Honestly, I find that going to the doctor, while can be helpful, the ROI is not always there for me. The Chinese in me find that going to see a doctor sometimes costs MORE than just perhaps waiting it out and letting my body naturally recover! Maybe I am seeing the wrong doctor. Below is a typical scenario when I do go see a physician:

1. You make an appointment and usually they put you on hold for about 10 minutes to see if they have an opening
2. You finally go to the doctor, which has to be a on a weekday so you have to take time off from work – which means you have to go on your lunch break
3. As you drive to your appointment during lunch, there is traffic and even if you get to your appointment early, you STILL have to wait!
4. Then you finally see the doctor and it takes them less than 15 minutes to asses your illness and writes a prescription
5. You leave the doctor’s office and the nurse only validates your parking for an hour, and by now, you have to still pay at the booth because you have waiting well over an hour for your appointment that only took 15 minutes.
6. You then have to go to fill your prescription which is another trip and you are spending more money! (and by now you are over your lunch period)
7. Finally when you get back to work, your boss looks at you like you have been on a 2 hour lunch break and in actuality, you feel like a chicken with its head cut off because you dont want to be late from your lunch break!

   Writing this all out really makes me NOT want to call the doctor and go through all of this, but in the end, I know my health is at risk and I need to get better asap! Thanks for reading my crazy rant on why I despise seeing a doctor! Wishing everyone good health!

Its been a couple of days since I have cut my hair and let me tell you, a little goes a long way. I love my hair cut and I can quite honestly say that I think the change was for the positive.

In the morning, I am not rushing around blow drying my hair and then straightening it – it is short, sweet, no fuss!

Previously my hair was a lot lighter, and I love having light hair – it makes me feel like I could look like a beach bunny when the reality is that I am working most of the time indoors.

With the darker hair, I know my Chinese mother is happier as I look like a “Chinese girl” and not a “cheap girl”. Ahh… gotta love Chinese mothers for always telling us the truth!  Speaking of which…

TRUTH:
Many of my close friends know that I am obsessed – OBSESSED with a capital “O” with cutting my hair and this is not as short it has been – I have had faux hawks, pixie cuts – seriously, any and all short hair cuts, Ive done it! Maybe this stems from when I was a child, my parent always made me have short hair. I used to resent it but now I really love embracing it!

Don’t get me wrong I do love the look of long hair – and I do wish I could grow out my hair so it would be flowy etc etc. And I have been told by a number of guys that long hair is “hotter” than short. Well, to my guy friends that think only long hair is hot – two words: Halle Berry! Okay, Im sorry I will tone done the obsession!

Everyone keeps telling me 2012 is the year of change! Life is too short to always stay the same, change it up – and any change, big or small is good! You can always start with a hair cut – like I did! It’s amazing how changing your appearance can lead to many other great things!

I was reading @capsun‘s blog about 10 mistakes that could be killing your blog and I think I unfortunately am one of them. I do not post too frequent and the more I think about it, I would like to hone in on a specific subject.

When I read @sarakata‘s blog http://nubcak.es/, it really inspired me to want to cook again along with just finding my passion.

I know I am very passionate about many things, but perhaps that is what is hindering me and my writing. I think I try to make everything very formal and thought out but I am finding out more that it is about the journey and writing can be a GREAT stress relief.

My goal, to find my passion and rejuvenate myself for myself. As for the topic/subject for my blog, it is going to be the journey to find it.

What do you think about the Halle Berry look?

…There are about 350,000 sudden cardiac deaths (SCD) in the US each year, almost 1,000/day.

On Wednesday, February  2, The Hawaii Heart Foundation and Ad 2 Honolulu hosted a FREE CPR Certification/ Training session at Fresh Cafe.

This was one of the most rewarding experiences I have had with Ad 2.  I learned how to save a life, became CPR certified, plus learned about others who wanted to make a difference as well. Thank you to @iBlala, @RickyLi99 @LisaSmarty, @HawaiiDeals, @hikino, @Jeong_Ku , @taisleong, @808Yong, @ncalaro, and many more for coming!

How to use and AED (Automated External Defibrillator)

The early warning signs of sudden cardiac arrest risk include:

• Fainting or dizziness during or right after exercise.
• Excessive fatigue or shortness of breath with exercise
• Chest pain or discomfort with exercise.
• Family history of a sudden, unexplained death before age 50.

To learn more on how YOU can be a Super Hero, contact:
Pamela Poster, RN
P: 808-440-8988
E: info@hawaiiheart.org 
W: www.HawaiiHeart.org

Social Media: 
Facebook
Twitter

On Monday, I saw a Facebook post that broke my heart. One of my best girl friends posted how they were a little disappointed on their birthday and while there were a million posts wishing her a great birthday, I knew exactly what to do to put a smile on that face. It took only a little time out of my day but it made me feel so happy to know in a few days- she would be super surprised by a bouquet of flowers at her doorstep.

I got the phone call last night that the received them and it made me so happy that I could make someone else happy.

