Everyone Wants To Get Lei'd

Oh yeah, I went there.

You know how that first night I said I slept like a log? Well, that was the only night that happened. I'm not a good sleeper when faced with a new bed, and having Maya next to me meant I couldn't sleep in my most comfortable position, which involve contorting myself into something like an upside down G. Add to that the stuffiness of our room and the coughing, and by the fourth day I was feeling it. So when the parents said they were going to head into Kona for more shopping and exploring, I took a pass. I figured I'd stay at the condo and have a nap, though that didn't really happen either.

By the time everyone left I'd regained my energy, so instead of napping I decided to go explore around the Villa grounds. There wasn't a whole lot to see, but there was a path through a lava field beside the Villas and that seemed like as good a place as any to have a wander. I knew that if I followed the path away from the Villas I'd end up at the Queen's shopping complex, so I set out in the opposite direction. It didn't really lead me anywhere but to the grounds where more condos were being developed, but it was still nice to be out exploring, on my own, singing along to my ipod.

Later that afternoon we headed over to the Marriott for a Lu'au. As always, the hotel was stunning. We wandered around in awe, counting the pools and enjoying the open reception hall. The Marriott backs onto the beach that was nearest us, but the Lu'au wasn't on the beach. I don't think the Big Island really has the right kind of beaches for roasting pigs in the sand and wandering around in the dark. Instead, there were tables set up on the rear lawn with a buffet on one side and an open bar on the other. When we came in, there was a professional photographer ready to take a family photo, though he seemed to think we were a group of couples which is just kinda creepy and wrong.

Like any good family photo, there's some drama behind this one. Everyone kissed and made up and we got our cheesy picture, ukeleles and all. At first we thought we got to keep the lei's, but when we got in shit for taking our own picture with them on, we realized they were just for the photo. We did get shell lei's to keep after the photo though.

We ended up being a bit late to arrive, so we got a table at the back. I think this actually worked out well for us because we were able to stand when the entertainment started without worrying about blocking anyone else's view. We also made an important discovery at the open bar, where the only question asked of John's drink order was if he wanted a flower too.

As the sun went down, we were treated to a conch shell blowing competition in which the audience representative for Hilo beat the rep for Kona. Then we were directed, table by table, to the buffet. It being a buffet, I figured there would be chances to go up and get more, so I only took a little of everything. Unfortunately, us being one of the last tables served, there wasn't really anything left when we went back for seconds.

After dessert the Polynesian entertainment began. We were treated to a bit of Hawaiian cultural history in the form of dances from the different nations which first came to Hawaii. Once again this made me want to go to Tahiti. One day, one day... The performances ended with a fire dancer, which was pretty darn awesome if I do say so myself!

We all ended up having a really great time at the Lu'au, though the other family at our table said the best one they'd been to was in Maui, and I'm inclined to think that the other islands with their more sandy beaches are probably better suited for a more 'traditional' Lu'au experience.

OMG, you know what's next? My favourite day of the trip!!!

A Slice of Paradise

Our third day on the Big Island began with an early start as Pat, Maya and I dropped the parents off at this resort they were to tour. We had specific instructions to pick them up in 2 hours, to stay together while swimming, and not to swim out too far. So off to the beach we went! It wasn't much of a beach; small and rocky and only not crowded because it was still quite early. Pat had it in his head that he doesn't like snorkelling, so Maya and I rented some snorkelling gear wihle Pat enjoyed a cigar and a book on the beach.

While the beach wasn't anything to get too excited about, the snorkelling was fantastic! We saw a sea turtle as soon as we stepped into the water. Every few meters we'd swim, we'd be greated by something new. Sometimes the water was deep, and sometimes the coral was just centimeters below us.

The fish must have known that they were no longer off the menu for me, because whenever I'd try to swim up to one, it would frantically swim away. I saw a few puffer fish (my absolute favourite...not to eat) but they were especially shy and would hide on the other side of coral from me. We swam all over the place, out deep, in close to the shore, and everywhere in between. The best spot was near this big breaker by shore where the water was particularly rough. There was lots of food being churned up by the waves, and therefore lots of snacking fishies.

We really only spent about an hour in the water, but it was enough time for us to have seen heaps of fish and have really enjoyed ourselves. By the end our masks were starting to bug us and we were both coming up to dump water out more and more frequently, so it was time to go. We returned our gear and headed back to the resort to pick up the parents.

