Moon
Star
Ocean
Friends

good evening. great waves again! we surfed ala moana and the waves were perfect! sunny, warm, clean, and fun! endless summer!
of all the fish markets i’ve been to in the world, i have to say that the one Keith took us to in south taiwan had to be in my top 2. for freshness, quality, and price, possibly number 1. it’s not too big, not too small, but just right.

and when you have a fisherman choosing the fish, you know we will be eating good fish. Kimura-san eats fresh good seafood all the time so he knows which is good.

there were other things in the fish market. check out those huge deep fried tako legs!

we ended up getting a fresh coral trout.

omg, i love bamboo! it’s called takinoko in japan and this had to be my favorite.

and the choisum was awesome! better than any i’ve tried in hawaii.

fresh sashimi too was really good!

steamed clams in black bean sauce. unreal!

fresh ginger onion shrimp with dipping sauce.

and that coral trout we ordered came out like this. i’ve tried so many steamed fish, i’ve even made my own, but this one was by far the best steamed fish i’ve ever eaten. i ended up drinking the soup because it was so good!

and of course, if you eat good food with good people, it tastes even better. our whole dinner including 6 big beers cost $65 or 6,500 yen. crazy cheap!

i’m starting to crave taiwanese food again. i seriously would go back there just to eat. and maybe sing some karaoke after. haha. i had a great time guys! nice to meet all my taiwan friends and will definitely be seeing you again sometime soon. aloha!

looking back at my life, i have to say that things have definitely changed for me. i’m not sure if i’m a better person than before, but i am trying my hardest to become one. i was fortunate to have almost everything i wanted in life. some things i had to work hard at, but some things just fell into place. of course, there are more things i wanted, and i often got disappointed when it didn’t turn out my way. but now, i really don’t want anything more in my life than to be happy, and be able to make other people happy. i use to take things for granted, but now, i appreciate everything i have, especially the friends around me. my circle of friends are all kind, supportive, warm hearted, and giving. and i’m proud of every single one of them! so yes, looking back at my life, things have changed a lot for me. i have more friends now than ever. my friends are my life, they are my treasure, and they are my future. without them, i’d be nothing. i just wanted to make sure everybody knew that before i go.
gosh, last year seemed like 10 years ago. taking supplies donated by go-naminori friends to a remote island in sumatra was very rewarding. these islands got devastated by the tsunami and were trying to recover. it was a go-naminori boat trip, but at the same time, a volunteer effort to give hand to hand. all the members on our team were involved. it was an amazing experience that we will never forget.

i always told myself that “if we can just make one child smile, we are successful.” we were more than successful.

after the tsunami in sumatra, and after the tsunami in japan, my outlook on life has changed. i’ve lived a wonderful life of receiving, and now it’s my time to give. and if we all give, this world will be a better place!