"I use to think life had a plan for me... until I realized life had to be planned by me." - Nelly
Howzit all. Thanks for stopping by my page - newcomers and returnees alike! You’ve stumbled upon my page and even if it’s by accident or chance, I hope I give you reason to stick around. Let me give you a quick nav of my page: to the left you’ll find my vitals and visuals; and below you'll find the blueprints of my life. alohaz!
|updated 2006.june.09|
The Basics: (bey-six') adj. 3. Of, being, or serving as a starting point.
Name: Eathan
Known by: e10
Ethnicity: [hapa] Japanese/Chinese/English
Nationality: American
Culture: Japanese/Hawaiian
Religion: none practiced
Belief: Agnostic/Atheistic|-------------/Identity: (eye-den'ti-tee) 4. The distinct personality of an individual regarded as a persisting entity; individuality.
My given name is Eathan, but I've been frequently misidentified as Ian, Nathan, Evan, and the occasional Steven. Most of the time when people verbalize my name, it sounds like ‘Eten’ and strangely enough, that’s how some people have spelt my name as well. Through no credit of my own, I’ve acquired the clever and simplified version: "e10". This maybe useful when needing to shave valuable milliseconds off your typing time while mentioning my name.I have had the honor and fortune of being the son of great parents. Although I can't simply say which ones I value the most (see 'background'), I have spent almost 2 decades growing up and around the same pair... the Ozawa's. I will stubbornly claim that my life influences come mainly from friends and my high school, however, I can't deny having good values at home didn't help. That's not to discredit any other of my 'parents', but, case and point, how much more credit can I give my birth mom other than pushing me through her loins? Ladies, that's not to say the act is by any means simple or easy, but let me dig out of this hole some other time (NO pun intended!), please?
I was brought into this world by college students at UH. I have inferred that my being put up for adoption meant that I probably wasn't part of their 4-year plan. She was of Japanese ancestry, studying English and he was a Chinese/Haole athlete on scholarship. Beyond that, I know nothing. (for those who can't visualize the ethnic pie, I'm 1/2 Japanese, 1/4 Chinese and English)
|-------------/Background: (baq-gra'ond) 2a. The part of a pictorial representation that appears to be in the distance and that provides relief for the principal objects in the foreground.A good 90% of newborns on this island are welcomed into either Queen's or Kapiolani hospital and I ended up being a Kap baby. No idea what time or how much I weighed or any other sentimental details. I apparently had curly hair, but my grandmother cut it off and it grew back straight. This is a highly unlikely story, I know, however they prepared for the non-believers by saving some strands in a ziplock! I was actually a fat baby - had some chubs! This will surprise anyone who knows me now. I was also very tan. Not sure where the fat or the tan disappeared to. I spent many of my early days in or near a pool. I think in a past life I must have been a talapia or something. My parents threw me in the water before my 1st birthday and I don't think I dried off until 7th grade.My family tree is pretty complex (not necessarily extensive) and it would be hard to generalize anything about it. The two people who brought me into this world had their own circumstances that didn't allow them to keep me, so before I could gurgle much of a say in the matter, I was put up for adoption. The couple who adopted me - in my baby form - are considered by me to be more than just that. I was asked as a youngster how I felt to have been adopted and if I had the urge to find my "real" parents. I remember saying, without hesitating, I had my real parents, because I defined that term by the very people who cared and raised me... not by the contents of my blood. I also was indifferent about my birth parents, saying that I had no need to find them, but would accept them in my life if they found me. When my parents split, so did my family tree, in a way. Both of them remarried, so I gained two more sets of families. Although a good chunk of my life, I've been an only child, this change gave me two step-brothers who I got to see quite often. Now, one of them is married with a very healthy size family and the other I live only a couple of blocks away from.I've dabbled in a bunch of organized sports, but I ended up being a kid that could play a lot of different sports instead of the kid who was really good at one sport. I don't consider myself 'well' traveled, but I have been fortunate enough to have visited Japan, as well as a handful of scattered coastal states.
