This year for xmas I got a new phone. It is the first smart phone that I have ever used. I am actually writing this post with my phone! lol hope everyone got what they wanted. Merry xmas!

Tomorrow, my brother is coming back from college for winter break. Unfortunately, we have a full house and it was decided he is going to stay in my room. It seems that every time we have people over, my room becomes the guest room as well. Despite the inconvenience, I’m glad to see him again.

I know this topic has been talked about over and over but at my NACOS lesson today, I had an interesting revelation about gas prices. A couple years ago, I wrote a blog entry about how high gas prices were in Italy when I lived there in high school. Gas was about $5.00/gallon, which was high compared to gas in Honolulu which was about $2.90 to $3.00/gallon. But now that I look at gas prices today, it is almost getting as high as $5.00/gallon. Before I could fill up my truck with about $35 but it’s more than $50. This isn’t too bad compared to other stories I’ve heard from other people but it’s definitely putting a dent in my wallet. When will this end?

After I graduated from college, I was fortunate enough to find a job with the government as a contract specialist. In a very general description, a contract specialist is one of several people on a team that work to provide the necessary facilities and services on military installations in order to support our soldiers.  So far it’s been very interesting and I’ve enjoyed it a lot but I realize that there is so much that I still need to learn.

The program that I am currently in is very beneficial because they invest a lot in training their employees and allow them to experience a variety of work. When I first started out, I was doing contracting work in services. I would basically find companies to provide recurring services on base like janitorial, grounds keeping, or building maintenance and create contracts for those services. Now I have rotated into construction contracting, which compared to services, is like apples and oranges. It’s been interesting though dealing with contracts that are higher in dollar amount and a lot more intricate.

Hopefully I can stay in this career field a long time and become a true professional at my craft.

Today I ran the Ford Island Bridge Run. The run was 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) and consisted of running over the Ford Island Bridge, circling around the island, and running back over the bridge. This was my very first run and I had a lot of fun. I really don’t know what inspired me to do the run in the first place. When I think about it, it’s funny because I have always hated running and would rather get exercise from playing sports or weight lifting. But a couple of my friends love doing races so I decided to give it a shot and see for myself what the big fuss is about.

The beginning of the race is actually pretty exciting because you are among so many people and you can feel the excitement from everyone around you. And once that shot goes off, you just feel like letting loose and going for it. An interesting thing I noticed when I was running was the types of people that participated. There are all kinds of people and I was amazed variety of people that are involved. There were kids, grandpas and grandmas, pregnant women, people pushing strollers, people walking their dogs, serious runners, casual walkers, etc. It’s great that so many people stay active and are able to participate in these kind of events.

After running, I finally got a taste of why people enjoy entering these races. The feeling of accomplishment that I felt when I crossed the finish line was unlike anything I had felt before. It was great knowing that even though I felt tired and that I couldn’t go on anymore, I pushed myself further and was able to finish. I’m not sure if I am gonna to do another run anytime soon but I’m glad I found out for myself what this running thing is all about.

New Years is one of my favorite times of the year. Besides the fireworks and all of the celebration, I like the feeling of starting on a clean slate again. I reflect on what I’ve done up to this point and think of ways to improve and make myself better. I make my resolutions and see how long I can stick to them… haha It’s interesting because even though the start of the new years is really just another day, for me it feels like I’m starting a completely new life. Even though this feeling wears off after some time, I love the feeling of being reinvigorated and starting new. If you think about it, nothing really changes with a person between new years eve and new years day but for me, New Years seems to change me completely. It carries a very symbolic meaning; done with the old and on to the new. I hope everyone had a good new years!

Recently, I came back from a month-long class in Los Angeles. I had a lot of fun exploring the LA area and meeting new people. I really liked LA because it has a diversity of people, similar to Hawaii. But one of the differences that I noticed between LA and Honolulu is the pace of lifestyle. Everybody in LA always seems to always be moving in a rush to get somewhere or do something. There was always something new to do or see. When I got back home, it really made me realize how laidback it is here in Hawaii. It was interesting trying to adjust to a fast-paced and then slow-paced lifestyle. I’m not saying that either one is better, but just different.

While I was living in Italy for 4 years, I had the opportunity to taste some of the best pizza that I have ever had in my life. But ever since I moved back to Hawaii, I had yet to find anything that was even remotely close to what I tasted back in Italy. But after searching long and hard for some authentic Italian pizza in Honolulu, my search has finally ended. About a week ago, I went out to dinner with my family at the V Lounge and finally discovered some real Italian pizza. My family and I were so surprised at how similar it tasted to the real thing. Italian pizza is different from American style pizza in the sense that it is less oily and a lot thinner. At the V Lounge I ordered my favorite, the Margherita Pizza. It’s sweet and simple, topped with tomato sauce, buffalo milk mozzarella, and a little bit of basil. I’m so glad I found this place and can’t wait to go back. I recommend it to anyone looking to have some authentic Italy Pizza. Check it out!

This morning, my girlfriend and I went to check out the Farmer’s Market at KCC. I had always heard about this market from friends but never had the chance to go. We got there at about 8:30 and it was packed. I didn’t realize so many people were gonna be there but I kind of liked the busy atmosphere. We first walked around to plan out what we were gonna buy. It was hard because I pretty much wanted to try everything. After looking around, we ended up buying acai bowls, spam musubi, and sausage on a stick. It was an interesting mix of foods for breakfast but I was satisfied. Overall it was pretty fun and recommend it to anyone looking for something new to do on a Saturday morning.

This week, I officially entered the real world and started my first full-time job. I can say that working an 8 hour day is definitely a huge adjustment from being a college student. For one, waking up at 6 seems to be an everyday struggle for me. Also, having a half hour for lunch is way too short. And finally, I find it hard to be confined to one area for such a long time. But in the big picture, these are just minor things and I know I will get use to them eventually. I feel lucky to have a job though seeing how there are a lot of other students/people still looking for work. It’s unbelievable to think that I reached this point in my life already. It seemed like yesterday that I was just starting college and that working full-time was just a long-term goal far in the distance. Hello Real World.