Hawaii - Day 2

 Good Morning Day 2!

Basically I planned the whole trip because Steve didn't want to plan anything till the last day... For day 2 we went to Hanauma Bay for some snorkeling. We had to wake up early to make sure we got a parking spot ($1 parking fee at the park) so we skipped breakfast T_T

 Our rental car

The GPS I used on my phone brought us to the wrong park.. the real park was like 15-20 minutes away from where we were.

 Hanauma Bay

Its such a beautiful place to be, I just wish there were less people lol

 Cool water

The last time I came here there seemed to be less rocks.. lol. I tried to swim without a life vest but.. it didn't work out, Steve was like "seriously?" yes, seriously I was never taught how to swim.

For survival!

I was probably the only adult that had one of these on LOL but I don't care!

Remember that underwater case I got?

Yeah it didn't work too well, I remember reading the reviews on amazon and people saying that they could use their touchscreen phones underwater, yeah its not true lol. Water protection was great but otherwise its just like a waterproof bag, and you could imagine how paranoid I was putting my phone in there.

Moved to the left side

We went to the right side at first but we decided to go to the other side to see if there was anything better to see in the water, but it was the same, a bit deeper.

Note: Bring your own food! Last time I came here with Ashley we brought chicken mcnuggets lol but the food place they have at the top is so expensive $5 for a small thing of french fries and $10 for a tiny cheeseburger -___-' not worth it.

Took the top off

Steve was so excited to take the top off of this Jeep, it was a nice ride but I really didn't want to get more tan LOL and plus I hate wind.

We went back to the hotel to drop off our stuff and to take a nice shower.

Curry House Coco Ichibanya

Craving some Japanese curry and some katsu O..O

Its a small restaurant, had probably like 10 seats or less so we got our food to go and ate at the food court nearby. This place is cash only too and they have Japanese drinks (I got the melon soda ^_^)

Chicken Cheese and Tako ball

Best katsu I've had in a LONG time. The chicken was so crispy and so juicy. I wish the curry was a bit spicier but otherwise it was so good! Really filling and was like $10

Steve got the Tako ball one, it was alright lol, he wished he got the pork one or something since he does eat a lot.

After we ate, we just wandered around the Ala Moana mall and then we headed back to the hotel for a nap.

OH! I forgot to mention, When we were walking around the Waikiki area I wanted to find the Nature Republic but it wasn't there, I thought they closed it and we came across it at the Ala Moana mall! Boy was I happy lol.

Kyung's Seafood

Alright! So we went to Kyung's Seafood for dinner for day 2 for some sashimi and more Korean food. Seriously, all the places we went to had like Korean food lol. Steve drank again of course but we shared a bottle of soju and Hite beer together - which got me drunk so fast lol.

We ordered the small sashimi plate which was $30 US (we wish we got the medium), Seafood pancake, fish cake soup and steamed dumplings (I wanted the fried one but Steve wouldn't let me get it -__-')

Dumplings and Fishcake soup

We did order a lot for 2 people. The dumplings were ok, I wish we got the fried one lol. The soup was good though not very heavy and pretty comforting - they give you a huge bowl of it.

Our seafood pancake

Hands down, the best seafood pancake I've had. Steve even said that he's never had one like this, not even in Korea. Its so thick and crispy and full of veggies and seafood T_T SO GOOD!

Look at that inside!

We walked to Mcdonalds afterwards for an ice cream to sober up before we drove back to the hotel. We had to sleep early because we were heading to the North Shore the day after and we were pretty exhausted from being in the sun earlier.

See you in day 3!

Glamglow: Thirsty Mud

 GLAMGLOW

I was given this hydration treatment at Christmas and I finally got to use it today.

My skin has been so dry since I came back from Hawaii. Some days I totally forgot to put sunscreen on my face so it makes sense that my skin has dried out quite a bit and I didn't bring a good moisturizer with me on our trip.

Dry and flaky

Not sure if you can tell from the photo but my skin is so dry and flaky. I noticed some dryness when I was washing my face but after I washed/exfoliated and dried my face there were so many flakes everywhere and it just felt so dry.

Smells like Playdough lol

For the price ($21) the container is so tiny, I thought this stuff isn't going to last that long but after you use it you realize that a little goes a long way. When I rubbed this into my face it felt tingly, you really notice a difference right away (especially for me since my skin is so dry right now)

You have a few options on how to use this product, you can either put it on and then rinse it off or you can leave it on overnight to really rehydrate your skin. I decided to rinse it off but I think I'm going to try to leave it on overnight to super rehydrate my skin.

It'll probably be a while till I have to purchase this but I know this product will be great for the fall/winter season, that's for sure.

Steve's Dad

I don't really know much about this guy, besides the things that Steve has told me and also what Steve's mom has told me.

His dad arrives today from Seattle and the plan is for him to come and live in Canada.

Why?

