The Nic House Project - Episode 2 - The Initial Meeting

The Waiting...

After a mix-up with the location of our meeting, I finally got to talk face-to-face with the contractor that my friend had referred me to. I'm working with a team from Hilo-based company, Dennis Delfin Contracting. They seem like a really good team for such an important life project, and I am glad to have met with them today. Oh, and how very typical "Hilo," Dennis is my dad's classmate. Of course... :)

The Questions and Answers

The draftsman (Clint) went on his merry way asking questions. I don't know if I was very good with the answers. :( Yikes.

Clint: Slab or post & pier?

Nic: Slab cuz it looks nicer. (I refrained from an extended answer including cobwebs and weeds...)

Clint: What kind of roof?

Nic: Regular...? OH! The kind where extending would be easy if I needed to extend later on.

Clint: What kind of ceilings?

Nic: Umm, not open beam but not flat

Clint: Flat ceilings are cheapest

Nic: Okay, flat. Plus, I can reach the light bulbs, right?

Clint: Cesspool or septic?

Nic: *blank stare* Ummm...

Clint: I'll research that.

Clint: What kind of car do you have?

Nic: *Points to the parking lot* That white one. Nissan.

Clint: Okay. Maybe 5 feet plus 3 feet on each side in the garage?

Nic: Sure. Sounds good.

Clint: What kind of counters?

Nic: Silestone? I saw them at Home Depot

Clint: Okay. Granite is better...

Nic: But, more expensive? Okay, granite!

Clint: We'll figure out your allowances for each feature in the home like the counters.

Nic: Oh, I would show you my scary spreadsheet, but... never mind.

Project Location

I made a quick (and motion-sickness-inducing) video on my lunch break to show the team where things would be as far as driveway and house placement. Not sure if it helped, but you can watch my little video if you want. I also gave them some photos just in case the video was just too.. crappy. :)

What's Next?

After the research is done by the draftsman as to where things are under the ground and how the project will pan out as far as expenses and material allowances, the next step would be getting permits acquired, financing secured and have my spreadsheet of expense allocations fine-tuned - I'm talking serial numbers and measurements for televisions, furniture, you name it! :) We'll save that for another episode.

Praying that the project quote comes within my budget...

Thanks, Dennis, Clint & Keola for a good meeting and for making me feel comfortable with such a large (and expensive) project!

The Nic House Project - Episode 1 - I'm Limited

Research/Calculation Time!

I am definitely putting my brain to work calculating scenarios for the building of a home on my parents' lot (see image to the left). I should actually say I am exercising my Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and ten-key skills figuring out loan payments and allowances for modifications and even appliances. If you know me - I gotta have a well-calculated decision before I commit. All I know so far is that our lot's zoning is qualified for an ‘ohana permit which allows a second, separate house to be built on the same lot.

Floor Plans

I've researched floor plans for 2 and 3 bedroom house floor plans from several local companies and have narrowed it down to something like this 2 bedroom floor plan.

If I stick to this design, I am planning to modify the garage to be 1/2 the size and include a bathroom in place of the laundry room... I shall figure out the laundry room thing later. Luckily, an open house for this exact model home was available for public viewing a few weeks ago and I really liked the layout of the rooms. It's small but it's more than enough for me. If I ever need more space, can you say, "extension?" Right now, budget drives my limits, but I really like the placement of the rooms in this model and it would fit nicely on my lot without having any windows peering back into my parents' windows.

Here's the edited floor plan that I made in Photoshop:

The Home Depot Wanderer

Last week I visited the Home Depot and walked around - always calculating - and checked out kitchen counters and cabinets and flooring and doors and windows and... everything! Too many choices = lots of time spent. I think I walked around for almost 2 hours but I got to talk to one of the staff about kitchen installations. Lots of good information from him - thanks... dude (forgot his name)!

Although I love the Home Depot, I think the first matter to tend to would be the actually house structure - after that's built I might not even have the money for Silestone counters and quiet-shut cabinet drawers that I was draw to that day... This leads me to the creation of a prioritization list for my home.

Prioritizing the Non-Priorities

1. Laminate wood floors for living and bedroom areas

2. Tiles in kitchen/bathroom areas

3. Silestone seamless kitchen and bathroom counters

4. Vaulted ceilings

Those are the main things I would add/modify if there were enough resources left within my budget after everything else was built.

