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10/17/09
Day 35: Stranded at Safeway and B-day Dinner at the Diner (J)
So, the whole house piled into the family beach van to go for Chana's (Cousin of Tami and Justin, frequent house visitor and mommy to little boy house mascot, Kayden) birthday dinner at a diner. Unfortunately, the van broke down at a Safeway parking lot, and we all piled into the back of a pick-up truck. Fun, different, somewhat local way to get around!
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Above is the Birthday Girl and her baby Boy. To the right is the "Loco Moco," a local favorite. Sunny side egg over hamburger steak and onions, over a pile of rice. Gravy dolloped all over it. Lots of meat + lots of rice + lots of rice = happy night. 10/12/09
Day 31: Happy Anniversary, Hawaii! (J)
Today marks the one-month anniversary of my landing in Honolulu. In honor of this momentous occasion, and Matt's burly poetic offering in a previous post, I will "remix" one of my favorite poems as a child (or at least the one I was forced to memorize and still remember), into an ode to Hawai'i. With humble apologies to both the aghast spirit of Walt Whitman, and those literary luminaries and snobs that may peruse this post, here is: "O Hawai'i! my Hawai'i!"
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"Oh Hawai'i! my Hawai'i!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"O Hawai'i! my Hawai'i!,
Our wondrous trip has begun.
Debit card passed every test,
The prize we sought is won.
The beach is near, wahine's I hear,
The people all exulting.
While follow eyes the ready meal,
The feasts, full and daring.
But, O heart! heart! heart!
O the the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the floor,
My will to leave lies,
Fallen cold and dead.
----------------------
O Hawai'i! my Hawai'i!
Rise up and hear happy yells,
Rise up- for you the fun is flung,
For you the conch shell trills.
For you bouquets and wreaths,
For you the shores a-crowding,
For you we call, the swaying mass,
Our eager faces turning.
Here Hawai'i! dear mother!
Your arms beneath my head,
I dream that on your shores,
My hungry soul is loved and fed.
----------------------
My Hawai'i only smiles in answer,
Her lips rainbow hued and still,
My mother cools my fiery heart,
She soothes my lagging will.
My heart anchored safe and sound,
For it's voyage of sea and sun.
From fearful trip, the victor ship,
Comes in with object won.
Exult, shores, and ring, O bells!
And I, with lively tread,
Walk the shores,
Where my mother lies,
My hungry soul loved and fed.
--------------------------------------------
"Oh Hawai'i! my Hawai'i!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"O Hawai'i! my Hawai'i!,
Our wondrous trip has begun.
Debit card passed every test,
The prize we sought is won.
The beach is near, wahine's I hear,
The people all exulting.
While follow eyes the ready meal,
The feasts, full and daring.
But, O heart! heart! heart!
O the the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the floor,
My will to leave lies,
Fallen cold and dead.
----------------------
O Hawai'i! my Hawai'i!
Rise up and hear happy yells,
Rise up- for you the fun is flung,
For you the conch shell trills.
For you bouquets and wreaths,
For you the shores a-crowding,
For you we call, the swaying mass,
Our eager faces turning.
Here Hawai'i! dear mother!
Your arms beneath my head,
I dream that on your shores,
My hungry soul is loved and fed.
----------------------
My Hawai'i only smiles in answer,
Her lips rainbow hued and still,
My mother cools my fiery heart,
She soothes my lagging will.
My heart anchored safe and sound,
For it's voyage of sea and sun.
From fearful trip, the victor ship,
Comes in with object won.
Exult, shores, and ring, O bells!
And I, with lively tread,
Walk the shores,
Where my mother lies,
My hungry soul loved and fed.
Day 30: Five Senses in Manoa Valley. (J)
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After my internship some days, I head to Starbucks to get a little reading done. Walking home from there around 7 or so, I stopped for a moment as I felt the playful breeze swirl around me and dry the beads of sweat that had formed on my neck on this seasonably warm night. I listened, and heard the myriad songs of crickets and night birds, the soft, friendly chatter of a family sitting around a small backyard grill and, in the distance, the small black pug on the corner's daily warning bark reminding me that I was close to home. I took a deep breath, and felt the clean, revitalizing forest air of a recent light rain fill my lungs. I looked around, and saw lush green life in every glance, the glittering firefly lights of homes begin to slowly flicker to life as greeting to the approaching evening and I saw my home, for now. My home.
