No Doubt is my shit. Almost three months here and heading for a new year. New Years is always such an impacting day, I feel like. We always start to reflect on things and think about the possibilities of the coming year. Some people make resolutions for self improvement. This new year is bringing me another big girl job with lots of hours and big girl pants. I'll have three receptionists and the owner for the first two weeks. She's put me in charge of pretty much everything that goes on. And I'll be running the Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. And I swore I'd never Tweet :(   I have skills for this one!

I've been thinking a lot about religion but more is the sense of the spirituality of it, the connection. I was walking on the street and a monk gave me a Kai Guang Amulet. Though this sparked my interest, I didn't give a donation to him and kept walking. However, I did find out a few days before that a well known Buddhist Temple is less than a mile up the valley I live in and I've been meaning to go. The card reads, WORK SMOOTHLY and LIFETIME PEACE. I like the sounds of both of those things.

I like to pray the rosary Mom gave me, they've felt her prayers and have been close to her heart.  I guess that's my connection to her and I can feel the prayers sent to me from lots of places and people, so that's something.. I think it's a tool and the way I have meditated my whole life.

I'm in a really positive mindset.

One thing I started stressing about, I asked a desk guy to make a copy of my social security card and as I was walking away the other guys said, "Did you mean to make two copies of that?" and then the fist guy was like, oops! He crumpled it and put it in the trash. And I DIDN'T ask to just grab it!! As I was walking away I thought I should do it and I didn't and it's the thought is haunting me!

BFN:
4:11 + 6:11 are also 11:11.. Think about it!

 Oh, and we've salvaged the house. Thinking about moving into K2's big room and splitting rent for a bargain. 3 other ladies in their 20s and two guys in their 30s. Should be a good house. More to come on that haha..

Let the motherfuck burn.. or do we need water?

The drama of the house was an unreasonable feat to conquer. The people living here were mean, two-faced and unreasonable. The other Kristen is the lease owner and has been here through cycles of roommates in this 6 bedroom house. We were supposed to have a "house meeting" about the vile filth some of the roommates were comfortable living in (dip spitters in every room, even the back of the toilet), cleaning in general and the rude nature of people too. The only people in the house that made it to the meeting were said people. The only three roommates who were friendly, clean and easygoing didn't make it. Oh, not to mention the "guy on the couch" who didn't have anything to say, instead played the computer in his created computer nook. That kid used much more electricity than me and never paid rent even! Phew, so anyway. This meeting turns into a yelling match about nonsense.....

Just got interrupted by a visitor and had conversations 

of being stranded.

I'm an old soul with a young spirit.

Connections of it all.

Watched this Youtube WITH THE TV MUTED

And Celestialism.

Now it's like hours later and I don't feel like ranting. That's a good visit! :)

Long story short. They all bounced out of the house and didn't pay the last month rent, but stayed until the 15th, and they also refused to pay last months electricity. Screwed her over pretty bad. I was planning on staying at my friend's house for a month and then try to find another place. Somehow Kristen has convinced me to make this house work. I told her I would clean and help. I even put up a Craigslist ad. https://post.craigslist.org/manage/4247189231 :) I told her I'm uncomfortable with putting my name on the lease, but would help her out as much as possible. So who knows what's next, but that's the latest update.

Today one of my roommates curled up in MY blanket and ate pizza... and then took a nap. With my blanket.

Things are progressively getting worse in this house.

