Shiny, Happy People...

So, it's official...I have become that dreaded of all things...I have become the monster I never wanted to create...I have allowed the wickedness, the horrible demon of busyness to consume my soul...Oh, yes...It has happened...It is TRUTH...As hard as it is to accept, it is real...I have become your worst nightmare...In fact, I've become my own worst nightmare...Yup, I have become (gulp!...Take a breath!) a once-a-week blogger!!!...NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!...The horror!...

I really do apologize for not writing an entry for an entire week...We've had midterms and parent-teacher conferences and much, much more...Oh, and there's a little high school musical I'm producing...Anyways, let us begin this entry immediately...

The pictures in today's blog entry were taken at our Mr. and Miss Tafuna Pageant...It's a pageant held at the high school every year where Seniors put on a sort of fashion and talent show...The male and female winners of this pageant are crowned Mr. and Miss Tafuna...They become mini-celebrities here on island...Going to special events, speaking at school assemblies, and even posing in a island calendar...But the most significant prize is this title of being Mr. and Miss Tafuna...The show, which was ten times better than last year's, was extraordinary...I mean, really, really amazing to watch...The kids put on an absolutely gorgeous show...I truly hope y'all appreciate these pictures and videos and notice the passion they put into this beautifully artistic pageant...In this blog entry I will be mainly describing this wonderful show...

The pair of images that opened today's blog are actually of my Cinderella and Prince Charming...(I say "my" like I own them or something)...Tino, who deservedly triumphed in the pageant being crowned Miss Tafuna, is the young lady at the top...Isn't she lovely?...Geno is the young man below her...He's wearing his Warrior Wear, which I'll explain later...He didn't win the competition...Although, he did get 2nd place...I personally think he should've won...I think he did an excellent job...But maybe I'm a little biased...Him being my Prince and all...

Essentially, the pageant is like any other beauty pageant...Like Miss America or Little Miss Sunshine, the show is comprised of different categories like Traditional Wear, Warrior Wear, and Evening Wear...And there's, of course, a Talent and Question category, as well...Even though it sounds like a fashion show, it's actually more of a cabaret...An entertaining, Las Vegas-style performance with music, acting, and costumes...The couple images above are of the Warrior Wear category...Notice how Kona and April went the Spartan, Greek warrior route...Geno, in the picture that opened the blog, wore a traditional Samoan Warrior outfit...Both of these costumes were hella tight, man...I so wanted to put them on and kick some bloody ass...

All of these costumes were custom made in local sewing shops...I've heard the fashions were extremely expensive, and many guessed that the contestants spent about $1000...Most of the contestants are from rather wealthy families...For example, Kona's dad used to play for the NFL, Travis' dad owns a series of grocery stores on island, Tino's dad is a influential government official, and Geno's family owns a recycling company...But I didn't care that only the rich kids were in the pageant...Because the magnificence of the work they put into the show was astounding and awe-inspiring...

There's my Cinderella again...And the new Mr. Tafuna...His name is Alex, and for his Question category he had to answer "Who is your favorite teacher?"...And who do you suppose he said?...Yeah, yours truly..."Mr. Neman!"..."Because he makes learning fun everyday and makes the kids enjoy reading and writing!"...I was in the audience clapping and cheering my heart out, a smile spread across my face like a giddy special ed. child...I was all like, "extra points for Alex!"...

During Geno's Warrior Wear category he stormed down the runway and did a bunch of awesome tricks with his spear...He acted like an actual warrior...That image above shows him runnin' into battle...Dass mah Prince Charming...Such the performer...Future Oscar winner...

Here's a bunch of links to some of the videos I took of the pageant...Check 'em out and let me know what you think...They really are worth watching...

Traditonal Wear Siva Dance:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7FBcPKDSFo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpraQgHiup4

Tahitian Talent Dance:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88EVXVMdDoE

Opening Number:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHznzNcgydM

Warrior Wear:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_b4aWklMrVc

Camera Update:

No, I have not gotten my camera back...And, frankly, I suppose I'm sorta over it...I think this weekend I'll be buying a new camera...I hope it's as nice as my old one...Sole, I loved that camera...

This girl, Manilyn, decided to dress as Xena the Warrior Princess for her Warrior Wear...I thought it was kinda ingenious, in a way...

That guy in the two images above is Kona...And this may sound bad coming from a teacher, but that kid could be an Abercrombie model...He's very good looking and popular...His show-stopping, crowd-cheering moment?...When he ripped off his ia and presented himself in nothing but those skimpy, boxer-brief shorts you see above...The girls were screamin' for this oh-so-sexy Spartan...

