Goal #1 - CHECK!

About a week ago I wrote my goals for the month in my blog. This week, one has been checked off and completed exactly as hoped.

Tbe goal was:
1. Find another job (preferably in a bakery but don't push you're good luck too far.) Anything that allows you to survive with a little extra cash in your pocket will do.

That day I went to a bakery and it turned out that they were hiring and posted an ad on Craig's List. We had a brief interview outside in the outdoor cafe area and she asked me to send her my resume. As soon as I got home I sent the resume. I didn't go to any other bakery or restuarants even though that was the plan, simply because I had a good feeling about this one. Low and behold, next day I get an e-mail saying that they liked me and would like to do a trial run on Monday.

Yesterday was my first day in the bakery. It was everything I hoped for and more! I was there by 6:45am (15 mins early). I put on my apron and they put me to work right away. This is what I did!:

First thing I did was decorate mini cupcakes. About 30 of them were for an order and another 50 were for the bakery display case. Now, of course they had the regular Red Velvet, Vanilla, Strawberry, and Chocolate cupcakes. However, they also had Lilikoi (Passion Fruit), Guava, Macadamian Nut Mocha, and Haupia (Coconut). The cupcakes had various fillings and frostings and I had to follow the instructions in the book. Easy peasy! The most difficult part was getting used to using parchment paper folded into a bag instead of a normal cake decorating bag. After the first failiures with the strawberry cupcakes I nixed the paper and opted for the traditional bag. Muuuuch better! =)

Then, I scooped a whole bunch of oatmeal batter into cookie balls. This required a lot of bicep muscles that have not been properly used in a long long time. I worked through the pain though. This will not defeat me! I did it all. I forgot to count how many there were total but let's just say there were A LOT!

After that I piped white royal icing into coral reefs onto wax paper. This was hand cramp after hand cramp but I pushed through the pain. I made 25 of those very elaborate lines.

Lastly, I learned how to properly crumb coat a cake and ice the cake in whipped cream. It was definitely challenging. I haven't crossed that hurtle yet but I feel motivated to conquer it!

They liked me and I loved them and what I was doing!! They're going to give me my full schedule next week. But as of now it looks like I'll be working at the bakery Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. And at Margaritaville Tuesday thru Saturday. It'll be a lot of work and pretty much no days off but I'm so happy because I'll actually love what I do. YAY!

AND DON'T FORGET! THE GIVEAWAY DEADLINE IS TOMORROW! COMMENT ON THIS POST AND YOU'LL BE ENTERED TO WIN!!!

First Month in Hawaii, First Paycheck, First Giveaway

Today was my 1 month-iversary in Hawaii. It was love at first sight. It's funny because it's also the first full month of having my blog. Also, I got my first Hawaiian paycheck today! Yay firsts!!

GIVEAWAY!!

To celebrate my firsts I would like to do a little giveaway. I'll make a little Hawaiian themed package of assorted goodies and send it to someone chosen at random. Trust me, I'll make it worth your wild. lol. Leave me a comment telling me what you're favorite first was and you'll be entered to win! I will keep this giveaway open til Wednesday, May 11 when I will pick the winner at 3pm EST (9am Hawaii time).

Now...GO! Comment!!

Goals

It's important in life to set goals for yourself. Especially for me. Slight neat-freak and obsessive list-maker. I plan out my days/weeks/months as soon as I have an inkling of what might be going on. I'm not so bad that I feel that I must stick to the list of the whole world will crumble. However, I do my best to get everything done. The lists, the goals, keep me focused on what I need to do. It's how I function.

Therefore, here are my goals for the Marvelous Month of May!

1. Find another job (preferably in a bakery but don't push you're good luck to far. Anything that allows you to survive with a little extra cash in your pocket will do.

2. Join a club, league, or fitness program. Just have something to do once a week, every week. Either something active or creatively stimulating. It's fun and there's always room for new friends! =)

3. Look into the Masters of Nursing program at UoH. You know this is what you want to do. Visit the school, see what the classes would be like. Make them want you before you even apply.

Life is sweet -- Savor and Enjoy!!

I made Chocolate Chip Cookies today for the roomies. The recipe was found in Buddy Valastro's autobiography and cookbook, Cake Boss. I love the stories and this may be my new favorite recipe for chocolate chip cookies!!

Saying goodbye to the best April ever.

