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Song Contest

Attended the 92nd annual Kamehameha Schools Song Contest, “Ho‘ōla Lāhui, Ho‘oulu Pae ‘Āina — Vibrant People, Thriving Lands.” The event is held at the Blaisdell Arena, just across the street from my condo. Song Contest is one of our most beautiful and cherished traditions.

Before the show went live, Dr. Chun greeted the crowd and received a standing ovation. It was a very heartwarming moment. We had great seats in the loges. We sat directly behind the sophomores. Mahalo Kumu Joy for the ticket!

The highlight of the event is always the Hō‘ike. This year’s Hō‘ike was a tribute to Princess Pauahi. It was another “chicken skin” moment. I truly enjoyed being at tonight’s event. So proud of our students! Congratulations to all. Here are the results from tonight’s competition….

Imua.

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POW WOW Hawai’i 2012

Attended tonight’s opening of POW WOW Hawai’i at Loft in Space x Fresh Café. “POW WOW Hawai’i is a gathering to celebrate culture, music, and art.” Its mission is to engage the broader community in the process and creation of art. Local and international contemporary artists have been painting murals on walls and buildings in the neighborhood of Kaka’ako this past week.

Ran into a friend, and one of the founding artists there, Kamea.

WOW, had a really great time checking out the art work and taking part in such a cool event….

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What a (Re)treat!

Our KS EdTech Services group just returned from a retreat at the Punalu’u beach house. It was a great time of bonding and team building. Our managers did a great job of planning, and everyone contributed their talents. We truly enjoyed one another’s company.

Day 1 started with a service learning project at the Nā Kamalei Discovery Garden. We did a little weeding, cleaning, and painting. We learned a lot and were very grateful for the opportunity. Here are a few pics from their blog. We spent most of the afternoon working on a video about what we had learned.

Our dinner activity was an “Iron Chef” competition. We were grouped into small teams to create delicious, gourmet meals. After the judging, we were able to partake in all of the wonderful dishes.

Following dinner, it was “Sunset on the Beach.” We had chairs and a projector set up on the lawn. We enjoyed everyone’s video production. We capped off the night by playing guitar in the backyard. Others were fishing, playing poker, or just hanging out.

I consider that night to have been one of the worst night’s of sleep that I’ve ever had (or not had) in my life. “Thank God it was so short.” The flood lights were in my eyes, the metal rod from the broken army cot kept hitting my head, and it was freezing cold. To make matters worse, every time I dozed off, I was rudely awakened by a chorus of loud snoring….

Day 2 greeted us with a chilly morning and a gorgeous sunrise. Omelettes and hot coffee hit the spot. In fact, all of the meals were pretty fantastic. We had a craft activity and some really funny games. We had a guest speaker who gave a presentation entitled “Living on Purpose.” It really spoke to me.

After lunch, it was time to clean up and wrap up. I am so blessed to be at the Kamehameha Schools. What a treat….

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Before Social Networks….

….there were social clubs.

Way back in high school, guys and girls used to form their own clubs and attend “socials” on weekends. Socials were like small parties at people’s homes. Each club would create cards and hand them out to other clubs. If you had a good reputation, they would pass on your card to their friends. This is how you got invited to more socials. Here’s what our card looked like….

Please don’t call the numbers (unless of course, you’re inviting us to a social.)

So here’s what a typical social was like. First you would pile in as many guys into one car. Us McKinley boys would be looking spiffy in Angels Flight pants, and reeking Jovan Musk Oil. Then we would drive down to Pearl City McDonald’s to meet the girls. We would have a mixtape of Journey and REO Speedwagon blasting on the Pioneer tape deck. Then we would follow the girls’ car to somebody’s house.

First we would start with introductions, usually some kind of name game where you whack each other with rolled-up newspaper. Then we would have refreshments. For some reason, the socials that we thought wouldn’t be so good, always had the best food. After that, we would play these icebreakers and party games. The girls enjoyed planning them, and we absolutely hated playing them.

Then it was time to dance. Slow dance. One guy would hold onto a teddy bear, and he would cut-in by giving it to another guy. If no one cut-in on you, you could be dancing all night with the same girl. Did you know that “Reasons” by Earth, Wind & Fire (live version) is 8:23? That’s a long song….

Finally, we would close the evening in a “friendship circle,” the kind where you can twist somebody’s arm.

After the social, we would go cruising down Magic Island, Point Panics, and Diamond Head. We would always end up at McCully Zippy’s. Remember the “gravy rice” for 35¢? I remember carnivals, Kalapana, proms, middle-comb, Morgan’s Corner, puka shells, and baby Löwenbräus.

I love social networks like Facebook and Twitter, but ya can’t beat the social clubs of the good ol’ days. We were Pure Energy….

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Small Kid Time….

“I remember days when we were younger….”

Singing the song, “Ku’u Home ‘O Kahalu’u” this past weekend at Kualoa Beach Park made me reflect. Growing up in McCully was special. Those were the good ol’ days. Those were my “hanabata days.”

I remember….

• going to the Islanders’ baseball games at the old Honolulu Stadium. The S&S saimin on a cold, rainy night hit the spot.

• eating shave ice at Alice’s Market (the current Waiola Shave Ice Store.) They had pickled mango, baseball cards, cone sushi, and slingshots.

• riding bike through people’s yards. I had a yellow Schwinn Stingray with a banana seat.

• catching crayfish & guppies at “Duck Pond” (the stream on Date Street.)

• mom’s fried kamaboko & mayonnaise sandwiches. So ono….

• dad driving us to school in the morning, listening to “Aku” on the radio. (Remember the “Coconut Wireless?”)

• me & my friends playing Kikaida and roller derby against my sister & her friends.

• Obaachan picking pikake flowers in the backyard for her tea.

• walking our dog Sparky around the block and getting dragged on the sidewalk.

• picnics and parties with the relatives and cousins. My job was to fan the hibachi and fetch Primo beers.

• “Jeremiah was a bullfrog….”

• Checkers & Pogo, Flintstones, and Gilligan’s Island. Must see TV….

• getting stuck in the elevator at Wigwam Store (the current Longs Drugs on King Street.)

• the only phrase I learned at Japanese School, “Sensei, osokunatte sumimasen.” (Sorry I’m late.)

• going to Keiki Land at the Ala Moana Shopping Center.

• eating at the Flamingo Restaurant, Cha-cha Tei & Edo Shokudo Restaurants, Golden Duck Chop Suey, and Chunky’s Drive In.

“I remember days when we were smiling
When we laughed and sang the whole night long….”