Lighting Up Time Square

This past October I was in New York for the PDN Expo and made my to Time Square. It was my first time there. As you can see I was super geeked! I love everything about the city:the people, the rush, the food, the lights, you name it. While there I had the chance to meet up with the CEO of Chictopia, Helen Zhu. Fighting a cold from her flight from California, she was a trooper and still had the interview. Her interview will appear in a special issue of SHEIcoming out soon. So be on the look out!

School and work is consuming my life, I will try to update more! For all you lovely ladies who are photographers, make sure you follow me on twitter@ohmissmai for a special giveaway coming soon!

www.sheimagazine.com

In the city

City lights

                                                                 Meeting with Helen of Chictopia

                                                                                                   Being a tourist

I am BACK! Bring you: IMU presents Global Warming: A Change in the Weather Fashion Show

This past Friday was IMY’s fashion show on the Michigan diag. Arriving a little after eight the DJ was already spinning tracks for the ninety or so people already there sipping on Vitamin Water and browsing through Ambassador magazine, some of the few goodies early guests received. The show didn’t start till nine, but before I could get my camera set up, the seats were filled up and the diag full of Michigan students ready for the show to begin. The students already there seemed so eager to get a seat in the front, that I had several who told me I could not sit in a seat because someone was already sitting there. Nonetheless, I was able to find my way to the front with the help of a couple of individuals.

The show was in honor of IMY’s one year anniversary of their t-shirt line. Created by former Michigan basketball player, David Merrit. The mission of IMY is to “to make people happy. We will achieve this mission by providing a unique channel for people to feel good about themselves, reach out to their favorite people, and give back to the community. By offering high quality t-shirts and design, incomparable customer service and a special online community, we will create memorable experiences that lead to everlasting relationships with our customers.”

Once the show began, I realized it was not your average fashion show where models walk elegantly down the catwalk to stop and pose for a couple of seconds. But instead, the models danced and fiercely (sometimes too fierce) acted out skits as to what the shirt they where wearing stood for. On top of that, on two panels, one on each side of the catwalk, projected behind the scene videos of the IMY crew as well as Bill Cosby excerpts.  While models were busy changing for the next line up of t-shirts, up and coming artist, Brandon Hines wooed Michigan girls with various acapella solos that literally left some drooling.

For more pictures, please visit www.sheimagazine.com and for more information on the line, visit www.imutheinsideout.com.

summer fashion coming soon....

as the title says...

No 4AM Sunrise, But A Slippery Hike up Manoa and Talks Stories at Bishop

Our early morning hike up Diamond Head was postponed for a later date so that everyone can rest up after a long and busy first week here in Oahu. The hike up to see Manoa Falls in Waikiki was still on and so was the tour of the Bishop Museum.

The hike was filled with beautiful scenery and of course a load of flocking tourists. The trail was wet, slippery, and full of rocks of assorted sizes. The end product was a beautiful view of Manoa Falls.

Baba Yim

Early Saturday morning, we all pack into the car for a trip to the Anuenue School in Honolulu. The Anuenue School is a cultural immersion school where the students there learn about the Hawaiian culture by talking in Hawaiian and participating in traditional arts and crafts, from basket weaving to hula.

Our host for the day was Baba Yim, a graduate of the University of Hawai'i with a degree in education, and also a stretcher in the art of traditional tatooing. We toured the school, which is location up along the mountains and we also got down and dirty, working to clean up the lo'i where the kalo plants grow. If you want a free mud mask for your feet, this is the place to go.

baba yim

the water that runs from the stream into the lo'i

mud mask for my feet

kalo planted on land

rushing waters

working in the lo'i

baba yim tells us the stories of kalo and what it means to the hawaiian people

For more information on Baba Yim and the art of traditional tattooing click here.

Kamehameha Day

This beautiful Friday marks the birthday of King Kamehameha II, which means NO SCHOOL. Happy face.

Box Night= 4 Inche Roaches and Centipede Bullet Wounds

Today was the day in which we were all going to have the chance to do a meet and greet with our bloggers at Kapolei Middle School in Kapolei, Hawai'i. We had a previous visit to the school on Monday, where we a couple of us were on a panel judging the presentation that students did on issues that affect the Pacific Islands. I met one of my bloggers there, her name was Jadyn. But to my dismay when Thursday afternoon came around, none of my bloggers where there. In fact many of our bloggers where not there, but we did get to meet with a great group of students and talk story with them.

my group! group 4; frank, kellen, sidnee, josh, and ashli

one of the student who came to the meet and greet

josh

The evening came and we headed to Target to help the 8th graders at Kapolei pick up supplies for the homeless for what is known as Box Night ( not the same group of students from the meet and greet, but another group).

Box Night is a night when students, for one night sleep outside and see what it is like to be homeless. In addition, each student was too take on a homeless persona till the end of the night. Many took on the roles of drug addicts and runaways. The students collected $571 worth of money during their penny war and just that to buy supplies for a homeless shelter near the school. The things included toothpaste, diapers, shampoo, and soap. We bought pizza and other snacks to hide around the courtyard for the students to find. We even shredded pizza and threw them into trash bags. Some had tents to sleep in and other slept outside. For those who slept outside they had to worry about four inch roaches and huge centipedes, whose bite feels like a bullet wound from what I hear. A couple of centipedes made their presence only to die by the feet of some of our fellow university students. As for me, I have a fear of things crawling into my ears, so I decided to play it safe and sleep in a tent.

