so there i was floating on a boat in the middle of the Indian Ocean on October 1, 2014. i hear Travis on the guitar strumming to “Happy” as the girls are clapping and singing. they walk up the stairs with a birthday cake for Kyle and I. yeah, Kyle’s birthday happens to be on the same day as mine. everybody singing and clapping while Kyle and I are sitting down amazed by all the entertainment. i’m not one of those who usually celebrate my birthday. i’ve actually been on boats before during my birthday and didn’t tell anyone. but this time, i couldn’t hide it because i was on a boat with my closest friends that all knew what day it was. we blow out the candles, start off with some bintangs, have dinner, eat the cake for dessert, then i go down to my stash and bring up a bottle of the finest tequila in the world, Don Julio. we take a shot, another shot, another shot, people started disappearing, another shot, people start disappearing, another shot to finish the bottle. then the real party begins! it could be a dream, but i remember disco dancing, i remember break dancing, i remember freak dancing, i remember singing, and i even remember “We Are The World.” oh what a great blurred memory!
when the smoke clears, i find myself waking up the next morning trying to figure what happened? nobody remembered anything and there were no photos or videos taken. safe! that 3 hour party is just a memory floating around in the indian ocean.
all i have to say is: the few lucky people that attended that party got to see the real old Kirby. he hasn’t been out like that for the past 20 years and he finally came back to life again. i can’t wait till next years birthday! haha.
want to thank everybody on the boat that night. also want to thank my friends around the world for the happy birthday texts, messages, cards, and emails. last year was amazing, this year will be even better than amazing! see you around!

Mt. Ontake. OMG!
Good morning 6:30am.
HIGH SURF ADVISORY FOR NORTH/WEST SHORES!!!!
North shore 6-8′ and good!!! 10-12′ by tomorrow.
Pipeline, Haleiwa, Sunset Beach all good!
South shore chest high and clean.
Welcome back trade winds at 10mph.
Super sunny and warm with cool winds.
Another beautiful day.
Enjoy it!

did you see the blood moon last night? i fell asleep early, then got up at midnight to watch the lunar eclipse. it was pretty amazing. so bright sky at first, then the eclipse started and it got pitch dark. all the stars came shining out. it was so cool!

i tried to take a photo with my iphone but it didn’t come out. but it looked like this! ended up falling back asleep at 2am.

had the coolest surf day today. took Mr. and Mrs. Yamada-san surfing. it’s their first time ever surfing and i was so stoked they both stood up on the very first wave. surfed for a very long morning session after that. well, we actually surfed until their arms couldn’t move anymore. haha.

instead of taking them to eat greasy hamburgers or oily loco moco’s hawaii is known for, i took them for a hot hot healthy Pho. everybody was happy!

gosh, i can’t believe how good food makes me so happy. then waiola shave ice after this? omg, i thought i was dreaming. super cool couple from Nagano. thank you Jun-san and Keiko-san for a wonderful morning.

then i went to pick up Mr. and Mrs. Ogihara-san. two newlyweds spending their honeymoon here in hawaii. it was Keiko-san’s first time and she stood up on her first wave too. that makes me really happy. Yusuke-san’s been surfing for 20 years and scored some good rights at Bowls. super cool couple from Tsujido, Japan. also wanted to say hello to Naka-san from Left Surf in Hiratsuka. thank you for sending me your wonderful friends!

today was a picture perfect day. and since it was their honeymoon, i thought i’d take this beautiful photo of “Romance in Hawaii.” congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs. Ogihara-san again! i hope you enjoyed the Red Stripe beer and Taiwan Nabe tonight.

when i was scrubbing the bottom of Mayuki with my hand yesterday, a sharp barnacle cut my thumb open. omg, it hurts so much!!!

i’m ready for the cold again. thank you Mr. and Mrs. Naganuma-san for the thermo underwear.
another long and wonderful day in the ocean. epic waves in town and in the country. i’m so glad to be back home!!!