Orchid Improvement

I am so proud of myself. For the past week, I have been building a cabinet/ladder to display my orchids. It is very simple and has lots of storage space. I simply build 3 open ended rectangles of different lengths and stack them on top of each other to build a stair-like effect. I now store books inside the rectangles. The color is a rich dark mahogony instead of natural wood color because a dark background really brings out the color of the orchids. Below is the finished product. Itsn't it a beauty!

Kaimuki Orchid Festival

The festival was colorful and the orchids were beautiful! I can't believe orchids here could go as cheap as $6! Come to think of it, I shoud've bought one of those catts. I did however buy another orchid with the tiniest flowers that smell like gai lan (vegetable). Took me quite long to decide on this beauty. Now she is sitting comfortably in the sun :) There were collectible orchids that were $100 and over. I have no clue why they are collectible since people say they grow like weeds, well...beautiful weeds. I wanted one to put on the lanai but $100 is just too much for a plant. What if I kill it! Below are pictures of some of the orchids I like. Enjoy!


Epi pom poms are cute.

I had a yellow dancing lady once but she died :(

I wanted this one so badly! She is called an Oncidium Twinkle. Oh what a twinkle.

The most beautiful green catt I have ever seen!

I guess these pom poms are a hit this season!

This one was the other white orchid I wanted but it wasn't for sale!!!

Plumeria Diary Retires

Aloha! I am very sad to announce that my plumeria diary blog will retire. Oh no, my plumeria is not dying, quite the contrary. It's just that I bought so many other plants that I should change the plumeria diary to feature not only my plumie but all my other wonderful lovely plants. I am currently in the process of brainstorming another name for the blog. The design will stay the same since I love the blue and the grass :) Oh and I will still update on my plumie growth...it's just that she's growing very very sloooooowwwllllyyyyyyyyyy.

So what plants did I buy? I bought a desert rose, a yellow bird orchid, a green dendrobium orchid, a red epidendrum, and an orange epidendrum. I also have a survivor green dendrobium which I will tell you about in the new blog. It should be up soon...when my FTP server is finished moving to another home.

I believe I have always been a plant person but I just never really had the money to buy plants until...recently. My mom loves gardening so I think I got it from her. I don't buy plants just to fill up a garden (which I don't have) or to make a space look pretty (tho they do). I only buy the plants that are unique and crazy. So the seasonal plants are all out because I think they are too common (I mean, you see them on all lawns in CA). The plant I will buy next is the Crown of Thorns. It may look ugly to some people but I see a rage in the plant that makes it strong and seductive.

Remember to come back and visit my new blog :) Oh and I am so excited about the Kaimuki Orchid Festival this coming weekend! I think I will end up buying another one. Doh'!

Final Match

My all time favorite Brazil team is going home :( I guess they haven't been attacking. Well, at least they got to work on their defense. I hope Cafu doesn't retire until he wins another World Cup in four years! I can't believe he is still so fit. And if Ronaldo looses some weight, the Brazil team will be back for another round. So, who do you think will advance to the final match? I am guessing France vs. Italy, but then again I am always wrong. I was betting on Argentina vs. Brazil but look what happened.

Just wanted to say how nice the FIFA logo is! But then I found another version that is a bit...weird (on the right).

Homemade Window Cleaner

Hiyaa peeps! I've been out of the blogger world for awhile and will continue to be until World Cup is over and my conference presentation poster is complete. Just a little something I would like to try and also encourage all of you to use. Hey, GO GREEN right?

1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup rubbing alcohol
2 cup water
1 Tbsp liquid dishwasher soap

You can always change the proportions to fit your needs :)

Brazil vs. Japan

Wow, this game surprised me. I thought the outcome would be 10 to none...all thanks to Takahashi. Compared to Brazil, Japan was more passive and not very good at passing the ball. They spend most of the game defending rather than going for the goal. Tamada made one and that was it. Though I must commend Takahashi, he was like the Asian Kahn in the first half. Good job Japan, but Brazil is undefeatable.

What the Devil!

Last 4 days were hectic. On Monday we hiked the 5 mile long Hawai'iloa trail. It took us approximately 4 hours roundtrip. There were so many beautiful vegetation along the trail. Most interesting was I spotted 2 orchids growing next to a rock. Since one of them looked like it was dehydrated and almost dying, I took it home and potted it. Since then I continued to flower beautifully :) I also took some strawberry guava cuttings with me but I think they all died. Oooops! Below are some pictures we took.

On Tuesday, we had to get ready for a retreat on the island of Molokai. We left in the late afternoon, took a 25 minute plane ride and arrived on the island around 4PM. The island was very peaceful and quiet. The sky was clear and stars were prominent. Ocean was sparkling blue and the air smelled fresh. Even though the island was larger than Lanai, it only took us 1.5 days to tour the entire island. It was fun spending a few days away from the busy streets of Oahu. Pictures below.
Coconut Grove

Papohaku Beach - 7 mile long

Moaula Falls

Halawa Valley Bay
Coming back to Oahu was not as I expected. It was very windy and even rainy. Then the dental appointment did not go very smoothly. I have 2 frakin' bilateral cavities, grrrr! They are not the kiddie ones either - hole on the top of the tooth. The stupid germs chewed up the front side of my two upper back teeth. I feel so depressed now. I thought eating less candies as an adult would protect me from the devils. My cavities are from floride in Hawaii waters, halo halo desserts, and little flossing. Crap, now I am going to pay for it. No pictures here.

