10 posts tagged “life”

You know that question that's on every person's mind?  Well, maybe not everyone, let's say majority.  What is life and why are we here?  I think at some time in our life we wonder about these to questions. 

I have my theories but the only people who know the actual answer to this question are expired lives.  I guess it's only at that moment in our life, BTW everyone will 100% experience this, that we will finally understand the meaning of life.  It's either there or not.  Depending on your religion, you'll eventually discover who was right and who was wrong about the after-life if there's any.  I'm not a big religious kinda guy, yah I went to a Catholic elementary school, yah I attended a Marynist highschool, but a college class really opened my mind to different religions.  Who's to say one is right and one is wrong?  Who's to say one will go to heaven or attain enlightenment and who will not?  What about those innocent people who don't even know about your religion?  Are they doomed for not believing? Religions have been taken too much advantage of, either for monetary reasons, power, or for example the Al Queda.  I just don't trust religions.

Now days I just try to live a normal morally correct life and hope that when my time comes it will be an interesting experience.  Might I also mention that a good movie about life and death would have to be "Mr. Magorium's Emporium."  It basically in a quirky way shows how life and death go hand in hand and shouldn't be feared but embraced.  Well enough about all the controversy.  Here's a little something I got that might brighten up your perspective on life.  It's a little "funny" that made me think of this topic.

On the first day, God created the dog and said:
'Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at
anyone who comes in or walks past. For this, I will
give you a life span of twenty years.'

The dog said: 'That's a long time to be barking.
How about only ten years and I'll give you back the
other ten?'

So God agreed.

On the second day, God created the monkey and
said: 'Entertain people, do tricks, and make them
laugh. For this, I'll give you a 20 year life
span.'

 The monkey said: 'Monkey tricks for 20 years?
That's a pretty long time to perform. How about I
give you back 10 like the dog did?'

And God agreed.

On the third day, God created the cow and said:

'You must go into the field with the farmer all
day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and
give milk to support the farmer's family. For this,
I will give you a life span of 60 years.'

The cow said: 'That's kind of a tough life you
want me to live for 60 years. How about twenty and
I'll give back the other forty?'

And God agreed again.

On the fourth day, God created man and said:
'Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. For
this, I'll give you 20 years.' But man said: 'Only
twenty years? Could you possibly give me my 20, the
40 the cow gave back, the 10 the monkey gave back,
and the 10 the dog gave back, that makes 80, okay?'

'Okay,' said God, 'You asked for it.'
So that is why for our first 20 years we eat,
sleep, play and enjoy ourselves. For the next 40
years we slave in the sun to support our family. For
the next 10 years we do monkey tricks to entertain
the grandchildren. And for the last 10 years we sit
on the front porch and bark at everyone.

Life has now been explained to you.

So I went to Ala Moana this weekend to check out the newest addition.  Yah, they added a whole new wing to the already large Ala Moana shopping center in Honolulu.  With this new phase, Ala Moana is kinda shaped like a trident.  Each Phases anchor tenant is Sears on the Ewa side, Macy's on Diamond Head side, and Nordstrom on the Mauka side.

 

This is just a glipse from where Tiffany and Co. is.  Before you would only see parking lot, now it's a whole new shopping adventure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's when you get past the stairway and can take in the whole view.  Wow!  I'm like a kid in Disneyland.  A pure feast for the eyes as something new and exciting.  I think I felt like Harry Potter walking down Diagon alley for the first time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is just some pics around this floor.  They even have this new bar called "Blue Hawaii".  I just hope that they're not stepping on some copywrite infrindgements.  Speaking of bars...

 

Right outside of the new Nordstrom is the eBar.  I don't really know what they serve cause I didn't stop by to study the menu.  I just assume it's a coffee and soda stand along with Wi Fi access.  Who knows?  I'm over coffee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So this is the inside of Nordstrom...ah, it kinda reminds me of Neiman Marcus.  What's cool is that each area is seperated by their own chandeliers.  That's what makes this place cool, it's the lights.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's my fave.  You can't tell, but this like is probably 3 feet in diameter.  Wicked cool!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Random pics of madness inside Nordstrom.  I think security was watching me.

 

This is the new top floor of the Nordstrom wing.  For some reason, walking along here reminds me of those new Las Vegas outlets.  Maybe it was the tropical sun playing games on my head. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On a side note.  See that kid with the yellow shirt sitting on the wall.  See his sister standing in front of him.  You can tell that these two were bored of shopping because they were seeing who could balance a plastic bottle on their head the longest.  In fact, if you look closely she still has a paper on her head.  Just a cute funny while walking along the mall.

This is a tough one.  I looked at it my self over and over and it gave me a headache just trying to conceptualize it.  Ready?

 

How many flowers do I have if all of them are roses except two, all of them are tullips except two, and all of them are daisys except two?

 

Btw, the picture of flowers is just that and has nothing to do with the riddle.  I'll le you know Monday, good luck.

Aren't they cute.  Good enough to eat yah?  Wait tick, are they real?  They're so small.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Actually these babies are made out of sugar.  The sugar is called "marzipan" and basically used for cake frosting.  Ever see "Ace of Cakes" on the Food Channel?  Let's see if they can do this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Look how life like.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This lady definitely has talent.

