accidental exercise

If you disguise fitness in the fun then it's, well, more fun! This is an inflatable structure at a Halloween block party. It was accidental exercise!

You put on a vest connected to the inflatable wall that has a bungee-type cord to recoil you back to the starting line. The goal is to SPRINT to put your marker farther than your competitors!

Who do you think won here?

fitness goal inspirations

Have you ever tried to take a phone picture of the elliptical screen right after you worked out? It takes some skill. It took a minute and twenty seconds to finally do it. The first attempt was in vain...I got the message PEDAL FASTER. With the next few tries, I almost fell off the machine trying to use two hands to work my iPhone camera. Yes, I felt a little silly. But here, I did it.

What did I do? Well first of all, I made to the gym. That is an accomplished feat in itself. Second, I triumphed over the boredom of the elliptical machine by watching sports highlights and Food Network and listening to my iPod. And third, I drained 379 calories.

What does that mean? Well I should be healthier, right? I mean less calories the better if I'm trying to lose weight. At least that's what I've read. I've also heard to not eat carbs after 3pm, cut out the sugar and flour in your diet, and drink lots of water. Will those tips help me on my quest to lose weight?

Who knows.

But what I do know is that I actually like going to the gym. It's a little ME time when the kids are not around to ask me if they can go to the library or show me little cute Lego ships that they built or show me cheerleading moves that they learned recently. It's just time for me.

More important than that is I have fitness goals. As farfetched as my fitness goals may be, it's what motivates me.

A friend told me today that she went from a size 16 to a size 8. Very awesome. I like inspirational things. I like inspirational quotes, books, movies, and songs.

Maybe my inspiration today should be to PEDAL FASTER.

ordinary miracle

Just another ordinary miracle today...

• Drove my daughter to preschool and was on time. 
• Paid her tuition on time.
• Told a young mom that her infant is cute.
• Went to Target to buy ONE thing...laundry detergent.
• Fought off the urge to buy something at Starbucks.
• Told a grandma that her infant is adorable. (No, we are not gonna have any more babies.)
• Made the checkout guy laugh with my one item purchase. He said, "Gonna do some laundry?" I said, "My goal was to walk in to buy one thing and walk out with only one thing." He said, "Oh! Good job. Stay out of trouble!" I said, "Not only will I stay out of trouble, but I'll be doing some laundry. What more can a husband want??" He laughed. I told him not to give me a plastic bag. "I forgot my reusable bag in the car so please, I don't need a bag." He gave me the receipt and let me walk out with my Tide.
• Outside Target, I signed 10 petitions. What were they? I don't know. They all sounded good. Asked the guy questions about himself. He answered them and said, "It's a beautiful day, isn't it?"
• Listened to a guy talk about his thoughts on global warming. He didn't think that we, as humans, could cause global warming.

I might not be able to talk intelligently about global warming. But I can be nice. And being on time is a miracle for me...but I smile at everyone. Sometimes I can get some nice smiles back. Sometimes.

hawaiian surfer girl story

“Howzit, brah!”

“Howzit!”

My husband overheard this exchange between two Hawaiian locals in a shopping center on our recent vacation. It was his first introduction to pidgin, the local lingo.

After experiencing pidgin, my haole (HOW-lay, meaning Caucasian, foreigner) husband has since tried many other pidgin-like phrases on me, most of them he made up himself. It’s quite funny to experience his variety of linguistic humor and/or imitation of different languages. Now, he texts me in pidgin even though it’s been at least two weeks since we’ve been back from our vacation.

This morning, he texts: “How’s it?”

Me: It’s spelled, “Howzit.”

Him: How u know?

Me: Looked it up on the internet. (Because everything you read on the internet is true, right?)

Back to our vacation…

Fresh off the plane in Honolulu on our way to the rented house in Kailua (which we shared with our family who arrived a few hours before us), we drove on the Likelike Highway, known as Route 63, pronounced LEE-keh-LEE-keh.

I practiced other street names on the way. I was trying to prepare myself so I wouldn’t look so haole. I was attempting, in vain, to boost my self-esteem by not displaying any blatant haole ignorance. Why? Because I’m Japanese. But I’m really a wannabe Hawaiian girl.

At the risk of digressing, I’ll share that I only remember a few pidgin phrases from my high school friends (yes, Todd, Craig, and Jodi). My favorite was “da kine” which can virtually mean anything. “The word you use when you don’t use the word,” is my favorite definition I found on the internet.

Back to our vacation…

“Humuhumunukunukuapuaa.” “King Kamehameha.” “Iolani Palace.” These words were the highlight of our conversation traveling one day from Kailua to the Ala Moana mall. It was our homeschool language arts lesson for the day, which included many other hard to pronounce street names.

A history lesson on King Kamehameha (kuh-MAY-uh-MAY-uh) and the Iolani Palace were the topics for Social Studies.

My haole (yes, Caucasian, white) husband and I taught homeschool math by explaining the time change on the flight over to Honolulu from the mainland.

The subject of science was the most memorable. The kids learned about two different types of sharks, let’s say, upfront and personal. The two older kids and haole husband paid good money for the thrill of stepping into freezing cold water in an 8’x8’ cage to view sharks. They saw Sandbar and Galapagos types.

We also toured Hanauma Bay’s historical museum before snorkeling. That’s where we learned that the unofficial Hawaiian state fish is the Humuhumunukunukuapuaa. (It's pronounced HOO-moo-HOO-moo-NOO-koo-NOO-koo-AH-poo-AH-ah; yes, it’s the name of the fish song in High School Musical.)

