Happy New Year!

Well, the end of 2004 is at hand and 2005 is just around the corner. Happy New Year, Hau'oli Makahiki Hou, Gung Hee Fat Choy, Oshoogatsu Omedeto!

Lots of things have happened over 2004 and so little time to write them up. Going through a job loss, getting a new job, close friends leaving for better opportunities, births, deaths, start of new families, marriages. So many things have happened. Through all the hussle and bussle of life, it seems that during this brief moment of the year is when I tend to really reflect upon life and what has happened. Maybe it is because of my Japanese upbrining and the rituals I went through as a child during this time of year. Oh how I miss being at home with my parents on New Years. Watching the neighborhood kids popping firecrackers and other fireworks, eating good food, getting drunk on several servings of sake, eating soba noodles just before midnight, eating traditional New Years food my mom would painstakingly make 3 days before New Year Day, eating ozoni (mochi rice cake soup), and then watching Japanese New Years special programming on TV. Oh such sweet memories.

Well, have a great New Years!

Go Low Carb!

In my earlier posts a few months back I talked about going the low carb route. Well, the pounds are still shedding. I'm now 46 pounds lighter and am able to fit in some old clothes. I lost about three to four inches at the waist and feel alot better. I so far have survived the temptations of various holiday treats and just concentrated on eating vegetables and proteins. I was rather satisfied with eating turkey, ham, bbq, salads, and the like. It is great being on this lifestyle since there is no need to portion control. You just have to watch what you eat and make sure it is low in carbohydrates.

As I stated in my earlier posts, I do not completely agree with the Atkins diet but Dr. Atkins does make great points in his book. I have read it and adapted some of the things he wrote about. The diet that I am on is the Page diet. You can find it at .

There are so many advantages in going the low carb route. There has been some reports stating that low carb diets are dangerous. Well, I really think they don't know what they are talking about. There have been long term studies on low carb diets and all of them have been proven to be beneficial. For instance, the Page diet has been around much longer than the popular Atkins diet or the South Beach diet. Also, why is it that Eskimos eating a traditional diet of only meat live longer and healthier lives than those who eat the modern American diet? There are numerous studies showing that viruses, bacteria, and cancer thrive in environments where there is abundant sugars. By going low carb, you have created an environment where these nasty bugs have difficulty in surviving. I really think that because of my low carb lifestyle, I have been able to quickly recover from colds and the flu this season. Just the other day I was coming down with a head cold. By taking plenty of fluids and herbs, along with my low carb lifestyle, I am more or less over with the cold. Coincidence? May be. But, I do see a whole lot of people with persistant colds and they eat lots of carbs.

If you want to normalize your blood chemistry, lose weight, and bring your body to optimum health, avoid eating sugars, starches, grains, and vegetables with high glycemic values.

Merry Christmas to All

What an exciting time of the year. Last night I went to Christmas service with my fiance's family. That definitely helped me get into the Christmas spirit. Earlier, I was commenting to my fiance that I really didn't feel like Christmas was here and felt kind of blah. Well, the music and the sermon during the Christmas Eve service helped me get into the Christmas mood.

After the service, there was a family get together. Food was tasty and the best part was watching the children open their gifts. It was great watching the expressions on their faces and to see how they were excited about opening their presents. It made me recall my childhood and for a brief moment, it made me feel like a kid again. I'm looking forward to opening my presents at my future in law's house today. I love receiving gifts and opening up presents! After that, I'll be making bbq ribs for the family. Mmmm...bbq! This will be a great day...presents and bbq, two of my favorite things to do.

Well, Merry Christmas all.

Cell Phones Cause DNA Damage in Lab Conditions

While doing my usual reading of Dr. Mercola's blogs, I came across some interesting reading about cell phones causing DNA damage under lab conditions. The original article can be found at USA Today 12/21/04.

According to the article, cells displayed significant cell damage via DNA strand breaks when they were exposed to radiation fields typical for mobile phones. According to USA Today, "The radiation used in the study was at levels between a Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) of between 0.3 and 2 watts per kilogramme. Most phones emit radio signals at SAR levels of between 0.5 and 1 W/kg". The DNA damage was permanent which could lead to replication of the damaged cell. The mutated cell thus could become a precursor to cancer.

