A Post in Lieu of Posting... (about the Windward Mall!)

My apologies for not posting sooner... Holiday times have been very busy for us, and I wanted to download a bunch of pictures of our Hawaii Christmas activies--which I will do very soon (I promise).

For now, I figured I would post a little blog about my new favorite mall in Oahu--the Windward Mall in Kaneohe.  It's definitely not as large as Ala Moana (supposedly the largest outdoor shopping mall in the world), but it's also not as flashy and touristy.  And it sort of reminds me of the malls back home, but somehow without the cheese vibe some of them had.  It's small, sort of intimate, and it has a Farrell's!

For those of you who don't know Farrell's, it's an ice cream shop that was big in the 1970s in California.  I am not sure why, but they all closed down in California in the early 80s.  So imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon one in the Windward Mall!

They also have a great pet store.  And a really cool food court (if food courts can be called cool...)  I like it because it is open and airy.  It's a bit of trip from Honolulu, but it's worth it.  Especially if you want to see and feel other parts of the island.  Kaneohe has a much warmer feeling than Honolulu.  The people seems easy going by comparison.  It's developed much like suburban So Cal, but with Hawaiian flare of course.  And of course, beautiful beaches are very close by.

I cannot stress this enough, and it is something I learned as a tourist here 12 years ago.  Honolulu is great.  It has a lot of nice attractions, but if you want to see all of what Oahu has to offer you should drive to place like Leeward, Windward, and the North Shore.  You will be glad you did.

Week 18: Some Top Ten Lists

Top Ten Things I Miss in California:

1) My friends

2) In-n-Out, Del Taco, Souplanation, Patty's

3) Cooler weather in the fall

4) Hiking at Puddingstone lake

5) Easy parking

6) Pasadena, everything about it

7) Mexican food in general, but especially in San Diego

8) My wife's family

9) My cats

10) My old house


Top Ten Things I Don't Miss in California:

1) Smog

2) The HOT Summers

3) The traffic

4) Mean people

5) 9% sales tax (it's only 4% in Hawaii)

6) Driving so far to get anywhere

7) So many empty shopping centers

8) Some bad memories

9) The bad economy

10) The excessive paperwork in my profession

Great Recipes: Kuka (Samoan Raw Fish)

A staple here is Hawaiian Poke (pokey), which is basically raw fish.  But I am sorry to say, that Poke just doesn't cut it for me.  After many years of eating great sushi and even better ceviche, there's something about Poke that is just too bland.  So I was very pleased to find a delicious alternative to Poke and I just had to share with you guys!

At our office Christmas party, one of my co-workers who comes from American Samoa brought in the Samoan version of Poke.  It's called Kuka (not sure how to pronounce it...) and it is out of this world delicious!  Yes, it does have coconut in it as well as a splash of lemon.  Added to that are chunks of tasty fish and tomatoes (another one of my favorite things), onions, and cucumbers.  This stuff is like ceviche on steroids!  And now I don't even miss my Mexican ceviche (well, sort of), I just wanna get me some Samoan Kuka--right now!

Anyway, based on what she told me and some internet research, I pieced together what I think is a decent recipe that I will definitely be trying soon.  Hope you guys like it:

2 lbs white fish (yellow tail or snapper)
2 cups coconut cream or milk
2 tomatoes diced
1 cucumber chopped
1 onion chopped
salt + pepper
1 cup lemon juice

Dice fish into cubes.  Add salt, pepper, and lemon juice.

Cover and chill 2 hours or overnight (until fish is white).  Stir occasionally.

Add cream, onion, tomato, cucumber.

Serve chilled.

And YUUUUUUMMMM!!!!!

Re-Learning How to Park

My upbringing in suburban California did nothing to prepare me for the challenges of parking in a metropolitan city like Honolulu.  I was spoiled in California.  Wide open parking lots brimming with spaces.  Miles of open curb to sidle up to at my whim and leisure.  I would scoff at the idea of parallel parking.  All I had to do was drive a half a block in another direction and there would surely be a space.  People don't parallel park in California, because the majority of people in California have no idea how to do it (and they don't really have to learn anyway).  I know, because I was atrocious at it, and had no desire to improve my skills.  That is, until I was forced to do so--in Hawaii.   About the worst it could get in California was parking in LA, which I always dreaded.  But LA parking does not hold a candle to parking in Honolulu. 



Not an uncommon scene in Honolulu.  Believe it or not, this guy actually managed to slip in without bumping either car.




Parking here is often like maneuvering through an obstacle course.  Posts and walls routinely block your way.  And the spaces are so small that you have to suck in your breath in order to squeeze into them.  Many of the shops and restaurants do not have their own parking, and those that do gladly charge an arm and a leg to use them.  In fact, many of the rental units do not even have parking.  When I was searching for a place to live, many landlords brazenly stated in their adds NO PARKING and proudly added a line about which bus lines the unit was located next to.

