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Bang a Gong….

c_steelhead_d I’m a double-bogey golfer. This means that my average score is about a 108. I guess you would call me a “ham-and-egger.” I golf about once a year. Fortunately, I have a very simple swing that’s easy to reproduce. I can “not golf” for an entire year and still hit it straight. Unfortunately, my swing is so conservative that I cannot generate any power or distance. My drives average only about 190 yards (maybe 200 w/ the roll if the ground is hard enough….)

Our Kamehameha Schools Education Support Services group sponsored a golf tournament at Mililani a couple of weeks ago. This is what happened….

I almost canceled out at the last minute. My finger still hadn’t healed from that plumbing mishap a few months ago. “Damaged ligaments,” is what Tim (KS athletic trainer) had told me. I stepped up to the 1st tee with my riding partner Cy. I placed my worn, beat-up Titleist ball on the shiny white tee. Because I don’t lose balls, I sometimes use them for two or three rounds (or two or three years.) I took a practice swing and felt a shot of pain run up my wrist. This wasn’t gonna work. I tried an interlocking grip for the first time, and it seemed to relieve some of the pressure. My first drive went straight into a large tree on the left. “OB!,” shouted one of the golfers in the group. This was going to be a long day….

After a couple of shots, I started to get the hang of it. I was able to keep the ball in play. My nemesis was my chipping and putting. I scored a few pars as well as “more than a few” triples and quadruples. Still, it was a long, hot, and humid day. The front 9 was tough, but the back 9 was brutal. Everyone was looking forward to the after-party….

Finally, we were at the 18th hole. I decided that I was gonna “swing for the fences.” “Leave it on the course,” was the battle cry that Kel, Jeff, and Sanford used to say. “Bang a gong” and “stain da BVDs” were a couple of others. I took a few practice swings with all of my might. It made loud swooshing sounds in the wind, and I saw the concerned faces of my foursome.

I addressed the ball and took the club back slowly. Then I fired my hips forward and swung as hard and as violently as possible! Crack!! I heard the sound of a “mallet striking a steel post.” I looked up and saw the ball piercing down the center of the fairway. It was a “once in a lifetime” shot. The foursome started hooting and laughing in disbelief.

We drove up to ball which was inside the 150 mark on a par 4 – 418 yard hole. The drive had gone almost 280 yards. I went on to bogey the hole to finish with a 105. My friend Gordon, who was in the group behind us, saw me hit for the first time and was in awe. I almost didn’t have the heart to tell him that that shot was a fluke. Almost….

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Ahh Memories….

Looked through a box of old photos and found this….

b-day card

This is a handmade birthday card that I received way back when I used to teach at Kapolei Elementary School. This reminded me of a funny story….

These students used to visit my classroom after school to hang out (and deplete my supply of snacks.) They saw that I had a guitar in my class and always asked me to play it for them. I even “promised” that I would play a song for them one day before they graduated from 5th grade. Well, that day came and passed. In fact, the photo on this card is from their graduation day.

A few weeks into their middle school year, they stormed in after school and demanded that I keep my promise. I said, “Oh, not today. I have papers to grade.” They then gave me the saddest look of grief and abandonment. I gave in….

I pulled out the guitar and sat on a table. The girls anxiously pulled up chairs and sat close enough to see up my nostrils. I said, “Heyyyy! Back off….” After another look of grief, I gave in again. (Such a pushover.) I said, “OK. Sit wherever….”

I started to play and sing “Hero” by Enrique Iglesias. It was an awkward moment. They started giggling. I kept singing. Then they started laughing. Hysterically! I finally stopped and said, “Heyy!!! You can’t laugh when I’m trying to sing for you!”

They said, “Oh no Mr. T. We’re laughing because we didn’t think you’d be this good.”

‘Til this day, I still don’t know if that was a compliment or an insult….

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“Auntie K”

Growing up, I had the most wonderful aunt from Kaua’i. We called her Auntie K. Funny, but I always thought the “K” stood for Kaua’i. She would visit us on O’ahu and bring Kaua’i Cookies and a box of chicken from the Hanamaulu Cafe. I thought she was the best cook!

Auntie K worked as a greeter at the Lihue Airport. This meant that she was the first person you’d meet when visiting the island. She was the “Face of Kaua’i,” so full of love, warmth, kindness, and the aloha spirit. You couldn’t have picked a better person!

Auntie K and my dad used to have the most entertaining conversations. It usually went something like this….
Auntie: “Uuumm. You know, this is the best cake that I ever did eat in my life!”
Dad: “Sheeee. You so easily impressed. Every cake is the best cake you ever ate.”
Auntie: “Sooo. What’s wrong with dat?”
Dad: “Aahhhh……”
Their banter reminded me of chickens. 🙂

I will miss my Auntie K. She was the only person in the world who phoned me and prayed for me on a regular basis. She was the best.

I know that when Auntie went to heaven, dad was there to greet her. He probably said, “Oh. You must really miss me to come here so soon.” They probably laughed and embraced. Dad would do anything in the world for Auntie.

Now Auntie is a greeter in Heaven. And God couldn’t have picked a better person.

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A Birthday Blessing….

Yes, yesterday was my birthday. (I refer to it as the “anniversary of my 29th birthday.”) However, I spent most of the day scrubbing floors and toilets….

Last night was also my very last night in my Waikele home. After a long and arduous journey of selling, buying, cleaning, and moving, everything is finally coming to fruition. There were corrupt lawyers, alcoholic carpenters, injury-prone painters, late-night termite inspectors, and plumbing issues along the way. However, there were wonderful people and friends who helped me and supported me through it all. I’ll be moving into my new condo next week! Chee-hoo!

Last night gave me a chance to pause and reflect….
Yes, I’ll be moving into a brand new condo in a perfect location. I’ll be able to furnish it with new things. And yes, this will be a fresh new start for me. For that, I am very grateful.

However, as I was “saying goodbye” to this house, it dawned on me. My birthday blessing is not 909 Kapiolani. It is this house. I was able to live here with my dad for the past 12 years. We moved here as “strangers” and not getting along very well. In the time spent here, we became the best of friends. This house has been a blessing from God, and I will miss it….

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If All Goes Well….

….I’ll be moving into 909 Kapiolani on July 9, 2009. 909 is on the corner of Kapiolani and Ward, and is directly across the street from the Blaisdell arena. The building is 2-years old, but I was fortunate enough to get a “brand new,” unsold unit. It’s a one-bed, one-bath unit on the 33rd floor with a mauka view. The location is perfect! It’s 15 minutes from work, 1 minute from Ala Moana Beach, and 30 seconds from the Ward Entertainment Complex. If all goes well, life will be sweet!
909

And I’m so ready to move on….