We got to the resort right on time, but the parents were nowhere to be found. Pat and Maya decided to go wander around a bit, and I stayed with the van in case they suddenly emerged. Nope. Eventually we found them, talking away with the sales team. "Uh oh... They're buying something!" Sure enough, they'd signed up for a time share. Us kids weren't sold on the decision until we got shown one of the units and had the system explained to us. Instead of having a particular time share in one place, they have access to time shares all over the world. And, we can book them and pay cash at a discounted rate instead of using their points. Hello awesome! I plan to take full advantage of this the minute I'm no longer a starving student (and possibly sooner).

All the while, John was back at the condo, watching football and nursing his sliced up foot. When we got back to the condo I realized that at some point I had sustained a gash to the underside of my foot as well. It wasn't anywhere near as bad as John's, but it did mean that I would be joining him on the sidelines for that afternoon's trip to Mauna Kea Beach.

Mauna Kea Beach was beautiful, and seriously not rocky. It's located within a private resort, and there is only a small public parking lot, which means it's not overly crowded, but if the parking lot's full, your SOL. We came later in the afternoon when people were leaving. The water looked so great that I was regretting not just bringing my surf shoes. Fortunately, we came back here later and I was able to enjoy the water.

I'm not sure why exactly, but after the beach we decided to continue driving north to check out a little town whose name I have completely forgotten. It was in the hills, so everything was this incredibly lush green. And they had an organic grocery store, where I picked up some Aloha baked tofu (which was not as good as I'd hoped) and vegan ginger cookies (which were amazing). Pat proved for not the last time this trip that he'll eat anything, paying over $5 for a bag of sea vegetable chips.

When we finally returned home, we decided to give the parents a break and cook dinner. John headed to the BBQ with our Costco bag of Mahi Mahi and a pineapple. Maya and I made some vegetables and rice, and Pat took off to have a shower, returning just in time to set the table. It was a delicious meal and we hardly had any leftovers at the end of it. After dinner we hit up the Queen's shopping complex where I picked up a hat and a rash vest, thereby saving myself from getting a sunburn during subsequent ocean activites, which was another goal I had for this trip.

Next time, the Luau!

Welcome To The Big Island

I had three goals on this vacation: 1) Not to put on any weight, 2) Not to over spend, and 3) To have a really great time. I certainly managed to have a much better time than I had ever hoped for! And I didn't over spend either. In fact, I didn't spend much at all, nor did I buy anything that I really don't need. I started off really well with the not putting on weight goal. On our second day I again went to the pool and swam laps before we headed out to Kona. But that was the last of me hitting the pool for exercise purposes. Our trip was quite physical, so I figured I'd be fine. But... at some point I declared ice cream as a calorie neutral food and allowed myself full indulgence.

I shouldn't be surprised. Ice cream is possibly the thing I miss most about North America. So I put on a bit of weight. For the record, I have no regrets.

On our second day, we headed in to Kona to do a bit of exploring and to also figure out what sort of activities we would like to do on this trip (basically, all of them). Enter Jill. Jill informed us of all the best tour companies to go with (I don't know if they are the best, but they were all very, very good) and how we could get a discount on all of them if we had a Diamond Card. How does one get a Diamond Card? One goes on a tour of a resort and listens to a sales pitch. After much hemming and hawing and showing of the discounted prices, the parents agreed to go on a tour the following morning.

As all this logistical stuff was taking a lot of time and no final decisions were going to be made on activities, it was quite boring and soon the four of us started wandering off through the little shopping village we found ourselves in. I emerged with a rather awesome t-shirt and new sunnies, miracle sunnies, but I'll get to that later. And we discovered some strange fruit. Strange fruit that bounced when the boys threw it on the ground trying to crack it open.

Once the parents had finally finished making their arrangements with Jill, we gathered the troops and headed out for lunch. This was my first time ordering fish at a restaurant (if we don't count Korea, which we won't). I had spearfish, Cajun style. It was delicious! Tasted just like chicken. And yet, the thought of eating chicken still makes me gag.

After lunch it was time to gather up supplies. I was worried that we'd be eating out at restaurants all the time on this trip, but our condo had a fully functioning kitchen, so we only ate out when we actually were out. Feeding a family of six takes a lot of food, especially when that family includes a 16 year old football player! A trip to Costco was in order. Actually, multiple trips to Costco were in order.

