Photos by jalna

Ikuko and Tom's Wedding

2009-11-08T20:23:00.003-10:00

Ikuko and Tom were married at Tom's church, the Shingon Shu Hawaii temple on Sheridan Street. I met and got to know the church's minister Reyn Tsuru, whose goal is to bring Buddhism closer to home and more in tune to the younger generation.

Aren't Ikuko and Tom the cutest couple? It was a pleasure being able to help shoot their wedding.

Ikuko's Kimono

2009-11-07T22:43:00.006-10:00

When Erick said that his friend Hiromi needed help shooting a Japanese wedding, I jumped at the chance. And the best part of all was when Hiromi asked if I could also help her with the bride's getting ready shots . . . that's exactly what I wanted to do! So today, a few hours before the start of the wedding ceremony, Hiromi drove me and Ikuko to Watabe Wedding in Waikiki.

The Japanese culture is so steeped in tradition, that I felt like I was witnessing a kimono-dressing ceremony. It was an unreal opportunity for me. I doubt I'll ever get another chance.

Let 'em See How Hard I'm Workin'

2009-11-06T20:30:00.002-10:00

This video entitled "Dope, Soap and Hope" done by Atlanta-based photographer Zack Arias introduces us to Derrick, a door-to-door soap salesman, who one day came knocking on Zack's door.

If you'll give Derrick a chance and listen to his spiel he might have a message just for you.

Busted out the Pepsi Shiso

2009-11-05T20:43:00.003-10:00

It was Brandee's birthday today.

So for this special occasion I decided to bust out the Pepsi Shiso that Yosh gave me for my birthday.
CQ got the first taste. There was a very strong shiso aroma to the drink.
She couldn't quite decide if she liked it or not.

Joyce wasn't too sure either.

Lorna loved it instantly and said, "Uuuuuuuuu!"

Julie also loved it.
Runa couldn't decide.
Melody hated it.
Bran thought it was, "FABULOUS" and wanted to order a case.
I'm still kinda undecided myself, but I feel so lucky that I got to try it out. Thanks Marvin!!

Connor at 3200 ISO

2009-11-05T20:36:00.002-10:00

What a cutie!!

Old Stuff From Around the House

2009-11-04T20:20:00.004-10:00

Seeing the relics at the Plantation Village reminded me of some of the old stuff we have around our house. I dug some out to share with you.

Here's an egg beater. The blade part says "stainless". It's still in pretty good shape.

These hanafuda cards felt very fragile. I wonder how old they are. I had to handle them very carefully for the photo.
We actually use this Golden Wheat plate. I dug the tumbler out of the hall closet where we still have several unopened boxes of Golden Wheat stuff.

This was also in the hall closet. I think my Aunty Mabel had one of these back in the 50's. She was a great picture taker at all of the family gatherings.
Look at this flash bulb. Isn't it neat? Do you think that's all filament material in there? It looks like a one-time-use kind of thing.
I bought the kerosene lantern from the swap meet a long time ago. We never really used it. I liked the red color. Wendell did use the other lanterns. He said you need "white gas" for them.
This is tucked away in a dark corner of a room that used to be our garage. Wendell called it a "furnace". He said it's used to melt lead . . . which reminds me of a story . . .

One day when Landon was about 8 years old, Wendell and he were outside in front of the house melting lead to make weights for fishing. I was in the living room watching TV. All of a sudden I heard a really loud "POP" and then Wendell screamed. In retrospect, my reaction was not one I would expect from myself. Instead of running to the door to see what had happened, I was frozen in fear. Isn't that strange? I always thought of myself as a helpful kind of person. I must be a helpful kind of person only if it's safe. I have a feeling that deep down inside, I must be a coward. I think that probably if I ever needed to run from danger, you'd better not get in my way 'cause I'd probably knock you down.