Well.. he hasn't lived here in over 5 years (that's when me and Steve started dating) and he doesn't seem to have an interest in living here:

He can't speak english
He has no friends here
His whole family is in Korea besides his wife and children
He doesn't want to work here
Didn't have the effort or the interest to retain his permanent residence to begin with

From what I was told his dad is coming because he got into trouble with the law in Korea. He ran a PC room and in the back he had an illegal gambling ring and he was caught more than once for having it.

He got arrested and Steve's mom went back a few months ago to hire a lawyer to bail him out and basically paid a hefty fee ($50,000) to wipe it all from his record.

That's what basically set the gears in motion for him to come and live in Canada, otherwise he wouldn't have come if that didn't happen. I guess because the rest of the family found out about it, but not sure about his friends.

**********

Steve was originally going to go pick up his dad at the airport but since his mom and dad plan on lying to the CBSA about why he's coming back and his status as a permanent resident, Steve decided not to go because it'll hurt his chance in becoming a police officer in the future. So his mom and sister are going.

Its funny, they're such a secretive family, they really think people are judging them 24/7 and I can tell how it affects their relationships with friends (from what they tell people to what their conversations are about, its never personal). Steve would get mad when I keep secrets and shit from him about my family but when it comes to his, its a serious matter *rolls eyes* double standards...

I know that when his dad gets here I'm totally not going to get along with him, he's too conservative and he's as self righteous as Steve's mom and sister.

So! I'm avoiding Steve at all costs at this point, I really started thinking about where this relationship was headed when we were in Hawaii. Steve just really wants to get his family's approval before he can move on with his life, its fucked.

They're the type of family that gets what they want so I know the border agents are gonna let them through with little to no questioning, I know it. Plus, since they paid to keep his dad's record clean, he will get in and I highly highly doubt the border services will find out.

So corrupt...

Hawaii Trip - Day 1

Hawaii Trip

Alright, let's start at the beginning!

The day we were flying to Hawaii I had to work a few hours before the flight. The flight was at 6AM and I got off at 2AM. Steve was supposed to pick me up but of course he forgot -___-' he fell asleep. He came after I called him though, its a good thing he doesn't live that far from the hospital, and then we went to his place to finish up packing.

 Our luggage

Steve had finished packing (he had the grey suitcase) but since I wasn't packing much clothes I had to shift his clothes over to mine and we put all the non-important stuff into the grey suitcase.

 Took a cab...

So Steve's mom was supposed to drop us off in the airport. My mom offered to drop us off earlier but I told her it was alright cause his mom was supposed to drop us off but no, she bailed on us last minute. She told us to take a cab because she was tired but she got up at 4AM to check to see if we were ready to go and all packed up, so I was like WTF.

I told Steve I'm not paying for a cab because he had said that we were getting a lift and I rejected an offer from my mom, plus he had to go back to work to pick up his debit card because he left it there. The cab ride ended up being like $60 something dollars. So.. yeah... good job Steve's mom.

 At the airport past security and baggage drop off

We flew with United Airlines and we departed from YVR. I am so glad that we got nexus cards because when we arrived at the airport it was close to 5AM and there was a huge line for security, we probably would have taken like 25 minutes going through but we got through in like 5 minutes hahaha.

When we got to the nexus declaration part Steve had to get pulled in for questioning LOL. Its because someone shares the exact same name as him and that person has a criminal record so I guess they had to confirm it wasn't him LOL.

For breakfast he got a whopper from burger king LOL I ended up getting something to eat in San Francisco.

**********

Day 1 in Hawaii

 At San Francisco Airport

Our connecting flight was to San Francisco and our layover was just an hour so we grabbed some pizza and went off to wait at our gate.

 Boarded the flight

Flight to Hawaii was about 5 hours. I usually can't fall asleep on planes, I guess since I worked before we left and didn't get any sleep, I managed to get a few hours of sleep. I ended up playing earthbound on a net book I had lol.

 At the car rental

We rented a car from Dollar Car Rental (...? I can't remember what it was called) It was a mess trying to get to the car rental place from the airport. There were huge lineups and the shuttle that takes you to the car rental place only picked up people from one end and there were tons of people waiting at the other end.

It took about 30-40 minutes to pick up our vehicle too because there were so many people >.< We rented a 2013 Jeep (not sure the model, but we think its the base model)

 Made it to the AirBnB

I got a message from our airbnb host saying that our room was ready but we had to wait like 20 minutes at the lobby for him to come. I was getting really impatient lol.

 Our room

The hotel was a little dingy and smelled kind of weird but the room itself was quite nice and air conditioned, there was a small view to the river too which was nice. The bathroom was a decent size but I think the bathtub is clogged or something because it drains water really slowly >.<

 The buildings around the hotel were quite old..

I sent that photo to my friend and said we were in the ghetto lol. We changed and put some stuff away and went off to explore. Mainly get lunch.

 Marukame Udon

We went to the udon place for lunch, I went with Ashley the last time I was in Hawaii and I knew Steve would like it. He got the cold ramen and I regrettably got the hot one (my legs were so sweaty after I ate it LOL)

I also got an egg tempura, potato croquette, a piece of fried chicken (WHICH WAS AMAZING super juicy and crispy T_T) and a prawn tempura.

