Dinner at 3PM is my style

Because I worked 10 hours last Friday and 10 hours this past Tuesday, I was able to take the day off today (yay!)

I spent the morning watching random videos (wasting time!) and on the phone with my friend, who is still in Oregon but will be flying back home TOMORROW. I'm really excited because we made plans to visit the Contemporary Art Museum, which I have never visited. I love going to new places! They also happen to be hosting an art festival on the day we plan to meet up (Saturday)! ^__^

I spent the afternoon with my friends over an early dinner at the Yard House in Waikiki. We chose to arrive around 3PM on purpose because we wanted to take advantage of the Happy Hour, lol.

Our waiter was friendly, but it's something that made sense when we discovered the required 18% tip ($25!) we had to pay at the end of our meal. Two of my friends and I ordered iced tea, which turned out to be $3.25! It wasn't even anything special - I could be drinking water. -_-;;; We made sure to get two refills so it's like paying $1 for each glass, lol.


I only ordered a small organic tomato bisque ($4.25) because I had a sore throat and the roof of my mouth was bleeding yesterday... I have no idea why, but it has been in a terrible condition for the last week. I'm not sick because my condition hasn't worsened - but they haven't improved either. ^^; Ahh, I hope it goes away soon!

Although I told myself I shouldn't eat any fried food while I was in such a condition, I couldn't help myself when it comes to calamari:



The calamari here is delicious!!! The breaded panko layer is crispy and the inside is soft. I can only remember having calamari at Genki Sushi and the irs is harder to eat. The soup was too salty for my taste (is it terrible to admit that my school cafeteria actually makes it better?) with a tiny portion that was not worth the price. However, I think I ended up eating more calamari than I should have...nobody else was eating it and I hated seeing food wasted.



Everyone agreed that the dessert was the best part! I had my first crème brûlée, which was topped with caramelized bananas. It's like pudding...flan...custard. My favorite! I love the soft texture and the subtle sweetness!

The bill came out to be $167.07...quite expensive. I paid for it with my card because I never have enough cash, but now I have all this cash from everyone. I have to be careful and wise about this... ^^;

I don't usually like to eat out because I need to save money but when I do, it's always for the company. Whenever a bunch of us can gather and hang out like this, I always feel incredibly LUCKY and SPECIAL. I never take being able to hang out with my friends for granted because they all have such BUSY SCHEDULES. ^^;

After "dinner", Joyce and I just hung around (but didn't buy anything!) and took purikura. It was a nice day!

North Shore

This past Friday, I hopped on a Japanese-only North Shore tour for a photoshoot at work. The tour was smaller than I thought and consisted of nine people (including myself, Masa the tour operator, and my co-worker Yunmi.) It was apparently off-season since summer break doesn't start until JULY for the Japanese (I feel so lucky!) Everyone was kind but treated me like an alien because I could speak Japanese (haha!) I had to explain to everyone that I was born and raised in Hawaii. Wherever I go, I always have to explain that I am an American. I guess it's not obvious. Perhaps I need to tan.


This guy went on the North Shore tour with his family. Most old people have serious faces, but he was always smiling. When we ate lunch at Fumi's Kahuku Shrimp Truck, I saw him share his food with his wife. He is very sweet. <3 I want to have that kind of relationship when I'm that old, haha. Although he couldn't speak a word of English, he still spoke to me (in Japanese only) and I was impressed because most people are shy and don't even try to speak to someone not from Japan. He told me that he was from Matsumoto (松本市) in Nagano Prefecture (長野県). At the end of the trip, I was a little sad with the thought that I probably won't see him again. I was touched by his kindness.


I tried Matsumoto Shave Ice for the first time.

And I call myself a local?
I know, I know.

There's always that crazy long line. I hate long lines. But I waited this time...and discovered why it's so popular! It's cheap, the ice doesn't melt too fast, and the small is like a large for me! I ordered the sour li hing mui, green tea, and lemonade with azuki red beans. I didn't care too much for the green tea and lemonade, but the sour li hing mui was amazing!

Does anyone have any recommendations for what flavors to try next time? ^^

The trip was interesting but very exhausting. After eight hours of NIHONGO, I really just wanted to find someone who could speak English.

I hate how obsessive compulsive I am.

When I get into something, I can't stop!

Sleeping and eating...

Ok, so this fatigue I've been experiencing since the start of this week is getting a little ridiculous! I wake up at 7am, work until 1pm, eat lunch, and then collapse into bed for a 3 hour heavy coma-like nap. I don't wake up until someone calls me for dinner. What is this nonsense?! One would think that I would feel refreshed and energized after such a generous nap, but I still feel exhausted the rest of the night. I even go to bed before midnight (about 4 hours earlier than usual!) so it's not because I sleep late. Maybe my body is finally starting to catch up on the all the lack of sleep during the school year?

But sleep is a good thing right? I've been getting about 10+ hours a day. Most people are satisfied with 7 hours, but I've learned that the perfect amount of sleep for me is 8-9 hours. It's not so little that I want to sleep more and not so much that I feel tired waking up.