The project leader for this research, Franz Adlkofer, advised using a land line instead of a cell phone if one is available and to use a headset on a cell phone whenever possible.

Although the DNA damage occurred under laboratory conditions and additional research is needed, I have to agree with Mr. Aldkofer to heed his advice about minimizing the use of cell phones or to use a headset when you do use a cell phone.

Mele Kalikimaka!

Mele Kalikimaka! Merry Christmas!

It's so great to have Christmas Eve off. No work today! Yeah! My first vacation day with the new company. It's going to be a busy day. Have to finish up on gift bagging presents, hair cut, make dinner, go to church, and then go to a family pot luck. I thought holidays was a time to relax! Well, I really hope you will have a very Merry Christmas.

Gift Bags Vs. Gift Wrapping

Well, Christmas is just a few days away. I'm glad I got all of my Christmas shopping done. Actually, my fiance got most of it done for me. I'm such a moron when it comes to figuring out what to give for gifts. In an earlier post, I had mentioned that I was going to attempt to gift wrap some presents. Well, forget about it. I'm going with the gift bag and tissue paper. Whoever thought of the gift bag must have known a lot of people like me who are all thumbs when it comes to gift wrapping.

I don't know why more people don't use the gift bag thing. I mean it is so efficient. Place the gift in the bag, add tissue paper to cover gift in the bag, write name on the attached tag, and you're done. When it comes to gift wrapping, you have to get a box for the gift if it didn't come with one, roll out the cumbersome wrapping paper from the tube, cut the paper, tape the paper and make those fancy folds at the end, put ribbon and bow. People just cut the ribbon and rip the wrapper to open gifts and then throw them out to the trash. With a gift bag, the bag can be reused by the gift recipient when they have to give a gift. Heck, even the tissue paper can be reused. I really think the bag is the way to go. Convinient and environmental!

Well, I wish you all Mele Kalikimaka...that's Merry Christmas in Hawaiian.

Spam and Other Canned Meat

Mmmm...Canned Meat!


I love Spam! It is funny how people make so much fun of Spam or are so negative about Spam when it is so tasty. I love Spam and other types of canned meat. It must be my island upbringing. I don't understand why people will say that Spam is gross and yet they eat non-kosher hot dogs. I mean the ingredients in Spam are so simple and pure like shoulder of pork, ham, salt, sugar, water, potato starch and sodium nitrate while a non-kosher hot dog is made up of pork snouts, lips, tails, ears, and other parts. Now that's what I call disgusting. It is so funny that I have tricked people into eating Spam. I once made Spam fried rice for some friends who stated that they think Spam is disgusting. Well, they ate it up thinking that the meat in the fried rice was ham. They were quite surprised when they found out that it was actually Spam and now they have come to the light and are now eating Spam.

I love to slice up Spam and fry them up until they have a nice crispy crust on the sides. It goes great with eggs. Plus it is a low carb food since it has 0% carbs! Perfect for this island boy. For you carb eaters out there, I got a great recipe for the previously mentioned Spam fried rice. There is also Spam musubi which is just awesome. For those not familiar with Spam musubi, it is basically Spam sushi...Fried Spam, teriyaki sauce, rice, wrapped up in nori (dried seaweed). You really have to try that one!

Other canned meat products that I love are corned beef and vienna sausages. Yummy treats to eat! I like to fry up corned beef with cabbage and sliced onions and I like to nuke vienna sausages and eat them with soft boiled eggs. Dang, I'm starting to get hungry writing about this.

Hawaii is the biggest consumer of Spam in the US. They also are probably one of the largest consumers of canned corned beef and vienna sausages too. It must be because it was a handy source of meat in the islands where it required no refridgeration and has enough saltiness that goes perfectly with rice. They say that the average person in Hawaii consumes six cans of Spam per year. Well, I know I consume more than that a year. Well, try some Spam and I know you will enjoy it. If you don't enjoy it, there must be something wrong with you.

So Little Time

It almost seems like yesterday when I proposed to my fiance to marry me when in fact it was just last year on Christmas Eve. Now the wedding date is just a few months away! Got so little time to do so many things. With my new job and the training I am doing, it is definitely difficult to get all the necessary things done but it will get done...well, it has to be done. I still have to get prices on tuxedos and arrangements for the honeymoon...ah, honeymoon....hubba hubba! On top of that, we still have to go through premarital counseling, caterer, invitations, etc. And I have to work things out with my job and training. UGH!!!!

