Last class I went to I presented my final project. I wanted to do one on sustainability and non-sustainability, how both need to work together in order to maintain balance in the environment. I realized when I was working on the project that I had no real background in economics, so I trashed the idea a few days before my presentation. Instead, I just ended up presented my seminar presentation on photovoltaic (solar panels).
While my presentation wasn't bad, I myself wasn't satisfied with it. I believe that it could have been much better. In the end, I did what I did and I got my grade... somewhere... whatever.
Anyways, I want to close with that the class was great. The midterm was great, not too bad, doable if you put SOME kind of effort into it :D. I did wish that there was more discussion instead of presenters. But sadly, I don't run the class. Although if I did, it would probably be the same. In any case, it was lots of fun, and I'll see everyone at graduation!
Monday, December 13, 2010
Tattoo Lady
Not the nicest name to call her, but that's what she reminds me of. Trisha Allen is a well known tattoo artist who had many pictures of many people. I really wanted to ask her for a copy of her power point, but she told the class that the pictures themselves were sacred, so I was all disappointed. Her books, on the other hand, were incredibly exciting to learn and see. Which reminds me, I need to get a copy of those at some point.
So she started off with a history of tattooing, the stigmas, the tribal histories and how the missionaries reacted to them. It was interesting, kinda. The history of every part of the tattoo design was interesting itself though. I wish I could get one before I left the island, but I reminded myself that I will be back, and by then, hopefully with a better body. My parents never said anything against tattoos. I asked once and they said that it's my body to do what I want, but make sure it's what I want. It's great to have such great parents.
So we ended with a 5 minute intention on healing her leg. I wonder how she's doing, if anything even happened. It's hard to tell with that group of people, some believed and some didn't, so who knows what happened. I couldn't really focus properly. It seemed like a form of meditation to me and it was all quiet, so I had a bit of a hard time.
So she started off with a history of tattooing, the stigmas, the tribal histories and how the missionaries reacted to them. It was interesting, kinda. The history of every part of the tattoo design was interesting itself though. I wish I could get one before I left the island, but I reminded myself that I will be back, and by then, hopefully with a better body. My parents never said anything against tattoos. I asked once and they said that it's my body to do what I want, but make sure it's what I want. It's great to have such great parents.
So we ended with a 5 minute intention on healing her leg. I wonder how she's doing, if anything even happened. It's hard to tell with that group of people, some believed and some didn't, so who knows what happened. I couldn't really focus properly. It seemed like a form of meditation to me and it was all quiet, so I had a bit of a hard time.
Ramsey comes again!
We had Ramsey come again. He was the guy who taught us the Hawaiian elements and short history. This time he emphasized on Ho'oponopono (I think that's how you spell it).
It was funny. The whole time I was thinking that he was a great speaker, like he timed his power point presentations exactly how he wanted and didn't flounder at all. Goes to show you that he has lots of practice.
We also did another intention project today, well talked about one, the radio listeners who intended for rain in Arkansas but produced a heavy storm instead. This actually makes me think of magic, like the ones in Harry Potter. Magic, most of the time, seems to be all about intent. You intend to lift a feather and it goes up. The wand-waving and strange words merely make it easier for your intention to come to pass, but everything is about will power. While we don't have magic like Harry Potter does, we still have intention. To me, it's a type of faith. One type of faith is faith in a higher being, another is faith in a goal (enlightenment). Intention is a faith in words. They intended to make it rain in Arkansas and it did. But they didn't specify the amount, therefore when they said rain, it POURED. If a class got together and intended to make it sunny next week, it could be sunny for several weeks or cause a drought. When we intent, we have to specify the intention. Please be sunny for the next two weeks. Maybe it will work, maybe not. After all, people intent all the time. Who knows if it will work or not. Who knows if there's some kind of higher being filtering and sorting all these intentions. No wonder God doesn't answer everybody, he's being overrun by the intended emails.
Anyways, I wasn't really paying attention to Ramsey, much of what he said he said before, so I was kind of meh.
It was funny. The whole time I was thinking that he was a great speaker, like he timed his power point presentations exactly how he wanted and didn't flounder at all. Goes to show you that he has lots of practice.
We also did another intention project today, well talked about one, the radio listeners who intended for rain in Arkansas but produced a heavy storm instead. This actually makes me think of magic, like the ones in Harry Potter. Magic, most of the time, seems to be all about intent. You intend to lift a feather and it goes up. The wand-waving and strange words merely make it easier for your intention to come to pass, but everything is about will power. While we don't have magic like Harry Potter does, we still have intention. To me, it's a type of faith. One type of faith is faith in a higher being, another is faith in a goal (enlightenment). Intention is a faith in words. They intended to make it rain in Arkansas and it did. But they didn't specify the amount, therefore when they said rain, it POURED. If a class got together and intended to make it sunny next week, it could be sunny for several weeks or cause a drought. When we intent, we have to specify the intention. Please be sunny for the next two weeks. Maybe it will work, maybe not. After all, people intent all the time. Who knows if it will work or not. Who knows if there's some kind of higher being filtering and sorting all these intentions. No wonder God doesn't answer everybody, he's being overrun by the intended emails.
