I am 24, still living at home in Honolulu, Hawai'i. I'm a Japanese-American, but despite studying Japanese for two years each in high school and college, can speak and understand only a little. I am now attempting to reclaim what I've lost, though it is extremely difficult since there is no one at home to practice with.
I graduated Magna Cum Laude from Theodore Roosevelt High School in June 1993. That August I enrolled at the University of Hawai'i, Manoa, finally receiving my Bachelor of Arts in English in May 1996. After taking a semester off, I returned in for the Spring '97 term to pursue a Master's degree in English. Choosing Creative Writing as my focus, I completed my thesis--a fantasy fiction novel--and received my Master of Arts in English in December 1998. Then, after resting another semester, I returned in the summer of 1999 to work on a teaching certificate, which I received in June 2000.
Since the summer of 1991 I've worked at Hawaii Hana, Tour & Travel, Inc., a local travel agency. Officially I'm a "travel consultant", but I usually only do data entry. I also serve as what amounts to a receptionist: answering telephones, taking messages, facilitating the arrival and departure of clients into and out of the office. Sometimes I make airline reservations, but only for interisland itineraries. Lately I've also been working on the company's webpages. You can find them by following the above link.
Other jobs include telemarketing for one summer in high school and temporary employee for about nine months after receiving my B.A., starting in August 1996 and ending in May 1997. In September 1997 I worked as an Educational Assistant at Roosevelt H.S. in their English for Second Language Learners (ESLL) department. I helped teach Reading to the department head's beginning English class. In the spring of 1999 I worked at Wallace Rider Farrington High School--again in the ESLL department--assisting in Mathematics and Speech Communication. After receiving my teaching certificate, I taught summer school at Aiea High School in 2000. I now work as a part-time teacher/tutor at Farrington High School.
Obviously, reading is one of them. I read several genres--sci-fi, horror, etc.--but my overall favorite is fantasy. The idea of magic and heroic quests are things I always find interesting. I favor novels with male protagonists, but that's because I'm a guy and it's easier to identify with male characters than female characters. That doesn't stop me from reading those with female protagonists, though: Emerald House Rising has a female lead, and it's one of my favorite novels.
I wrote a fantasy novel for my Master's thesis and have ideas for other books--in fantasy, naturally, though perhaps some in sci-fi or horror as well--but it may be a while before I see my name (or a psuedonym I choose) on the bookshelves. I also write poetry, though not as often. I mostly write formulaic stuff--sonnets, etc.--but sometimes free verse as well. Most are rather sappy and silly and probably wouldn't win any prizes, but some are actually endurable.
Though I shouldn't, I watch a lot of television. I don't follow many daytime programs anymore because of work, but I do tape a lot of shows and watch a few night time programs as well. For live action programs I still watch Abarenbo Shogun (subtitled Japanese series about Tokugawa Yoshimune). I also watch as many of the WWF programs as I can. I tape and/or watch Angel and Buffy the Vampire Slayer regularly (hey, I gotta have my vampires). For my anime shows I tape and/or watch the following: Ronin Warriors, Sailor Moon, Dragonball Z, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, Card Captors, Pokemon and Pokemon: The Johto Journeys, Dinozaurs, and Digimon. Other animated programs I watch include Action Man, Beast Machines, occasionally Batman Beyond, and now X-Men: Evolution. I drive my family crazy with all the taping going on.
I've become a big fan of Japanese anime ever since my relatives introduced me to it early last year. Now I have a number of anime videos that I really couldn't afford but bought anyway. Some are sci-fi, but most are either historical or fantasty, and nearly all of them involve some form of magic or mysticism. There is only one series that I have that involves very little of either, but I love it anyway. Now, of course, I have the added incentive of trying to follow the Japanese dialogue in hopes of improving my own weak grasp of the language. Almost everything else I do--reading comics, playing computer games, watching television, etc.--involves fantasy or "science-fiction" in some way. Role-playing games (RPGs) are my favorite, though I don't really have time nowadays to play a lot. Television watching varies, but I'll usually pass over movies and cartoons in favor of nature documentaries or documentaries that discuss certain of Earth's "myths, mysteries, and legends": Loch Ness, Bigfoot, the Yeti, Dracula, witchcraft, dinosaurs, etc. Of course, I might also settle in to watch a cooking show on the TV Food Network.
I can't think of anything else anyone could possibly want to know about me. If there is, though, feel free to e-mail me. I'll generally answer any questions posed except really personal ones. Also, DON'T ask me for my real name because you aren't going to get it. Sorry, but it's for the protection of my family's privacy. I hope you understand.
E-mail your comments to xerxesstarfire@geocities.com. I appreciate your feedback.
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