A new weekly segment I'm starting today is quotes I've loved from my favorite television shows...This was inspired by the first episode of this season's Survivor when one of the players said, rather ironically, "You know, I'm not a religious person, but I have a relationship with Jesus Christ, and the only time I'm going to put my face on the floor is for Him"...I thought that was hilarious...Keep in mind that many of my quotes may be from episodes long past...I've been so busy that I'm behind on many shows...

TV Sound Bite of the Week:

"Oh, my God! Oh, my God, she's alive! It worked. She's alive. She's okay! Everything's gonna be okay. Oh, my God!"

-Izzie Stevens, after she saves the life of Bambi on Grey's Anatomy...

...(If only somebody would've saved the life of a deer for me when I was a boy...Instead, they made me watch them shoot 'em, skin 'em, and forced me to eat 'em for supper...No wonder I turned out the way I did!)...

There's my Cinderella...Prettiest girl at Tafuna High School...

There's my Prince Charming with his partner Theresa...Who is, pardon my bluntness, openly gay...I'm always fascinated with teenagers who come out while still in high school...What an incredibly brave and bold decision...It took me years to come out...Anyways, they sang a splendid lil' ditty about American Samoa...Watch it on YouTube and hear my Prince sing...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMnBcOg0Log

This young man did a cool ass torch throwing routine...His moves with the fire were seki...Oh, and those tattoos on his body are fake...But that's what the traditional Samoan tattoos look like...His parents probably didn't allow him to pollute his body with tattoos yet :-)

These next few pics are of the customary, time-honored, ancestral Samoan attire...Almost all of these clothes are made from organic island plants and natural resources such as the trees, flowers, grass, stones, shells, etc....These fashions were not only strange and unique, they were also gloriously complex and breathtaking...

Samoan Knife Dance:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Dr0xu7jSvU

Sob Story of the Week:

So, briefly I just wanted to mention some of the events happening back at home while I've been on this island...The last week seems like it's been a significant one for my family back in Wisconsin...I missed my niece, Charlie, in her first big acting production...I missed my big sister going to Oprah, which I still have not been able to do yet...And I missed my little sister becoming 2 inches dialated...(Whatever that means...I guess it means she may have the baby any day now)...One of the most difficult, disheartening things I've learned while being millions and millions of miles away from my family is that life goes on...For both of us...I mean, for some reason, I always pictured life kinda stopping for my friends and family after I left...But realizing that their lives move on without you can be sad and worrisome...I swear, my life becomes more and more like that Tom Hanks movie Cast Away everyday...I sometimes feel like when I get off this island and come home I will encounter the same thing he does in the film...That my family and friends have moved on and forgotten about me...Or maybe even that I will have changed...And moved on and forgotten about them...I know this won't happen...But being stranded on an island does give you that sinking sense of being cast away...

Alright, I gotta finish my laundry, watch some Grey's, and go to sleep...It was nice talkin' to all y'all...What'd you think of the Mr. and Miss Tafuna Pageant?...Do you think you'd ever see anything like that in the states?...Did you watch the videos and what'd you think of them?...Are you in love with my Prince and Cinderella as much as I am?...And is my sob story of the week legitimate?...Or am I speaking crazy talk?...

Leave me a message and send me some love...I miss and adore all of ya...

-JOE

"We both had done the math. Kelly added it all up and she knew she had to let me go. I added it up, and knew that I had...lost her. 'cos I was never gonna get off that island. I was gonna die there, totally alone. I was gonna get sick, or get injured, or something. The only choice I had, the only thing I could control was when, and how, and where it was going to happen. So, I made a rope and I went up to the summit to hang myself. I had to test it, you know? Of course. you know me. And the weight of the log snapped the limb of the tree, so I-I - , I couldn't even kill myself the way I wanted to. I had power over nothing. And that's when this feeling came over me like a warm blanket. I knew, somehow, that I had to stay alive. Somehow, I had to keep breathing. Even though there was no reason to hope. And all my logic said that I would never see this place again. So that's what I did. I stayed alive. I kept breathing. And one day my logic was proven all wrong because the tide came in and gave me a sail. And now, here I am. I'm back. In Memphis, talking to you. I have ice in my glass... And I've lost her all over again. I'm so sad that I don't have Kelly. But I'm so grateful that she was with me on that island. And I know what I have to do now. I gotta keep breathing. Because tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring?"

-from the 2000 film Cast Away