Update

Whoa! I just realized I haven't updated my blog for a long long time. Then again, not much happened since I last posted. What did I do the past few weeks... I learned how to ride a scooter :) No, not the electric lawnmower kind. The kiddie original Razor Kick Scooter. I remember when it first came out it was around $100 and kids were crazy over it. I went to SportAuthority 2 days ago and bought it for only $30. What a bargain (at least I think). Since UH is only a couple miles from where I live, I think a scooter would do. Especially with all the bike thefts on campus, I feel safer with a scooter than a $200 bike. Only thing is, I might be the only student riding a scooter on campus :)

Yesterday I did the 5K Jamba Bananaman Chase. Same time as the Niketown 5K at exactly 30 minutes. Great, all that practice with no improvement. The bananas were fast though. Too bad nobody tackled them and peeled them. Actually, they were not peelable...bummer. After the run there were contests and free stuff to giveaway. I pushed HappyOblivion out to enter a contest and later found out it was a contest for the best tarzan impersonator! I am so proud he got second place and received a free stress fruit ball as the prize. The host complimented his tarzan act as a mating call. LOL!

The Suns will always shine!

Today is a very sad day even though I knew this was gonna happen. The Phoenix Suns lost to the Mavs :( It is very rare that I like everyone on a basketball team. For the Spurs, I only like Horry. Heat, only Shaq. Clippers, the young and fast Livingston. He is the only one in the NBA that has the entire outfit match! If you look closely, his socks and shoes match his red and blue jersey. So cool! The old Laker team was the best with Fisher, Horry, Shaq, Kobe, and Rush. Now the Laker team is messed up. As for the Suns, I love Nash, Barbosa, Bell, Marion, and Diao. No favorites at all because I like everyone the same. However in the back of my mind, I knew Mavs would beat them. Well, I guess I can continue watching the playoffs since I like Dirk from the Mavs. So, Heat or Mavs? I am going for the Mavs.

Boogie Choogie

For 2 weekends in a row, we went boogie boarding at a beautiful not-too-crowded beach in Kailua. The first weekend had 2-4 foot waves which were perfect for the beginner. At first I was scared of the waves because they look like they were gonna kill me! Then as I moved farther and farther out, it wasn't so bad afterall. 3 hours of boogie boarding and came back with peeling skin on my face. Lesson learned: sunscreen on face! What kind of UH college student doesn't know that? Fool I say!

Yesterday had these tiny 2 foot waves but bigger ones farther out. I was a little hesitant but swam out because the inner waves were way too small. Caught a couple bigger ones and rode all the way to shore. I had a blast! Although, my sunburned crispy skin was not so happy :( I guess I needed to bathe myself in sunblock lotion before being cooked in the ocean. My face was ok though :) Lesson learned: reapply lotion after going into the ocean.

Bumper Cars

Bumper car rides are expensive in Hawaii festivals and fairs. Each ride costs $4! Today was the opening of the 50th Hawaii State Fair. Admission was $1 versus $10 and all rides were $1. So we went crazy bumper car rides! We went for a total of 7 times each person. It was so much fun! However, each ride seemed to get shorter and shorter :( I guess time flies when you are having fun. I wish the operator would leave the ride on for 10 minutes or more. Then we would build momentum and crash harder!

As always, there were a bunch of kids chasing after goats, sheepies and rabbits in the petting zoo. Poor animals were stressed. The pigs went on vacation today since I didn't see them sleeping in the petting zoo.

It was good for me to get out of the apartment since I wasn't feeling too good...a little sicky in the nose. Allergies or cold, I have no clue. I am glad I feel better now.

If you are interested in seeing what my baby pet turtles look like, click on the "my turtle" link in the navigation bar at the top. I update with new pictures every now and then. Enjoy!

Wahiawa Pineapple Festival

Today was a very accomplished day. First we went to Walmart to take pictures with what we thought were actual Over the Hedge characters. Well, it was a poster background with Over the Hedge characters. Very disappointing at first until we went to front of the store to check out the claw machine and found the three eye dude from Toy Story! If you have read my previous posts you'll know how crazy I am with those guys. We clawed 2 out before and we wanted a third one to make one set. As we were drooling over the little green guy, someone from behind asked which one we would like. It turned out he was there to service the machines and he just took out the three eye dude for us. I was so happy my jaw just dropped! Then we went back to the photo center hoping we would find someone to bug for our free photo and frame with the Over the Hedge characters. There she was, taking pictures for everyone! Yeah, we got our free paper frame and photo inside, I was satisfied.

Then we went to the Wahiawa Pineapple Festival. Those pineapples were so delicious! One booth had pineapple dipped chocolate, rocket bursting candy thingys, caramel, condensed milk, coconut, and honey. There were also plain Del Monte and Dole cut pineapples. I drank lots of sweet pineapple juice. At the end I was so full I couldn't finish licking my pineapple yogurt which was oddly from Texas. Oh and we entered this pineapple throwing contest where you were supposed to throw the pineapple to a target hole. So you hold the pineapple head and twist to break off body as you were throwing it. Funny it took me 7 or 8 tries until the stupid head finally came off! I was pretty close to getting the pineapple into the target.

