07/31 - today's my older sis's 22nd birthday so...Happy Birthday MY !!!



07/28 - today's my younger sis's 19th birthday so...Happy Birthday KIM !!!



07/27 - the hotel party celebrating Kelsey's b-day was last night @ the Ohana Malia in Waikiki, & it was off the hook !  i've never had so much fun  @ a party before. i got to reunite w/ some old friends i haven't seen in an extremly long time--& i'm talking 'bout months.  so here are the details of my day...  i arrived @ the hotel around 6 p.m..  Amy, Anna, Li, Thu, & Kelsey were all in the room chilling, watching t.v., & waiting for others to arrive.  by 7-something, more people arrived so we all went to get dinner.  @ Denny's, the dining experience wasn't all that great .  our group of 11 was split up to 2 tables, & my table had to wait 45 mins. for our food.  however, the other table wasn't as lucky .  after an hour, the other table still didn't get their food, so they told the waiter to cancel their order. they then hopped over to Jack in the Box for a quick meal.  we all met back @ the hotel room to get the party started.  the fun  started off w/ a drinking game called Kings. i've never played it before, but it was hella fun . i chatted w/ lots of people, met some new people, & had fun  roaming around the room. that was the best party i've ever been to, & i had an awesome  time. i didn't plan on sleeping  over @ the hotel, but i decided to do so after Kelsey's insistence.  i didn't sleep  'til 6-something in the morning 'cause i was up talking to Amy & Brandon.  after a couple of hours of sleep , i helped the girls clean up the hotel room 'cause it was a mess. then we headed over to McDonald's for breakfast. later back @ the room, Shan & Eric dropped by 'cause they had a room only couple of levels up from ours.  then Eric gave me a ride home. for the rest of the day @ home, i was in & out of conciousness . i couldn't help falling asleep  ever hour or so, especially since it was so damn stinking hot & humid.  when it was that hot, i couldn't get myself to do anything but lay around w/ a fan in front of me.  that's about it for my fun , wild night out.


07/25 - update on the missing hiker i wrote 'bout in an earlier entry: his body was found along a waterfall above the Nuuanu Resevoir.  the search for him lasted 4 days.  for those 4 days, i watched from my window the activity of news stations & their reporters talking to the firefighters, rescue workers, & family relatives 'bout the hiker.  i could hear & see the helicopter from morning to early evening take many, many trips over the mountain searching for the guy.  too bad the search didn't have a happy ending.  i send my condolences to the parents of 19-year old Daniel Levey.
 

07/24 - Happy 20th Birthday Kelsey !!!



07/22 - alright, i finally got something interesting  to write 'bout today.  yesterday i went w/ my parents & my younger bro to check out the Sam's Club in Pearl City.  they got a guest pass in the mail, so they wanted the see what kind of bargains we could find there.  Sam's Club is practically Costco.  they're both set in a warehouse, sells similar merchandises, & has similar prices; but i prefer Costco & their items. my parents didn't buy much there--just bread & chicken, which we ate @ Sam's Club eating area.  then my family & i headed up to the 2nd floor to check out the shops @ the Pearl Highlands Shopping Center.  we visited Price Busters, Jeans Warehouse Outlet, & Ross.  then we drove down to the Ross @ Keeamoku to see if they had better bargains, & i got me 2 skirts & 1 cute top .  today my parents & my younger bro drove down to Kailua to check out the area. my dad will be leaving @ the end of the month; therefore, my mom has been wanting to check out the island, etc. before he leaves. however, i didn't go w/ today 'cause i had to pick up my older sis when she gets off from work. besides that, all day the fire station across my house has been busy w/ activities @ the park field next to them.  i thought  today was the annual helicopter rescue practice, but i might be wrong from the evening news broadcast. apparently a 19-year old guy is missing from a hike, & the helicopter has been taking trips over the mountains looking for him.  i hope the rescue workers will find him soon.