This weekend was a crazy one. I was so looking forward to this long weekend, because I picked up extra hours at my personal assistant position, since I haven't been working the other one anymore. He's great but I was feeling DONE by the end of the week. Wednesday night was really the beginning of the weekend and we started it off with a foam party (+). It was wild. At one point some strung out dude thought it would be funny to push me, but I fell right to the ground. Just because the foam was all fluffy, didn't make the ground any softer. I  did the first thing I thought made sense in that situation; I sprang up and tackled him crack to the floor as hard as I could. Hit my hip and did some damage. He got up a lot slower than I did, so the operation was successful.
Thursday, dragging a little bit, Happy Thanksgiving! Went to my bosses house early and did a ton of cooking with him. We made all of the traditional foods. The party was a blast. All of the guests brought all kinds of food from Japanese mochi rice stuffing to cookie dough cheese cake bars. Let me say that again, COOKIE DOUGH CHEESE CAKE BARS. It was a jolly merry drunky time!
Then these past two days shit went down. Like bad shit to people very close to me here. And a close friend and teammate on the UH football team of my roommate died last night. He drowned at Sandy's.. My really close friend got attacked and attempted to rape her. She got away, thank God, with a black eye and bruised ribs. It was a lot.

I just really want to have a relaxed meditative day tomorrow and process everything. I'm really thankful for everything I have here and how I've been able to make everything work. I feel safe and blessed. It's so hard to deal with tragic situations that occur so close to us but do not impact us directly. There's a certain sense of powerlessness in all of it that gives me the urge to be a positive influence.

For the first time in my life, I have been laid off! ME?! Unbelievable. I guess those yuppy ass mother fuckers thought I was too big league for their chump ass shit.. I'm still a little salty. I've been eating like a king though, and it's a big thanks to my other boss's generosity. And I found a place where I'm going stock up of furniture for labor, whatttt?!

Adventures!

I'm trying to visit Thailand. Also, thinking about getting a smaller place with less roommates, but that's still in the works. Straight chillin!

At this moment I am sitting on the lanai,  it'salways a little cooler at night a breezy so hoodie and blankets are key. My favorite spot to unwind. Sometimes I lay and watch the clouds here, and sometimes I lay and watch the stars here.

I have a conundrum I've been faced with, and I don't know what to do. Rules are rules, right?

I still don't have a bed. I really need to get on that.

The moon directly above me is two days from full. Its a cool 74 degrees. In the clouds I see two ying yang fish, a camel and Africa as they quickly shift across the sky. The house across the street added an eerie set up with life-size figures in adorned garments under their canopy in their front yard. I'm curious to investigate, but I'll wait for sunshine. The lights on Palolo allow a clearer view to the teared streets of neighborhoods winding throughout the plots for homes carved neatly into the mountainside. It is a quiet Friday evening. Slowly the surrounding window lights turn out and the night begins to set.
Today I went to the local craft store and stocked up on some supplies! I need to be creative, make something. I wandered through the store, idea jumping off of the shelves. I really like what I decided on.

Tonight was a whirlwind of an evening.. Meeting certain people can be an extraordinary thing, and then sometimes you just keep walkin. Different people with changed understandings. Maybe they know something we don't, maybe they're just making means. Just going with the flow from highs to lows. Badoooomm!! It's 4am ha!  "She's slick" ..Damn right.

It's November?!