 

That's another person with exceptional vision to detail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now tell me. Would you be able to eat these?

Here's your  2 questions (since they're easy) for the weekend...

 

1.  How can you throw a ball as hard as you can and have it come back to you, even if it doesn't hit anything, there's nothing attached to it, and no one else catches or throws it????

 

2.  A girl who was just learning how to drive went down a one-way street in the wrong direction (let me clarify...)by herself, but didn't break the law.  How is that possible???

 

 

 

These should be easy ones... I'll give you the answer on Monday if you really can't figure these out.

 

 

That was an awsome episode of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations.  Even though their perceptions of Hawaii was a little skewd at times there were authentic moments.

 

Take for example the Ono Hawaiian Plate lunch place on Kapahulu Ave.  That is actually a pretty local spot.  Yes, they do recieve a bunch of tourist that have discovered the local eatery, but for the most part it remains a local icon for Hawaiian food.  All that good stuff they spoke about like the lau-lau (salt pork, salt fish, wrapped in taro leaves, wraaped in ti leaves) is "ono" or delicious.  The poi is something for foreigners to get used to because it is rather bland but like Tony mentioned it is more of a starch than anything.  Of course you have the lomi salmon, chicken long rice and haupia desert which rounds off the meal.

 

One of Tony's, I call him Tony because I don;t want to spell his whole name out, visits was not a local fave or mainstay of Hawaii.  It was...that Puka Dog place which originally started on Kauai but have recently opened a shop in Waikiki.  Not that their version of the hot dog isn't any good, only that they have been around for less than 8 years and should be considered a stop off and not a defining retaurant of Hawaii.

Another false-simili that Tony portrayed was the infamous "Aloha shirt".  Yes we locals do wear them pretty often, it is mainly used for business attire or for attending formal parties as we're not into the suit and tie thing over here.  To tell you the truth, most local cruise around in t-shirts and shorts when not working.  Hey this is Hawaii BTW.  Might I add that I have never seen or heard of that Aloha shirt shop that Tony went to which looked more like a tourist destination which is why he paid $3000 for a hideous shirt he could have got from the local swap meet for $5.  Here in the islands we either buy our really nice "aloha" attire from Hilo Hatties, Macy's, Sears, Mamo, Reyn's or the local surf shops.  They usually run from $30-$80, not no $3000!  Ripped off!  BTW yes, the big department stores carry a nice selection of aloha wear for the locals.

 

This is a much better representation of what locals wear for work or parties.  It's usually the printed material which is sown inside out to give a faded appearance which became popularized by Reyn Spooner's designs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tony did hit a very local spot or 2 for that matter.  One I have been to many off times for after work beers and pupus(horsdeovers).  It was his visit to Side Street Inn that brought back drunken memories.

 

They serve the best "pupus" on Oahu in my opinion.  Add on the fact that they serve ice cold beer with karaoke and darts for added entertainment and you have one awsome sports bar.  It's not a place where you have a bunch of drunk 21 year olds dancing and getting silly.  It's a much older crowd or professionals and local personalities that fill the room with energy.  If you come to Oahu and want to try a real local ladi back bar then this is it.  Located right on the "side streets" of Ala Moana, it's a pit stop after your day of shopping.

 

The other local favorite that he went to was Uptown Fountain on N. School street.  I have never been to this place personally but have heard many great things about it.  In fact, after watching the show I plan on going there this weekend and get my fix of Spam, yes delicious Spam, and a big bowl of hot saimin.  Both being local favorites.  For you outsiders not understaning the Spam concept I'll try nad break it down into a nut shell.  As you know the cost of living in Hawaii is horendous.  Spam was a cheap alternative to creating meat dishes for a cheap price.  On top of that, locals like their sodium and therefore Spam became a houshold item.  Today, they hold Spam cooking contest judged by the highest of restaurant chefs in the islands.

Another really local thing I thought was key to the show was our other "pupu" varieties.  The raw seafood type.  Yumm.  If you like sushi and sashimi then these are dishes you must try when you come to the islands.

These raw seafood delights accompany most parties held within the islands and are great with beer, as you may have seen in my previous blogs.  Tony tried the one on the right calling it some sort of oyster when it's really like a snail.  It's called "opihi" and is becoming harder and harder to find due to over fishing.  Of course he tried the tako and the ahi poke which are local favorites that one can pick up at any supermarket.  They did fail to show the raw crab poke.  Yup, RAW crab.  I know it sounds yucky but believe me, it will blow your mind.  Ah, get drunk and you'll try anything.

As for the more touristy spots he did go to..

 

La Mariana which is a bar on Sand Island Access Rd. not quite what us locals would call next to the airport but I guess you could get there in 10 minutes if you drove.  This BTW, isn't a local spot that I know of.  It reminded me of your typical bar in Waikiki.  I would much rather go to Side Street Inn, the Row Bar, Ward Center or even the MaiTai bar in Ala Moana.  For those looking for a quiet out of the way touristy bar, this is for you.