You know, it seems that when I was a kid time moved so slowly but as an adult time just moves so quickly. It seemed like it took forever for the school year to end so we could go on summer vacation. Now, a year seems like to pass at a blink of an eye. I wonder why is that. Is it because as we get to be adults we are so busy with life and its myriad of tasks? Is it because as we grow older, we are closer to the end of our mortality and thus changes our thinking subconciously about time? Who knows. All that matters to me is there is just so little time with so many things to do. UGH!!!!!!!!!

What's This About a Flu Vaccine Shortage?

Remember just a couple of months ago the shortage of flu vaccines were major headlines on every media outlet? Well, it seems like this was really blown out of proportion doesn't it? I mean, I was watching TV the other day and they were giving out free flu shots to anyone who came in and they stated that there was no shortage of the vaccine. I am wondering why was there such a hysterical scare of a vaccine shortage only a few months ago? It just makes me less and less trusting of the media and government.

Speaking of distrusting the government, did you know that the Centers for Disease Control has a document that shows that the flu vaccine is ineffective? I was reading on Dr. Mercola's blogs that talks about the ineffectiveness of the flu vaccine. It also talks about that people do not die directly as the result of the flu but rather because of their poor health and compromised immune system.

It seems that prevention is the best way to avoid the flu and not by vaccines. Besides, the vaccines contain toxic chemicals that will harm you. Did you know that they use mercury as a preservative for vaccines? Gee, I wonder if there is a link on why there is an increase in autism and the use of mercury in vaccines for children? Of course the government, CDC, and others have stated that these vaccines are safe. Hmm, if I sold a food product containing mercury as a preservative, do you think the FDA will not prosecute me? But at the same time, they allow drug manufacturers to use mercury as a preservative. Besides, we all know of the great job the FDA has done with Vioxx, Baytrol, and other drugs that they had approved and then had to yank off the market because it caused so many people to die. I thought that the FDA was there to protect us and not kill us but it seems that you have to have many deaths before the FDA takes any action.

Anyways, getting back to prevention. I agree with what Dr. Mercola says about the ways to prevent the flu. Here are some pointers:

1. Eliminate grains and sugars from your diet. Viruses, germs, cancer cells love sugars and starches. They thrive on sugars and starches.

2. Wash your hands thoroughly and often.

3. Learn to relax and don't get all stressed out.

4. Get enough sleep.

For more pointers and information, check out Dr. Mercola's blogs!

Now They Start to Call Me

I just cannot believe it. While I was looking for work, I sent out numerous resumes in response to various Internet postings. For months I patiently waited for any response but got none until I got a phone call from my current employer. They were quick to give me an offer of employment after my interview which I am truely grateful for. Now that I've been working for two months, I'm getting phone calls from these companies that I had sent my resume to months ago! Talk about bad timing. Oh well, that's how it goes sometimes. Some companies had the nerve to ask if I would consider leaving my current employer to go and work for them but I told them that it was too late for them, that I already have a job and I am quite happy with it. The way I look at it was they snooze and lose. During my time of unemployment, I would send follow up emails and phone calls of which they would ignore. Now, there are some companies where I had to insist that they stop calling me. I just don't get it with some of these people.

Speaking of jobs, I am enjoying what I am doing. It is very challenging and the hours can be long but I like it. There is so much to learn but I know I can make it. Because of my work I am not able to blog as much as before so please forgive me for not updating this blog on a regular basis.

National Do Not Call List

Just wanted to let everyone know that some of the mobile phone companies are planning on releasing a 411 list for mobile phones sometime next year. This I believe will lead to having solicitors calling you cell phones like what they do to your regular telephone. Talk about eating up your minutes on your cell phone plan. Well, there is a solution for this. Sign up on the National Do Not Call List.

You can register up to three phone numbers at a time. Make sure you follow the directions carefully since there is a 72 hour time limit to fully register to have you phone numbers on the do not call list. I just finished registering all of my phone numbers so solicitors will not be able to call me.