Yesterday I got to drive a bemer around almost the entire island. Angel and I started early and hit the Pali Highway with the sunroof open and a zippy car we headed out to Kailua beach and floated and sunbathed for about 3 hours. The clouds were rolling in, just a bit! So we drove on to Hanama Bay (huge tourist attraction, great snorkeling). Kinda gandered about seeing pretty views and peculiar people. We cruised all the way to Ka'ena Point. The west side is suuper local. There's a huge chunk missing out of the beauty that's used for a military firing range. )hem.(
These damn cats got me feelin' all homeless.The thing is, Bell know she is not all allowed in my room and respects that. She does her thing, I do mine. She does get a little handsy with my mealtimes, but overall she leaves me alone and I'm cool with that. Mickey and I are tight. No one else likes him, and he knows it. He's so chill we bond continuously. And then there's Sebastian good for damn nothing, orange hellion, bastard cat. Pissing on my clothes, trying to steal my drinks.. The latest, he ran up my screen and popped my air mattress, which is weird because he's not supposed to be in my room in the first place. So NOW I have to sleep in the living room until I either a. Try to do an exchange and yell at Walmart, or b. Tape the shit out of it. I have the box but not the receipt. And I'd bring a really good uncomfortably stranded camper story.
Speaking of stories! I thought of a time in the Old Port with my partner in crime, Erin Wad. It was mid Spring 2012, when we embarked on an average night out on the town which never turns out to be so. Whether it was something in the air, the alignment of the moons or a shift in awareness. As we walked to Old Port Tavern, our favorite divebar, we noticed an unusual amount of clowns all throughout the streets. Not that an amount if clowns would be usual. We arrived at OPT, grabbed some grateful deads and grabbed a table. From the bar to the dance floor vibes were strange. The final straw that pulled us out of the place was the creepiest freaking clown man of my life. Immediately outside of the bar there was a very large man with a bulletproof vest and without a smile, who was accompanied by a box-topped fool dancing an upright worm with a family sized bag of Lays potato chips. We were feeling like tonight was too odd to cope and we took a walk. Down Wharf St, we were approached by a friendly German man. After multiple courteous attempts at ditching the guy, we found a way to swiftly make our break. As we walked away from him he yelled, "Good luck, you'll need it!" As we hustled on our way all about out little city, people reappeared in the strangest of ways!  <3 love your love waddydingerbabypie
I almost forgot! Tonight I was taking the bus back from an appointment and the stop was riddled with hoodlums and jail bait. A group of 10 or so local boys who I'd say were about 14 were making a ruckus. One of them jumps in front of oncoming traffic and starts banging on the windows. Another pushes him back onto the sidewalk. Just as a car rolls by two of the kids jump and hang onto the car by the sunroof. The driver slams on his breaks and punches one kids hands, causing him to fall off but land on his feet. This fills him with so much juice that he punches the dudes window. The car takes off speeding as one kid is still hanging on then slammed on his breaks, sending the kid flying and smashing into the curb. They all go nuts and chase at the car while it speeds away. One of them starts asking me for money, and I said I didn't have any. They finally jump on A and I waited for a few more minutes just as a friend shouts, "hey, Kristen! Need a ride?" I said YUP and got in the truck so fast. Oh me oh my!

Halloween in Waikiki was a whirlwind! I don't know how else to explain it really. Deciding to use the costume that I already had even though I really wanted to be something scary, I was a zombie Wonder Woman. Gin and gingers all night! So many crazy costumes and people just having a good time. Walking the strip, house party, hitting some bars, walking around the party in the streets. Oh and warm weather, of course. Today has actually been extremely windy and rainy. So there were more rainbows than usual. And even when it's raining, it's enjoyable. It was nice to have everything cool. There was a pretty mean storm over night and early morning and all of the sudden this big emergency horn starts going off through the streets! And I'm like, uhh... Apparently it's just a tsunami warning that they test every 1st of the month. Oh. I was dragging today! We went to Cosco to wander and try a bunch of samples. Josh and Alex got an extra large pumpkin pie and I left with 8lbs of ground of beef. I'm thinking about making a giant family meatloaf and I have a ton of potatoes and carrots that someone gave me.
Made me laugh- the house I'm living in with 9 people is a super Cali house (and not as in califragilisticexpialidocious). Everyone is from all over California. And the other day everyone was talking about what color the gatorade was inside one of those green containers. Everyone starts yelling, "orange!" But hearing all of them say orange over and over again was so funny because of the way they say it, and I just had to laugh to myself, because I was outnumbered on that one. Oh the life of an East Coast howley.

Journal Excerpt: November 4, 2011

And in this dream of whole tranquility I feel the fluidity of a dozen birds spiraling waves of shade and color through a clear blue sky. I feel the strength of the assurance in my convictions. I accomplish all that I am capable of and obtain the self validation that I yearn so desperately to encompass. My thoughts are wise, my words honest. My mind is loved, my body cherished. Serenity is not the word that can hold true to the composure and stillness of my euphoria. This mental safe haven is my paradise, which keeps my optimistic world viable because reality is perception and my jubilation is either feasible... or it is madness. I have the confidence and enthusiasm in my idealism.

In this dream I do.