Taking Action

Well, I ain't building this house myself, so I am arranging to meet with a local contractor/builder company in the next two weeks or so. He seems like a great guy to work with and has been very helpful so far in just the two days I've talked and e-mailed with him. We shall see what comes of our initial project meeting. Thank you to my buddy Lisa for referring me to him.

More to come as this project moves along!

I Do Believe... I Have Been Changed for the Better

Click below for a Soundtrack to this blog

Wicked Soundtrack - "For Good"

This is the song that triggered the topic of this blog. You might want to "right click - open in a new tab" so you don't lose this page. Sorry, was too lazy to put in fancy HTML that is not readily available in my "techy" lexicon.

I'm Limited... You Can Do All I Couldn't Do.

Standards. For ourselves. If you're anything like me, the pinnacles of your own standards are out of view because they're just too darn high. For me, (and maybe you, too, if you can relate to the previous sentence) I've set standards that seem to laugh at me from somewhere up there, from the high peak upon which they sit. If they could talk, they'd probably be saying something like, "Doofus, you can't reach us... or even see us! Mwuahaha *evil music plays here*!" But then, they're so high-in-the-sky that I don't hear 'em at all.

Yup, this is me. I've come a long way in accepting that I have limits and that it's okay. I'm limited. And there will be people better than me in all aspects of life. They can do things I can't do. I along with many other people (I am assuming?) fail to accept this. Fortunately, it's simply resolved by taking a step back from that high tower of standards piercing the upper stratosphere and taking a glance at them - at yourself - from a distance.

My worst enemy holds these standards way up there. His name is Perfectionism. He makes me tired when I don't feel like I should be. He makes me spend extra time on things that should take seconds. He makes me appear to have OCD tendencies (no offense to anyone). However, through the years I have come to accept him as the one who presents me with the life challenges to prove myself to be unlimited. I am continually gaining understanding of how much this "characteristic" of mine is actually contributing to some of my better qualities. I just need to remember those qualities and find more of them. And, he also reminds me that all the things other people can do, they really don't matter; maybe I can do all I couldn't do - if I try.

I rely on others in my life to push me over the tougher peaks and drag me through the deeper valleys of my love-hate relationship with good ol' Perfectionism. Becoming a better person, I have found, is a choice you need to make and take action on. However, we are a societal species, so interaction with others, both good and bad, are important catalysts for our self-improvement.

Because I Knew You...

My friends, my enemies, my coworkers, my bosses... my evil bosses. They've all played a part in the creation of ME. Yup, even if I disliked you from day one, trust me, you've given me a piece of life that I would not have experienced with anyone else. So with this I say, "Thank You."

"Like a stream that meets a boulder halfway through the woods." Conflict creates beautiful things in the world around us; conflict is a natural occurrence. Valleys, rivers, beaches, even diamonds, are all products of conflicting forces and elements. If we could see the people who have caused us hurt in life in this same light, we might spend less time bulking about bad relationships, fights and mutual misunderstandings. Easier said than done? Errr, ask me again later. :)

Like a comet pulled from orbit as it passes the sun. For the good people we meet, hopefully we are attracted to them and make them a positive inclusion in our lives. They teach us things about life and about ourselves and we hope to keep these people at our sides for a lifetime. They serve as constant reminders of how we continually grow and improve - and gain positive things in life because of our own action of simply living!

I Have Been Changed for Good

Going back to my friend Mr. Perfectionism, well... he sometimes acts like the little red incarnation of a "devil" sitting on my shoulder, whispering negative hullabaloo into my ear and just making me upset about things in life that I don't like or don't agree with. I'm almost 30 years old and I am finally standing up to him on a regular basis when he is in this mode.

Our lives are like stories that are being written by the nanosecond. The only thing is, there's no editing. What you see is what you get and there's no going back to do spell-checks or censoring. We live with what we're dealt, whether good or bad. This is where it's a matter of what we perceive and what we accept. I think this is something I and probably most of you would like to work on a little more each day, huh? It's okay. Accept it. We are limited, but, only if we allow ourselves to be.

For all of the people I have met in my life, I do believe I have been changed for the better... Because I knew you I have been changed for good.

Afterthoughts...

This blog should be labeled as "babble" but then again, the blog as a whole is from the COMPLICATED BRAIN of NIC... so, if you read this far. Yippeee, you're complicated like me! :)

One Year, a Few Inches, a Few Pounds... A Lot Happier

April 1, 2009 - April 1, 2010...