Anyways, I wasn't really paying attention to Ramsey, much of what he said he said before, so I was kind of meh.
Kualoa Ranch
It's been a while since I posted. Finals and such coming along, I decided to update my last few before I stop. I'm not actually sure if I'll stop or just make a different account after school. This is a pretty interesting way of expressing one's opinions, but it's also time consuming. I'll work on it.
My friend and roommate Kevin allowed us to take a field trip to his ranch her worked on during college. Makes me regret that I didn't put more effort into looking for jobs like this. It was fun. We did fish pond restoration. It wasn't the first time I did some type of restoration, but it was the first time I did it in a fish pond.
Beach clean up wasn't too bad. While I was picking up trash, I decided that in the future, I wanted to put some trash bags or boxes in my car trunk. One for big pieces and another for smaller ones. This way I can help the environment one piece at a time. I kept thinking that the more I picked up, the less will be in the ocean. Essentially: "That's one less piece of trash in the ocean, or in the North Pacific Gyre." It was a good mantra to get started and into the restoration.
After we headed over to the restoration site, we watched some people cut down a shrub/tree thing with 2 inch long thorns. While it was a good idea, the process was a bit dangerous. Kevin had some shrapnel hit him from standing near the workers. Granted he could of moved, but then others would have gotten hit. Then again the plan was hastily put together. We're still thankful though =D.
There were alot of volunteers that came that day. I've also noticed that on any field trip we go on, even ones that doesn't seem like we'll be doing much, we always do some kind of restoration. So that day, I noticed that almost everyone had some kind of flip-flops/sandals on and 5% of the people there (minus the workers) wore shoes (me included). This helped alot due to the thorns, but those who didn't wear shoes just got in the water instead, which was okay too. In the end we ended up digging 2 trenches to allow water through, while filling up sand bags to prevent erosion. These are one of the things in which I'll miss when I leave the Island in about 10 days. I'll miss the greenery and the beauty. But I won't miss the economy, lol.
My friend and roommate Kevin allowed us to take a field trip to his ranch her worked on during college. Makes me regret that I didn't put more effort into looking for jobs like this. It was fun. We did fish pond restoration. It wasn't the first time I did some type of restoration, but it was the first time I did it in a fish pond.
Beach clean up wasn't too bad. While I was picking up trash, I decided that in the future, I wanted to put some trash bags or boxes in my car trunk. One for big pieces and another for smaller ones. This way I can help the environment one piece at a time. I kept thinking that the more I picked up, the less will be in the ocean. Essentially: "That's one less piece of trash in the ocean, or in the North Pacific Gyre." It was a good mantra to get started and into the restoration.
After we headed over to the restoration site, we watched some people cut down a shrub/tree thing with 2 inch long thorns. While it was a good idea, the process was a bit dangerous. Kevin had some shrapnel hit him from standing near the workers. Granted he could of moved, but then others would have gotten hit. Then again the plan was hastily put together. We're still thankful though =D.
There were alot of volunteers that came that day. I've also noticed that on any field trip we go on, even ones that doesn't seem like we'll be doing much, we always do some kind of restoration. So that day, I noticed that almost everyone had some kind of flip-flops/sandals on and 5% of the people there (minus the workers) wore shoes (me included). This helped alot due to the thorns, but those who didn't wear shoes just got in the water instead, which was okay too. In the end we ended up digging 2 trenches to allow water through, while filling up sand bags to prevent erosion. These are one of the things in which I'll miss when I leave the Island in about 10 days. I'll miss the greenery and the beauty. But I won't miss the economy, lol.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Maui and a local man
Sadly I don't remember the names of these two speakers. It was several weeks ago and I didn't write down the names of the presenters. In any case, the first section was likely taught by the teacher (^_^). It was a map of Maui in which was shaped like a human silhouette.
The first part of my notes was likely a presentation via TED about the future of China and how they are building new cities in previously farmland. Instead of completely wiping out the agricultural land, they will instead move the farmland from the ground level to the top of the building. It greatly reminds me of Dr. Allen's sustainable buildings with green roofs. The green roofs while slightly heavier, help the land become sustainable since it uses the land to grow crops and helps produce O2 via the plants instead of cementing over the land. It was an idea that I really liked because it encouraged to use the land while not destroying the traditions of China.