I'm adjusting.. Writing in a journal-type way is way harder than writing in my journal. I was thinking the other day how funny it would be for someone else to read my absurd entries. It's easier to write random thoughts than to say okay, what do people want to hear? I was thinking of doing random excerpts from my journal in here. I never remember what I write, so it's like brand new when a look back on it.
I went to Waimanalo Beach today with five of my housemates. We all piled in the pick-up truck that one kid, Josh, had borrowed for the day from a friend. Five in the cab, one in the back.. It's legal here to ride in the back of a pickup. And actually, sometimes on the highway there are huge trucks with 10-15 farmers piled in the back. That makes me laugh. We were originally planning on going to Sandy Beach, which is infamously known for the casualties taken with the enormity of it's waves. Just as we were getting close it started raining. Felt so bad for Manny in the back! We did a slow roll through Sandy, but since it was raining we didn't stop. Those waves were not a joke though! Further on Kalanianaole Highway was Waimanalo Beach,which has quickly become my favorite beach. I mean, don't get me wrong, if someone tells me there's a better one then I'm there. It was a great day! One wave flipped me so hard, I'd like to say I went ass-over-kettle.

Adorable housemate, Aspen

Just yesterday was a tailgate for the UH Manoa, Warriors football game. Oh and that was 7 of us in the bed, 2 in the cab. Just a bunch of rowdy college kids, music, sunshine and of course anything you needed. It was definitely a sensory overload at times. They didn't win.. not that anyone was really paying attention. I need to establish a posse. A posse would have been more comfortable.
On that note a lot of my time so far has been out of my comfort zone entirely. And sometimes my inner voice goes, eek it's just me! But then my other one says, you got this girl; it's just you! So the voices in my head are comforting is what I think I just said? Not entirely sure that I'm being clear. I often find myself out of my element and having to just make a move to get things flowing better than them just happening naturally. Does that make any sense? It's NEW and it's super and it's awesome and it's fun. My housemates are all laid back and friendly, so just hanging out at home is always chill. More downtime to myself would be a positive change. I'd like to get a smaller place eventually, but it will happen eventually. And they're friends.

Zippy's Loco Moco

Allow me tell you about the Loco Moco. This is a traditional Hawaiian food, which consist of white rice, hamburger patty, fried egg and extra gravy (always extra gravy). Someone told me about it and prefaced with, now I know it sounds gross.. It never sounded gross to me! Holy smokes was this delightful. People say it's a great drunk food, so maybe I'll have to try it sober before I'm selling it. But delightfully satisfied. And it had a side or macaroni salad, because so does everything.

This place really does Halloween right! Since it's one of my favorite holidays, I'm thinking I really came to the right place..  Last night was Crazy Sexy Ghoul, which is an enormous party that's also a fundraiser for Make a Wish. It was a blast and a half. This upcoming weekend is the Chinatown block party in Honolulu where it's a giant party and they block off the streets. And the actual Halloween night is when Waikiki strip and beach are full of people imagining they're something else for the night. LOVE IT! This means I get to be Wonder Woman not once, not twice but THREE times. And I make a damn good Diana Prince, if I may say so myself!

I'm feeling moderately sentimental. Not in a depressive way, but just in a way that makes me want to hug someone I love. I think it's PMS, honestly.

A little excerpt from my journal:

"Departing from Logan at 8:20am on October 2nd, 2013. I watched New England vanish behind me with a plane motor hovering above the place I've so long called home. Flying is a crazy thing. My ears are going nuts. Thinking about all of the people coming and going, in routine or out of their element. All of the different stories, loved ones. So many people just BEING. For some reason I already hated this pilot before we took off. Flying is like being alone while surrounded..."

