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Hawai’i Five-O 2.0

Attended the Hawaii Five-O World Premiere / “Sunset on the Beach” event tonight in Waikiki.

It was a spectacular afternoon at Waikiki Beach. Gorgeous weather, nice breeze, good waves. It made for the perfect backdrop for this event.

There were concerts, food tents, and just too many people. It was way too crowded. They estimated that there were more than 10,000 here. I thought to myself, “Wow, look at all these crazy people….” Then I realized that I was one of them. As the celebrities arrived onto the red carpet, there was an incredible energy in the air. People were screaming and holding up their iPhones & iPads to capture the moment. I was not able to take any photos of them since I was 5 rows deep behind the barricade.

Luckily, the Red Bull girls wanted to be on my blog…. ahem.

The event actually started a little after 7pm. It opened with fire dancers & Tahitian dancers. Then there were speeches by local dignitaries. When the stars were finally introduced, the crowd erupted. It had that rock concert atmosphere.

But my true adventure of the day was actually catching the Bus. The last time I rode the bus was in 1986. I just didn’t want to fight the traffic and fight for parking. I had to call the operator to make sure that I would be catching the right bus on the right street. Riding the Bus in Waikiki at night is truly an experience.

But here’s the crazy part. I stayed for all of the festivities, but left right before the actual premiering of the episode. I was off to the side and had a poor view of the screen. So until Monday, “Be there, Aloha….”

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It’s Greek to Me

Went to the Greek Festival Honolulu 2011 today at the McCoy Pavilion, Ala Moana Beach Park. It was my first one. Always wanted go, but it was way too inconvenient with the traffic and crowds. Now, it’s a 15 minute walk from home. It was great.

There were food, crafts, & t-shirt booths, and live entertainment. The McCoy Pavilion is a really nice place for an event such as this….

There was a second stage in the auditorium with cultural dances and performances.

I had my gyros and my Aris, so I was good to go! Hope to visit there someday….

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Pigged Out….

Went to the Pigskin Pigout at Murphy’s last night. It’s a huge block party / fundraiser for the UH football team.

I was only able to go thanks to Lordric’s extra ticket. Very blessed. It was awesome….

The food was so good! They had roast suckling pig, kalbi ribs, glazed salmon, barbecue chicken, crab cakes, and oyster shooters. Mmm…. so ono.

The program consisted of Coach Mac’s speech and an incredible auction of autographed memorabilia, travel packages, and neighbor-island getaways.

Felt awful when I woke up this morning, but I think I ate for a good cause. Can’t wait for the season. Go Bows….

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I Ate the Street….

We have a food truck rally every last-Friday of the month here in Kaka’ako. It’s a chance to sample lots of tasty dishes in one location.

It attracts a pretty nice crowd. A lot of people walk over after work or from the surrounding neighborhood.

There’s ono food & great entertainment, but mostly food. Here is the link to tonight’s line-up of lunch wagons.

“Hawai’i’s Fried Musubis” and “Fairycakes Hawai’i” were the two most popular trucks. Their lines stretched across the parking complex.

I went with the BBQ Dinosaur Bones from “Why’z” along with a slice from “Inferno’s Wood Fire Pizza.”

Mmm, so good….

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“City of Brotherly Love”

I had the privilege of attending the ISTE Conference in Philadelphia this summer. It was an amazing learning experience. I’ll post something about it later on my school blog. But this post is not about that. Here’s a little story….

Arriving early in Philly, we were able to do a little sightseeing and take a bus tour of the city. I saw the Love sculpture at the JFK Plaza, a.k.a. the LOVE Park. It was a few blocks away from our hotel and on the way to the convention center. I attended an informal bloggers’ session on the weekend and thought it would be a good opportunity to check out the park. (A tourist took this photo of me.)

What I discovered there was somewhat disturbing. It was a park where the homeless lived. At first, I walked around the fountains and avoided the homeless people. I ignored them like how the tourists and businessmen there ignored them. I guess you call that “selective seeing.” Then I came across this blind, elderly lady who was also mentally disabled. It broke my heart. What’s going to happen to her? Who’s looking out for her? She was the neediest of the needy.

I had brunch at the Reading Terminal Market, a Philly cheese steak sandwich. It was good, and it was huge. I saved half and went to my session. When it was over, I thought about that lady. God really put her on my heart. I decided to return to the park on my way back to the hotel. I looked for her, but I couldn’t find her.

Everyone at the park was snapping pictures and ignoring all of the homeless people scattered among the park benches. But I decided to walk alongside the groups of homeless people. What a turnaround. I couldn’t find the lady, so I looked for the oldest man there. It startled him when I offered the sandwich. Guess they’re used to being ignored. He happily accepted.

The next day, I took a stroll through the neighborhood. I had what I now call, “the best lunch of my life.” I visited this highly recommended kosher deli and sampled their homemade corned beef and pastrami meats. Oh my gosh! I went with the pastrami on rye, latkes (potato cakes,) slaw, and pickles. So ono that it made my head spin! Again, the portions were just too huge. I went back to the park and looked for the lady one more time. On this Sunday, a local church outreach was there to pass out lunch bags. The line stretched along the sidewalk of an entire city block. There were still a bunch of people on the benches. I couldn’t find the lady, so I looked for somone who looked the saddest. I startled him. He took the bag and said, “God bless you.” His face just lit up.

As delicious as the food was, it was my “best lunch” because I got to share it. This was after all, the LOVE Park….