Stuff You've Always Wanted to Know...

So, you wanted to find out more about me, huh? Well, first of all, I was born and raised on an island called Maui in the state of Hawaii (by the way, yes, Hawaii IS a part of the United States). Being that I'm from Hawaii, you must be wondering why I came all the way over to the mainland to go to college and to work, right? Well, guess what? If this is what you were thinking, then by golly, you are NOT the only one (trust me) because I get asked that question way too many times. Anyway, here it goes....again: I decided to leave Maui to attend college at Oregon Institute of Technology for a change of pace. You can only do so much on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. No, we don't live in grass shacks, nor do we hunt for our own food. And yes, we do have running water, electricity, and all that good stuff that makes life easier (and not to mention, COMPUTERS!!!). I say that we're on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean because that's exactly what Maui (and the rest of Hawaii) is -- in the middle of nowhere. There's not much to do; after all, being stuck on an island with an area of 728 square miles allows you to go exploring only so far before you fall into the ocean and start drifting away. So you might say that Hawaii is separated from the rest of the world. Coming to the mainland offered me this change of pace where I could see and live in the "big" world (i.e. TEXAS!). And that's what I wanted to experience: A CHANGE. Moving out of Hawaii offered me the opportunity to explore things I wouldn't have had the chance to do there (both in terms of my engineering career and life in general). After all, I've lived on Maui for the first 18 years of my life and I wanted to experience something new and different. But I'll always have my family back on Maui, and it will be the place I will always call home. So no matter where I end up living, Maui will always be my "true home."

Well, switching gears, take a short break from reading and look at some pictures from that wonderful island called Maui. Don't you wish you were there right now?

Kaanapali Beach on Maui's Western Shore	A Map of Maui	A View from Upcountry

Haleakala Crater at 10,000 feet...Looks like the moon, doesn't it?	Lush and green Iao Valley in the West Maui Mountains	A "Deserted" Beach with a view of the island of Lanai in the background

It's another Maui Sunset...

Okay, back to reality. Now after seeing all of those pictures, don't you just have the urge to learn more about the island of Maui? Or maybe go there?? If so, then you gotta check out my MAUI page. I also have more pictures of the island on my Maui page that I took with my camera a long time ago. Check out the page and come over to visit us sometime. Just tell them Torin sent ya!

Now back to more about college. Besides wanting a change of pace, I also decided to attend OIT because of the curriculum and the degrees that were offered. I wanted to major in the engineering and technology field, and OIT seemed to be the perfect place to continue my education (based on what I've seen on brochures, on the web, etc). So, I hopped on a plane, and after a total of about seven (what seemed very LONG) hours in flight, plus all of the layovers, I finally reached Klamath Falls, Oregon. It was a brand new beginning for me, and exciting times lay ahead. And exciting times they were. College was a great experience for me and I'll never forget it. After five long and challenging years (but yet seemed to go so fast), I finally obtained my Bachelor of Science degree in Electronics Engineering Technology on June 16, 2001. I graduated with honors (Cum Laude) with a GPA of 3.53. Yes, I am sort of a nerd and have always been one since my early years. Anyway, I'm very glad and thankful that I had the opportunity to attend such a great school.

I also had other reasons for coming to OIT. I didn't want to attend the University of Hawaii because I really wanted to get away from home, and I was ready for a change. UH is a very popular school for the high school grads who want to stay "close to home." However, I was not one of those who wanted to be close to home because I've lived in Hawaii my entire life, and I wanted to experience something new and different. Thus I felt that leaving home to attend college would be best for me. Also, I liked the size of OIT; the small population is cool because I got to know all of my instructors. To me, this makes the learning experience more enjoyable and worthwhile. Although I didn't want to attend UH, I still wanted to go to a college that was not too far away from home, so the West Coast fit in perfectly. So these are the main reasons why I chose OIT -- and a very good decision it was.

During my stay at OIT, I lived all five years in the dorms. Living in the dorms was not as bad as most folks say it was. Lots of them say that they hate the "dorm life," but I thought that it was really convenient. Plus there was a T1 network connection to the Internet (which was brand new at the time). The one thing, however, that was really bad was the food because there wasn't much to choose from, and after five years, eating the same foods day after day after day gets VERY tiring. I even got sick a few times from eating there (so I knew which foods to avoid). I often chose to cook my own food or eat out. I hope that I'm not the only one who thought that the cafeteria food was bad, but I guess it could have been worse. Besides, I suppose that bad cafeteria food is the norm for most colleges anyway...

I remember my college days and how good it treated me. I was able to experience so many new things. A lot is due to the fact that I'm a brother, Bond #176 (which means that I am the 176th member to be initiated at this college), in the Oregon Delta Chapter of the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity. Some of the things I did were not so good (which I'd rather not go into), but I've gained so many more positive traits from being a Phi Delt. I'm glad that I decided to become a brother in this great fraternity because it made my college experience much more enjoyable and memorable, and it has taught me the "real-life" things that can't be learned by just attending classes. The fraternity has helped me to change and to "grow up" as a person. The "bond" that existed between the brothers is so much more than just a regular friendship. The offices I've held in the fraternity during my college years were: Treasurer, Co-Treasurer, Fraternity Representative, Secretary, Fundraising Chairman, and Webmaster.

Since I've graduated from OIT, I've moved on to bigger and better things. You could say that I'm now in the "real world." I really miss going to OIT and all of the friends I've made over the years. Currently, I am working full-time as a Field Service Engineer for a company called Novellus Systems. If you want to know more about what we do (we are a supplier of semiconductor manufacturing equipment), you can check us out on the web at www.novellus.com. It's some pretty cool stuff.

One thing that makes me really happy is when I get the chance to be with my wife, Tiffany. She is from Michigan, and I met her on ICQ on December 3, 1998, so we have known each other for quite some time now. We physically met for the first time on March 17, 2000, during my Spring Break. It was wonderful. Tiffany makes me so happy. I enjoy talking with her and just being with her. But even more importantly, the feelings are very strong between us (or as Tiff and I call it -- it's our "vibe"). Tiff and I can talk about EVERYTHING in life and it's just the best feeling in the world to be able to share a relationship at this level with someone. Tiffany and I committed to being with each other and became a couple on August 21, 1999. Then, we were engaged on March 23, 2002 and married on June 28, 2003.

Be sure to check out the page I created for Tiffany!

On May 27, 2003, Tiffany and I took a big, positive step in our lives and became Christians by being baptized in the name of Jesus Christ at the Melrose Drive church of Christ in Richardson, Texas, where we have been attending services and bible studies ever since. We are both "growing in the grace and knowledge" of our Lord Jesus Christ and continually seek to learn more about his teachings and the truth.

Well, it seems as though you've actually read this far about me. That's amazing. I don't know about you, but my eyes are getting sore from this bright green font, and I have a headache. You must either be really bored or you really wanted to know about me. If you still want to read more stuff, be sure to check out my journal page.