aquarium + random!!

Went to the Waikiki Aquarium with Dan. Super bummed they got rid of the sea horse/leafy sea dragon exhibit. But for $6 as kama'aina it's still a pretty amazing bargain. Took some photos with my phone!









And to sum this post up and be a complete ass about it, salmon onion and spicy ahi from Genki Sushi (which I ate on a completely separate and unrelated day).

holy pic spam update

So I've been really preoccupied with school and work and have been neglecting the food aspect of this blog. I think apart of it, too, is that I've been waging a pretty serious food photo war and there is just too much mediocrity to upload. So here are some of my favorites over the past few weeks.

I love steak salad. Even more when feta cheese is involved.



Juvana and I get lunch almost every Monday and Wednesday. Govinda's is one of our favorite spots. Cauliflower curry.



Joe and I went to Kaka'ako for lunch/coffee/study sesh. We ate at Kua'aina Burgers where I got my favorite avocado burger, then stopped by Mocha Java for lunch.




Then Joe got trapped in a space-age massage chair that had a "zero gravity" setting.



Some days I make myself a fancy breakfast. Homemade yogurt! Really upset that mom ran out of bacteria to culture anymore. Need to find a place here in Hawaii that sells it! Tea press = divine.



Another fancy brunch!



(and I saw Cat Power! with Fred. It was sweet.)



I think that's more than enough for now.

I've been listening to way too much American Analog Set. This song does it for me.



Yesterday was Valentine's Day. It was pretty weird serving couples late night coffee all night. Also pretty depressing since most were dressed up, coming in after their fancy dinners. To make things a bit worse, my coworker was brooding, telling me he was going to probably die alone and never meet anyone. I guess he really wants to get married and time is "running out."

But all in all I had a pretty awesome day. I didn't pass out in any of my classes. Juvana gave me a cookie (which, I guess, is less gay than what I've said to her lately-- "What can I say, I have a thing for cute white boys!" "I'm not a cute white boy. :("). Dan surprised me at work with shrimp flavored stuff, then beat me in Mario Kart.

I've been reading a lot of E.E. Cummings as it's probably right around that time and season. This is my favorite poem at the moment.

maggie and milly and molly and may
went down to the beach (to play one day)

and maggie discovered a shell that sang
so sweetly she couldn’t remember her troubles,and

milly befriended a stranded star
whose rays five languid fingers were;

and molly was chased by a horrible thing
which raced sideways while blowing bubbles:and

may came home with a smooth round stone
as small as a world and as large as alone.

For whatever we lose(like a you or a me)
it’s always ourselves we find in the sea.

I am terrible and conclusions so I'll end with this: I really can't wait for spring break. Hibernation, here I come!

i'm trying

i'm trying to save money. i really want to start traveling. even if this means putting off school a semester or not going out as much.. it's something i need to do. i'm 22 and getting older with each passing day and sooner or later i'll be 30 and wanting to settle down and what not. time is running out, slowly but surely, and i acknowledge it.

plans: mainland this summer? maybe japan? europe in the winter.

i'm trying to lose weight. five pounds to be exact. i'm at 112 pounds and it makes me sick, haha. i know that anyone reading this will tell me i'm too skinny to begin with but i'm incredibly dissatisfied. so i'm eating healthier. i'm eating more frequently and smaller portions. i'm trying to exercise. i'm not starving, no worries. i'm using this website as a means of advice.

plans: five pounds by janurary. ten by june.

i'm trying to read more. i feel like i'm so disconnected with 21st century authors. i'm trying to read more non-fiction, like autobiographies and poli-sci books. trying to broaden my horizons but it's intimidating when you don't know where to begin. i've been using the NY times as a resource but god... i feel like 90% of the reviews are on memoirs and i don't want to hear about some nobody's sad and sappy life.

plans: two books by janurary.

