Lantern Floating at Ala Moana Beach Park

On Memorial Day, about 40,000 people gathered at Ala Moana Beach Park to be a part of the annual Lantern Floating ceremony. With Japanese taiko performances and gospel singing, it wasn't quite the somber ceremony one might expect, but it was pretty awe inspiring just to be in the presence of so many people.

People could make a small donation to receive these floating paper lanterns. I saw messages written out to fathers & mothers, grandparents, sibling, friends, and even pets. Some of these lanterns were decorated with flowers, others with drawings done by young children.

Here's a few photos that John and I took from that night. It was nice to see so many people remembering their loved ones. Although going to an event like this makes you miss the family and friends you've lost, it also makes you more appreciative of the ones that are still with you. =)

Congratulations Tae & Sandi!

Sandi and Tae had a beautiful wedding at the Halekulani's Hau Terrace on Sunday. Sandi looked amazing in her wedding dress and I was in love with her bouquet and hair flower choice, pink peonies! So gorgeous and elegant! (And yes, I just had to throw in the obligatory cute-as-a-button flowergirl photo.)

I'm now convinced that I need a 5D MarkII. John took all these photos with our 70-200 2.8 lens and although I've tweaked them a bit in Photoshop, the images and colors that came straight out of the camera were SWEET!

Canine Game Day at Thomas Square

Saturday was a super fun day filled with lots of doggie games, doggie prizes, and adorable dogs. Wiener dogs and their owners were out in force for the special wiener dog races that were being held for the very first time in Hawaii. There must have been at least a hundred wiener dogs in the park!

The highlight the day: wiener dog races! This was a very special event that drew tons of dachshunds and their owners out to the park. Can you believe that it was the very first official wiener dog race to ever be held in Hawaii? How did we go so long without this?

A couple of ways to make sure your dog crosses the line: using their favorite toy or yelling your head off.

There were also a few dogs from the Humane Society that were up for adoption. Look at these cute faces. They're just saying, "Adopt me and I'll love you forever!"

Dogs could also run through an agility course...

Or play musical hula hoops with their owners, like this adorable pug.

I couldn't decide if this dog was cute or ugly but I think in the end, cute won out over ugly. =)

I got a pretty mean sunburn on my shoulders but it was so worth it. =)

It was a crazy busy weekend!

Wiener dog races and canine games, a wedding, a visit to the Bloodbank, a full day of driving around the island (and getting stuck in traffic), and a lantern floating ceremony at Ala Beach Park. We had a very eventful Memorial Day weekend.

Pics coming soon! =)

Another monk seal murdered on Kauai

In April, a male Hawaiian monk seal was killed on Kauai. This month, a pregnant female monk seal was found floating in the water, apparently shot to death. (Honolulu Advertiser article here) TWO monk seal deaths in ONE month on ONE island.

Hawaiian monk seals are an endangered species that call Hawaii its home. There's about 1100 of them left. Majority of them live up in the Northwest Hawaiian islands while about 100 or so live in the main Hawaiian islands. Last year there were three births on Oahu. Although we were hoping for some females, all three pups were males. Sadly, one of them did not survive. About two months after it weaned, the pup's dead body was discovered on a beach on the east side of the island. If you want to learn more about the Hawaiian monk seal, the NOAA's website has some great info and more pictures.

If you spot a monk seal, consider yourself lucky. There aren't too many of them left. Keep this number 220-7802 handy and give it a call when you see a monk seal on the beach. That one call will help get volunteers like me and John out to watch over it while it's hauled out. =)

Beachcombing on Oahu

About a month ago, we went to a beach on the west side of the island. I love looking for sea glass and shells but often, the more populated beaches on the east side of the island are pretty much picked clean. I'd love to go back to the west side beaches again and see what treasures I can find.

One of my favorite finds of all time. It's not perfect but I think it adds a bit of character. =)

Why we go to Dole Plantation...

Dole Whip. With pineapple chunks. At first, I didn't see the point in paying extra for those pineapple chunks but when the people in front of us ordered it with the chunks, it looked too good to resist. Trust me, get the chunks. Totally worth the extra money!

Biore should be everyone's best friend.

On his last business trip to Japan, John picked up some Biore strips for me. Although I get grossed out everytime I use them, at the same time, I can't help but be fascinated by what these little strips of paper manage to pull out of my pores.

I actually took pictures of today's Biore strip but I'll spare you the horror. Let's just say that pics at 100% are scary, hella scary, and should never ever be looked at again.

And look, there's even a masculine manly man version for your husband or boyfriend. A black nose strip made by Gatsby. What makes me laugh is the name of the company that owns the brand Gatsby. Mandom. Could you get any manlier than that?

(Yes, John bought the Gatsby ones for himself. He's a vain creature, just like me.)

