SCUBA in the pool

Ryan just bought his SCUBA gear since he got his certification in 2010!  It's been a long time so he jumped in my pool for a refresher dive! :)

Bad Farm

My internship at Reef Watch Waikiki ended two weeks ago, so I've been job hunting for the past three months. It's really discouraging because even with my BA, I can only find jobs that will pay me $7-10 an hour, even with all my experience. I applied to everything outside of retail and food/beverage. I finally got some interviews and only heard back from one, Farm-Roof. It's an organic lettuce farm in Waimanalo at $10/hour. So I accepted it and went to my first day of work.

As soon as I got there I hear the other four employees complaining about how much they hate their jobs and management. One was hired a week before me, one a month before me, one more than a month before me, and the last girl, it was her last day. The two owners "work" at the farm but all they do is walk around and talk story and deliver pointless work. The lettuce isn't planted into the ground. Instead they have what they call modules, sausage-like bags filled with soil with holes cut out for the lettuce. They told us to cut little corners off the holes to make it look more aesthetically pleasing. It was pointless because it didn't affect the lettuce at all. On top of that, they don't give us any breaks except for lunch which was so short I couldn't even finish my lunch. And then I found out the bathroom is actually the bushes. Not even a porter-potty! Yeah I quit at the end of the work day....BUT their lettuce is really tasty, but also expensive. They only sell at the farmers market.

But there is good news! I finally got hired as a receptionist for Hawaiian Parasail. They are located in the building at Kewalo Basin harbor. It also pays $10/hour but at least it's not slave labor and they do have a bathroom! My first day of training was today, and boy is it busy! I know what it feels like to have five people calling you at once! My phone looks like a christmas tree! After my training, my hours would be 8-12 hours a day from Friday to Sunday. Only three days a week! I actually like that schedule :)

I've also had another interview with the Star of Honolulu (cruise ship) for a Naturalist position. If chosen, I would talk to tourists about whales while they go on the Humpback Whale cruise. Its a seasonal job that ends in April, so I'm hoping to get it and work during the week. So after three months of job searching, at least I've got something now!

Board Shaping

Steps 1&2, trace and cut!

Oh Nalu, you are too cute!

Beach Grinds

You guys have to check out the concession stand thats open now by Publics (Queen's Surf/Gay Beach)! The food is delicious and the prices are fair! They have lots of different food: steak, ahi, burgers, veggie burgers, breakfast all day, fries, SWEET POTATO FRIES, smoothies, and more!

Silly Nalu

I'm so thankful I have my little fat cat to keep me company at my place. It gets lonely sometimes but he always makes me feel happy!

Yummy Homemade Potato Chips

College Graduate out of work

Who will hire me, a college graduate? I've been job searching for months and it seems that my college degree was a waste of time. Did I get a college degree to get paid minimum wage at a mediocre job? No one will even hire me, so minimum wage is out of the question, it's zero. What do I need to do to get a job? I see now, why all the locals are moving off this island. Locals aren't wanted here. Especially if you graduated from UHM. It means nothing. At least that's the impression I'm getting. No wonder why there are so many "foreigners" on this island. They are the ones getting hired. They don't tell you this stuff in college. They don't prepare you for the "real" world. They rush you in and out and leave you to fend for yourself. Maybe with my college degree I can be a barista girl at Starbucks, or better yet I can work at Longs or Safeway! Yeah! That's exactly what I got a college degree for! I didn't get a college degree to actually EARN a living. Who needs college? Who needs school? Baristas and supermarket girls don't! Next time you think about going to college in Hawaii, DON'T! Cause it doesn't even matter what you study, you'll never get a job doing it. Especially here.

Endless summers make broken boards

But there is an end to summer. And now that it's over and the south is flat, what better thing to do than fix boards?

Do you believe in ghosts?

My friend sent me this picture that she took. This is her note, "ok so i went to fort pulaski is savannah and i took this picture when i was in the part of the fort that was used as a jail. When i took this pic i was with other people but i waited for them to move behind me so i could take a decent picture BUT you can clearly see that in the one door way there is someone standing there even though im positive no one was there when i took it. You have to zoom in on it to really see that it kinda looks like a soldier, at least to me it does." it looks real to me!

PSH Grand Opening

Raffles, free food, and prizes!

Delicious Salty Gold

This is what three large sized orders of McDonalds French fries looks like! And no we didn't eat them all and yes we had three people to help eat them!

More Underwater Photos from Waikiki

Clearfin Lizardfish

Blackfin Chromis

Big Eye Emperors

Yellowtail Coris