My heaven.

Despite what everyone was telling me, Hawaii is not an expensive place. Sure we get crap all for our crappy Aussie dollar but who really wants to spend, spend, spend when you can lie down, relax on the beach and listen to the waves crashing against the shore. AHHHH. How I miss those days. Anyhoo, seems that I am one of those people who want to constantly spend, spend, spend... So the day my cousins headed back to LA, we decided to hit Ala Moana Mall. It is definately the prettiest mall I have been to, reminds me of Waringah Mall but with no bogans. We spent all day there as in 10am to 6pm or something.

View of Waikiki Beach from Hilton Hawaiian Village


Ala Moana Mall


Working it at the mall lol


Hanauma Bay

...is WOW. Now this is what i call an awesome beach. We were all cam whoring from the second we arrived to the second we left.



The bay actually used to be a volcano, but after one side collapsed it became the lovely bay it is today. It's home to hundreds of coral and fishys and according to my dad Hawaiian sharks. lol. You had to watch a video and pay $5 before hitting the sand - but it's a cute 2 minute 80's style doco about what not to do while you are down there. Things like not stepping on the coral, touching fish or feeding them - all to the schnazzy tune of 'Under the Sea'. I should have filmed it, it was hilarious.

This was the first time I went snorkelling and it was the most fun I have ever had at a beach!... Even though my $5.99 ABC Store snorkelling gear made my nose look like MJ's and often filled my eyeballs with stinging salt water; Ron & I floated around for hours chasing schools of fish and taking pictures of everything that moved.


me n mummy


fish lips lucy - not a fantastic look

I could go on about this all day but let me just say that you MUST MUST MUST visit this place and secondly I can't take underwater pictures for crap.

P.S. This was waiting for us when we arrived back at our condo...




xoxo

Talofa!

We spent an amazing day at the Polynesian Cultural Center. Ron, Juan & I took a shuttle bus up there because we were still suffering cramps from the day before when we fit 10 people into a 7 seater car. I thought it would be a quiet little bus ride and I could catch up on some much needed sleep but it was the complete opposite. When we jumped on the bus we were greeted by Cousin Ghandi who would be our bus tour guide - he introduced us to Cousin Hercules, our bus driver. Very creative names. Cousin Ghandi was fantastic, he showed us some amazing scenery and told about various myths surrounding them. The extra US$25 was really worth it... but then again I would rather bought a new top or something.

Waiting for our 'boos'


Practising my Aotearoa war pale face




Where '50 First Dates' was filmed

The Polynesian Center is HUGE... kinda like a theme park for learning. There are seven villages that make up the park - Tonga, Tahiti, Marquesas, Hawaii, Fiji, Aotearoa and Samoa. Firstly I had never ever heard of Marquesas in my life and Aotearoa? More on that later. Our tour guide was a Singaporean student called Christina. She reminded me of this really annoying person that used to work in Wonderland who used to always say "SMILES ALL AROUND" to me. But whatever, I learned to embrace her annoyingness and she proved to be very knowledgable about the Polynesian Culture. Juan and Ron were quite upset they didn't get an authentic "Paulini" to guide us for the day... but we followed Christina around like her shadow anyway. So we walked through the different regions of Polynesia and watched shows and did different activities such as...



Watching a Samoan climb a coconut tree


Watching a cute boy dance in Marquesas


Learning to play 'Pala'i'e in Hawaii


Stuffing our faces with ice cream


...posing with the students
It was a fantastic although tiring day and it has probably been the most I have learnt in one day since I finished high school. I realised I was an ignorant bitch and it's quite frankly rather embarassing considering how close we are to the Polynesian region. I didn't even know Aotearoa was New Zealand - I was thinking wow, I've never heard of that country in my life. The funniest thing about the NZ village is that we met a student who was from Bidwill. WTF. I guess wherever I go, there will be a bogan. Nahh, he was a lovely guy. I wonder if he knew that the Croc Hunter died? I forgot to tell him.

