Pidgin and Me

4 months ago, I would never have thought or believed how naturally one adapts to pidgin, but the truth is it is everywhere here.  So you better learn to cope or go back home!  How did I learn that that the ability to speak pidgin is building inside of me?  Well, today at work when I was handing my validated parking to the parking guy and he told me I needed another half hour sticker in order to avoid paying, my reply was:  "gimme the (da) thing (ting) and I go back up"--and even more remarkably, he knew exactly what I meant.

Week 15: doin the NaNoWriMo/and the holidays are here

Alright, it's true... You caught me.  I took some time off from the blog...  If you care, I am SO sorry.  It's been a bit of a crazy busy November.  First off, I started my new job on November 1 and it's been a whirlwind of adjustment.  The program is awesome, we actually make a difference in people's lives by finding them housing when they have no where else to turn.  I have worked with what can unfortunately only be called "the poor" for over six years now and I have often said it, and firmly believe, that the first step to change is providing stability in the form of a safe, clean place to live (along with a steady source of sustenance of course).

As if starting a new job weren't enough to have on my plate, I decided to participate in NaNoWriMo this year.  Basically, it's a challenge to write a novel during the month of November.  This is perhaps the main thing that has held me back from writing on the blog.  For the past 26+ nights, I have spent at least two to three hours (sometimes as much as five or six) at the computer plugging away on the novel.  I just haven't had much energy or inspiration to write for the blog.  Now that I am nearly done (I have 43k words when they require at least 50k to finish), I guess I have a little more space in my brain to think about my blog.

And now, well, you want to know what has been going on in our lives?  Thanksgiving and the holidays of course!  I have had the fortune to spend many holidays in Hawaii over the last 12 years and it's a great place to be.  They are already decorating the entire town with massive Christmas displays which we can't wait to take LK to see.  The Christmas parade should be coming soon during a weekend in early December.  And we had a great Thanksgiving!  Having cooked turkeys for many years now, I have perfected my gravy recipe, and this year was better than ever. 

This year, grandpa, the Big Kahuna, bought a flavor injector.  I used it to inject chicken stock under the turkey's skin and it made a huge difference in moisture.  I could not have asked for a better turkey.

Well, Christmas is here, so I will be blogging about our Hawaii Christmas activities.  Hope you enjoy, and have a great holiday where ever you are!

Week 13: Bocce Ball

(The following game, bocce ball, is definitely not exclusive to Hawaii.  However, Hawaii is extremely conducive to bocce ball.  With year round outdoorsy weather, it's one of those games that perfectly suited to Hawaiian lifestyle--at least in my humble newcomer's opinion.)

Okay, let's be straight for a moment.  I am not much of sports person.  I do enjoy the outdoors, but pretty much on my own terms.  I like hiking and dips in the ocean.  I profess to enjoy kayaking, which I honestly do, but I hardly ever do it.  The costs are somewhat prohibitive at this time, but I hope to be able to buy a kayak in the future.  Space is an issue too, so it's all about the waiting game with that.  I also really like to snorkel, but once again good gear costs good moolah...  So, what's a guy to do...

How about bocce ball! 

Which is my new absolute favorite outdoor game.  I have never liked bowling because the ball is heavy and the course is awkward.  Sliding a seven pound ball (or however many pounds it weighs) on a fifty foot (or whatever distance it is) laminated wooden surface?  Whose idea of fun is that?  Not mine.  I am not much into golf...way too much "science" involved:  which club to use, how to hit the ball, etc etc.  But bocce ball is SO much fun!

In bocce ball, or less the incarnation I played, you roll the ball through grass on uneven surfaces.  It could be slight uphead or slightly downhill.  With the way we played, the possibilities were endless.  Basically you beginning by having one team toss the small white ball (called a jack).  The two teams toss their respective balls to see who can get the most balls closest to the jack.  Scoring is based on which team has the most balls nearest the jack.  You can do things like knock the other player's balls away from the jack, or even knock the jack away from the other player's balls.   So there is strategy involved. 

We played at Ala Moana park and found many different terrains and hazards along the way.   Once we ended up near a small metal utilizes cover and I was able to bounce my last ball off of the cover to knock the closest ball away and basically win the round.  It was a thrilling moment.  I totally recommend trying this game!

Week 12: Our First Hawaii Halloween

LK had a wonderful first Halloween in Hawaii!  I have said it before and I will say it over and over, the best thing about Halloween is the fun it is for kids.  They get to dress up in costume of their own choice and go door-to-door (or in LK's case mall store to mall store) and get free candy!  Could there be a better day for kids?  Well, besides Christmas and Birthdays perhaps.

Anyway, for the first time LK chose (with an extremely ghoulish delight) a scary costume:

A spoooooky skeleton!

