January 26, 2010

Visian ICL Follow Up - Again

Today I went in for a two-week follow up visit after my second procedure. I heard the doc and his assistant say the procedure's name today, but I've forgotten it already. They used some acronym for it anyway, so it wasn't really the real name.

Anyhow, my vision seems to have improved quite a bit. But the pressure in my left eye is still messed up a bit. It's high again. The right eye is a-okay from a pressure standpoint but it's a bit blurrier than the left one (when tested separately). I may need to do a quick Lasik operation even after all of this to get it right.

This quickie procedure is dragging on and on. I've just gotta be the special one, right? Still, I guess it's better to be safe than sorry. I'm basically an anomaly and the doc has no real medical reason as to why the pressure is messed up. He said it's probably genetic and so I'm having a reaction. There are no plans to remove the lenses at this point though (which is very good to hear). Again, we play the waiting game.

I forgot to ask about any precautions regarding diving under water. However, since I'm going in again in two weeks I can ask at that point. It's probably not a good idea at this point to do the shark dive with JC. I might need to tell her that I can't go and that she should find another friend. Damn it! I really wanted to do that.

Bad News - No Japan For Me

I just checked the USA JET website and am sad to report that I wasn't selected for an interview. *frown* Ah well, at least I tried. At this point, I'm not too bummed about it because I wasn't one of those people who were betting everything on it. I was hoping I'd at least get an interview, but I suppose it wasn't in the cards for me. At least I still have a job right?

A special thanks goes out to everyone who helped with the application and for writing reference letters. I'm sure they were wonderful. I guess this was probably a bad year to apply since there were a record number of applicants (more than 5,300). However, that's what happens when you do this kind of stuff on a whim. If I had given living abroad more serious thought, I would have applied years ago. Then again, I probably didn't have this wanderlust going on back then so traveling didn't even come to mind.

Now that I know I didn't make it, I can concentrate on other things. I am still seriously contemplating spending a couple months backpacking through Australia and New Zealand with Elle. She and I will probably have a good time just getting lost.

I have also read an entire blog written by a local guy who did a cycling tour through NZ and is backpacking it through Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It's a guy named Dug, who seems to be from Maui, and his blog is called Rompingground. He's already been gone for over a year. Amazing! While I definitely cannot live up to his long-distance biking, the WWOOFing sounds pretty interesting and a good way to learn about a foreign country and really get to know its people.

Now, I know what you guys are thinking. And yes, I am definitely a city girl (which is why I love San Francisco so much). But I think I can kick it in the backwoods as long as I'm doing something interesting like milking cows or herding sheep. I'm not sure about clearing the land as Dug did, but I'm game to at least give it a try.

So I guess the main point is that my future is wide open. (I was getting a little stressed out as Elle and I would talk about Australia and NZ but couldn't really do much because everything hinged on a reply from JET.) I plan to reevaluate the next year or so of my life and see what direction life will take me. Moving up to San Francisco is still a possibility, but I don't think I can do it without a job. That'd take some cojones that I do not have right now.

January 25, 2010

YouTube is the Greatest Thing Ever

I do not even know what we all did before the invention of YouTube. I mean seriously, I've been watching videos for over three hours now. And it's not like I'm bouncing around from one stupid video to the next. I searched a specific topic (ie. JET) and found some very cool and informative vids out there by current JETs. Amazing, simply amazing.

The info that is shared through these vids are so engaging and as a viewer you're able to learn so much. The visual nature of it all grabs your attention, even when the video editing skills aren't the greatest. Most people are still able to get the main point across. For someone like me, who is searching for info, it's awesome.

I like how there are so many perspectives on something generic like "living in Japan" or "teaching in Japan." I'm finding all the videos really helpful, especially the ones from the newbies (the people who went over in 2009). They've been there for about six months now and should be settling in. They'll have the best perspectives of the country. My favorite vids are the ones about their hometowns. It's nice to see the different locales where JETs are placed. Some look like fairly large cities. Other that I've seen are totally in the inaka (country).

