My good friend since high school days, Miya, is expecting her first baby (boy) this month.
Sunday, October 30, 2005
Sunday, October 23, 2005
Hawai'i International Film Festival
Sunday, 23 October 2005
The Hawai'i International Film Festival started on Thursday. This weekend started out with going to dinner at a funky Japanese restaurant called Shokudo on Friday night. I haven't seen Erica since high school so it was fun to catch up and girl talk. Went out with my brother Jay and his friends afterwards and hit a few bars/clubs. But I couldn't eat or drink anything as I was having bloodwork done the next morning.
After I got a clean bill of health from the doctor, with good glucose and cholesterol levels, I went with my Uncle Gary and Aunty Stevi to watch "American Fusion", a movie about an interracial couple who struggle with cultural differences and family issues. That night, I went back with friends to watch a documentary called "What's Wrong With Frank Chin?", which focused on the controversial Chinese American writer, Asian stereotypes and images portrayed in theater and literature. It was interesting to see University of Washington professors and revisit familiar literature that I read when I was an American Ethnic Studies major at UW.
Today, I went to Dad's to spend the day with him since my stepmom had to take my stepsister Lindsey to a basketball clinic all day. We read the paper and watched TV. In the afternoon, Uncle Gary and Auntie Stevi picked me up to go to another film festival movie. We saw "Sa-Kwa", a Korean romance movie....Korean shows are very popular here. It was a bit drawn out and predictable, but always fun to see a different movie from the mainstream Hollywood flicks.
I wish I could fit more movies in this week before the film festival closes, but I don't think I can fit it in with Thai classes, yoga, and Halloween right around the corner.
The Hawai'i International Film Festival started on Thursday. This weekend started out with going to dinner at a funky Japanese restaurant called Shokudo on Friday night. I haven't seen Erica since high school so it was fun to catch up and girl talk. Went out with my brother Jay and his friends afterwards and hit a few bars/clubs. But I couldn't eat or drink anything as I was having bloodwork done the next morning.
After I got a clean bill of health from the doctor, with good glucose and cholesterol levels, I went with my Uncle Gary and Aunty Stevi to watch "American Fusion", a movie about an interracial couple who struggle with cultural differences and family issues. That night, I went back with friends to watch a documentary called "What's Wrong With Frank Chin?", which focused on the controversial Chinese American writer, Asian stereotypes and images portrayed in theater and literature. It was interesting to see University of Washington professors and revisit familiar literature that I read when I was an American Ethnic Studies major at UW.
Today, I went to Dad's to spend the day with him since my stepmom had to take my stepsister Lindsey to a basketball clinic all day. We read the paper and watched TV. In the afternoon, Uncle Gary and Auntie Stevi picked me up to go to another film festival movie. We saw "Sa-Kwa", a Korean romance movie....Korean shows are very popular here. It was a bit drawn out and predictable, but always fun to see a different movie from the mainstream Hollywood flicks.
I wish I could fit more movies in this week before the film festival closes, but I don't think I can fit it in with Thai classes, yoga, and Halloween right around the corner.
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
They ARE Speaking Correctly
Wednesday, 19 October 2005
This week in Thai class I had a revelation and discussed it with others at break time tonight. Since our Thai language adult class has now dwindled to about 8 students, most likely due to the complex grammar exercises we've been learning over the past few weeks, several conversations have come up as to why learning a second language is so difficult. Of course, it is easier to learn a second language when you are a young child, when one is still acquiring language, and of course being immersed in it helps. But, when I thought about my ESL students and friends in Thailand (who were learning English as a second language) and how I am constantly correcting the "s"s they leave off of words and past tense verbs (with "ed") and the use of the pronoun "he" or "she", I came to realize, that they ARE speaking correct English. According to their native language sentence structure that is (Sentence structure in Thai is just the reverse of that in English. So for example, to say "My big fat ass" in Thai, you would say "Ass big fat of mine"). In Thai, you don't really use plurals or past tense, and there is only one word for the pronouns "he"/"she"/"they". English has so many little rules (and too many exceptions to those rules) for everything, but in Thai, everything is just understood in context.
Tonight, I asked our teacher if there was a Thai word for "cousin" because one of my students in Thailand would always call his cousin "sister" in English, and I would constantly try to correct him and his parents and remind him that Na was his cousin, not his sister, according to the family tree. The word for cousin, "look pee look na", is the correct word for cousin on paper. But conversationally, Thais usually just say "pee" or "na" to refer to a cousin, words which literally mean "younger sibling" or "older sibling". Aha! So, this would explain why Jun would always refer to his cousin Na in English as his sister.
