HIFF "Philomena"

Tori Langley on Philomena, Starring Dame Judi Dench.

ASGA / LA TRIP

I was privileged enough to be selected to go on a trip to Los Angeles to represent Hawaii Pacific University at an American Student Government Association Conference. I was so excited to be returning back to my home state and learn a lot about what our Student Government can accomplish. We left early friday morning November 22nd. We we lucky enough to fly Hawaiian airlines. Our flight landed us into LAX around 3:30pm and we had to pick up the rental car. Naturally we hit some of that famous LA traffic, so getting to the hotel was longer than expected. Once we got to the Hotel Angeleno, we checked in and settled in for a couple of hours. Then we got to go exploring. We ventured into an area called Westwood, which is close to Hollywood and the stomping grounds of UCLA.

In the Westwood area there are local and mainstream stores and even an In-N-Out burger. Of course we all had to go in. I ordered a double burger with Animal style fries which is basically fries with thousand island dressing, cheese, and grilled onions. Don't knock it till you try it.
The Day of the Conference was exciting, because we got to meet students from across the nation and learn about their governments and get new ideas. A lot o the seminars that I attended were about Public Relations (since I am the PR Director at HPU's SGA). I Learned a lot about marketing our government for the better. Pumped and ready to get back to work, we ended the conference with new friends and experiences. That night we decided to out on the town. We headed to Santa Monica and the promenade. Basically the promenade is like Fort Street Mall, just better and cleaner. We shopped, and ate, and had a great time watching street performers showcase their talents.

On the last day we decided to spend the morning and mid-afternoon in Hollywood in style. We left the hotel and drove through the world famous Beverly Hills. Unfortunately we didn't have a star map with us, so we don't know which fancy houses were celebrities. We ate breakfast at MEL'S Drive Inn which is an old style 50's Diner. Then we hit Sunset Boulevard where it has the Hollywood walk of fame. We saw as much as we could. So many different famous names and icons. We eventually made it to Grauman's Chinese Theatre which has all the cement handprints and signatures.
Overall the trip was a nice escape from reality and an eye opener for what we can accomplish as a Student Government.

VAO Potluck

VETERANS AFFAIRS OFFICE will be holding a potluck for all those affiliated with the military on November 12th. The day after Veterans Day. There will be food, drinks, and a bugler who will play taps to honor those who have fallen in the line of duty.

Thanksgiving 2013

Thanksgiving this year was a first for me. It was the first time I made the dinner. It basically was stressful from the beginning to end. But still fun either way. It all started with finding recipes that would appeal to my guests and then also grocery shopping for the ingredients. Wouldn't you know it, I had to rush back to Safeway to buy some last minute items. I feel  like that is another unwritten american tradition. The turkey itself needed to be in the oven for four and a half hours. On top of the side dishes that need to be cooked and heated up. It was like math for a second trying to figure out what goes in and also how to fit it all in our oven. So I suggest planning that ahead of time next time.

Once the food was all ready to go, we all toasted to good friends, good food and other blessings. The turkey came out juicy (SUCCESS!) and everything else was perfect. I couldn't have asked for a better turnout.

Happy Birthday Marines!

In the month of November, the United States Marine Corps celebrated its 238th birthday. I was fortunate enough to be a part of the celebrations on the island of O'ahu. In a small way though. I worked as a photographer that took photos of Marines and their loved ones and spouses. I enjoyed these jobs, as I partook in 5 of them in total. Each Battalion celebrated with a military ball. Each one having the same type of formal ceremony then a dance to follow. I found it fascinating since you learn a brief history of the marines and everything is really well put together and pristine. Each separate battalion had their own individual traditions, but all of them had one in common. The ceremonious cake would be cut by a saber sword, and the first piece would be shared with the guest of honor, the oldest marine and the youngest marine in their unit. This one battalion had a young man who was born in 1995 and the whole room swooned at the quick memories that ran through their heads when that year was announced. overall it was nice to be witness to something prestigious and historical. 

Halloween Night

My-O-My what a night! Well, not much happened to be considered a "Crazy night." But on a level that is my scale, it was well needed and deserved.

I got to hang out with friends and basically not have a care in the world. It was awesome.
I headed down to Waikiki to see the crowds and hoards of people in the costumes of the year. Well, needless to say I was quite disappointed. This year was supposed to be the "Miley Cyrus" train-wreck costume. Out of thousands of people, I saw three. Just three. But, in a shocking twist, there were an inordinate amount of Waldos' (from "Where's Waldo?). I guess you can say that Waldo was easy to find in that crowd.

HPU Spirit Week

Campus Activity Board is going full throttle to raise School Spirit at HPU

Each day of the Week of Halloween Leads up to the Soccer games on Saturday November 2nd.

Monday- Pajama Day

Tuesday- Nerd Day

Wednesday- Breast Cancer Awareness Day (Wear Pink)

Thursday- Halloween! (Wear your costume)

Friday- HPU Gear day. (Wear your HPU Attire) 

Saturday- Soccer game. Full on PRIDE. 

Pride at HPU is diminished. We need more pride. The only thing is a majority of students that come to Hawaii Pacific University are international students and Veterans. They really care less.