The FLOOD! Where's Noah when you need him?

This morning, I had a final exam scheduled at 8. When I drove down, it was raining hard, but I didnt realize how hard until I got to school. Several parts of Laie were flooded. Mostly the block contained in Kulanui St, Iosepa St, and Naniloa loop. I saw some men with water up to their chest. Hard to realize since yesterday was warm and sunny, and it didnt start raining hard til about 3 am. I was up til 1:30 doing homework, and it was just windy the whole time. Look what blew in!

I realized that this is a unique experience, so I went back and took these photos. I wasnt in the thick of it like before, but these are some pretty convincing photos. I felt like I was in a third world country. There were chickens on the roof, people cruising in kayaks and on surf boards, cars with water up to the dash, flooded homes, dirty water all over, the works.

Since today and tomorrow are the last day of finals, I dont know what is going to happen. Hopefully we hear soon. Fortunately, I am safe from all of this. I live at the point which is very much elevated from Laie, where all this is happening. My only concern is that my car has a leak I didnt know about and now theres a nice puddle in the drivers side feet area. :)

*********Update!

Well, I spent about 5 hours yesterday vaccuming water from my Jeep. I pulled about 5 gallons of brown, dirty, rusted water from that thing!

Last night around 6 it started pouring again. Dolly and I were going to try and do some shopping in Kaneohe, but the road was shut down because a power line came down in the road and was bouncing around in the rain....not good. So we came home, which was probably the best choice anyway. At that point the rain was coming down so hard that even with my wipers at high speed I still could hardly see. The roads were covered with water and the brakes would be wet requiring a purge every once in a while. Not ideal conditions for the Kamehemeha Hwy.

So, we went and got dinner at the Foodland shopping center. When we walked out of Subway, it was pouring rain. We were talking to someone when, BOOM!!! Lightning struck about 30 feet away around the corner. Instantly, everything went dark, almost in a wave. You could the dark expanding around us. It was pitch black, which was eerie after such a stunning flash of light and an earsplitting explosion sound. Car alarms were going off all over the place. This weather has created some crazy experiences. Unfortunately, many homes were flooded and people are living at one of the school buildings which doubles as a shelter.

Thanksgiving

I am just testing a blogging software, but thought I'd throw up a picture of my Thanksgiving dinner!

Scat and Flora's Wedding

Yesterday, one of my best friends, Sekati Fiaui, got married to Flora Ah-chee. I roomed with Scat during the summer, and we did quite a bit with each other at the beginning of this year and through the summer. He is from Savaii, Samoa, as is his wife. They didn't really know each other though until after Scats mission.

I got to do several things with the wedding. My work schedule prevented me from doing some things, but I was able to help drive them to get flowers and the tux on Friday. Friday night we stayed up til about 3 setting up the chapel. Saturday I attended the sealing, then arranged for my roommate Joe to do the filming, and then I did photos with my camera, and drove them to the "Point" for more photos, then I went and got food ready, set up speakers, and I was the DJ for the wedding (thats what I'm doing in this photo! I have my laptop and I am hooked into the amp and speakers). Then, I helped clean up and take people home. It was a long day, but it was very nice. They had a lot of people help out, which was good since both of their parents were unable to attend.

Here are some of the photos.

Duane's Last Day

Duane, my boss here at BYU-Hawaii, is retiring. Friday was his official last day, although I know he still has stuff to clean out of his office, so he'll be around til Thursday I believe. Duane and I first met before my Senior year of high school. I was interested in doing an internship with BYU Broadcasting, and Derek Marquis gave me Duane's name and said that I may be able to get an internship through him. My dad and I went and interviewed with Duane. However, I never actually did the internship.

Years later, after my mission, as I was preparing to come to BYU-Hawaii, I started asking about jobs in broadcasting over here. You'll never guess who the contact was...Duane Roberts! When I came to Hawaii, I interviewed with Duane and then did another interview with Tom Griffiths over at the TV Studio. Duane was extremely interested in having me work for him, while Tom didn't seem to care too much about my skills, saying that they "might" be able to find a place for me. So I worked for Duane which, in retrospect, was the much better choice. Duane has always supported me in what I do. He trusts me and is a great motivator. I never felt managed with Duane, I always felt led. I'll miss having him around, but I know how much stress his job gives him. I know he'll enjoy retirement, but I doubt he'll be able to sit around for long!