Another fellow in class was commenting on how some Americans will make negative comments on the way Thai adults speak broken English. But, most often than not, they are actually speaking correctly...(and most often quite better than WE can speak their native language!) It's just our (which some THINK is superior) English language that is so frickin' complicated and confusing!!
This week in Thai class I had a revelation and discussed it with others at break time tonight. Since our Thai language adult class has now dwindled to about 8 students, most likely due to the complex grammar exercises we've been learning over the past few weeks, several conversations have come up as to why learning a second language is so difficult. Of course, it is easier to learn a second language when you are a young child, when one is still acquiring language, and of course being immersed in it helps. But, when I thought about my ESL students and friends in Thailand (who were learning English as a second language) and how I am constantly correcting the "s"s they leave off of words and past tense verbs (with "ed") and the use of the pronoun "he" or "she", I came to realize, that they ARE speaking correct English. According to their native language sentence structure that is (Sentence structure in Thai is just the reverse of that in English. So for example, to say "My big fat ass" in Thai, you would say "Ass big fat of mine"). In Thai, you don't really use plurals or past tense, and there is only one word for the pronouns "he"/"she"/"they". English has so many little rules (and too many exceptions to those rules) for everything, but in Thai, everything is just understood in context.
Tonight, I asked our teacher if there was a Thai word for "cousin" because one of my students in Thailand would always call his cousin "sister" in English, and I would constantly try to correct him and his parents and remind him that Na was his cousin, not his sister, according to the family tree. The word for cousin, "look pee look na", is the correct word for cousin on paper. But conversationally, Thais usually just say "pee" or "na" to refer to a cousin, words which literally mean "younger sibling" or "older sibling". Aha! So, this would explain why Jun would always refer to his cousin Na in English as his sister.
Another fellow in class was commenting on how some Americans will make negative comments on the way Thai adults speak broken English. But, most often than not, they are actually speaking correctly...(and most often quite better than WE can speak their native language!) It's just our (which some THINK is superior) English language that is so frickin' complicated and confusing!!
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
It's Raining, It's Pouring.....Mosquitoes!!
Tuesday, 18 October 2005
Although the song usually goes, "It's raining. It's pouring. The old man is snoring." It really should be "It's raining. It's pouring. The old man is getting eaten alive by those damn mosquitoes!" Or perhaps that's just my thinking.
Just when I thought my body had finally acclimated to Hawai'i living and escaped the hour by hour torture of a mosquito bitten body while living in Thailand, it starts raining more and more here. Our "winter" in Hawai'i calls for more rain rather than a drop in temperature...and when there's more rain, there are more mosquitoes out.
So, as my brother was cleaning out his closet tonight, purging my dad's old papers and conjuring up old memories as he asked me things like why our parents got divorced, I was sitting on the couch, getting eaten alive by mosquitoes. In fact, I think it was just one greedy little sucker that managed to bite me about ten times on each side of my neck and my legs, as I eventually smashed the bloody (my own blood) sucker but had the huge (and still itchy a day later) welts to prove it. The house still feels a little dank as it has rained more throughout the day and tends to rain throughout the night these days.
Gee, I really hope I don't have to turn back to my daily Thai regimen of covering my entire body in citronella bug spray morning, noon, and night. But, just where is that racket zinger of mine?! I may need it by my pillow tonight.
Although the song usually goes, "It's raining. It's pouring. The old man is snoring." It really should be "It's raining. It's pouring. The old man is getting eaten alive by those damn mosquitoes!" Or perhaps that's just my thinking.
Just when I thought my body had finally acclimated to Hawai'i living and escaped the hour by hour torture of a mosquito bitten body while living in Thailand, it starts raining more and more here. Our "winter" in Hawai'i calls for more rain rather than a drop in temperature...and when there's more rain, there are more mosquitoes out.
So, as my brother was cleaning out his closet tonight, purging my dad's old papers and conjuring up old memories as he asked me things like why our parents got divorced, I was sitting on the couch, getting eaten alive by mosquitoes. In fact, I think it was just one greedy little sucker that managed to bite me about ten times on each side of my neck and my legs, as I eventually smashed the bloody (my own blood) sucker but had the huge (and still itchy a day later) welts to prove it. The house still feels a little dank as it has rained more throughout the day and tends to rain throughout the night these days.
Gee, I really hope I don't have to turn back to my daily Thai regimen of covering my entire body in citronella bug spray morning, noon, and night. But, just where is that racket zinger of mine?! I may need it by my pillow tonight.
