good evening. what a long day. going down to the beach at 7am and freezing cold. spent a few hours in the water, then followed by 4 hours in the classroom. learning new lifesaving techniques and learning how to save peoples lives. and i’m learning from the best so i’m super lucky. i hope i don’t have to use these skills but if that time comes, i’m ready. still have more hours to get my certification that will be good for the next 2 years.

and look what’s happening for the next 5 days. rain, rain, and rain. i love it!

today was our good friend Dwayne Scharsch’s funeral. surfers from all over the island met at magic island to do the paddle out at bowls. as everybody entered the water, i was amazed on how many people where there. Dwayne had so many family, friends, and loved ones. it was so sad sitting in the ocean watching his wife scatter his ashes at bowls. i have only good memories of Dwayne and i still feel that he got a second chance in life and did what he loved to do, surfing. i went to the tent after to write a memo for Dwayne, and there was this big picture hanging in a frame. the same picture i took at bowls the day he came back after being in a coma for weeks. this was his first day in the water since he drowned at sandy beach and i remember how happy he was after every wave he caught. that day will and this photo is my great memory of a great father, family man, surfer, and friend. goodbye Dwayne.

Taiwan nabe and shave ice!

here in hawaii, it amazes me how our government plans construction, road repairs, and other things that causes heavy traffic. as i sit in my car stuck in traffic and not moving, i just wonder to myself if i would do it differently if i was the governor. i guess i learn a lot by traveling to a lot of countries and watching how they do things. for example, in japan, they do that kind of things at night. why not in hawaii people ask? i really don’t know.

so i leave the north shore yesterday and like usual, i check the traffic on my phone. the traffic was really backed up for miles and miles. so i just take a deep breath, think, and go down the side roads. look at all the traffic around me while i’m driving freely down king street. i took all back roads and didn’t get stuck in any traffic. lucky!
anyway, it is a beautiful saturday morning. while the waves are perfect on the north shore and everybody is getting barreled, i have other obligations to take care of. i’m taking my yearly CPR course, lifeguard rescue course, and first aid course. it’s a requirement for the job i do and even if it wasn’t, i’d take the courses anyway. i spend so much time in the ocean and if something goes bad, i want to be able to help. i’ll be trained by the best and i hope to learn more and more. safety is and will always be my top priority. so as you all get barreled today, i’ll be learning how to save lives. if it was for any other reason, i’d be stressing because the barrel is where i want to be. but for today, i can pass.
also, this afternoon is our dear friend Dwayne Scharsch’s memorial paddle out at bowls. we will all meet at magic island at 2pm. hope to see you there!