 

 

 

 

Oh yes, the finally was at the ever popular Paradise Cove.  Might I add that the locals don't go here, onlywork here.  OK, I admit that I went there once, but it was to take my mainland cousins.  If you come to the islands and would like a much better picture of polynesian culture, I would suggest going to the Bishop Museum as well as the Polynesian Cultural Center.

 

 

 

 

In all Tony's visit was inspiring.  It reminded me of places I've been and places I have yet to see.  Being born and raised in the islands doesn't mean that you know everything there is about it.  It was a good eye openner to see how the Travel Channel's producers would percieve our little paradise state.  It makes me glad that Tony did visit some really local places and hope that he returns to visit more, yes, there is so much more that he didn't see.  Until next time I guess.

Here's some good info to use for your household items and problem solvers that you can do yourself.  BTW, I tried the banana thing and it does kinda work.

 

Peel a banana from the bottom and you won't have to pick the little 'stringy things' off of it. That's how the primates do it.

Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.

Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much longer and not mold!

Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating. Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.

Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking.

To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up.

For a cool brownie treat, make brownies as directed. Melt Andes mints in double broiler and pour over warm brownies. Let set for a wonderful minty frosting.

Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic and at the end of the recipe if your want a stronger taste of garlic.

Leftover snickers bars from Halloween make a delicious dessert. Simple chop them up with the food chopper. Peel, core and slice a few apples. Place them in a baking dish and sprinkle the chopped candy bars over the apples. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes!!! Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream. Yum

1. Reheat Pizza
Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the cooking channel and it really works.

2. Easy Deviled Eggs
Put cooked egg yol ks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done easy clean up.

3. Expanding Frosting
When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving.

4. Reheating refrigerated bread
To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.

5. Newspaper weeds away
Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers, put layers around the plants overlapping as you go cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will g et through some gardening plastic they will not get through wet newspapers.

6. Broken Glass
Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can't see easily.

7. No More Mosquitoes
Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away.

8. Squirrel Away!
To keep squirrels from eating your plants sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and the squirrels won't come near it.

9. Flexible vacuum
To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings.

10. Reducing Static Cling
Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and -- ta da! -- static is gone.

11. Measuring Cups
Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out.

12. Foggy Windshield?
Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car. When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!

13. Reopening envelope
If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Viola! It unseals easily.

14. Conditioner
Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair...

15. Goodbye Fruit Flies
To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass fill it 1/2' with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid, mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!

16. Get Rid of Ants
Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it
'home,' can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works & you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!

17. INFO ABOUT CLOTHES DRYERS
The heating unit went out on my dryer! The gentleman that fixes things around the house for us told us that he wanted to show us something and he went over to the dryer and pulled out the lint filter. It was clean. (I always clean the lint from the filter after every load clothes.)
He told us that he wanted to show us something; he took the filter over to the sink, ran hot water over it. The lint filter is made of a mesh material - I'm sure you know what your dryer's lint filter looks like.

So I was walking along the street one day and seen this car with it's windows cracked open.

 

Althought it looks shady, this is the middle of a sunny day. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See the little crack in the window.  I  guess the owner doesn't want their car to get too hot.  Maybe they should invest in a sun shield.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wait...is that a little shitsu dog

behind the driver's seat? Yes.  That's an innocent owner loving dog being left in the car to bake.  Did I mention that the dog had no water bowl either.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Over 2 hours later the owner, the witch in red, finally returned to her car to not only let her dog breathe but also take a leak.  Poor innocent dog. Yah, lady whenever it's convenient to you... 

 

My point is, if your gonna do something and go somewhere that your dog can't go....leave em at home.  I'm sure they'll be much happier relaxing in a homely environment than taking it's last breath in your car.  Come on lady!   Get a brain and a heart!  This lady wins my "Dumb @ss of the month" award.

Well I just found out 10 minutes ago that my dad is going in to get his heart transplant.  He's been no. on the waiting list in Hawaii for over a year now.  It's a bittersweet mysterious moment.  It's sad for the person who lost their life to giveup their heart, it's good that finally my dad get's a new lease on life, it's mysterious to see how long his lease will last.  I just hope everything goes well.  One can only wish for the best but be mindful of the worst.  He's had a wonderful life and I hope there is lots more to come.

 

Well it's about 3 hours more from this picture till the arrival of the heart and then the transplant can begin.  Good luck and god's speed dad.  I know you can do it.  Before they rolled him in I told him that I love him and thanked him for everything.

 

On a side note.  There's always a silver lining in every grey cloud.  Here's a picture of my old friend from highschool, Ryan.  He actually lives in Arizona but is here because his father is in ICU for a heart valve replacement.  His dad seems to be having complications so all we can do is hope for the best.  It was comforting to see and talk to an old friend going through similar circumstances during these times.  We just kind a updated each other on the goings on of our other friends and about each others adult life.  Adults...yah right.

What's the best thing you ever bought off of Ebay or Craigslist?

The best thing I ever got was a unlocked Motorola phone from Europe that could use a memory card, take videos, store and play songs, take pictures, and a whole bunch of other stuff for just a little over 100 bucks.  The US models that were similar were still in the 300 range.