Sunday, October 09, 2005
It Was THE Full Thing All Right
Saturday, 9 October 2005
It was a full day today, starting with yoga at 8 am, then meeting my friend Chris for brunch down the hill. Rushed off after that to Ward Warehouse to watch Auntie Stevi and cousin Lauren dance hula with their halau. It was so nice to see them dancing (wish I could!) and take some photos of them. Then, I drove off again to pick up Miya for lunch. We ended up at Cafe Laufer, another restaurant in my cute little town of Kaimuki. After gorging down lunch, we headed to Diamond Head Theatre, where I treated Miya to tickets for her birthday. We saw the matinee show of "The Full Monty", a New York adaptation of the story. It has been getting rave reviews here, and it was a treat indeed. It was strange to me to have an intermission ʻoutʻ in the outdoor lobby (the sidewalk area streetside). Not like the mainland, where the weather usually only permits you to have indoor lobbies and theaters. The last scene of the play was the full thing all right, with the actors taking off their cherry red g-strings, then removing their hats, and baring all. The lighting didnʻt allow you to see anything though. (= After the play, I took Miya back home. We met some friends later for a chick-flick, "In Her Shoes." Then, we met up with others and had a late night dinner at TGIFʻs. Gee, and to think I should be saving money since our gas here is so expensive.... about $3.34/gallon!!
It was a full day today, starting with yoga at 8 am, then meeting my friend Chris for brunch down the hill. Rushed off after that to Ward Warehouse to watch Auntie Stevi and cousin Lauren dance hula with their halau. It was so nice to see them dancing (wish I could!) and take some photos of them. Then, I drove off again to pick up Miya for lunch. We ended up at Cafe Laufer, another restaurant in my cute little town of Kaimuki. After gorging down lunch, we headed to Diamond Head Theatre, where I treated Miya to tickets for her birthday. We saw the matinee show of "The Full Monty", a New York adaptation of the story. It has been getting rave reviews here, and it was a treat indeed. It was strange to me to have an intermission ʻoutʻ in the outdoor lobby (the sidewalk area streetside). Not like the mainland, where the weather usually only permits you to have indoor lobbies and theaters. The last scene of the play was the full thing all right, with the actors taking off their cherry red g-strings, then removing their hats, and baring all. The lighting didnʻt allow you to see anything though. (= After the play, I took Miya back home. We met some friends later for a chick-flick, "In Her Shoes." Then, we met up with others and had a late night dinner at TGIFʻs. Gee, and to think I should be saving money since our gas here is so expensive.... about $3.34/gallon!!
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
Anyone Speak Thai?
Wednesday, 5 October 2005
Thai class is getting more difficult. Some people have not been showing up, as the teacher Khun Thook had predicted. But, we are all still learning a lot. She is so funny, with her dry sense of humor, insightful musings about life, and the occasional giddy laughter (which is so Thai!). Her great command of English, Hawaiian, pidgin English, and of course Thai, impresses me every Monday and Wednesday night in class as she clarifies tones of words (that are so hard for us English speakers with such a non-tonal language), explains how Thai grammar is much simpler than English, and has us describe pictures and answer questions in Thai. Having been immersed in the language while living in Nakhon Pathom, I am fortunate to already understand the tones, basic vocabulary, and basic phrases and sentence patterns. Now, I just need to learn the proper way to say things (try to unlearn the pidgin Thai I was speaking a few months ago!) and practice, practice, practice. If only there were more Thai people here to practice speaking with!
Thai class is getting more difficult. Some people have not been showing up, as the teacher Khun Thook had predicted. But, we are all still learning a lot. She is so funny, with her dry sense of humor, insightful musings about life, and the occasional giddy laughter (which is so Thai!). Her great command of English, Hawaiian, pidgin English, and of course Thai, impresses me every Monday and Wednesday night in class as she clarifies tones of words (that are so hard for us English speakers with such a non-tonal language), explains how Thai grammar is much simpler than English, and has us describe pictures and answer questions in Thai. Having been immersed in the language while living in Nakhon Pathom, I am fortunate to already understand the tones, basic vocabulary, and basic phrases and sentence patterns. Now, I just need to learn the proper way to say things (try to unlearn the pidgin Thai I was speaking a few months ago!) and practice, practice, practice. If only there were more Thai people here to practice speaking with!
Sunday, October 02, 2005
Work Hard, Play Hard
Sunday, 2 October 2005
This weekend was a weekend of relaxing, going out, and working...especially with the prospect of having Monday off (teacher professional development day that I did not need to attend.) Friday night, I met new friends at the Art After Dark event at the Honolulu Academy of Arts. This month's theme was Hawaiian vintage night...a little more mellow event than usual, but I always enjoy walking through the art galleries. A bunch of us went to eat Italian food afterwards at Verbano's to celebrate someone's birthday. A glass of chianti and pomodoro and I was set.