Mishima Brand Microwave Brown Rice

2009-11-03T21:00:00.003-10:00

My sister Didi found these at Don Quijote. She said they were only $1 each. She wasn't sure if that might've been a special promotional sale price or not, but what a bargain, yeah!

The instructions say to knead the bag for about 15 seconds and then microwave for about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Don't do like some people who don't read the directions good and knead for 2 minutes and microwave for 15 seconds.

All three flavors have mushroom and vegetables in them. This one is the Szechwan style. It kinda shocked da hell outa me . . . was ono! I brought it to work today and it went really well with CQ's shoyu chicken.

A Belated Boo!

2009-11-02T23:27:00.001-10:00

Susan, Jos and Oliver, dressed up for Halloween this past Saturday.

Lunch at My House

2009-11-01T19:24:00.010-10:00

My family came over today to celebrate my mom's birthday. The food theme was Italian. I made this shrimp with butter, garlic and onions. I bought the shrimp from Costo, under 15 size for only $8.50/lb. They were so fresh and had a really nice firm texture.

Geri brought two salads . . . this one she said she just made up. It had mandarin oranges, won tun chips, fried tofu and feta cheese.

Here's her wilted spinach salad with bacon bits, mushroom, eggs and walnuts.

Wendell's famous baked spaghetti. Soooo funny, my nephew Jason made sure to personally hand carry some of the leftovers home. I put this together: calamari, shrimp, octopus, olives, tomatoes, onions and Paul Newman Italian dressing.

Sweetie brought the garlic bread . . .

and escargot!

Michael prepared this roasted pepper with capers and anchovy dish. Didi made eggplant parmesan . . . and this Mediterranean dish that had eggplant, lamb, pine nuts, cumin and I think she said cinnamon.

Not really Italian but ono just the same, Teren helped me make these Kauai-style Goteborg sausage musubis. Thanks to Kat from Our Adventures in Japan for first turning me on to this ono dish. It was a hit!

Yummmm! Wendell first went to look for the sausage at the Dillingham Marukai but couldn't find it there. He finally found them at Times and they were on sale!

And just so you know that I'm not the only one who burns food, this was made by Didi and Sweetie.

Eggplant Tofu from Mekong Restaurant

2009-10-31T22:52:00.002-10:00

I'm fat. So one day this past week I made myself a salad with ham and strawberries for lunch. I even went for a walk before eating it. That's when I passed by Mekong Restaurant on King Street which makes in my humble opinion, hands down, the best eggplant tofu dish. I repeat . . . HANDS DOWN, DA BEST EGGPLANT TOFU DISH. You can order it mild, medium or spicy. Served on sticky rice, it just might be my overall favorite food. It went well with my salad.

More Plantation Village Photos

2009-10-30T22:14:00.005-10:00

Old Hawaii Photos from the Plantation Village

2009-10-29T23:24:00.005-10:00

Here are a few photos that are on display at the Hawaii Plantation Village. I didn't even see these the first time I was there. I'm so glad that these moments in history are preserved for us to see.

Zippy's Fried Chicken

2009-10-28T20:10:00.005-10:00

Okay, don't scold me 'cause I already got it from Wendell and my mom. I ordered this 9-piece "bucket" of chicken from Zippy's. With tax it was almost 18 bucks. I don't know if it was because I had a $10 gift card and I was thinking that I was only gonna be spending $8 out of my own pocket or just plain stoopidness, but it didn't really occur to me that it was waaaaay too much to be spending on chicken.

It was only when the girl handed me this bowl of tiny chicken pieces and not the "bucket" that I was expecting did I realize what a blunder I had made. But don't you think it's false advertising when they call it a bucket and you get a bowl instead? So kinda not my fault? Hah?

It was really ono, by the way. But like Wendell said, you can get about the same amount of chicken for half the price at Foodland. So, once again . . . my bad.

Didi's Portuguese Sausage

2009-10-28T10:47:00.001-10:00

I'm sooooo proud . . . my sister Didi's homemade Portuguese Sausage recipe is in today's Star Bulletin.

