Hawaiian Holiday

In Hawaii June 11th is kinda a big deal. Schools, banks, government offices and most importantly rehab departments shut down for the day. The reason for all the shutdowns and closures? Why King Kamehameha Day of course!!!

In honor of the day off from work I did some formal research on the Hawaiian holiday. Apparently today is the birthday of King Kamahameha the Great (not to be confused with all the other King Kamehamehas). Why was he so great?!? This king was responsible for uniting the islands as a Hawaiian nation. 

I also did some informal research and polled my co-workers to figure out the authentic way to celebrate. There was no consensus. One was just gonna sleep in (sounds good to me). Another thought the holiday was perfect for picnicking (who doesn't love food outside?). The last one mentioned an official parade and lei ceremony, but had no plans to go (as a new transplant I should give it a try!). 

Here's what my Kamehameha holiday looked like:

It was a beautiful day, so I had to spend most of it outside. Though with very few clouds and not much in the way of trade winds, 90 degrees felt awfully hot. 

The surf was up in Waikiki ... So many surfers and body boarders!

 As the day progressed it got hotter and hotter, so I hid in the shade of the lifeguard tower. The sand was so hot I think I burnt my feet!

It's not an afternoon at Waikiki without seeing this juggler. 

MUST cool off with some shave ice!!!!!!

Ali'iolani Hale where the festivities took place. 

The scale of these decorative leis was huge. The air was full of the scent of plumeria. 

And the final product. The statue is completely draped in lei. 

And now for the pic of the week:

One happy selfie...

Mahalo!

Green thumb

As you may or may no not know, I come from a family of farmers. My mom and her four sisters were raised on a farm. My aunt and uncle continue to live on that same farmland. My parents don't grow produce, but they do have the most beautiful backyard full of plants, bushes and flowers. You'd think that some of my family's talent would be genetically passed on to me. And although I've always wanted to grow things, I've never had much luck.

I think it all started with a middle school science project. I had three batches of lima beans and tried to determine if sitting them in front of the tv or radio would have a negative effect. Problem was, even my control beans didn't want to grow. 

Fast forward to my first apartment in Atlanta. Elisa and I were given a plant as a housewarming gift. The guy picked out a large palm because it was low-maintenance. Three months later that plant was a goner. 

Now in Hawaii I have a dilemna. I want to try my hand at growing things again. I feel with the tropical climate, things should go better.

But as the saying goes, history likes to repeat itself...

Here's my latest housewarming plant, also a palm. Not too bad from far away. 

But up close some problems become apparent. On a positive note this plant has been around for 5 months, soit has  definitely outlived the one sister and I killed. 

Here is a picture I found on Pinterest that served as inspiration. Since herbs are so pricey on the island, I though maybe I should try to recreate this. 

I decided to start small. I didn't want to be overly optimistic, plus my lainai really isn't that big. After a week here's what I got:

Can you even call those dead bits cilantro, or Chinese parsley as they say in Hawaii?!?

Luckily the Thai basil is fairing better, so I'm not a complete failure!

And I celebrated my success by using my first crop to make a chickpea and tomato salad ... Yum!

Recipe

1 can chick peas, rinsed

1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced

25 basil leafs, chop using chiffonade technique

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

2 tsp olive oil

1 tsp honey

Salt to taste

- Mix all ingredients

- Chill in fridge 

- Enjoy!

And now for the pic of the week:

More than six months in Hawaii and I still think every rainbow is magical. 

Mahalo!

The 'Rents

Last week Mom and Dad came to visit. They had a whole lot of reasons to come. 

1. To see me (duh). 

2. Memorial Day holiday weekend. 

3. Start of summer break for Mama (her last one ever). 

4. And last, but definately not least, they were celebrating their 39th wedding anniversary. Woot woot!

For their trip, each of us had a couple of things we wanted to accomplish. I wanted to relax, enjoy time off from the job and work on my tan. Dad wanted to snorkel and eat shrimp from a food truck. Mom's request was to see Lanikai Beach and go on a hike. 

We only had a week, but I think we were successful at completing everything on our list. Now I just have 7 long months until I see the 'rents again. 

Here are some pictures from the week:

Happy hour on Waikīkī Beach. 

Fancy pants dinner at Roy's. 

On dad's to-do list: Giovanni's Shrimp Truck. Check!

Big 'ol shave ice at Island Snow. 

Hiked to the top of Diamondhead. I'm not sure the Gumbels are hikers, but the views were amazing. 

We took a drive up the Windward coast. I really do live on a beautiful rock!

And now for the pic of the week:

Huge rainbow on my walk to my first day back to work

Mahalo!

Holiday weekend

(Photo credit KITV)

This weekend was extra special for me. In addition to having a long weekend, I also got to have my parents in town. One of the special things I got to share with them was the Hawaii Lantern Floating Ceremony. 

Hawaiians use Memorial Day to remember fallen service men & women, but they also use the day to remember all their loved ones who are no longer living. One of my coworkers reported that she and her family planned on visiting three cemeteries in one weekend. 

Another way Hawaiians celebrate is with a beautiful Buddahist ceremony of floating lanterns. I took the parents and joined 40,000 other people down on the beach. We wrote special messages to loved ones lost in the previous year. We then placed the messages on a floating lantern and lit a candle. Finally we waded out into the ocean to release our lantern. 

The ceremony was beautiful. I'm not even sure words can describe it. The ocean was full of messages to lost loved ones all floating out to sea. As long as you don't mind crowds, I recommend this for anyone visiting during Memorial weekend. It makes you realize this weekend is about more than just beaches and BBQs. 

