The Vacation Chronicles, Day 1

So I finally have time to upload our vacation photos. I'm going to do this in chronological order as well as a little at a time so you can experience the vacation with me and I can reminisce on the good time I had. This first post is about the plane ride to Boston, Massachusetts. Now, I'm doing an entire post on the trip there for two reasons. First, it was Rabici's first time traveling past Utah and secondly, we had some good times.

This is a picture of the standby list we were on. If you squint you can see our names as Vui/K and Vui/R as number 5 and 6. Rabici had never flown stand-by before.

Me and Rabici stop to take a picture in the Airport. You can't see it here but I have on a Manuheali'i skirt that matches his shirt.

We had a lot of time to kill in the Atlanta Airport so we rode the train that took you from terminal to terminal. As you can possible guess people thought we were nuts or retarded taking a picture of a "black" man, in a train, giving a shaka sign.

Another funny thing that happened to us in the Atlanta airport were the stares. I warned Rabici that there would be people staring and that was only because they wouldn't know what I was; black, hispanic, italian, and believe it or not I've even gotten Native American. He didn't believe me until we got to Atlanta and the heads were turning.

I would like to claim it was my devastantingly good looks and that they all know about my blog... but alas, it is because of my weird complexion and facial features that make the people turn. Rabici didn't understand why others didn't stare at him and i carefully explained..."It's because your black here and your people are all over Georgia. They think they've got your race figured out. What's probably upsetting them even more is why a 'brotha' married a mexican."

It's okay though; at least they didn't think I was some Hawaiian savage...now that would've been embarassing!

Still on vacation

So... thanks for the comments on my post. I'm glad to hear that those I associate with are smart. It makes me happy. I'm still on vacation so I'm not able to really post on anything. I do have some funny stories but I'll save them for when I get back so I can do them justice.

I just realized this is a post, but you know what I mean. Peace out!

Hawaiian savages

So, I leave for my trip to visit family today and I don't know how often I'll be able to blog so I wanted to write this funny story that happened to me in class on Tuesday. We were talking about culture (nothing can go wrong there right?) and how it influences education.

In other words, your culture places emphasis on what's important for you to learn. As an example the teacher talked about Samoans and how they place emphasis on the family. So coming to school isn't as important as talking care of your younger siblings if mom and dad can't.

So one of the guys in my class...let's call him Joe...because that's his name...has a wonderful insight. (I'm being sarcastic now) He's just realized that the reason why his Hawaiian students are "acting up" in his class, is because their CULTURE has taught them to be violent and lazy. After all, that's what all Hawaiians are.

I think it was one of the few times I actually envisioned myself beating the living crap out of someone. Instead i take a deep breath and try to stay calm. I raise my hand and explain how that's not true, Hawaiian culture doesn't teach laziness and that sometimes it's a teacher's attitude that determines student response.

He asks me, "How do you know it's not what they're taught? Hawaiians were savages for years. Look at Captain cook."

So I reply, "If some guy came floating on a ship to your place, pretended he was a God, slept with your girls, got food without working, let his men roam free and tried to take everything you owned, you wouldn't fight back?"

He says: "There's a difference between fighting back and murder."

I said: "Yeah, it's called loser and winner. Throughout all history, no matter the country, those who won the fight call it fighting back, and the losers call it murder. Look at the Traitors Revolt."

He goes, "What's the Traitor's Revolt?"

I tell him, "What England calls our American Revolution. There's always a winner and a loser and it's the former that writes the history books. The U.S. won so they write that Hawaiians were savages. And then gullible people like you are born, read it and believe it because you either don't have the mental capacity to understand it or you're so content in your ignorance that any information to the contrary would upset the perfect little bubble you've created for yourself about life in America!"

Now some of you might think I was harsh...I'm okay with that. I hope I educated Joe, but for some reason I think he went home and told his wife...if he's got one...that the mean savage yelled at him and he was scared that I'd attack and eat him like "my people" did to Captain Cook. I guess sometimes ignorance is bliss. Even to the point where you make asinine statements in a class full of graduate students.

Awesome Article

So, for my master's class on Monday's it's about Social and Cultural contexts of Education. Our professor gave us an article to read about I.Q. and how we've been measuring it wrong for a very long time.
I agree.
But what made this article stand out was the section that talked about one scientist, H.H.Goddard, and his view on I.Q. I decided to write about it because it's scary how much I half agree/half disagree with what he said. It's entitled:
"THE PROPER CARE AND FEEDING (BUT NOT BREEDING) OF MORONS".

I am soooo not kidding. That's the title. Here's a quote:

"If morons could control their own sexual urges and desist for the good of mankind, we might permit them to live freely among us. But they cannot, because immorality and stupidity are inexorably linked."

Isn't this awesome!!!!!! Now, I know I'm hard on the moron race, and seeing that I am too sometimes a moron it is a bit harsh. But you've got to admit it...if you've ever been ticked off by a moron, you were thinking this. You were sitting in your car or in your office thinking to yourself, "If only morons weren't allowed to reproduce."

I know you were thinking it, H.H. Goddard just said it. And now I am too.

Please save me from the idiots

So I was at the UH Bookstore the other day getting my books...obviously. I was standing in line and lost all hope for the youth of tomorrow. Normally I don't think of myself as so old, but since my IQ happens to be higher than the people standing in this line, it must be age.
Anyway, the following is the conversation going on in front of me; names have been changed because I didn't know them and my labels are better:

Idiot 1: Oh my gosh, I have to get my ID!
Idiot 2: I know, me too!
Idiot 1: They better not make my ID, like, so hideous.
Idiot 2: I know, me too!
Idiot 1: I hope the football team is cuter than last year.
Idiot 2: I know, me too!
Idiot 1: I wonder if the football team has to get ID's too?
Idiot 2: Me too!

Tired of hearing the idiots in front of me, I lean back, hoping to forget their mind-numbing conversation. Instead I get this; at first I feel bad because this is how the conversation starts:

Girl 1: I don't know if i can afford all this!
Girl 2: They've really raised the prices!
Girl 1: I know, my scholarship won't pay for all this.
Girl 2: You'll think of something.

So, i just got my scholarship money and I'm thinking, "If she doesn't have enough, i could help her out with some." Now those of you who know me, that generosity for a COMPLETE STRANGER is rare! Rare! But then my giving mood is halted: (Note how the girls are now Morons)

Moron 1: I know, i guess I could always ask my dad.
Moron 2: that's perfect! I'll ask my dad too!
Moron 1: But your dad already buys your stuff!
Moron 2: I know, but i want the white one of this.
Moron 1: I know! It's so cute. I think if i get just the hat with the cute boots I'll still be able to buy that bag I saw in Waikiki.
Moron 2: Oh! What a great idea! And if not, we'll just charge it!

Now my hands are in tight fists because I've got two idiots in front of me and two vapid morons behind me. I pay for my books and then get the heck out of there, terrified for the supposed "future of tomorrow". For the love of all that is holy, please save me from the idiots!