heights and free falling is not my thing. i freak out. first was skydiving. today... cliff jumping. there is this well-known rock cliff that protrudes out of waimea beach, and below u is absolutely clear waters, with only sand below. i must have stood up on that rock for at least one hour, and i really wish i were exaggerating. 3 of my friends and i went up, and they all jumped. the third one took a while, just like me. but then we saw schools of dolpin jumping by not far from us. then, an announcement from the lifeguard tower saying there was a shark nearby (which is why the dolphins were leaving). we were told to leave the waters and stay just within the shoreline. that's when my friend jumped, thinking screw it i'm going. the whole time i was up there people were starting to know me. they were encouraging me, pretending to push me off, counting for me, chanting... then even people down on the beach were watching and waiting. it became a whole spectacle. this went on for at least 40 min. i'm sure some people were even getting frustrated. i was so scared, and i didn't know why! i knew i wouldn't get hurt or die from it, cuz i watched at least 50 jumps off that thing... crazy people doing flips and diving off from a handstand. i think i just dread that freefalling feeling and fear that i would get hurt when slapping into the water. my friends would not let me back out, despite my "maybe we can come back on another day". at any rate, somehow i finally did it, i think because this local guy said he'd jump with me and i faked him out the first time. anyway, i did it. the WHOLE rock was cheering and screaming, and so were the people on the beach. so embarrassing, but i did it. =) so proud of myself!!!

what other adventurous thing is next?

http://www.prangstgrup.com/lm/lm.htm hehehe!!!

firstly, i will NEVER EVER go skydiving again. i almost killed both myself and my tandem master. i freaked out as soon as we stepped out of the plane and i grabbed behind me to the sides of my master's pack. i think i did that instinctively because in moments of panic like that i just wanted to grab another human being. apparently grabbing the pack is that last thing u wanna do, as u can pull very important clips off. the tandem master pulled the chute really early cuz i was flipping out and endangering out lives. it took forever to get down. we got very wet going through the clouds! and the view of o'ahu below me was amazing. i got some good footage up there. =)

yesterday my friends and i took the first of a two-day surfing class through UH (university of hawai'i). we got transported over to diamond head, which is a beautiful beach. the closest i got to standing up was up on one knee. =/ my shoulders and arms are so sore... but now this morning we're headed to go kayaking. we crazy. we'll be kayaking to a small small island off the east coast of o'ahu. it should be great fun! and tomorrow, off to north shore for some cliff diving action... call me extreme janet.

went to the first club since i got here that i did not enjoy. this place had a long ass line, for reasons we know not of. nothing was so great about. the wait would have been about an hour and a half. well one of our friends talked to the bouncer, eventually got the girls in the for free but the guys had to pay 20 each. we split that among all of us, but as soon as we got inside i already didn't like it. damn crowded, dirty men all around that just stare, the dance floor was non-existent, and the music was just your typical radio music. never going there again. i felt so unsafe and smooshed. one of my friends got her ass grabbed. never going there again, either.

in more happier news, i do believe that distance makes the heart grow fonder. benji and i are doing as good as ever, and this time apart is really fostering that. =) this is quite opposite to what is happening to many people here on this hawai'i program... =/ that's other drama...

if there in fact exists a higher being, please watch over me tomorrow. janet is going skydiving... i never imagined i'd do it. here goes nothing...

NooOooOOo~ i'm 24!!!!

my hawai'i program friends are awesome. they took me out to a korean dinner tonite AND i got a cake with candles! =) my mom is so cute she sang happy birthday to me over the phone. she is a funny lady, my mommy. thank u to those who called me to wish me a happy birthday, and the emails too! =) i love u guys...

on saturday our class was taken on a circle island tour of o'ahu. my favorite stop was the most sacred land on the island, where new chiefs were born. it's almost the center of the island where ahupua'a (island divisions) stemmed from. the other stops were sorta random, i didn't get it. we stopped at the dole plantation to use their restrooms, but a lot of people also bought their pineapple whip ice cream. i didn't want to give my money to freakin dole, so i didn't get anything. then our next stop was some shaved ice place. historical place, but i mean what did it really have to do with native hawaiian culture and history? then we stopped at a shopping center to eat lunch. i was wiped out from being on a bus almost all day.

on our free day on sunday, my friends and i hit up the honolulu chinatown to get dim sum. mmm~! we walked around for a bit, then headed for waikiki to window shop and walk around aimlessly. on the way we saw an arts & crafts fair, so we randomly got off and checked it out. i came out with a bracelet made out of a hawaiian wood called koa, and it has hand-carved honu (sea turtles) on it. i am so intrigued by the giant sea turtles here. in hawaiian culture, they are protectors. i am determined to see one during my time here in hawai'i. when i go snorkeling, i'd better see one. that is one thing i must do... in the evening, we caught ann outdoor movie on a huge screen. the weather was perfect. laid out our towels and watched cold mountain. eh, it was an alright movie.

it has been raining a great deal as of late. i've gotten plenty of clothes soaked from the rain. it used to be that it would just sprinkle for a few minutes, then go away. now it's turned into complete rainfalls for at least half an hour. there it goes again. at least i'm not running through it this time. perhaps i should invest in an umbrella.