Sunrise at Laie Point

When I got home from the gym this morning, this is what I saw. Keep in mind, this is the view directly from my house. What a great way to start the day eh?

Operation: Hauula

Yesterday, I was invited by Wes to join in on an airsoft battle. It was my first time ever really doing something like this, and it was fun, and kind of an eye opening experience! We gathered around 10 in the morning. I quickly noticed that everyone else seemed to be experienced, and that I wasn't. Most people were wearing camouflage gear, had their own guns, and by their conversation, I could tell this was because they were pretty expert. I decided to go change out of my blue gym shorts and shirt into something a little more organic/dirt colored. It was a good thing I did! Everyone had automatic airsoft guns, which also indicated to me how into the game this group was. (group photo before we left my house)

We drove about 10 minutes to Hauula, the neighboring town. There are some trails that go up to a ridge. We played on and around the trails. The setting was pretty cool. There was an old Hawaiian heiau (temple or worship site) we started at. It provided a good base with a rock wall about hip height. There were lots of thick trees, so these guys with the camo were hard to spot. Our games were quite organized. Each game had different objectives. Some were assigned to take over, others defend. We even played one game called "president" where one man was the president, flanked by his armed escort. He had to get down the road before the rest of us, the assassins, could shoot him. So we hid on the side of the road in the thick brush. Some even hid up on top of a cement wall on the side of the road. They were particularly hard to spot, and had a good shot. (This is my gun on the heiau)

I felt a little lost for a while. I had no sense of strategy in comparison with the other guys, and I was much easier to spot. One game, Wes's brother in laws and I tried to sneak around the back to surprise the other team, but we ended up going so far that by the time we got there, the time had run out. We had hiked through grass over our head, tight trees, over rock walls...it was intense! I also discovered that I had to crawl to sneak up on people sometimes. I gained a whole new respect for what goes on in the military. It is not easy work, and I know my airsoft wars dont compare to the real thing!

After several games, we moved to another nearby spot. This place had been designed for airsoft and paintball games, it seemed. There was canvas tied between trees providing hiding spots. One team took the uphill, the other the downhill and then the downhill team would try to take over the hill.

It was about this game where I finally started to get the feel for the game. Kimball, the only Samoan who was there, and I were on the team that started downhill. He and I moved to the left side of the hill, while the rest of our team was in the middle and the right. We managed to sneak up the far left. He would fire uphill, causing the opponents to hide so that I could move undetected, then I would do the same for him. I got far enough up the hill, that I was actually uphill from several people on the opposite team, and could see them huddled behind their canvas barriers. They were surprised when they got showered with the bb's from behind and to the side! We won that game. (This photo is the two of us moving up the side. I'm the one further up the hill)


Overall, I thought it was pretty fun. It was tiring, but it was nice to do something a little different for a change. Hawaii is a great place to do airsoft because of all the vegetation.

Here are some other photos I like. Kimball is on the left, on top of the wall. And then the one on the right is after the "president" game. Looks like these could have been taken in some major conflict dont they!

And then he was 23.....

Yesterday was my 23rd birthday. Overall, pretty much a normal day. I woke up, went to the gym, did laundry, worked on some homework, showered, went to class, went to work, etc. Although, in class we happened to do an activity that required a spokesperson. It was selected based on who had the nearest birthday...so when it was discovered that it was my birthday, the class burst into song.

Dolly treated me to a great night. We started out by going to watch the sunset. It looked promising as we left Laie, with the sun's rays coming over the Koolau Mountain range. However, as we got near the beach, we could see there was a heavy cloud cover on the horizon. We sat down anyway and ate the stir fry that Dolly had made. When it started raining, we darted for the car and finished our meal within the safety of the Jeep.

We stopped by Dolly's auntie's house, Lagi, and visited for a bit. After a short visit, we took off to Mililani. I talked to Grandma and Grandpa Linebaugh on the way there, and then my parents while we were in line to get gas at Costco. After we filled up, we went and got tickets to watch Madagascar: Escape to Africa. While we waited for the movie to start, Dolly treated me to Jamba Juice. Then we went into the movie theater.

