Camera Curse

Yup, it happened again.  It's now official: I am cursed.  This is the fourth trip from which I've returned without the functioning camera I left with.  (And that's not even counting the time it was stolen in China and recovered by a what-would-likely-be-illegal-in-the-US police search of the thief's car.)  Being stripped of photographic abilities once while traveling in another country is a shame; twice, is a little crazy; three times is ridiculous; and four times, is clearly a curse.

Before I run through a breakdown of the history, I feel it is important to note that each of these four digital cameras have been waterproof up to 10 feet.  Considering how much I love to be in, near, and on the water, it just made sense for me to have a camera that would (purportedly) survive a submerging.

1.) China - Stolen toward the end of my trip from my bag on a sleeper bus while I slept.  (This was shortly after it had been recovered by police.) Full memory cards lost.

(purchased a new camera)

2.) India - Broke while on a rafting ride the second day of my trip.  It filled with water despite being well above the 10' depth limit.  Memory card saved but basically empty anyway.

(replaced for free by manufacturers)

3.) Fiji - Broke when Chuck borrowed it for snorkeling and followed an eel below 10'.  Memory card saved and Mom, Dad, and Chuck were all clicking away on this trip anyway.

(Chuck bought me a new camera)

4.) Guatemala - No f'ing clue what happened.  It just vanished.  I don't see how it could have been stolen, and I don't remember leaving it anywhere (though, I suppose the "not remembering" is the key to "leaving" things).

(I'm now giving up.)

I was taking such great pictures too; not the usual peace sign pose in front of the monuments, but rather the restaurants, meals, and hotels we enjoyed--the elements that make trips unique and lovely.  Ugh.

For full disclosure, there were two trips to the Philippines (one before and one after Fiji) during which my cameras safely returned home.  However, it's time for me to accept that cameras and I are "friends off."

Luckily, I keep journals of my trips, so they're all well-documented; just not in the convenient worth-1000-words-without-having-to-read kind of way.  (Sidenote: my journal was very detailed this past trip--think it has to do with being accustomed to texting or FB-ing my every thought and having left my phone at home.)  I'll stick to writing about my trips and leave the picture-taking to others.  (Mike got some shots that hopefully I'll get soon and post.)

I'm not sure who cursed me or why... Being that I've been using my iPhone to take pictures in Hawaii, I must now be cautious not to refer to it as a camera or take it to other countries.

While my camera situation left me baffled and in denial for a day or two (I actually thought that some nice person seeing the pictures of our hotel would bring it to the front desk), I had an amazing trip.  I loved the people, the sites, the food, the hotels... and hanging out with my best friend whom I haven't seen in two years was pretty cool too.  So Ha Ha, Camera Gods, I'm gonna remember this trip despite your best efforts!  Nikki wins.  Flawless victory.

Better Late Than Never

For a long time now, I've been meaning to give an update of what's been going on in my life.  Unfortunately, as with so many things, the longer one waits on these sorts of tasks, the increasingly daunting they become.  Therefore, I figure the best way is to keep it as short as possible.  So obviously, for me, that means: A LIST!

• I'm still working for Gail at the Hawaii Family Support Institute and Patti at Consuelo Foundation.
• I applied to and was accepted into the UH graduate certificate program for conflict resolution.  I love it.  My last class for it is Community Economic Development, which is fascinating and engaging.
• I've taken Bikram yoga a few times; that's the one in the heated room.  I really like it, but it's expensive, so I take advantage of their 30-day-challenges--I get a discount if I go everyday for 30 days.
• I bought a used (and not so great) car.  It may shortly send me back to the bus.
• I started working with an organization called PHOCUSED.  It's a coalition of health and human service groups advocating for our state's most vulnerable in an effort to give them a much needed voice.  It's keeping me very busy.
• I had a boyfriend (David) for the first few months of the year; it didn't work out, and he moved to the mainland.
• I went back to the Philippines with the Honolulu Rotary club for a few weeks to Baguio.  It felt like a big family reunion.  I wish I could go again this year.
• I've started doing my Shabbat/Unplugged Day again.  That's 24-hours of no phone, TV, or computer starting at 6:30pm on Friday. 
• I'm still thinking about applying to grad schools in the northeast but am no closer to knowing for which program.  Public Policy?
• The biggest news is, of course, that I now have a nephew.  I love him.  I'll not say too much more about him since he has his own blog.   Click here to read it.  It's been so wonderful to have joined Chuck and Krista at the doctors', the infant care class, and now taking care of him.  Becoming an auntie was definitely the best part of last year.

2009 was really great in many ways.  And, after five years being in Hawaii, I'm happy.  After a day at work(s), I look forward to coming home and being with my family.  Weekends spent on the couch watching TV with them don't feel as wasted as they once did.  Maybe that's not the greatest thing, but it sure feels like it is.  It's taken five years, but Hawaii finally feels like home... better late than never.

The Obvious Truth

Upon reading an article about the Great Garbage Patch, a swirling vortex of garbage in the middle of the Pacific, I've become depressed. This plastic soup formed mostly in the last 50 years when plastics became prevalent. We've known about its existence for the past 20 years. It doesn't seem we've been doing a whole lot about it since then. Many scientists agree that the size, consistency, and risk to the living creatures within the vortex prevent clean-up. There are some who disagree and are researching what clean-up will realistically take; but the general consensus: the only thing we can do now is stop it from getting bigger.

So what are we doing in that vein? What major steps are manufacturers, retailers, consumers, and goverments doing? How much longer are we going to continue to just make more and more garbage? When will "disposable" become a curse word? When will we stop making things that will be with us for the next few hundreds or thousands of years?

We do not have the land or water resources to allocate to garbage. We simply have to stop making it. If a product cannot later be reused, recycled, or composted, why is it being made? Why has no one talked about the concept of solid waste elimination? Not reduction--elimination. I concede and understand that such a change could take up to four 4 generations to fully implement (Teldyn will be a great grandad). But why haven't I heard our leaders talking about how to get to that point?

I've heard that 70% of our landfills could be recycled or reused. I don't understand why we aren't doing it. What are we waiting for? Where do we think this crap is going? We know we have no where to put it. We know we're poisoning ourselves, and we keep doing it. I'm at a loss. I'm frustrated and confused. I feel helpless.

Today, on July 20, 2009, 40 years after we first walked on the moon, I wonder how we are dealing with the challenges we now face. Is preserving our planet and life as we know it not enough to inspire us into action? In 1969, scientists collaborated and succeeded in getting us to another world. We were racing towards a bright, new future. Now I fear we're stagnating in swirling garbage. Where is our bright future?

Why Not To Waste Food

Quick note: I'm feeling more like myself than I did when I wrote the "Whatever" post. Thank you to all who asked.

This short (6 min) film is a moving depiction of how the other side lives.

View this movie at cultureunplugged.com