A Quick Post

I'm finally breathing. Not fully inhaling, but breathing nonetheless.

Just wanted to let you know. I'm not dead.

I'll get back on the blogwagon soon.

Love ya!

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Bed

It's 6:30 and the sun has long risen. Bodies curl under blankets to find warmth, yet the fan is spinning overhead. I rock a baby back to dreamland while typing on my phone, two girls by my side and a man at the far end. All is well.

This last week was a blur. Business. Bills. Waiting. Rushing. Working. Papers. Yelling. Juice. Katsu. Everything seems like a distant memory, and yet it.just.happened. I remember struggling to find sleep, but for some reason I don't even know how I stayed awake through it all. And now today is Saturday, which means this week -- this week I had hoped would be ... oh, I dunno ... fun -- is over. And soon, the real work begins.

In 48 hours, Jobi will leave to begin work on Oahu, leaving me and the kids to close up shop here. Work. In less than two weeks, the kids and I will follow him, and we will all be living in lovely Laie once again. More work. Sorting our finances, looking for extra income, repairing the house and fixing up the yard, establishing routine, and doing it all in a full house. This move is going to force us to be stronger, smarter, faster, more hardworking, BETTER than ever before, and I can't even begin to explain how.

But this? This scene? This moment? Of all of us piled onto a single bed, as a complete family? This is what I'm choosing to live in right now. Because yesterday was crazy. Because tomorrow will be crazier. Because once we all wake up and get out of bed, this moment will be lost forever. So I am taking this moment to simply enjoy what I'm blessed with...

... and breathe.

(P.S. you should too...)

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Just a Little Crazy

crossroads

A while ago, I was about to write a post about why I am going a little crazy. But it would've sounded oddly similar to this post on my cousin's blog, posted just before I began writing. So instead of trying to sound like her (since, I'll be honest, I wish I could write like her), I'm just going to start typing and see what comes out.

• We are moving.
• Chip is 11 weeks old today and weighs over 16 lbs.
• Chip is 11 weeks old today, and I thought he was only 8 weeks old.
• Blondie is trying to get potty-trained.
• Jobi is getting a new job.
• We are moving.
• Cockroaches are infesting our apartment.
• I'm speaking in church on Fathers' Day.
• We are moving.

Did I mention that we are moving? Yes, it is because my mister has a new job.

Ugh, my mind is all out of sorts! And I've been neglecting this blog so that I can... well... sort it out. 

See, this new job that Jobi is taking is to replace the ROTC instructor's position at our old stomping grounds, which he applied for last year and got turned down.  Now the current instructor is deploying (go figure), and they want Jobi to start end of July. They offered it to him the beginning of May; he accepted; I booked flights for me and the kids. Then suddenly, Jobi realized that there was a possibility that he may NOT get this job. Short story: the other guy may not be deploying. Long story (if you really wanna know): the other guy is in the Hawaii National Guard, just like Jobi. And just like Jobi, all the Guard units in Hawaii have been getting thrown around mission and deployment assignments. Jobi was actually supposed to be in Afghanistan this fall, but they cancelled. Then he was supposed to go to Kuwait, but cancelled. Then a mission to the Philippines opened up -- then cancelled. So Jobi realized that this guy just might possibly have his same fate of a cancelled deployment. Once he realized that, we have been nervously twiddling our thumbs waiting for a sure answer from them. Our whole wow-what-an-awesome-opportunity attitude suddenly became what-the-heck-are-we-gonna-do fear. 

More long story:

Before the phone call, we had decided that we were going to stay on Maui for another 5 years or so. We had a plan to rent a bigger apartment, go back to school, Jobi transferring departments in the hotel, and me running marathons. ;-) The hotel has given us good benefits and a stable lifestyle (not rich and glamorous, but enough to pay our bills), and I have been dying to make use of some of their perks (like free hotel stays). This ROTC job is just a contract job: salary only, no health insurance (we got three kids to think about, here!), and no guarantee of keeping the job longer than one school year. Not to mention we'd be moving into a house that is teetering on foreclosure and our secondary purpose for the move is to save it. So as you can see, moving back to Oahu and taking this job is a leap of faith for us. Probably even a leap of stupidity. And if we got there and there was no job for my mister, then we would be in trouble.

