stuff I didn't post due to new job

It's been just about 2 weeks since I started my new job, which I totally love, but the new routine and recouping the learning curve caused me to be a little behind in my post.

This past Sat. was the first time in a long time that Aimee and I went shopping in Chinatown. I wanted to buy stuff that I can make stir-fried dishes with and she was bbq-ing that night at her place...yummers shrimp tacos.

Another fun thing that happened was my friend from Tokyo moved to Hawaii the previous Wed. After dropping Aimee off at home, I headed to Kailua where she is now staying. It was really nice seeing her and was really excited to spend the day together.

We grabbed lunch at a Mexican restaurant called Los Chaparros, which we got there right before the lunch rush. I got a chicken burrito with salad. I was super happy to see that they put their flag on a toothpick in my burrito, is that a Mexican restaurant thing? I never see Japanese restaurants put their flag on a toothpick in my sushi...but then again, I don't know if it would have the same charm.

Then after a full day of shopping at Ala Moana, Tomoko and I went to Aimee and Oscar's for shrimp tacos. We ate outside and enjoyed the beginning of summer weather.

Enjoy the photos!

stuff at the honolulu zoo

Went to the Honolulu Zoo today. I haven't been there in almost 10 years! It was great going back again, even if I did get a little sunburned (I used sunscreen and an umbrella and still got burned).

Saw a whole bunch of cool animals, though I thought maybe there were too many bird exhibits. But that could be because I'm not much of a bird person.

One sad part was that the lions weren't doing so good so the zoo decided to euthanize them. There wasn't much information on what was wrong with them, just that their quality of life was very poor and declining.

The happy part to the empty lion exhibit, was that the 3 baby tigers were out and about. I even got a nice shot of one of them. Baby yes, little no.

Here are a few good photos.

poop from elephants make great paper

While I was in Hilo my Mom and Aunty were in San Francisco (lucky). They had to attend some family business and during some downtime, went to the California Academy of Sciences where they bought some "omiyage" (gift in Japanese).

Lucky me, my folks know I like strange and unusual things...especially paper items. So they gave me 2 notebooks/pads. One was the standard 100% recycled CAS branded notebook, the other caused me to get grossed out a bit.

The cover says "MADE WITH REAL POO!" Elephant poo that is...

It appears, the great folks at The Great Elephant Poo Poo Paper Company Limited created recycled paper from elephant dung.

How do you make paper from poo you ask?!? Well their website states that the process consists of washing the poo so that any fibers in the poo are left, boil the fibers for super cleaning action, add some extra fibers from banana and pineapple to create a stronger paper and lay the mixture on screens (much like regular paper making method).

It's unscented and kinda like super smooth mulberry paper.

Oh these pachyderms, they paint and make poo for paper! Maybe one day they will paint on the paper made from their poo.

glad to see the sun

Today was the first day in about 9 days where I actually saw the sun and blue skies! It was so lovely!!!

Being back in Honolulu is great. The conveniences of stores that stay open later than 9pm (and it's not just the mega-24-hour one we all "love"), coffee shops that are open till 11pm, you know, when you actually want to go out for some desert and coffee.

Oh and the kicker, people who know how to drive!!! Hilo is not known for their excellent drivers let me tell you, and oh, Kona is worse! Not only are the drivers scary, the roads don't make sense.

Anyway, I was so in "awe" of the sun today that I took some pictures on my way to and from visiting my friend in Kaneohe.

tourist stuff

It was Aimee and my last day today in Hilo and we ended up finally going to see Rainbow Falls and Boiling Pots (too bad I left my camera in my car during the B.P. part).

It was pretty uneventful as I've been there a few times, though there were a lot more visitors than I've seen at one time at the falls. And it always amazes me that each time I go, a tourist decides to jump the railing and get "closer" to the edge for that perfect shot...I guess they never notice the "danger keep back" sign.

cool stuff kids get

My nephew, who is only 3 has his own John Deere pull tractor. Yup, a power-wheels version. Oh how toys have changed since I was his age. Nothing was motorized, no mini-versions of "big kid" toys. This one even has 2 speeds and reverse!