We had forgotten that you cant take drinks into the theater. The lady taking tickets was not very amused by our innocent blunder, and so we sat down and treated ourselves to a fruity brain freeze. The movie was quite entertaining, actually. It had some funny characters and I thought the animation was quite good. The story was fresh and interesting to me. It was fairly predictable, but certainly a good show.

The Laughing Samoans Performance

Last week, on October 17, Dolly, Hannah and I went to Honolulu for the Laughing Samoans show. The Laughing Samoans are a group of 2 comedians who have become the Bill Cosby or Brian Regan of Polynesian comedy. They do a lot of jokes making fun of the Polynesian customs, the way they sometimes speak FOB English when they leave the islands (Fresh Off the Boat), and anything else they can think of. They pack a lot of laugh into an hour of entertainment.





I got 3 backstage passes through my roommate, Wes, and our buddy Rob Poleki. They had commited to create a video in trade for a booth that visitors could visit before the show. Although the booth didn't get used, I got to use the backstage passes.

We got taken straight back stage where we interviewed the Laughing Samoans, Eteuati Ete and Tofiga Fepuleai. They were shocked when they found out I spoke Samoan, in fact they ran and got their video camera to get video of me. The famous people wanted to take video of me! ha ha ha! We had a fun interview.

We also got to meet Augie T. He is a local comedian who is a household name in Hawaii. He was surprisingly funny. He had the crowd completely riled up. He was really fun! Like the Laughing Samoans, he was a very nice guy.

The opening band was Laga Savea, who is a local artist. He is pretty young, down to earth guy. There was a surprise performance by Fiji, who was not a very impressive individual, which was kind of dissapointing because I really like his music.

After getting all the interviews I needed, we went inside the general seating of the Blaisdell Center and enjoyed the show. It was a pretty full house, and the crowd just loved the show. It was definately worth every penny I spent on the tickets...! Wait, I didn't spend any money.

We also met Mayor Mufi Hannemmann, mayor of the Honolulu area. He was a surprise visit to the crowd, and boy did he cause a stir. Being of Samoan descent, everyone in the crowd is very pro-Mufi. He was very tall! Look at him next to Augie T. Philipino...Samoan....any difference?

We then just hung out to film the guys signing autographs, then we said our goodbyes and went home. We got home before midnight since we opted out of the after show party we were invited to. Overall, it was a very fun night.

I have been working on the video. Once it is approved, I will post it...well, maybe I'll post it anyway....you can click on it on the sidebar.

Samoan gospel analogy

I shared this as a spiritual thought at a recent morning devotional at work. My boss, the vice president of BYU Hawaii, liked it well enough he requested I type it up. Apparently, he then shared it with the mission president, the area president, and the temple president, all of whom requested a copy and told Bro Neil to say thanks. I figure if they like it, maybe some of you might enjoy reading it too.

Just a little background information, I learned about this through my companion, Elder Puailoa. I shared this with 3 wards during my mission: 2 English, 1 Samoan. One ward in particular was quite moved by the talk I gave. A previously idle missionary ward, we were invited to 3 dinners that day, and the bishop really turned around. Anyway, here it is, enjoy! You can use your imagination to create the gospel connections.

Many of the Samoan people rely upon the ocean as a source of food to supplement their agricultural efforts to provide for themselves. At times, special occasions require a large amount of food to be acquired. Examples would be when other villages would visit for weddings, funerals, or the bestowing of chief titles. Some villages prepare for such occasions by using a fishing technique (faiva) called a fa'amo'a.

A conch shell is blown to assemble the 'aumaga or village men to the beach. They come with long sticks or machetes, usually one per hand. They line up in two lines along the beach, one on either end of the beach. At the signal, the men march into the sea single file, until the entire line is in the water and the front men have arrived at the reef. As the men walk, they slap their tools in the water, scaring all the fish into the center of the two lines. Then, the lines form a large circle, then begin to walk into a tighter circle, all while slapping the water and scaring the fish. When there is a tight circle, a few tautai, or skilled fisherman, then dive with their spearguns (faga me'i) and spear enough fish to feed the villiage and visitors.

