How Does It Always Turn Into a Hike?

Hey guys!

So this week was...well, it was like all the others. I mean, summer school is now over, so this week was just cleaning up and tying up loose ends and such. I'm not working tomorrow and Tuesday because of a lack of AC and a lack of real things to do, but that's alright. I'm glad to have a little break. 

I spent today doing homework, sleeping, and watching Supernatural. So, you know, the usual. Something that I just realized today is the fact that freaking BEDA starts this week. Like, what? I don't understand. I'm excited though, I could use some BEDA in my life. 

Mr. Yamamoto did a Mr. Yamamoto thing on Friday and when he came in he talked to me for like an hour and was all deep and stuff and it was kind of amazing. He said nice things about me and Jen, but he also just said a bunch of really cool things about doing good. He told me a bunch of really cool and interesting stories and it just kind of inspired me again. I mean, there's so much that I haven't been doing recently and I know that I should be but I just haven't. Hopefully this was just the push that Jen and I needed to get back into the game of doing things that we should. I hope it works well because it's a part of me that's kind of been missing recently and I don't want to lose it.

Enough of that. Time for sleep.... Maybe. 

Times Eaten At Chipotle: 12 (The experiment was good, but not the same...)

Why This Week Was Awesome: Wrapping Up

Books Read: 6 

Song Stuck In My Head: 

Long Walks and Deep Talks

Two things that describe my friendship with Brandon: long walks and deep talks. Going out with him today for most of the day was necessary. It was one of this things where you didn't know you were at a bad place until you realized that someone was trying to get you to come back.

I spent most of this week battling a cold! I started feeling sick over the weekend and it didn't catch up to me until Monday night. I hadn't been sleeping much pre-Jump Start. And then Jump Start happened and that was no sleep at all. So in addition to my immunity already being shot, my immunity got shot again! It made sense. 

So I woke up with a sore throat on Wednesday I believe and that was just terrible. I called in sick at UH, went back to sleep for a bit more, woke up to make soup, took a nap, woke up to make more soup, then traversed to Iolani for afternoon work. Then I came home, made more soup and slept. The next morning, the sore throat was gone and I felt okay enough to go back to UH. It was still an ordeal though. But yes, all week, I had tons of soup and water and orange juice. That was probably the shortest time ever that I have been sick with a cold. YESSSSSSS.

Oh and also there was me freaking out on Friday about every possible thing. But all is well and everything is fixed now.

Risks: 52 (Brandon Time is basically YOLO Time...from jaywalking to getting kicked out of parking structures...)
Books Read: 10 
Thank You Notes Written: 15 

BAH I ALMOST FORGOT

But I didn't!

This week was cray, so much so that I cannot encapsulate it in through words typed on my phone. This requires a laptop.

So I will be back!

----

AND I AM BACK....like a full week later....see THAT is how cray it was.

We had Jump Start during the week of this post. And it was crazy. And stressful. But that is probably the most fun I have ever had all summer. It started on Thursday morning when Brandon and I met up at 9am to finish prepping some stuff and went all the way until around 2pm on Saturday when I loaded my stuff on the back of the Pilot and drove home-home for a 5-hour nap, an hour for dinner and a shower, and about a good 9 hours of sleep after that. All of it was necessary of course seeing as I got two hours of sleep the first night and zero the next--I was awake for a good 27 hours. And then I took a nap on the steps of QLC in Upper Campus. Yep. Good times.

The weekend was filled with freaking out the night before if what we were doing could potentially get us in serious trouble from lots of different people, Greek gods and goddesses, envelopes of clues, running around Costco for last minute cardboard-scavenging, lugging coolers and luggage, tons of screaming and real-life Slender Man fun, triremes in space, sexy purple tan lines, conceptual shrink rays, PB&J-powered spaceships, 15 dozen eggs, lo'i work, crazy dorm life stories, Waikiki drinks hour, scavenger hunt fun, the extended pack versions of Cards Against Humanity, a bag of looseleaf tea that looks mysteriously like weed, smoky bacon and almost setting off the fire alarm, awesome Mexican dinner, and tons of YOLO fun. 