And now for the pictures, since they'll capture the event better than my words:

Here's the the lantern. We printed messages on the other sides. 

 While we were waiting for the ceremony to start a rainbow appeared in the sky. 

Mom and Dad watching the ceremony. This may have been the 1st time all of us heard a Buddhist elder speak. 

The sun setting over the crowd. 

A lone lantern floating on the water. 

But the lantern wasn't alone for long. Here's the crowd up to their waists in the ocean and all the candles floating in the distance. 

And now for the pic of the week:

Reunited at last with my Mama and Daddio!!!

Mahalo!

Time flies

It's official, I've been living in Hawaii for six months. That's half a year in Honolulu. 

Since I've met such a major milestone, I feel it's important to look back and reflect on how I've changed. Here's some things that I've noticed:

- I'm still working on my Hawiian. pronunciation. I've got some of the basics down, but the more vowels there are in a word the more likely I am to sound like I'm from the mainland. 

- Besides writing "aloha" and "mahalo" in my emails/blogs, only two words have worked their way into my daily vocab: shishi and pau (that means pee and stop BTW). 

- I'm hooked on some staple Hawiian foods.  A week doesn't go by without me eating poke. Shave ice is one of my favorite sweet treats. I've started drinking like the locals... bubble tea that is. And I'm still searching for the best acai bowl on the island. 

- As I announced on FB last week, I've lost 25lbs since the move. That's involved a lot of changes. I exercise a lot and eat whole, fresh food... Well, except for those Hawaiian favorites I listed above. 

Overall I would say this adventure is living up to expectations. Work is... Well, work. I love the weather and can't get enough of the sunshine. The only thing I would change would be moving all my family and friends closer! 

And in case you're a visual person, here are some pictures:

A delicious mountain of shave ice. Want to know my favorite combo? It's coconut and mango with condensed milk on top... Yum!

Here's the best poke on the island from Ono Seafood. I like it over rice like this poke bowl. I'll also eat it will gluten free crackers, but that's not very Hawaiian of me. 

I like my tea with 100% sweetness and tiny balls. These are the things you need to know when work is phoning in an order. 

So far Blue Hawaii is winning the acai bowl competition. 

This selfie was taken in December on my first visit to Waikīkī. 

My most recent visit to Waikīkī. Yep I'm wearing the same dress despite the weight loss, perhaps all the weight has just come off my face (jk). 

And now for the pic of the week:

The weather this week has been crazy (rain, sun, rain, sun) and the picture of these clouds is proof!

Mahalo!

The 808

Growing up in Atlanta I remember when we switched from 7-digit phone numbers to 10-digit phone numbers. I still have the memory of when the 678 area code was added. I also remember when I went off to college in South Carolina and I couldn't just put down "7" and expect everyone to know that my area code was 770. 

I'm used to explaining the 10-digit system to people new to Atlanta. And during all my explanations I felt the whole 404, 770, 678 process made sense. It was how I was raised. 

But now I'm trying to make sense of the whole 808 area code. I'm sure it makes sense to everyone who grew up in Hawaii, but I'm still confused. 

Here's the details:

- The whole state is in the 808 area code

- When dialing numbers on the island of Oahu, the call is local and only 7-digit dialing is needed

- If the number is on a neighbor island, the call is long distance and you need 10 digits

As a new resident I have to learn what towns people & their numbers are from as well as what island they live on.  This can be difficult, for example Kailua is local but Kailua Kona is long distance. If I use my cell phone everything gets easier, I just use the 808 no matter what. When dialing long distance at work things get complicated since each long distance call has to go through the operator dispatch system. Thank goodness for Google maps, I can search for the clients address prior to calling them. I wouldn't want the operator to think I'm a newbie who didn't know the difference between Wainiha and Waianae (even though I actually don't). 

Though to make matters worse I'm still desperately clinging to my 770 number. It didn't seem to matter when I lived in South Carolina for seven years, but for some reason in HI my cell number brands me as an outsider... Or maybe it's my blonde hair ;-)

And now for the pic of the week:

Check out this fresh poke bowl from Ono seafood... I'm seriously addicted!

Mahalo!

The HI Secret

As with any big city, Honolulu is full of lots of different scents. As I walk by Liholiho St. I smell the fresh baked bread coming from Subway. As I pass Punahou St. the scent of rotting trash makes me wrinkle my nose. There's a food truck on Young St. that smells so delicious I seriously consider eating meat again (well maybe not). 

At work I told a story about a particularly malodorous scent. One afternoon while enjoying happy hour I caught a whiff of the worst  body odor ever. It was so bad I decided to close out my check versus staying for the rest of happy hour. After telling this story my coworker looked at me and said "Oh, she must have been a haole right?". I confirmed that the stench WAS coming from a white person. That's when I learned the Hawaiian secret:

Native Hawaiians don't have BO!!!

After polling the people in my office they all confessed that they don't stink and they don't even bother wear deodorant.  One guy said he has to wear it sometimes because his Dad is white which can make him smell funky if he really sweats. They think the lack of stinkiness comes from their Asian and Polynesian origins. They then laughed and said only white people have that funky smell. Grrrreat. 

Here I am after a hike. Very hot & a sure a little stinky. 

I've decided this is all horribly unfair. While everyone around me is enjoying the HI secret, I'm applying actual Secret deodorant 1-2x/day just to keep my haole stink away. Maybe that's why deodorant is so expensive. They're taking advantage of the mainlanders...

And now for the pic of the week:

I was trying to take a selfie with my tiny sombrero in honor of Cinco de Mayo (that's why my head looks lumpy). Instead I got this crazy picture of the sunlight. 

Mahalo!