Hawaii Moments: Life Lessons on the Rock

One of the things on my bucket list for Hawaii was to go on a cool hike. This was definitely fulfilled......




















.....when we hiked to the top of this peak!! We hiked the first of three peaks, which I think takes 3 miles to get to the first peak (which is also the highest of the three). It was really intense and awesome. There were parts where we even had to rock climb (see below).

I learned some valuable life lessons during this hike: always have three points of contact, take it slow, and be sure to rest. I think these can all be applied to real life.

This is the VIEW we were blessed with when we got to the top. Totally worth all the hard work, and we don't look tired at all.

Ryan is just relaxing at the top, such a breeze.

Luckily this event was injury free. Unlike the kayak trip I will speak of in a future blog post. Have I mentioned yet that Ryan has had more near death experiences in Hawaii than anyone I can think of in the past 9 months?

Hawaii Moments: Sea Turtle Day

From Day 1 of the trip, Ryan kept raving about how often he saw sea turtles in Hawaii. I had always thought they were fragile, endangered species that could only be seen at wee hours of the morning but the way he kept talking about them, he made them sound like they were as easy to interact with as obnoxious birds! Well, every time we were near the beach there was not a sea turtle in sight. In my opinion too, it seemed like most of his stories started with "One time, I saw a sea turtle here....." I finally told him to shut up haha because I hadn't seen a single turtle my first three days there (not even at TURTLE bay)!

Finally by the third day he had declared it sea turtle day and no matter what we were going to find one. We finally found ONE while kayaking....it was marvelous, I think it was a lighter color than I expected. It was really awesome, it was just swimming along and it came up for air every 2 min or so. It looked really happy too. I really liked this sea turtle. :)

Stay tuned for the story about when we crashed said kayak....and the sunglasses I lost which are at the bottom of the ocean where we saw the sea turtle. I hope the sea turtle remembers me every time he sees those sunglasses.

Hawaii Moments: Gay Party Bus

My blogging has sucked until recently in part because I keep escaping to the beach. Yes, I also went to the island of Oahu, Hawaii in the past month. Yup, I'm a lucky girl with back to back awesome beach vacations.

The thing that made Hawaii possible was a gift of miles from my parents and having a generous friend who lives there. I went to go visit my friend Ryan who is usually my east coast/DC tour guide. This time my visit was in a much different setting!
















I was excited for the trip because I was going to be able to see Hawaii the way the locals do. For my first night out, we headed to China Town for First Friday, which is when a bunch of galleries open up to the public after hours and drinking is encouraged. Cabs to get downtown are normally around $25 each way, so it can get pricey. Ryan had found this awesome deal where we could get transportation by a bus and two free drinks: one drink at a karaoke bar by Waikiki which is where he lives and one drink at a bar downtown by the galleries. He did warn me that he had never done this before, so it would be a new experience for both of us. Well, we get to the karaoke bar meeting spot which is in an "alley." The bar is really tiny and the main thing I notice is that we are definitely the youngest people there by at least 1 or 2 decades. However, it seemed like a fun group, and I knew we were getting a great deal. It wasn't until we got onto our bus that I noticed the obvious that I should have: everyone else on the bus was gay! I didn't realize this until I noticed that the pairings on the bus were all male pairs. There were only two other women on the bus....but they were together. I am sure Ryan and I painstakingly stood out! Also, our bus included paparazzi free of charge. I can't tell you how many pictures this photographer took of us, but I think it might be safe to say about a dozen photos were taken....all of which will be published in a magazine there Odyssey Magazine. (note: you might not want to click on this link if your boss is around) HAHAHA. Um Ryan, I am not sure if you have googled this but....from the looks of this website I don't think our picture together is going to get in there. If it does, I will probably be cropped out LOL. Let's just say during our time with this group I definitely felt like the least popular person there!

