This past weekend, I went on a rather tough hike (boonie stomping). To escape from the drudgery of walking, I made a video along the way. If you've ever seen the Discovery Chanel show "Man vs Wild" with Bear Grylls then you'll see some obvious parody influences.
Anyway, enough for introductions, I'll let the video speak for itself.
href=http://youtube.com/watch?v=XhGeLE0GsKo
href=http://youtube.com/watch?v=XhGeLE0GsKo
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Worth Her Weight in Silver...
I always like to keep my gifts for Anna a surprise. Last year she knew what I was getting her for her birthday before I did. Last Christmas it was a good week prior to the actual holiday when she had her gift and was already done with it. (It was the book Twilight and she had the whole thing read before Christmas Eve Eve...)
For her 25th birthday I was careful to really keep the whole thing under wraps. I called the places I needed to and made reservations, but didn't write a thing down for fear that she'd stumble across my notes. I contacted a few friends that were to join us and kept them to an oath of secrecy. And if emails were involved, I deleted them as soon as they were read, and I then deleted my trash to cover my steps. And to my surprise, I did actually keep the gift a secret until it was time for the reveal. She tried to guess it and asked me a few hundred times to tell her, but I stuck to my guns.
Last year on her birthday we drove around the island and saw Guam's sights. We drove by the dock for a small island and resort off of the coast of Guam called "Cocos Island." I thought it would be a great idea to go there for a special occasion.
This year, as we drove closer to the southern tip of Guam Anna looked at the map and asked if we were going to Cocos Island. She'd guessed a dozen things already that day, so this was no indication that she was any closer to figuring it out. "Are we going to that island?"
"Island? Oh, you mean Saipan. No, we are can't afford to fly there."
"No, not that one, Kokomo or something like that."
"Cocos? Oh, yeah, that would have been a good idea. We totally have to do that some day. Since you have the map open, what town are we in? I'm lost. I'll pull over here so we can check the map."
And guess what parking lot I pulled into. Ain't I good? I parked the car and we took this picture to officially start her gift.
We met up with our friends and boarded the boat. The ferry took about 20 minutes. The first thing we did when we got there was to pay for the biggest part of Anna's gift. The resort island was only the scenery. The gift was her (and my) first parasailing experience.
To pass the time before our appointment, we did some snorkeling. The Japanese tourists have trampled that poor little island to death. The reef is really nothing more now than a brown wet wasteland. I saw a super white eel swimming around, but other than that, not too exciting.
Then came time to parasail. Before you get excited and scroll down for footage, I'll just tell you now that I don't have any pictures. I was worried about getting my camera ruined or lost, so it wasn't on our boat. But I can tell you that it is everything you imagine. Anna was a bit nervous at first, but once she realized that she was not going to plummet to the earth below, she really enjoyed it. I had her loosen her death grip on the ropes and spread her arms like an eagle. It was a rush.
We were extremely parched after the flying and screaming. Rather than get some plain old water, we treated ourselves to much needed ice cream.
We met up with our friends and chilled. Two of our group took a walk to a different part of the island where they got "star sand." It's small sand grains that for some reason are shaped like stars. It's some cool stuff. I'll have to work on getting a pic of it for you.
We had a full day and felt like it was time to head back. The ferries only came once an hour, so when the one we wanted came, we had to make a mad dash for them. The pier never felt longer.
We were all very tired after the fun day. We gathered together for one last shot under the entrance.
This was all on the Saturday before Anna's birthday since her birthday is on a Monday this year. But on Monday we had the Kalima family come over and sing happy birthday to her. As we ate cake and ice cream we asked the kids how old they thought Anna was. The first one to answer was Toton, age 8.
"How old do you think I am?"
"Um...Beautiful?" The wisdom of youth.
Next asked was Kiki, age 6.
"How old do you think I am?"
"Um...Oh, I know! 99 Cents!"
To a child my wife may seem to be 99 cents on her 25th birthday, but to me, she's worth her weight in silver.
For her 25th birthday I was careful to really keep the whole thing under wraps. I called the places I needed to and made reservations, but didn't write a thing down for fear that she'd stumble across my notes. I contacted a few friends that were to join us and kept them to an oath of secrecy. And if emails were involved, I deleted them as soon as they were read, and I then deleted my trash to cover my steps. And to my surprise, I did actually keep the gift a secret until it was time for the reveal. She tried to guess it and asked me a few hundred times to tell her, but I stuck to my guns.