Once we had unloaded our groceries back at the condo, we decided to head out to the beach nearest our hotel.

Later in the trip my Dad would claim that this beach was a black sand beach, so there wasn't really any need for us kids to pester him into driving to some unknown destination with sketchy directions from a local to see a black sand beach. Everyone's glad he didn't win that argument.

The Big Island has all sorts of different kinds of beaches, but they tend to be pretty rocky. This makes them good for spotting ocean life, and not so good for bare feet. Of course, we found this out the hard way. Now, no one can claim that my baby brother John is not committed. This is a man who follows through! Off he went into the water, excited for his first ocean swim. Being under the impression that he was clear of rocks, he started to kick, and... smashed his foot right into a jagged rock.

And that was the end of John's ocean adventure, for a few days anyways. As he was gushing blood, Dad had to take him back to the condo, and then get some supplies to bandage and clean his foot, leaving the rest of us to enjoy the water as the sun set and the moon rose. This beach was cool though, because it was a favourite of sea turtles. They were mostly basking on the far edge of the beach, but every now and then you'd see one swimming in the water on the main edge. In fact, while Maya, Pat and I were goofing off in the ocean, one swam right through us!

Eventually Dad came back for us (the beach being a good 5 minute drive from the condo) and we returned to a sulky John who was positioned in front of the TV, watching college football (for the rest of the trip). The parents had an early morning tour of that resort the next day. John opted to stay home on account of his foot, but Pat, Maya and I decided to get up early and drop the parents at the resort so we could check out a nearby beach that was meant to be great for snorkelling. More on that next time!

New Year, New Energy

Happy New Year everyone! I'm sure I'm not the only one glad to see the back of 2010. I feel like my life force really got depleated last year, though the draining started earlier. But now, after an amazing vacation in Hawaii, I am feeling rested, recharged, and ready to take on whatever 2011 throws my way.

This trip was, by far, the best vacation I have ever had! We were all a bit anxious about how the trip would go; 10 days on an island with the family, it could have been a disaster. But we're all old enough and independent enough that we didn't need to be in each other's hair. If someone didn't feel like coming along to an activity, they didn't have to. The condo was big enough that if any of us needed some space, we could get it. But by the end of the trip, us four kids were all cuddled up in the parents bed together just happy to be spending time together.

The end of the trip came too soon - none of us were sick of each other yet. Because my flight back to Australia left early in the morning from Honolulu, I had to fly out of Kona the night before everyone else. It was really sad to have to say goodbye to everyone, not knowing when we'll see each other again. I haven't been particularly motivated to come back to Canada, but given how much I enjoyed spending time with my family (or this one branch of my family), I don't want to leave too big of a gap before spending time with them again. I've got the most incredible siblings ever, and seeing everyone growing up and becoming their own unique person is just the greatest thing.

I'll post some more detailed updates about all the different things we did - and holy crap did we ever do a lot! - but for now, let me start at the beginning.

I left Melbourne Boxing Day morning and flew to Sydney, where I had enough time to head into the city and see Sydney Harbour. So now I can say that I've kind of been to Sydney. I didn't really have enough time to do a lot, so after climbing up to the Opera House I wandered off in the opposite direction of where I meant to go, eventually turned myself around, and had lunch at the Contemporary Art Museum.

Then it was back to the airport, back on the plane, and 10 hours to Honolulu. When I arrived in Honolulu early Boxing Day morning, it was pouring down rain and my heart sank. I had a few hours until my next flight, which I used to nap. When I woke up, the sun had come out, though it still didn't look very promising. I grabbed a coffee and some pineapple slices at Starbucks (it being the only coffee vendor available) and headed on to Kona.

I was seated at the very back of the plane, with no hope of looking out a window, so I had no idea what I was flying in to. So it was a pretty big surprise when I got off the plane and it was hot and sunny and clear! Turns out the storms that were hitting the other islands weren't reaching the Big Island. I got in to Kona 8 minutes after leaving Melbourne, and several hours before the rest of the gang arrived. (Melbourne is 21 hours ahead of Hawaii, or, in more practical terms, Hawaii is 3 hours ahead but a day behind.) I took a taxi from the airport to the Waikaloa Colony Villas, got myself checked in and semi-settled, and headed to the pool, convinently located directly behind our condo. After a nice big swim and a warm shower, I curled up on the couch to have a nap. And as soon as I dozed off, the rest of the crew arrived.