We downed our second beer in a bar that ironically played Texas country music and ditched the bus group. I got to explore the heart of Hawaii's night life, where Honolulu's greatest go to have their own blogworthy nights. I saw a lot of interesting art, all pretty much inspired by the islands. One thing that surprised me about the bars there is that they weren't too far from the ones in Dallas or any other part of the U.S. When I was packing for the trip I was worried I wouldn't have enough "Hawaiian" dresses, but all of these people were dressed to the nines. Good thing I mostly own a "Dallas" wardrobe so I fit in.

Other memorable portions of the night were witnessing a Mullet party. These guys were so good that for a second I did wonder if any of the mullets were real. I still do not understand why there was a mullet party and where these guys were going with their mullets. Another interesting person I encountered was what I called the "entrepreneur pool player." This bold dude came out of no where alone and approached our group trying to get himself into a game of pool. He succeeded and then beat Ryan (sorry). I truly believe he was also a very insightful individual. Even though I didn't think he really noticed much of me since I wasn't in on the pool game, he randomly came up to me and imparted words of wisdom, "be careful around those army guys." The entrepreneur pool player will always have a warm spot in my heart, cool guy.

Thanks Ryan for signing us up for that bus, very blogworthy!

The Last Bachelorette Days of One of the Greatest

Since I am so late in posting, I have not had a chance to write about Mitzi's bachelorette party that happened a month ago at Lake Travis. Have you ever been to a bachelorette party where you ate more than you drank? Haha I think this was my experience, but I think I enjoyed it more! I arrived hours late to the festivities due to work, but when I got there I came across six very drunk and amusing friends....who promptly made me (tone deaf girl) sing karaoke with them.

Here is a picture from Ashley's camera of a very sober me trying to join in the chorus with my drunkie friends :)

Mind you at this bar we were setting off the average age by an entire generation. There was a sweet old man who kept hitting on us and then sang a very slow and unentertaining song that we didn't know the words to, then there was a middle aged guy that kept obnoxiously requesting lady GA GAAAAA, and a very drunk woman who really wanted to be in the spot light but really should have been kept in the dark. However, a guy in his late 40s did send a free drink to me at the table, so I'd call that a successful night.













The next morning, no one was really feeling great from the night before, but I (having not gotten drunk that night) was ready to get the party started! I poured out mimosas (there weren't really any takers on that) and was ready to go to our planned winery trip. It was great- I had a sophisticated reason for drinking booze before noon. The overall weekend was perfect: lounging, story telling, and junk food eating! Can't wait for Mitzi to tie the knot in a month!

The Evolution of a Single Girl at Work

This morning on my 1.7 mile drive to work I thought about how my work life has changed over the past three years of working.....and how it has gone from playground to lame! When I first started working, it was a new and exciting world. I was in a new city, I was a "professional," I had just bought a new car, a new apartment, and it was new and different to dress up like a grown up. My first year out of college most of the time felt like pretend. I was just getting used to the routine with no realization of long term goals or what the next 40 years of my life would be like. And there were men, lots of young single men! At times it definitely felt like a playground. I was meeting a bunch of new people, and there was always a distraction. I have a very thirsty mind and it naturally gravitates towards the immediate things that interest me. There were "work crushes" and "work boyfriends" which made work distracting and fun! However, in the past few years either due to attrition, age, or wisdom, there are literally zero males to distract me at work. My mind was forced to channel all of its excess energy on my job. Remarkably, my work performance has dramatically improved during this time. Now I actually have focus and a stable future ahead of me. Go figure. I'm not sure if this is a better thing in terms of the fun department but I do suppose I am heading in the right direction. Besides, I am glad my social circle rarely crosses paths with work now. C'est la vie.

Health Rules to Live By (prescribed by Fun Bobby)

I've been collecting some rules to live by to have a well lived life. In my mere 5 years of being of drinking age (of course I wouldn't dare drink before 21), I have some wise words to pass on:


- only drink sodas when there is alcohol in it, otherwise it's a waste


- headache? nothing a beer can't cure....