Christmas Shopping

Ah, it is that time of year of the traditional race to the mall and do Christmas shopping. Oh how I hate shopping at the mall. I would rather squeeze my balls with a pair of vicegrips than go shopping at the mall. Whenever I need to buy something at the mall, I usually just go to the store, buy it, and then leave. I avoid the mall like the plague. If I do end up in a mall with my fiance, I just head over to the book store and hang out there. Thus, I would be extremely miserable if I ended up in a mall with no book store. I'm so glad that my fiance has agreed to help in buying Christmas presents. I will just hand her cash for my share of the presents. She is so understanding about me being so gift challenged and my displeasure for shopping.

It is funny that I have this hatred for malls but I can spend hours at Home Depot or at a music store like Guitar Center. Those kinds of places are like my favorite places to be. I love tools, gadgets and musical instruments. Speaking of musical instruments, I just bought me an electric bass that I've wanted for a long time but could not purchase due to my unemployment at the time. I figured that I deserved an early Christmas gift for myself.

Another place I like to go to is the pet store. I love tropical fish and I absolutely adore dogs. Oh how I miss my dog. I miss him very much and it makes me a bit teary eyed when I think about him sometimes. Actually, not teary eyed...that's just a bit of dust that got into my eyes...it can be irritating. I remember my parents telling me when I left home for college, my dog waited by the driveway gate for me for two weeks. He refused to come into the house and sat by the gate all day long. Whenever I came home on Chrismas and summer breaks, he would be so happy. Whenever I went out to visit old friends, my dog waited by the gate until I came home that night and would refuse to come into the house even if it was raining. He was such a great dog and a great companion. Strangest thing occurred one night. I had dreamt about my dog and in my dream we were playing and then he turned around and walked away. He would not respond to my calls to come back. I suddenly woke up and felt an eerie chill. The next day, I called my parents to see if all was well with them and they said they were fine. I then asked how was my dog doing and they told me that he was fine and was sleeping in his box. Actually what happened was that the day before (same day as my dream) they had to put my dog to sleep because he was loosing his fight with cancer and was getting weaker by the day. They told me that he was okay because they did not want me distracted during my finals which I was going through at the time. They told me the truth about what happened to my dog when I came home after finals on our way home after they picked me up at the airport. Talk about being in a state of shock. I wished that I could have seen him one last time before he was put to sleep. He was laid to rest just a few days before I went home. I remember being stunned in the car. I then could not see clearly, not even realizing that I was crying. Oh, how I miss that dog. Dogs are so loyal and give you so much unconditional love. I love it when I visit someone who has a dog. My buddy Dennis has a dog named Coco that I adore. She is such a friendly and great dog. When I used to house sit for them, Coco would be like my shadow, always following me everywhere and would sleep next to me if I crashed out on the living room floor. Hopefully, I will be a dog owner once again after I purchase a home.

Sorry for straying from my intended subject...Christmas shopping. Well, I was able to get for my fiance her Christmas and birthday present. She already figured out what she's getting for Christmas but she doesn't know what she will get for her birthday. Now all I have to do is wrap her gifts up. I am so inept at gift wrapping. I would use those gift bag things but I'm gonna try and do the traditional wrap thing. Try is the word. I may give up and go get a gift bag. I think it is rather amusing...I can fix multimillion dollar machinery but cannot gift wrap to save my life. Oh well.

My Apologies

For you regular readers of my blog, my sincerest apologies for my previous post. I was getting very frustrated with my cyber stalker and needed a way to vent and let them know that I am seriously pissed off at them. Yeah, my temper can get the best of me sometimes. You know, you try to be nice and try to give them hints but some people just don't get it. It's like you need to bash them over the head and yell at them for being absolutely moronic. I can understand those who are ignorant but when it comes to utter stupidity, I do not tolerate it. When it comes to anyone threatening me or my family, they better watch out because I don't tolerate that kind of crap. I will defend myself and my family with all of my might. Remember, I do have samurai blood in me so any threats or harrassment will not be tolerated at all. You think Tony Soprano is ruthless, you have not met a pissed off Stanielsan yet.

I hope that explains why I was so angry when I made my previous post. My friends know that I am generally an easy going kind of guys so I hope things did not shock you. Well, the stalker has not appeared so far but I would not be surprised if she popped up again. I've warned her already. I'll just leave it at that.

