FriendTalk - First Care Package

Ha! Guess what I got in the mail today?!

My first care package full of Hawaiian goodies!

Everything from slippahs, shoyu, furikake and even li hing powder.

I feel so <3<3<3<3.  Thanks Michelle! :]

Mahalo for reading.

Until next time.

HI to FL - Spam

Yes...

Today (tonight), I am writing about Spam.

While I was surprised that there is Spam here in Florida in various varieties - Spam Lite, Spam less Sodium, and Spam Bacon...

One particular Spam product that I was not there was Turkey Spam.

Yup, I am confessing my love for Spam - but not just any Spam -- Turkey Spam.

What's the difference?!  Well, Turkey Spam has lower sodium than Spam less Sodium.

That and the taste.

Yes - judge me if you will.  Spam rox.

 

Mahalo for reading. 

Until next time.

HI to FL - Bridge

Yes, in Hawaii there is lots of water... but one of the things that Hawaii lacks that there are plenty of here in Florida are bridges.

This particular day, we just decided to travel and go over the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and it was really cool.  No, it is not as grandiose as Sydney Harbour Bridge, but, its a pretty cool bridge nonetheless.

It even looks like it is made out of gold... (oooohhhh)

Mahalo for reading. 

Until next time.

HI to FL - Last and First.

Yes, this blog segment is called Last and First... 

(disclaimer, i'm recovering from lack of sleep and a small kine hangover - starting to become a recurring theme... o.O) 

This will be updated with more pictures later... 

Last day in Hawai'i.  

First day in Florida.

What did I do in my last day in Hawaii!?  Quite a lot really.

First, breakfast with my roommate.  I still can't believe we worked together for 6-7 years and live together just as long... 

So where would we go!? Zippy's of course!  Portuguese sausage, eggs and rice.  So delicious...

After our hugs and goodbyes, it was time to get in BEAST packing mode.  More or less it was cleaning everything out (which was mostly already done) and then packing everything else into the boxes.

Then I picked up Maya and headed off to our lunch!  Nothing says, delicious lunch than putting on a hat and sipping on some tea - at A Cup of Tea in Kailua.

I've been there once before and it was as cool as I remember, good sandwiches, great tea, scones were yummy (especially with their jam)

When lunch was over, it was time to head over to my house and pack up!  Maya and I took everything out of the house and into the pickup truck.  

Weird part is, it started to sync in... I won't be coming back here for a while... 

Well, there wasn't much time to think, it was time to head over to Maya's house, drop off the luggage, and head over to Hawaiian Parasail.

Long story short (for this section anyways), our appointment was at 1400.  We got there at 1355. We left at 1425 - with no parasailing involved.  They were running behind and our schedule didn't allow for tardiness.

Yes... so... heading back to the house and loaded up luggage to pickup truck, dropped off Maya and headed to Alamo rental car.  I'm not sure if this is foreshadowing my experience in the mainland, but I was rather disturbed looking at the situation now.  Basically, I had lots of luggage (7 bags total - 2 carryons, 4 check-in and a bicycle).  I took all the luggages out of the truck into the front of the building, then onto the shuttle, then off the shuttle, then onto 2 airport carts, through agriculture, to the United check in line.  All with no help and people just staring at me.  It was sort of weird, because thinking about it now, I would have offered help.

Then I ran into a United agent, I was like yes... then she instructed me to weigh everything and make sure it was underweight.  3 of my luggages were overweight by 2-3 pounds.  Yes, she had me open the boxes and redistribute things.  Sad part is, all of the United agents were in the back with no customers, just staring.  

After that debacle and I finally got in line.  I ran into a familiar face, but someone I've never met before.  After a hug and hello, she saved my day.  A random act of kindness.  When I was checked in, I went outside to try to find a cigarette and I got quite emotional.  I guess just with lugging everything around, someone helping was all I needed to get me in the emotional roller coaster.

Morales then picked me up at the airport for some Japanese food (which I had udon immediately and took some sushi for the plane).

The flight wasn't really anything exciting to write home about.  Standard flight, my flight landed when my connection started boarding in another terminal... (oh I did sleep most of the flights... LOL).  With the short connection in Chicago, my luggages didn't make it on the flight, cool part is - they delivered them a couple of hours later.

Yup, officially moved into my new home, cool part is, reuniting with my friends - we didn't skip a beat, it was as if nothing happened. 

I'm sure I'll be writing more about our new adventures...

For dinner, we went to a scmancy restaurant with good food and bad service.

Yup, then off to a bar named Detour.  Drank way too much, entered a contest, had way too much fun, and still paying for it.

[insert picture here] lol

Cool part is. Taco Bus was open - delicious food at all hours of the day or night.