- go easy on the sugary drinks, instead add floaters


- if you feel a cold coming on, add some champagne to that OJ just in case, you'll thank yourself later


- boring date? order the vino and you'll soon forget


- if the drink comes with a cool cup or too many pretty accoutrement's (hello paper umbrellas), that's probably the best it has to offer, pass and rely on the trusty grape of which you do know the alcohol content


- the key to life is base tanning (aka pre drinks)


- a good hostess will never let her guests realize how many glasses they have drank through constant refilling


- one word that brings both men and women joy: bottomless


- become friends with the bartender(s) and they will never leave you


- the great thing about homemade frozen drinks is that there is a lot you can hide in there


- J-E-L-L-O is not just for kids


- you can only have the day or the night, chose one wisely and spend that time well!


- happy hour is not limited to one hour and CAN last until 2am


- in the morning, start out with 50/50 OJ and champagne and ease yourself into small proportions of OJ and great proportions of champagne because frankly, you don't need to be drinking that much OJ in one sitting


- it's okay to take 1,000 pictures during a night out, that's good journalism


And of course, be safe and make wise decisions. A real lady knows how to push her boundaries while still looking adorable and without ending up in jail, youtube, or even worse the hospital.

Fun Bobby Randoms (I have a lot of random thoughts)

Some people at work have commented on my email signature which includes my full name (first middle last) because it looks as if I am married and am including my maiden name in my emails. However, there is a strategic reason for why I have my full name written out- because I don't want to shock people. :) Yes, I am worried about shocking people with my appearance. The reason is because if you have never met me and you see my name, you will be picturing a totally different person. You see, I'm half Japanese, which is very confusing for many people because my name is as generic as "Jane Smith." (I drew a diagram below in case you are still confused about how this works.) However, my middle name is a Japanese name. So out of consideration of others, I give them fair warning by including my full name "Jane Yoko Smith." Pretty strategic business right there people!

Cancun Crazy Part 6 (of many)

The Departure

Five shades and three bottles of sunscreen later, our Cancun trip had come to a close. Cilla and I were definitely leaving looking like distressed vacationers (I was severely burned and in need of ibprofen for the pain). Jessica on the other hand had a smaller delta (change in skin tone) thanks to her Neutrogena SPF 55. More power to her though as she'll probably outbeat us all in looks when she gets older and skin cancer. Cilla and I bought a bottle of sunscreen at the hotel since we had gone through all of our reserves, which ended up costing something crazy like $47. I guess it was worth it to protect ourselves from further cancer damage, but in the short term it's hard to think that way.

At the end of our trip we take a private shuttle to the airport. On our way there we realize that we are not sure what gates we will be leaving from. Cilla and I are on the same flight and Jessica is on a flight to Chicago on a different airline. Of course, our fears were confirmed that Jessica would be departing from a different terminal and we would have to part ways much earlier than expected. The driver drops Cilla and I off at our terminal, and we have to leave Jessica to be driven to the next terminal over. Of course no one is happy in this situation given our disturbing arrival to this country. Jessica, having just found this all out, is especially distraught. We all hug goodbye but Jessica is definitely silently freaking out and can barely smile. Hoping for the best, we go our separate ways. After Cilla and I go through security we are walking around the duty free shop when Cilla starts getting texts from Jessica asking where we are at. Jessica has a lot longer to wait than we do for her flight and we worry that she will start getting bored and start to wander, which is definitely not good given her recent airport experience! Luckily Jessica assures us that she is going to stay put and everyone makes it home safe with no detours with the authorities. What a great trip girls, thanks for the memories!

Cancun Crazy Part 5 (of many)

Awkward Dinner

Travel Lesson: I like to follow the masses

So not only do I like to see multiple tourists on local buses in Mexico, but when eating dinner I also want to see many tourists enjoying the fare. Otherwise, I start to worry.....

Our last night in Cancun we decided to treat ourselves to a nice dinner. We decided upon a restaurant that was very fancy and definitely looked like a tourist attraction. Well when we got there....picture crickets chirping......we were the first (and only) customers. I already started getting nervous. This isn't a good sign of enjoyable food.


I do commend this place on having high aspirations because they were extremely overstaffed. There were many waiters loitering around our table. It made it really uncomfortable to even really enjoy the company of one another in our group when the waiters seemed to be staring at us. Cilla took this picture of Jessica and the waiters in the background for full effect.

