OMG! the yen is up to 94 to the dollar. do you know what that means? everything in hawaii is 20% more expensive than 2 years ago. do you know what that means? less japanese tourists and less spending money. good or bad? good for hawaiians going to japan, but bad for japanese coming to hawaii.

i was walking pass rainbow drive in the other day and seen something cool. a rainbow over rainbows. i just had to take this photo.

in hawaii, you pretty much have to tip. i don’t like that because some food servers take it for granted. some give bad service and they get a tip? to me, tip is like a reward. if somebody gives you great service, leave a tip. if not, don’t. look at this receipt of a guy that left a minus $5 tip. that’s funny! next time i get terrible service, i’m going to do the same thing. haha.

everybody’s been telling me “hey, you look tired man. You’re too busy. Slow down.” my answer is “hey, i am tired, yes, i am busy, and hey, i can’t slow down. i love to work, i love to make people happy, and i love to surf. so there’s no stopping me.” you know what keeps me going? traveling! i know if i work hard, i can play hard. i look at my map 2x a week just daydreaming of where to go next. this photo was taken deep in bali at a local temple. a great experience and i can’t wait for the next. as soon as i get a few days off, i’m jumping on a plane. to where? i still don’t know. but for now, i’m still daydreaming while i’m working my ass off.

World Most Dangerous Jobs. Looks so fun!
Good morning 6:35am.
North shores up from yesterday. 2-3′ and morning sickness. Windy already. Pipeline looks cleanest.
South shores super fun. Chest hight East wind swell with perfect conditions.
Winds are North/East at 20mph today.
Weather is mostly cloudy and maybe sunny later.
Plan is to relax.
Have a wonderful day!

i had such a great time surfing with Onozato-san this morning. she’s only been surfing for a year and i was surprised on how good she was. i asked her what was her goal for today. she told me “i want to turn.” so after a few waves she was turning right, left, and riding the waves all the way in. her surfing level and paddling level went up a lot after this mornings session. a very talented surfer!

speaking of talent, i really think you have to have a good eye to be a good photographer. some people have it, some people don’t. Yuki-san has they eye and has the talent. look at this beautiful photo she took at haleiwa yesterday. the sun, the rain, the blue sky, the clouds, the rainbow, the coconut trees, the waves, the surfers, and the ocean. all in one photo!!!! that’s satoko and me right before we paddled out for a great session!

here’s another one Yuki-san took. i always tell people to look very good before paddling out to any surf spot. haleiwa is the hardest and most dangerous places in the world to surf when it gets big. the current, the bumps, the freak sets, and the crowd. it takes time to figure this spot out but once you do, you will have the time of your life!
went surfing this afternoon at ala moana with Team Inaida-san. guess what everybody. there is a super nice east swell that is making perfect long waves. and it seems nobody knows about it because nobody is out. we scored once again!
north shore coming up to 8′ tomorrow. south fun too. enjoy!