Day 21: "Mr. I am the LAW!" (J)

For those of you sadly unfamiliar with the above reference, it was famously uttered by the esteemed Rob Schneider (he of partial Filipino heritage and "You caaan do it!" fame), in the equally esteemed film classic, "Judge Dredd." While Mr. Schneider stated those words in fully mocking tones towards the darkly foreboding Sylvester Stallone (in the title role, of course), I use it only to partially mock myself.
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( To the right: an old lawyer-y pic from my Rutgers days.)
-------------------------------------- You see, I made some Hawaiian law today!  Well, I kind of did.  Actually, that's not true at all.  Still, I presented my research and gave my recommendation to the Justice and the law clerks on a case of first impression.  For the non-legal types out there (oh, how I envy you sometimes!), this means that the case involves an issue and question that has yet to be dealt with and decided upon by the state's judiciary or legislature.  Basically, it means that the Court, including my Justice, is making new law.  Did I get that right, law friends?  Obviously, due to confidentiality reasons, I can't really say what it was about.  Anyway, while I am an insignificant puddle/stream to the Hawaii's judiciary's massive Pacific Ocean, it's  still nice to give my tiny contribution.
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In other news, happy birthday to Lynette, our cousin and a full-third of our zealot-like followers.  Also coming up, we have Danielle's (Matt's sis and my cousin) birthday in a few days.  Finally, since we're in the mood for family shout-outs right now, a big one goes out to my sister, Katherine/Maricar, our illustrious, O.G., first follower.

Day 20: Waterfalls and Whatevas (M)

I finally visited Manoa Falls, which is about a 15-minute jog from our house. And to my surprise, it is only slightly less beautiful than the waterfalls in Nicaragua that we hiked probably four hours in the pouring rain to see. Shout-out to Crystal and Grace--our brave hiking companions! I think we've shouted-out to almost all of our readers now. Anyway, my necessity-driven job search has continued uneventfully and by now I have applied everywhere--from glitzy nightclubs to corner cafes--with no love. Whatevas. But you know, I've heard that periods of comfort are best appreciated when interspersed by periods of great discomfort. If this is true, perhaps this terrible job-hunting experience will only make whatever odd-job I find that much more enjoyable...Maybe.
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As an aside, I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to JR for instigating the earlier argument (see Day 13).
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Finally, it's time for the "Out-Of-Context Quote of the Day!" Today, it comes to us from JR--"...I'm kinda girlie sometimes..."--Well said, JR! Well said.

Day 19: A Little Perspective (J)

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For the most part, this blog carries a jovial, banter-driven, some would say irreverent, tone.  Matt and I talk about our experiences, we attempt to entice a few chuckles from our handful of followers, and we give general updates to those loved ones and friends who'd like to check up on us once in a while.  As a self-imposed rule, "99 Days in Paradise" is not meant to be a news-site, political forum, or space for anyone's ideologies, beliefs, or empathy.  Today's post will set aside our regular tone for a moment, and provide a rare exception to that rule.

Several days ago, Typhoon Ondoy began to batter down the northern part of the Philippines, including Manila and twenty-three other provinces.  After dropping nearly double the amount of rain than Hurricane Katrina, flash floods have mercilessly ravaged the Philippines.  Nearly two-hundred people have died, countless more are missing, and over 500,000 Pilipinos remain displaced from their homes.  The pending aftermath seems even more grim.

The following link and story recounts the efforts of an 18-year old who saved over thirty people in his village by plucking them from a raging flood, one by one, before he lost his strength and succumbed to the relentlessly pounding water.  His body was found a few miles down from the village.

"Hero teenager saves more than 30 lives before he is swept away by Philippines floods."


Friends, please allow me a few brief closing thoughts.  Hawaii has been an amazing experience so far.  I don't feel guilty for having had this opportunity-- my parents worked very hard in order to educate me, those accomplishments I've earned have come through sel-motivated dedication and will, and I expect to have a bright future.  Still, I am immensely, humbly lucky-- thousands upon thousands of pieces have clicked miraculously into place for me to be here, at this place, at this moment.  In many ways, I have been given almost everything.  Yet, with a quick flip of fate's coin, it could have been my family on the shabby roof of a Manila shanty hut, struggling to hold on to life.  Moments like this just make you put things into a little perspective...

Day 18: Sandy's Beach, Real Hawaiian Food (J) ........ and an Apology

This post will be less wordy, and more image-y.  First stop today was Sandy's Beach, a favorite of locals, with two housemates, Tami and Kawelo-- our resident "first couple" of Hawaii.  Cruised along in the beach van, almost broke my neck once in the gnarly waves and, perhaps, found my favorite beach in Oahu.  Everyone here was super-hot and tanned, island jams and the smell of ganja happily flowed from the back of parked vans, there were almost no other tourists, and the gorgeous ocean was almost angry with its force.  Trust me, the pics don't do the beach and waves any justice.
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Afterward, we headed over to Yama's Fish Market for some authentic Hawaiian Food.  We had the Lau Lau, Kailua pork, poke (amazing raw spicy tuna), poi, and haupia.  Really liked it!
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 In keeping with the tradition of our short-lived blog's propensity for new, kitschy conventions, I will now introduce the "Quotable Quip" of the day.  Today's quip comes from Athena (aka "A-Train"), an esteemed member of our "follower" tri-pod, who said this to us last night during a remarkable evening of food and conversation:  "Oh, I read your blog a lot!  Sometimes I can't sleep so I read it right before I go to bed."  I am paraphrasing, of course, but the hurtful gist was there.
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Finally, I apologize to Matt for Day 13's overly critical post.  (Though I believe he owes me an apology, as well.)  I have edited it somewhat.  Please read the epilogue under Day 13 for details.