Festival Season

Festival season was always my favorite time of year in Atlanta. When describing it to my Hawaiian friends I jokingly state it's the period between March and October where every weekend is filled with wine, beer, art and food. 

Right now winter is starting to feel like the Hawaiian festival season. A couple of weeks ago I was celebrating the New Year at the Japanese Cultural Center, this weekend was the beginning of the Chinese New Year celebrations. 

Chinese New Year is based on the lunar calendar so it's on a different date every year. This year the official date is February 19th though the festivities seem to be going on all month. 

Eat the Streets is a themed food truck event that occurs the last Friday. This month featured Chinese food, noodle dishes and a lion dance. Sadly my options for Chinese food were pretty limited, since every truck chose to use pork. Haha. 

Check out some pictures from the evening:

It isn't New Year without a lion dance!

I got a plate of garlic shrimp, mac salad and rice. More Hawaiian than Chinese, but still ono. 

The one "Chinese" special I was able to enjoy... dragon fruit lemonade. Check out how my drink matches my shirt that matches my glasses ;-)

And now for the pic of the week:

Mahalo!

Time for a Change

After a lot of thought I think I'm ready for something new. Some people might find moving to a new city, starting a new job and transforming my diet/exercise routine  to be quite a lot of change...but I'm not satisfied. 

So after a year of trying to grow long, luxurious "Hawaiian" hair I think I'm gonna go back to a shorter hairdo. Of course I've done my research and I've narrowed down my potential looks. 

This is what I always wanted my hair to look like, but try as I might I will never have a thick head of hair. 

So let's look at some more realistic options:

Choice #1: I mean, who isn't loving Taylor Swift's new cut!

Choice #2: The classic bob is always a winning look. 

Choice #3: Maybe with some stacking in the back I can "fake" thicker hair!

Choice #4: Maybe with shorter hair I can rock the "wavy-I-just-came-from-the-beach" look. 

If anyone has an opinion now is the time to weigh in...perhaps next week I'll have updated pictures of my new look!

And now for the pic of the week:

Check out this sweet ride. I think I may have found my next car...jk. 

Mahalo!

Inspired

This last week I had to take a break from the gym. I had an embarrassing fall and the result was a lot of bruises, a sore knee and a twisted ankle. As much as I wanted to workout, my body was telling me I needed a break. 

I used some of my time off to read about fitness and nutrition. I also stumbled across some great inspirational quotes. 

Here's some of the good ones:

Not only was this one a good reminder, but also timely with the MLK holiday. 

Delayed gratification isn't easy, but it's important to remember why I'm eating healthy and working out. 

Can't I have both?!?

It's always good to remember where you came from...and where you're going. 

I'm so proud of the things I an do now that were unimaginable a year ago!

Now I have pictures of my injuries, but I didn't think they were appropriate to share. So instead take a look at the first aid supplies I amassed. 

I think they know my name at Walgreens. Haha. 

Luckily I'm (mostly) healed and back to my regular routine. Now instead of finding my inspiration on the internet, I can find it in the gym!

 

And now for the pic of the week:

 Cotton candy sunrise. 

Mahalo!

I got culture!

You don't have to look that hard to realize the culture in HI is very different than back in the South where I was raised. The people are from different countries, the food tastes different, and I've heard languages that I didn't even know existed. Even the religion here is more diverse. 

This weekend I got to expirience Japanese culture. The JCC (Japanese Cultural Center) was hosting the New Year Ohana Festival. I went to check it out with some girls from the gym. 

We started by checking out the food...Duh. 

Here's okonomiyashi, a cabbage & noodle pancake. Oddly enough I wished it had more cabbage!

Here they're making andagi, similar to a  fried donut. I thought they tasted a lot like fritters or hush puppies. 

And of course green milk tea with boba!

Next on the list was cultural immersion. I watched a group pound out fresh mochi. Then I listened to taiko drums. I walked by a Shinto booth where they were giving out sake & candy in exchange for donations. I ended by checking out the crafts & artisans. 

There was a man with his banzai. A group of people were weaving decorative rope. Women were demonstrating creating art with homemade paper (this one was so cool I may have to take a class or two). Finally I tried to copy the Japanese kanji for "dream". 

