Freewriting:

Mililani sucks. At least, it used to suck. After all, I spent close to fourteen years of my life there, cooped up in its suburban confines. I don't even know what Mililani is known for anymore. At one time, I guess people knew about Mililani because it had a Wal-Mart, but now that there are several Wal-Marts and more on the way, it isn't that appealing anymore. I used to go to Wal-Mart at 3 o'clock in the morning; that is what young people in Mililani do for fun, other than going to Consolidated Mililani theaters, where I used to work.

What does Mililani hold that is so important to anyone? This boring town certainly has its share of egrets, those white, long-legged birds that enjoy eating worms from the green grass of the community. It also has some of the most restrictive laws about how one manages ones' own property; my dad kept boxes of old crap in the garage until one day the Mililani Town Association sent him a letter telling him to clean up his mess.

Having been schooled at Mililani Uka and Kipapa elementary schools, and having attended Mililani Hongwanji and all of the recreational centers for Summer Fun, I suppose that I find Mililani to be common, plain, stale.

Organization and Grouping:

Mililani: what it truly means to me;

History of Mililani (name derivation?);

Features of Mililani that provide a sense of why Mililani is interesting or crappy;

Experiences of Growing up in Mililani;

Or you might draw a bubble chart,
Start writing topics, or freewriting some more


 Drafting

Mililani sucks. At least, I used to think so. Living in a mundane place, especially a suburb far removed from the lights and delights of Honolulu, can be considered something that truly "sucks." After all, nobody wants to live in a place that has the taint of suburban boredom: parents taking their kids to Mauka, Waena, or Uka elementary schools in the morning; the children going to their after school programs and dunking their cookies in milk; at night, after picking up their kids, parents purchase items for that evening's dinner at the local Safeway. Yet while these activities do in fact sound nauseatingly boring, Mililani teaches us a central lesson: We should not take a stable, even boring life with our loved ones for granted-our time with them is limited. Mililani exalts, therefore, the idea of a community that best personifies "the family."


Mililani's urban planners wanted to create a place for young families to raise their children. According to realtor Brenda Mahoney's personal website,
"representatives of Dole Pineapple, professional planners, legislators, business leaders, civic officials and hundreds of local homeowners and prospective buyers met to create Oahu's first totally master-planned, fee-simple residential community on 3,500 acres in Central Oahu." (Mahoney)

Planned in 1958, then later built on pineapple land in the late 70's, then, one must consider exactly why such a community was desirable. After all, why would members from all sectors of the business and political realm want to develop fee-simple homes on land famous for its pineapple-sustaining red dirt? In the 50's and 60's, families were beginning to develop; baby boomers born during or after the World War II were starting to grow up, to earn money, and create families. My parents, who had previously been living near U.H., decided that they wanted to have a place where their child or children could play in a place replete with parks and pools.

Looking back at my childhood, I must say that I do not regret my parent's decision to move to Mililani. Now that I live in town, I notice that so many young children are not afforded the opportunities that I was. After all, sometimes it is important to make a mud pile out of red dirt and start throwing it at five or six of your closest friends; these days, it seems that children living in urban environments shoot virtual missiles at each other instead. I also believe that my parents were motivated by the prospect of meeting other parents similar in age; the opportunity afforded them the chance to socialize at P.T.A. and church socials.