Catch of the day(s)

March 20
Was cool taking a bus into Honolulu today and seeing how efficient and effective the public transit system is.  For $2.50 you can pretty much go anywhere you need to go, roughly every few minutes to half an hour.  I saw the bus driver lower the bus and a ramp raise up from the floor, over and out the door and down to provide wheelchair access to a lady. The bus bench chair went up and she was able to buckle her wheelchair in.  I also saw a yellow fire truck go flying past us on the highway with its sirens on, and pulling a deep sea boat behind it.. of course not something we see in landlocked Calgary.  Just thought I'd share. 

Weather's been iffy with a fair bit of rain and wind these past few days but still pleasant, in that it's not snowing - it's interesting to see how islanders for the most part tend to drive very slowly when it rains.  The daily traffic here is a constant contender with your patience and attempt at being on time where ever you go.  In fact getting to my practicum school is a test of one's patience with the rush hour traffic on the main freeway that starts at about 4 a.m.and goes until 9 and then repeats itself in the afternoon from 3 until 8 p.m. My friend who drives me to my school is sometimes in traffic an hour and a half to get to his work after dropping me off (the opposite direction). The bus would take me 2 hours each way otherwise. Something to think about if you want to consider moving here to live - where your work is and where you plan on living - as for cost of living that is a whole another issue - yes, it's very expensive. For what you pay to buy a suburban apartment you could spend on owning 200 acres of untouched pristine land in Belize, complete with a river!! (about $260,000) 


It's February 6th and I'm nursing a sore throat. Could it be from swimming in the cold sea over the weekend? Screaming for joy while running around on the beach? The salt spray covering the car and my vocal chords at the famous Pipeline Surfin'beach at North Shore? The ice cold Red Fire Hawaiian beer I tasted yesterday? I'll get better soon I think, just listening to the birds in the palm trees that are swaying in the gentle breeze.

Feb 1. First day of my practicum and it was great! In fact I not only learned a new thing or two but I tasted one too I ate spam! The principal who invited me to lunch with some of the staff was impressed enough that he grabbed his iphone and took a picture : ) I have to say it tasted pretty much like a hotdog. Read on and learn more about this Hawaiian loved delicacy...ever wonder where the term 'spam'in your inbox comes from?

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1161/whats-really-in-spam



Have yet to cast my line....but I did catch a glimpse of this tidbit of interesting info online at:
http://www.hawaiiscubadiving.com/home/hawaiian-language.html 

"Throughout all the islands you will find many Hawaiian names, words and expressions used in daily life. In fact 85% of all place names in Hawaii are Hawaiian and often have interesting stories behind how they got the name. The Polynesians never had a written language until the Missionaries arrived and found they needed a Hawaiian Bible, so they quickly developed a twelve letter alphabet."

Hawaii is the only state in the United States to have two official languages, English and Hawaiian, recognized officially since 1978. 

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