Anne and Blaine
Friday Potlatch, September 31.
After the afternoon’s class, I and Yulia had a big project of preparing for the Potlatch. I think I can make the Russian or Uzbekistan (?) Salad next time. It was not that difficult I think. She made “Plov” (?).
It was a good social gatherings. But then, we though the party was just started when the potlatch ended. Then we went to Indigo. I like that Long Island Iced Tea there. It was good. I should have another one. But then we went to other Restaurant for coffee. It was closed to Waikiki Beach I think. Eric was the place we complaint for. J Jamal and me were little bit on (no much), and we just said what we said. Well, sorry Eric., but we thought that you were just the right person on the right place… :D We went back at 2:30. It was good. In the morning, Yulia’s call waked me up.
Here's the Potlatch Pics
Potlatch
Miyuki and Prakash
Hey Miyuki, Quinn said that there's somethin in your jokes:)
Prakash was supposed to go along with us today
Alapaki, (in the middle (?) Forgive me I forgot ur name) and Miwa
Pearl, Ginny and Blaine
Charity, Prakash, Me and Pearl
Eric and Starla
See that? Man...
Ah, Yulia. This buddy is other one. A typical of loyal buddy I think. We went to Ala Moana mall. Actually that day, Saturday, we planned to go to Zoo but because we got up late, she gave me a call lately (she got up late tooJ). And we changed the plan to go to Ala Moana Mall. I want just to buy perfume (cologne?) there. We went there. We had coffee at starbucks first. By the way, I like the starbucks coffee. I bought the perfume in the mall and I think I like it. Then we went down for t-shirt shopping. We went to Wal-Mart’s too to buy couple things and to Rozz.. I found my CD Case there in Rozz. Getting back to the dorms by 5:30
I think she’s a kind of concerning for others. She could be a good time-keeper too :D Hehehe,.. Sorry man., but I just think you are little bit tight with time. Well,. That’s good of course. Yeah, I’m just not accustomed to it and I know I have to. The funny thing was the fact about the time. I told her how a manager like you or a director like me are pushed in the tight timetable like what we have now and they told us what to do or not to do. Again, her “wise-mind” came out automatically. She said, we are here as students not as a manager or whatever and that’s why we should follow the rules :D … That’s a little bit funny.. yeah, little.. And she shared couple things her mind with me. That’s cool. I like it.
At the night, after finally I did my “room cleaning”, I, Ashwin and Rahul – Hale Kuahine Friendto- we went to Magoos. It was a lot fun. After we had “Killian” (?) we had Long Island with Iced Tea but that’s the funny things started. We had the Long Island for two bucks and we laughed at each other. It was not Long Island man., it was “Small Island” which it seems like “Long Island”. It didn’t taste like Long Island Iced Tea rather than just like other drinking. Ashwin said his beer was just like water :D. Then we had another very good drink. Damn, I always forgot the names. But it was “double hit-effect” man.. I liked it. Well, finally it works… Yeah, It works… We enjoyed the night..
Getting back to dorms, I didn’t forget to pick my clothes up from the drying machine, doing some blogs and listened to couple of music and then to bed and I remembered the Quinn’s call waked me up.
Today, Sunday with Quinn
I really enjoyed my weekend. So far, it’s one of the best of weekends I have here. I’ve just got back. For the whole this day, I spent my day with Quinn. 10:30 he picked me up from Hale Manoa and we headed to Word of Life. It’s church, by the way. We spent around 2 hours there. Here’s what I found about church. Almost two months here and I went to four churches in Hawai’i. This last church we went in this afternoon really changed my perspective on Christianity here. Well, the first two churches I went in week ago were empty in the sense that only few attended. The third church I went with Hye Sung were almost old people and kids. This last one really changed my mind about Christianity here. Thousands attending the church. The point is that I found that American is still Christian majority believers. I even heard from Quinn that the Word of Life was only one of those big churches in Hawai’i.
Again, though I realize that most (?) of young Americans do not attend church and even many of them they are not stronger-faith of Christianity and not few do not believe in God but still there are many around whose strong-faith in Christianity.