Just. Jump Start is always a blast, no matter where you stand I think.

A lot of work goes into it--a crazy amount of brainpower. Well. Maybe because we decided to do three scavenger hunts in three days. We were definitely ambitious with a lot of things. Some went really well, some not so much, but hey, no one died. And from what we could tell, the comments were largely positive and the 2013s had fun and they really bonded.

All is well in the RAPS family and that is a great thing. :)

Risks: 51 (Zero sleep is about as YOLO as you can get with RAPS! Well, an a night of CAH...)
Books Read: 10 
Thank You Notes Written: 15 

Procrasta-Faila.....

So. I've been spending all weekend procrastinating. Like, this is bad. I mean, we all procrastinate. But this is just getting ridiculous. My midterm for my online class is due tomorrow and I have to write like two crazy essays for it. I haven't even started yet. I told myself that I would spend my weekend working on it. Yeah, that turned out not so great....

Anyway, this week was a fun time. It was the last day of work summer school, which meant that Friday was a complete and total chaos event. It was fun though. There was a good 5 hour chunk that is just a blur. Good times though. I love working there. 

I honestly didn't even do much this week. I just need to get to work on my midterm, but I don't want to because it's stupid. :KAJSFL:KDJSL:KJba;skdfjnjksd

bye.

Times Eaten At Chipotle: 12 (ADVENTURITO IS OUT THERE!!! HERE'S TO 20 YEARS OF FREE BURRITOS!)

Why This Week Was Awesome: Night!

Books Read: 6 

Song Stuck In My Head: "Miss Jackson" by Panic! at the Disco (ERMAHGERD)

You Can Bribe Boys with Baked Goods

GAHHHHHHHHHHH You know that point when you're planning something that you're not even thinking about anything anymore but the moment when it is all over and you can say, "Whew! That was fun! Can I sleep now?" Well...I'm not at that point...yet?

Planning Jump Start has been a blast and then this week happened and it is still a blast, just a different kind of explosion. Honestly, though, everything is going pretty well considering that key people are currently off-island and all planning has occured over phone, Google Docs, and Facebook (save for one actual sit-down meeting with Russ and a couple in the beloved D-Lounge).

OK SCRATCH THAT. I was in the middle of writing this post as I was talking to Brandon (who is in charge of Activities) over Google Doc chat when he mentioned having a meeting with the whole (well, most of) the team tomorrow and I was like, "Wait, no, the meeting is on Tuesday!" And then I checked Facebook and CRAP. The meeting is tomorrow. NO WONDER BRANDON WAS FREAKING OUT AND I SPENT A GOOD FIVE MINUTES BEING MAMA JEN, COMFORTING AND ASSURING HIM THAT THE WEEKEND WILL BE FINE AND THAT WE HAVE TIME WHEN IN FACT WE HAVE NO TIME. I need to calm down. Ok. So...gonna have to cut this short because stuff needs to get done. 

I need to go BYEEEEE!

Risks: 50 (Forgot to log 2!)
Books Read: 10 
Thank You Notes Written: 15 

Need Some Tang For That Burn?

Hey guys!

Okay, so, you know, this week has been. It's just been. I don't know. I'm having a lot of fun. Enjoying work. Spending time with friends. In terms of work, this summer definitely feels like it's going by a thousand times faster. Last summer, I was bored half the time, but this summer, I've just been going ham doing stuff. I don't know, it's always a good time though. 

I don't even know what to talk about anymore. Like, what are blog? I really enjoyed typing that whole long post last week. Reminds me that I need to do more writing. Blegh. Nah, this November, things are gonna get real with the editing. Also, I just realized that it's July right now. Which means, August is in a few weeks. And you know what that means! Ahh I love BEDA fun times. 

But anyway, I actually have some homework because I started an online class for funsies. Soooo yeah. I'm excited for the last week of summer school. Even though I still am working. I don't know. Just fun times all around. Okay. BAI!

Why This Week Was Awesome: Adventure

Times Eaten At Chipotle: 12 (TEARS)

Books Read: 6 

Song Stuck In My Head: 

Adventure is Out There! (Part 2)

Hey guys!