i'm trying to cook more. this was, incidentally, a totally food-focused blog. i've strayed because i'm eating out a lot more purely out of laziness. i feel like that's why i feel like i've gained so much weight lately because i have little control over what i'm putting in my food.

plans: cook at home at least four days of the week.

anyway. juvana made this ceramic hand thing doing what she calls my "signature pose." i broke a finger off--need to glue it back on! and this is my favorite starbucks card of all time. he's a snowman holding a coffee mug! i don't know why i am so attached. p.s. new cardigan from aeropostale!



oh, and since no one visits me at work, this is what i look like with my santa hat on! huzzah!



it's almost christmas :)

food pix spam

so after having a smartphone for over a month i finally set up my email services. initially it's been annoying as 90% of the emails i get to my gmail account are web exclusive sales newsletters, so having to delete them manually off my phone has been a pain. the bright side and real reason i set it up was because now i have the ability to email all the photos i take and post them here! yay!

over the last few weeks i've been eating at home a lot. mostly because i've been home a lot working on papers and i've been trying to save money.



bento. grilled salmon, rice + chirimen sansho/wakame, bell pepper and corn, fish cake, grape tomatoes and lettuce, and kiriboshi daikon!



sukiyaki in the comfort of my own home!

thanksgiving isn't a really big deal in my family. culturally speaking, i suppose that makes sense. my dad would always prepare the traditional thanksgiving meal (although on occations he'd make a ham instead of turkey, but that's a story for another time) but my mom would always be utterly disgusted. i realize now that it's not so much the food itself that she hated, but the idea of eating so excessively. she doesn't appreciate or understand gluttony and thus hates this holiday.

we made it a point to spend some kind of quality time together. we ate at zippys before i had to go to work.



my oxtail soup.




mom and her turkey. not so appetizing. tastes just like how it looks.



i went to tsunamis on friday for my coworker's birthday party. i forgot what it was like to be in a really azn room. the last time i've been to a place like this was back in 2007 when i went to xylohs with a friend of mine on a near weekly basis. anyway, tsunamis brought back a lot of those memories of feeling out of place but i totally embraced it. the food was miraculous. in this photo i'm eating their pork cutlet. it had a horseradish mayo dipping sauce which was nice but unusual. i also had some of the poke which was delicious, and my friends were saying the hamburger was really good. they need a better beer selection.

i've been on a real downtempo fix which is weird because a) i kind of really hate DJs b) i hate the repetitiveness. but i discovered jon kennedy and my opinion has been transformed.



there's a few other artists i've been listening to a lot of as of late. thanks, last.fm.

70th post

it's like i'm just sayin'.




winter needs to come asap. i'm not burning out, i promise you that. i know what it's like to burn out on work and school and i'm not there yet. no sharp chest pains. no random crying spells. i guess i am really just excited for the new year. i need to start fresh.

i guess things are just kind of dragging along at this point. a ton of papers, finals, more hours at work. i just feel like there aren't enough hours in the day and i've become increasingly sleep deprived. oh, and pooky (my cat) has been ill as of late. been in a constant state of worry and depression... i don't know what i'd do if he were to pass.

tomorrow i'm going to go see a friend's band playing. hopefully a few beers will help me relax just in time for the thanksgiving weekend.




i need more cold weather so i have more excuses to eat ramen. like this stuff right here... goma tei. i'm sure if you read my yelp review where i wrote something less than nice. but a few weeks ago i went there (by myself! *pats self on back*) and it wasn't so bad. meh. inconsistency isn't a good thing.

i am sweaty

well, i should say that i was sweaty. today was a horrendously hot day and i'm so glad that it's finally over.

where to begin? today was my day off but i had a work meeting of sorts. so i sat and ate all morning long and rode my bike into waikiki around 3pm. i have never felt so disgusted with myself in my entire life. i hate hawaii this time of year; the humidity is killing me.