Then, we headed to one of the big supermarket we were never introduced by orientation days. It was great. It’s name is … oh man, I can’t even remember it,.. But you can buy things there cheaper than you might expect. We had pizza for the lunch and it was cool. Only for 10 bucks, you got big pizza. You can eat it for two days man..:D
Then, Quinn showed me the “hidden place” of Honolulu. It was awesome. From the hilly housing complex, you can see the beauty of Honolulu. It was just beautiful there man.. It was private but somehow, Quinn can access the place. From the place you can see the real bright blue sky and the blue sea of Honolulu. It was just beautiful. The houses there were great with the every moment view. Hmmm…… I think I like this kind of house with the sea view.
And then we went to White Sandy Beach in which it was great not for swimming anyway but to feel the kicking wave of the Honolulu Sea. We spent hours there.
Going back, we went to Starbuck having some coffee there in the Marina things and went around seeing the “private housings” there again. It was just great. To live outside there, man.. I can tell you it was just like living on the real paradise. I can feel it. Then we headed to his friend apartment in which was great too. This buddy, a Hawaiian works for the state office. He was cool. We went go for dinner in a Thai Resto and it was cool. We planned to go to the movie but I decided just to go back to dorms and they went to Drugs Store and planned to keep going to the movie. Here me now I got back to the real life again, my “beautiful and tiny” dorms. Along the day, Quinn played some Hawaiian songs in which I think I liked it very much.
Here is what I found then. I know that Quinn gets hard times to get along with the folks in APLP. And yes, I rarely found anybody really eager to talk to him. Even if they tried, but all the conclusion was not a good news for Quinn, of course.:D I talked to Quinn too for sure, but it did not bother me to listen to him. Perhaps, it’s just because I always believe there is something in someone’s else. And yes, I actually long time had planned to spend a day with him to know what in his mind is actually and it happened today. Again, just like others, I believe there must be “something” in everybody’s to listen to. What I found in Quinn today was first he was a kind of man whose something big in his mind. I know that it was not easy to dig out what’s fully under his mind but I can say that he is a kind of ambitious man in which I think that’s normal. Well, you need that when you want to achieve the big thing in life too of course. Actually, “ambitious” is his term but I prefer to say “passionate”. He is passionate for his life. The point then is how to link his “passionate” things with others and how to convey that in the way other people want to listen to. No everybody wants to listen what just other people want to say. I mean to listen and to say are two other different skills dealing with people. For me myself, I don’t have problem with listening I think.
Quinn knows some important people in this town. And he knows the corners of this town too. Better than anyone else of other APLP fellows. He lives here for already 10 years man.. Besides, he was just not a looser in this town. He proved me anyway indirectly.
Second thing what makes sense was just the fact how he sees life as not a “theory” rather than as a “real thing”. He’s realistic and he confessed it. I agree with him on this point. Yes for sure, it’s different when you spend your whole life in campus with books and other theoretical things and when you face the real life in which you need to be tough, you need to work hard instead of running away from the hard life. And I can say that spending life with books is more comfortable than to face the real challenges of life. Ah, I found it. I think I can understand then when Quinn has problem how to convey his things in mind just because he’s not accustomed to it. He did not write hundreds or thousands papers of course. Academicians have very good capability of writing and conveying what in their minds are, of course. Yes… I think that’s it… hmm well, I think I found the reason behind the incapability of Quinn to get along with other fellows here.
The next thing what other people missed is the fact that Quinn can find “under cover” fact about APLP and the whole program from economy (“business”) point of view. He explained that well. Yeah, that makes sense man.. I just did not tell him that I had some idea about it. But yes..:D
Other point was the fact that he lived in a real cross-culture life. Real cross-culture life means that you experience the real life. Spending his days in Hong Kong or China (?), Malaysia and Indonesia and here in United States (California ?) and here in Hawai’i. His daddy still lives in Taiwan though. He has closed relation with Mufi, the mayor here. I saw some sticker of Mufi’s campaign in his car.
Thanks Quinn.. At least you let me other side of your life. Though there are some still my questions you hesitate to answer but for today’s session was ok. Many lessons learnt.
By the way, I missed the appointment to go to Miyuki’s apartment for swimming L They must be disappointed.
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