After our tummies were full, we walked around and found these gigantic mangoes!
Then we walked by an orchid booth and I could not resist the beauty and the colors of these plants. I bought one even though I killed the three I had back in Cali. I am counting on the warm and humid Hawaii weather to save this orchid :)
Lastly, we went to Costco to stock up! Well, I bought a boogie board so I can so boogie boarding tomorrow. I also bought a pair of silicone oven mitt for $12.99! Very reasonable pricing.

Last Holiday

I just watched Last Holiday with Queen Latifah and I loved it. It was a simple, straight-forward movie clearly spelling out "Live your life to the fullest!" She is always so natural and fun to watch. Beauty Shop was funnier but this movie was more emotional. And LL Cool J did not look like LL Cool J! I thought I knew who LL Cool J was but obviously not. I didn't know he was a supporting actor until the credits. Without his cap and sunglasses, he really looks like a regular employee at Wal-mart rather than a superstar.

I believe everyone should have a Book of Possibilities. Well, meeting Emeril would not be one of my "possibility"...maybe Alton Brown from Good Eats and Jim O'Connor from The Secret Life Of...

School Shmool

One semester finished, whew! This semester was by far the longest and busiest for me. Maybe it was the spring break in the middle that messed up my perception of time. Although for some reason I did incredibly well in all my classes :)

Next Monday is the start of my summer session...blah. Don't get me wrong, I love my research but I just love vacation more. After three days of resting, playing Katamari (oh the good old times) and Taiko Drums (a big de-stressor), I find it very hard to get back on track. Last night I promised myself that I would start fresh today. Yet it's 10AM and I have done squat! Well, if you count eating a delicious breakfast cake an accomplishment... Here I am, waddling through my day like I have all the time in the world to do nothing.

Happy Mame Day!

Today is a very special day for all the mothers in the world. Not only do they deserve a nice relaxing day off from their daily chores, they deserve to be recognized and appreciated for all the hard work you sons and daughters had put them through while growing up. I was a total brat when I was a kid and raising me was a pain in the butt. Gosh, me taking care of me now is a pain in the butt! Though, my mom did a great job :) Of course we cannot forget the dad but today is Mother's Day so all the attention is on the mothers now. Sorry babee :)

My mom is a very talented woman even though she is too humble to admit it. First of all, she is a great teacher. She doesn't teach anymore but she used to teach back in Hong Kong. When she came to the US, she taught at Chinese school. Now she teaches baby Ellyse to be a good, obediant girl. If she didn't send me to Chinese school, forced me to memorize complicated verses in the Chinese textbook, and urged me to write 10,000 vocabulary in the blue book everyday when we first moved to the US, I would've forgotten my Asian heritage and became totally Americanized. No matter how rebellious I was, she taught me all the way - that's what great moms do.

My mom is also an artist. Back in Hong Kong, she designed these beautiful and creative bulletin boards for the school. I never saw them in person but I remember seeing pictures of her art and I was amazed. They were colorful and playful, characteristic of my mom. Even though she no longer does paper art, her artistic talents are not wasted. She now uses her creativity on clothes! How many moms do you know that sew? And how many of those moms sew for their children, who will actually wear the clothes the moms sew for them? Not many. My mom goes window shopping, comes back and fools around with the fabric. In a week, out pops a beautiful and stylish dress. She sews bridemaids' gowns, casual dresses, work clothes, suits, pajamas, skirts, blouses, anything!!! I asked her to do my wedding dress and she agreed. I am so excited!

What else? She's a great cook! As a young girl, I wasn't able to appreciate the great food my mom cooked every night. I was happy just being fed. When I grew older and I had to go away for college and now grad school, I miss her cooking. Even though she cooks fancy dinners maybe once every week, it is the usual everyday dishes that I miss. Simply putting together a tasty dish with whatever is left in the refrigerator is the best! I ask her for recipe but she does everything from scratch! I see her cook every night and she just adds whatever everytime with no consistency. Yup, she does random cooking and I love it!

Finally, the most wonderful and admirable trait my mom has is bravery. She is brave in many ways. First, she is not afraid to communicate in English and make friends in the US. The language barrier does not scare her at all. She has worked as a cashier, teacher, and babysitter (in daycare center). She even attended school to improve her English and writing skills. I went to school for ESL because I had to. My mom had a choice to stay home and not deal with prejudice in classroom and the public. But she chose the hard way and now she is this strong woman who is able to protect herself from the society while being loved by so many people.

This is my mame and she is THE BEST! Happy Mother's Day!!!

Love, me :)

Launching Plumeria Diary

I think I am crazy to do this but I have created a blog to document the growth of my plumeria. (Yes, I love my plumeria THAT much!) I wanted to conduct a long term research on the growth progress of a potted plumeria, measuring the time and height every now and then (or whenever I feel like it). This blog is to help me store the data and the pictures that go along with each entry. Honestly, I have no idea how long I can keep up with this but I will try. Since I have no reason to hide my data, I have made this blog available to you. Check it out if you are interested, or not. Link is below the header and the blog is called "Plumeria Diary". Updates are usually a couple times every month. Enjoy!