Dear April (the month--not a person),

It's been so great to see you. Let me list my favorite things that has happened while you were around.

 

On the first day you arrived, my very best friends and I went out to celebrate my birthday! We went to Midieval Times, had the opportunity to go backstage and hang out with some knights and horses, and then had a slumber party in a hotel. I definitely had an amazing time and will never forget my treasured friendships.

Later on, I had to take my sweet and adorable kitty cutestuff to the vet to get her Hawaii ready. The process to bring pets from the mainland to Hawaii is long and grueling. She has to wait 120 days before she gets clearance. This is to keep Hawaii rabies-free. I had to say goodbye to my love, Tigger. I know she's had a great time with her babysitter.

While you were here, April, I had to say goodbye to family and friends. This was the most challenging event but still a favorite. I wish I could say that I never took these people for granted, never got angry at them for childish and ridiculous reasons, and never, not even for a second, forgot what they mean to me. However, I couldn't say that then, but I can definitely say that now. I miss  each and every last one of you. Please know that I greatly appreciate your constant support and friendship. Seriously, feel free to come visit!!

Still early on in your visit I made the BIG move. On my 25th birthday, April 6th, I got on a plane and took the 15 hour journey to Hawaii. It was love at first sight. Best thing about Hawaii has to be the beaches. I go multiple times a week. There's nothing more relaxing than laying down on the warm sand listening to the lightly crashing waves while feeling the salty, sea breeze on your face.

Fruit, fruit, and more fruit. I found out that I LOVE MANGOS! Thank you for showing me something new! Plus, keep bringing on the fruit please! Thank you!

I know how the saying goes. Normally, April showers bring May flowers. However, NOT IN HAWAII!! There's always beautiful flowers here! I've gotten so much more of an apreciation for the year-round, vividly colored flowers. I don't ever want it to end!

Palm trees. What more could anyone ever ask for? One of the reasons why I wanted to come to Hawaii was because of the palm trees. They're magnificent. Tall, Short, Thin, Fat, Crooked, Straight. All different types here.

Thank  you, April, for seeing me through getting a job and finding an apartment. These two things were the end all be all of Hawaii. If I wasn't going to be able to get either of these my dream of living in Hawaii would have been very short-lived. I have a great job that I enjoy being at every day. The people I work with are all so nice and chill. The customers are all in good moods because obviously if you're vacationing in Hawaii what is there to be upset about? I love hearing about where everyone is from and how they've been enjoying their vacations! Now the apartment. Oh the apartment. There aren't any words to describe how completely amazing it is living with these specific group of girls. It'll be 2 weeks on Wednesday  that I've been at this apartment. In these two weeks I feel so comfortable with all the girls. All of them are so caring and genuine. We hang out often and I am very happy to have new friends as great as these! 

Now, I said before that the ocean is the most relaxing place. I lied. Take that peacefulness and multiply that by about a million when  you have the opportunity to watch the sun set into the ocean. I had never been able to see that from New Jersey because it's on the East Coast. It's wonderful and everyone should experience it.

What was your favorite thing that happened in April? Please leave a comment and let me know!!

Therefore, in closing, I would just like to thank you April for all the wonderful things you have brought me in the 30 days that you were here. I look forward to more fascinating and exciting things to come when your friends come to visit! Yay!

Looking forward to seeing you again,

Mary

Spam Jam

Today was SPAM JAM!!

What is Spam Jam you may ask. Spam Jam is a yearly festival celebrating...SPAM!! They had so many different foods made with Spam. Here are a couple of examples of the different types of food they had. These are my favorites:

 Spicy Spam Wrap, Asian Spam Crunch Salad, and Philly Cheeseateak Spam-wich          Spam Loaded Potato Skins, Spam
                                                                                                                          Bento, Mac & Cheese with Spam

 

Garlic Shrimp & Spam, Spam & Green Onion Omlet Sandwhich                          Spam Fried Rice, Spam Loco Moco, Spam Katsu

 

               Spam ICE CREAM!!                                                                                                             Spam BURGER!!

