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The Kapolei Teal Reveal

Kapolei High School has cool colors and cool uniforms. Their colors are teal, black, and silver. The teal color really stands out and has taken on an identity for the entire community.

True story:
Here’s a piece of trivia. The teal color is from me. Promise!

When Kapolei High School opened, it wanted to represent the colors from the middle school and the elementary school to unify the young community. They took silver from the middle school (blue & silver) and teal from the elementary school (purple & teal.) They added black as their color of choice.

I helped open Kapolei Elementary School in 1993. We started off with a very small, but close staff. I was on the planning committee that was tasked to select the mascot and school colors. I chose the color teal, because it was unique to the Campbell Complex (it was actually unique to the D.O.E. and to the rest of the state.) The other teachers all wanted purple.

But because I got to order the jerseys, I included only the teal (and left the purple out.) Hehe. Not a fan of purple.

And that’s the whole story, Wilma….

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Eat the Weekend….

Went to the Eat the Street event this past Friday at their new location, the former site of Fisherman’s Wharf just down the street. It was great! This food truck pop-up event now has a permanent site and has been rebranded as Makers & Tasters.

They built a deck with a bar and seating areas. They will be building bathroom structures soon.

There is also a stage near the waterfront area. Great place to catch the Friday night fireworks show. On stage this evening was the son of Kapena. He was awesome.

Photo credit to Kim.
Photo credit to Kim.

Met up with good friends Kimble and Kim. Here’s a pic of the best seller of the night, Pineapple Fried Rice. I had the fish & chips w/ sriracha-mayo from the Fish Lady. Spilled bacon mochi sauce all over my feet and limped home. Still, it was a fun night with great peeps!

On Saturday, I walked over to the McCoy Pavilion at Ala Moana Beach Park for Greek Festival 2015. It was extremely hot.

McCoy Pavilion is a great venue for any event. There were ongoing performances inside the air-conditioned auditorium.

I enjoyed a gyros and washed it down with an ice cold Mythos. The music and atmosphere were great. It got super crowded, and it was time to leave.

So blessed to live in the Ward-Kaka’ako area….

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Gig

Blessed to have played a live gig tonight at my friends’ restaurant, Pono Plates. I think it went well. I messed up a few times, but it was due to a lack of focus more than nerves. I was more nervous at home than at the restaurant. It was fun, and I feel extremely relieved now.

I found out back in June that my friends wanted to include me in their summer lineup. I asked for August to give me some time to practice following a 2-year hiatus from playing guitar. I practiced really hard and especially this past week. I once played a gig 15 years ago at the Tropiccino Café in Kapolei, so I guess you could call this my “Reunion Tour.”

Here’s a wide shot of Pono Plates. The stage is in the back-left corner. (Click to enlarge.)

Here’s a sample….

The best part was meeting up with good friends. The support warmed my heart. It was an amazing night and definitely one of my highlights of summer….

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Mon Café

I love coffee. But I really love cafés.

From Paris….

To Beijing….

To Kalihi.

I just enjoy being in this kinda space. I feel at ease and “at home.”

So much so, that it’s always been my intention to give my condo a café vibe.

So welcome to mon café.

I don’t cook (too often,) but at least I know how to make a cuppa joe.

So grab a Starbucks City Mug….

or one from my favorite local cafés.

and pour yourself a cup of coffee or a glass of lemon-cucumber water. The Wi-Fi is free….

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Holoholo Day: Waikiki Boardwalk

I go on two “Holoholo Days” during the year, usually one on July 9th and one on December 30th. It’s a quirky “tradition” that I’ve continued for a few years now. I just go out and try to take some “me time.” Some people refer to this as “mental health days.” I go out and explore cool places on the island to relax and re-energize. It’s like being a tourist in my own backyard.

Today I wanted to check out the Waikiki Boardwalk, a walking path along Waikiki Beach. I started out by walking from my condo to Ala Moana Beach. I walked past the Ala Wai Yacht Harbor and behind the Hawai’i Prince Hotel.

This is where the boardwalk begins.

You enter the grounds of the Hilton Hawaiian Village Resort.

There’s a lagoon with a lot of water activities going on. Looks like it’s open to the public.

The boardwalk becomes a sidewalk at the 2nd Hilton Hawaiian Village tower.

This is where tourists catch the Atlantis Submarine.

Here’s the sidewalk fronting the Hale Koa Hotel. Cool place to skateboard….

The path continues past Fort DeRussy. There are sand volleyball courts, tennis courts, and ample public restrooms along the way.

The path continues past the Outrigger Reef Hotel. There are surfboard rentals and shave ice stands in nooks and alleyways.

There are a few rock walls that jetty out along Waikiki Beach.

The sidewalk cuts off  near the Waikiki Shore Hotel.

It resumes at the Halekulani Hotel. The Halekulani looked very impressive (expensive.)

Here’s the Maita’i Catamaran.

The path resumes at the Sheraton. Note the tourists exercising in the infinity pool on the left side.

The path finally ends at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel.

Beautiful day and a beautiful place!

Ended my walk at the Moana Surfrider Hotel.

Cut through the lobby and made my way back on Kalākaua Avenue. Walked back along Ala Moana Boulevard.

Walked all the way to Street Grindz Kewalo, a food truck pop-up at the former site of the Fisherman’s Wharf Restaurant.

Ate at my friend Loke’s food truck called Flyin’ Ahi. The Pulehu Combo plate was amazing!

Had a great morning! Always nice to go holoholo….