Plumeria

I have always wanted to grow something nice in my lanai. However, the morning sunlight is so strong that the plants dry out too fast. After just one day, the plants wilt and the soil is completely dry. I have to water the plants twice a day to keep them alive! So, I am attempting to do something very unusual...I am growing a Plumeria tree in my lanai. On the left is a picture of a Plumeria tree. People usually grow them in the yard because they grow really fast and get really big. They are also very easy to grow - cut a stem, stick in soil and water. So, I am growing this thing in my lanai, HOW FUN! Of course I will have to prune it so often. For the past month, I stuck the cutting in a bucket of water to stimulate root growth. I just planted it in soil today so it can absorb some nutrients for the flowers. From the look of it, the color of the flower is yellow which is the kind that smells the best! I am so excited. I will continue to monitor its growth and keep you updated. Oh and if you know anything about pruning plants, please send me a comment because I will need all the help I can get. Wish me luck!

Mission Impossible

I am supposed to be studying since my final is in 4 hours. But, don't you just hate it when this happens?
NatalieDee.com

Birthday Bathroom

The following content is very descriptive. Reader discretion is advised.

Probably the most amazing thing about my birthday this year was the super cool Japanese bathroom I so enjoyed peeing in at Rokaku Restaurant. Sorry I am a bit too detailed and direct but I warned ya in the beginning. For once, I had a fun time peeing! It had this remote control flushing and rinsing thing. I thought the rinsing was for easy cleaning of the toilet bowl but it was actually for my butt! There are different levels of rinsing: massage, wide, narrow, and strong. It even has a dial control to adjust the strength of the water output. And there is more, you can adjust the position of the rinse by pushing "forward" and "backward". I was in the bathroom forever trying to get the perfect rinse for my butt and the winner was "Bidet". It was in the perfect position, right temperature, mild strength, all you want for a deep butt massage.

After my butt massage, we went home for a delicious ice cream cake and then D&B to work off the fat we just consumed. From all the tickets we won, I got a Margarita glass and pitcher set just in time for Cinco de Mayo! I had a great time...however, I still felt crappy. I guess this year was the crappiest birthday I ever had. Not because I didn't have a great time, I DID! It's just that I am turning 25 and that is mid-twenties. I am no longer in the early 20's. Mid-twenties is the road to late 20's and pretty soon I'll be in early 30's. Do you see the difference here? I AM OLD!!! Ok now, people who are older than me don't get offended because technically, this is all about ME and I am still going through this change whereas you have already accepted the fact that you are a mature adult but I have NOT!

Anyway, that's my birthday surprise... Two more finals to study for and one more paper to write.

Kong was Beautiful

Say what you will about the King Kong movie but I loved it. Surely not an all time favorite but definitely one to commend. Other than the obvious beauty and the beast theme, the movie showed how selfish, oblivious, senseless, idiotic, obtrusive, and destructive us morons can be. Taking Kong from his natural habitat and bringing him to the city simply to satiate people's curiosity was an excellent idea at the time but completely inhumane. I truly thought that Kong wasn't going to die in THIS version of the remake but what would be the lesson then? My guess is, nobody cried at the end. Well I did because I realized more than half the world still thinks that beauty killed the beast; that we are still living in the Kong world, metaphorically speaking. I cried because we still haven't changed - we continue to live selfishly wthout conern for other inhabitants of the world.

Boobah

I hate Boobah. That stupid looking thing resembles more of a big fat squishy blob than a stuffed animal. Or, it looks like a mutated Barney. I wonder who designed it. Why would kids even like that thing anyway? My kid would certainly scream seeing those big white eyes and freaky distorted head in the middle of the night. Walmart had tons of them stacked up in a bin. I felt like using one of them to scare the kids away, scarred by Boobah forever!

Hmmm...man! What am I talking about? I am really glad that my presentation is over. I realized that I kind of enjoyed talking to people about my research. For the first time, I felt comfortable and not as nervious. One more presentation to go, two more papers, and three more final exams until I am free! I have a list of home improvement projects lined up. On May 12th, my normal life is back.

Oooo, my New Balance shoes finally came. Everyone thought they were nice. They were really comfy. New Balance never fails me. And I also bought another bag. Well, it was Earth Day and I had a booth right next to the guy selling these Thailand handmade bags. I saw it in the beginning and knew I had to get it. But I played a little fate, waiting for other people to buy it. But noooooo, it was still there at the end! So yeah, I had to get it. Hmmm, why do women find shopping so fun but men always stay 10 miles away from malls?

Let's Cheer for the Cheerios!

Love these babies :) The yogurt ones are so delicious! You can eat these as snacks or plain old cereal. When you fill an entire bowl with these in the morning, it's like a treasure hunt - picking out the yogurt ones.

2006 Auto Show in Honolulu

We went to the 2006 Auto Show in Honolulu yesterday and it was a blast! Below are some of my favorite cars. Out of all the cars, the pearl-colored convertible bug speaks my character. When I sat in it, it felt like I belong there and I can see myself going everywhere with that car. I have always loved the Mini Cooper and the Z Car. The color of the Z Car actually changes at different angle, so cool! Now, the car I find most exciting and unique is the Lexus hybrid. Dude, this thing has automatic everything!!! Push a button and things start moving in the car. Touch screen control is clear and informational. Definitly a car to consider. Finally, the car that I will definitly get if I need a car is the Nissan Maxima (My Maxi). I had a Maxima a while ago and I miss it ALOT! This car is light with 265hp. It is a semi-sports car and handles beautifully. Even though thie 2006 model is a little heavier, I don't think I will ever fall in love with another car.

New Balance

I love New Balance and I am dying to buy these athletic sandles! So, which color you think is better? Runner #1 (grey/pink) or Runner #2 (pink/white)?

Sniff...