One year ago, my friends and I decided we were not happy with our physical selves. So, we did some research on various exercises like the Abs Power Diet and various videos from Tony Horton and Jessica Smith, among others. Our afternoons were spent trying to follow along with these videos without cracking up at the instructors - and ourselves.

We did a lot of research on eating habits and different food types. I am typing this at Starbucks now enjoying a reduced-fat turkey bacon and egg white sandwich on a whole wheat and a Naked Superfood Green Machine smoothie... But, it's Easter and my friend decided to bless me with Reese's peanut butter egg candy. :) But, aside from this little "cheat," in general, I have changed my grocery list to include things like whole wheat breads, baby spinach, grilled chicken, protein powder and soy milk. Gone are my days of daily 7-Eleven breakfast scramble bentos and hot dog musubi. I miss them sometimes. Not often, though.

At my heaviest, I was 173 pounds this past winter - the heaviest I've ever been. I think this was the peak of the first phase of my transformation where fat and muscle were battling for residence on my body. Well, getting to the point of this blog... as you've seen in the photo above, I weighed in at 160 pounds on April 1, 2009 and 154 pounds a year later. This is not a very significant loss considering it's been a whole year since "starting" a healthier lifestyle, but I've seen changes in more than just my weight that are much more significant.

I currently have less clothes to choose from in my closet - and if any of you know me, my bedroom is like Macy's Men's department... three racks of clothes, a dresser of shirts, and a bunch of drawers containing socks, board shorts and my gym clothes. For years I've been a size 32 waist. Today I am a 29-30 waist and no longer have a bulge of tummy fat over my belt on workdays. I am glad I kept some of the smaller shirts I used to wear when I was still doing gymnastics - from the "skinny days."

My weight loss in the past year was not that significant, but hopefully you can see in the photo and by my measurements, that there was more to my healthy changes than just monitoring pounds. A lot of people focus on just what the scale says, but the changes go way beyond that. For anyone thinking about starting a healthier lifestyle, I suggest using things like your general energy levels, how your clothes fit, and even your general happiness as gauges for your improvements. I don't mind if I still weight more than I'd like to if I can fit into all of my nice board shorts again.

At 154 pounds, I am about 10 pounds away from my goal weight. I can't wait to get to the gym tomorrow morning and get to working on toning up - yes, I want a six-pack!!! Who doesn't? Haha! This is the second "phase" of my fitness lifestyle: tone up!

Thank you to the following supporters...

To my life-long friends Jodi and Nichole for getting me motivated to get going in the first place and for exploring all those fitness DVDs and articles with me.

To the folks at Spencer Fitness for not laughing at me when I slip on the treadmill or start singing along and dancing to my iPod songs.

To my Mom for sponsoring some of my meals and for making conscious decisions to eat healthier with me - I can't wait for lunch tomorrow!

To the great people at Island Naturals for providing me with great, healthy food choices.

To my brothers and sister for all being in-shape, good-looking people, thereby allowing me to label myself as "the fat ugly one" (no, really... it was a good push to get in shape! hehehe!)

To my friend Ian for giving me fitness tips and motivation and for helping me find a healthier, happier spirit.

To all my Facebook friends who have cheered me along this far.

To my little Squishy for always being a constant reminder of how simple things can make a big impact in our daily lives... much more than we usually think.

And finally, but most importantly, to God for giving me the people, energy, willpower and resources to make everything possible.

Poem: Ducklings & Bread

A friend once gave me a little fortune/horoscope thing that said I should follow where love takes me, like a little duckling. To remind me to be less of a butt-head, I bought myself a little stuffed animal duckling to keep in my car.

In the past half-year or so, I've done just that... follow along like a little duckling. And the following poem should give you an idea of how this metaphor has played out in my life so far.

In advance...thank you for reading.



Ducklings & Bread


Little duckling in the lake
Swim on over and get your take
Feast on as much as you like
A loaf of bread, come take a bite

Come in closer and I can see
You’re as cute as a duck can be
‘Whaaap!’ I kick you just because
Off run in a puff of fuzz

Away into the water you run
Upset that I had ruined the fun
Of partaking in this yummy treat
Quickly you paddle your tiny feet

Look, I’m still throwing bread
You reconsider your swim ahead
Around you turn and now you know
It’s not really how you thought it so

When you felt the thud of my heel
Pain wasn’t what I meant you to feel
It was to guide you another way
“Look, a bigger piece!” what I meant to say