Mahalo for reading. 

 Until next time.

Weekend Extravaganza - Scuba Certification Edition

How was your weekend?  Seriously, this past weekend was so crazy awesome, I'm still in disbelief really.  Though someone is typing this blog... hmmm... might as well be me.  (disclaimer: quite exhausted - if this doesn't make sense, I'll update at a later point in time)

Disclaimer - this will be a lengthy blog.

How do you celebrate your last Friday in Hawai'i (in the near foreseeable future)?  Happy Hour of course!!  There's no better Happy Hour on the island than Dave and Busters (M-F 1630-1900, Su-Th 2200 - closing)!  All the hard liquor and mixed drinks are 50% off.  That's not even the best part - the location, watching the sunset at the roof deck of DnB while having a Cosmo is really where its at - especially when you're in the company of awesome friends!

What do you when Happy Hour is over? Play games of course!  After playing tons of games for tickets we didn't redeem.  What's next?!  Time for the next bar.  (seriously).  I don't think I've been to 2 bars in one night since 2006? 

Well, we lost one on the way to Hula's.  Hula's was fun, it hasn't changed much in years, great relaxed environment with people that are easily approachable and a bit of dancing to be had - and dancing we did.

One part of this experience that was a bit of a sour note, was the fact that I knew I had to scuba dive the next day at 0730 - at Electric Beach on the east side.  Basically, I needed to be up and out of the house by 0600 the next day.  The ironic part is I took the written part of my NAUI scuba exam online on Friday - that stated you shouldn't drink nor smoke before you dive.  At the end of the night, I had a bit too much to drink, but I spent roughly 2 hours drinking heaps of water, coffee and dancing.

After a quick power nap, it was time to head to Electric Beach for my first dive in the ocean.  Now, you guys know that I am scared of open water, so I had a bit of anxiety, but fortunately - I was too tired to really have any fear.  In fact, I feel asleep in the back of the pickup truck on the way there (and even on the way back).  We performed two dives this day.

Electric Beach at sunrise

Group Briefing - apparently I'm not listening.

Hmmm... I thought I had a lot more things to say about scuba certification, but the thoughts really allude me at this time.  Let me just write about some technical aspects.  The certification process requires 5 dives (including 1 freedive - without gear).  Each dive requires performing tasks that must be completed - cool part is, its the same tasks we did in the pool the Tuesday and Thursday night prior.

Scuba Gear

Actually, thinking about it, having taken this class, it has made me feel a lot more comfortable in the water.  Even learning basic skills like clearing your mask, different ways to dive underwater, and just the experience of being underwater - 3 hours and 23 minutes underwater has really opened my eyes that there really isn't anything to be scared of - as long as you know your abilities and respect the water.  Yes, I am not going on some 200 ft. dive anytime soon, but yes, I'll go on some shallower dives.

I'm NAUI Scuba Certified - shut the FRONT DOOR!  Will post a copy of the ID upon receipt in a week or so.

Me underwater...

Oh yeah, this past weekend too, a lot of my things have been sold, the extra TVs are gone, bed, desks, etc.  Tomorrow, the car will be sold and hopefully the bike as well.

PS. Fuji XP20 sucks underwater.  I think it would be good for snorkeling or the pool, nothing deeper than 5ft.  Oh yeah, I saw 4 turtles today. lol where's that honu picture?

Sorry so short... ha ha... I'm brain pO.Oped.

PPS.  Thinking of getting certified?  I highly recommend the company that handled my certification.  They are (very patient individuals) really cool people who just love what they do.
Check them out: Pearl Harbor Divers.

Mahalo for reading. 

Until next time.

HI to FL - Adventure and BBQ!

 What an awesome day (01142011).  Beautiful weather, great adventure, awesome friends, fabulous food - seriously?  What more could I ask for?

Sunrise

The day started with a first for me - Banana Boat Ride.

Seriously? I didn't think it was going to be this much fun.  I had a gift certificate that I won from an auction in 2010.

Umm... yeah if this is setting the tone for 2012 - it is going to be one fun, crazy, amazeballZ ride!

Here are some pics (over 160+ pics - here are 5 I chose)...

Best Dismount Award

Insert witty caption here

What you got!?

The last 6 minutes of the ride was caught on video and posted here for you to see.

That was just the start of our day!  After a quick stop a jamba juice, it was time to go home, relax for a small bit and get ready for the BBQ.

BBQ was great, small group of friends, lots of food and laughs. (not to mention, sold a few things and gave away a lot of things!!) 

Special thanks to Michelle Morales (<3 you!).

 

Mahalo for reading. 

Until next time.

Big Island Adventure

Note to self: Buy a waterproof camera.

Staying somewhere without cell phone reception - check.

