|
1 . 2 7 . 0 0 So its back in Madison now, temps are pretty damn cold, teetering just around the zero mark, little below with wind chill. lots of snow on the ground, not too bad, freezing wind. Classes have started, and I am no longer in a state of unproductivity to complain about not more than a week ago. I'm going for 18 credits again--I think I can handle it too this semester, so far I got 2 intro level Sociology courses, 131 Criminal Justice in America, and 211 the Sociological Enterprise, both for intro courses, I must say are unreal in the interest level, both professors are very impressive, and well prepared. Sociology is definitely one of Madison's best departments. The big course for this semester is my 344, Organic Chemistry Lab, which meets 2 times a week for 4 hours, and 345, 2nd semester Organic Chemistry. (I guess I'm pre-med again) I also have a level III Psych course, 517, Clinical Psychology, and a Social Work Class 453 on Alcohol and Drug Abuse. On top of all this, I still got the AASU web design job, along with the Global Village activities, and planning for AA month in April. I'd like to bring up Marie Hara and Nani at least, but we'll see. I'm supposed to be keeping a daily journal for my AODA class about life, especially on the life courses that come about with personal Alcohol and Drug Abuse issues I encounter. since i've been keeping this journal every week or so so far, I thought I might just add onto this thing as a record of poundage-sessions to complete the assignment. This might get a little funny. On that note, I thought i'd mention that its pretty neat being 21 now, not only based on the access gained to bars, clubs, and drinks now, but more importantly the status of an 'adult' in legal standings--In many ways it is like the first step in the big test in life to see if I am really mature enough to be a truely responsible functioning adult. So far, so good, honestly I haven't been drinking anywhere close as much as I thought i would be after hitting the big 2-1, in many ways it is a totally different perspective now about the drinking scene especially here in the Mad City....I went to MadHatter's monday night with Dave and Rick for a couple of drinks, and we stopped and went home after a couple--knowing that I can legally drink whenever now decreases the tendancy to be irresponsible if you ask me. Well we'll see how this 'journal' goes. 1 . 2 2 . 0 0 So now I'm legal. crazy ain't it? Kano's legal, no more fakes, no more dis, no more 'dean matsumoto' or compton california.....no more waiolas, etc. etc. oops, did I say something I should've have? Had a blast these past couple of days, strange how the freedom of age affects one's mood. Visited some of the more well known bars in town, Gordon Biersch, Brew Moon, Oceans, and Jimmy's hangout Steck's, I wish more of da boyz an garlz were 21, lots of fun. I hung out tonight after the Match with Jimmy, Matt, Kathy, Kanoe, and two of the St. Louis Coaches, fun pounding with coach--different perspective, but still it reminds me of old times. I guess I'll never get sick of old wrestling stories. never until the day I die. The team is going very strong, I'm excited for them this year, theres not too much I enjoy more than watching the younger guys seeing their hard work and dedication pay off with the sweet spoils of success. oops i mean winning....oops. well, you know. There is always a bigger picture to the whole thing of HS sports, but hey, winning sure helps sugar coat the deep and personal life lesson. I got carded at Gordon Biersch with mom and pop, kind of strange, but funny since I just opened my wallet and showed it to the waitress. Ocean's IS overrated. nothing special, noisy, and impersonal. at least the cover charge was small. I'm off to the Mad City in about 24 hours now, this break went by so fast, its not even funny. I spent the day looking for gifts and what not for everyone I know up there, I hope that I didn't forget anyone, afterall its the thought that counts right? not the actual value or time spent........heh. And so school is starting too, on monday! ack. at least I guess I only have a lecture and a lab on monday, so it shouldn't be all too bad. hopefully. I hope I'm ready for school to start up again, study sessions in the cages of memorial, worktime at the MSC, 4 hour ochem labs, and power lectures, not to mention 5 degree weather, and no salt water to surf in. I think this is a good way to end my vacation on, a positive note....seriously. I am looking forward to what will bcome the next chapter in my crazy life, no matter what it brings. Call it a pathetic optmistic plug for fate, or the choice of attitude on the outcomes of the inevitable, It makes me smile, and laugh. I hope that this feeling is not from the jaga surfer shot that I had back at stecks from a really cute waitress, but something more real, more genuine. i have a feeling that it isn't so shallow and distorted. I'll see you in Madison. 1 . 1 8 . 0 0 So its been rainy, and belive it or not, chilly. 65......I know, I know, its nothing like Wisco, but hey, houses in Hawaii have no heating or insulation (duh), so it means that its the same temp inside as it is outside. it would really suck if it ever got cold enough here to snow. hey, with el nino/la nina you never know. I think someplace in Mexico hit the teens this week or something? aside from that new volcano that started erupting. Jase went back to silicon-e valley, apparently he's doing pretty good with his company, with stock options and what not. the projects he's working on are doing very well, makes me think about going to SF after graduation to earn some money for grad school. I just don't want to get stuck behind a computer screen 24-7 for the rest of my life. heh. at least not forcefully. Marg left yesterday, she stopped by during the day to give me some cookies, when my mom told her about another mouse stuck in one