But wait, there's more... After all the walking around we attended a fabulous luau and saw the night show 'Horizons'. It is now my life long dream to be able to shake my ass like the Tahitians do. I really had an awesome day, although some people in our party said they had never been so bored in their lives.

So after spending a day being called 'Australia' by Christina; it was time to say our goodbyes, I wanted to hug her and say thank you with a 10 buck tip or something but I was too hungry.



At the Luau


With some fish grass leaf creation


Mother dearests 60th b'day!


post luau posing

xoxo

Me Likelike Waikiki!

I hate flying alone so I was lucky enough to be sat between two strapping young lads who kept me entertained for the 8 hour flight into Honolulu. Oh and plus, my mummy, aunty and cousin were sat infront of me for extra moral support. Having endured 20 hour flights, the 8 hours seemed like nothing and like a dream we arrived in Hawaii safe and sound.

After being greeted by 'Bolbol' in customs, the awesome sixsome proceeded to board a limo taxi which took us to our apartment on Kuhio Ave. Wow. We had an amazing view of the mountains thanks to our room being on the 28th floor.



Anyhoo, first stop was DFS Galleria, or as I like to call it 'Little Japan'. Followed by the International Markets which is a complex full of jewellery, clothes, souvenirs and yummy food all catered to tourists. We all ended buying so much crap from this place, even though we were fully aware that the stuff was overpriced. Ron just couldn't resist this nightie.



Waikiki Beach is quite smaller than I had imagined but it stages the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen. Consequently, it is a fantastic backdrop for major cam whorage.


Sheraton Waikiki


At least my nails look good.


Ron & Juan take their whorage seriously.

After leaving Sydney at 8:30pm on saturday and arriving Honolulu at 10:30am on the same day we were all a bit dazed and confused...

Day 2

Reunited with my fantastically fun and loud Cali cousins today who convinced us all to get a massage. So off we went to the Mandala Spa at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. My girl was fantastic, she had magical hands that left me wanting a happy ending - and then I remembered I wasn't a guy. I love getting massages, especially my hands, feet and scalp - it's magical, I should have that girl on speed dial. After the 50 minute massage I felt like I was floating, my mum and I even vowed we would take a massage therapy course in tafe together. haha.

Rainbow Tower at the Hilton Hawaiian Village

We also ventured to Pearl Harbor since it seemed like a very touristy thing to do. I admit, the only thing I knew about Pearl Harbor was Josh Hartnett but the actual site is really cool. We walked through the U.S.S Bowfin and the U.S.S Missouri and wow, they have bloody everything on there. Americans are so damn patriotic, I had to hold back from making my usual stupid comments because I didn't want to get punched in the face by a redneck.




Doing our best to entice young boys to join the navy

xoxo

Spring has SPRUNG!

I have been waking up at 6am this past week so my family thinks I am sick. Even during school, I used to wake up at 8am. I'd pull on my uniform and be out the door by 8:05. My hair was unbrushed, I barely had time to brush my teeth and I always forgot at least one book for that day. Sometimes I would bump into my mate as I walked past the lake and we would decide not to go to school. We would walk around the lake about 10 times and then decide after that we were bored so would end up going to school anyway. I used to hate the freeeeeeezing cold mornings where my shortcut through some pine trees would leave my hair soaked in dew left on the needles. I was so lazy - but my shortcut always made me arrive at school on time at precisely 8:15am.

I am overjoyed at the fact that its now getting warmer. Winter sends me into semi-hibernation and over eating. Now that the sun is actually up as I awake, it gives me more of a reason to get out of bed in the morning. Things also seem much clearer when the sky is blue and the kookaburras are kookoo-ing.

On saturday, a bunch of my family, Ron, Juanus & I will be soaking up the sun burn in Hawaii. We are going to have an awesome time, it's going to be Luaus, Hawaiian boys, shopping and mai tais!... I'm convinced I am going to bump into Boone - even though he died in season 1 of Lost. Who knows, he might still 'hang out' in Hawaii looking for his leg.

Until then, back to the shop I go and just so you know... The Scream has been found.

xoxo