We satisfied the PE requirement through a few different activities. Sunlight and fresh breezes invited my son and me to run barefoot on the Kailua beach. The kids swam in the ocean. And the kids and haole husband surfed for the first time on Waikiki Beach. Yes, I was jealous. (Now vain and jealous.) Well, someone had to make sure the 2 and 4 year olds didn’t get swept out too far in the big ocean. But…I still got a nice tan.

And this is my wannabe Hawaiian surfer girl story.

But it wouldn’t be complete, however, without mentioning a few of the things I loved most. I loved sipping wine and hanging out with family on the lanai. I loved the North Shore coffee, cookies, and window shopping. I loved the long walks on the sandy beaches with my husband. I loved our shopping at the International Marketplace. I loved our family outing to the Outrigger to have appetizers with the tiki torches at Duke’s. And I loved the many memories that we captured and brought home to share.

But one very special trip was to get shave ice. It’s not everyday, when you live on the mainland, that you can experience it the way locals do. Cool and refreshing…. Make sure, however, that you don’t call it “shaved ice” or compare it to a snow cone, or you’ll be haole for sure.

*Since this is neither formal nor free of grammatical errors, I’ve omitted all okinas. That’s the backwards apostrophe that makes Hawaii into the more proper form, Hawai`i. 

grateful for my Japanese heritage

It is my desire to dive back into my Japanese heritage after long years of enjoying the melting pot of Southern California culture. My kids know only a few Japanese words related to food: gohan (cooked rice), sushi (you should know), and hashi (chopsticks). There are possibly a few more words but we don't exercise their tiny Japanese vocabulary often.

My husband and I and our four kids recently took a road trip to

Northern California to spend time with both of our families. We planned on going to the San Francisco Cherry Blossom Festival in San Francisco with my parents. To find parking, we had to brave the crowded and narrow streets to find a lot close enough with a walk to Japantown without having to take a breather. But since I managed to forget an important toddler necessity, we took a break at the local Safeway to buy diapers. And because I am married to the smartest guy on the planet, we enjoyed two warm lattes to help us battle the brisk city winds. Heavenly.

The sights and sounds of the festival brought back memories of my local cultural center's summer festivals that my sister and I participated in during our childhood. Back then, we danced in the traditional Japanese Obon, a custom to honor one's ancestors. I recall the dance practices, the kimono fittings, and how tight you had to tie the obi around your waist to carry all the noisemakers. My favorite things were the dainty Japanese fans and the sparkly silver and pink hair ornaments you were fortunate to wear if your mom remembered to bring them.

But here, in San Francisco, we followed the beating of the drums to the center stage to watch the talented Taiko performance. The ornate and artistic backdrop possessed certain beauty to the entire crowd of excited onlookers, from every walk of life. The style and flair of the exhibition was amazing, although the drums were a little too loud for our three year old. Yes, our adorable kids love the stage!

A few of us entered the Katana exhibition of the Japanese sword. Our eight and ten year old had many questions about the majestic swords. I was somewhat wary of them getting so close to exotic but deadly weapons, but it turned out to be a learning experience for them.

After splurging on some chicken and sushi, we ended our day with observing the karate demonstration. The best part of this entertainment were the kids that were up on stage enjoying the limelight. I thought our 8 year old son would plead to learn martial arts, but it was our 10 year old daughter that urged us to sign her up. 

Our trip to the Cherry Blossom Festival in San Francisco was a taste of Japanese culture that I had enjoyed growing up. Thank you mom and dad for raising me to be a American citizen, proud of our country. And thank you mom and dad for also giving me the opportunity to cherish the Japanese heritage to which I was born. Thank you mom and dad, I am grateful.

locks of love

There was only one time in my life that I had my hair cut shorter than shoulder length. In some strange way, I feel like I can be more mysterious behind my long hair. Naturally, I've loved my girls to have long hair, flowing, glistening, and shining in the Southern California sun. 

A short time ago we talked to our oldest daughter about trimming her long, soft tresses. I mentioned to her an article that I had seen about girls donating their hair to worthy causes. She liked the idea and over time decided to take the challenge.

I am proud of her! She had a few surprises along the way...she didn't like the initial haircut, but endured the awkward stages. I thought she was graceful the entire time. And she gave up something for the sake of others. Not easy for any 10 year old.

Months later, the short hair is only a brief memory. But it serves as a reminder of a small sacrifice. She complains when I try to fix her hair. "Mom, why do you make such a fuss about my hair? Can't I just do it like I want to??" Sigh. 

Go, beautiful daughter of mine...be free of mom's controlling hair issues...be free of mom wanting it to be perfect in every way! I'm just starting to understand that it's just right for her, without me getting in the way.

So here's a candid shot while we were on a field trip to the neighborhood dump. Isn't she confident? Radiant? Naturally beautiful? 

Up next...Do you know where your trash goes? Do you know where your recycled materials go? The trash site story is for another post, for another day. 

sweet jewelry

My daughter has loved jewelry since she was old enough to talk. She loves little bracelets and necklaces that match her uniqueness and beauty! We made this cute glass piece together, made from authentic japanese papers. It was our first one...I think it turned out wonderfully!

Also, since the beginning of last year, I've started a journey of love for the written word. What I mean is I've been interested in

writing and designing jewelry with words "written in my heart," that is words of affirmation, inspiration, and passion.  This one is personalized but I'm in the process of creating others with a heartfelt message. It is a sweet hand-stamped sterling silver disc with gorgeous crystals or semi-precious stones.

I'd love to also include creating jewelry with acai beads, a bead that is a by product of acai berries that are known to give wisdom, strength, and good health. They are eco-friendly and acai is saving the Amazonian rainforest from extinction.

Lots of ideas and so little time...