Other topics included how the culture and religion affect the environment. Which was talked about in other posts. Or how human evolution has evolved socially and economically to the point in which earth can't even balance itself anymore. Earth's system of balancing the population seems to be environmental disasters.
While terrible because of the loss of life, it is understandable that the Earth balance itself. Humans have grown exponentially since the Industrial Revolution, since the increase of health care and medical technology, Earth's natural disasters doesn't seem to be balancing out the population anymore. Instead it seems to ever growing and doesn't seem to be stopping any time soon. While the idea seems harsh, but there is a reason for everything and Earth does have it's own defenses and balances to the world.
The second part of the class had the guy who was a native martial artist who taught us about the Hawaiian elements and the language. It was pretty cool to see the different ways that the elements reflect back into the people. His philosophy was back casting and forecasting. To look back and learn from past mistakes for the betterment of the future. Essentially, this means to learn via Trial and error. Anything thing that has gone wrong, accept it, learn from it and move on. The presenter talked about how westerners "found" Hawaii even though their own ancestors have been around for hundreds of years. That someone could "found" even though they've been there for generations.
He was very knowledgeable about Hawaii's own history and the traditions of the native Hawaiians. The presenter talked about the breath of life "Ha" and water "i" and the creative energy of all things define the relationship between the people and the environment.
The last thing I learned was how the various vowels of the Hawaiian language represented various elements of Earth. "A" for Fire, "E" for wind, "I" for water, "O" for earth, "U" for spirit of man, and "Po" for darkness/chaos. It was cool that mere vowels could represent such elements in this way. It was a great lecture.
The first part of my notes was likely a presentation via TED about the future of China and how they are building new cities in previously farmland. Instead of completely wiping out the agricultural land, they will instead move the farmland from the ground level to the top of the building. It greatly reminds me of Dr. Allen's sustainable buildings with green roofs. The green roofs while slightly heavier, help the land become sustainable since it uses the land to grow crops and helps produce O2 via the plants instead of cementing over the land. It was an idea that I really liked because it encouraged to use the land while not destroying the traditions of China.
Other topics included how the culture and religion affect the environment. Which was talked about in other posts. Or how human evolution has evolved socially and economically to the point in which earth can't even balance itself anymore. Earth's system of balancing the population seems to be environmental disasters.
While terrible because of the loss of life, it is understandable that the Earth balance itself. Humans have grown exponentially since the Industrial Revolution, since the increase of health care and medical technology, Earth's natural disasters doesn't seem to be balancing out the population anymore. Instead it seems to ever growing and doesn't seem to be stopping any time soon. While the idea seems harsh, but there is a reason for everything and Earth does have it's own defenses and balances to the world.
The second part of the class had the guy who was a native martial artist who taught us about the Hawaiian elements and the language. It was pretty cool to see the different ways that the elements reflect back into the people. His philosophy was back casting and forecasting. To look back and learn from past mistakes for the betterment of the future. Essentially, this means to learn via Trial and error. Anything thing that has gone wrong, accept it, learn from it and move on. The presenter talked about how westerners "found" Hawaii even though their own ancestors have been around for hundreds of years. That someone could "found" even though they've been there for generations.
He was very knowledgeable about Hawaii's own history and the traditions of the native Hawaiians. The presenter talked about the breath of life "Ha" and water "i" and the creative energy of all things define the relationship between the people and the environment.
The last thing I learned was how the various vowels of the Hawaiian language represented various elements of Earth. "A" for Fire, "E" for wind, "I" for water, "O" for earth, "U" for spirit of man, and "Po" for darkness/chaos. It was cool that mere vowels could represent such elements in this way. It was a great lecture.
Sweet Home Waimanalo
Kevin Vacarello invited us to his new restaurant Sweet Home Waimanalo in Waimanalo, Oahu, Hawaii. We met up at school near the president's parking area for the shuttle that Kevin from our class drove. It was a semi long ride to the store and we met up with other people who also drove their own cars over.
We started by ordering our food so it would be ready for us by the time we get back to the restaurant after the tour of the farm. The farm itself was located at the base of the Ko'olau Mountains, it was fun and interesting and a great hike. We learned about their interest in renewable energies and sustainable agriculture attempting to use as little waste as possible. Kevin explained the aspects of composting and using the manure from their animals to fertilize the crops grown. He also went into detail about possibly using Solar Panels and hydroponics to be more renewable and sustainable.
We were introduced to bread fruit and huge Avocados and allowed to take some home. All in all the farm was a great experience. In the end, he offered to some of our classmates to work at the farm in the future. Any ideas anyone had would be greatly appreciated to help the future of the farm. When we returned to the restaurant, we had dinner that we bought. The food was exceptional since most of it was local grown without pesticides. Although the meat was bought somewhere else, there really wasn't a way around it and Kevin Vacarello wasn't about to start buying cattle to graze. Grazers take up too much land and are an overall inefficient way to be sustainable.