There was much hugging and luggage and logistical coordination. Maya and I opted to share a bed so the boys could each have their own. The only down side to this was that she had a cold...and after 9 nights of being coughed on, I have a cold. In all fairness, the boys both had colds too, and Maya smells a lot better than they do so I'm happy to take the cold. After everyone got settled they headed out to the pool, while I scrounged for food, having only eatten pretzels and pineapples all day. In the evening we headed over to a nearby shopping centre for pizza.

As I missed Christmas, that evening I had presents to open. By far the best of the presents was from my Dad, who, being an avid reader of my blog and a fan of practical jokes, gave me mismatched socks. One had hearts, one had bees. He swears this pattern combination was not an intentional extra dig at my phobia of bees. Pat brought out this rather amusing game I bought 10 years ago called Zobmondo, which involves choosing between bizarre scenarios. For the rest of the trip pretty much any down time we spent in the lounge room was spent playing Zobmondo.

Everyone was pretty exhausted from a long day of travelling, and that first night I slept like a log! The next day we planned to take it easy: do some exploring in Kona, then relax on the beach nearest our condo. Little did we know how XTREME 2 DA MAX our trip was about to become! More on that later.

Transformations

The most exciting thing about the end of a year, for me anyways, is all the potential a new year holds. You never know where life is going to take you, and that is both exhilarating and terrifying. I mean, take a look at me last Christmas.

That girl has no idea how much she's about to change! 2010 hasn't been the most fantabulous year of my life, but as it draws to a close I find myself looking at all the positives this year has had. There's been a lot of healing and building up strength, emotionally, mentally and physically. I've got a cute little apartment with a great flatmate in an awesome part of the city. I've discovered how truly incredible my friends here are. And I'm becoming more and more secure in myself.

But aside from that, this year I've also undergone a pretty amazing physical transformation. Since I started keeping track in March, I've lost 13kg. It hasn't been through any sort of gimmick diet or any of that bullshit. It's all been from regular exercise and eating sensibly. I've discovered a love of physical activity that I never would have imagined I had. Whatever the struggles and set backs of 2010, the transformation I've undergone this year shows that I won.

I still have a ways to go. I am currently 14kg away from my goal weight, which is no small feat. This time last year it wouldn't have even seemed possible, but now I know this is a goal that is well within my ability to reach. Whatever 2011 has in store for me - and I know it's going to be a tough year - I am going to kick some ass!

Nature vs Maybelline

We all know the slogan: Maybe she's born with it, maybe it's Maybelline. It's the battle cry that plagues the lifes of women the world over: you are not perfect as you are, but you could be perfect if you just purchased the right combination of products. Only, as we soon find out if we go down that path, the more you buy into this idea of obtaining perfection, the harder perfection is to obtain.

I recently heard a quote that really ressonated with me: Don't sacrifice the good for the sake of the perfect. It's the kind of quote I'm tempted to get tattooed to my forehead because it's just such a simple reminder that we can lose something quite good by chasing after the illusiveness of perfection. I think it is especially important to remind ourselves of this with Christmas looming around the corner.

While this idea of trying to achieve perfection can be applied to any aspect of life, I'd like to look at how it applies to appearance, and particularly, make-up.

Joni's Top Ten Style Tips #7: A Little Make-Up Goes A Long Way

I think it's pretty common for girls and women to go through phases of piling on the make-up. Certainly the way the media presents celebrities it's easy to think that the only way to look good is to pile it on. Ladies, we have been lied to. Sure, there are times when piling on heaps of make-up is the sensible thing to do. Like when we're performing on a stage, or just want to present a dramatic side of ourselves. But I highly doubt this is when any woman looks her absolute best.

