Monday, August 25, 2008 - New Faculty Reception Planning

I attended a planning meeting for the UHH/HawCC New Faculty Reception today, hosted by Hui Ka Ua, a non-profit organization that supports our university. The event looks to welcome new faculty, introduce them to the local food and culture, and to embrace them into our community. I was attending on behalf of the Hawaii Island Chamber of Commerce, Education Committee. In past years, our chamber has worked with the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Hawaii to sponsor a similar event. This year we felt that instead of hosting redundant events, we should partner and develop a joint effort. Thus, Hawaii Island Chamber of Commerce, Kanoelehua Industrial Area Association and Hui Ka Ua are sponsoring this event. Judging by the attendance of this meeting, the event has a lot of help from Hui Ka Ua members who are leading the efforts on many committees. I am helping with banner and poster printing, collecting informational brochures on arts, culture and music for the goodie bags, and preparation on event day. I think that this year's New Faculty Reception will be even better than previous years and I am looking forward to working with the members of Hui Ka Ua and the Kanoelehua Industrial Area Association.

Thursday, August 21, 2008 - Robotics Expo

While I am on O'ahu attending a Hawaii Aerospace Industry conference at the Hawaii State Capitol, Kenyan has been busy developing a Hawaii Youth Robotics Expo set for Saturday, September 27 at the Prince Kuhio Plaza shopping center in Hilo. The event will be a part of the Hawaiian Electric Light Company (HELCO) Energy Fair. Kudos and thanks to Sue Akimseu of HELCO for allowing us the opportunity to join them at their function. The purpose of the expo is to bring awareness of robotics competitions that will be held on Hawaii Island this year, specifically the VEX Challenge and the FIRST Lego League Qualifying Tournament. We are delighted to know that since RoboFest Hawaii was initiated in 2006, there are now officially sanctioned robotics competitions for the aforementioned robotics platforms! Great news for our local students who will now be able to compete and potentially advance to State and National events.

Sunday, August 10, 1008 - Back in Hilo, Surfs Up

After the Festival and Events conference in Honolulu, I jumped on a plane back to Hilo to see if I could catch some of the surf being generated by a tradewind swell. Because the swell was predicted to produce waves in the 5-7 foot range, I stopped off at my office to pick up my 7'5" roundpin shortboard along with my 8"2" mini-tanker that I normally ride. The situation at Honoli'i at 4:00 pm was crowded and stormy. The waves were big, but they were also bumpy and windblown. It didn't help that the after-school crowd were in the water, making matters worse - as if negotiating stormy windblown waves wasn't enough, you also had to dodge and weave through scores of spongers (boogie boarders) and newbies on the inside. It was a humbling experience as I got bombed and trounced a couple of times, losing index.html my watch on one episode. You know the waves are powerful when one of them grabs the watch off your arm as it puts you through a spin cycle. Saturday would feature the 24th Annual Quiksilver-Kamaaina Nissan Pro-Am surf contest sponsored by Orchidland Surfboards. I got to the beach at 5 am, and things were already pumping with a judge's tent set up and people milling about everywhere. In the morning the conditions improved a little, with the size still holding at 4-6 feet, with occasional overhead set bombs. I did better than yesterday, but the waves were still a bit bumpy. Sunday, the conditions cleaned up considerably, although the waves dropped a bit in size. My 8'2" squashtail thruster really works in these types of waves and I had no problem punching lip re-entries, roundhouse cutbacks and bottom turns. The lineup is crowded again, but am able to get my waves. How can you not enjoy a form of recreation that provides a full body workout and enough stoke to keep a smile on your face all day?

Thursday, August 7, 2008 - Festival & Events Conference

I am back on O'ahu attending a conference on Festivals and Events sponsored by the Hawaii Tourism Authority at the Hawaii Convention Center in Waikiki. Many of the attendees are coordinators and directors of various festivals and events around the state including many from the Big Island. Most are in the visitor industry either as hoteliers, travel agents and coordinators. My purpose for attending is to learn how to access and use visitor statistics, how to cultivate a better Hawaii visitor product and issues surrounding the travel industry particularly with the failures of Aloha and ATA Airlines. Although I am not directly involved in the visitor industry, one of my events draws upon off-island and out-of-state visitors to our AstroDay Festival. Also because we are reliant on Hawaii County and Hawaii Tourism Authority grant monies, we should take advantage of these conferences to obtain more knowledge from experts in their field and network with other festival and event coordinators (if for nothing else to see who the grant competition is and what they do to make their respective events unique). As an added bonus, I am working toward my festival and events executive certification through the International Festival and Events Association. By attending these conferences and enrolling in professional development workshops, I can obtain the certification within two years. The CFEE (Certified Festival and Events Executive) can help validating my events and me when applying for grants for events like our AstroDay Festival, Onizuka Science Day and RoboFest. The conference will continue on through Friday, after which I fly back to Hilo to (hopefully) catch a tradewind swell that is already bumping up the waves at Honoli'i.

Monday, August 4, 2008 - Final Rest

I apologize for not sharing much on this site over the past few weeks - been kinda busy and distracted. We had a funeral for my dad this past Friday in O'ahu. It was a small, intimate gathering of family and friends to celebrate the life of Frank Fujihara. Earlier that day I was out surfing from dawn at a spot called Shark Country in Ewa Beach on O'ahu. Our family has a home on the ocean front in Ewa Beach and whenever I'm over there I try to get some time in the water. On this particular morning, while sitting on my board between sets, I was surprised by a splash and what appeared to be a fin slicing through the surface (shark?). As I turned toward the disturbance, I witnessed a head pop up and inhale deeply. A large eye spied me and seemingly winked. A honu, or sea turtle. At that moment I saw before me the dark blue corduroy of waves lining up on the horizon. I pointed my board outside and began paddling out to meet the waves. I picked the third and largest of the set and wheeled my board around to take off on a perfect six foot wall of water. Was the turtle a sign? Was it dad? My aumakua or guardian spirit? I dunno, but I rode that wave as if on wings of an angel and completed the ride about 200 yards from takeoff. I paddled in and got ready for the funeral. The next day, we took dad's ashes and placed them into a shoulder bag, draped lei around my neck and launched outside our back yard into the ocean with my brother in law Greg. We paddled out about 80 yards out to a location that was my dad's favorite lobster hunting grounds. After a Hawaiian prayer and chant, dad's ashes were laid to rest in his final resting place. I'm gonna miss my dad, but he has given me everything I need to survive and succeed in this world. As I forge through my life as a son, brother, husband and father, I know that my dad is with me - guiding and inspiring me. Mahalo nui e makuakane.