 Spam Lettuce Wraps, Spam Lo Mein                                                              Spam Poke (a traditional Haeaiian dish
                                                                                                                                 made of raw Ahi--fish)

I've never had Spam before in my life. I worked this morning and informed one of my managers (who is Hawaiian) that I've never had Spam before and the look I recieved was startling. He went on and on about how amazing it is and trying to describe the taste. Everything. He said that now that I am here in Hawaii I must try it. I figured I had to try it...for the sake of the blog!! I really wish I could have tried everything in order to give a well rounded review but I could only afford to try 3 things.

They were giving free samples of Spam Macadamian Nuts. I think Spam was just the brand name because these nuts didn't have any Spam-like flavoring. They were as amazing as all Macadamian Nuts always are. At work I had a chance to try Macadamian Nut Crusted Mahi. Um....simply put, it was the most delicious thing in the world! I want to try and make it myself. I may use Spam Macadamian Nuts to try out that recipe.

 

This was the Spam Katsu -- Aka Breaded Cripsy Spam. It had the texture of a hashbrown patty (which I love) and the spam itself just kinda tasted like salty chicken I would say. All in all not bad. The ketchup definitely helped it go down. Very good.

Next I tried a Spam Baby -- Aka Spam Burger with Sweet Potato Fries. This had BBQ Sauce on it. Again, with the BBQ sauce and the delicious bread surrounding the Spam patty, not bad. I'm not sure if I would eat it alone but with the little extras...sure. Also....

Mary: "You'd eat anything as long as it had BBQ sauce on it."

Declan: "Ch-yea! I'd eat my own hand!"

He said that he may not want to try Spam with BBQ sauce but I say it's not so bad so he'll just have to give it a go. haha.

All in all, it was a great time!! There were dancers, live music, TONS of people, and Spam cans walking around. I had a great time and I'm glad to say that I had a chance to partake in the Spam festival and try me some Spam. Great day!!

Midweek Weekend

It's so nice to have two days off in a row, even if it's on a Tuesday and Wednesday. My midweek weekend was peaceful and relaxing.

Tuesday:
On Tuesday I went to Kaimana Beach which was recommended by my boss. She said it's a beach for locals and it's usually not crowded. I relaxed at the apartment in the morning and set out for the beach by 12pm. This one was a little further than I usually go but I must say that it was such a nice, quiet beach. Unfortunately, this sign was posted:

I hesitated to go in but after a while I needed to cool down and I took my chances. There were a decent amount of other people in the water and only 2 had been stung. The beachwater in Hawaii is amazing. It's always a little cold when you first go in but you're body adjusts so quickly because it's warmer than most water. You can be standing in water up to your chest and you can still check out your toes by simply just looking down. It's clear, refreshing, and unpolluted!! In most of the beaches, especially in Waikiki, the floor of the beachwater is just smooth sand. No pointy rocks or jagged shells puncturing sensitive feet. I spent the majority of my time on the beach tanning.

Wednesday:

On Wednesday I headed to Don Quijote, a local supermarket that's about a 10-15 minute walk from my apartment. You would think that a name like that would insinuate that it probably has a Hispanic influence. You would be totally wrong. It's mostly Japanese and American products. There are aisles specfically marked for Japanese products. It's my favorite store by far because you can find anything and everything there and at a very decent price. I did a small food shopping and got myself some flowers for my room:

I've decided that I don't hate flowers as much as I once did. I never saw a purpose for them because they die so quickly but I'm going to try to keep fresh flowers in my room (weekly or biweekly). I feel like it adds a touch of happiness. Later in the day, even though I should have been looking for another job, I decided to go to Ala Moana Beach Park. This beautiful place had grassy picnic areas along with scenic beach views. There was also a path that encompassed the entire park which was a wonderful walk.

There were so many interesting palms and other types of trees. It would have been ideal if I remembered to pack some food but unfortunately I didn't. Eventually I found my favorite spot to lay down and wait for th sun to set:



The sun was scheduled to set at 6:55pm today. I had to wait for 3 hours and considered just leaving and coming back on another day but I knew how disappointed you all would be. Especially since this was one of the most picturesque sunsets I had ever seen. I couldn't pick a favorite.

I love the colors in the sky and the shimmering of the water.

I love Hawaii.

So kiss me and smile for me. Tell me that you'll wait for me. Hold me like you'll never let me go.

Don't worry. Everything is still fantastic. Lots of work and the apartment has been awesome. I'm excited to say that I think I have friends! =) haha. I'm missing my best friend though and waiting somewhat impatiently for the day we'll see eachother again.