As a gesture of hospitality the waiters brought over some kind of concotion in shot glasses. However, these weren't friendly alcoholic drinks. These were something disgusting like juiced cucumbers or something that should never be in liquid form. Since we were surrounded by waiters we couldn't even dump them out off the deck to feign appreciation. Needless to say I guess the waiters got the hint when they collected the barely touched juices. Mixologist Bernie could have taught the chef a thing or two at this place.

One plus is that we did have a fantastic view of the lagoon at sunset

The food also was subpar, although the presentation was fabulous. Honestly, even looking at the picture of what I had (the shrimp in the middle) is bringing back bad memories!

Cilla's seared tuna


My shrimp with guacamole



Jessica's shrimp

By the time we left it was pretty late in the evening (9) and there was only one other table of diners. We definitely learned that Cancun is not the place for fine dining. The next time, we'll be going back to La Distilleria where they get it all right: tequila, food, and fun!

Cancun Crazy Part 4 (of many)

Oops, how did a month go by! Sorry to keep you in suspense.....

So yes, the professional futbol player.... we encountered him after eating at the lively La Distileria. Cilla and I were sitting at the hotel bar, no longer speaking to bartender Bernie because we had involuntarily given him an insane tip (I believe we paid $80 on a $50 tab for which we expected change back but he conveniently disappeared....probably to lock it up in his personal safe). We had been having sort of a dry patch of eye candy in Mexico....due to the fact that we were staying at the tamest resort ever since this was not an all inclusive resort. In fact the only people getting any sort of use out of their flirting skills at this resort were preteens and teenagers, who were rampant in this family vacation haven. Observing awkward tweens "talking" was not my idea of a crazy Mexican vacation!

Finally our second night in we discover that an entire team of professional futbol players were staying at our hotel! We were highly entertained by this. I'm not sure if they were actually an attractive group, it's hard to objectively determine because I was too distracted by my "testosterone drought" theory. You see, when you haven't come across ANY males your age in a while, I am pretty sure that any male close to his 20s becomes attractive. Single girls need to see that there are single men out there on a regular basis just to sustain themselves. Otherwise, we will think it's the end of the world and then bad decisions will start to ensue. For example, that's the only way I can explain Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard. It's kind of like dieting, you can't just cut out all the treats or else the second you come across any treat you will devour it and regret it later. Same goes with guys, I need some eye candy. I just want to know they are still out there so that I can stick with my diet of finding the "right" guy. I digress....

Anyway, while we are observing these futbol players, Cilla notices that there is one next to us. This one is actually the Patrick Dempsey of futbol players, or in terms of my personal preference, the James Marsden of futbol players. He's got the perfect bone structure, great hair, deep insightful eyes, and perfect posture. He seems extremely polite as he talks to what Cilla has decided is his elderly coach and the coach's grandson. The way our imagination is going with this he might as well have earned a Nobel Peace Prize, be captain of his futbol team, volunteer with the elderly, and have the ability to speak all the romance languages. (In reality, who knows.)

This whole time we are building up what has now become a fictional prince charming in cleats and Umbros, Cilla is formulating plans to strike a conversation with him. We literally have no game here, and no reason to talk to this fella except for the fact that we are desperate for some flirty fun. She comes up with all sorts of reasons like, "perhaps I should offer to take a picture of him and his friends." I vetoed all of them for the mere fact that I wasn't even buzzed enough to really play wingwoman with these stretch pickup lines. Nonetheless, leave it to the mastermind of Cilla to find the perfect way to speak to the guy. Some how she perfectly timed our exit and elevator ride with the tall, dark, and handsome athlete. In the 20 second window of opportunity she had to make her move, she did a fabulous job bewildering him by speaking Spanish to him. Although nothing came of it (because he is a perfect gentleman and probably doesn't ask girls out after knowing them for 45 seconds), I was glad she made the move because all in all we found out that he really was the polite person we picked him out to be.....and he really did have insightful eyes! That encounter held me over for the rest of the trip in Mexico. The rest of the time we worked on trying to perfect our tans and stay out of trouble :)