When in Hawaii, do as...

Remember how I posted an entry about how I couldn't find cool things to do in Hawaii before I left for Hawaii? I found one worthy blog by a local that talks about these wonderful places on the island. Check him out here, Exploration Hawaii. If you love nature and exploring as much as I do, you will love his blog. Definitely a gem find. He doesn't just tell you or show you pictures of these amazing places, he goes into details of how to get there and how illegal these hikes are (lol). I wish I had enough time to do everything on there. Heck, if I was a local, my weekends would be dedicating to exploring the beautiful islands. The next time I'm in Hawaii, I refused to waste a second NOT going to these places.

Alright, so here are some of what I did in Hawaii...

Sea Life Park
The number one thing I wanted to do in Hawaii was to "dance with dolphins." Also known as interaction in the water with dolphins. That was fulfilled by my second day in Hawaii. It was more than magical and everything I could ever imagine. Ever wonder what dolphins feel like? Like leather. Hard and rubbery. Oh my, they were so smart! One of my favorite movies in the entire world is 50 First Dates, and I have seen it over 50 times. Come to find out, one of the dolphins I "danced" with, Mikioi, was a star in the movie. How cool is that?! Besides dancing with the dolphins, I got to explore the park. It wasn't much. There were some sea turtles, penguins, sharks, birds, a whale, and sea lions. You can go around the whole place in probably less than 45 minutes. It's pretty small. The place overlooks the beautiful blue ocean and that's definitely a sight to see.

Shrimp Trucks

I heard that it is a must to try the shrimp trucks on the island. I didn't know there were so many!!! I only had time to try 2 shrimp trucks. The first was called Ono Steaks & Shrimp Wagon, located in Waimanalo just down the road from Sea Life Park. I got a garlic shrimp plate and 1 shredded beef taco. The garlic shrimp plate was my favorite! It was perfectly seasoned, and not overwhelmed with garlic. My taco was filled with lettuce, mango salsa, and the meat, it was heaven on earth! The second shrimp truck that I tried was in Hahuku called Giovanni's Shrimp Truck. They have another location in Haleiwa. I don't eat spicy food, but my friend got their spicy shrimp plate and said it was extremely hot! But, good. I played it safe and got a shrimp scampi plate (it's just a garlic shrimp plate). It was $13, a little more pricier than Ono Steaks & Shrimp Wagon ($7 and some change). I thought Giovanni's shrimp plate was alright. It was as flavorful as the Ono's shrimp plate. I think what really made a difference is that at Ono's, the white rice was drizzled in the same garlic sauce that the shrimp had. So it was very flavorful. Giovanni's Shrimp Truck is a well known place. It was way more packed than Ono's. Try them both out! 

 Matsumoto
I don't think I need to write a description for this place at all. It is known worldwide. Shaved ice. It's definitely a tourist place. Must go if you're in the area... just because. I thought their shaved ice just tastes like any other shaved ice. Don't get me wrong, I'm in no way dissing this place. It's one of the originals and very hyped up, there's nothing different about their ice or flavors. But it was cool to just be there.. haha.

Swap Meet at the Stadium

If you want to buy gifts for friends and family back at home, this is the place to go. You can find really neat things starting from just one dollar. You can buy a cool HI t-shirt for just $4 here along with other HI souvenirs. 

Diamond Head State Monument 

Major tourist spot. A short hike to the top where you can see a 180 degrees view of the island. Pretty nice up top, but very populated with people... yuck. There's a tunnel you can go through. Warning, it's dark and has huge bugs! There are stairs you're going to have to climb up. Parking is $5 and very limited. I got there around 8 o'clock and the lot was full, but I waited in line and eventually there was a spot open up within minutes. Not too bad. Go here if you have an hour to kill. Other than that, you can get more by doing a 3 mile hike in the neck of the woods somewhere on the island. 

Liliha Bakery 

If you're looking for a sweet treat at the godly hour of the night, go here. They have all types of desserts ranging from cheescakes to donuts. They also have food food here, but I only got an oreo mint chocolate chip cupcake here. I went at midnight and they had a lot of options!

Tantalus Dr. 

This place is a must go. I got a chance to see it in the day and at night. Doesn't matter what time of the day you go, you will not be disappointed. During the day, make sure to drop by the Puu Ualakaa State Park up the road, go to the viewpoint (there'll be signs guiding you to it) there and absorb all of Oahu's beauty! I was speechless. At night, along the road, there's a lookout viewpoint, you can see half of Oahu lit up in perfection. 

Manoa Falls

If you have better places to see, don't go here. Probably one of the most disappointed things I did in Hawaii. It wasn't much of a hike and when I went, it was very slippery and muddy. The waterfall was the saddest thing I have ever seen. Normally, I would spend at least 30 minutes at the end to soak it all in but as soon as I reached the waterfall, I just wanted to get out of there. I do like the fact that it was in a tropical forest. I think if the hike was longer, more challenging, and less muddy, I'd enjoy it. 