Langston who?

2009-10-27T20:45:00.009-10:00

Imagine 45 multi-ethnic adolescents coming from a district lying in the shadow of five federal housing projects and having a disproportionate amount of poverty, crime, and new immigrants with language challenges. Now imagine these adolescents rehearsing after school in the Farrington High School auditorium, home to the largest inner-city student body in Hawaii. This is the T-shirt Theatre of Kalihi founded by the Alliance for Drama Education, and they have been practicing diligently on their new play, Langston who?, a celebration of Langston Hughes' work, life, times, poetry, song and rap.

There will be two free public performances this Friday, October 30th at 7:30 and Sunday, November 1st at 4:30 at Farrington High School Auditorium, 1564 North King Street. Go check them out, support them, and be blown away by these kids from Kalihi .

On Sale at Longs

2009-10-27T07:28:00.003-10:00

SCALP MASSAGER!!! On sale this week at Longs.

This one has magnets though. I'm leery about magnets around your brain . . . try check out Wayne and Nelson who work in our MRI department . . . nah, nah, nah . . . joke!

Departures followed by The Counter

2009-10-26T19:47:00.005-10:00

Yesterday me, Susie, Les and Marvin went to see the movie, Departures. I thought it was a great movie, although Leslie was snoring next to me and further down either Susie or Marvin was just bawling. If you haven't seen it yet, you should go check it out.

After the movie we went to The Counter for some burgers. It was the first time for me and Susie.

You can either make your own burgers or order them from the menu. We each made our own.

This is the Fried Dill Pickle Chips . . . sounds weird, but it was good.
50/50 . . . half onion rings and half fries.
This is my creation. It was good. I got it with a Roasted Garlic Aioli sauce.

Leslie's

Susie's

Marvin's

I CONFESS!!

2009-10-25T07:53:00.004-10:00

I returned to Plantation Village yesterday with Erick and Susie. I'll post more pictures later, but for now I need to get something off my chest. In one of the rooms at the village dangling from a nail was this ladle which had been fashioned from a gourd and a stick. So innovative, yeah! I was having a hard time trying to get both the gourd portion and the stick portion both in focus because the ladle was in a dark part of the room. I wanted to move it to a brighter location, but I dared not touch it because of what happened to me in the first grade.

I attended first grade at Likelike Elementary School. My teacher was Mrs. Kimura. She was so nice and kind. I really liked her. Well, one day one of my classmates brought in a bivalve shell to show-and-tell. It might've been just a clam shell. I don't remember exactly, but I do remember that he was very proud of it. After he talked about it, he placed it on a display table for all to look at. I was shy and timid (like I still am today), so I waited a bit before actually going up to the table, although I was VERY curious (like I still am today). When almost everyone else had had their look, I approached the table and picked up the shell. To my horror, it broke in two! I swear I barely touched it. I then quietly put it back on the table and walked away. I felt horrible, and it was even worse waiting for the broken pieces to be discovered.

It didn't take long. Mrs. Kimura soon announced that someone had broken Nathan's shell, and would the culprit please step forward. No one said anything. She waited a bit. She asked again. Again, no one said anything. Finally she stated that if the guilty party didn't come forward that the WHOLE class would be punished. Still nothing. So, one by one, we all lined up in front of her, each and every one of us, to receive a whack by her ruler on the palms of our hands.

So, today I admit it . . . IT WAS ME!! I DID IT!! I BROKE IT!!! I'M SOOOOOO SORRY!

Zongzi from Island Manapua

2009-10-24T21:47:00.005-10:00

Yesterday, Leslie called me at lunchtime and said that she was at Island Manapua in Manoa and if I wanted anything. I told her to get me that triangle-shaped thing that's wrapped in leaves. CQ insisted that I photograph it on a black surface. She was right; it came out nice.

I never knew the name of it, but a couple of people at work called it "jang". Online I found that it's spelled "zongzi".

