yesterday was a great day for me. my friends invited me for a quick free dive and i couldn’t turn it down. it’s been sooooo long and i knew that if i didn’t wet my eye, i was ok. so i put my mask on extra tight and went for it. the water is kind of cold and i only had trunks and a wetsuit top but that wasn’t stopping me. we swam out past the surf and as soon as i seen a deep blue pocket between the reefs, i took a breath, dropped 30′, hung out watching the fish, and as i was coming up, i felt like i was reborn. yeah, all the frustrations this past month just vanished. i felt like a fish that was taken out of the ocean and left to dry on the sand. and now that i’m back in the water, i feel like a new man…
then after that, we went to the anticipated concert, BEGIN. oh my gosh!!! i can write 10 blogs about that concert. when they sang “nada sou sou,” i felt like i was going to pass out. hearing “nada sou sou” on my ipod is much different than hearing it live. as i was singing it along with the thousands of other okinawans, i couldn’t stop thinking about my grandparents that passed away. and also couldn’t stop thinking about my friends loved ones that passed away too. i had to hold back the tears because i felt like they were there. it was pretty heavy for me. anyway, i was glad i made it to this concert. i was probably the only guy in there that flew here from hawaii. special thanks to the people that made this trip happen: kimura-san, kazubo-san, takahashi-san, omine-san, satoru-san, and all my family here in okinawa!!! mahalo…
**also, wanted to wish a happy birthday to satoru-san!!!

then we went to hokulea for the after party. the tables were set up with sashimi platters and nabe sets. we ate, had fun, ate, had fun, ate, had fun…. we had jun ken po teams and i’m glad our team kicked ass. i felt sorry for the other team because they must have had at least 10 jacksan shots. i looked at all their faces around 1am and i knew they were all bust up. haha…
it was another awesome trip in okinawa. yeah, my 4th time and i wouldn’t be surprised if i come back before the year ends. but for now, my journey continues. i’m flying out and will surely miss the people, food, and mensore spirit. thank to all of you…..

today is so nice and hot.
feels like summer!

good morning. hanging out at sunabe sea wall is fun. it’s like the waikiki of hawaii because people from all walks of life show up there. the vibe is good, the surfers are happy, and everybody has a great time. i like to sit on the wall and watch the action. the barrels, the kids, the wipeouts, and the awesome sunsets….

kimura-san, kazubo-san and i went to eat lunch at this really good restaurant. i ate the cow bone soup. taste like the oxtail soup we have in hawaii, but much better, and much cheaper…..

world renown photographer jim russi is having a gallery at the thomadro art gallery this saturday, november 28th from 6-9pm. i’m so bummed i won’t be able to make it. jim russi’s underwater photographs have inspired me for the last 30 years. he’s photos are pure art!!!