As I watch these videos, I'm kind of getting anxious about not hearing about the USA interviews. The list of people selected to get interviews is supposed to be posted in late January. Um, it's late January and there's been nothing. I cannot refrain from doing a daily check of the JET website, just in case the list is there. Hmm, now that I think about it, seeing the list posted would be useless to me. I don't carry my ID number around so even if the list was live I wouldn't know if I was on or not. I better start carrying that list around.

January 24, 2010

Kung Hee Fat Choy

Kung Hee Fat Choy! Or, Happy New Year! Chinese New Year 2010 is just around the corner, and Elle and I went to Chinatown for the kick off weekend. We headed to the Chinese Cultural Plaza for the food mostly, but we also took in some cultural presentations.

Here's the view from the second floor overlooking the stage and the people. When we first arrived, I thought it looked pretty dead. However, by around 8 p.m. the place was pretty packed.


There were a handful of crafts booths throughout the Plaza. They were selling toys for the kids, jewelry, Year of the Tiger t-shirts and other trinkets.






One booth was selling these little lion replicas.


Another had these lion heads on display. Pretty neat stuff.


Here's the main event . . . the FOOD! It all looked really good. This was the vegetarian food vendor. I think it was run by a Buddhist temple, but I'm not completely sure.




The ladies making jin dui (a fried pastry with different types of filling) really looked like they knew what they were doing. I love the one with coconut inside, even though I normally don't like coconut. There's something about the crunchy, chewy shell that makes it so ono!




On stage, there were many types of performers. There were Chinese opera groups, children's choirs, tai chi performers, kung fu demonstrators and lion dance troupes. The lion dance guys were pretty cool. They came with their own little drum section.




January 18, 2010

Hunt For Big Surf

Today's mission was to drive around the island to look at the big surf on the North Shore. It was supposed to be on its way down, so today was the last day to catch it.

The day started off looking bad with tons of clouds, but by about 1 p.m. the blue skies appeared. Here we're headed toward Haleiwa. Look at that sky people! Wow, this is why we live in Hawaii.


Lots of trees along the side of the road and no retouching the blueness of the sky. Spectacular no?


Here's the view toward Waialua and Camp Erdman.


After Haleiwa, the land opened up and there were some ranches with grazing horses. There was quite a bit of traffic on the road. I guess other people had the same idea as us.


Just past Waimea, I saw this cool-looking van. Apparently Vishnu has some influence on the surf?


Somewhere along the road we pulled over to take a peek at the surf. It wasn't exactly huge but big enough that it was causing traffic.


There were high surf warnings out and even yellow tape preventing pedestrians from going onto the beach. Obviously not everyone listened to this.


The surf looked choppy and we didn't see anyone out there.


Continuing along our round-the-island journey, we approached Chocolate (Kahana) Beach. It didn't look to chocolately today so I suppose that means it hasn't rained in a while.


Here's the turn right before Crouching Lion. Despite living on Oahu my entire life, I still have yet to visit this place. It seems very peaceful since it's in the middle of nowhere.


We made it all the way to Kuuloa Ranch area. Here's the view of the mountain range towering over the ranch. Again, the sky is just as it was. No tampering with Photoshop. Simply lovely.


And here's the famous Chinaman's Hat. We saw a couple of people out in the water fishing but no kayakers today.


As we headed closer toward town, we crossed paths with Rabbit Island. By this time, it was getting a little bit later and the blueness of the sky was fading.


All in all it was a nice change of pace and a great way to spend the day off from work.

January 17, 2010

Another Reason Why I Love Country Music

Here's another reason why I love country music. It's all about the sad love songs, the heartache and heart break. Can anything get better (or worse, depending on your point of view) than this? Lee Ann Womack's voice is just so haunting and the lyrics are so bittersweet but honest. Country music is about real life and real people. It's not about the bling, private jets or flashy clothes. It's simply about love. Sometimes things turn out good. Other times they don't.

January 13, 2010

Visian ICL Procedure Follow Up

Yesterday was the big day - a month since my last visit to the eye doctor. If all tests came out okay, my doctor would do an in-office procedure to fix the residual issues I have after my Visian ICL procedure. The main problem is that I have about one diopter refraction in both eyes post-Visian surgery because of some astigmatism. My vision was so bad before that the astigmatism was mild in comparison and didn't really make a difference in whether I saw things clear or blurry. Now that my vision is corrected, the astigmatism is apparent.