What's better than a Lava Flow?

Lava Flow ice cream from Bubbies. Coconut ice cream, strawberry jam, and bits of pineapple. Yum.....

I always get mint chip when we go to Bubbies (which is waaaay too often) but I had to make an exception for this special flavor last night. =)

Thank god for deep frying!

Last night was taco night at our house. The ground beef was done. The lettuce and tomatoes were all chopped up. The tortillas were warmed up after a short spin in the microwave.

John made his first soft taco and then took a big bite. Then he made a funny face. "This doesn't taste quite right." It wasn't the beef or the other fixings. He said it was the tortilla. I nibbled on a piece of mine and tasted the most strangest tortilla I've ever had in my life. It was thick but spongy and rubbery and a bit raw tasting.

[the bad guy, spongy tortillas]

I then tried to heat up the tortillas using the skillet. That also failed to tranform the spongy tortillas into something edible.

My last resort was oil. A big honking pot of oil. I cut the tortillas into small triangles and deep fried them to make crispy chips.

Deep frying, thank you for rescuing our taco night. =)

We're going to a wedding!

Friends of ours are getting married on Sunday! =)
Here's their wedding gift, all wrapped and ready to go.

Please keep your fingers crossed for a good weather and glitch-free wedding day for them. =)

The 4 a.m. wakeup call

Grrrr. Don't wake us up at 3:52 a.m., especially if you've got a Russian accent and you claim your name is Mr. Washington.

My new bling. =)

I found these at my local Old Navy shop last week and couldn't resist. I'm a sucker for anything sparkly.

(Yes, I realize that I was probably the last person in the universe to jump on the t-strap sandal bandwagon. Please forgive me. I've been sorely out of touch with current fashion trends as a result of a perpetually empty wallet caused by my addiction to Pepsi.)

My evil arch nemesis, Pepsi.

Pepsi, why do you have to be so deliciously sweet, fizzy, and thirst-quenching?

I drink way too much soda for my own good. This needs to stop. Liquid calories are bad (unless they come in the form of strawberry martinis from the Cheesecake Factory) and I'm trying my hardest to give them up. I had water with my lunch today.

Today is Day 1. Anyone want to place bets on how long this will last?

I *heart* the Waikiki Aquarium.

Besides being the place where John and I met, this tiny little aquarium on the outskirts of Waikiki has a special place in my heart. At 105 years old, it's the 3rd oldest aquarium in the United States and is home to tons of fishes, corals, anemones, and even 2 endangered Hawaiian monk seals.

Here's just a peek at what you can find there:


Through June - August, the aquarium also features their Ke Kani O Ke Kai (The Sound of the Ocean) summer concert series. This year's line up sounds pretty exciting! I would suggest getting your tickets in advance because these concerts have been known to sell out, especially when award-winning artists like Willie K or The Brothers Cazimero will be performing....


John and I will be there as volunteers. We hope to see you there!

The movie theater took all our money.

All this hype about the new Star Trek movie finally made us cave, especially when John found out that a local theater was playing it in IMAX.

3 tickets ($15/adult and $11.25/senior) = $41.25
2 medium drinks ($5/each) = $10
1 large popcorn ($6.25) = $6.25
(discount for getting a combo = $0.25)

TOTAL = $57.25

Ouch.

Did I enjoy the movie? Meh, it was alright.

Hear me roar!!!

I'm a dandeLION, rwaaarrr!!

I thought there weren't any dandelions in Hawaii but as it turns out, there are. =) I know that they're considered a pretty fierce and fast-spreading weed but look at them, they can be so pretty!

Peababies!!!

Something I learned a while ago:

Peacock = male peacock
Peahen = female peacock

So following that same logic, I say that peacock chicks should be called peababies. (If that doesn't make sense to you, tough. I like the word 'peababies'.)

Now that I've gotten that out of the way, here's what we saw on our visit to Byodo-In Temple last week Friday.

Peahens & peababies!!

They were super cute and would stick close to their mama. John followed them into the bamboo grove and got some better pictures of the peababies (and also got eaten alive by mosquitoes). They didn't seem to be too afraid of humans and the mama peahen was actually more upset at the presence of another peahen than us. We almost witnessed a peahen beatdown!

It was my first time visiting Byodo-In Temple. It was much smaller than I thought it was going to be. There were also TONS of mosquitoes. If you're prone to mosquito bites, beware. Make sure you use some sort of insect repellent or else you'll end up with 30 mosquito bites like me. John got about 20.... Morning light is supposed to be better for photos. On the day we went, it started to get busy at around 11 a.m., which is when the tour buses started to come and drop all their passengers off.

But it's definitely a beautiful place, even in black & white. =)

(Oh, and by the way, peacock chicks are actually called peachicks but it's so much more fun to call them peababies....)