So, yesterday was kind of an adventure. (I'm typing this on Monday, even though I did get it in on time on Sunday night, I was just too tired to actually write it all). Anyway, I finally had a right and proper adventure. Actually, it was kind of scary how close to a movie or book or just fictiony type thing it was. Let me tell you about it...

Exhibit A) So it all started a week or so ago when Jaime and I went up to Tantalus and we saw a swing on the drive up. Of course, we had to stop, there was no question. First of all, the swing was amazing. It was overlooking Manoa and town and Diamond Head and the world. But the best part was that on the side of the swing itself, it said "Look Below." And on the bottom of the swing, was a clue. 

Exhibit B) After finding this first swing, we decided to dedicate a day to finding all of the swings around the island. Because, we were convinced that this was a scavenger hunt of swings hidden around the island for finding. So Sunday, we got an early start by picking up Gavin and Rebecca and headed back to the first swing just so the other two could experience it. It was just as nice, almost more so in the morning. From here, we headed off to where the clue led, which basically was directions to Diamond Head. We got to Diamond Head and went down onto the beach. The swing was supposedly supposed to be in a canyon formed by the rock wall. At this point, I was scared. We didn't know if this was a thing yet. It was still early and we had dedicated this entire day to finding these swings. What if they didn't exist though? What if we were shut down before we even begun? We were reaching the end of the beach. Anticipation was rising. I could see the last little crack in the rocks emerging. I walked up to it and looked up. On one of the branches, I could see the ropes. Now it was an adventure. 

Exhibit C) Elated, we all took our turn on the swing, taking pictures, enjoying life. Then we looked underneath this swing for the next clue. It was a picture of a beach with a bunch of sharks in the water, and along the shore was a cove. Shark's Cove. For those of you who don't know, Shark's Cove is on the North Shore. The other side of the island. We had some road tripping to do. So we made it back up towards the car and began our trek to the other side of the island. 

Exhibit D) It was around lunchtime now, so we were a kind of hungry. We decided to stop in Mililani because it was kind of in the middle of things and we went to Chili's. I mean, what is an adventure with some noms, am I right? 

Exhibit E) We make it to Shark's Cove after some traffic and after a stop at Turtle Beach to admire some turtles. I knew that it was an adventure at this point and I told myself that it wasn't necessarily about finding all the swings, but more the experience itself. Also, I had said something early in the day a little bit jokingly: "Now, in order to make it a real adventure, we just need some competition." Once we got to Shark's Cove, we get out and start heading towards where the map lead. Down near the rocks, Rebecca sees someone.  A kid named David from her Architecture class. Rebecca didn't really like David. Anyway, being the crazy person that she is, she says hi and we keep going. We make it to the swing and look at the next clue: it tells us to go to the Wiliwilinui Trail. We Google where that is and find out that it's back on the whole other side of the island. We felt a little defeated, but ready to finish this adventure. 

Exhibit F) Now here's where things get a little cray. While we're at the swing, David and his friend walk up to us and that's when we realize that they are hunting the swings as well. We don't really say much to them, but when we walk away, they go up to it and look at the clue also. We had our competition. 

Exhibit G) At this point, I was ready to book it so we could beat David and friend. However, Rebecca and Gavin were tired of driving. We had driven all the way out to North Shore and they wanted to go swimming. I remembered what I had said earlier about doing it for the experience and agreed. Beating them would have to wait. We got in the water and hung out for a while. It was really clear and actually really amazing. The best part though, was when we climbed some rocks and decided to jump. Now, I'm actually decently scared of heights. I don't like jumping off of things. But it was an adventure and what's an adventure without a little YOLO? Even though I honestly didn't even jump from very high and it wasn't that bad, it was still one of the highlights of the day. 

Exhibit H) It was back to swing hunting mode. We got back in the car and shot back down the island to Hawaii Kai area. The trial that we were going to was in a gated community, so as we drive up, we had to check in at a guard shack. We reach the hike parking lot and it didn't seem like there were any signs that David and his friends had made it here yet. I was actually pretty convinced that we would never see him again. We start up the trail and about a minute or so in, I turn around and see a group of three teenagers and one looks decently familiar. It was David. 