Here I'm getting my lesson before I start. 

Mine doesn't look quite the same, but my instructor promised I didn't write anything offensive!

And then since the price was right we decided to buy a kimono. 

Of course I picked the purple one!

And now for the pic of the week:

My friend Ali took this one as I was halfway up Koko Head. This hike is a serious one & I'm proud to say that I did it. 

Mahalo!

Off to a good start

2015 started off with a bang... Literally. I spent the evening with friends and then we watched the fireworks from the beach. It was a lovely experience ringing in the new year with my favorite people and my toes in the Pacific Ocean.  

What happens when a "photo booth" is setup on a lanai? A whole lotta awesome pictures like this one!

The fireworks were the perfect end to a perfect evening. 

Firework selfie!

On News Years Day I celebrated with a hike. We walked up the Makapuʻu trail to the lighthouse, spotted a couple of whales and then went further up the trail to check out an old military bunker. 

 Here's a view of the east coast. 

Here's the lighthouse the trail is named for. The whales were playing in the distance, but I couldn't get a good picture. 

Here's the bunker at the top of the hill. 

And because one hike just wasn't enough, on Sunday I went and did the Lanikai Pillbox loop. The first half of the hike was full of tourists, but once you get beyond the second pillbox it gets nice and quiet. 

Cute little sign marking the trailhead. 

Check out the panoramic views. 

I'm so strong I can hold up the Mokes ;-)

Check out all the reefs. 

If this week is any indicator, then 2015 is going to be an amazing year!

And now for the pic of the week:

I love my girls (and Roscoe Rascal too)!

Mahalo!

Back to Life, Back to Reality

Vacation is over & it's time to get back to the real world. Last week was the culmination of my vacation with the Christmas holiday. I spent some real quality time with family. We did all of our favorite holiday traditions, but were able to make some new ones as well. 

It wouldn't be Xmas without my Mom's decorations. This year she decorated a tree with a spoon collection from my great-grandma 

Mexican train dominoes is a family favorite. This year we got to share the game with a new player. 

When the cards are out it's usually because we're playing hand in foot. This year when family friends came over we got to play a six person game. 

Sister had the genius idea to make Bloody Marys. I think this will be a new tradition for years to come. 

I wanted to share a bit of the islands with my family, so I made pumpkin crunch. I know pumpkins don't immediately bring up thoughts of HI, but the recipe was created by a local chef, Sam Choy. 

So now I'm back in HI and a thre song goes it's time to get back to reality. Luckily this is my reality:

 Just another pretty sunrise. No biggie. 

And now for the pic of the week:

Check out this cute family that accidentally color coordinated. Adorbs!

Mahalo!

Cocktails and Crafts

This week I've really settled into my vacation. Now some people I know might get bored with all this extra time on their hands. I, on the other hand, had no problem filling my time. This past week I rediscovered my love of crafts and whiskey (though not at the same time). 

Right now my drink is a Manhattan. This beverage is an excellent choice for multiple reasons: It's fancier to look at than a plain 'ol Jack and diet; All the liquor encourages me to sip slowly; And I like to switch things up, but don't stray too far from the brown liquors. 

In the Highlands I got a schmancy one with a big ice cube at Murphy's. 

Here's a lovely Manhattan from Midtown's South City Kitchen. 

Since a girl can't drink all the time, I turned to Pinterest to ensure I wasn't boreded. Now usually I pin food and recipes, but this week I started a craft board. To start things off I completed some holiday crafts. I made a festive wreath for my Mama, some gifts for friends and handcrafted boxes to wrap those gifts. 

Here's the 154 felt circles I cut by hand. Notice they're taller than my head!

Here's the final product. Ho Ho Ho!

My gift boxes are still flat in preparation for air travel; however, this is what they are supposed to look like according to the Pinterest directions I followed. I guess we will have to wait until next week to see if they are a success or a fail. 

Now this is the point where I'd post a picture of my other projects, but I don't want the recipients to see my gifts before I hand them out. Maybe in another post...

And now for the pic of the week:

I finally attempted making my own acai bowl. It was definately sweeter than the Blue Hawaii version, but it tasted delish. 

Mahalo!