the meeting, incidentally, was in the DFS Starbucks lounge area. if you're familiar, it's an outdoor seating area. so around 330pm the sun is just hanging over the royal hawaiian shopping center, basically means just glaring over the building and into the starbucks courtyard. the umbrellas did nothing, and even if they had provided shade it wouldn't have mattered. so humid.

i trekked from there to the neil blaisdell center, where there was the first annual (perhaps, might be canceled) sci-fi convention. i can't remember the official title but none the less, for the $15 i paid i was incredibly let down. the only saving grace was the gaming sections, but those were already filled with people and the only game we were able to play was rock band. hmph.

what i DID get out of the thing was this really funny pin of LOLface. covering my face because i'm not wearing make up, hah.



anyway. speaking of nerdiness, i've been trying to keep myself in check but have sunk farther over the last week. my friends have introduced me to neil patrick harris' "dr. horrible's sing along blog." it's pretty amazing. oh, and i've been watching The Guild non stop.



i guess i'm pretty attached to the show because i was in a guild and totally had a life like that girl codex some five years ago.



that's a screenshot of me getting magebombed in this MMO i used to play called Tibia. old me. hah. that particular photo is the reason i quit back in 2006. oh, and because i had a boyfriend and he was getting mad that i was ditching him to play video games. whatever.

anyway to wrap this post up, i need to stop playing so many games? or no, maybe just stop talking about them so much. yup.

edit//

side note: in my screenshot note the klegs, b robe, c shield, plat ammy and boh combo. i was rocking an amazing set in '06 for a druid. hah!

i really like this song! it's so chill.



anyway. school is getting superhyperintense! i have two 1k word papers due in the coming weeks and mid terms all over the place. i want to be able to go out and have fun but i guess it'll have to wait. at least i'll save money this way!

speaking of. i started actually cooking again. i've been too tired and too busy to do it lately. plus the fact that i've been eating out almost every day. plus, getting home at around 1230 leaves me with little energy and time to cook. i've gotten really good at making that carbonara stuff. perfected the flavoring! but again, my work schedule makes it hard to do grocery shopping. thank god safeway on kapahulu is opened so late. now all i need is a new bike with a basket thing so i can carry home food easier.

maybe something like this!!



i don't know why but i'm actually scared of going to a bike shop by myself. i gotta get over it. i gotta get used to doing things alone!

another sbux food post

1. hummus is really good.
2. panini ftw!
3. greek yogurt. pumpkin seeds? really? ruined the whole thing for me. ended up scooping out the remaining yogurt and ate the honey at the bottom. so good.
4. sweet potato skins are the most amazing chip i've ever consumed.

other work related things to mention:
the indie station is the worst thing in the world. john butler trio... you can go fuck yourself.
black tea lemonade is probably the greatest thing in the world.
i can still make rosettas!
my coworkers are hilarious and amazing. we blended a donut and it was delicious!

in not-work related news, i've decided to buy pokemon heartgold version and dragon quest V to keep me occupied when i'm not at home playing SC2. although ultimately i shouldn't be playing any games at all and should be doing my homework. oops...

week two: exhaustion

it's funny how when i look back at the past few months, how easy and carefree my life was. just work and play. now throw school in the mix and everything is different. i'm always tired and this time it's legitimate. it's kind of nice, though. i sleep soundly. anyway! quickly! a recap!

thursday (august 26th!) was a night out for me. unusual, since i've been so bombarded with homework and regular work. i originally planned to go to mercury bar's industry night. i didn't hold any particular interest in the bands playing but decided to support and what not. as soon as i walked in a friend pulled me aside and asked me if i wanted to go to manifest. apparently it was their one year anniversary and she didn't want to go alone. sure, i said. we headed there immediately. turns out that in celebration there was free bottled drinks and wells! score! not to mention free food!