Well, this morning the new job called and said that not only is he (my mister) a go for the job, but they need him to start in two weeks. Yes, you read correctly... in TWO WEEKS!!

WHATTHEHOLYCRAZYOLDLADY!?!?

(I mean, *ahem* yay.....)

So now my what-the-heck-are-we-gonna-do fear is replaced by are-you-kidding-me craziness. Now I gotta change our flight to a week ahead and book Jobi's flight for Father's Day. Now I gotta pack and clean and check us out and ship the van myself instead of with my husband. Now I gotta cancel the dentist, cancel the chiropractor, cancel the potty trainer (one of these days I'll write about her), cancel the hotel stay (5-star, 5-diamond *waah*), and forget about that farewell party I wanted to have. Now I gotta move double speed so everything can be done in half the time. Now I gotta stop thinking about stupid third-party hiring contractors and start thinking about our little wicker lounge under the 'ulu tree and my piano that I miss soooo much. Now I gotta accept the fact that we are leaving Maui, just as this place and I were starting to become friends.

*sigh* And on top of all this, I need to get new contacts.

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When It Said "Easy Meatloaf Recipe"...

... it wasn't kidding.

This is the second time I've made it, and I just threw the ingredients in without really measuring.

It's foolproof, I tell you! And it's delicious!

(Which means something, because I usually can't stand meatloaf.)

The secret must be in the sauce.

So I think next time I'll make even more sauce and have it sink INTO the meat instead of just lie on top and around it. Yummm!!!

You can find and follow the recipe HERE. Enjoy.

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Book Review: TELES­Ā: THE COVENANT KEEPER

I never intended to write book reviews on this blog since I don’t read a lot (a horrible excuse for an English major), but when I finished the last page of this particular novel, I had so much I wanted to say. So here is my very first book review... Telesa: The Covenant Keeper, by Lani Wendt Young.

image via Amazon

HOW I CAME ABOUT THIS BOOK

A Samoan writer I follow on Twitter RT’d a tweet from Mrs. Young, and I remembered the name Wendt on a novel that I read in college (well, attempted to read—I really was a pathetic English Lit student). I thought maybe she was related to that author, so I started following her. She has a blog that resonates with me, about being Samoan, being a mother, being a writer, and getting through each day. From the blog I learned she is in the process of publishing a second book to a Pacific young adult fiction series, so I had to read the first one. Lucky for me, it has been discounted on Amazon Kindle to promote said sequel, so I snatched it. 

And I believe that deal is still going; so if you want to grab your copy at a discount, get it now!

BRIEF SYNOPSIS

After her father’s passing, Leila Folger did the one thing her dad promised her not to do: go to Samoa. She left the only surviving family she knew—a rich shrew for a grandmother—to live with new family that wished she never came—surly Aunty Matile and Uncle Tuala—in hopes to find out who her mother was. She never expected what followed: a world alien to what she knew, a boy who would change everything, a secret unspeakable to all the island, and a power locked where she was the key.

THE GOODS

This book has been coined the Twilight of Samoa, and for good reason. There is a very distinct resemblance to the famous series: an introverted female lead who moves to an entirely new place for reasons even she doesn’t fully understand; a hot guy who makes every female reader wish their own significant others were as perfect as he; a supernatural flair and creative insight to old legends, and enough romance to keep the young adult readers wanting more.

But as far as my opinion goes, the Twilight series has nothing on Telesa. The vampire/werewolf stories never get old, but the telesa (teh-leh-SAH) is a fascinating Samoan legend that could just as easily capture the heart of the Western world. Now I have to mention, reading this book for me was learning about my culture. I could relate a little bit to Leila: I am half Samoan from California, who knows very little about the culture, has never been to the motherland, and certainly has never heard of telesa until now. This book was as close to being there for me as it gets, and Lani Wendt Young paints such a beautiful picture of Samoa that maybe I won’t feel so intimidated and actually go there one day.