07/21 - my life hasn't been too exciting  these past few days, so i spared you the torture of reading boring  entries of me doing nothing except chauffeur my older sis.  all i can think  'bout talking  in this entry is the lovely romantic/comedy  Lucky 7, which premiered on the ABC Family channel last night.  the movie is so romantic  & a fun chick flick.  it was nice to watch a movie w/ Patrick Dempsey in it 'cause i haven't seen a movie w/ him in it recently.  Lucky 7 was great .
 Synopsis: Amy's been strictly following a timeline her mother drew for her before her death since she was 7.  The timeline included important life events like: running for class president, becoming a lawyer, & most importantly, finding her 7th boyfriend who'll be the man of her dreams.  The problem is: Amy met Daniel (her ideal match) & fell in love w/ him, but he's no. 6.  To stay true to the timeline, she'll try to sneak in another boyfriend before Daniel can officially take the 7th slot.  W/ little time, the only guy Amy can find is Peter, the manager of the bagel store she's visited every morning for the past year.  Spending the weekend together @ a quaint, picturesque harbor inn far from their daily lives is Amy & Peter's pretense to being in love.  Now Amy must decide if she can break free from the timeline that's kept memories of her mother close, & to decide between no. 6 & lucky 7.  (found & altered from abcfamily.com)


07/15 - bear w/ me now.  this entry is going to be a triple threat of movie reviews of the 2 movies i watched yesterday, & the 1 i'm watching right now.  2 of the movies w/ Hugh Grant starring in it was enjoyable & delightful , but the movie i went to the movie theatre to watch w/ my older sis was not as enjoyable.  alright, let me begin w/ Four Weddings & A Funeral 'cause i just finished watching it on the Oxygen channel.  no matter how many times i've watched 4 Weddings & A Funeral, it's still funny  & great.  Hugh Grant's character is such a cutie  in that movie.
 Synopsis: This acclaimed British comedy centers on the intermittent romance between a charming & slightly bumbling Englishman & a beautiful American woman who seem to always run into each other @ weddings.  It's the 1st of the title's 4 weddings that Charles & Carrie meet.  They enjoy a brief but fleeting connection.  The spark is rekindled several months later when they unexpectedly meet @ another wedding. Unfortunately for Charles, Carrie has become engaged to another man.  Then passes a 3rd wedding w/ Charles & Carrie meeting once more before the 4th wedding--Carrie's wedding.  @ the reception, Charles friend has a stroke & dies, which leads to the title's funeral.  Months later Charles is marrying Henrietta.  Before the ceremony, Carrie tells Charles 'bout the break-up of her marriage--leading Charles to anguish over continuing w/ the wedding or call it off.  (found & altered from blockbuster.com)now on to the next movie.  i finally watched the Sense & Sensibility dvd i borrowed from the library yesterday afternoon.  Sense & Sensibility is another movie adaptation of Jane Austen's novel w/ the same name.  that movie was comical , witty, romantic , & filled w/ amazing actors & actresses.  the storyline was your typical Jane Austen plot of women finding their love, losing it, & regaining it w/ many twists & turn. i was glued to Sense & Sensibility from start to finish, & now i'm in love  w/ it.  Hugh Grant & Emma Thompson was charming in it, & i'm amazed Ang Lee was the director.  who knew a Taiwanese director who speaks English w/ an accent could direct a movie set in 1800s England, & do a wonderful job.  i'm gonna pick up the novel the next time i stop by the library.
 Synopsis: The film is set in 1800s England.  Elinor Dashwood, along w/ her mother & sisters Marianne & Margaret, are struggling financially after the death of their father.  Mr. Dashwood is to bequeath the opulent Dashwood estate, by law, to his oafish son of an earlier marriage.  While sorting out the family's affairs, shy, self-sacrificing Elinor falls in love w/ her half brother-in-law, Edward Ferrars--a sensitive, well-educated bachelor who cannot court her because of his foolhardy youthful engagement to the greedy Lucy Steele.  Once relocated, Elinor's brash, spirited sister Marianne falls for a dashing local, John Willoughby--a womanizer who nevertheless share her affections.  A prominent neighbor, Colonel Brandon, also falls in love w/ Marianne, but she's oblivious to the older man's affections until Willoughby breaks her heart.  When Edward's family disowns him, Lucy marries his brother instead, leaving him free to pursue an exultant Elinor.  (found & altered from blockbuster.com)okie, on to the final movie...it's the independent flick Charlotte Sometimes.  my older sis read the synopsis of the movie a month or so ago, & told me 'bout it. when i went to watch the eye w/ Shan, the trailer of Charlotte Sometimes was shown.  i told my older sis 'bout it, & she wanted to watch it. she found out it was playing @ the Art House @ restaurant Row, so we went to watch it that evening. well, i left the movie theatre not sure what to think  'bout Charlotte Sometimes.  i don't really like it, but i don't really hate it either. the film was shot to make it feel gritty, & as if the audience was peering into the life of the character Michael.  the dialogue was done differently than other movies i've watched--more realistic.  not long dialogues w/ flowery words or structuring, but there was too much damn silences  between the characters. the storyline was a guessing  game. you'd have to watch the actors, & guess through their motions & expressions to understand, which i didn't like. nothing was really said but implied. however, i wasn't sure what exactly was implied. i liked that the 4 main characters were Asian & the storyline was not 'bout them being Asian, but rather 20-something people findinglove  & defining their lives.
 Synopsis: 4 twenty-somethings living in the hip L.A. suburb of Silverlake struggle w/ love, lust, & ennui in this independently produced feature. the film concerns the shadowy existence of Michael & Lori, next-door neighbors who form an intimate friendship.  Lori is committed to her sexually carnivorous boyfriend Justin, but more emotionally connected to Michael, whom she tries to convince her platonic neighbor to find a girlfriend. Fed up w/ his unrequited love for Lori, Michael does just that.  He hooks up w/ the dark & mysterious Darcy.  But as Michael navigates his budding romance w/ Darcy, jealousy erupt w/ the other couple, & the secrets the co-eds withhold from each other threaten to break the 2 couples apart.
(found & altered from blockbuster.com)