Saturday morning, I did yoga as usual, then put on my long sleeved shirt and pants to enter the jungle that is our yard. Since our house stands on stilts on the side of a mountain, our yard is rather huge, literally the side of the mountain (since our house is the lowest on this side of the mountain) to the valley below. Growing up, my dad always tended to the yard, after work, and on weekends. There is an orange tree, a lime tree, bougainvilla, aloe, and there was even pineapple at one time. But, ever since my dad moved out of the house a few years ago, the yard has gone untouched and WAY overgrown...hence, "the jungle". I decided to tackle it today and focus my energies on cutting away the noxious vines that are covering the bougainvilla and orange tree, as well as cutting the five foot tall grasses so that you can actually see the path again that my dad once paved long ago. After working on it both Saturday and Sunday, my little area that I've begun to clear out looks so small compared to the whole mountain, but it's a start. I have many more Saturdays and Sundays to go. (I even bagged the yard waste and had my brother help me bring some of it upstairs....and now my dad tells me I should've just thrown it over the lanai onto the mountainside below...don't even bother bringing it up all those stairs and wasting bags....Great, you're 85 stairs too late!)
Took my Aunty Stevi to the Honolulu Symphony on Saturday night. I went to church with them first (and saw the infamous New Hope service, which is amazing with its technology and membership that fills an entire high school auditorium), then we ate at Verbano's (again!..My second night in a row....But I scarfed down a whole loaf of warm bread and lasagna...so delicious...I was stuffed!) beforehand, and then enjoyed the beautiful voice of Monica Mancini as she sang her father's (composer Henry Mancini) songs from movies like 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'. Ran into some of my parents' friends, then enjoyed some chai tea at Starbucks while waiting for my cousins at Ward.
Today, Sunday, I went to yoga again. I've begun focusing more specifically on my postures and techniques, stretching myself further. Being naturally flexible helps, but getting stronger takes precision and focus. It's fun getting to know more people and the instructors as I become more of a "regular" at yoga. We'll see if I'm good enough to compete in the February yoga competition in LA.
This weekend was a weekend of relaxing, going out, and working...especially with the prospect of having Monday off (teacher professional development day that I did not need to attend.) Friday night, I met new friends at the Art After Dark event at the Honolulu Academy of Arts. This month's theme was Hawaiian vintage night...a little more mellow event than usual, but I always enjoy walking through the art galleries. A bunch of us went to eat Italian food afterwards at Verbano's to celebrate someone's birthday. A glass of chianti and pomodoro and I was set.
Saturday morning, I did yoga as usual, then put on my long sleeved shirt and pants to enter the jungle that is our yard. Since our house stands on stilts on the side of a mountain, our yard is rather huge, literally the side of the mountain (since our house is the lowest on this side of the mountain) to the valley below. Growing up, my dad always tended to the yard, after work, and on weekends. There is an orange tree, a lime tree, bougainvilla, aloe, and there was even pineapple at one time. But, ever since my dad moved out of the house a few years ago, the yard has gone untouched and WAY overgrown...hence, "the jungle". I decided to tackle it today and focus my energies on cutting away the noxious vines that are covering the bougainvilla and orange tree, as well as cutting the five foot tall grasses so that you can actually see the path again that my dad once paved long ago. After working on it both Saturday and Sunday, my little area that I've begun to clear out looks so small compared to the whole mountain, but it's a start. I have many more Saturdays and Sundays to go. (I even bagged the yard waste and had my brother help me bring some of it upstairs....and now my dad tells me I should've just thrown it over the lanai onto the mountainside below...don't even bother bringing it up all those stairs and wasting bags....Great, you're 85 stairs too late!)
Took my Aunty Stevi to the Honolulu Symphony on Saturday night. I went to church with them first (and saw the infamous New Hope service, which is amazing with its technology and membership that fills an entire high school auditorium), then we ate at Verbano's (again!..My second night in a row....But I scarfed down a whole loaf of warm bread and lasagna...so delicious...I was stuffed!) beforehand, and then enjoyed the beautiful voice of Monica Mancini as she sang her father's (composer Henry Mancini) songs from movies like 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'. Ran into some of my parents' friends, then enjoyed some chai tea at Starbucks while waiting for my cousins at Ward.
Today, Sunday, I went to yoga again. I've begun focusing more specifically on my postures and techniques, stretching myself further. Being naturally flexible helps, but getting stronger takes precision and focus. It's fun getting to know more people and the instructors as I become more of a "regular" at yoga. We'll see if I'm good enough to compete in the February yoga competition in LA.
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