Today, Kyle, another BFF of mine really made my day. I opened my door and to my surprise, I saw a bag of ginger candy, my favorite.  It brought a smile to my face knowing that she thought of me. Thank you Kyle for helping me start the day off right, with a positive mind and open heart! <3

SERVICE: As far as the service goes, it is okay. This would have been a five star review however I feel that sometimes, service can be slow. I’ve order coffee from here and had to wait 15 minutes. It would be one thing if there were tons of people in line but it was only myself. I look past that thinking that it may have been a rare instance.

Today though, I gave my order to the cashier, I asked for the mac n cheese, house salad, and coconut water. When she repeated my order she forgot the coconut water. I told her again but she must have not heard me. I thought to myself it is okay, it was not meant to be as I dont think it was a necessary purchase.

When we ordered the cheesecake for dessert, the same cashier asked did you want it now, and I said, yes please. We waited for a bit, and no one else is eating at the restaurant (we were there about 11AM). After 10 minutes passed i started to walk up and she saw me, darted to get the cheesecake ready.

This cashier has always been nice but I think she just might have a lot on her mind.

SELECTION + PRICE: The menu changes by season but is always filled with interesting and delicious parings. Today I had the mac n cheese which was AMAZING and for dessert I had the lemon basil cheesecake from Otto cake. everything was good! I cannot stop thinking about the cheesecake though, it is light fluffy yet has a flavorful crust! MMMmmm!!!

VALUE: Eat offers a nice atmosphere- away from the office. The food is really delicious and is good to go for a work meeting and these people even cater!

EAT
560 N Nimitz Hwy
Ste 102
Honolulu, HI 96817
(808) 538-0597
www.eathonolulu.com

I have been able to keep up with everything without completely crashing however, yesterday on my way home, I saw La Pizza Rina, one of my favorite pizza places. Now all I can think about is pizza! My mouth is watering as I type this!!! I’ve listed my top favorite pizza places on Oahu (no particular order), i can go to any of these places and chow down like no other.

1. Kailua Round Table Pizza: I love the fact that they use the old school brick oven- the crust is tastier than ever!
1020 Keolu Dr
Kailua, HI 96734
(808) 261-4644
www.roundtablepizzakailua.com 

2. Z-Pizza: Marketing gets me every time! Making “healthy” pizza- im there! My fav is the Berkeley!
Ward Center Auahi Street Shops
1200 Ala Moana Blvd
Honolulu, HI 96814
(808) 596-0066
www.zpizza.com

3. V-Lounge: O-M-G… talk about mouth watering options! I love it all!
1344 Kona St
Honolulu, HI 96814
(808) 953-0007
www.vloungehawaii.com

4. Prima: Since the owners are the same… ditto. I love the drive out to Kailua, it is always relaxing!
108 Hekili St
Ste 107
Kailua, HI 96734
(808) 888-8933
www.primahawaii.com

5. La PizzaRina: I love the ingredients that they use.  Its a perfect place for a first date or even just take out.
1425 S King St
Honolulu, HI 96814
(808) 941-6634

I always love trying new places and I hear JJ Dolans is good along with Bar 35 and Apartment 3. I’m always open to new suggestions, what are you favorite pizza places and who wants to grab pizza together?! This is of course after a work out

Ive had several incidents this weekend due to miscommunication in my personal and professional life. It happens to all of us and I know that no one means for this to happen-regardless it did. It is now spilling into my Monday and I am determined to forgive, let go and move on. That seems like the only real way to handle it regarding communicating with my family.

Verbal communication exist in two forms for first generation Chinese:
1. Yelling to get your point across
2. Then not saying a thing at all to protest and act in a passive aggressive fashion.
This may not be true for all Chinese families, but I know  that for mine, and some friends and agree that communication is not always a strength. We are much better at math and engineering (I need to exclude myself in this stereotype).

At this point with all that is going on, I know I need to take secret option 3.

Note to self (option 3): You cannot change anyone’s behavior or control what they say, only your reaction to it.
This is a lot easier said than done. But I know I can do it. I dont want to hold on to any negative energy as life is really what you make of it. 2012 has only begun and I want to do everything in my power to make it a positive one.

With work, there tends to be a million things happening all at once and I think I lose myself in the craziness. I was looking up ways to avoid miscommunication weather it be in a work setting or a family environment, and Psychology Today sums it up pretty well here: 9 Communication Tips to Help Improve Your Life

Another good site is Wiki How: How to Avoid Miscommunication 
I am determined to make sure that I take in and listen more, speak less and obverse each person and situation involved. Are there any other tips that you would suggest?

SERVICE: We came on a Thursday around 6PM and the restaurant was very empty.
It seemed a bit overstaffed since we only saw about 3-4 other people in the restaurant.

SELECTION + PRICE: There was a whole ikura section- which as most of my friends know- I AM IN LOVE! There are variations from ikura an salmon sashimi to ikura and unagi and the list goes on.

VALUE: This place offers a great value as the prices range from about $14-$23 depending on what you order. I went to another sushi place the other day and while I love sushi, for 2 orders of nigiri and one roll, the total was $22 something. At Sakura Terrace, you can have a WHOLE donburi for about $14. The fish is fresh and delicious, ample parking- you cannot go wrong!

I cannot wait to come back again!!!