Internet Stalkers

Have any one of you been stalked before? It sure is amazing that some people will just bug the heck out of you. There is this woman that I had chatted a few times via a Yahoo chat line. It was during a time when I was not dating anyone nor cared to and I had just broken up with someone. I thought it would be cool to chat with people from Hawaii since I'm from there. Well, this whole thing has now turned into a nightmare for me whenever I log into my Yahoo Instant Messenger. She would send me messages and I would just ignore them. But the messaging would not end. I would get bombarded with messages to the point I have to block her out! And then she would change her user name and keep sending me f&%#ing messages. I figure she is reading this so here is a message for you: LEAVE ME ALONE! CAN'T YOU TAKE A F*&%#NG HINT THAT I DON'T WANT TO TALK TO YOU ANYMORE WHEN I IGNORE ALL OF YOU MESSAGES AND BLOCK YOU!!!??

What is it with these stalkers? I guess some of these people have major psychological issues. Talk about 2 cans short of a six pack. This is not the first time I was stalked. There was a time when an ex-girlfriend stalked me after I broke up with her. She tried to follow me home, constantly called at work, called some of my friends, left tons of messages on my answering machine. Talk about being wacko. I finally had to get a restraining order and a nice letter from an attorney to stop her from contacting me. Hmmm, that's an idea I should pursue on this case. On top of that I should contact Yahoo if she continues this.

So to the stalker (since I know you are reading this):

1. STOP SENDING MESSAGES
2. I'M GETTING MARRIED SO LEAVE ME THE FU*% ALONE..I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO INTEREST IN TALKING WITH YOU
3. IF YOU CONTINUE TO HARRASS ME, YAHOO WILL BE CONTACTED ABOUT THIS
4. IF YOU DON'T STOP, EXPECT A LETTER FROM MY LAWYER
5. IF YOU DON'T STOP AFTER THAT, EXPECT A KNOCK ON YOUR DOOR FROM THE MAUI POLICE (I DO HAVE CONNECTIONS WITH THE LAW ENFORCEMENT IN HAWAII)
6. IF IT CONTINUES, I WILL TRACE YOUR IP AND DO MAJOR PING ATTACKS SO YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO USE YOUR COMPUTER ON THE INTERNET
7. IF IT GOES ON SOME MORE, I HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT FIREWALL BECAUSE I WILL DESTROY YOUR COMPUTER WITH EVERY RESOURCE I HAVE AT MY DISPOSAL
8. DON'T EVEN THINK OF LEAVING A POST ON THIS BLOG. I WILL DELETE YOUR COMMENTS AND BLOCK YOU

SO LEAVE ME ALONE AND WE ALL CAN WALK AWAY NICE AND HAPPY

For you regular readers, I'm sorry you had to read all of this but it had to be done. Some people just don't get it.

Totally Gross

The other day while I was out for lunch I had to use the restroom before taking my order so I proceded to go to the restroom. Well, there was a guy relieving himself at the urinal. After he was done, he just left the restroom without even washing his hands. Talk about gross! After I was done with the required business and washing my hands, I went back into the dining area and saw this guy eating a sandwhich. Even more gross! My first thought was, "Didn't his parents teach him about proper hygine?" I mean, it really made my stomach turn knowing that he just went to whiz without washing his hands and now he's eating with the same hands without any washing. This is not the only incident I have witnessed. Don't people understand about proper sanitation and hygine? Ugh! I've seen grosser things from the restrooms such as guys not washing their hands after doing #2 and then procede to eat. These guys are so disgusting! I wonder if there are some women that are hygenically challenged also or if this is just a guy thing. I know I always wash my hands especially after taking care of business #1 or #2.

Because there are these gross individuals out there, I am very careful how I wash my hands. I follow the procedure that medical professionals are suppossed to follow. Of course even they don't follow their own rules of hand washing. If they did, there wouldn't be rampart cases of spreading infections in hospitals.

Here's a great technique in hand washing:

1. Turn on hot and cold water.

2. Wet your hands and lather with soap starting from your finger tips to your wrists.

3. While lathering, make sure you lather between your fingers and the back of your hand.

4. Lather for at least 15 seconds and then rinse starting from the wrists to the fingers.

5. Grab paper towels to wipe your hands dry and then use the used paper towel to turn off the water.

6. Use the same paper towel to open the door to leave the restroom and then dispose the towel.

This should keep your hands nice and clean after you leave the restroom. Good hand washing will help in fighting off colds and the flu since most of infections start from dirty hands.