Now you know I meant the best
Despite the quick pain in your chest
My intentions were for you to be
Aware of all the things you can see

Now and then we need that kick
To get us seeing, get our brains to tick
To remind us that it’s fine to accept
And disallow options that might intercept

Sometimes that quick moment of pain
Is the only way that you can gain
More than just what’s in your head
A bigger piece of the bread

The throbbing pain then starts to fade
You reconsider the choice you’ve made
To run from that one tiny kick
Another try you decide to pick

You can see the next bigger piece
A grander and more robust feast
Your little feet start to scramble
Much quicker than a little ramble

To find another crumb I’ve thrown
Bigger than the one you’ve known
With a grateful grin you turn to me
I’ve shown you just how better can be

Thanking me with a little ‘quack’
For showing you a different way back
To where bigger and better lay
A piece of bread for another day



This poem is dedicated someone who has made me see
a better figure when I look in the mirror,
a better conqueror in the endeavors I dream of,
a better person in doing the simple things I love,
a better part in the lives I touch.

Thank you for kicking me to a bigger piece of bread... *quack!*

Wishing only wounds the heart...

Wishing?

Wishing and daydreaming about big things for yourself is something most normal humans do. I mean, don't you think things like "Oooh, I really wish I had a JITB Ultimate Cheeseburger right now!" or "Maybe someday I will be able to build my own home!" Well, that's good... shows you are thinking of yourself which is important - not conceited (in controlled doses!).

Action...

The lack of action makes just wishing a potentially damaging thing, as it alone will usually not suffice for Ultimate Cheeseburger production. So you jump in the car, grab some cash at the ATM and head on over to Jack in the Box. Simple enough, but, you still had to actively do it to make your calorie-packed snack (a huge one) a reality. I think this is where a lot of people get stuck or simple just don't get to in their life wishes: action: the lack of it. However, I like to have some guidelines so I don't aimlessly wander around dreamland looking for my goal and being sidetracked by things along the way. "Oh look, there it is, under that rock! Nope, just some bugs... looked like my goal.. guess not."

Goal!

Setting goals and a plan to reach bigger "wishes" is always a good thing. Well, maybe it is for me because I am a very visual person. If I can see a plan and basic path to the end goal, I am more likely to see my way to it. Setting goals is a good way to exercise (and reach) your success in life. Because our brains think in pictures, you really need to visualize your end goal to give your brain a better chance to say, "Hey, I can see it happening!" I am not gonna guarantee you a body like that lil wolf guy from The Twilight Saga: New Moon just by staring at a poster of him, but because your brain sees images, it probably does help!

As you stare at this guy on the wall, you can say "I wanna look like that." You can help things along by first changing your goal to be specific, realistic, timely - and in present tense. For example, you could say "I have a body like Jacob Black at the end of next year." Sounds like you're going backwards into simply-wishing mode, but, remembering your brain's imaged-based goal center, you can write goals in this fashion in order to create a mental photo of yourself looking like a cut-bodied human-form werewolf. The next part is to be diligent about envisioning your goal. Write your goal down daily for 21+ days straight and you just might see yourself doing little things here and there to get going to your new body.

I am sure you can find documented research on this theory I just typed about. I am just remembering something I learned at a seminar a few years back. Don't quote me on any of this... but if you wanna look it up, look for brain stuff online about forming habits and stuff about the amygdala and stuff. Fun!!! And, just so you know, an Ultimate Cheeseburger does not help you reach the goal in the scenario above.

Wishing for something is good, but it alone is like a recipe card sitting on the counter. Setting a goal towards finding a path to that wish is even better - you've read the recipe and have your ingredients! Taking action towards that goal is the frosting on the cake. The rest is up to your character and preserverence to get to that cake baked, frosted and in your stomach. (Okay weird analogy, but, too bad!)

Whatever it is I am wishing, hoping, striving for, I try to learn from the good and bad. I like to see everything I do as a lesson to myself... and possibly others.


live the life you love... love the life you live.


PS: This was a non-wedding/relationship blog! Hahaha!

PS: FYI: The title of this blog is a line from Wicked's "I'm Not That Girl"

Wedding Weekend

WEDDING WEEKEND

Most of this past weekend I spent on the west side of Hawai‘i. I was a "bride's man" in my friends' wedding party (Congrats Les & Jeff!!!). Since last week's blog was about relationships and getting married, I think it's an appropriate time to do a follow-up after attending and being a part of a wedding.

