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Church at My House

How many can say that they attend church at their own home? What a blessing!

Backstory: Previously, I used to live across the street from Waikele Elementary School where Inspire Church began. It was called Hope Chapel West Oʻahu back then. After moving to town, I prayed that Inspire would open a new branch closer to home. We opened Inspire City at New Life Church in Chinatown. That was an answered prayer! After a year-and-a-half, we moved into Kaimuki High School. Kaimuki High is actually located along Kapiʻolani Blvd., which is the street that I live on. But I guess God wasn’t done answering my prayer. He put Inspire Honolulu in my building. We now have Sunday evening service at Studio 909. Consider yourself invited!

What an incredible blessing it is to come down the elevator for church. But no excuse for being late…

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My Everyday Carry

Preface: Every year I get a Valentine’s gift for that special someone. Unfortunately, that “special someone” has always been me. Or perhaps fortunately…? One year it was luggage (travel.) Another year it was golf clubs. And another year it was a longboard skateboard. It’s become an annual tradition.

This year, I got myself a Filson Original Briefcase. For work I prefer a briefcase over a backpack. It makes me feel more professional. I had a classic leather briefcase for over 10 years. Really liked it, but the hardware (clasp, internal zipper, strap clips, etc.) couldn’t stand up to the abuse. Decided to go with a more durable option: rugged twill + bridle leather, “beefy” brass clips, and a YKK zipper. Looks gorilla-proof. I wanted to be a little more minimal and intentional in all that I do.

So here’s what I carry…

13″ MacBook Pro. School issued. Indispensable for my job in EdTech. An absolute workhorse. With it comes a bevy of electronics:

  • Laptop charging brick + cable.
  • USB-C forces you to use adaptors. One dongle for presentations and a 2nd dongle for media (SD cards, HDMI, etc.)
  • USB clicker for forwarding slides in presentations.
  • Apple Earbuds for video conferencing.
  • Extra iPhone charging cable.

To organize this mess, I have a Delfonics Utility Pouch. Pockets inside-and-out to keep everything from tangling.

iPhone 7. Would love to upgrade to X, but can’t afford to at the moment. Still, happy with the 7. It takes video in 4K and has 128GB storage. I do not use a phone case. My iPhone has everything I need (time, weather, socials, music, alarm clock, camera, and even a bible app.)

My wallet is a Bellroy Note Sleeve. It has RFID protection (although not necessary.) There were just better color options in this model. It’s slim & sleek, but still able to carry business cards and fit foreign currency.

Got a carabiner valet keychain. Really minimal. Separates my truck key/fob from my apartment key/fob. I live in a walkable neighborhood, so I don’t always carry around car keys.

Everyone needs at least one good pen. I have the Montblanc Starwalker. My everyday pen is either a Pilot or a “freebie.”

For paper I use Field Notes, because it’s pocket-sized. I have a soft cover Moleskine Notebook for journaling & doodling, but it’s not an everyday carry.

Cole Haan leather card case. Business cards are extremely important! Can’t stress enough…

Hydro Flask. I keep one at school, so I don’t need to carry one in my bag.

Ray-Ban Wayfarers. I have the black frames w/ the “Coke bottle” green lens. Super durable. If I lost these, I would definitely purchase another pair.

Burberry compact umbrella. I really hate the rain. Comes with a cover. Fits into the stow pocket of the briefcase.

Baby Altoids. Cuz my breath’s not bad enough for the regular size. LOL.

KS ID badge + lanyard. (The lanyard is the M.O. in the education world.)

Finally, I keep my school keys on a key ring to go either into my pocket or onto the lanyard.

What you have in your bag is important, because it’s your mobile, portable, office-on-the-go. But more importantly, what you carry everyday is an expression of who you are.

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23andWow

On Black Friday, I ordered the 23andMe DNA test kit. Got it for $30 off. I’ve always been curious, so I finally pulled the trigger. Some people ask if this really works. My thinking is that whatever your parents/grandparents tell you is only “hearsay.”

I know that I’m half-Okinawan and half-Japanese. I suspect a little Chinese (Taiwanese) since Okinawa is so close to Taiwan in proximity.

The results are in! Notified by email this morning. I’m 2.3% Korean! That was a surprise for sure. (No wonder I enjoyed my Korea trip so much!) I assume that anything over 1% is legit (allowing for a little margin of error.)

I was disappointed that 23andMe does not distinguish between Okinawan and Japanese (similar to how they lump French and German together.)

But very excited to discover that I’m part Korean. Kamsamnida 감사합니다

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A Day in My Life

Here’s a 4-min vid of what my typical day is like. So blessed to be working at KS and living here in Honolulu!

“This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24

P.S. This vid is also my feeble attempt at becoming a legitimate “YouTuber.” Only thing left is to make one of those “50 Facts” vids… 😂

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Christmas Postcard Story

Paris, France
Osaka, Japan
Machu Picchu, Peru
Matamata, New Zealand

I love receiving Christmas photo cards from relatives and friends during the Christmas season. But I was never able to reciprocate. Getting Christmas cards printed seemed like such a “family” type of activity. I decided to change that.

I started making Christmas postcards to mail out to family and friends in 2013. It’s a great way of keeping in touch and spreading Christmas cheer. The very first one was of me riding an elephant in Thailand. Since then, it’s been an annual goal to travel to different places. You could half-jokingly say that these cards fuel my passion for travel.

Occasionally, people will ask me, “What’s your passion?” I reply, “I make Christmas cards…” And then I tell them this story. And if you’re wondering, I actually do pack a Santa hat on trips.

I now give out these postcards in lieu of gifts. Am I being too “cheap?” Actually, these cards cost thousands of dollars to produce. 🤗 Merry Christmas.