So sad...Charmed is at its last season. No more Smallville in the new CB network. If they cancelled Smallville, One Tree Hill might not survive either. Gilmore Girls...no clue. I need a moment alone :(

Chemistry

If you love Jpop, I recommend Fo(U)r by Chemistry. I don't understand Japanese but out of all their CD's so far, this one is THE BEST! Makes you fall in love with music again.

One more exam to go tomorrow and I am free! My life has been crappy all week long. No Costco, Walmart, shopping, Taiko drumming, no nothing! Tomorrow, I will go crazy! First stop, mail my stupid taxes, then American Eagles, Ross, Walmart, then Golden Coin for a delicious halo halo. Can't wait to be me again.

Messed up and pissed!

Are people always so insensitive?

Today I finished my test and would like to go play some basketball, breathe some fresh air. I come home and find "this person" wants to go too. However, when I asked if he would play with me, he told me to go play with whoever is playing at the court. He will play with "those other guys." All the other times when no one would play with him, he would ask me to go play b-ball with him and I would say yes. This one time I ask him and he turns me down to play with other people and asks me to go play with some strangers. Am I imcompetent? Does he think I am not good enough for him? Or is he just plain insensitive? This pisses me off and now he is making me really angry, disappointed, and sad at the same time. All I was looking for is some comfort, relaxation, and fun - is that too much to ask for? I guess it was...

That's not all. Then he asks me to do something for him so he can repay a favor. I mean, he can ask me kindly, but he does not have to put it in a way that I am working to help him repay a favor. What am I...a servant? I feel used and I am not supposed to feel that way... This day cannot get any worse.

Taxes @%!#$@!

Taxes are a pain in the &!%!@&#%$!%$!

I need a drink...

Alive and bored

Drained from studying Economics, I wanted to refresh my mind. So I went out to the Lanai and saw the conjested intersection. For some odd reason, I find that interesting. Some guy kept on honking continously when obviously no cars could move. Poor guy had to go through 3 stop lights rounds before he could cross the intersection. Then an ambulance appeared and I was excited to see how he could get out of this traffic (Photo 1). Then another ambulance appeared and was stuck in the middle of the road for the longest time until the road cleared up(Photo 2). Hmmm...I just realized how pathetic I was, I find everyday traffic intriguing. I seriously need a vacation :(

Feral pigs draw legislator's wrath

I will be crying :( I love feral pigs. They are so cute!

Concern about the increasing intrusion of feral pigs into residential areas has led to a proposal to declare open season on the animals and establish a bounty, over the objections of the state agency that promotes both hunting and protection of forest lands.

The threats posed by expanding pig populations include increased erosion, threats to native species, the spread of weeds and perhaps even increased flooding, said state Rep. Kirk Caldwell, D-24th (Manoa-University), who introduced HB2942, which calls for year-round hunting and an undetermined cash bounty for each pig killed.

Caldwell said that in his own district, pigs may have contributed to the devastation of the Oct. 30, 2004, flood that caused millions of dollars of damage in Manoa Valley. He said pigs have wiped out the undergrowth that normally slows runoff and soaks up rainwater.

"What's becoming clear is that the undergrowth in the back of the valley is getting really depleted. I went back there and it smelled like a pig sty," he said.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources opposes the bill. In testimony submitted to the House Water, Land and Ocean Resources committee on Friday, the agency said it has the authority on its own to remove seasons and bag limits, but there are reasons not to promote hunting in specific areas. The department supports meetings in communities with problems to develop solutions.

"Declaring wide-open seasons and methods would conflict with many current uses such as hiking, gathering forest products and dog walking. Portions of the Honolulu Watershed Forest Reserve in Tantalus and Manoa are not normally open to hunting because of the proximity to residential areas and the high public recreational use on the trail network in this area. Opening these areas up would put many more hunters and dogs in residential areas on a frequent basis," the DLNR said.

The committee approved the proposed measure anyway, and the bill likely is headed next to the House Finance Committee.

Woodlawn resident Sarah Preble said yesterday she has had 17 feral pigs removed from her two-thirds of an acre in Manoa Valley. She said pigs coming down the mountainside feed on her landscape plants and have left her family fearful to venture to the back of their property.

"We lived here more than 30 years before the pigs appeared. Now my granddaughters, aged 10 and 12, will not go more than 5 feet beyond the back deck without an adult. They're afraid," Preble said.

Kailua resident Mary Ikagawa said government and private agencies are spending vast amounts of money and time trying to protect the native forest at the same time the state is protecting pig populations by using closed seasons and bag limits. She said the animals are clearly one of the most severe threats to the native forest.

"The policy is brain-dead. Given what we know now, there should not be any sort of limit on the take of feral ungulates," she said.

O'ahu hunters who attended Friday's committee hearing said one of the issues for controlling the animals is lack of access. They asked the Legislature to help ensure the same kind of liberal access to mountain areas that the public has to coastlines.

The DLNR in its testimony opposed bounties, saying they generally are ineffective and may have negative consequences such as encouraging people to breed pigs, illegally hunt in areas without bounties, and trespass and poach on private lands.

Regardless of whether bounties are approved, it is clear the state needs a permanent open season on pigs with no bag limits, said Marjorie Ziegler, executive director of the Conservation Council for Hawai'i.

"Feral pigs should not be allowed to roam freely in our native forests, watersheds and private property," Ziegler said.