I babysat him yesterday while his mom and baby brother went to Kindermusik. The weather was good enough for Shosei to go out and play, which meant go for a ride. It's just amazing how dexterous these kids are these days with both electronics and motor vehicles! I'm so glad my brother was smart enough to buy a helmet for his son.

lu‘au stuff

Ended my Kona trip with watching my Dad's lu‘au show at the Kona Village Resort. Lucky for Aimee and I, my dad is the music director and musician, so he took care of our fee (which by the way, if you are 13 and older, it's $98).

We sat across a couple from New York (both lawyers and about our age). It was their first time in Hawai‘i, so I hope they enjoyed the show and their stay in Kona.

Noticed that the crowd there was really "stiff," like they didn't get the jokes and dry humor. Oh well, can't win 'em all! I noticed that the only time they perked up was when the tahitian dancers came out to shake their thang. Was kinda disturbed by the snickering of the teenage girls behind me when the lady dancers came out in their skimpy attire and their dance...like they thought it was the funniest thing they ever saw. I kinda wanted to scold them about being so disrespectful and scold their parents for not teaching their kids to be respectful of other cultures. Or maybe it was just teenagers being teens...stupid and defiant.

Anyway, here are some pictures:

1. Pretty flowers, even the ants thought they were so sweet
2. Close up of taro chips (the alterna-potato chip)
3. Of course the traditional guest lei (this one was a haku lei of orchids)
4. The musicians (my dad is the one in the middle)
5. Kalua pig
6. Imu after the pig was taken out
7. The men of the hula
8. And the finale, fire knife dancer. I found out that there really is a knife in there surrounded by the fire. Can you say super uber danger?

coqui stuff

So Hilo has a coqui problem...and I found one that isn't contributing anymore! YAY!

This little froggie was found dead behind my mom's car in the garage. Not sure how it happened, but it did. It's death created a beautiful picture, and slightly quieter night.

weeds and stuff in the yard

Today I babysat Choki since his regular babysitter is still sick. He's such an easy baby to take care of...except for the poop diaper I had to change...my first poop diaper.

Since I watched him at my bro's place, I was fortunate to have lots of stuff to shoot...1 cheerio, 1 hibiscus and lots of weeds.

Practicing my elementary skills with the camera is fun. I don't know what I'm doing and often surprise myself with the outcome.

funny face stuff

These are just 2 photos of a boy (Shosei) being a boy...

How can you not love these classic faces?!?

i too can cook stuff...well sorta...

Today I realized that my sister-in-law, Kristie, and I are the worst shopping duo ever. Unlike the efficient pair Aimee and I are, Kristie and I took 2 hours to grocery shop! And we even forgot to pick up her prescription!

Oh well, we did have a nice dinner at Nana's.

I cooked...well...sorta.

I made my "famous" chili, "famous" because it's the only thing I really "cook." This time I used red and yellow bell peppers instead of green beans. I also attempted to "bake." I thought, hmmm, what would be nice with chili besides rice? Aha! Corn bread!

Well, for one, the pan was 1" square too large, so the bread was about .25" high, and I left it in too long...hey, I was just following the recipe, I just didn't realize the pan was too big.

Lucky for me, the corn bread was still good. Nana ate too much of both chili and corn bread, which I found a good thing as she needs to keep up her energy.

stuff from my 1st day in Hilo

In Hilo on my 3rd official day of "vacation." My sis-in-law picked me up from the airport with my nephews in tow. Shosei (3 y.o.) was home sick from school and Choki (11 mo. old) is home cause his sitter is sick. Boy, it never fails, these kids (or someone they know) are always sick everytime I visit.

Sick or not, these kids are the cutest and funnest (even when throwing tantrums...because I'm just the aunty) EVER!!! They also provide me with fun stuff to shoot.

(1) Easter came early for Shosei as he found the bags of Easter goodies his mom bought. (2) The cutest pair of pants ever! Who can resist butt-graphics?!? (3) Choki didn't like the fact that he was being exploited for his pants. (4) My mom's collection of tiny plants. (5) Shosei's newest LEGO creation, he was so proud! (6) Some how one of the toy dinosaurs made a break for it and ended up back in his "jungle home."