of those sticky traps under the TV. so then I ended up helping her set it free outside with chopsticks and salad oil. The thing had gotten it's face stuck to the TV cable and it was bleeding all over the place, i think theres a piece of mouse nose stuck on it now. Dayne is in town for the Hula bowl, theres an article in the paper today about how he kicked the shit out of UH back in 96, with 339 yards rushing as a freshmen. Its pretty neat to see him wearing the Wisconsin gear for his last game one more time. Theres been talk about where he'll be drafted to, I think its actually a blessing that he won't be drafted #1/#2, this way he'll go to a decent team with a quarterback, and an established O-line, thats what he needs to do real damage. Cat-Lover and Will called the other day out of the blue from Chicago. It was pretty cool, unexpected, but amusing. I'm thinking about giving up my seat from Ohare to Madison so I can ride up with them in Rolley's car, although thats all ad lib for now, I'll give them a call from the airport and we'll see. I'll be legal in less then 48 hours now, kinda crazy as I don't feel that much different and that much more mature, in fact the whole drinking thing has changed a lot now. Kinda sucks, as it was a lot more fun in HS. At least I don't have to worry about fake IDs anymore. no more "Dean Matsumoto" from Colorado. heh. I think I'm gonna go to a nice sushi bar with the fam, or maybe Gordan Beirsh at Aloha Tower. Gotta go see if Oney, Jimmy, Jack and Kathy are up to Ocean's on Thursday, kinda itching to see how overrated that place really is. It's almost back to the Mad city for me again, another semester of fun fun fun. pardon the sarcastic overtones, but it never fails, coming home, spending some time getting readjusted to things, surf a little, spack da wahines, eat some plate lunch, and then not wanting to go back. Went to sansusi beach and waiks with my dad yesterday, he was showing me all the fish in the water that he used to catch as a kid, Mamo, Manini, Veke, and he showed me the schools of Akule close to the shore. He pointed out where the streams emptied into the ocean before the ala wai was built, and how the sand at Ala Moana is getting swept out and the original shoreline is coming up--rocks, not sandy. Hawaii has changed drastically for tourism.....maybe I should write a part 2 to my article I wrote over the summer. We were walking down Ala Moana beach when these two cute local girls walked by, when i bent over to look at something in the sand I caught them checking out my ass. Kind of funny really, the questions of ethnic identity and differences from the Mainland and Hawaii come up everytime I shift from one to the other. a lot of people have told me that I should go into academia and be a professor on this sort of thing, although I wonder how much of an interest is there in this field anyway? 1 . 1 4 . 0 0 Jase is coming in for the weekend to visit, it'll be weird having all three of us home, I'm sure. We're gonna go to that new place that opened, i think it's called Todai's they have this all you can eat buffet of sushi, crab, lobster, sashimi, and local grinds. Originally its a california chain, I wonder how their doing in Hawaii, with the appetites of Hawaii people, I wonder how long they'll still be in business. Reg & Tiffy both called me with this internet phone/headset thing, its free long distance over the internet. Pretty neat, but theres a lot of feedback, and sometimes you hear an echo with a lot of static. But hey, its free, right? Everyone is starting to go back up for school, leaving me with the UH boyz, who have been somewhat nonexistant. School started for them, so its not too surprising, but things have gotten pretty domestic around here. Went surfing again a couple days ago, ala moana is nice when its calm and empty, wasn't much waves, but a couple good sets came in, making it worth the wait. I'm really gonna miss the salt water, come a week from now, although reading the weather report, Madison isn't too bad this time of year really. I wonder if the lake is frozen by now.... Had the honor of talking to a national award winning local writer, Marie Hara, the other day, I'd like to bring her up to Madison in April to give a talk or something, her works and views are definitely a change of pace and change of perception for the katonks up there. Mom took me to meet her at the Pacific country club downtown, I was surprised how many Punahou grads I saw there, I think I saw one of the wrestlers too, I think the 275lb Varsity. I spent a couple hours scanning some pictures, I have pictures from my Seattle trip from last spring break up, and a bunch of pictures from this fall semester up as well. I don't know if i mentioned it already, but McCubbin was named the CEO of Kamehameha schools recently, meaning that he'll be gone from Madison starting this Feb. I'm really excited for him, I think he can do a lot for the estate's name and future, but what kind of sucks is that we need to find a new advisor up in Madison now. ah well. I've also been playing the role of psuedo-admissions officer, seems like a lot more people are interested in making the jump from Hawaii to Wisconsin--lots of emails and inquiries about Madison. I wonder how much of it is due to the recent Rose Bowl win, or the two consecutive. Ogawa was right, when he said that football is important for Universities in the sense that it is free advertisement, and in a way it is an indication of how good a school is--to some people....right? good football team=good school? maybe UH get chance now. heh. 1 . 9 . 