Naturalists working in the Ko'olau Mountains of O'ahu regularly find soil churned up by pigs, soggy wallows, native plants ripped up, and increased erosion, all caused by feral pigs, said Ryan Smith, project coordinator of the O'ahu Invasive Species Committee.

"Pigs are probably one of the most damaging invasive species," Smith said.

The problem exists statewide, with millions of dollars spent to install fences around national parks and other sensitive areas.

Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com.

Unbelievable!

Do not ever buy Canon Elura 50 digital camcorder. Why? I bought this thing in 2003 and recorded no more than 10 hours of video. Now, the playback on the camcorder itself is completely garbled. I cleaned the heads and still no improvement. I called the customer support guy and he thinks I am stupid or something. Since there is no improvement with the head cleaner, you will have to send it in for fixing. Oh how much will that cost. Freakin' $140 and I don't even know what they are fixing. I have to send it in, they estimate the cost, I pay, then wait months before I could get my DV back. He didn't have a good attitude either so I got angry and hung up on him. I hate this mess!

The Bus

Many interesting things happen on the bus. Those who ride the bus will know exactly what I mean. One in particular that never seems to go away is what I call the "Comfort seat" phenomenon. I love the window seat because I get to sit next to the window, duh! What's more boring than looking at the passing cars on the road every single freakin' day. Well, today was no different. I get on the bus and sat at the farthest 2 seater window seat...I mean at the back of the bus. At the next stop, an old lady gets on and passes all those empty seats in the front and middle of bus and sat next to me. Do I have a sign on my forehead that says "Come sit next to me, I am nice"? This is not the first time either! Are old ladies attracted to me or something?

Another incident...I was on the bus going to school. A big guy got on and sat next to his "friend" (you'll know what I mean with the quotation marks). They were catching up and here is their conversation, roughly. I skipped all the catching up part because it was boring.

Big guy: "So, where are you going?"
Skinny guy: "To school."
{Me thinking - C'mon! He only had a huge backpack on!}
Skinny guy: "So, what are you studying?"
Big guy: "I want to go into Psychiatry. You know the whole emotional thing, I am good at helping people with that."
{Me thinking - Ok, pretty decent guy. He has a goal in life.}
Skinning guy: "Are you still working at that one place?"
Big guy: "No, I got fired."
Skinning guy: "Oh really? What did you do?"
Big guy: "It's not like I did anything wrong. I just got into a heated argument with my mom which escalated and escalated and we fought. The cops came to arrest me. My boss didn't want trouble so he had to fire me. He really likes me and I understand why he had to fire me."

{Me thinking - Wow, fight with mom...didn't do anything wrong...wants to go into Psychiatry and help people. I am so confused}

Big guy: "Well, it was nice talking to you. I'll see you around."

Skinny guy: "Bye!"

The big guy stood up and sat at another seat. He didn't get off the bus until like 3-4 stops after.

{Me thinking - This guy is coo coo for cocopuffs!}

24 Hour Fatness

A few days ago, I went to the Aloha Run Expo. It was full of free stuff and games too. Best of all, I was lucky for once and won 2 shirts, a soda, a bag, a water bottle, and a multicolor wrist band. How great is that? Then 24 Hour Fitness comes along and ruins everything! There was this guessing game thing at the booth - if you guess your fat percentage correctly, they will give you a free shirt. I regularly check my fat percentage on my lovely fat scale at home and I am about 16%. The stupid guy at the booth poked me a couple times, criticized my relaxed posture, and came up with 27% fat!!! Not only that, he gave me a few tips to being healthy. He said, "When you stand, try not to bulge your stomach out. Stand upright, especially when working on the computer. Your fat percentage is ok but you can do better. Take some time and walk around more." I swear I was gonna punch his eyes out, kick his fat belly, and shave his ugly curly stinkin' hair (which by the way is sort of like Lionel Luther's hair). Then I will challenge him to a swim race where I swim backwards, continually kicking him in the face. Who the hell is he to give me "how to be fit and healthy" lessons when he obviously has not been working out for the past decade!~%$@!!!

Marking 25 years of wild panda conservation

Washington, DC – This month marks WWF's 25th anniversary of wild panda conservation in China. On December 23, 1980, WWF and Chinese researchers headed into the cold mountains of southwestern China to conduct the first-ever intensive research programme on wild pandas, their habitat and their behaviour. A quarter century of work moved giant pandas from the brink of extinction to a solid foundation for survival if conservation efforts continue.

According to the results of a survey conducted by WWF and China's State Forestry Administration, there are nearly 1,600 pandas in the wild, over 40 per cent more animals than previously thought to exist. The last panda survey in the 1980s found around 1,100 giant pandas in the wild.

“Contrary to popular myth, wild panda conservation is really about saving their forest homes, not improving their breeding,” said Karen Baragona, head of the Species Conservation Programme at WWF-US. “We are making sure that pandas have a safe and healthy place to live.”

Protecting panda habitat means protecting some of the richest temperate forests on Earth that shelter more than 100 other mammals, 250 bird species, and thousands of other animals as well as the water supply for 400 million Chinese people.

“The most pressing threat to wild pandas is habitat fragmentation from economic development activities like road construction and timber extraction,” said Baragona.