Last year on her birthday we drove around the island and saw Guam's sights. We drove by the dock for a small island and resort off of the coast of Guam called "Cocos Island." I thought it would be a great idea to go there for a special occasion.
Anna on her 24th Birthday with Cocos Island in the background
This year, as we drove closer to the southern tip of Guam Anna looked at the map and asked if we were going to Cocos Island. She'd guessed a dozen things already that day, so this was no indication that she was any closer to figuring it out. "Are we going to that island?"
"Island? Oh, you mean Saipan. No, we are can't afford to fly there."
"No, not that one, Kokomo or something like that."
"Cocos? Oh, yeah, that would have been a good idea. We totally have to do that some day. Since you have the map open, what town are we in? I'm lost. I'll pull over here so we can check the map."
And guess what parking lot I pulled into. Ain't I good? I parked the car and we took this picture to officially start her gift.
Front Sign
We met up with our friends and boarded the boat. The ferry took about 20 minutes. The first thing we did when we got there was to pay for the biggest part of Anna's gift. The resort island was only the scenery. The gift was her (and my) first parasailing experience.
To pass the time before our appointment, we did some snorkeling. The Japanese tourists have trampled that poor little island to death. The reef is really nothing more now than a brown wet wasteland. I saw a super white eel swimming around, but other than that, not too exciting.
Then came time to parasail. Before you get excited and scroll down for footage, I'll just tell you now that I don't have any pictures. I was worried about getting my camera ruined or lost, so it wasn't on our boat. But I can tell you that it is everything you imagine. Anna was a bit nervous at first, but once she realized that she was not going to plummet to the earth below, she really enjoyed it. I had her loosen her death grip on the ropes and spread her arms like an eagle. It was a rush.
We were extremely parched after the flying and screaming. Rather than get some plain old water, we treated ourselves to much needed ice cream.
Nothing like Ice Cream on a hot sunny day
We met up with our friends and chilled. Two of our group took a walk to a different part of the island where they got "star sand." It's small sand grains that for some reason are shaped like stars. It's some cool stuff. I'll have to work on getting a pic of it for you.
We had a full day and felt like it was time to head back. The ferries only came once an hour, so when the one we wanted came, we had to make a mad dash for them. The pier never felt longer.
Cocos Pier
We were all very tired after the fun day. We gathered together for one last shot under the entrance.
The gang
This was all on the Saturday before Anna's birthday since her birthday is on a Monday this year. But on Monday we had the Kalima family come over and sing happy birthday to her. As we ate cake and ice cream we asked the kids how old they thought Anna was. The first one to answer was Toton, age 8.
"How old do you think I am?"
"Um...Beautiful?" The wisdom of youth.
Next asked was Kiki, age 6.
"How old do you think I am?"
"Um...Oh, I know! 99 Cents!"
To a child my wife may seem to be 99 cents on her 25th birthday, but to me, she's worth her weight in silver.
Friday, April 25, 2008
My Gypsy Feet...The Movie...
My mom says that my brother and I have gypsy feet. It's not meant as a negative statement against gypsies. It refers to the nomadic lifestyle that gypsies traditionally are associated with. Granted, I think that I have seen far more of the world than the typical ethnocentric American. But any travel of mine simply pales in comparison to my brother, Kris.
Since I was the age of 9, my brother has been in and out of my life. Usually I only saw him long enough for him to make a pit stop traveling. Not all of it is backpacking. Some is work and some is just every day life for him. I have heard only jots and tittles of his adventures. Just recently, he discovered a website called TravBuddy. It's like Blogger, but it's dedicated to travel blogs.
I have always thought that he should put together his life experiences and make a movie out of it. Now that I've read his travel blog, I know that's true. If I didn't know my brother as well as I do, I'd think he was making some of this up. It's just too amazing.
Kris has gone to all but a handful of the countries in the world and has some sort of comical or exciting story behind each one. My favorite thread on his blog is what he calls his "Long March." It's a rather long thread of posts, but it spans the most amazing two year trip that you could imagine. I've read a few posts a day and have to force myself to save some posts for later and get back to work.