Parking in a place like this takes a little more time and care.  You can't just burst in and out of your parking spaces.  You never know who or what you might hit.  So I have learned to take it a little slower--something Californians also do not know how to do.  I have traded the fast lane for the squishy lane.  Streets are narrow and almost claustrophobic at times.  But as a result my driving skills have improved immensely.  Whereas before I was rushing for place to place to get there the fastest way possible, now I take more time and watch out for other drivers.  For the first time in my life, I have become a defensive driver.  And it actually feels good to be on the road.

Hawaiian Sun soft drinks

Let me first say that prior to moving to Hawaii, I avoided soft drinks (all but diet Coke which I drank like water) as if they were plague.  I was one of those who thought drinking diet drinks was a good for my health--ya right!  Turns out that there are probably very few food items more dangerous on the planet than diet drinks--specially ASPARTAME.  (Go ahead and click the scary link to see the 92 listed side effects of this dastardly stuff--which is rumored to be a chemical byproduct of anthrax...)  I stopped consuming diet drinks when I moved to Hawaii and noticed a difference immediately.  I had more energy, my mood was improved, and I began to lose weight!  Insane, I know!

Anyway, this is not supposed to be an anti-aspartame commercial.  It's a Hawaiian Sun commercial!  And what, you ask, is Hawaiian Sun?  A really good brand of Hawaiian made soft drinks, that's what!  The ingredients are pretty much natural, and they taste really good.  Of course, I can't drink a ton of this stuff.  Too much sugar is bad too.  But when I chose to drink a soft drink, this is the stuff I chose.  My recent favorite is the Strawberry Lilikoi (passion fruit).  Some of the tea flavors are outstanding  (for a canned drink), like the Lite Green Tea and the Island Iced Tea.  Good stuff!

The Areas of Honolulu #1 (Kaimuki)

Honolulu proper contains a number of subarea each with its own name and flavor.  Sometimes the differences have to do with geographical uniqueness.  Sometimes it's just the chosen name for that particular area.  Some of them are Manoa and Maikiki, Nuuanu and Pauoa, Palolo and Kaimuki, and of course Waikiki.  I thought it might be interesting for people outside of the islands to learn a little bit about each area. 

For today's area, I have selected one of my favorites:  Kaimuki.

Located east of Manoa, behind Diamond Head (the mountain in the distance).

Kaimuki is a considered a middle-class neighborhood and was first developed in the 1920s. The following was taken from Travel Ape: 

"While it was once the hub of banking giants, Kaimuki today has the feel of pre-World War II Honolulu, with residential side streets featuring simple homes on neatly tended plots. This quaint town offers cozy shops, service establishments and a smattering of good and affordable restaurants. The Temari Center for Asian and Pacific Arts, a small art center tucked away, offers classes in lei making, basketry, book binding, flower pressing, paper making and painting on silk. Comme Ci Comme Ca Consignment Boutique and Jan's Secret Closet are favorites among those who frequent thrift and consignment shops. Kwilts 'n Koa is a small Hawaiian quilt shop and Montsuki features mother and daughter designed fashions using Japanese kimonos, silk and natural fibers. On Wai'alae Avenue, take your pick of some great restaurants: 3660 On The Rise (Euro-Asian), Boston's North End Pizza Bakery, Beau Soleil (Mediterranean) and Eastern Garden (Chinese) to name a few. Pick up yummy manapua at Kwong On and fresh island fruits and vegetables at Kaimuki Produce Market."

Maybe because I am use to suburban life, Kaimuki generally has a much warmer feel than the high-rise areas like Waikiki and Ala Moana.  It's much better kept than some of the eastern sections of the city.  The Kapolani Community College weekly farmers market is a lot of fun.  Lots of interesting produce and prepared foods.  If I had the time, I would go there every week.  The Kahala Mall is smaller but much less crowded and very much more accessible than the huge, impossible-to-find-parking Ala Moana Mall.  There's also the Diamond Head Theatre which calls itself the Broadway of the Pacific.  I have yet to catch a show there.  Right now they are hosting a production of "Little Women".  Then there's this sub shop called Storto's that half the island calls the greatest sandwich place on the planet and the other half calls a soggy, tasteless mess.  But supposedly all agree that there is a better Storto's on the North Shore.  I'll have to give both of them a try and report my findings someday.

As of now, Kaimuki is my number one spot of choice living wise--well, besides the more affluent areas which I will never be able to afford to live in.  So hopefully one day soon I will be a resident of Kaimuki.

Pieces of My Mind

Well, I enjoy doing this blog so much that I thought I would make a second blog--one for the creative things going on in my head all the time.  And I also enjoyed doing the NaNoWriMo challenge so much that I thought I would make this blog a challenge to me as well.  Basically I plan to write something create every day for the year of 2011 (a year I have taken to calling "The Year of Awesome").  It doesn't have to be poetry necessarily or a short story or anything like that, although it can be either of these things.  It just has to be a create bit of something.  A piece of my mind, if you will.  And yes! I realize this is nothing new.  It has been done and redone by just about everyone under the sun, but it has not yet been done by me.  So, starting January 1st, look for my new blog entitled:  365 Pieces of My Mind