-----------------------------------------
This place fills you. Alone, standing with backpack on shoulders and flip flops on the grass, Manoa Valley filled me. With so much abundant nature embracing you, so few cars and horns zipping around and your mind clear of the day's onslaught of stresses, it just feels like your senses are so much more attuned to everything happening around you. You feel strangely at peace, and you can then feel everything else.
-----------------------------------------
Oh, what about taste, you ask? Did I forget about that? Nope. As I shake my head slightly out of its reverie and begin to walk again, I smile, knowing that my housemate's recently cooked corn and ham chowder and a tall can of Guinness patiently wait for me at home. Although not native to Manoa Valley, chowder and Guiness also fill me just as well...
After my internship some days, I head to Starbucks to get a little reading done. Walking home from there around 7 or so, I stopped for a moment as I felt the playful breeze swirl around me and dry the beads of sweat that had formed on my neck on this seasonably warm night. I listened, and heard the myriad songs of crickets and night birds, the soft, friendly chatter of a family sitting around a small backyard grill and, in the distance, the small black pug on the corner's daily warning bark reminding me that I was close to home. I took a deep breath, and felt the clean, revitalizing forest air of a recent light rain fill my lungs. I looked around, and saw lush green life in every glance, the glittering firefly lights of homes begin to slowly flicker to life as greeting to the approaching evening and I saw my home, for now. My home.
-----------------------------------------
This place fills you. Alone, standing with backpack on shoulders and flip flops on the grass, Manoa Valley filled me. With so much abundant nature embracing you, so few cars and horns zipping around and your mind clear of the day's onslaught of stresses, it just feels like your senses are so much more attuned to everything happening around you. You feel strangely at peace, and you can then feel everything else.
-----------------------------------------
Oh, what about taste, you ask? Did I forget about that? Nope. As I shake my head slightly out of its reverie and begin to walk again, I smile, knowing that my housemate's recently cooked corn and ham chowder and a tall can of Guinness patiently wait for me at home. Although not native to Manoa Valley, chowder and Guiness also fill me just as well...
Day 29: Birthday Cookout (J)
Cook-out for Justin's birthday. His parents came in from Kaua'i, brought a ton of fresh fish, grilled various types of meat and basically gave the house leftovers for over a week. Top Picture: Justin, Elsa and his parents (taken from Facebook). Middle: the lovely spread. Bottom: perhaps my new favorite dessert-- the coco puffs from Liliha Bakery! It’s a small puffed pastry filled with a creamy chocolate pudding and topped with a thick, semi-hard, vanilla and coconut frosting. It's like an eclair and melts in your mouth. I think the secret, though, is that the vanilla custard on top is a little salty, so you don't get the overly sweet richness of some desserts. Soooo gooood....
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Day 28: Jobless Jitters (M)
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Since I wasn’t hired after my last few interviews--I was even late for one and underdressed for another--I decided to throw-out-all-the-stops for this most recent one. I borrowed JR’s tie, donned my white leather shoes, left from the house two hours early, and was open to the possibility of faking most of my answers. The prospective employer is a bar/lounge that’s set to open in two weeks in Ward, the principle shopping district of Honolulu; this is how the interview started:
Owner: Hi, my name is owner dude (I forgot his name).
Me: Hey, I’m Matt.
Owner: So I see you’re from Pennsylvania. Are you a Steelers fan?
Me: Ummm…yes?
Owner: Well then, you’re hired! I was born in Pittsburgh.
Me: I LOVE the Steelers!
Owner: [goes into his wallet and pulls out a photo of him and some guy] Do you know who this is?
Me: Yes, that’s you.
Owner: Right, I know. But the other guy?
Me: I don’t know.
Owner: Oh…because that’s the quarterback for the Steelers…
Me: You know, I watch mostly hockey…I’m more of a Penguins fan, really…I watch football sometimes, though.
Then he starts asking me about my experience serving alcohol and stuff like that. The thing is, I was so early for the interview that I went to a nearby cafe and drank a few cups of coffee to waste time before arriving at the bar. At this point, I was feeling quite jittery:
Owner: So what are your aspirations?