07/13 - i got to check off some things off my must-do list for summer today--Whoo hoo ! i wanted to spend the day on the other side of the island, & today i went to Kailua Beach w/ Shan, Trang, Kelso, Anna, Amy, Bernie, & Shaun.  however, we arrived in Kailua around 2:30 p.m., so it was more like 1/2 a day--but it still counts. another thing i checked off my list was trying new foods.  the girls & i ate @ Genki Sushi after the beach.  i got to try some delicious sushi, & saw many yummy ones. i've also been aching to see more of the beautiful scenery of the other parts of the island, & i got that done w/ the drive over to Kailua. i had a very good  time w/ the girls today, & i'm grateful i got the to go w/ them 'cause i don't see them often. i can definately now say i've had a productive summer.


07/11 - ah, summer is passing me by & the day is feeling longer. i went out w/ my parents & bro yesterday. my parents went to visit their friends's jewelry store in Waipahu, & then we went to Walmart.  i got a new blue backpack for school .  the last 3 bags i used during last sem. had holes, & the latest 1 i was using is very big & bright blue.  i felt like a little kid w/ an oversized school bag on my back, & felt like a target 'cause the color was bright.  now i got myself a backpack that's just right .  later in the afternoon, i attempted to straighten my older sis's hair w/ a home kit i bought @ Walmart, & it turned out okay.  she's got really long hair that she doesn't want cut even though a lot of the ends are damaged, so the chemicals did something funky w/ the damaged hair, so i had to cut 5+ inches off.  i gave her this layered, shaggy hairdo that looks pretty good except for the frizziness.  i hope she's not planning any revenge on me for having to cut off her precious hair .  now i wanna share something w/ all of you.  i came upon this link which might interest you movie-goers.  if you guys don't know it yet, i love  foreign films (especially asian films).  recently Hollywood has been buying rights to a lot of Asian films that has been a box office hit in their native country, & making American remakes.  for example, The Ring starring naomi Watts was a remake of the Japanese film Ringu.  so here's the link: click here.  enjoy reading it !!


07/09 - everything is so clear now. i had my eyes examined by the optometrist today to update the lens of my glasses, & to get contacts. the optometrist kept talking to me 'bout the UH  football team, & encouraging me to go to the games. i wanna go their football games, but i don't have any friends who are interested in going w/ me....  okay, back to my eyes...the doc game me clear contacts for the right eye only 'cause the left eye's too weak, & there aren't any clear contacts powered that low.  he said the colored contacts did have my measurement, & that worked perfectly 'cause i had planned to get them. i tried on the honey, green, another honey color except brighter, gray, & brown colored contacts, & i chose brown 'cause it looked the most natural & good on me.  the green looked good on me too, but i didn't wanna wear those all the time.  plus, ain't it strange to see a Chinese/Viet girl w/ green eyes ?  wow , it's amazing how everything looks so clear & bright to me now.  before i'd see everything in a blur w/o my glasses, but now i don't.  i should've gotten contacts earlier.