Across the panda's range, habitat is fragmented into many isolated patches — some just narrow belts of bamboo 1,000–1,200m in width. Within these patches, a network of some 60 nature reserves protects nearly half of the panda's habitat. Small, isolated populations have less flexibility to find new feeding areas during periodic bamboo die-offs. WWF works with the Chinese government to reduce threats to panda habitat, restore forests and reconnect isolated patches by establishing new panda reserves in critical corridor areas.

Protecting panda habitat sometimes requires unusual efforts. Communities living on the outskirts of panda reserves often extract fuelwood — illegally but of necessity — from inside the reserves, amounting to about three tons a year per household. In several pilot sites, WWF has offered farmers energy efficient stoves fueled by manure. Reconfigured pig sties and restrooms capture waste in a reactor tank and the gas produced in the tank is fed to stoves for cooking. With waste from just two pigs, a family can cook three times a day for at least ten months of the year without taking fuelwood from surrounding forests. People are happy with the arrangement because it saves the time and effort of collecting fuelwood, their food cooks faster, and odor and insects have been virtually eliminated from pig sties and toilets. Now the provincial government is considering subsidizing widespread conversion to biogas stoves.

WWF became the first global conservation organization to work in China and opened the door to new conservation opportunities that benefit wildlife, places and people in the world’s most populated and fastest growing nation.

Over the past twenty-five years, WWF achieved numerous conservation successes in China — from laying the foundation for a scientific panda conservation plan to bringing Pere David’s Deer back home to protecting millions of hectares of critical wetlands under the Ramsar Convention.

Small conservation achievements underlay larger ones. For example, WWF helped local villagers make and oversee plans for restoring reclaimed farmland to its former wetland state near Dongting Lake in Hunan Province. Villagers also participated in developing alternative livelihoods compatible with wetland conservation, establishing fish breeding and eco-agriculture associations. Over the course of this WWF restoration project, household incomes increased fivefold.

But, there are many challenges to building a sustainable future for China. WWF is still working to halt biodiversity loss in China, stop the degradation of freshwater systems and water quality, and build a culture of sustainability among other efforts.

For further information:
Caroline Liou, Deputy Communications Manager
WWF China
Tel: +86 1065227100 ext. 3239
E-mail: caroline@wwfchina.org

Funny thing

My parents LOVE to snack and well, me too :) They told me they gained weight lately and I advised them to exercise and cut down on the snacks. I mean, sugar and nuts are great but not excessively. Then my mom said something really hilarious which kind of backfired at me. She said, "Well, if I finish all the snacks, then I don't have to worry about snacking anymore. So I'll just finish everything up then go on a diet." I told her it doesn't exactly work that way. I advised them to snack at a minimum (so they last longer) and exercise at the same time.

So I found these really yummy oatmeal crisps in my snack cabinet and I started... They are semi-sweet, thin, and totally delicious. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, they are there to make me happy. Just now, I realized how much I have been indulging myself with these stupid oatmeal crisps and I want to stop before I gain weight. So I was thinking, "Hmmm...I'll just finish them up then I don't have to worry about a thing." Well, it turns out my mom was right. It's really hard to stop snacking when you've been doing that since you were born. Oh, I just realized something else. This philosophy goes with Cheetos, Cheese Puffs, my sister's almond cookies, and everything else!

Smallville #100

Those who are fans of Smallville, who do you think will die in the 100th episode? I could've watched the episode today but the stupid UH Rainbow Wahine game is on and postponed Smallville until Sunday. I can't wait! I have been such a bad girl...I went to the TV spoiler websites to find out who will die but they just got me more confused. I know it was a bad thing to do but I could've known today if it were not for the schedule change. Grrr! I love Chloe so I want her to stay. I seriously don't think Chloe will die because who will watch Smallville when she's gone? Lana is not going to die because I saw another scene with her and Clark in the preview. That leaves Jonathan Kent and Martha Kent. Now the car crash was a red truck...who drives a red truck? I am thinking it's Jonathan Kent because he is being recruited to another show so WB is cutting him off Smallville.

Worst Nightmares

What the hell is going on???

UPN and WB are merging into CW? How "original" can they be with the stupid name. And...current UPN and WB programs likely to find their way onto the new network include "America's Next Top Model," "Gilmore Girls," "Supernatural," "Veronica Mars," "Girlfriends," "Reba" and the WWE's "Smackdown." Okay, what about Smallville, One Tree Hill, and Charmed? They can't just merge without the viewer's consent. Afterall, WE SUPPORT THEIR FREAKIN' ASSES (obviously I am beyond mad). And what about the TV schedule? This is all messed up. Why can't they just keep everything the way it was! Grrr...ridiculus and absurd!!! You can read the stupid story here.

Disney buys Pixar? Why does Disney always have to be Number One! "The addition of Pixar significantly enhances Disney animation, which is a critical creative engine for driving growth across our businesses," Iger said in a statement. Do your own work cheater! You can read this stupid story here.

Nothing makes sense anymore. The fate of my favorite TV shows are in peril and now I have to "LIKE" Disney since there is no more Pixar!!!

Mochi-tsuki

The Ohana Festival was held today at the Japanese Cultural Center. Of course, our piggish nature would never miss an opportunity to pig out. As expected, the line for the Okonomiyaki booth was a mile long since okonomiyaki, a Japanese style pancake/pizza, is not served in many restaurants and is supposed to taste very good. Since the line was too long, we decided to hop over to the Andagi booth. The most interesting part of the festival was the mochi pounding (mochi-tsuki) demonstration. Mochi is made first by steaming large batches of mochi-rice, which is then placed in a huge stone basin (usu) for pounding. Strong men use large wooden hammers (kine) to beat the rice-dough in a rhythmic manner. If their timing is off, someone may get hurt.
When the rice-dough is ready, it is pinched off in small balls and filled with azuki (a sweet bean paste) or other yummy sweet ingredients. This is first time we ate fresh mochi and it tastes really good!