aaaaah it was amazing. the music was mediocre but alas, acoustic duos are not my thing. anyway!! it turns out that a friend (or friend of a friend? i don't even know how to describe our relationship!) was at a bar near by. i ended up hanging out with them the rest of the night! i don't even know why! it was amazing. happy belated, ben!! thanks again, guys!



we drank at JJ Dolan's and then headed to manifest for (not free) beers. amazing! so much fun! fuzzy, though.

the start of the semester means relatively cheap food again! i've been filling myself up at the golden river lunch truck which i was introduced to fall of last year. it's hard to make a trip there, though, because my classes are back to back and construction on the walkway between kuykendall and HIG means i have to walk all the way around... i can't always get there in time. i wish all lunch trucks were opened until 3pm at the very least.



today i ate at the india cafe with my friend after our classes. this, fortunately, is a truck that is open till 3pm! which means if i walk fast enough after my last class in the architecture building i can make it in time for a plate! indian food is pretty amazing. photo coming soon!

and here are some photos that just bring a smile to my face. because of my fall (i think i mentioned it a few posts ago) i've had to cover my knee with bandaids daily. the other day i clipped my knee on a fridge at work and it reopened the wound. turns out ABC store only had spongebob bandaids. it reminds me of my old coworker andy. she has a love for sponge bob like no other. miss yaaa.



today after the indian food i headed to the mall and stopped by shirokiya. while browsing the azn hello-kitty section, there was a glass case of cell phone charms. of course i had to stop and look! turns out they have kewpie inspired key chains. among the assortment was the cast of gegege no kitaro. it's this anime i grew up watching as a kid.



anyway, if you don't know what kewpie is, it's this doll thing. it's probably most famous here in hawaii because it's the image on the japanese QP mayonnaise. anyway!! i was amazed. it's just too much cuteness! some of my phone straps are going to have to be retired to make way for these ladies.



anyway things to look forward to: closing the store by myself all next week, finishing this stupid story wallah book, more delicious foods, financial aid finally settling itself, fuck first friday (and first friday, yes yes!), ripe and ready to pick mangos.

as my mom would say. this week looks so umai!

yaay work food

i bought this the other day. it was really good! strawberry and blueberry parfait. my coworker says the greek yogurt one is much better, but we're always sold out of it. i suppose that's a good thing, though.




my step mom gave me a new sutorappu (cell phone strap) and it's not a manapua-- it's an anpan!!!




filled with azuki beans. so delicious! see the difference?

sorry that i look so wretched in these photos. i've been only able to get on the computer when i'm eating breakfast and... yeah.

tonight

it's a superchunk/pizza/xavier renegade angel kind of night. fuck yeah.



decided to take a break from my seclusion and make an appearance tonight at anna's. hopeful that it will be a smashing fun time.

it hurts, guys.

so first i want to start this post with pictures that will guaranteed gross you out. yesterday i worked a really long shift (6am-130pm) and i was dead tired afterwards. i rode my bike home begrudgingly and when i got home i had less than an hour to nap. i figured that it wouldn't be worth it, because i'd wake up more tired. i decided, then, that i should go jogging to boost my energy. this is what happened.




i. fucking. tripped. and. ate. shit. UGH. sorry for the bandaid photo but when i took it off this morning i was thoroughly grossed out with myself. i hate the sight of blood especially when it's my own. but now i have this crater thing in my knee. no skirts or shorts for a while. in addition to that knee, i have a scrape on the other side, scrapes on my right elbow and on both of my hands, and a bruise because i hit a rock on my right thigh. I AM IN PAIN. :((((

anyway onto the less gross stuff! my last day at satura photos:

miho and i. she's leaving, too!

actual last day. andy bought me a lei. i had to wear it all day.

blurry, but this is a picture of the soda josie bought me as a good bye gift in addition to the waste cupcake that cody gifted me. thanks, guys!



miho and kyoka made me a goodbye cake. amazing!! i miss you guys already.

then to go back in time, here are photos from my birthday dinner at CPK with my mom. my brother didn't show up. but that's okay, i guess. i was so tired this day.

