In 2009, I took this photo of two siamang gibbons (Elvis and Mahina) at the Honolulu Zoo. The loving affection between the two of them was a delight to see.
The other characteristic that was outstanding about these gibbons was their lovely singing voice. Elvis and Mahina were the sight and sound of love in action!  I thoroughly enjoyed meeting them.

A few days ago, Ajaytao sent me the Leibster Blog–Share the love! award, which I accepted.  As evidenced by the gibbons, love definitely makes the world go ’round!
Love is a universal language capable of speaking with or without words.  Its essence is unchanging, remaining exactly the same regardless of form. Like a beautiful fractal, it mirrors itself in the thought of the other.
The Liebster Blog—Share the love! award came with 11 questions, so I have answered them below:
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1. What makes you happiest?
Warm weather and visiting Hawaii. I lived in Hawaii for 11 years and I would love to live there again, if possible. There is a strong sense of spirituality on those islands, that I do not feel anywhere else.  It rises up out of the ocean, travels in the wind, and wanders through the mountains on misty clouds.

2. Do you love the Ocean or the Mountains more?
The ocean was most definitely my first love.
I love the sound of the waves breathing in and out, and the intermediate sighs as the water sinks into the sand.
The ocean energy is brimming with life. I miss  being able to walk barefoot through the wet sand and water on a daily basis. The ocean is an integral part of my soul. No matter where I am, the ocean will always be  home in my heart.

3. What has been your favorite moment of 2012?
I don’t know. I guess it was the night that I captured the moon with my camera, without the help of NASA or a flying machine.  Balancing my left arm on the barbecue grill and my right arm on the porch railing (I don’t have a tripod),  I went to the moon and back. I was amazed that my little camera had the power to take such a clear photo from so far away.
My other favorite moment was writing a story with my grandson.
4. What is your favorite quote and why?
See deep enough and you see musically; the heart of nature being everywhere music, if you can only reach it. ~Thomas Carlyle
Music in the soul can be heard by the universe. ~ Lao Tzu
I like these quotes, because they are true (in my opinion).
5. Do you like yourself?
I have to like myself. There is no other option.
A priest once told me–“How can you love your neighbor as yourself, if you don’t love yourself?”
Great mind-opening question.  If you don’t learn how to love yourself first, you will not know how to love anyone else.
6. Do you stay up till the Stroke of Midnight on New Years Eve?
Yes. But not because it is New Year’s Eve. I always stay up late. I like the night because it is quiet and much easier to think. Listen to darkness! Silence is writing itself.
7. Something you wish you could get done ASAP?
ASAP —as soon as possible.  Hmmm…I don’t know. In the scheme of things, what is soon exactly? When I was 7 years old,  I was experiencing the most beautiful day and I wanted to keep it forever, so I came up with a plan to stop time. I thought that if I took a hammer and nailed a second to my living room wall, none of the other seconds would be able to pass by and time would come to a screeching halt. To my young mind, this sounded like a relatively simple, reasonable plan.
However, no matter how hard I searched, I could not find the exact place where one second stopped and the other began (they seemed to be moving in one undivided line).  Out of  frustration, I finally took my best guess and swung the hammer.
I put a hole in the wall, made my father angry, and completely failed to stop time.  That was the day I realized that time is an illusion.  So I do not want to commit to doing anything “ASAP,” because I am not sure where soon begins and ends either.  And I have absolutely no intention of trying to nail ASAP down, because I have no extra money for drywall repair.
8. What was your favorite class while still in school?
 Anything to do with language, communication, and philosophy. I am rather frightened of numbers and complex calculations, so I stay away from math whenever I can. However, I love books like the Tao of Physics.
9. What musical instrument have you tried to learn to play?
Guitar and Piano, I tried but failed.  The only instrument that I learned to play proficiently is my voice. I have sung with the Hawaii Opera Theater (HOT), the San Diego Master Chorale, and the Washington National Opera.  Singing is great fun. It is like writing on air, and is very powerful when words are sung with intention.
10. Anything you wish you had learned earlier?
I am not sure. Maybe not to doubt myself so much. 
11. Do you like to do crafts or draw or even paint?
I paint and draw with air—I sing. I have always loved to sing and I am told that I am quite good (which is a plus).  The photo below was taken in 1992 when I was singing the National Anthem for the commissioning of the USS Essex (LHD 2).