07/05 - what a fun-filled day i had .  i met Shan @ Restaurant Row @ 11:50 a.m. (i was supposed to meet her @ 11:30, but i was late--sorry Shan!!) to watch a movie.  we love independent & foreign films, so we finally got together to watch 1. we decided on the Chinese/Thai film The Eye.  since the movie wasn't going to start 'til 1:20 p.m., we killed time by walking over to Aloha Tower @ hanging out there for a little while.  The Eye is a very good film--totally scary, thrilling, & entertaining.  i'm telling you...it's a must-see film if you wanna get scared .  however, it's a fun scare w/o the bloody, gruesome scenes.  the plot is intriquing & believable. The Eye is a well-made film, except for the "love" plot that doesn't fit the film. well, everyone should go watch it when you get the chance, okay ??
 Synopsis: @ the age of 2, Ka-Mun Wong went blind.  After 18 yrs. in darkness, she's given the chance to regain her sight through a risky cornea transplant operation.  When the bandages are taken off, Mun's eyes respond to the light around her, & it appears the surgery was successful.  But when Mun experiences a series of inexplicable & chilling encounters w/ mysterious strangers, she fears that her newly restored eyesight has brought a different kind of darkness into her life.  This fear is magnified when it comes to light that Mun is not seeing her own face when she looks in the mirror, but that of a total stranger. As the nightmare consumes her, she sets out to discover through whose eyes she's seeing the world, & before long finds a truth more horrifying than anything she could ever imagine w/ the help of Dr. Wah Lo. (found & altered from palmpictures.com)after the movie, me & Shan headed over to the car, & i checked my phone to find that i missed 1 call.  i called Raymond back to ask what was up, & had to tell him sadly that the restaurant was turned over to a new owner since he & Ben had gone over wanting to eat bun bo hue.  then he told me was @ Gyotaku, so i drove down there to join him 'cause Tara was there & Brandi just got off work. & that's where i had lunch. me & Shan stayed there 'til Brandi started her shift again before we headed down to Waikiki to watch the sunset.  apparently Brunch on the Beach was just wrapping up, & the Sunset on the Beach event just beginning when we got down there. obviously we couldn't find any parking, so we went down to Magic Island instead to watch the sunset.  i had a fun  time hanging out w/ Shan practically all day.  i guess you can say we had a date .


07/04 - today is Independence Day--the 227th birthday of the wonderful country i'm living in, the United States of America.  i spent it by waking up around 10 something in the morning, & then took a nice, long shower 'cause i went clubbing @ the Maze in Waikiki & Waterfront @ Aloha Tower last night w/ my sisters.  later i watched the movie Cherry on the Lifetime Movie Network channel, which i'll talk more 'bout later.  my parents barbequed in the backyard in the afternoon, & i just came home Magic Island @ Ala Moana Beach after having watched the firework show w/ my mom & younger bro.  oh my goodness , the firework show was amazing .  the ending was so spectacular--the best i've ever seen in firework shows.  there was even a firework that created a heart--soo cool !!  Magic Island was packed w/ lots of people.  the car & people traffic were horrendous. while leaving Magic Island & going over to Ala Moana shopping center, 'bout 7 police cars w/ their sirens blaring were flying through like in the t.v. shows.  the 1st van had the doors open w/ 2 cops standing & shouting people to move out of the way.  when we got to the sidewalk, all the cop cars i saw that were speeding out of Magic Island were just hanging around on the street in front of Ala Moana just directing traffic or just talking story. okay, now on to movie Cherry. i was channel surfing & came upon the movie. it's a romantic comedy that's quirky & fun to watch for lovers of it's genre.  the actress playing the lead is model Shalom Harlow.  i thought  she looked familiar when i was watching Cherry, & i figured it out when i checked the credits.  she's acts good for a model.
 Synopsis: Leila Sweet is hearing the faint rumblings of her biological clock @ the age of 29.  That's not unusual, but her key obstacle to have a child is rather uncommon--she's still a virgin.  Leila was stood up @ the altar 10 yrs. ago, &  promptly swore off men forever.  Since then, she graduated from Harvard, & runs a muffin shop.  Leila is now determined to have a baby, but isn't willing to forgive the enemy in the process.  She begins advertising for sperm donors willing to assist in artificial insemination, but most of the respondents remind her why she gave up on men.  Circumstances soon force her to take a closer look @ 2 neighborhood men vie for her attention--a professional clown named Eddie & her gynecologist Beverly Kirk (don't let the name fool you, Beverly is a guy).  While Leila weighs her options, Beverly meets a pair of sweet-natured street kids in dire need of a loving mother.  (found & altered from blockbuster.com)