Being intoxicated on New Years Eve - check.

Realizing the next day (I'm too old for this shit) - check.

Having wine later that day - check.

ha ha. a lot of things happened on this short trip to Hawai'i.  Being bit by mosquitoes, driving around the island, meeting new people, reuniting with old friends, staying at a bed and breakfast, hiking, snorkeling, kayaking to a snorkel spot, hiking up a mountain, eating awesome homecooked food, laughing like there are no problems with the world.  

I am seriously blessed, I had an awesome trip to the big island and got to participate in some awesome activities - I wish I could share some of them with you (see note to self - up top), then again, its probably one of those things that you need to see for yourself.  or go google it - Kealakekua Bay.

We even stayed at a bed and breakfast 1 day - check it out!  http://www.alohaguesthouse.com/ - this place is beyond gorgeous and I can't believe its my 4 or 5th time staying there!

Well, enough rambling for me.  For me, it was great to get away from the city and be in the company of a good friend.  I really didn't miss having my cell phone - I actually might disconnect it when I move.

Alright - picture time, I know most of you are visual people... so here are some pictures.

Plug in - My blog name!

Those evil cosmos on NYE!

A view from Aloha Guest House

Me hiking in the mountains.

Not sure what's so funny. o_O

Mahalo for reading. 

Until next time.

Monthly Challenge - 11292011 - Beaches

One of the things that Hawai'i is known for worldwide is our beaches.

While most people recognize our white sand beaches...

We also have other colored sand beaches.

Green sand and black sand beaches - which can be found on the Big Island.

Pics of me and beaches in Hawai'i.

Mahalo for reading. 

Until next time.

12th Avenue Grill - Kaimuki

We went to 12th Avenue Grill to celebrate my 3 years anniversary.

It has been a long time since I have been to 12th Avenue Grill and everything is just as I remembered it.  The great good, the warm ambiance, everything was on point, except the service wasn't as exceptional as it normally is.

12th Avenue Grill is a great restaurant, though there is a set menu, everyday 4-6 specials that are made from the fresh produce found at the market... So don't be afraid to try new things!

Food - 4.25 stars out of 5.

Service - 2.75 stars out of 5.

Entree - $18-$26

My favorite... Mac & Cheese - Don't forget to add the Black Forest Ham... :]]

Crispy exterior, creamy rich interior.  Classy yummy goodness that will leave you yearning for more!

Potato Croquette with some phenomenal cheese that I can't remember!














Asian Pear Salad - Phenomenal.  Light dressing, with bacon wrapped grilled pears... YUM

Beef Wellington - Oh so delicious, the puff pastry was flaky and the beef was oh so tender!

Grilled Chicken - The most mediocre thing out of an outstanding dinner.  Skin was slightly charred, but the mashed potato and the mushroom were very delish!

So, what you eat after, you say?  Dessert of course.  This was one of the highlights of dinner.  With 4 eager forks, needless to say, you snooze, you lose.

This is a fruit crisp with fresh creme, the fruit will vary, and today it was apple.  Completely appropriate as the last apple crisp we had (at The Counter) was a complete disappointment!  The inside was cold and the server made it seem like it was our fault... Anywho... This is surprisingly light, airy and delish.  You think you want to share... but don't...  :]

All pictures (except Mac & Cheese, shot by Aubrey Pucan Hester - Check out her site!)


Mahalo for reading.

Until next time.

Lucky You Live Hawaii

Koko Head - 1 - 04122008

Koko Head - 2 - 04122008


"Lucky You Live Hawaii"

This is something I've been saying a lot recently. Its a phrase we use when you just realize how grateful you are to live in Hawaii. Whether its another beautiful sunny day, a beautiful sunset or you're at the grocery store and they know where and what furikake is.

On Saturday, I did the MS walk in the morning and in the afternoon, I decided I need more of a workout, so I hiked up Koko Head. I decided to take these photos as I was inspired. Most people don't make it to the top, and I can't believe I did because it has been a while since I last hiked Koko Head.

Today, I woke up and I went for a jog. Then, I went to the brunch for the March of Dimes and yes. I threw down! I must have had at least 20 strips of bacon, 10 slices of Portuguese sausage, 5 scoops of rice, a plateful of fruit, 4 pancakes (banana, chocolate chip, macadamia nut and blueberry), and a mimosa. Yum Yum. I even won a gift certificate at the silent auction.

Other than that, nothing much to report. I bought a XBOX 360 game - mass effects which returned, because I am not coordinated enough to play. You actually have to use all the buttons and such.. lol. I like RPGs. I played over 60+ hours of Lost Odyssey got most the collectibles and beat the game.

Mahalo for reading.

Until next time.


Sunday.