The Location

If you ever have the chance, funds, and time, the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai at Ka‘upulehu is an incredible luxury resort for a very relaxing weekend. The facilities, staff, wedding planner, food, atmosphere - just about everything - including the bathrooms, were very plush and comfortable. I believe rooms start above $500, so... bring your instant saimin, bread and bologna. :) Along with the incredible grounds, there were quite a few goats, francolin and other wild animals adding to the "Hawaiian shoreline garden" atmosphere.

The Ceremony

Sweet and simple and quick. :) The weather was perfect and everything went smoothly... except that the flower girl didn't really grasp the idea that she really DID need to throw the flowers - not just pretend. (Good job, Marissa!)

The Reception

Prime rib buffet & desserts - top notch. Nummies! I personally like the end piece with the salts and seasonings on it. ONO!

POST-WEDDING FEELINGS

Okay, so this was my first time to bear the honor of being in a wedding party and it was great. Seeing my friends exchange vows to share a lifetime together forever didn't "scare" me as much as I thought. I guess the closest experience to marriage, for me, would be buying a $30,000 truck, a relationship which ended due to financial discomfort (not unlike some human-on-human relationships, maybe? haha!). Okay, maybe the truck purchase isn't the greatest example for synonymy's sake, but, the idea of commitment for a long period of time (a lifetime is what you shoot for at a wedding) frightens me a teeeeeeeny bit. Just a bit.

I think my fears stem from my self-centered tendencies. I am sure you're all thinking, "Noooo, you're sooooo nice and blah blah blah..." If you're not thinking that, stop reading and delete me from your buddy lists IMMEDIATELY. Just kidding! :)

Okay, where was I? Oh. Yes. ME! I feel like I still haven't figured out how to take care of myself altogether, so what would make me think that I could take care of someone else in addition to needy lil me? Plus, I drive myself crazy sometimes... I don't want to have someone else deal with it, too, right? Hahaha!

That's my post-wedding feelings - not too far from my pre-wedding feelings, I guess. Oh pooh!

Marriage: Get Off My Chair!!!

My Comfy Chair

I am nearing my third decade of life and many of my friends are already married or will be getting married soon. I am currently sitting on a chair labeled "Eternal Bachelor by Choice." Maybe it's my self-centered, OCD-like qualities that keep me there, but I intend to stay in this comfy place until someone gives me a reason to budge. Continue reading for more details...

A How-To Guide to Budging Nic Off of His Chair

Well, this guide will be short and has only one major step.

1. BE HONEST.

I hear of so many relationships tarnished by marriage. I hear it can be pretty expensive to get a divorce filed and completed - I say not expensive enough. Hike up the legal fees and whatnot and maybe people will think twice about working things out.

According to Buzzle.com, the top three quoted reasons for divorce are:

• Lack of commitment to the marriage
• Lack of communication between spouses
• Infidelity

So, I've only got one step in my guide (no worries, this one step encompasses around 2,527 subsequent steps! haha!) and it looks like it's the step that people miss most often when "deciding" to get married. The first thing people ask after someone proclaims, "We're getting married next month!" would probably be something like, "Congratulations! How long have you been together?" My opinion on this: anything under 12 months is questionable but okay. Anything under 6 months - you've missed sole Step 1: BE HONEST.

Marriage is Important, Right???

Correct me if I am wrong, but, I thought that marriage is supposed to be one of the most significant life events for people? Why cheat yourself on this one just because you want to get married. Sure, there are life goals, biological clocks and personal deadlines, but something this big - supposedly spending the rest of your life with another person - seems pretty big.

Sure, I've had relationships where I thought to myself, "This is it - The one I'm gonna be with forever!" only to find myself scratching my head months later wondering where things changed. To me, one of the most important parts of marriage is the time you spend together BEFORE you decide to jump into the legal bond. This is why I think that if you skip Step 1: BE HONEST and lie to yourself about your relationship, guess what? I think you're probably gonna suffer through this marriage for a while.

Disclaimer:

All this coming from someone who chooses to be single seems ultra-biased but this is MY blog! If you read this far, thanks!

Initiate: Blog!

Blogging is like public journaling, which is supposedly healthy for your emotional well-being. I've made strides with my physical health, so here's to adding in some mental health. I've tried keeping hand-written journals before, all of them ending a few entries into the front cover - just not for me, I guess? We'll give this site a whirl.

Right now I am on a morning break with my usual yogurt. Time to post my first blog... :)