The Name: Le’ahi Why?  Possibly a combination of lae which means ‘brownridge’ and ahi because of its shape looking like the fun of a yellowfin tuna. The Nickname: Diamond Head Why?  Possibly because the calcite crystals found on it were mistaken for diamonds. (Old photo of the cousins on the stairs going up Diamond Head. […]

  in progress.

I don’t know if she has ever been given a proper introduction. In March of 2010 I borrowed my (now ex-) boyfriend’s dad’s camera which was a Nikon d40. It was magical. I have never used a camera so fancy before and it yielded amazing results even with a kit lens! My cousin also had […]

It’s no secret that my favorite Bible verse comes from Lamentations 3:22-23: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. It’s difficult for me to be faithful to anything.  Let me rephrase that: It’s difficult for me to have […]

Happy Aloha Friday! Well, I’m sure you’re tired and hungry after traveling for the past 9 hours from the East Coast of the continental United States to the East Coast of Oahu.  My first stop in restaurants is always Zippy’s. Founded in 1966 by Francis and Charles Higa, Zippy’s has expanded its family-friendly restaurant to 25 […]

The Prompt: We predict the next book by @anya1anya is about #ds106. Design her some cover art. Anya Kamenetz, author of DIYU Book should probably be in her drafting stages of her new book, <ds106>.  So, I thought I’d help her out by designing a simple book cover for her.  A little gel pen sketch […]

One of the most glorious things to do when you’re hungry after a long afternoon at the beach is to pull into Rainbow‘s as the sun is sinking into the Kapahulu horizon.  Its simple menu includes local favorites like corned beef hash plate lunches, mix plates (BBQ, mahi, chicken), and sweet hamburger patties. Like most […]

Today we are to make a drawing that emphasizes perspective (e.g. angle of view). I LOVE drawing Daily Creates!  They challenge me to be quick and to get it right in one shot.  I was searching images of forced perspective when I noticed that my feet were at a height that it normally would not […]

That means ‘Good Morning’ in Hawaiian.  Today I’m going to share with you our state song, Hawai’i Pono’i.  The song was written by King David Kalākaua in 1874 and was the national anthem.  The tune was written by Captain Henri Berger. Lyrics: Hawaiʻi ponoʻī,  Nānā i kou moʻī, Kalani aliʻi,  Ke aliʻi. Hui: Makua lani ē,  Kamehameha […]

Day 7 We woke up early, enjoyed a nice breakfast than made our way into Milan. We first got a chance to tour the San Siro Stadium that is host to both the AC Milan and Inter Milan soccer teams. We were given a tour by a boy named Alex, who’s a student at a school in the states. We also got a chance to tour the Museum in front of the stadium since we all are soccer players and find that interesting. Later we road the bus back into Milan’s main square and were given about two or three hours to simply look around, do some shopping and do … Continue reading →

One very important lesson my dad taught me without him having to speak a word was that he was content with his body.  Maybe he’s been blessed by the skin that tans to a rich brown, Asian genes which age well, and slender, working digits that never need an EEE-width.  He was content with bodies […]

In an attempt to blog more I will be writing about all things related to the Aloha State – foods, sights, feelings.  To get us all in the mood, here’s a taste of the islands: Aloha. definitions: affection, peace, compassion, mercy; hello, goodbye; breath of life, essence of life. Lei. It is singular and plural. There […]

The shrill beeping of the smoke detector waited patiently for me to change its battery.  Even with its new battery it beeped on.  The detector needed to be tested with its new battery before it ceased its sharp yelps. But that’s like my life –  I’m exhausted.  Hanging on with just enough for the acknowledgement […]

I’d like to say that it has been a pretty mediocre return to Daily Creates.  It all started with the mention of  a July Daily Create Challenge @melindakumi Doing #ds106 is #4life as you show! We are running a July Daily Create challenge http://t.co/IDRV2XtjFQ — Alan Levine (@cogdog) July 15, 2013 My first response was […]

Yesterday was the first time I went to the bay.  Yesterday was also the day that I went crabbing for the first time.  Who would have thought that crabs liked chicken!  We were given a few instructions, a piece of chicken that was stabbed by a metal fitting with a weight and attached to a […]

