Good times!

Here's Jen and Meg after a few beers on Saturday night!

Umm...Drunk?
Originally uploaded by jillokawa.

The Football BBQ

The Master Chef
Originally uploaded by jillokawa.

As an honorary member (or cheerleader as they like to call me) of the Any Hungover Sunday Football Team, I was invited to the Team End-of-Season BBQ on Joe's roof deck. It was an all day affair - I was even able to leave for a few hours to have dinner with my family and come back to a party that had gotten a little rowdier and a little drunker. I could hear the party from the first floor of the building!

The Ladies

The Ladies
Originally uploaded by jillokawa.

It was a perfect NYC day to enjoy a little sun, beer, and beef on a Manhattan rooftop!

Post-Wedding Yankees Game

Post-Wedding Yankees Game
Originally uploaded by jillokawa.

On Sunday the whole family headed to the Yankees/Royals game. Although a lot of my family despises the Yankees, I still think they had a pretty good time. I would have been even more fun if we hadn't been in the no-drinking section. I mean really...who came up with that idea?!! Oh well. My pocketbook couldn't really afford the $8 Bud Lights anyway, so we settled for hot dogs and ice cream instead!

Me and Joey

Me and Joey
Originally uploaded by jillokawa.

Joe was thrown into the fire by having to meet my ENTIRE family all at once. He was a trooper though and they all loved him.

The Okawa Family

The Okawa Family
Originally uploaded by jillokawa.

Here we all are - already stuffed from an amazing cocktail hour, many, many cocktails, appetizers, and salad. The main course was next (filet mignon or Chilean sea bass) and it was followed by not one...but TWO desserts! Hell yeah! The reception was awesome - there was Irish dancing, bagpipers, and a awesome breakdancing solo by my cousin Cory! Good times!

My sister's wedding

The Okawas and The Carolans
Originally uploaded by jillokawa.

Well, the wedding was quite the affair! Everything went off without a hitch - besides the rainy weather. We did get a few hours without rain though so we snuck outside for some quick photos. Here's a shot of my parents and sister with my sister's husband and his parents. Too bad my ma's eyes are closed, but it was the best one I could get. I'm sure the professional ones will be nicer. Lesley and Greg are already in Tahiti now for their honeymoon! I'm so jealous!!!

My Ink-Blot Test Results

Here are my ink-blot test results...

Your Unconscious Mind Is Most Driven by Peace
You have a deeply-rooted desire to make peace in the world. Whether through subtle interactions with loved ones, or through getting involved in social causes, it is important to you to be able to influence the world in a positive way. You have a deep respect for humankind. You care about the future of the world, even beyond your own involvement in it, and you inspire others to feel the same way. Your innate drive toward peace guides you in daily life towards decisions that are respectful toward yourself and others. Your psyche is very rich; the more you learn about it, the more you will understand who you really are...

Guess I chose the right career path, huh? If you want a psycho-analysis of your own unconscious, check this out.

Fortune Cookie Reveals the Meaning of Life

I have a habit of toting around good fortunes that I've received from the all-knowing cookie! I thought I'd share this one: "When you are squeezed, what comes out is what is inside." Deep.

Wedding Craziness!

A week from tomorrow my big sister will be getting married! I'm so incredibly happy for her, and so excited for the wedding! Since I'm the Maid-of-Honor, my sister has asked me to do a reading at the wedding and part of that charge was for me to do some research on something good to read! So I've spent some time this week searching for that perfect passage or poem to read during the ceremony and I found this:


EXCERPT FROM THE VELVETEEN RABBIT
~ By Margery Williams ~


"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but Really loves you, then you become Real."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get all loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

Pretty cool, huh? Now, all I have to do is prepare a toast!!! Man, being the Maid-of-Honor is not easy! But on the bright side, it's going to be one seriously badass party!

Tired.

I'm not going to lie. I'm tired. I'm frustrated. I'm sad.

Yet miraculously, I'm still motivated.

After 6 1/2 years in @ you'd think that I'd run out of steam or something. And to be honest, I'm damn near close to that point. I really don't know how much I have left in me to keep fighting to find a solution to a problem so complex and enigmatic in nature that it's difficult to even define. Over the past few weeks I feel like I've been de-humanized, misunderstood, rendered helpless (although helplessness is only a state of mind), and literally beaten up. But the truth is, I'm not a victim. No one is in @. Because we're all in control of our own destinies. We make @ what it is. We shape it. We have the power to make it both fail and succeed. Right now it seems as though we're spiraling downward, but I really feel that if we can start to take ownership again (and by taking ownership I mean recognizing our own inadequacies and ignorance at times and striving to overcome them... examining the difference between what's knowledge, what's rumor, what's suspicion, and what's riddled with bias... taking the reigns of our own destiny and rising to the challenge at hand) we can ultimately realize our potential. I do know that I have 9 months left in @ and I'm not willing to give up just yet. I know we can do better. I hope I'm not alone.

Go figure...

You Belong in New York City

You're an energetic, ambitious woman.And only NYC is fast enough for you.Maybe you'll set yourself up with a killer careerOr simply take in all the city has to offer.

What'>http://ynr.blogthings.com/whatcitydoyoubelonginquiz/">What City Do You Belong In?

Heading for the Future? Or Unemployment?

As many of you may know, I've finally set my leaving date for AIESEC U.S. January 31st is likely to be my last day. I know 9 months is a long way off, and for most MC members around the world, 9 months is almost a full term! But after 3 years on the AIESEC U.S. National Team, I think 9 months is a lot closer than it may seem!

I've been thinking for a while about what I want to do after I leave. Leaving NYC is almost a certainty (as much as Jen may deny it). But what my career path will be still remains to be seen. I'm definitely interested in working for a small, start-up social enterprise. Sweet Riot, started by former AIESEC U.S. MCP, Sarah Endline would be amazing and exactly what I'm looking for, but I don't want to get my hopes up. Who knows what will be available in January...

Location is definitely important. There are a lot of organizations in D.C. that I'm interested in working for, which would be a good temporary location for me since it's close enough to visit NY and my sister (who will likely be starting a family soon), yet further away from the chaotic buzz that is NYC that I'm hoping to escape. It's not that I hate NYC (at least not anymore), it's just that I'm aching for a change. I have a good network in D.C. which would help. The ultimate plan would be to wind up in San Francisco, perhaps with a detour to Seattle along the way, but there's time for that. Who knows, an AIESEC internship may be in order before I choose any career at all! I'm dying to get back to Africa, Latin America still has me entranced, Europe is virtually unexplored for me still, and how could forget my Asian roots? The possibilities are so endless.

I'm excited that a lot of AIESECers have been asking me about my role opening up. It's good to know that people are interested! And good people too! I had some great talks with folks at LTM about what the role entails, which makes me feel a lot better about leaving.

Anyway, if anyone knows of any great start-up social enterprises looking for people, let me know!!!