Exhibit I) We ran. Only for a little though. We had a lead, which is all that mattered. But now, we had to hike. None of us really came into this whole things expecting a hike. We all were wearing slippers and none of us had water. All we knew about this swing was the it was right where the stairs started, about halfway through the hike. Now, this wasn't a short hike. It took us about 30-45 minutes to get to where the stairs started. And once we got there, I looked around and realized that it was gone. 

Exhibit J) I felt like my life was definitely a movie at this point. We were trying so hard to reach this one goal and right once we reached the end, there wasn't even a prize. Half of me was upset and the other half was just laughing about how this wasn't even real life. We regrouped and decided that if we had come this far, we had to keep going. 

Exhibit K) Like I said, it was a long long hike. We went on for probably an hour and a half. But once we reached the top, it was kind of amazing. There were clouds all around the mountain, so every direction was just cloud. If it was a clear day, we would have been able to see both sides of the mountain, but regardless, it was like the end of the world. Even if we didn't reach make our initial goal, we still kind of found some amazing. 

Exhibit L) We the walked down with David and his friends (they had decided to keep going as well) as well as a few other groups who were doing the hike. Halfway down, it was already pitch dark. Even though it was physically exhausting and emotionally draining, once we reached the bottom, it felt pretty good. 

My life kind of was like a movie yesterday. We had an adventure. It was kind of amazing. I mean, not to go the cheesy fictiony-esque route, but on the real though, while finding these swings was amazing, the experiences that I had in between were even better. Jumping off the rock, climbing up a mountain, driving around the island, and even eating at Chili's.

But overall, I don't know. It kind of inspires me to continue to do stuff like that, little things. It kind of goes back to what Mr. U has told a few years ago, it's not the present that you give to someone, it's how you present it. It's about the adventures, emotions, and experiences that go with it that make it what it is. An adventure isn't from, Point A to Point B, but more everything in between. 

Okay, time for me to bells. Bai!

HERE IS THE LINK TO THE ALBUM WITH THE PICTURES!
https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/102531567192056104262/albums/5898527264631874305

Times Eaten At Chipotle: 12 (It's killing me inside...)

Why This Week Was Awesome: So much da free food

Books Read: 6 

Song Stuck In My Head: "Alone Together" by Fall Out Boy

Litty Fishy, Big Fishy, Cute and Badass Fishy!

My Pandora for the past month has literally been just Colbie Caillat. Yep. I mean, I love her, but...I love her, you know? Right.

Tomorrow I go back to working for Grad Div. I am excited because I missed the office the entire time I was gone, but I am also kinda nervous because now that I think about it, what if I have forgotten how the office works and what I'm supposed to do for certain things and how did I used to answer the phone, I don't even know anymore. I am hoping that when I walk through the doors, it'll just come to me. At the same time, I am also sad that I will not longer have the bustling mornings that we always have at SPO because my mornings are now going to be at UH rather than 'Iolani. Even if I am gonna go back to work on some afternoons, the afternoons are hardly as busy as are the mornings. Who knew working could bring about so many emotions?!

My weekend has literally just been me either sleeping or playing tennis or working on Jump Start stuff or watching The Newsroom. Jump Start is finally looking like it is coming together, and I'm pretty excited. We went home-home this weekend and I was looking for my copy of Franny and Zooey everywhere so as I was persuing my bookshelf, I came across my 19th Year Journal, the journal in which I was supposed to write every day for a year after my 18th birthday but never really accomplished in the way I had first imagined. I wanted to read a couple of entires and as it turns out, the last entry that I wrote was one after my own Jump Start weekend last year. The people and the entire weekend in general made an impact on me and what I had been feeling that summer that I went ahead and wrote about it in my journal, highlighting what I had learned during the three days I spent with the 2011 Scholars. It was good. And it felt good knowing that our class gets to do that for another class in just a couple of weeks. Excited!

Okay, I have to get back to work. BAIIII :)

Risks: 50 (Forgot to log 2!)
Books Read: 10 
Thank You Notes Written: 15