i'm learning so much in my classes! i'm very excited to get my field research started. i'm such a nerd. despite my excitement i'm already behind on my readings. i'd better get on it if i'm serious about this. tomorrow our class is going on a field trip to a lo'i (taro farm). i think we may be picking poi (taro)! who knows, we'll see!

party nite number 2, but same club again. the music was alright, i can handle mainstream radio hip hop, but when the dj's don't listen to each other and play the same ish more than once, that can get kinda unexciting. maybe tonite will be better, as we celebrate the first of 12 july birthdays! can u believe it?? i met 11 other people on this program who are july babies. and two who have birthdays on the last two days of june. really weird.

seeing how waikiki was a gross, uber-touristy beach, we went to the neighboring beach today: ala moana beach. very easy to describe this beach. it's a huge, overgrown saltwater pool. it's a big pool. perfect for families! and perfect for people like me who freak out about swimming in oceans, especially when waves are present. not the place to go for boarding on anything. great for floating on. this was the complete opposite of sandy beach, where the waves will eat u alive and spit you out... sometimes. extremists seek out the crazy waves there. u just stand there on the shore and u'll get your feet knocked out from under you. and the undercurrent is so strong it'll suck u back into the waves. afterwards, my roommate looked up sandy beach online, and it was described as a place NOT for amateurs. good to know beforehand.

thus far, i've signed up for surfing class at diamond head and kayaking excursion to mokolua islands. these recreational trips are a great deal through the UH recreational center. they provide equipment and transportation! =) only thing i need to find a package deal for is snorkeling at hanauma bay.

classes are great. =) i get so excited talking about critical social research and the issues affecting hawai'i. the readings so far are interesting and my professors are very chill and engaging. i've already learned a great deal about hawai'i in today's class, mostly about demographics and geography. tomorrow is going to be our first class field trip. ooh, tonite some of us went to watch a screening of a political documentary called "urban warrior" which revealed the increasing militarization of the police force. i love progressive folks.

cool thing #3: at the cafeteria (we have to have meal points), for dessert they serve different kinds of tropical fruits like papaya and pineapple! some of my favorite fruits! ANDDDD... the BEST part is... green tea ice cream!!!!!!! i foresee trouble in my diet.

orientation this morning. met my professors and all the participants of this year's program. afterwards, ate lunch then headed out to waikiki beach. not quite the picturesque, clear turqoise water i expected. oh, the water was turquoise alright, but it sure wasn't clear. after some time i learned that waikiki is the worst of all the beaches and the beach itself is actually manmade. =/ go figure.

lots of creepy crawlies here. they freak me out. they're everywhere. usually alive, but lotsa dead ones lying around too. and u know how ucsd has its wild, rampant rabbits, and ucla has its overgrown squirrels? UH has its cats. wild cats everywhere! and they all come out at nite with their beady lil eyes. *shiver*

had spam musubi from 7-11 today. quite the treat! i learned that there is this convenience store chain here in hawaii called ABC Stores. oh my god they do NOT mess around. at one corner alone there were 3 ABC stores. O_o i dunno. but they're everywhere, these ABC stores. but they've also got lotsa things.

tomorrow was supposed to be the first day of classes, but i guess we get it off for reasons that have to do with some holiday. independence day, they like to call it. so first day is tuesday. we get a whole day off tomorrow. what do to? i can't wait for classes to start. i'm such a nerd.

where are the koreans up in here?? i heard about koreans bein all over hawaii. are they not in honolulu? where the korean food/markets at? well, it's only been 1.5 days so i should have some patience. i've also been limited to just the university, the one main street near the university, and uber-touristy waikiki. let's see what tomorrow has in store....

cool thing #2: there is this fast food joint called MOS Burgers where they serve burgers... the asian way! teriyaki chicken burger, spam musubi burger, etc. AND! they have burgers in which the buns are made from rice. so it's just rice shaped in a patty shape and pan fried a little. mmm.... maybe they'll bring some of these restaurants to the mainland?

aloha from honolulu/oahu! if there's one word to describe the weather here, it would be "humid." my roommate is awesome, i'm very glad i ended up with her. =) i've met a number of cool people just on my first day already. tomorrow is the orientation, so we'll see how it goes. i'll meet the rest of the people in the program. i thought i'd be the oldest one on this program, but so far i've found one girl who's older than me by a year. yay i'm not as old a fart as i thought i'd be.

i haven't seen much yet on my first day, although i didn't get onto the UH campus until abotu 5pm. just went out to eat dinner. japanese food. lotsa restaurants to try! well, i got six weeks so i'm sure i'll get to try a lot.

cool thing #1: they sell the spam/rice/seaweed wrap thing (i forgot what it's called) at 7-11!

well, i leave for hawai'i in a matter of a few hours. i'm pretty much packed, but i don't know where my traveling spirit/excitement has gone to. i don't feel it. it's weird. i'm sure i'll feel it at least by the time i land and step foot on oahu.

just to let y'all know, my fone will be out of commission until july 12. wow just in time for birthday fone calls! =) 24 is a scary number... sounds old. i'll be back august 14. alright, i have no idea what hawaii will be like! let's see what it's all about...