Hawaii #2

Without further ado - here's more!

You're standing at the top of Mauna Kea.  From its starting point at the very bottom of the ocean, it's actually taller than Mt. Everest!  All those manmade contraptions you see - telescopes.  Really big expensive ones - owned by programs like NASA.

This is the view from the top of Haleakala, the tallest mountain on Maui.  Haleakala (pronounced hall-a-ahh-kah-la) means 'house of the sun'.

The great Napali coastline, on Kaua'i.  This is the most inaccessible coastline in the world.

So, what is it?  This, friends, is REAL Hawaiian food!

Starting at 12 o'clock, heading to 3 o'clock: (Dark green stuff) It's called Lau Lau.

From 3 - 6 o'clock: Chicken long rice.  It tastes like chicken noodle soup.

From 6 - 8 o'clock: Lomi Salmon; often paired with Poi (there isn't any in this picture though.)

From 8 -9 o'clock: Hawaiian sweet potato.  Note the purple.

From 10 - 12 o'clock: Kahlua Pork.  Really tasty!

And the yellow stuff in the middle is, of course, pineapple! 

Good ol' Waikiki.

See the beach across the water?  That's Ala Moana beach.  From where the picture is taken, you're standing on Magic Island.

Kapi'olani Park; right across the road from Waikiki beach!  The bandstand, which you see on the right, holds various functions throughout the year.  

The symphony has even played here on occasion.

Time for audience participation at the luau in Wai Lea, Maui.

Hawaii #1

Without further ado.... a few relics from my time in Hawaii.

Enjoy.

The Waianae Mountain range, on the west side of O'ahu.  This was the only day I ever got to come out here.  I just wish I had come more.

Aloha Tower.  It used to be the tallest tower in the whole city (and probably island).   But, it didn't last.  Still a welcoming sight to incoming ships though.

My very first authentic Hawaiian lei, given to me upon my arrival by my aunt Marsha.  We then proceeded to get in the car, and I hadn't the slightest clue as to where I was, what I was doing, or where I was going, save for the overwhelming sensation of, "WOW!  It really IS like the pictures!"

 Sunset off Waikiki beach.  Need I say more?

This is a shot taken from Magic Island.  It was taken near the day I first arrived in Hawaii (if not the day).  You're looking off the coast of Ala Moana, one of the many beaches off the southern part of O'ahu.  Ala Moana was my favorite (and closest) beach.

I found this guy on Magic Island one night just strumming away on his Ukulele.  He graciously let me photograph him.  Ukulele literally means 'jumping flee', and his playing truly exemplified this translation.

If you've never heard a conch shell being played, it's very intriguing the first time you hear it.  First you wonder where the loud, deep sound is coming from.  Then you realize it's that pretty shell over there that's emitting such a sound.

Okay, okay, I cheated.  My aunt actually took this picture on one of her flights to a neighboring island.  (It's not my fault!  They always gave me a seat on the opposite side of the plane!)  But it's still pretty, yes?  You're looking at the Honolulu coastline.  Diamond head rounds off the tip.

The Mac is Back!

Ladies and gentlemen, after a month and four days of waiting, the MacBook is officially back in business with it's new and improved Hitachi hard drive, albeit minus several hundred pictures from Hawaii that, sadly, are not to be replaced.  The ones I did manage to have saved to other places online now are merely a portion of their former glory.  Oh well.  I'm sure there are more glorious things than pictures to come.

And of course, as all things in life go, I felt it more pertinent to stay up until 1 a.m. to run updates on the computer and download various items, than to study for my final math exam which was held this morning at 8 a.m.  Needless to say, the grade will not be as outstanding as it could have been.  But I don't think I'll bomb the course from one bad grade.

So - now onto Christmas break!

It's Quiet. A little too quiet.

I woke up this morning to several more inches of snow than the previous day held. Making me rather happy to see my dog outside romping joyfully in it, I commenced to dress, put on my snowboots (complete with a little mud from the previous year), grab some huge gloves and a jacket, and go outside to help my mom shovel the driveway. It was fun. At least as much fun as shoveling a driveway can bring you.

'Twas then decided that I was going over to the campus to take my Chapter 6 test for math (ugh), before beginning the ever-strenuous review for the FINAL exam, which will be cumulative, and held next Thursday. Goody.

So now I'm sitting here in the atrium, without anything else to do in the world. Okay, I suppose that's not entirely true. I could be doing an array of other things on this lovely computer, but I felt like typing. So typing it was. And what a better place to type than to update this blog that no one ever reads!

My dad and I were talking this morning before heading over to campus, and he said to me,"You want to go to seminary, don't you?" And it made me really happy that he had said it, not me. But it's true. I would like to go to seminary. Not that I ever will. It's expensive, and I have no intention of becoming a pastor. That, and I hear you have to have a bachelor's before you can even think about going. And I'm not aiming for the bachelor's right now. But hey, the more people who know about Jesus, the better. It's fascinating stuff to me. That's why I want to know more.

It's quiet because I don't have any music to listen to. It kind of makes me sad. Oh well. And the gum in my mouth is several months old (Read: The gum itself is very old. It was purchased in Hawaii, and I just now decided to have a piece). It's kind of dry really, and not very malleable.

Oh yeah, and my hard drive STILL is not here. It's kind of getting on my nerves. Oh well. I suppose the longer I go without it, the happier I'll be once it comes. Though I ordered it at least two weeks ago.

Three more exams, then I'm free until January 14th. Enjoy the snow(if in fact you have some), and the Christmas music.