The storyline was predictable, yet I couldn’t put the book down. I would think, “I bet this is gonna happen,” and then I'd turn the page and shriek, “I knew it!” But I loved that, because I loved what happened. The story was so fun to read. The characters are lovable, except for Grandmother Folger and Sarona, who are easily unlikable. I had issues with Leila (she’s almost as irritating as Bella), but I commend her for her inner strength and her heart, especially towards the end. And Daniel is perfect. Too perfect. I have never liked tattoos until I read them on this guy's body. ;-) Everything about him is a dream, though his romantic lines are borderline cheesy. Are Samoan guys that cheesy? Where were they when I was single? (Just kidding, Sweetie!)  But I guess that’s what makes a good YA Fantasy Romance novel – a hot boy with cheesy, swoon-worthy lines.

BEING NITPICKY

Ok, I have to dock it on some points. One of my issues is that Leila is unbelievable as an American. Since it’s written in fist person with Leila as the narrator, seeing her think with words like “jandals” and “meters” throws me off. Clearly, those are not American colloquialisms, and I wish the author had been more careful with that. Or at least written in third person instead of first so the need to use foreign jargon could have been avoided. My guess is that Young didn’t anticipate her book being read to an American audience.

I also feel “less is more” could apply well here. The writing at times was redundant; I could understand and picture what the author was trying to convey instantly, so much so that any reiteration was unnecessary, even a bit annoying. But, again referring to Twilight, I’ve read worse. And that is the nature of a YA novel.

IS IT MOVIE-WORTHY?

YES! A thousand times yes! It’s a great fantasy story, a great young adult love story, a great cultural story. It has action, humor, drama, great characters, FOOD (I forgot to mention that... ohh the foooood!), and big scenes. And I mean, BIG scenes. Like volcanoes. I’ve already decided that Hollywood HAS to make it (J.J. Abrams-slash-James Cameron), but the actors have to be Samoan. I know if they filmed on location in Samoa or New Zealand then they could find tons of "qualified" actors. But all I know is the U.S. part of the screen actors guild, so I'll just stick with that pool. Young already has her Hollywood leads picked should they fail to find Samoans, but I have some ideas too. I do love Michael Trevino as Daniel, though.

Michael Trevino of "The Vampire Diaries" -- could pass for afakasi
with a good tan, tatau, and a rugby ball.
(image via M.T. Romania)

Ok, here are my picks of people to play the characters, some actors, some personal acquaintances (who are gonna murder me for putting them on here!):

#2 Daniel choice: Jason Momoa of "Conan" -- already Samoan, already an actor
... and cleans up pretty nicely.
(image via Man Central)

Leila: Lanea Snow -- Samoan model, dancer, and a friend of mine. (I'm sooo gonna get it! :-P)
 She was Leila for me. No one else.
(Except me, of course. ;-) Even then, in my mind I looked like her. lol)
(image via Model Mayhem)

Nafanua: Tia Carrere -- not Samoan or Polynesian, but at least local. And in Hollywood.
And can pass for Lanea's mom.
(image via UGO)

Jason: somebody with Chris Pine's charm and Zach Roerig's looks
... or either of them.
(images via Famous Wallpapers and Wikia)

Sarona: Teuila Blakely from "Sione's Wedding" -- I don't know her nor have I seen "Sione's Wedding"
but she's gorgeous and was in a movie. She could also be Nafanua #2.
(image via Johnson & Laird)

AND MY FAVORITE... *DRUMROLL*

"Simone": "Maiesha" Taulogo -- not an actor (excuse me, actress), but obviously doesn't need to be.
Total fabulousness. hands. down.
(image via Marianna Ah Quin Photography)

BOTTOM-LINE

Read the book, even if you're not a fan of YA fiction. Or Samoan. Trust me, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

(And J.J. Abrams: if you are reading this post... think about it.)

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