Things aren’t so bad that I have to make bubble charts. That was last week. Now I’m down to making lists, a lot of lists. Before I know it, summer will be over, and I’ll be off to Italy to see Miss Marvelous. I always seem to have a project going. I’m just wired that way.
The two or three major items are heading up the making of the boat lei for the Pacific Cup yacht race arrivals from San Francisco that tie up at Kaneohe Yacht Club at the end of July, my family reunion in August, and publishing The Chong Family Reunion in a New Millennium (working title) to coincide with the Chong reunion.
Thankfully, I’ve learned to delegate tasks and design activities for a fun time.
The lei-making project is under control as I’ve alerted my crew to the ETAs of the boats. I’m never really sure about the ti leaf supply and the volunteer labor pool until they show up. It’s touch and go, but very exciting and very enjoyable to welcome these boats. Every two years within a week-long period we make about 50 huge leis, 12 feet long each, and the net proceeds go to the Koolauloa Hawaiian Civic Club scholarship fund.
For some reason I thought 2012 would be a good year to have a family reunion, and started the ball rolling more than a year ago. It’s been five years since all of my mother’s side of the family got together. She was the youngest of 15 children, all born in North Kohala, Hawai‘i. We’re going back to the land of our roots, as well as having some activities on Oahu. Today I just need to hear back from a committee to confirm a venue before sending out another packet of information to my cousins.
The launching point for this year’s Chong Family Reunion was the 20th anniversary of the publishing of The Chong Family History authored by my cousin James H. Kim On Chong-Gossard. It was time for a sequel. So The Chong Family Reunion in a New Millennium is the current work in progress published by my Chong Hee Books. It has evolved into an e-publication that can be viewed on the iPads everyone is getting.
I’ve discovered the main difference of an e-pub versus print on paper, in my case, is the time savings. I’ve chosen the blog software of wordpress.com and the blog-to-book service called Book Smart offered on blurb.com. I’ll be able to format the publication up until the last minute before “delivery,” and because it is a blog, I can make corrections, additions, and other changes any time. Then, anyone who would like a hard copy can order it.
It’s just as much work, however, as a printed publication, if not more, especially during the learning curve. I’ve experience that challenge already, and now I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Meanwhile, I continue to check off items on those lists!
Rebekah’s Studio 
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