If you are a movie producer looking for a story idea, check it out. It just keeps getting better the more you read. And if you are looking for a younger version of Kris to play the lead in the movie, I would be willing to offer my talents...
Since I was the age of 9, my brother has been in and out of my life. Usually I only saw him long enough for him to make a pit stop traveling. Not all of it is backpacking. Some is work and some is just every day life for him. I have heard only jots and tittles of his adventures. Just recently, he discovered a website called TravBuddy. It's like Blogger, but it's dedicated to travel blogs.
I have always thought that he should put together his life experiences and make a movie out of it. Now that I've read his travel blog, I know that's true. If I didn't know my brother as well as I do, I'd think he was making some of this up. It's just too amazing.
Kris has gone to all but a handful of the countries in the world and has some sort of comical or exciting story behind each one. My favorite thread on his blog is what he calls his "Long March." It's a rather long thread of posts, but it spans the most amazing two year trip that you could imagine. I've read a few posts a day and have to force myself to save some posts for later and get back to work.
If you are a movie producer looking for a story idea, check it out. It just keeps getting better the more you read. And if you are looking for a younger version of Kris to play the lead in the movie, I would be willing to offer my talents...
Monday, April 07, 2008
General Conference: The Worth of Every Soul...
For you, the 178th Annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints all over. For me, things just began.
I think it may be of interest for you to hear what goes on behind the scenes here in the pacific to make sure the isles of sea are not forgotten in this world-wide event.
Of my various technical duties for the Church here, one of my most important is the semi-annual work on conference. In Micronesia there are many unique languages. Of them, we have 6 translated live, Marshallese, Pohnpeian, Chuukese, Kosraean, Palauan, and Yapese. We also have people from other islands and Asia that would like to hear conference in their language. We show live sessions in Tagalog, Japanese, Korean, Samoan, Tongan, and of course, English.
We have the largest receiving unit of the Church in the whole world.
Without seeing the spaghetti of wiring that I manage, it's hard to imagine the complexity of what I work with.
And yes, I have spent hours single handedly wiring each one of those. And that's just what it takes to get the languages into the building. Then I have to find a way to take each language of each session and get it to the islands that cannot watch conference any other way.
The old system used a bunch of DVD recorders. Each of the 5 sessions are two hours long, the same as a disc's capacity. So you'd have to be there to start recording exactly on time. I quickly changed that to DVD recorders with a hard drive so I could have some buffer and record all sessions without having to be there to change discs. Timers were also a must. Conference comes down at 2am in Guam. I don't want to be awake to record it.
That method also proved a bit tedious. So I got approved to build a super video-making computer. I put together a system with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2 terabytes of hard drive space, 2GB of DDR3 RAM, a liquid cooled system, and the ability to record 8 languages with video simultaneously. Without going into too much techy detail, it's a very well performing machine.
Using that system and some moderately expensive software, I make custom DVD's that have unique menus and multiple language tracks. One disc can now contain all 8 languages that we need to send out. That reduces the number of discs made by a factor of four or more. The computer paid for itself in one Conference. After the master disc is made, it's time to make copies.
To duplicate, we once had a device that read the master disc, and made 5 duplicates at a time. That was time consuming and impractical. To label the discs, we had printed images to stickers that needed to be pasted onto each disc one at a time. Also not ideal.
Since, I have added a duplicator that makes 11 discs simultaneously and invested in a printing system that can be fed as much as 100 discs at once and prints directly to the disc. It is controlled by a dedicated laptop.
After the discs are made they are placed into mailboxes and mailed to each branch in Micronesia. The whole process takes me every working hour (and then some) for one week.
So, one might ask, why does the Church go to such great length, cost and effort to send people a copy of a few talks? Simple, because the worth of every soul is worth more than every dollar or hour it takes to send them the word of God. And for one week every six months I'll gladly spend my time to be a small pebble in the boulder of the Church rolling forth to the isles of the sea and the world at large.
I think it may be of interest for you to hear what goes on behind the scenes here in the pacific to make sure the isles of sea are not forgotten in this world-wide event.
Of my various technical duties for the Church here, one of my most important is the semi-annual work on conference. In Micronesia there are many unique languages. Of them, we have 6 translated live, Marshallese, Pohnpeian, Chuukese, Kosraean, Palauan, and Yapese. We also have people from other islands and Asia that would like to hear conference in their language. We show live sessions in Tagalog, Japanese, Korean, Samoan, Tongan, and of course, English.