I can see!

After nearly a whole year of procrastination, we finally told the owner our ceiling light fixture is broken. We weren't living in the dark ages all this time. The room was bright even with only one floor lamp. However, after I rearranged the room to a more reasonable and practical layout, I found a working ceiling light would really help to brighten my workspace. Prior to the rearrangement, my desk was next to the balcony where the morning sunlight would creep through the window screens and the curtains, eating my computer screen. So I moved the desk to the opposite side of the the room next to the kitchen where I sacrifice an airy open space for a darker yet breezy and more workable location. With the ceiling light, now I can see!
Inspired by the show FreeStyle on HGTV, I rearranged the living room/working area all by myself.

Home...is wonderful

I don't think any of my friends that are studying away from home are as homesick as I am right now. Everytime I leave San Jose, I have this terrible feeling. I thought I would get better at coming and going but it gets worse. I think I have been so close to my family, especially my parents, that I hate the notion of leaving home and being away from my parents. I try really hard to comfort myself but I just end up missing my family even more. I thought of calling my parents every hour, preventing them from doing anything but answer my calls so they get sick of me...hee hee. My baby niece, who just turned one year old, was so thoughtful to call me when I landed. She repeated, "wah wah wah gu gu wah po po wah". Well, one way to comfort me is to plan my next trip back home :) If only I didn't have school and work.......

Now I will go develop huge pictures of my family to put on the wall. Their heads in the pictures will be so big, bigger than my head! Real people size!

Dream couch

For the past few months, our coffee table has been leaking (sounds kind of disgusting) ... dropping (ah, better word) powdery wood particles on the carpet. It's like bird droppings, one poop here and there. We didn't know what it was so we just left it alone. Then a week ago, we looked under the table and saw 4 piles of powdered wood. We thought, hmmm...maybe it's time to buy a new coffee table. And so begins out quest for a new coffee table. Let me say the furnitures in HI are EXPENSIVE! A freakin dingy end table is $200. Imagine how much a coffee table will cost! On our quest, we found the perfect one and we absolutely love it. It's a bit on the pricy side for mainland people but it's considered a good price for Hawaiians. We love it cuz' it's small and stylish. For $200, this is a pretty good deal in HI. An ugly coffee table at Walmart costs $130. Might as well invest for something nice now and take good care of it. We were going to buy it yesterday but we laid out our options again.

1. Keep the table and wait until it falls apart
2. Get rid of it and not buy a new one ever again
3. Use boxes and a cloth to cover it (college style)

HappyOblivion thought the little creatures eating the table might invade our entire apartment so either way we are getting rid of the table. I guess he is right.

We also did a little window shopping and I found the couch and coffee table set of my dreams. I say dreams because the darn thing costs $13,000.

Christmas Lights

We went chirstmas lights hunting all over Oahu the other night. It's always fun looking at what people have done to brighten up the holiday season. These houses were also on the news, that's how we knew where to look. First we went to Hanapaa street in Kapolei. Three houses were fully decorated from top to bottom. One house even had a christmas tree made with empty beer bottles.
This house had a choo choo train that smokes up every 10 minutes or so. It's really cool! The little guy in the middle moves his hands up and down playing the drums. The next house had a family of snowman and cute looking penquin. I bet the 2 ballons at the very top were bought at Costco, hee hee. Then we went to Kaiakua street in Ewa. The entire street was decorated with christmas lights. This house tood out for obvious reasons. People were actually singing carols at this house. We got scared so we ran away. This was at somebody's backyard. The entire entrance was blocked off by all these Costco bought decorations. Well, at least remember seeing them at Costco. So creative! The most creative and cutie gingerbread boy and girl I have ever seen. They are so adorable. Last stop for the night was Honolulu City Lights. The decorations were the same as last year's so nothing too dramatic. Of course, you can never miss the shaka Santa and the beautiful and gigantic Christmas tree right outside of City Hall. Every year the City Hall display the Christmas tree and wreath contest. These are the ones I like the most even though they may not be first place.

X'mas R2D2

Hallo everyone! HappyOblivion bought me a really super duper cool Christmas gift. Well, he gave it to me a couple days ago but I didn't have time to blog it. It is a 17-inch R2D2 robot! It responds to commands, dances for you, and plays games with you too. If you pat him on the head too hard, he gets mad and doesn't listen to you. Oh and if you yell at him, he runs away. For some odd reason, he never listens to me but always listens to HappyOblivion. I say bad R2 and he shines a red light at me. I tell him to go patrol the room and he wants to play hide-n-seek with me.

Pride & Prejudice

The romance, the love, the frustration all portrayed so beautifully in the very little encounters they had. One scene captures your heart and leaves you breathless all because "You have bewitched me body and soul". Such peaceful happiness as the story concludes with "Mrs. Darcy, Mrs. Darcy, Mrs. Darcy..." I absolutely love this movie. Matthew MacFayden and Keira Knightly are spectacular and their performances are flawless. I urge you all to watch this movie because once is just not enough.