When I got to the office I underwent about 30 minutes of testing on about four different machines. All the readings were consistent with my previous visit, so I was cleared to do the in-office procedure. I don't even know what this procedure is called. However, I have to say it was pretty quick and fairly painless. It was quite freaky though, but that's a separate issue.

Basically some numbing eye drops were put in both eyes and some clamps were used to keep my eyelids from closing. Then the doctor used a pen and some type of intrument to mark my eyes for the incisions he was going to make. After marking and double checking the marks, he went ahead and apparently made a tiny cut in each eye.

The entire process was just bizarre. It honestly felt like he made more than one incision per eye, but when I asked about it afterward they said only one in each eye. I couldn't feel anything for the most part except for the pressure on my eyeball. I had my chin and forehead resting against a machine and was looking at a light the entire time with my eyes wide open. It was so much easier to do during the Visian procedure, but I guess I was drugged up and on my back during that one as opposed to sitting upright in a chair.

Anyway, my eyes felt a little scratchy after the procedure and were sensitive to light. I was given a bottle of drops and am doing one drop per eye twice a day for the next five days. Today when I got to work I noticed that I could read some things on my computer that were blurry yesterday. Quite amazing really.

I'm supposed to go back for a follow up in two weeks. I sincerely hope this is the last of it. I don't really want any more complications. But I guess even with all this extra stuff going on with my eyes, the Visian ICL procedure was worth it. Also, despite all the trouble and weird issues that I developed, my doctor has been very good about everything. I'm sure he's tired of seeing me as much as I'm tired of going in for all the follow ups. I think I'd definitely recommend for others to look into this procedure and see if it's right for them. Now that I've had all these problems throughout the process, everyone else's experience should be problem free. I've gotta be the one in one thousand who experience them. Everyone else might as well go for it now.

January 10, 2010

JCCH New Year's Ohana Festival

Despite the rain, hundreds of people showed up for the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii's New Year's Ohana Festival held at the cultural center and Moiliili Field today. The place was very, very crowded as people enjoyed the cultural activities, children's education area, food booths, gift shop and performances.

There was a free shuttle moving people between UH's parking structure and the cultural center.


The year of the tiger was celebrated with displays of good luck charms and other items for sale.




Community cultural groups performed for the crowd at the center's courtyard.



Inside there were many cultural crafts . . .


. . . showcasing the handicrafts of many artisans.


There were instructional tables for you to try your hand at caligraphy . . .


. . . and bonsai exhibitions.



Across the street at Moiliili Field, people strolled through food and craft booths.

There were bouncers for the kids . . .

. . . and a taiko performance.

January 8, 2010

Community Classes

I decided that I needed to get out more in 2010 and what better way to do that than to take some classes in the community. I looked through the adult ed classes offered through some of the nearby schools as well as activities offered through the City and County of Honolulu Parks and Recreations and decided on ukulele lessons.

I'm borrowing my sister-in-law's ukulele for the classes. I cannot believe she gave me her Kamaka! I don't think it'll help improve my playing though LOL I have also shanghaied my friend Elle into coming along with me so this should be pretty fun. There may be up to 20 students in the class, but I hope it's smaller. We need to register tomorrow for the class.

I am also considering a self-defense class for women. I figure it might come in handy one day, right? You never know what kind of creep is lurking in the shadows. I'm not sure what they'll teach in this class though so I plan to ask about it when we register for the ukulele class.

Since I may be doing these two classes I decided to cut back on my hours at JCCH. I'll need the time to practice the ukulele, watch movies and update my movie blog and try to update this blog.

January 1, 2010

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year people! Hope you had a very safe New Year's Eve last night. Just thought I'd post a quick video of my New Year celebration. This is how we do it up in the 808.

So sorry about the wobbly camera work. The thing was so big it was freaking me out. I kept backing up because I was afraid one of the firecrackers were going to fly into my eyes!

This wonderful display of money going up in smoke is courtesy of my sister's neighbor/friend. They apparently do it up big every year. Hope they have the best of luck after all of that!