Afterward we went off to explore the waikiki area.

 Kai Coffee Shop (?)

I can't really remember what the name of the coffee shop was but it was Kai something.. Kai Hawaii?? Bah.. I don't know but we got this Macadamia nut coffee iced drink thing (I can't blog anymore.. LOL) which was really really good.

We ended up going back to the hotel to rest up for a bit and went out to dinner after.

 Nice walk to the restaurant

The restaurant was really close to where we were staying (like a 10-15 minute walk) and plus we were gonna go drinking too so it was a good thing we walked.

Yogurt Soju

They give you SO MUCH in a kettle and! it was all for me LOL. I wanted to finish the whole kettle but Steve wouldn't let me because I turned so red. Steve ended up drinking a giant Hite beer and a bottle of soju to himself, he had a bit of the yogurt soju too but he wasn't that drunk...

So red!

Couple the alcohol with lack of sleep and the long flights, I got fucked up LOL.

678 Hawaii

One of the best Korean restaurant experiences I've had in a long time. Great food and drinks. I drank so much my whole back and legs were red... (I literally can't drink that much). I want to do a full on blog post for this place so just wait for that!

Walking home wasn't fun LOL I was so full of food and super drunk, Steve was worried I'd jump into the river lol.

And that was the first night!

Things for Hawaii

 Snorkel Gear

I know our trip isn't till the end of next month but we're so excited to go we started ordering shit online for our trip >.< lol!

I really haven't gotten anything for myself in quite a while so I did splurge quite a bit.. I kind of regret buying some of this stuff because I know after this trip I probably won't be using it again for quite a while.

Both Steve and I got this snorkel gear set on Amazon (my set cost $59.99 in US dollars and Steve's was $34.99 in US dollars) My set cost more because I need the life vest because I seriously can't swim and will die in the ocean -__-' 

We didn't want to rent the gear because we both know that we're gonna go in the water basically everyday that we're there plus I read that it can get quite expensive renting the gear but I'm not entirely sure about that. But at least we'll have gear like this ready for future trips :)

Set includes:

-Drawstring bag (good for keeping all the gear together, plus its a net bag so its easier to keep water out and sand)

-Goggles (although Steve had to exchange his because his goggles were shattered when they arrived.. lol) 

-Flippers (which are adjustable, I'm a size 6-6.5 in shoe size and I got the small fin set)

-Dry Snorkel

-Life Vest (inflatable so easy to pack!)

Haven't tested this set out yet. I'm going to go to my friends house to test it out in her pool hahaha.

 Macadamia Hair Mask

Last time I went to Hawaii and went into the ocean my hair got FUCKED. Its because of the salt water - dried my hair. Luckily, Ashley brought this hair mask last time but in a big tub and it was so awesome, my hair was so soft and moisturized afterward. So I ordered one from Amazon so I can bring it!

 Midi/Maxi Skirt

This skirt.. lol. I got this skirt from Aritzia and I'm pretty sure its supposed to be a midi skirt for normal sized people, but on me it works as a maxi skirt LOL. Its really flowy so it'll be great for our trip. The only problem I have is trying to match a top with this skirt but otherwise I can't wait to wear this for our trip!

 Fit and Flare T-shirt Dress

I got this dress from Urban Outfitters here in Vancouver (West Vancouver to be exact) for like $80+! I was like the hell! lol I wish our Canadian dollar wasn't so weak T_T

This dress is also light and flowy and the back has a cut out piece which isn't overly exposing but its a nice detail. I tried looking for a link for this dress but I guess its not available on the website?

*I'll add pics of me wearing these pieces a bit later, probably when I write a post about our trip.

Flowy dress!

I got this dress from Aritzia and I've actually been eyeing this dress for quite a while and was actually super lucky getting this in the store because it was the absolute last one! Plus! It was in my size! Although I think I might be a size small because its kind of loose in the belly area... I just noticed too that this dress is sold out online too so yay! it was meant to be!

Since its our 5 year anniversary coming up I wanted a nice but casual dress to wear for dinner. I donated tons of my old clothes that I don't wear anymore so I don't really have anything like this.

 Selfie Stick

Yep... lol. I was totally against these things for the longest time because they just look so stupid but then I used one of my friends and it actually takes nice pictures! I thought this would be nice for vacation photos and it was like $14 on Amazon or something and it has bluetooth!! So I don't have to set my photo timer every time I want to take a photo or multiple photos, especially if I take a bad photo and I don't have to wait 5-10 seconds every time I want to take a photo.

 Biore Sunscreen

I have a Kose sunscreen that I wanted to bring but I realized it isn't waterproof so I ordered this one since it is SPF 50+ and it is waterproof. Japanese Biore products are actually really great compared to the North American counterpart. Also, this one is quite milky and thin in comparison to other sunscreen lotions.

 Victoria's Secret Bikini

I got a new bikini for our trip! I also have the other bikini I previously wore to Hawaii that I'm also going to bring. This one just makes my boobs look better LOL.

That's all for now! I think I bought too much stuff for a 5 day trip lol but then again I haven't really bought myself anything in a long time.