A series of tweets sent out by yourstruly on her [second] experience at the Big Time Rush Summer Break Tour 2013.  Being a half-twit is difficult…  So is going to concerts where the main audience is the little humans who watch Nickelodeon, and their parents… GUTHY)youhypnotize mysoul(ishould rollROLLroll)it'sSOaddictingTOBYTOBY — melinda (@melindakumi) July 16, 2013 OLIVIA)turneverythingaround,what […]

ds106 is the world’s most powerful course – a gale-force of 106-mph so intense it literally knocks socks off your feet.  Here are 106 reasons to tremble in fear and be excited for the ds106 course to reach you. It is with you wherever you go (or have internet) The network is bigger than the […]

What’s wrong with loving hymns? Amazing Grace is a hymn.  How Great Thou Art is a hymn.  Before the Throne is a hymn which is usually titled Before the Throne of God Above.  Are they only acceptable in non-denominational/inter-denominational and contemporary churches because the lead singer is playing on a guitar and sung by today’s […]

I think I have given up on trying to keep track of all the joys from the Joy Dare.  I’ll try again come January.  It was a marvelous challenge and I still find the time to collect the blessings, but I think it’s time to move along. Speaking about moving, I’ve been pretty stagnant.  I […]

To my 15 year-old self, Stop fearing your body.  The moment you went out in public was the moment that the world bombarded you with what  is considered beautiful.  You are not white, you were blessed with skin that tans well, so protect it.  There will always be someone better, someone who is more, but […]

All we need is a little perspective. For me, finding that new perspective comes as I read old posts. Praise the Lord for liberating me from those sins, pains, and sufferings.  I still get queasy thinking about everything I allowed myself to get into, everything that I had to endure, and all the shortcomings that […]

Environmental degradation is a real thing and the damages of pollution are adding up. You may not be able to see, at this point, the direct effects of your trash can. However, we are becoming more aware of the vast, negative impact our trash is having on the environment. How long will we be able ...

Hey guys, sorry for the late updates…. getting wifi for 37 people in a hotel room in Italy isn’t as easy as one would think. Day 4 For the 4th day, our first official tour in Italy we took a little trip to Pisa. We got a chance to see the field of Miracles and take some awesome pictures near the leaning tower. A lot of us got presents from the vendors, but it was extremely hot. After the leaning tower we stopped a beautiful farm/vineyard and enjoyed a well planned out lunch. The 21 and up crew got a chance to taste some organic wines and we were given … Continue reading →

During the second day of our journey we were given an opportunity to enjoy the beautiful city of Cannes, France. This city is particularly known for the annual Cannes Film Festival that usually occurs during the month of May (it’s a shame we were about a week or so late for the festivities). The city of Cannes is very similar to Nice, but it has it’s own features as well. There were very many shops and restaurants for tourists to visit, especially since the city greatly relies on tourism for income. In Cannes we got to explore the city on our own for several hours. Some girls did some of … Continue reading →

After a very long journey that seemed to last forever, we are finally stable in our hotel just outside the city of Nice, France! We left the U.S at 7pm Monday night (June 3rd) and arrived to Nice at 11 am on Tuesday morning…. keep in mind that there is a 6 hour time difference. After our arrival in Nice we all decided that instead of heading to the hotel we would enjoy a 3 hour time free time period downtown. We were able to grab lunch and just be normal tourists in the beautiful city on the French Riviera. Around 330 (930 am Va time) we went on a 2 … Continue reading →

FOLLOW MY ADVENTURES IN EUROPE:  Today, June 3rd… my soccer team (UMW Women’s Soccer) begins our journey to France and Italy for a nine day trip. Beginning on the 12th I will take a side trip to Bosnia to visit some family with my friend Erin. During this trip I’m going to blog about all of our adventures and make sure to post plenty of pictures for everyone to be extremely jealous, but more importantly so that I have an opportunity to share it with my friends, as well as look back on it for myself. After 4 long days of training and preparation at UMW, our team is finally … Continue reading →