We ended the night drinking Cava which was similar to licking a piece of bark. The effect of cava was interesting as it made my tongue go numb for a bit, but not completely. I did become a little sleepy, but was alright to walk home after being dropped off in Kailua. The farm and restaurant was a great experience.
We started by ordering our food so it would be ready for us by the time we get back to the restaurant after the tour of the farm. The farm itself was located at the base of the Ko'olau Mountains, it was fun and interesting and a great hike. We learned about their interest in renewable energies and sustainable agriculture attempting to use as little waste as possible. Kevin explained the aspects of composting and using the manure from their animals to fertilize the crops grown. He also went into detail about possibly using Solar Panels and hydroponics to be more renewable and sustainable.
We were introduced to bread fruit and huge Avocados and allowed to take some home. All in all the farm was a great experience. In the end, he offered to some of our classmates to work at the farm in the future. Any ideas anyone had would be greatly appreciated to help the future of the farm. When we returned to the restaurant, we had dinner that we bought. The food was exceptional since most of it was local grown without pesticides. Although the meat was bought somewhere else, there really wasn't a way around it and Kevin Vacarello wasn't about to start buying cattle to graze. Grazers take up too much land and are an overall inefficient way to be sustainable.
We ended the night drinking Cava which was similar to licking a piece of bark. The effect of cava was interesting as it made my tongue go numb for a bit, but not completely. I did become a little sleepy, but was alright to walk home after being dropped off in Kailua. The farm and restaurant was a great experience.
Discoverer's Day AKA Columbus Dat
In the beginning, sure I enjoyed Discoverer's Day, who didn't? It was a day off of school. Now that I know the reasons behind the day, I truly hate it. How can we celebrate the day in which a man "claimed" a land that was already occupied? It's like going to my neighbor's house and moving in because I discovered it. People back then cared for nothing but themselves, using made of rules that applied to everyone but no one knew but their opponents. It's a rather maddening "holiday".
Dr. Tony Castanha was an interesting but sadly, depressing to listen to. He seemed to state the more serious and worse facts of the history and seemed to omit the rest. Yes the history was gruesome, but there are always two sides to the story. In fact I had some questions of my own.
If Columbus was discovering China but hit Cuba instead, how did he not notice the difference? Cubans and Chinese don't exactly look like brothers and sisters. In fact, they look completely different. Wasn't there some kind of pictures or drawings or even references to the languages? Another question was related to geography. China was entered via west side instead of along the coast. If this was the case, then they should know that China is NOT an island. But Cuba is an island, so how did they discover China? The native Cubans also wore little clothing since island wear was typically reduced clothing due to heat and faster degradation, so even some history of China would know that they were extremely noble, and that no Chinese would wander around in a loin cloth. It seemed like the greater the need for more land and wealth (greed) the less common sense everyone had. The worst case was the law that non-christian lands were considered vacant. If this was the case, then how come China wasn't invaded? Are they not Christians? Chinese are loyal to their Emperor first and Family second, no where in between is there a God.
It just seemed to me that while Dr. Castanha had many good facts on the history of Columbus Day, there were just as many holes in the plot. Were any of these taken into consideration? It seemed like he told a story of a country of people who lacked basic common sense. I'm not sure, but if anything, this was factual.
Dr. Tony Castanha was an interesting but sadly, depressing to listen to. He seemed to state the more serious and worse facts of the history and seemed to omit the rest. Yes the history was gruesome, but there are always two sides to the story. In fact I had some questions of my own.
If Columbus was discovering China but hit Cuba instead, how did he not notice the difference? Cubans and Chinese don't exactly look like brothers and sisters. In fact, they look completely different. Wasn't there some kind of pictures or drawings or even references to the languages? Another question was related to geography. China was entered via west side instead of along the coast. If this was the case, then they should know that China is NOT an island. But Cuba is an island, so how did they discover China? The native Cubans also wore little clothing since island wear was typically reduced clothing due to heat and faster degradation, so even some history of China would know that they were extremely noble, and that no Chinese would wander around in a loin cloth. It seemed like the greater the need for more land and wealth (greed) the less common sense everyone had. The worst case was the law that non-christian lands were considered vacant. If this was the case, then how come China wasn't invaded? Are they not Christians? Chinese are loyal to their Emperor first and Family second, no where in between is there a God.
It just seemed to me that while Dr. Castanha had many good facts on the history of Columbus Day, there were just as many holes in the plot. Were any of these taken into consideration? It seemed like he told a story of a country of people who lacked basic common sense. I'm not sure, but if anything, this was factual.
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