The tautai could easily go solo fishing and perhaps get one or two fish, but certainly not enough to feed an entire villiage. Those not trained to fish couldn't get any food on their own. Only when they all work together is this great feat accomplished. Each member is critical. If one member of the 'aumaga stops slapping the water, the fish will escape through the gap left by his carelessness, wasting the entire group's efforts.

Applications:

This can be applied to missionary work, as we are all the 'aumaga and must do our part so that the tautai or full time missionaries can "catch" the greatest number of souls for our Father's kingdom. Jer. 16:16

We also learn the importance of everyone doing his duty in a community or organization. DC 107:99
Wherefore, now let every man learn his duty, and to act in the office in which he is appointed, in all diligence.

I'm sure there may be even more lessons to be learned from this technique. Isnt it amazing how many symbols of the gospel can be found in everyday life!

Just a little catch up!

Well, there havent necessarily been any monumental events in my life, but just thought I'd throw in a blog of "small events" just for fun, and for the sake of remembering the "good times"!

Last week Sunday, there was a Samoan/Tongan/Fijian Club Gospel musical fireside that I was able to participate in. I sang a song with Tevita Uhi and Sione (?) both from Tonga. It was called Journey or something...not sure. Being sick, it was pretty fun to try and sing, but it went okay. Sione was on melody and didn't find his not for a while, so we sounded off for a bit. The other performances were great. Everyone was asked to dress in their traditional garb for it, which made it fun. There was a group of 7 girls that sang a song in perfect harmony that was probably my favorite.

So, now its time for the fish tank update. We have so many beautiful fish in our tank! This week, Wes's buddy Shane went fish hunting. He goes to the reef nearby and catches fish to put in the tank. This week he brought a large angel fish and that other pretty fish in the bottom left of the photo. Dont know what that one is called, but I really like it. They add a lot of color to the tank. We have removed the angel fish though because the little fish were picking on it and ate off the little top feather that is a distinguishing feature of the angel fish. Funny isn't it?



I made it to the beach this week. Yesterday, Dolly and I went to Bikini beach which the beach near my house. Its a nice beach because you can find shade. There is a lot of corral in the water, but there are patches of good swimming area.

There is an access on my street. Since the point is an elevated cliff area, there are stairs that cut into the rock and come out right where the sand meets the side of the cliff. We walk the beach a ways to get to the favorite swim spot.

There has been an influx of jellyfish lately, and Dolly got stung while we were there. She thinks its the first time she has been stung before. But it just causes a bit of itching for a while usually, nothing too bad. She didn't get too bad of a sting either.

Its a pretty relaxing activity! Dolly loves writting stuff in the sand, and you can see her starting to write my name in the sand there.

No photo for this one, but I'm actually using a Macbook Pro to do this blog. My laptop has been getting the infamous "Blue screen of death" fairly consistently this week. I was suspecting a hard drive problem, but I did a backup while in safe mode and it went fine. I am reformatting and hopefully the problem will be solved. It could have been a virus, I didn't have an antivirus for a while because the school doesn't offer a 64 bit version like BYU does.

I explained my plight to my roommate/landlord/business partner/friend, Wes, who offered to let me use a Macbook that he has. I took him up on the offer. He went and looked under a large pile of laundry, pulled this out, put it in a bag and said, "Use it, no one else does!" Its 4 months old, has a fast processor, 4 gigs of ram, etc...sweet machine, basically my dream computer right now. This makes me feel better because I was strongly tempted twice this week to buy a mac (I think I have become a believer!) but they cost SOO much! So, I may actually be using this quite a bit. We are going to load the Adobe Suite on here, and I will likely use it to do my projects on. Thanks Wes for saving me over $3000! Fixing my computer is suddenly not a top priority! :-)

There is an ongoing event at the school right now...BYUH Idol. Its amazing to see the talent at this school. The performances have been extremely entertaining. The first night, the theme was movie songs. Last night, it was "roots night" with people singing songs from their native country. My favorite last night was a guy from Thailand singing the song from Aladdin when Aladdin is running from the guards at the beginning, in his native language, complete with 10 or so character voices...hilarrious! Definately some great talent at this school. This years was better than last year. Last year there were some clear standouts but this year is proving to be a close competition between most of the contestants. We will see what happens!