Me: (I’m applying for the bar-back position) I hope to become a bartender, and one day work my way up into management, maybe even try to supervise a nightclub here in Honolulu. I’m young and the sky is the limit!
Owner: You know what, you seem very high energy. That’s just what we need behind the bar here.
Me: [fidgeting with my pen, jiggling my leg] That’s wonderful! That’s great! That’s wonderful!
Owner: Alright then. You’re hired. Here’s the paperwork.
Me: Thank you thank you thank you!
So that’s the story of how I finally got a job here. And the rest is all candy-canes and unicorns. The end.
(photo soon to come)
Since I wasn’t hired after my last few interviews--I was even late for one and underdressed for another--I decided to throw-out-all-the-stops for this most recent one. I borrowed JR’s tie, donned my white leather shoes, left from the house two hours early, and was open to the possibility of faking most of my answers. The prospective employer is a bar/lounge that’s set to open in two weeks in Ward, the principle shopping district of Honolulu; this is how the interview started:
Owner: Hi, my name is owner dude (I forgot his name).
Me: Hey, I’m Matt.
Owner: So I see you’re from Pennsylvania. Are you a Steelers fan?
Me: Ummm…yes?
Owner: Well then, you’re hired! I was born in Pittsburgh.
Me: I LOVE the Steelers!
Owner: [goes into his wallet and pulls out a photo of him and some guy] Do you know who this is?
Me: Yes, that’s you.
Owner: Right, I know. But the other guy?
Me: I don’t know.
Owner: Oh…because that’s the quarterback for the Steelers…
Me: You know, I watch mostly hockey…I’m more of a Penguins fan, really…I watch football sometimes, though.
Then he starts asking me about my experience serving alcohol and stuff like that. The thing is, I was so early for the interview that I went to a nearby cafe and drank a few cups of coffee to waste time before arriving at the bar. At this point, I was feeling quite jittery:
Owner: So what are your aspirations?
Me: (I’m applying for the bar-back position) I hope to become a bartender, and one day work my way up into management, maybe even try to supervise a nightclub here in Honolulu. I’m young and the sky is the limit!
Owner: You know what, you seem very high energy. That’s just what we need behind the bar here.
Me: [fidgeting with my pen, jiggling my leg] That’s wonderful! That’s great! That’s wonderful!
Owner: Alright then. You’re hired. Here’s the paperwork.
Me: Thank you thank you thank you!
So that’s the story of how I finally got a job here. And the rest is all candy-canes and unicorns. The end.
(photo soon to come)
Day 27: Ode to the Fan (M)
There are some things that we tend to take for granted. I believe that the fan is one of those things, so I have decided to commemorate it's noble efforts with a poem.
Five Ways of Looking at the Fan:
I
Trade winds have departed,
But the fan is still here
Carrying the gentle island breeze
Deep in its metallic bosom.
II
In the dim moonlight,
All that can be seen in the house
Is the silhouette of the fan’s spidery legs
Trapping the heat in its icy web.
III
Scurrying sideways across the sand,
The fan snapped its sinister claws
At the stove-hot rays of the baking sun.
IV
A quite seaside room,
And all that is heard
Is the comings and goings of the sea
And the faint rattling of the fan.
V
Two boys sat watching tv
And the fan hovered protectively above them
Softly blowing on their foreheads
And gently tickling their cheeks.
Thank you, fan. Who needs air conditioning when we have you?
I
Trade winds have departed,
But the fan is still here
Carrying the gentle island breeze
Deep in its metallic bosom.
II
In the dim moonlight,
All that can be seen in the house
Is the silhouette of the fan’s spidery legs
Trapping the heat in its icy web.
III
Scurrying sideways across the sand,
The fan snapped its sinister claws
At the stove-hot rays of the baking sun.
IV
A quite seaside room,
And all that is heard
Is the comings and goings of the sea
And the faint rattling of the fan.
V
Two boys sat watching tv
And the fan hovered protectively above them
Softly blowing on their foreheads
And gently tickling their cheeks.
Thank you, fan. Who needs air conditioning when we have you?
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