In order to avoid the supposed madness that is Waikiki (obviously not five year old friendly), we took LK to Ala Moana Mall to trick or treat at the shops.  Let me tell you, he cleaned up in a way that I never did trick or treating int the 70s.  He literally got a bag full of candy, little toys, stickers, etc.  And we didn't even hit up the whole mall.  The place is really big, and we got way too tired after the first hour and a half.

Tricks or treats!

Everyone loved his costume.  I guess they thought a five year old skeleton was the cutest thing.  People wanted to take their picture with him.  People laughed and smiled wherever he went.  And a trolley driver stopped her trolley to include him in her tour.  It was quite a day for LK, he absolutely loved it.

The Big Job Update!

We have had a couple of much needed minor miracles happen to us in the last week.  First of all, after over a year of prolonged unemployment  I have been offered a job!  It is with a non-profit company here in Oahu which services the homeless by helping them find employment and housing.  It is miraculous primarily because I finally have a job, but also because it has been a long time dream of mine to work toward helping the homeless in some way. 

The second big news, because I need transportation for a job which requires me to make monthly visits all over the island, is that we finally have our own car!  After nearly three months without one, I cannot tell you the amazing feeling of freedom we have from once again owning our own car.  We are now the proud owners of a Honda Fit Sport model, a car I had been thinking of buying ever since it came out.

Oh yes, ours is purple (blackberry pearl), just like this one!

Our previous car, the one we had to give up, was a Scion XB.  I enjoyed this car primarily for its larger size and fun styling.  But the clunk XB could never beat a Honda in a road test.  This Fit practically jumps off the line and begs to be driven!  It's handing is superb, and it is extremely fun to drive.  Not to mention that it has a funky style all its own.  And hey, it's a Honda!  Is there any better economy car on the road these days?  Not really.

Truth be told, when it comes to buying a car I am extremely anal.  I spent hours and hours online, like I always do, comparing prices and reviews.  I looked at similar sized cars like the Kia Soul, the Scion XD, the Ford Fiesta and the Nissan Cube.  The Fit is by far the most expensive car in it's class, but it has extremely good reliability ratings--the kind the others simply cannot touch.  It is built to last.  Like I said before, it's a Honda.

Anyway, it has definitely been a week of big changes and good news for us!  Something we have needed to happen for quite a long time now.

Window Painting

So I did my very first window painting ever for the family health food store.  I tried to do my best with an unfamiliar medium on an unfamiliar surface, but of course I always think that I could have done better:

We are working on turning the front of the store into a tea shop with tables and chairs.  This is the the mural that greats you.  For locals, the store is located at 1541 Beretania St, corner of Beretania and Kalakaua, just east of the Foodland.  Lot's of great herbal and flavored teas as well as natural ingredient pastries, yum!

Come visit us at House of Health!!

Week 11: visit to Dole Plantation

The maze at Dole Plantation, tauted as the largest in the world.

Another weekend, another long day entertaining our resident five year old.  Since we moved to Oahu about 11 weeks ago, LK had been asking to visit the Dole Plantation.  He loves to run through the maze which has  eight locations to find where you rub a small picture onto a card.  Fortunately, they give you a small map.  Thus, it doesn't turn into an all day affair.  Truth is, this time it was pretty hot, and I wanted to get out of the maze as quickly as possible. 

Besides, there are plenty of other fun things to see and do.  The train ride for one.  This was our first time, and we did it after lunch when LK was pretty well tuckered out from running the maze.

It takes you on a short tour of the pineapple fields.  The most striking part of the tour is when you reach the edge of the property beyond which lies pristine Hawaiian wilderness.  Absolutely breathtaking.  Unfortunately I did not think to take a picture...

But before the train ride, we stopped for lunch--which was surprisingly awesome.

Don't let the plastic tray fool you, this teriyaki chicken was the bomb.  Very tender, very subtle.  I hate teriyaki that is sickeningly sweet, and this was just right in balancing smokey with sweet.  And the portion was way more than enough for both LK and me!  Who knew you could find such great stuff in a plantation store cafeteria.  I love when something totally surprises you like that.

For me, the most interesting aspect of our visit was the small garden showcasing various types of pineapple.  The kind we all eat (the kind made popular by Dole) is called the cayenne variety.  Sort of funny if you know anything about peppers, but of course the pineapple and the pepper are in no way related.  Anyway, it turns out there are a number of varieties of the fruit.  I did not have the patience (or rather LK did not have the patience) to write all of their names down, but here are a few I took pictures of growing in the garden.

I am pretty sure the last is the standard cayenne, but if anyone has any idea what the first two are I would really appreciate the info!