Sing Me A Lullabye

I think I’m in love…

with her voice.

And the world seems so much better. Again. I can breath.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch

This is what we live for. This is what we were trained to do. It reminds me of that movie Jarhead. They we’re Marine snipers trained to do only one thing — shoot. Once they got to war they never even fired a single bullet. It’s quite disheartening that after all of those years of training and hard work you never ever get to use it.

News broke out Tuesday morning about an unusual flu strain, similar to swine flu, affecting two kids in San Diego, California. The next day 3 more cases appeared, 2 in San Antonio, Texas and another one back in San Diego, California. Although the flu strain wasn’t considered deadly — all patients recovered rather quickly — but it was in the best interest of the public that this be treated as if it was a deadly one. What makes this case unusual is that all of the patients never had contact with pigs. It is rare for animal virus strains to be transmitted to humans since virus receptor sites in humans are different than that of animals. But close proximity of humans to animals causes these viruses to mutate and infect humans. Usually people infected with animal flu strains, such as bird flu or swine flu, are those that work closely with them, like breeders and animal handlers.

Then Friday morning came with the bad news. 68 deaths were reported in Mexico with hundreds more suffering from flu like symptoms. Just as I had suspected. With San Diego and San Antonio being so close to the border the flu strain could have come from the south. It has already gone into an epidemic, something that we as virologist don’t wish for, but this is what were trained to do. All of those mock training and exercise on what to do during an outbreak or a pandemic, this is what we do for a living. It’s a little scary but I must admit that this is an exciting time to be an influenza virologist right now, because now we can finally fire that single shot that we have been training for.

For the latest on this news click here.

Honey Bunches of Oats

The lady on the next parking stall was patiently waiting for us as we attempted to park her clunker of a car into a compact parking stall. We had to swing her beat-up Toyota Camry several times just so we could squeeze in to that tiny spot. Then after a few minutes of struggle in that small confined space we finally got to park the car.

I jumped out of the car, opened the rear door and grabbed the two small styrofoam coolers rested in the back seat of her car. This way hon, she said as I excitedly followed her. There we stood at the entrance of a small kitchen alongside the boxes, trays, and rolling carts. The space was so small that I was feeling a little claustrophobic. We had to move the carts and boxes as more people were lining up to have there styrofoam coolers filled.

Today we have seven people waiting at home for their meals. This being my first time I’m a bit excited and a bit weary as to how they’d respond to seeing me. They’re used to the regulars that deliver their food and I am not to sure how they’ll receive me in their home.

We arrived at the first house about five minutes early. It’s a retirement apartment complex just at the bottom of Waimano Home Road. The GF knocks on the door. An elderly Chinese lady opens the door and invites us to come inside. She profusely apologizes for her messy domicile, which in reality is actually 100 times cleaner than my apartment. We smiled and told her that she has nothing to worry about. We set up her table — fork and spoon in the proper side of the plate. She thanks us and bid us a safe travel. As we headed back to her car I can’t help but be proud having a girl with such a big heart.

Despite her busy schedule (working 3 jobs and taking her master’s degree) she still manages to squeeze in time to volunteer for Meals-On-Wheels — delivering food to the elderly. When she’s not busy delivering food to the elderly she volunteers for the Food Bank of Hawaii — another charity organization that she supports both physically and financially. As if that wasn’t enough she also sponsors a child in Tanzania through Compassion International.

There are days when I wonder if I’ve made the right choice. Because, sometimes, I must admit that I base my choice on how hot girls look in tight jeans and high heels. But I know from experience that the hot jeans and high heels has nothing to do with relationships. It cannot make the relationship work, nor can it make it last. It is in the heart. And when those days come when I ask my self if I’ve made the right choice, I simply think about the things that she does and why she does it. She has a big heart and most of all I am a better person when I am with her.

Today she turns 31 and I want to make this day special for her, the way she makes other people feel special. Happy birthday my love.

Got beef?

I must have burned at least a 1000 calories that day, because once I got out of the water my knees were rattling like two maracas in a conga line. I zigzagged my way across the uneven sand towards the showers to wash off the sand and the salt. The sun is already fading into a grayish red and the cool evening breeze is making my teeth chatter.

I raced across the street to score some ono grindz (local speak for good food) at the Ala Moana Mall’s food court. I usually order steak dinner after a nice swim but today I decided to get something different. Something healthy. I order some grilled chicken over rice and some leafy greens on the side, because it makes me feel good when I pretend I’m eating healthy.

I was leisurely enjoying my pretend healthy meal when a little boy, about four years old, started to gag and regurgitate his food onto his father’s hand. The father, furious at his son’s antics, began to reprimand the little boy.

“Why are you putting so much sh*t in your mouth, son? Just grab a small bite and then f*ckin’ chew!”

The boy feeling sorry for failing his father’s expectation looked down with tears rolling down his cheeks. He sobbed for a few seconds and then looked up towards his dad and said:”Sorry dad, I’m gonna grab just a little bite so I wont choke. Because if I eat too fast I’m gonna choke, right dad?” As he slowly wiped the tears off his eyes.

“That’s right son. So eat your sh*t slowly. Chew it very well. And then f*ckin’ swallow. Okey?”

Cursing in front of children is something that really irks me. I wanted to say something. I wanted to put that man in his place. But he has biceps the size of Texas and pecs as massive as the USS Enterprise’s hull. So I held my tongue instead. Because I’m pretty sure had I said something I would have probably ended up at the county hospital’s intensive care unit with knuckle marks dented into my skull and a few missing limbs. I think I just made the wisest decision in my life.

Making her heart melt like chocolates in the sun

One of the consequences of being in a relationship is having to buy your significant other something for their birthday. And each year the task gets daunting.

The GF will be turning the big 3-1 in a few weeks and has already hinted that she’s expecting something this year by saying: “So, what are you gonna get me for my birthday this year?” (She’s quite subtle, isn’t she?) As you can see I’m not very good at this sort of thing. Not that I don’t want to do something special for her on her birthday but I’m not creative nor am I imaginative enough to pull off a memorable one. I am not a grand magician with a bag of tricks. I also hate shopping.

Last year I took her to the Waikiki Shell to watch the Mraz man live in concert. She absolutely loved me for that. Now, I think I might have set the bar too high.

Ho’okani

One of the things me and the GF love to do is visit local businesses and stores. It’s our way of giving back to the community by supporting local businesses. Last night we were treated to a wonderful evening of song and merriment at the local coffee shop. It was open mic night and people from all over the central and north side of the island came by to show off their musical talent. We heard music from reggae, to country, to rock and roll, to hip hop, and even hawaiian.

Then there’s this cute girl who played slack key guitar Hawaiian style. My jaw dropped. I am officially in love with Hawaiian slack key. Time to pick up the old guitar again and learn slack key.