 So yesterday I went on a date with a guy from OKCupid. And immediately you're like, "why has she not yet given up on this app?" Meh, something to do. I had already blown him off twice, so I felt obligated to go this time despite my raging hangover from a boss time with some friends at Moose's in Waikiki the night before. So I called him when I rolled out of bed and back into sober existence. He says, "come to my house, I'll make you breakfast and then we'll find something fun to do." Okay, I say. Now mind you, I am not a picky eater. Microwaved eggs on toast with cold bacon and cream cheese is NOT my idea of a first-date-impress- me-breakfast. He talks a lot, that's fine. We go on a little walk around the hood and grabbed some shave ice (a Hawaiian commodity) and he starts in on this shpeal about retarded people (minus 1), and that's when things started to go downhill. We decided to walk to Diamond Head and on the way he starts talking about some girl with "gross-ass, hard, fake DD's"(-1) and my unfiltered quick wit retorted with, well not every lady can be blessed with natural DDs. At which point he accuses them of being fake (-1). He then POKES and GRABS my tatas to ensure they're real!! (-5) I had to get a little serious with him, because home girl don't play that on a first date. So what does he do? Grab my butt (-5). So at this point, I've pretty much decided this first date is our last date, but I'm a good sport so I continued having fun. As we hiked he began to talk to every Japanese person we passed; he claimed to speak Japanese earlier. He had like five phrases that sounded nothing like Japanese and the people who he spoke to clearly had no clue what he was trying to say.. although this made him look really stupid, it was actually pretty hilarious (+1). We get to the top, check out the view, take a small break, head back down. On the way down I was walking down in front of him and he proceeded to tell me that I had a flat ass and should consider doing some squats(-3). Now, either he knew that I had already called it and he was just fucking with me, or he has some serious issues. Once we got to the bottom of the hill, we took a cab back to his place. I'm like, well that was really fun! Thanks so much. And he looked surprised that I didn't want to go back up to his place to hang out some more.. I just don't understand.

My Hamster Puppet

I just miss this little cuddle buddy so darn much! Every time I play with a dog, I think of her. She such a little hamster muffin. I know that she's doing great in Buxton and I appreciate the help my family is giving me with her. Gosh, I just want her in my life. It's like a piece is missing... dramatic. Smallfry baby pudding pie, I miss you!

Hike like a Mainiac

Two weeks today! It has most definitely flown by. The only negative thing that is wearing on me a bit is that there are sooooo many people in this house! I live with 11 other people. Yeah, it's a huge house.. and don't get me wrong they are some of the coolest people ever. I consider every who lives here a friend. It's super chill. It's just a lot of people. I need more space! But we did get WiFi today, chicka chicka yeah!

Me and Angel- only moderately muddy at this point

And here we are again on this giant fallen tree in the heart of the jungle

 On a more positive note, on goes my hiking! This week I've done two trails. The first one was Maunawili Falls in the Kailua jungle! The entire hike is completely mud trails. I'm talking, you are covered up to your knees by the time you reach the falls.. And your arms and hands too, if you fall like me! The lagoon there was really pretty, but we did go on Columbus Day so it was wicked crowded. But we went to a place that Angel likes to call the "Secret Fairy Sanctuary." If you climb up the waterfall and scale a little ledge, there's a really quaint spot that's tucked away. With a super sketchy jump that only I and one of the guys was brave enough to jump! The lady washing her hands in the picture where I'm crossing the river totally ate it on her way back, it was a had to be there hilarious moment.

crossing a little river

                                                                             

So then today I hiked Diamond Head, which is really more of a rough trail with stairs, it's definitely a beginner trail. It's arguably an important place to visit based on history!  Funny to see how many pictures are being taken in my picture.. And the landscape of Waikiki would be a lot nicer if da kine didn't pop his head in the way! Well, it was another wonderful, sunny day!

This weekend I saw (so far) the most beautiful spot I've seen. It starts with a hike that's really more of a path, super easy. Oh you think it's going to be a breeze? Part of the path opens on the right side where there is a steep hill that looks like a mud slide. There are ropes tied through the mud-path vertically, and you have to hold on tight and propel yourself down this slippery, steep, scary path! All the while you're getting eaten alive by maskeets! That part was miserable. But when get to the bottom, revealed is the most beautiful secluded lagoon. there is a large rock formation on the right side and then a huge waterfall. When you climb up the slippery waterfall by grabbing another rope and holding tight, you have two options once you're at the top. You can either jump off into the lagoon, or continue climbing into a nook that leads to another waterfall. I was in awe at the beauty of this spot. Truly a little piece of heaven!

