look at my lunch today!  some kimchee Kakaako Sausage!   everybody asks me how Toda-san can travel so much.  i tell them “Toda-san is a very hard worker.  he has a Summer job on the boat, and a Winter job in the mountain.  and in between, he’s working other side jobs to make money so he can enjoy his life to the fullest.  that i totally respect!   and when he’s working his side jobs, he’s always thinking about traveling.  maybe that’s why he shaped this grass into the shape of Bali Island?   haha.  i’m sure nobody else knew what he was doing… want to thank Shin-san and Midori-san for the cool B-day present!  i didn’t know what it was until i took it out… OMG, a card reader!!!  i can’t wait to use it! and want to thank Rikita-san for the cool kabuki cup, bowls, and shoyu platter.  can’t wait for my next Japanese breakfast! a couple years ago, i was on Mayuki and took the boys on a boat trip.  i had them all to myself that night and taught them how to be responsible adults.  i told them that if they are going to drink tequila, drink good tequila.  the cheap one will make you crazy and do crazy things.  i know that very well.  every kid in Hawaii probably knows that very well too.  but if you drink good tequila responsibly, it won’t make you drunk and stupid.   so when Joshua came to my house the other day and dropped off my birthday present, i thought to myself “wow, i taught this kid well.”  haha…  thanks Joshua for the Don Julio 1942.  love you boy!  i passed by the car dealership and seen something i’ve never seen before.  the new Jeep trucks! so i stopped, got the keys, and took it for a test drive.  omg it felt so good!  but right now, i don’t have $65,000 to buy this present for myself.  maybe next year.  haha…

Rikita-san got food poisoning and was feeling super sick.  so he went to “Doctor’s on Call” in the Hilton Hawaiian Village.  this is where it got complicated.  we all know that America has the highest cost for health care.  you never want to walk into a hospital without insurance!  so Rikita-san was on the phone with his credit card trying to find out if he was covered.  they told him they will call him back in 1 hour?   really?  so we were waiting and waiting.   then Rikita-san couldn’t wait anymore and called his credit company again.  they told him that they will call him back in an hour again.  then he said “what if i die in that one hour?”  i was laughing, but he was serious.  then he got the call and they said they will cover the cost.  thank goodness!  SO, something to think about is:  find out where and what is covered BEFORE you travel.  as for me, i always buy travel insurance before i travel.  it costs $30 and covers anything.    just a piece of mind when traveling…went to an art gallery with Mama and Papa Iwata-san.  they told me about it and i didn’t even know where it was.  but wow, there were some really cool paintings. this one caught my eye and made me instantly happy.  this is Molokai!  one of the most beautiful places in the world.  after waiting hours for the new baby to come, i was looking forward to eating this delicious oxtail soup from Aiea Bowl.   Micah is such a great young Father.  i watch how he takes care of his kids and i get teary eyes.  so calm and so gentle.  he loves his girls so much and now will love his boy so much… and since we will have the same birthdays from now on, i’m a very fortunate Uncle.  it was the perfect birthday gift any Uncle can ask for.  i can’t wait to take this boy surfing!  maybe next week?  haha…

M&M:  Full of sugar and happiness!!!

Good morning 6am.

Ala Moana waist high and clean.

Diamond Head chest high and bumpy.

Trade winds at 20mph.

Sunny and warm.

Going to relax.

Have a wonderful day!