 The Spitting Caves
 I was this close to leave Hawaii without knowing what the heck The Spitting Caves was. It's exactly what the name is. A bunch of water rushes into a cave and then it spits it back out. Voila. This place was a gem! Very hard to find, we had to drive by it twice very slowly in order to find it. You can Yelp it and it will guide you to it, but you'll be so confused as it is in a neighborhood with very nice houses. Plus, the people on Yelp won't tell you how to get there because they want to reserve its beauty, and after seeing it, I now understand why, and they have done a great job doing so. The path that leads you to it is located between two houses, you will see a construction crew working on a house right next to it. You must look closely for it or else you won't find it. Once you walk through the beaten path, it'll open up to an amazing view of  the ocean. Walk to your left and there's a rusty ladder that'll lead you to the whirlpool underneath. This was my favorite place out of all the places I've been to on the island.

The Beaches
Best thing about Hawaii beaches... no parking fee and you can find a beach anywhere! I was at the beach almost every single day. The water was so warm and... "blue". There were a few beaches where it was crazy packed... there were some that were so secluded, and that takes some time driving down the road and through the neighborhoods to discover.

• Lani Kai

• Waimea

• Kailua

• All other beaches that we stumbled upon but do not know the name of

I'm so glad I had a chance to soak it all up. Oahu was beautiful and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to explore such an incredible place. Until next time... aloha.

xoxo

I can taste the smell of summer

I must say this summer has been everything I wanted and more! Ever since college started, every summer has been dedicated to school. However, after this brutal spring semester, I needed a break. I didn't sign up for any summer classes and decided to do all things that I love. I love to travel, I have been doing that. I love nature and the puristic earth, I have been spending all of my time off in the forests, woods, mountains, lake and ocean. I love being by myself, I have been doing that. I love being with people, I have been doing that. I love exploring new territories, I have been exploring my brain out! I've tried so many new things so far this summer and yet we're still only half way in. I can only imagine how great the rest of July and August will be.


Xoxo

What a beaut!

Hawaii

What I have realized when I try to search for "things to do in (insert place here)" is that nothing cool ever comes up. It could be that I am really bad at typing in keywords in the search bar, or it could be that people never wants to let the world know all the cool spots they've discovered! As I am preparing for my Hawaii trip for the upcoming weeks, I want to do some research for cool things to do in Hawaii. I mean, yeah it's Hawaii, everything should be cool to a foreigner like me! But, I want more than just a hike to a waterfall. I want more than just a luau. I want more than just the beautiful island that I can see through Google image search. I want to dig deep in the roots and discover the local spots. Something wicked that will leave my mind in shocked for days.   Yet here I am searching and searching, and there's nothing. There has to be something right? Maybe like a tunnel in the middle of a mountain that leads down to a cave where I can dig my toes into the sand and walk just a few steps until I can reach the pure blue water (yet I'm picturing a sea green ocean) where I am secluded with no one else in sight. Something.

Okay, maybe I am being a little ridiculous, but what I'm trying to say is that it shouldn't be that hard to search for some cool exotic locations. Where are my locals at? Where are my traveling bloggers at? Help! Nonetheless, I am very excited as this will be my first time in Hawaii. I'm going to see my cousin Sang, who lives in Kaneohe. I haven't seen her in a little over a year, so this should be a good reunion! Alright, well, hopefully I will be able to dig up something cool, until then, adios.

xoxo
Ly

Summer is here

I feel like every blog post I ever posted on here always start with something along the line of "well, it's been a while..." that's because I always abandon my blog every few months. Between school, work, sorority, and life, there's never enough time for me to sit down and write my heart out. I wish. I always crave writing. I love to write. If only there were three more hours in our 24hr day, I would write everyday.

I've been on Summer break for about three weeks now. Spring semester was so exhausting, how I managed to not fail a single class? I don't know. But it's weird to think that I'm actually a 4th year in college now. People were right, college is gonna fly by, and it's been zooming by, I can't even grasp it. I decided not to take any classes this summer and just breathe for a little. All I want to do this summer is to go places. Travel, anywhere and everywhere. The first three weeks were pretty great. I went home, road-tripped to Oregon, went to Laughlin, and this weekend, Las Vegas. However, I wish I could do this everyday, but unfortunately I have work Mon-Fri. I mean, don't get me wrong, I am very thankful to have a job. Since it is the #1 source to fund my traveling shenanigans (they just gave me 40hrs a week for July & August, stoked on the Monday, nervous about 8-5 shifts). But I just wish I could sleep in for once. You're probably thinking that I have Saturday & Sunday to sleep in... so what am I complaining about? Well, I could sleep in, but I try to make a good use of my summer and actually do things on the weekend. So far, sleep plays no role in my summer. Am I tired? Way. Am I having fun? Super. Fun > sleep. I mean, I take naps. Lol. Everyday after work, if I'm not at the gym, I try to get at least an hour nap in. Most of the time, my naps are like 3 hours long. The other day, I was so exhausted after a day hike, I came home to nap. I was planning on waking up after an hour, but I slept all the way up until 8 o'clock the next morning. Holy cow. Anyway, what I am trying to say is that I wish I don't have plans for once. I just want to wake up one Saturday and have absolutely nothing to do. I would do everything I ever wanted to do, such as:

• Reorganize my room
• Write in my journal
• Paint
• Sort out my clothes
• Get rid of my clothes
• Reorganize my shoes
• Lay out by the pool
• Sit on the couch
• Breathe
• Play tennis
• Practice my French
• Lay in bed and watch Netflix all day

Okay, these might sound really lame and common... but I miss doing these things so much. I miss doing the usuals. I miss doing the norms. It's funny because even though I don't have summer school, it feels like I still do with all the time I spend at work. But it's cool because I am making BANK$. 

Well, summer's good so far. I'm going to Hawaii in a few weeks. Fuck yeah.

xoxo

Man up girls

The truth is, I have never been in a serious relationship, ever. My longest relationship was back in the 7th grade and that lasted for about four months. What did me and my boyfriend at the time did in those four months? Absolutely nothing. We went to the movies once. I didn't even want to go. He forced me to go. I mean, he didn't hold a gun to my head or anything, but he lied and said that his sister had already paid for our tickets, so I felt bad and went. It was matinée. No we didn't make out at the movies. We sat there and watched the movie. I don't even remember what we saw. I'm not even sure if we held hands. The other time that we hung out was at his cousin's house (my best friend at the time dated his cousin...how convenient). We definitely madeout. So out of the period of four months, we hung out twice outside of school and talked on the phone a lot. He was a grade older so we didn't have the same classes. I don't even think we had the same recess. After four months of intense dating (lol), he dumped me. I remember crying a lot. I didn't know what I was crying for, I mean yeah I just got dumped... but it was more like the crying was expected. I cried because that's what I was supposed to do, or so I thought. I was in a couple more "relationships" after that, but those lasted for about a week. Haha.

As you can see, I am no relationship expert. But don't take me for a fool. When it comes to relationships, I am a lot wiser than you think. I believe in tough love. For many years, I have provided my friends with some great relationship advice. They may sound mean most of the time but you can't really understand how bad something is until you can feel, hear, and experience the worst of it. Sometimes, I feel like they should pay for these valuable advices, haha jk. By observing, learning, processing, and absorbing, I learned how to be wise with relationships. From my friends' relationships to movies' relationships to my own non-relationship-but-semi-dated experiences, I feel like I have seen it all. 

I don't think anybody should settle for less. Especially for girls, you're only cheating yourself. If you know what you want, go for it. You shouldn't think about his feelings and what his make-or-break answer will be, just do it. Why would you want to make yourself suffer and question your existence in the love department? If you don't know what you want, figure it out! Go with the happy-radar. If he makes you happy, great! If he doesn't, I'm sure you know what to do. Don't be afraid, take chances. We're all in our 20s, we still have years ahead of us to find prince charming. Why should you think about losing him or missing out on him? Think for yourself and think about yourself, put yourself first, ALWAYS. Living in fear will only cause you pain and make you miss out on all of the greatness this world has to offer. 

So why am still single? Because I don't seek for a relationship. Nor do I really crave one. I'm content where I'm at. Even though at times I try convince myself to believe that I need a man to hold me. When I start to think about that, I stop thinking about it and start realizing how awesome my life is, and that's what makes me happy. I'm not saying I am against being in a relationships, it just hasn't happened yet. I would like for fate to take its course. Once fate decides that it's time for me to meet a great man, then I will take charge and seek for my happiness with that man. Until then, I'm living it to the fullest (cheesy? I know).

xoxo

I can go on and on and on and on and on about my relationship believes, but then all of my secrets will be out. Then the dating scene will just be lame, dull, and a bore. 

Controlling the Urge

One of the most important steps in reaching Nirvana is putting a halt on our cravings. They say craving is the source of suffering and that if we cease the craving, we can end our suffering. I am not a Buddhist nor am I religious at all. Actually I am religious, but in my own way, by taking certain aspects from different religions plus my own life experiences. I have found that the most beautiful thing about Buddhism though is the art of reaching Nirvana. It's such a beautiful word isn't it? Lately, I would find myself thinking about Nirvana. Especially when I have my bad days, it soothes me back to normal grounds. So in order to reach Nirvana, this peace, this so-called freedom from suffering, we must control our urges, our cravings. A lot of the time the things that we crave for isn't always healthy for us. The majority of the time, we crave for something we cannot have. And the things that we don't have are the things that weren't meant for us. This is my own interpretation of what Nirvana and controlling the urge means, I could be far off from the truth but the meanings that I have so far for myself seems to work just fine. By controlling my cravings, things just fall into place. Sometimes I would sit back and think damn, how is my life so almost close to perfect? Nirvana.

xoxo