I guess I feel regretful that time is slipping away without my having done much. >__< Last week, I only worked 3 hours a day so I was able to eat out and hang out with friends every single day. As a result, I've lost money and gained weight in return. I like the weight gain in certain places and not others...hahaha! ^^ It's horrifying how much money I've spent on food alone. I vowed that I would start making my own lunch everyday starting...today! ^^

Today's lunch:

There are somen noodles on the bottom, but you can't see them because the toppings overwhelm, haha.

ShopRuche

My favorite online boutique...

Two Weeks into Summer 2011

So the first day of work wasn't that big of a deal. I was given mundane tasks - such as sticking labels on magazines and keeping a record of our clients on Microsoft Excel. My manager says that with this done, we can start afresh tomorrow (yippee?) I say she is my manager, but in reality she is only a few years older than me. Doesn't the word manager just make you think oldddd though? I pictured a middle-aged woman. I didn't mind the work she gave me because I like to think that you have to start small if you want to learn and get somewhere (eventually). The fact that she herself had to do this before I came along also comforted me, hehe. ^^ I hope to do exciting things soon!

After work, I waited for all of my friends at the bus stop because we all arranged to have a lunch date! <3 I had originally planned to meet one friend, but the number kept increasing (to almost about 12 people!) I was worried that there wouldn't be enough seating in the tiny crepe house as originally planned, especially after my sister warned me that it gets busy during lunch hour!

At the bus stop, a guy started to strike up a conversation with me!
I was waiting for the conversation to die down, as they normally do among strangers, but he kept asking question after question. I realized he was trying really hard to keep up the conversation and I wasn't helping. ^^; I was sneaky and pretended to play with my phone to avoid awkward conversation, but he was oblivious and continued talking to me, lol! He asked me if I was going to school here, what I was studying, etc. When I told him that I was an art major and that I loved doing portraits, he asked if I could do a portrait of him. Honestly, I don't think I would mind because he's very good looking with beautiful hazel eyes.

I responded, "Maybe I'll draw you if I see you next time."
He replied coolly, "Oh, I'm pretty sure we'll see each other often. I leave in August too."

(Wait - how did he know? I never told him...but I guess it's easy assumption to make. But why does he seem so certain we'll meet again?)

He told me that he was from Florida and that he was here as an intern for Hawaiian Airlines! He also said that he noticed me earlier and wanted to give me his umbrella because I looked so scared of the rain. LOL! He offered me his umbrella, saying that he didn't use it anyway! I cut our conversation short when I told him that my friends were already on the bus waiting for me.

I am usually very wary when talking to strangers because I live in the dangerous part of town. I hope he is the friendly guy that I think he is because he knows where I go to school and how old I am. I don't know anything about him because I didn't ask. However, it was very refreshing to talk to someone new! I wonder if I'll see him again?

I ended up seeing five of my friends for lunch - my sister also came to join us!


It was a pretty big group, so I didn't really get to do the catching up that I had planned. I learned that it's more difficult for me to talk to big groups and that I enjoy talking to people one-on one. This may be why I feel more comfortable at intimate parties rather than big parties...

I ordered the veggie crepe ($6)! It had a chock full of spinach, which I love, but I would have preferred it to be cooked spinach as opposed to raw. I dislike raw vegetables - they make me feel like a rabbit. I want to come back and order a sweet crepe! ^^

I rested at home for a bit before doing a little job hunting.
Why is it so difficult to find a job? >_<
If I can't find one, I should be using the time to work on improving various skills I have...studying, for instance.
Ahaha...I need discipline!!!

On a random note (wow, this is getting long!) I have started reading books again!
Yayyyy! I visited the library this past Saturday and it was actually open for once (the past three times I visited was a big fail). Although I read at school, I feel like I haven't read since forever because they weren't reading for enjoyment. I also missed manga. <3 I am currently reading the novel The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger .



I love a good love story and I wanted to read the book before I watched the movie. ^^

Why so tired?

I don't know why, but I've been waking up so late these past few days. This past Saturday and Sunday, I woke up at a little before noon. I was shocked, because I thought it was around 9am and I never wake up this late! I also go to bed by midnight, which is way earlier than I did during the school year. It's difficult to get out of bed because my body feels so heavy. I also spend the day feeling extremely tired and listless. Have I used up all my energy sleeping??? Does this even make sense?

It's been about two weeks since I got back and I'm spending it happily and lazily~♪ I got to hang out with my family (surprisingly!), see my old high school friends, and meet up with Willamette ones too. ^^

I start my official first day of my internship tomorrow so I will have to force myself out of bed this time. I'm really excited! I really like everyone that I met at the orientation and I want them to like me too. They are what I want to become someday after graduation haha. ^^ I have no idea what is in store for me and I still lack the confidence in my abilities, but I'm going to try my best!

One thing's for sure: I need to take more photographs!!!