We have the largest receiving unit of the Church in the whole world.
Satellite Rack
Without seeing the spaghetti of wiring that I manage, it's hard to imagine the complexity of what I work with.
Wiring Spaghetti
Wiring Closeup
And yes, I have spent hours single handedly wiring each one of those. And that's just what it takes to get the languages into the building. Then I have to find a way to take each language of each session and get it to the islands that cannot watch conference any other way.
The old system used a bunch of DVD recorders. Each of the 5 sessions are two hours long, the same as a disc's capacity. So you'd have to be there to start recording exactly on time. I quickly changed that to DVD recorders with a hard drive so I could have some buffer and record all sessions without having to be there to change discs. Timers were also a must. Conference comes down at 2am in Guam. I don't want to be awake to record it.
HDD + DVD Recording Station
That method also proved a bit tedious. So I got approved to build a super video-making computer. I put together a system with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2 terabytes of hard drive space, 2GB of DDR3 RAM, a liquid cooled system, and the ability to record 8 languages with video simultaneously. Without going into too much techy detail, it's a very well performing machine.
Computer System
Using that system and some moderately expensive software, I make custom DVD's that have unique menus and multiple language tracks. One disc can now contain all 8 languages that we need to send out. That reduces the number of discs made by a factor of four or more. The computer paid for itself in one Conference. After the master disc is made, it's time to make copies.
To duplicate, we once had a device that read the master disc, and made 5 duplicates at a time. That was time consuming and impractical. To label the discs, we had printed images to stickers that needed to be pasted onto each disc one at a time. Also not ideal.
Since, I have added a duplicator that makes 11 discs simultaneously and invested in a printing system that can be fed as much as 100 discs at once and prints directly to the disc. It is controlled by a dedicated laptop.
Disc Printer, Duplicators, and Laptop
After the discs are made they are placed into mailboxes and mailed to each branch in Micronesia. The whole process takes me every working hour (and then some) for one week.
So, one might ask, why does the Church go to such great length, cost and effort to send people a copy of a few talks? Simple, because the worth of every soul is worth more than every dollar or hour it takes to send them the word of God. And for one week every six months I'll gladly spend my time to be a small pebble in the boulder of the Church rolling forth to the isles of the sea and the world at large.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Wife vs. Slave...
Ever since my infamous post called "American Woman..." people have been second guessing my attitude toward and perception of women. I've been accused of being everything from an activist to a zealot. General consensus usually lands on chauvinist.
It dawned on me years ago that people assume that about me when they see Anna and me in public. When we are alone, Anna is always quick witted, free spirited and surprisingly verbose. But in a group, even among friends, she becomes more reserved. So, all people see is this white dude walking around with a silent Asian geisha that does his bidding.
I'd like to tell myself that I don't care what people think, but who wants to be known like that? From this small electronic soap box I get to defend myself from time to time. Having been married over a year now I'm confident that while I may not be the worlds best husband, I'm a pretty good one. I'd like to think that I'm fairly on par with modern gender equality.
I don't think a wife is a slave, nor should be one. In fact, while talking with Anna about this the other day, I had an epiphany that even Oprah couldn't disagree with.
There is a big difference between a wife and a slave. A slave does whatever you want leaving you with no guilt. A wife has you do whatever she wants and manages to make you feel guilty.
Can I get a copyright on that quote?
It dawned on me years ago that people assume that about me when they see Anna and me in public. When we are alone, Anna is always quick witted, free spirited and surprisingly verbose. But in a group, even among friends, she becomes more reserved. So, all people see is this white dude walking around with a silent Asian geisha that does his bidding.
I'd like to tell myself that I don't care what people think, but who wants to be known like that? From this small electronic soap box I get to defend myself from time to time. Having been married over a year now I'm confident that while I may not be the worlds best husband, I'm a pretty good one. I'd like to think that I'm fairly on par with modern gender equality.
I don't think a wife is a slave, nor should be one. In fact, while talking with Anna about this the other day, I had an epiphany that even Oprah couldn't disagree with.
There is a big difference between a wife and a slave. A slave does whatever you want leaving you with no guilt. A wife has you do whatever she wants and manages to make you feel guilty.
Can I get a copyright on that quote?
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