Apparently it can come with different fillings. This one had pork and a boiled egg in it. I love this stuff.

Leo's Taverna Express

2009-10-23T21:21:00.002-10:00

I wonder if any of you old farts remember Taco Hut outside of Holiday Mart on Kaheka. They had the best Nachos. Anyway, in the spot where Taco Hut used to be is now Leo's Taverna Express which sells Greek food. I got this Gyro salad the other day. It was just okay . . . little bit plain. The dressing was good, but you really need about 3 times the amount that they give to you. It was $7.45.

I thought this hummus was good, but Brandee with her expert going-to-culinary-school palate said that it was, "Junk". It was $5.25. Heyyyyyyy, I just realized something . . . I gave it to her to try and I never got it back. What'sUpWithThat, Bran????

Chocolate-Dipped Apricots

2009-10-22T22:57:00.003-10:00

I guess anything dipped in chocolate is good . . . even apricots. Anyway, they were on sale at Longs, so that's why I got 'um . . . plus they make for a nice picture.

I bought this bag of chocolate from Walmart for 4 something. It says "Light" so I'm pretty sure that means "Not Fattening".
The trick to melting chocolate in the microwave is to not have it on high. I set the microwave at 50% power for 30 seconds. I took the chocolate out and mixed it, then put it back again for another 30 seconds again at 50% power.
Then I dipped the apricots and placed them on waxed paper to harden. Easy yeah!

Think of the possibilities . . . pretzels, strawberries, cookies. Me and CQ were thinking lemon shortbread cookies! Good for Christmas.

Golden Coin's Spanish Rolls

2009-10-21T21:16:00.002-10:00

A few days ago I raved about Nanding's Spanish Rolls. I also mentioned that you could get Spanish Rolls from Golden Coin on Keeaumoku but balked at the idea of having to pay twice the price for the same thing. I ran into a friend a few days after that blog post and she reminded me that the Spanish Rolls from Golden Coin had a filling and maybe that was why it's more expensive. So, in all fairness I went and bought some to compare.

It does have a filling that's kinda buttery and sweet, and the filling does add to the flavor, but CQ and I both agree that Nanding's Spanish Roll is still waaaaaay better . . . and at half the price . . . 3 for $1.00 . . . it is a major steal!

Brownies

2009-10-20T20:11:00.004-10:00

This is my favorite "made from scratch" brownies. It's easy to make.

Mix together 3/4 c. flour and 1/4 tsp. baking soda. Set aside.In a saucepan combine 3/4 c. granulated sugar, 1/3 c. butter or margarine and 2 tbs. water. Bring to boil over medium heat. Remove immediately from heat.
Stir in 1 c. of chocolate morsels and 1 tsp. vanilla extract until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Cool completely.
After chocolate mixture has cooled, stir in 2 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually stir in flour mixture until smooth.

Add 1 c. chocolate morsels and 1/2 c. chopped nuts.

Pour batter into prepared 9-inch square pan (oiled and floured).

Bake at 325 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. I like this recipe 'cause you get bits of unmelted chocolate chips in it. Funny my beat-up pan, yeah!

Lunch at Hanamaru

2009-10-19T21:10:00.003-10:00

This was my second time eating at Hanamaru Restaurant in Puck's Alley. I went with girlfriend Sue. We both ordered the Tempura Soba Special.

It started off with a small salad with a light miso dressing . . .
followed by oden . . .
and finally the shrimp tempura soba. The meal was very tasty.

The Life of a Photographer

2009-10-18T19:37:00.004-10:00

Me and Les got to shoot at a high school reunion last night. For now I won't mention the name of the high school. The MC had announced about 5 minutes before I shot this picture that the photographer was ready to do the group shot. Notice the people hurrying to gather for the shot? Notice Leslie's expression? Priceless!!

Today was Day 2 of the reunion, a picnic. This is the kind of shots I was getting. Small-kine overexposed. Useless!!