddy's Bigger Burger. They really do have some awesome burgers! My Dad is volunteering at the Sony Open so we had to stop by Waialae Country Club to pick up his packet (which was actually not needed), but it was all good cause we got to see the set up they have there.
We also stopped by Barnes & Noble to check that out. Then we stopped at the Pearl City Library (which is the other library open on Sundays). It was open! So that was library #2 knocked off my list for the year. After the library we stopped at Beard Papa's for some cream puffs. We all had the coffee ones and I also had a egg salad sandwich in a cream puff shell. The shell was okay, but the insides were not very yummy at all.
So that was our long day. Oh yeah, and we rented a couple movies from the library. When we were watching it, I was lying on the ground and I think I'm allergic to something (probably the dogs fur) so now one of my eyes is swollen shut so please excuse any grammatical/typographical errors in this blog.

Project 365 - Day 78 - Vet/Tanaka of Tokyo

The dogs had a vet appointment today, Poki for his yearly and both Poki and Stitch for their bordetella shots so they can go to the doggie day care every once in a while. I ended up spended almost $200 on their visit! Sheesh!
Tonight we went out to dinner because my cousin is headed back to college on the mainland. We ate at Tanaka of Tokyo in Ala Moana. If you remember back to my earlier blog, we just went there a little over a month ago for my Grandma's birthday. Well, this time we were prepared and got a picture when the lit the fire. The fire got much bigger than this picture but it's difficult to time the picture.

Project 365 - Day 77 - Bowling

I must be the worst bowler ever. We went to Aiea Bowl today and for my first game I bowled a 55. Oh my....I think I missed more than I hit. I got a little better for the second game though, I bowled a 79!
I also learned today that Aiea Bowl has great food! I had the Garlic Shrimp and it was very very good. I'd have to say it's one of the best garlic shrimp plates on the island. They also have some excellent french fries. So if you are in that area, I suggest you try it out.

Project 365 - Day 76 - Quarry

Today I was able to go up to the Makakilo Quarry for work. It's like a whole different world up there! It's kind of like the Flintstones, but with heavy equipment. The picture on the left is a Loader and if you look in the back you can see a quarry truck in the background. Anyway, the picture totally doesn't do it any justice, because it's HUGE in real life! If I were to stand next to it, I wouldn't even be taller than the bucket, I'd probably come up about 2/3 up the bucket. I wish I could have gotten to take more pictures, but maybe another time.

Project 365 - Day 75 - Jackie's Diner

We ate dinner tonight at Jackie's Diner in Waimalu. It's a great place because they have Hawaiian Plate (which I like) and a Pastele plate (which my boyfriend likes). The picture on the right is actually the combination plate which comes with rice or poi, kalua pig, lau lau, chicken long rice and lomi salmon. It's yummy!

Project 365 - Day 74 - Same ol' same ol'

Today was just the same as any other day. So I thought I would take the time out to promote a funny show on HBO called Flight of the Conchords. Season two will be starting up on January 18, 2009.
The show is about two musicians, Bret and Jemaine who are from New Zealand but have moved to New York City. In any case, it's a hilarious show so you should check it out.
Oh yeah, one interesting thing today, my brother is now in on the Wii Fit thingy, so we have 4 people in our household competing to see who can be 1st place in the mini games. Hopefully we will lost some weight and have fun in the process.

Project 365 - Day 73 - Wii Fit

This is the Wii Fit Balance Board and it's a tool I'm using to help in my New Year's Resolution of losing weight. If anything, it will at least be able to help me keep track of my weight without me having to weigh myself and remember to write it down.
I got this for my birthday in May of last year and haven't really played it since around July-ish. So it was interesting to note that I have gained 4 pounds since then. My Dad and boyfriend have never played it so it was really fun to make characters for them and to watch them play. It's amazing how hard it is to control your balance and body movements. It makes you more aware of yourself.

Project 365 - Day 72 - First Sunday

It's the first Sunday of the New Year. We started the day off by going to church. Pastor Gregg Brenes spoke the sermon and it was awesome! He was totally on it! After church we ate breakfast at Kapiolani Coffee Shop. I had the Loco Moco with scrambled eggs and some cinnamon toast. The toast was very very yummy!
I took an extremely long nap this afternoon, 4 hours. Sheesh, there went my whole day! But sometimes you just need a day of rest. Plus I really feel like I'm better now after my week long illness. Tonight we went to the driving range and I got to try out my new clubs. I still have to get used to them, but I really like it so far.

Project 365 - Day 71 - First Saturday

We had a 1st Birthday Party to go to this morning for my co-workers son. They had a balloon maker so I got them to make Lightning McQueen from Cars. Didn't it come out cool! Going to the party is helping with one of my New Year's Resolutions...be more social. Yay!
After the party, we had to head into town because my boyfriend had to work so I had him drop me off at the Hawaii State Public Library. Another of my goals this year is to try and visit every library on the island (with the exception of one, which is only open on the weekdays).
The picture on the right is of the outside of the building. It has really big pillars outside and looks very official. But inside it was kind of creepy. It totally reminded me of the Ghostbusters when the librarian goes down stairs and gets attacked by the ghost. I didn't really like this library, there were kind of stinky people walking around and like I said earlier, it was creepy!

Project 365 - Day 70 - Pidgin' Magnetic Poetry

It's the first work day of the year. One of my co-workers brought a set of Pidgin' Magnetic Poetry and had it on the cabinet. It made for a very entertaining day of shifting words around and making funny poems.
Today was a pretty busy day at work. Since it's the beginning of a new year, I wanted to start everything off fresh and have things in order and do things the organized way from the start so I won't have to back track and fix things later.

Project 365 - Day 69 - Hauoli Makahiki Hou

Happy New Year! Today we had lunch at one Grandma's house and dinner at my Uncle and Aunty's house. It was a fun food filled day! But on to the main purpose of this blog, my New Years Resolutions:
1. Read my bible daily
2. Lose weight
3. Volunteer
4. Be financially responsible
5. Be social
These may seem like abstract goals, but I have thought into these resolutions and I have an action plan to accomplish them. :) I read something once that said a habit is like a cable, you start out with one strand, and everyday you add a strand and it gets stronger and stronger. Or something like that.