asparagus and arugula salad! and the hummus and pita bread thing!

see, i told you this is my mom's signature pose.

clam linguine

me and my sam adams, margherita pizza, and diet coke! the pizza was mediocre.

it's so weird how into greek food my mom has been lately. it started when she wanted to eat lunch with me one afternoon and we couldn't decide where to eat. "how about greek?" i asked. she made the nastiest face ever, "yadda. daikirai." really? i asked. turns out she was basing her disgust on that movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding and how the food didn't look super delicious. "niku bakkari janai ka?" no, mom, it's not completely meat filled cuisine. after a bit more talking i convinced her to try eating at the greek corner with me over on university and king. she was amazed! she kept saying that their food seemed so healthy, not bad oily, vegetable filled. she also loves feta cheese.



here's a photo of her at the greek cafe. i went there with her a few weeks ago and it was pretty amazing considering the price, but definitely not the best greek food on island.

i'm really bad at ending posts with the whole tying this whole blog together thing. i feel like all my posts are just some stream of consciousness bullshit that never gets anywhere and no point is ever made. but meh, i think it's a good idea to record my thoughts regardless of how scattered they are, right?

"sometimes, arisa, you're just crazy."

so i've gotten at least five shades darker in the last two days thanks to biking. i can also tell my bum is less jiggle! this is amazing. who knew exercise could do this? i sure as hell didn't!

my appetite has grown substantially. it might have to do with the fact that i have been overworking my body. seriously. looking back on it, no, going out and drinking after working doubles was a bad idea. no wonder i looked/felt so terrible. my skin is finally starting to recover and i am so happy!

starbucks food is actually not that bad. i had a roasted tomato and mozzarella panini for breakfast today and it was ah-ma-zing! a bit oily, though, but nothing a napkin and a bit of dabbing can't cure. i'm actually a little sad because i won't be closing at all this weekend. i open throughout and am unsure if i'll be able to haul my ass to work at the ungodly hour of 345AM. wish me luck.

this song is kind of my favorite stephen malkmus song of all time.



anyway, my coworkers have become substantially nicer. mostly due to the fact that i haven't worked with the one i mentioned previously. the downside is that none of them really know how to train people. it's kind of a constant "wait, you don't know how to make that?" i'm sorry... i didn't get any formal step-by-step on drink making. been kind of winging it since day one (literally).

this week looks like it should be fun. and i'm getting my film from this past weekend developed (finally). hip hip!

pizza rant

MAN. so i really really love papa john's pizza. i don't really know what it is about the garden fresh pizza (maybe the deliciously sweet tomatoes, or maybe it's the crunchy bell peppers?) but i am hooked. absolutely. and guess what? i really really love papa john's because they allow online ordering. AND they post all their specials up there. gasp! the internet has officially made me fat.

i guess i'm excited because i do not like ordering over the phone. i always get way too caught up with the specials that the employee kind of barfs out at the beginning of the phone call. this leaves me feeling overwhelmed with options that i haven't had time to consider, and me being indecisive makes it all the harder. i can't even tell you how many times i've hung up on pizza places which in the end made me opt to not even get pizza because i was afraid if i called back they'd recognize my voice.

anyway, the internet has oversimplified this dilemma and has eliminated what was really preventing me from ordering delivery. now i don't know what i'm doing but i'm eating pizza three times a day several times a week. yes, this is horribly unhealthy (hence garden fresh, i figured the veggies make up for something) but god. i can't help it.

which is what brings me to this point. they're onto me, papa john's that is. i got this in the mail today, just after i had ordered pizza.

oh man. THEY KNOW THAT I'M HOOKED! i know for sure now. i only have till august 28th to take advantage of this deal (which is an amazing deal). even if i can't eat more than two slices in one sitting, i can always freeze whatever the second pizza is and eat it over time.

what is wrong with me?!