The thing is, most women look best with just a touch of make-up. Because this is the thing about make-up: it is meant to accentuate what we've already got. When we wear just a little bit of make-up to accentuate our best feature, then it really allows our natural beauty to shine through. When we wear a lot of make-up, even if it is accentuating our best feature(s), in hides the natural beauty and instead shows a mask. Also, putting on a lot of make-up tends to make one look, well, like everyone else. Because you stop seeing the person underneith the make-up. Take, for example:

Undoubtedly, I do look good. I have foundation, eye liner, mascara, lipstick, and possibly some blush on in this picture. I was going out for dinner at a fancy restaurant and wanted to get dressed up for the occassion (I was arguably over dressed, but better over than under). But when I look at this picture, I don't see me, I see my make-up. And while I like my make-up in this picture, I also think it hides me away. Whereas:

I am actually only wearing mascara in this picture. It draws attention to my eyes, but not so much that you lose sight of the rest of me. But by subtly drawing the attention to my eyes, it draws attention away from little blemishes. Finally:

Take away the mascara and all that's left is me. Sure, I'm not perfect, but I'm pretty darn good.

Moment of Silence

2010 has not been the greatest year for me, so it's not really a big surprise that as the year draws to a close, the string by which my life has been hanging suddenly reduced itself to a thread. I've been feeling like I'm falling off the edge of a massive cliff, and naturally enough, I've been fighting that feeling. But all the fighting hasn't stopped me from falling. In fact, all it's done is given me a few extra cuts and bruises as I've desperately tried to cling to the rocks on my way down.

But something shifted in me in the last couple of days, and I decided to just let myself fall. Scary though it was, I decided to let go and see what happens. And what's happened has taken me by surprise. Once I allowed myself to just go with what I was feeling and be open about my insecurities, the massive cliff didn't seem so massive anymore. In fact, it's been more like falling out of bed. Yeah, I'm a bit startled and sore, but I'm OK, oh, and hey, now that I'm down here, I've found my missing underwear!

I've been incredibly stressed out this year, and my health has suffered from it. As the summer weather finally started to make itself know in Melbourne, I found myself with a pulled neck muscle and the start of a cold that was leaving me weak, dizzy, and tired. I know I'm in shit when my stress and anxiety takes on physical form, so I was feeling extra done in for this week. That combined with a major freak out about my PhD left me looking to spend my weekend curled up under the blankets, away from the world.

But, a couple chiropractor adjustments later and my neck is feeling fine again. A talk with my supervisors about my PhD has lifted some of the anxiety, and their encouragement to give myself a bit of down time means the world, because it means I can just curl up on the couch and watch unhealthy amounts of Buffy and not feel guilty about not working on my PhD. And - OK this one is gross, I'm warning you now - I decided to actually look at what was going on in my throat that was causing me so much pain and discomfort. Well! It's no wonder I've been feeling miserable! My tonsils are basically rotting.

Strange as this may sound, realizing that's what's happening really changed everything for me. Because my tonsils are horrible! They get infected all the freggin' time. For some reason, they haven't gotten infected in my time in Australia, so that's probably why I wasn't immediately aware of what was happening. It's an easy fix: I've got a doctor's appointment on Tuesday, he'll look in my mouth and say "Hmm, well it's probably an infection. We'll take a swab to be sure, but I'll send you away with a prescription for penicillin and you can start on it now." If I was in Canada I would refuse to leave his office until we had a serious discussion about removing my tonsils, but as my health insurance stands now, I would have to pay out of pocket for the surgery and then be partially reimbursed. So I think I'll wait on having that conversation until I have a medicare card. In the meantime, I'll keep myself on a steady stream of Neurofen for the pain and inflammation.

Because I've had rather a lot of illness this year, I was quite worried about there being something serious wrong with me. Now that I know it's just my 32nd tonsil infection, I suspect all the other health problems were just to do with being extra run down this year. As I've said, it's been a rough year! So now I am feeling quite justified in putting my feet up, watching an unhealthy amount of Buffy, eating some ice cream, drinking some ginger ale, reading books that have nothing to do with my PhD, and sleeping for as many hours as I damn well want. I am not going to yoga and I am not going swimming until this infection starts to clear up (which should be pretty quick once I get on the penicillin).

I walked down to the grocery store earlier this afternoon, and for the first time in quite some time I felt like myself. I had Jay-Z pumping in my headphones, telling the world that he don't give a fuck about their rules, and I just thought, "Since when am I life's bitch?! Since when do I let things being hard stop me? Since when do I let anyone else determine what is best for me?"

Fuck you 2010, I'm taking my life back.

This is death of auto tune, moment of silence.