i’ve been living in hawaii my whole life and seen things come and go. been ripped off and tricked. been lied to. pretty much had so many experiences in my hawaii lifestyle that i can write a book on it. some good, some bad, and some ugly. when i was growing up, there was so much aloha in the air. these days, it’s thinning out and people are forgetting where they’re from. for me, i’m trying to learn how to trust people and give them the benefit of the doubt. most people pull through, some people don’t. all in all, the most reliable and trustworthy people are either my friends, or friends of friends. i’ve been finding out that these are the golden people that i can always depend on and i’m so happy to see the aloha still exists here on this beautiful island of oahu.

take Pat for example. i was looking for a expert in bottom painting for the past 5 months. i called company after company and have been given the run around over and over. people trying to charge me triple the price, promising things and not coming though, and just plane ignorant. then i finally get a referral from a good friend that told me “Pat is the man!” as soon as i call him, i already know he’s a brother. somebody i can trust, somebody i can count on. we make an appointment, he shows up on time, he does the job, he’s happy, and so am i. other friends have been pulling through in a time i need help and it’s making my life so much easier. now i know that what ever i do in hawaii, i have to go back to the grass roots and find brothers. brothers that will take care of me and treat me like family.
all through these days, i find it a learning process for me. i know what good service is, and i know what bad service is. the good service people will make a steady income and last forever. the bad service people will make lots of money in the beginning and have nothing in the end. it makes me realize in my own life business that trust, reliability, and honor is the key to a successful life. i will follow those simple rules and prosper with business and friends. and if it wasn’t for those distrustful, unreliable, and dishonest people i’ve met along the way, i wouldn’t be the person i am today. so thank you for teaching me what is right and what is wrong. i wouldn’t have known without you.

Wow! Amazing!
Good morning 6:20am.
North shore 2-4′ and still windy.
South shore waist to chest high and still perfect.
Winds are trades at 15mph.
Cloudy morning but super sunny day again.
Going surfing.
Have a wonderful day!

i had such a great time with Komiya-san this morning. it’s his first time to hawaii so i figure i’d take him to the best spot today. we surfed surfed and surfed wave after wave after wave. he must have caught over 25 perfect waves in our 2.5 hour session. i was so happy to see him enjoying surfing so much in hawaii. he’s from niigata so surfing with a 5mm dry suit, gloves, boots, and head cap is the norm. today it was warm, sunny, and perfect. good surfing Komiya-san!

the weather couldn’t have been any better. perfect offshore winds and clean chest high surf with long walls ahead. what an awesome day.

i use to hate wine until a few years ago. now, i love it! red, white, port, or anything. i’m starting to find out what is good and what is not so good. this is one of my favorite chardonnay wine. it’s called “GODSPEED.” awesome name.
last, i’ve been into another whole world recently. the boating world is fascinating, but at the same time, frustrating. i’ve been taken in by really nice people, and i’ve been treated like dirt by others. i’ve learned that people can be such assholes if they want to. i’ve learned that the color of my skin matters in some situations in hawaii. a couple of companies and a couple of people in the industry have been treating me so badly recently. when i was young, i’d pull the guy on the side and beat him up for talking to me like that. but if i do that now, i will get arrested, jailed and sued. i’m a lot smarter now so i have to suck it in, take a deep breath, and just say “yes sir.” but inside, i’m thinking “f#@k off you asshole.”
going back to when i was young. if you had a problem, you would fight like 2 men. just beat each other up for a few minutes, shake hands, and walk away. i still wish it was like that today because there are couple of people i’ve met in the last few weeks that i would love to say “hey, let’s fight like 2 grown men. right here right now. and if you don’t want to, you should shut your mouth and stop acting like an idoit.” anyway, i better go before i punch my computer. haha.