Many of the homeless here, line the beaches in tents and broken cars. The cost of living in Hawai'i is extremely high. Gas here in 35% more than on the mainland and milk in double that, at an astounding price of $6.99 a gallon. Hawai'i is the most isolated archipalogo in the world and about 90% of everything here is imported from other countries.

the boys

acting out skits they made up

carly

frank is so pretty

group picture after box night

Into the Valley of Ka'ala Farms

Twelve o’clock is here and we all slowly make our way to our meeting place after summer school has let out for the day. After a nice lunch back at home, we head out to Ka’ala farm just down the road, to the left, and up and around the mountain. What was suppose to be a ten minute drive, turned into a nearly 25 minute trip after we made too many left turns and not enough right ones. The day at Ka’ala consisted of chopping down the invasive tress which has wrecked havoc all across the grounds and replanting native species, such as hao, kauila, and alahe'e.

hannah being studious

reinald and part of dan

fallen trees at ka'ala farms

working hard

watering mother earth

The Big Schatz

After the second day of school at Kamaile, we all buckled up for an hour drive into Honolulu to met with Brian Schatz, a candidate who is running in the upcoming election for Lt. governor of Hawai’i. We talked to him about what brought him out to the Hawaiian Islands and also brought up to him the issues that plague the islands’ future; such as the homeless living on the beaches, landfills that are being filled to capacity, and the potential of Hawai’i legalizing gambling in order to help lessen the state’s nearly $1.5 billion deficit.

brian schatz

group picture

kathryn

ana

ashli and hannah

the girls listening to brian discussing the issues that plague the hawaiian islands from the overfilled landfills to the potential idea of hawai'i legalizing gambling (only hawai'i and utah have not legalized gambling).

Check out Kathryn’s blog for more about this article.

For more information on who Brian Schatz is and his campaign, go to http://www.brianschatz.com/.

First Day of School

Monday marked the first day of summer school with the children of Kamaile Academy in Waianae. Filled with anticipation and nervousness we all packed into two cars and made the three minute drive down to the school in time to see the children in line with their parents for the morning’s breakfast which consisted of scrambled eggs, a ice cream scoop of rice, three Vienna sausages and a carton of fresh milk delivered that morning. One of the many reasons that the children come to the summer school session is because of the breakfast and lunch that the school provides. At least 300 children attend are attending this year’s summer school session, where the student to teacher ratio in 25:1. Luckily we are able to lend a hand in this year’s session along with the help of students at Waianae High School, which is located just across the street from Kamaile Academy.

We all soon parted and made our ways to random tables of filled with children ranging from kindergarten to ninth grade. I sat at table G 205, where I slowly began to talk to the children around me. Many of them where seven years old and there was also a lone five year old whose mother and father where there to see her off for her first day of kindergarten. After breakfast concluded I found that I was to report to room G 204, where I will be working with second graders in Mrs. Everret and Auntie Rikki’s class (in the Hawai’ian culture many of the student call there teachers auntie or uncle). There, I found out that there was also another student teacher who will be lending a hand. Her name is Sabrina and she just graduated from high school and will be attending a local community college for culinary arts.

A couple of minutes after being in the class I was asked to read the children a book as the teachers sorted out the schedule for the day. All the children were very welcoming and engaged as I read to them. At the end, I had them draw me a picture of where they want to go (I read Dr. Seuss’s Oh, the Places You’ll Go). After they drew their pictures, I had them come up to share where they wanted to go with the class. After everyone shared the teachers took the children for a bathroom break. As I placed all their drawings back on their tiny tables, I found that one student did not share his picture and instead hid it in his desk. When Auntie Rikki came back I brought it to her attention, only to find out that Kilisou barely spoke any English and that he was from Macaronesia and that many of the students attending the school were in the same situation as Kilisou.

The students were full of energy and up for anything. After a hectic lunch, recess came and the children could not have waited any longer. They dropped their bags and headed for the jump ropes and hula-hoops. After recess, the children assembled back into the cafeterias for final words and goodbyes for the day as their parents picked them up.

the children are always in lines

my students; chea-anne, alexis, and serena

krisanna,serena,and alohalani

playing on the court

jadaiya, cross, neomi, and justice

Sunday morning blessing and a hike to Ka'ena

Sunday morning. Time 5 AM.

The early bird catches the worm as they say. We all woke up early this Sunday morning to make our way down to the bay for a blessing . The morning was chilly but beautiful. We were blessed by a kupuna. He told us ancient Hawaiian legends. We explored the bay and learned of the many problems that Waianae face with the land and the homelessness that seems to be plaguing the city more and more each passing day.

the bay where the blessing was given

view from the grounds after our blessing

the kupuna (elder)

kupuna blessing; giving an oil before entering the grounds

After the blessing we headed for a two dollar breakfast down the street before heading back to the house and getting ready for our five hours hike of Ka’ana point, which was just down the road from where we lived. I leave you with pictures, for no words can describe to you how breathtaking it was.

the jumping off point of spirits

break view

view off of ka'ena point

ka'ena point path

climbing the cliffs

the end view of ka'ena point

the sandy path we walk

the cliffs

one way of crossing to the other side; I love my life so I took the easy way, which was to go up and around. The family behind was brave enough to cross with a toddler and baby.

they made it! megan and frank