Jesus say what?

There's an Apostolic church on my street that I can actually see from the living room window with this little number fixed atop it. Maybe they forgot "is" or maybe they wanted it to appear more as an advertisement to those interested in finding a faith. Regardless, whattttt? I wish I was on their level.

Today I had a job interview.. but I decided after an initial interview and then a second competitive group interview that I owned that I'd rather not work for an insurance company.  So I went to the beach instead! It was the KoOlina beach on the west side of the island, which is right by the Aulani, Disney Resort and Spa. The entire beach is "man-made" meaning the coast has been completely remade into separate lagoons with nets to keep out unwanted big fish and sharks. All of the rock walls and natural looking structures were placed there. And since it's part of the resorts, there are comfy lawn chairs and not a ton of people. Something new I learned about the weather in Hawaii is that it is completely inconsistent everywhere. So if it's raining where you are and you feel like going to the beach, then go somewhere else and there will be sun! I have a new buddy, Angel. She is my golden ray of sunshine and I love her life! As if Hawaii needed to shine brighter. Today was another great day in paradise! Oh, and here I'm an "East Coast girl." Love it! And I found a place right around the corner that's called Boston Pizza. It decked out in New England team swag. I felt so at home and I told them, they'd be seein' me! So they gave me a punch card and said we'd be friends. Miss and love you all. 

Peace and Love!

P.S. If y'all snitches want me to keep taking time to ramble about things, then I would like some comments, so I know who is actually reading this ish.

Aloha!

Posts have been demanded of me ;) *cough* Erin Wad *cough*

So the trip here went without a hitch. I mean, it was long as all ever. And my pen did explode all over my hand. That was a bit of a hassle. Oh, please note that the paper used to wipe the ink off was the directions so Charlie Bate's house. xoxo wonderful person. (I almost hashtagged #wonderfulperson.. and then I did)
                                                                                                                                                                                          

So on the way I was finding ways to entertain myself, naturally.. And I find this picture and I'm all like, "I would push this bitch out 'the way in an emergency situation. She's clearly old and going much too slow!" The lady next to me thought it was hilarious and then we got to talking. She was moving out here too. Awe, my first buddy.


Yeah, anyway. I spent one night in the hostel and it was lovely. Great people, nice place, super location. If I wasn't too lazy I would Yelp about it. After that I moved into a place in Palolo, Honolulu. I live with about10 other people. I don't think I've met them all yet. It was a mess when I got here. And I'm all like, uh no. So I rallied everyone to clean.. and now I can breathe.

Making friends, visiting new places, trying crazy new food, loving life! Job to come.. haha but being unemployed in Hawaii is a bit of a dream! 

I went on a 4 mile hike up Kuliouou Ridge, Hawaii Kai. It was beautiful. The last quarter mile was these stairs. It was totally an fml moment! Definitely worth it though.
I'm having a BLAST! I have realized that I need a moped. That's pretty much what most student or young folk have for their means of transportation. There is such a wide range of the people I'm meeting. Where I'm very interested in learning about the culture and experiencing everything here to the fullest, I'm excited to try to things. I'm finding the students and military personnel whom I have met thus far are not so as much. I'm not sure why that is. The Japanese influence here is definitely abundant. I did have the best Udon of my life the other day! Oh and spam musubi, so good!

This has been a boring post I think, but at least I've jazzed it up with some fancy pictures, right? 

Peace Out Maine!

So as I'm closing in on my last few hours here in New England, I can't help but feel overwhelmingly appreciative of all the loving people who I'm fortunate enough to have close to me. Yeah, maybe I've gotten a little sentimental today. But the only tears I've cried are for those who will no longer surround me with their loving presence. And just having experienced that love in the first place is pretty friggen awesome. I am SO fortunate. God has blessed me greatly! 

Hi