0 0 So after 2 weeks of sleeping in till noon with nothing to do but sit on my okole, eat raw fish and sleep, I actually woke up at 6AM this morning...Maybe I'll get productive like I told myself on the plane home--lots of webwork and reading to do.....nah. Well we'll see I suppose, I still have 2 more weeks to dick around. The Madtowne is a little too hectic and too fun sometimes, its good to just sit around and be domestic for a change--not to mention when theres nice surfboard calling me. Joss's 9-0 is sweet as hell. Longboards are so much easier to ride on than shortboards. I took Forgy surfing the other day at concessions, but it was flater than flat, we didn't get much more then some in-breaks before heading in. I gashed up my knee on the reef and sliced the bottom of my foot sorta bad. They're clean cuts, but they're in a place where every step I take rips it open again. Can't wait for it to heal so I can go out again. Been going to the beach almost everyday otherwise, went yesterday with Hic for a while, it rained half the time with the sun still shining. I've learned to miss the feeling of warm rain on the face, even at the beach. at least it doesn't turn to ice. Had a nice random talk with hic too, we've been buds for 10 years now. Kinda amazing we kept in touch all this time, she still cracks me up. Patches caught a rat a couple days ago and let it go in the house. Big fucker too, about the size of my hand. She has had this tendancy to bring in rodents of various size and speed into the house kicking, screaming, bloodied, but still alive right up in front of us, and then let them go. My mom thinks that its her way of being a mother cat--giving us game to hunt in the house. We used one of those old fashioned wire traps to catch it, right now its running around in circles scared out of it's wits, making a lot of noise late at night. Patches used to leave headless chinese doves at the foot of our beds before, one time she left me a decapitated mijiro bird. Reg leaves this morning, maybe I'll give her a call, she'll probably freak out that I'm up so early this morning, as her flight is at 10. Well just in case I don't call reg, I wanted to wish you a safe free-flight back to cali, and I guess you won the bet huh? Emailed H-girl, wonder how she's doing, kind of strange how detached things get between semesters, a month isn't too long, but I think the readjustment between circles of friends in different corners of the world makes it a little more difficult. With friends I think i've learned to keep expectations at a minimum, but hope and faith at a maximum. Had a long talk with Stratis--haven't seen him in a while since he went MIA. Nish and the rest of the boiz are doing good, kinda the same ol, UH starts tomarrow, so I don't know how much of them I'll be seeing from here on out. Especially the whipped ones.....heh. I got to listening to some more J-pop thanks to Seiko and the other Japanese ppl I've meet over the past couple of years. randomly i looked up a site, the Japanese Brittany Spears, cept much more talented. I found out that she has the same B-day as me...... 10 Days.... 1 . 4 . 0 0 My first journal entry of the new millennium. So Y2K wasn't as much of a problem as we all had expected (or hoped, in some ppl's minds) aside from the usual firecracker accidents, the new year was rung in without much difference than usual. I went to my uncle's house and blew shit up, littering the street with red paper and filling the air with grey smoke. Hawaii is a pyro's wet dream come new years, as it is probably the biggest observed holiday of the year, locals spend thousands to literally burn away. Driving home there was so much smoke in the air it was like a fog, and there was a thick layer of soot on the windshield to scrape off. The Rose Bowl was kind of a sleeper, I organized a gathering with the Hawaii club at All Star Cafe in Waikiki, and ended up getting the entire Badger Swimming team to come, as they are all practicing at UH this winter break. The game wasn't nearly as much of a blowout as expected, the team looked a little rusty from not playing since November, the only one that came to the game from the start was Dayne, racking up about 200 yards. Wisconsin held Stanford to -5 Rushing yards, but gave up a lot of passing yards, partly due to the fact that their star receiver who had broke his wrist amazingly showed up for the entire game without a cast or brace on it, and played all 4 quarters.....gotta hand it to those sneaky cardinal bastards for a media hype....heh Jossem and Iso left for school last night. Got to see both of them last last night in a final winter bash, I'd like to call it. Went to this Kaiten robot sushi place in Waiks, me and Adam pounded a couple Asahi's and then we went to Karaoke Hut and made some noise. Those 15 person rooms are no match for the Karaoke Kid in Madison, I'm sorry. plus the selection of songs was choke sweet, although I must've sang Masese 1 too many times. My grades came in finally, I ended up just missing the Dean's list by .3, which is surprising really, in many ways I look back to my freshman year, and wonder how I ever survived, let alone decided to come back to Madison. Perseverance is definitely a part of me that has been tested over the years. I got a DARS printed, after next semester I'll be 6 credits away from a Sociology degree. The fact that I didn't fail Ochem this semester throws a monkey wrench into graduating early though, as I might just stick around for a 4th year taking Physics, and finishing up a Psych double. As for new Years resolutions, I think I'll be keeping them a little silent, I have a couple of obvious ones, but nothing major. One of them is to surf as much as possible in my time home, I bought Adam's 9-0 off of him as he might not be home for the summer. I'm planning on doing Dawn Patrol at Ala Moana after the UH boys start school. I really like this board, it seems like the right width for me, and it's easy to catch on half-footers. The other I think might be to keep in touch with important people, true friends, and tenured souls, it seems like too many pass through my life and dissapear. Even email hasn't been very consistant on my part. Happy New Years....... |