About the journey....!

So it’s January again (2012 edition) and I’m back once more to tell you all about my annual pilgrimage back home to see family and friends.  

My high school class met up at held an unofficial “ten-year reunion” at Kochi’s this year and while I didn’t go (it was scheduled for a few days before I went back), I got to hear from a few of my friends who did what everyone’s been up to. 

LONG STORY SHORT - A lot of us are still in school (as teachers or students). 

Hearing about everyone this year showed me how “grown-up” we’re all becoming; several of my friends have already bought their own houses.  It makes me feel like I should start looking into that too.  But I can’t picture myself living in Hawaii (or LA) long enough to do something like that yet. 

It’s like that movie, “Big Fish,” where the young Edward Bloom, played by Ewan McGregor, finds the perfect town of Spectre.  It’s a wonderful town where the grass is always green, you never need to wear shoes, and everyone is really relaxed and happy all the time.  

And while everybody likes him and wants him to stay in Spectre, he says he can’t because he “arrived there too soon.”  To him, it was a place you “end up at, not pass through” and if he stayed there for a while, he knew he’d never leave. 

That’s how I feel – if I ever move back to Hawaii, I know it’ll be for good, so I don’t want to until I’ve had my fill of the rest of the world. 

PS – Big Fish is a good movie; if you haven’t seen it yet, I suggest you do.  Don’t worry, I haven’t spoiled the plot for you. 

OTHER THINGS I LEARNED IN HAWAII THIS YEAR: 

• There’s a secret ingredient to Zippy’s Chili; it’s either mayonnaise or peanut butter. 
• Hawaii has way too many geckos. 
• Television is my Kryptonite; it makes me lazy and gives me an amazingly short attention span
• Some of my friends from high school are now amazingly racist against Filipinos. 
• Generally speaking, people in Hawaii are short.  I’m only 5 ft, 6 and I felt tall there. 

Vacation Rationing

So by now you all know that I got a promotion at work and have this new job with all these cool & crazy responsibilities; I’m totally an essential part of my department and contribute to the growth of the company, blah, blah, blah…..!

And while that’s really great – something I felt was really missing in my last position – it means that I can’t afford to take as many vacations as I used to.

……which really sucks, because I feel the need to take more of them now since this job is kind of stressful.

The reason I’m bringing this up is because I might not be able to fly home for Christmas this year. My vacation time was cut down significantly by my recent trip to New York and I’m not sure I’ll be able to accrue the needed days-off for a Christmas vacation this year.

It gets even trickier this year because half of my current department consists of L.A. transplants - people originally from the South, the East Coast, Scotland,…..and now Hawaii.

My old department consisted of people whose families lived in Los Angeles and could afford to work during the Christmas holidays. Christmas vacation was never really an issue back then.

But now….I’ve heard it can get kind of vicious around the holidays when it comes to asking for time off – begging, bargaining, lots and lots of toadying to the boss, etc. etc.

I don’t even want to think about what I’ll have to go through to get time-off approved for Evan & Mahea’s wedding in Hawaii next year.

Ah well, working up the nerve to ask today – wish me luck! 

"So How was Hawaii??"

Did I mention on this blog that I went back home to Hawaii yet? 

I go back every year around Christmas to visit my family and old friends from high school who still live on the island.  I always have a great time catching up with people and reminiscing about the ‘good ole days’ when we were young and stupid, er….not as mature as we are now. 

But whenever I tell people here (“on the mainland”) that I’m going back home to Hawaii, they bring it up ad nauseum. 

“So, are you excited to go back to Hawaii??” 
“When are you going to Hawaii??” 
“Are you counting the days?” 

And here’s the thing about being asked the same question over and over again; after a while, you start to lose your enthusiasm for the topic.  In a way, it’s kind of like being bombarded with the same piece of news over and over again….! 

Until, eventually, I got sick of people asking.  And it’s the same thing when I get back…..! 

“So how was Hawaii?” 
“Did you go surfing??” 

“You look so tan!” 

“Was it fun?” 
“Did you have fun?”

And usually that’s when they look at me expectantly, waiting for me to give them their vicarious thrill-fix.  (My stories usually disappoint them)   

Don’t get me wrong – going back home is *always* great.  Christmas is a time for family and I appreciate being able to come home a lot.  But, to me, Hawaii isn’t some exotic place where I can be adventurous and try new things; it’s not that kind of vacation.  I go back to visit family and reconnect with friends.  In fact, when I go home, that’s pretty much *all* I want to do. 

That and eat the “ono food”….it was probably the one thing I didn’t get sick of talking about! 

I even made a list of all the food I wanted to eat as soon as I got back, entitled “THING TO EAT IN HAWAII:    

-          Shave Ice

-          Mochiko chicken

-          Curry house curry

-          Zippy’s Chili

-          Ahi Poke

-          Jello cream pie

I’m glad to say I finished the list. 

*NOM* *NOM* *NOM* 

Back Home Again?

My mom called me the other day to tell me about a package deal on Hawaiian Airlines that lets me fly home and back for under $300.00

She said that I could use it to fly home in August....if I wanted to.

Debating on whether I should go back home or not. I’m already going back for Christmas.
(not New Years, though)

This is something that requires a lot of hemming & hawing from me.

Right now, I don't really feel like spending the money to go home again, but who knows how I'll feel after my coffee?

I have until Friday to decide.
(Offer ends on June 11th)