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TEDxHonolulu 2016

Volunteered at our very successful TEDxHonolulu 2016 event at the Blaisdell Concert Hall. This year’s theme was “Flow.” It was one of our better events for attendees due to the rich interactive exhibits. Included were a DJ, an artist, a makerspace, and foreign games.

I was able to recruit a couple of our high school students to volunteer. They did an amazing job of leading adults in interactive games. They were also introduced to some very inspiring people in the community. It was a great opportunity.

My job was to take care of the beans. Hehe. They were termed, flow-tokens or “flowkens.” Attendees were designated a team color. They collected flowkens by participating at the different stations. The team that accumulated the most flowkens would win an invitation to an afterparty and a discount to next year’s event. I tabulated the flowken standings after each break.

There was a great variety of talks. We had an artist, oceanographer, musician, and aerialist, to name a few. TED Talk videos were also screened in between.

We had a blast. It was an amazing day of learning new ideas and meeting new people. #TEDxHNL

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Yelp

Chee-hoo! Just received my “Elite” badge today. Yelp is an online community that provides tips & reviews of restaurants and other establishments. It is helpful in that it provides business hours, maps, menus, and photos, and is especially useful when traveling.

I became a more contributing Yelper this year. I was asked to be the advisor for our high school’s newly created Yelp Club. I figured that I needed to be more active in order to gain credibility. I actually found it fun and engaging to be a part of this positive and supportive community.

No surprise, but most of my reviews are food-related. I consider Chinatown to be my “beat,” but I will go anywhere and everywhere to find the perfect loco moco or bowl of ramen. For me, a 3-star rating is “good,” a 4-star is “great,” and a 5-star means that it’s adding enormous value to the community (and it would be a shame if it were to go away.)

Enjoy being on Yelp and tickled to be on the 2016 Yelp Honolulu Elite Squad. “It’s neat to be elite.” And yes, I always take pics of my food….

Checkout my reviews at http://alantamayose.yelp.com.

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My Civic Duty….

I was summoned for Jury Duty this past Tuesday. This was only my 2nd time (I was released the first time, years ago.) I walked over to the First Circuit Court on Punchbowl Street.

During the selection process, each side could dismiss three potential jurors. After five were dismissed, I thought I was going home early. Of course, I was selected. Juror #12.

The case started that afternoon. The judge assured us that it would probably last only three days. I wholeheartedly agreed. Looking back, it was a good experience. I learned a lot. I thought I knew what the word “drama” meant. I had no idea….

Serving on the jury (and walking through Kaka’ako) allowed me to eat at different restaurants. I went to Egghead Café, Karen’s Kitchen, a fast food Chinese express in Restaurant Row (not so good,) and a convenience store in Restaurant Row (enjoyed the mandoo.) I wanted to check out Mimi’s Place (Peruvian food,) but was unable to do so.

On Wednesday, the Eddie surf meet was scheduled to go down (canceled at 7:30am.) I rocked my 2009 Eddie t-shirt in the courtroom. Eddie would go….

 

The trial ended on Thursday afternoon, and we entered into deliberation at 3:30pm. If we couldn’t reach a unanimous verdict by 4:15, we would need to return on Friday. Needless to say, it didn’t take long.

All in all, it was a good experience. The proceedings were “interesting,” and the jurors were friendly. I made 11 friends, 90 dollars, and my definition of the word “drama” was seriously expanded.