|-------------/Education: (edjew'kay-shun) 4. the gradual process of acquiring knowledge through professional or private instructions by persons or institutions.My education started at Unity Preschool which, sadly, I remember very little of. I do remember the distinct smell of urine, but it wasn't as ghetto as I make it sound. I just don't think I learned much that year, except how to hold in my pee till I got home. This was immediately followed by an enrollment to a private institution, Punahou. This K12 college-prep school has a reputation for housing snobby, rich kids, but this is a grossly exaggerated misconception. With annual tuitions reaching 5-digit teen figures, the family wealth becomes exhausted in a 13 year period. Although it was a privilege, it comes with a lifetime cost of "do you know how much your education cost this family?!" reminders. There are claims that it is the top school in the state, but not having the opportunity to attend any other school, I won't say one way or another. I will say that it helped shape me during my… shaping years. I give the school credit for my core values, my ability to tackle what life throws at me, and especially for what little creative juices I possess. Out-of-the-box thinking is my specialty.More than just class time and homework, a lot of a child's learning comes from outside experiences. I was no different. I learned about gravity from how much it hurt to fall 15 feet from a Banyan branch. Or that it kind of sucks to jump on the back of a friend who's blood flowed with judo venom, instinctually flipping me onto solid pavement (thanks Frog). Or that when a girl writes you a note (and stands across the playground) asking you to raise your left arm to stay boyfriend/girlfriend or right arm to break up, it's not good to be a wise-ass and raise both arms in confusion. Or the feeling of being rejected for the first time. Or the second time. Or third! I can't blame the girls though. I was an uber dork growing up. I wore those knee-high socks and when it was the 'in' thing, I'd roll them down making those awesome ankle doughnuts! Yes, I wore jams as a high school freshman ('94) and those did come with drawstrings! I made those short PE pants look sexy and had the most twisted sense of what hairstyle looked good on me. I was in band and ROTC. I thought the best way to tell a girl that I liked her was to wait five months, write an overly formal letter with way too much detail and hand it to her in front of all her friends.You ever wished to have the ability to go back in time and kick the living shit of your old self? ….. yeah.Anyway, for some odd reason, I was blessed with good friends that fortunately stayed away from drugs and delinquent behaviors for the most part.After finishing up my education in Hawaii, I was given the choice of going to college in the mainland, moving to the mainland to attend college, or if I didn't want those options, I could have continued my education up in the mainland. It would appear that my parents needed a breather from me? So, I ended up being enrolled at the overcast campus of the University of Washington, aka U-dub. My only appreciation of being parentally deported to Seattle was that I was enlightened. No, I didn't find my true calling, or a drive towards some career. No, I realized how miserably unpleasant the mainland is and knew I would live out the rest of my life on my tiny little islands. (disclaimer: this is under the assumption that some charming female doesn't grab me by my noodle-like spine and drag me back to the motherland.)|-------------/Career: (ka'rear) 1. A chosen persuit that reflects one's professional achievements; an occupation.
I've spent a good chunk of the new millennium discovering unsuccessful ways to build a career, which has included being a promo company's b!tch, a freelance designer, and selling some seaweed drink. Don't ask. Of course, the main goal was always to bring home the fattest check while exerting the least amount of effort. What I found in early 2002 was a way to satisfy both my future's wallet and my avoidance of a cubical or endless profession: Real estate. And no, I'm way too unconventional to just be pursuing an agent status. I decided at that time I would become an investor and after reading Rich Dad, Poor Dad, I was sold on that idea. A concern that I had during my career finding frenzy, was an inability to remain consistent. Both my jobs and residence and cell phones were changing almost on a yearly basis. So, for the past 2 years, I've consciously been static. I am slowly working my way into the property market, but with duel jobs and extracurricular, my pace is to lethargic for my comfort. I am a problem solver though and not sweating this anxiety yet.Maybe sometime later, I'll get into my whole real estate spiel.|-------------/Hobbies: (hawb'eez) 1. An activity or interest pursued outside one's regular occupation and engaged in primarily for pleasure.
Like many others I love to do a variety of things, but being that there's only one me and the real world requires work, eating and sleeping to take priority over many recreational activities, there is a limit to how many hobbies any one person is able to pursue. When I do have a breather from life, I spend my time bodyboarding, on the computer, basketball or volleyball with friends and updating my iPod library. When I have more time, I would love to get cozy with the outdoors - hiking, camping, fishing and diving are definitely things on my wish list.[more to come...]
