Real or Fake Coach?

I'd been looking for a coin purse at the swap meet for awhile.  Last week I saw this Coach coin purse.  It was only $5. 

I don't own any designer anything, so I had no clue as to whether it was authentic or not.  $5 is not much to spend on a coin purse, but somehow I didn't wanna spend it on something fake. The seller was a kinda rough looking Polynesian guy and I didn't think he knew whether it was real or not either.


This Made in China tag turned me off.  It just didn't seem right that an authentic Coach product would be made in China. . . so I didn't get it.


When I got home I went online to try and learn more about Coach stuff. It seems that yes, most Coach bags are now made in China. It's good to check the seams. They are supposed to match up really well.  The CC lettering needs to match up also. The stitching is usually perfect.  Purses with CC outside should not also have a CC lining. The most helpful clue for me was that the zippers on authentic bags will most likely have a YKK mark on it. 


When I went to the swap meet today, I had hoped to find the seller with the coin purse again . . . and I did!  And look what the zipper had on it.  So I decided to buy it.  Only thing . . . when I asked the seller, "How much?"  This time he said, "$10."  !!!! 

Whaaaa???   I hesitated.  I said, "How about $5?"   He paused, gave me a resigned look and without saying a word motioned for me to give him the money.
 

And I did!!  So now I own an authentic Coach product . . . I hope.

Just Stuff

Here are just some miscellaneous stuff.


Every morning where I park my car the light shines juuuuust right on these leaves, making them look woven.  I'm not sure, but I think my dad knew how to make those woven hats. Remember those?


I've been brushing up on my Japanese for the upcoming trip me and Les going take in November.  Learning phrases like: "We are totally lost." "Help, my friend has an allergic reaction to shellfish."


My avocado plant, the only thing I've ever been successful at growing is doing good, except . . .


got aphids!  My sister Sweetie recommended that I squirt soapy dish water on um, so I've been doing that.


I'm so lucky that I got coworkers who are good cooks AND who share their food with me. CQ brought this pork chops with blood orange sauce and all the fixings.


Michele made this onolicious pastele stew and dropped some off on her day off!


And she's always buying okazu-ya food for me too.  This is from Nuuanu deli.  Howzdat yah! So nice.  


Wendell and Landon fixed up some Sun Noodle Ramen for dinner one night.  Oishiii!


We had this lettuce wrap last night.  It was good.  And guess what . . .


The filling came out of this box!  Wendell got it at Sam's Club for $9.88. 



My electric bill for last month.  Crazy.


This moth came flying out of the laundry I had just brought in from outside.  It went straight for the window and was fluttering around.  Within seconds, out of nowhere a red-headed cardinal appeared on the outside of the window and hovered for awhile trying to peck at the moth!  Just how keen are birds' eyes anyway! The moth wasn't even an inch long!


Well, it's been a week.  Can't say that I really notice a difference. 


Remember how they bought me a new chair at work 'cause they thought my old one was an eye sore?  Click here to check it out.  Well, it made my back ache. You can call me "Frasier's dad".


A few weeks ago I went to my mom's house to drop off a bag of sunflower seeds that my cousin Gary had sent from the mainland.  I don't usually go there on the weekdays so as soon as I walked in, my mom says, "Are you here because it's Colin's birthday?"  YIKES!  I forgot. I said, "Yes, Happy Birthday Colin!!"  and I handed him the bag of sunflower seeds.  He really liked it.  Yosh, thanks for helping me get the picture off my phone.

Wendell's Lasagna

Wendell made this awhile back.  It's called The Best Lasagna. Ever.  And it is. 

He got the recipe from here.  It was just as good as Leslie's lasagna.

Photoshop Magic

I have a confession to make about this photo of Amanda which I posted on my previous blog post . . . it's not a real shot.

It's actually a composite of three separate photos that I put together in Photoshop.

I started with this photo of Jove and cloned him out as best I could, mostly around his outsides.


I used this photo for the sky. I took this picture years ago at Ala Moana Beach Park. I knew it would come in handy someday.


I then extracted Amanda from this photo and added her in.


There's actually a fourth element . . . this texture (my favorite) from Jessica Drossin called Sublime.  I applied it two times to add some pop to the colors.  I also blurred out the grass in the foreground to give a little added depth.


So now you know the truth . . . it's Photoshop . . . not me. 

Amanda and Jove

Amanda and Jove are instructors at the Mindful Matters Wellness Center in Kailua.

We met yesterday at Kokohead District Park for a quick photo session to get some shots that they hope to use in some promotional material.

Father's Day Dinner 2012

Here's the spread that Landon made for us for this past Sunday's Father's Day dinner.  He did a great job.

Selective Attention Test

Let me know how you did.

Liege Waffle

Ever heard of liege waffles?  It's basically waffles made with little balls of sugar in um. The sugar caramelizes when it's cooked so you don't need to add syrup to the waffle when you eat it.  I first learned about it about a year ago, when my coworker Tyler gave me a box of pearl sugar and a box of waffle mix.  He said he bought the mix and the sugar intending to make some waffles for himself, but just never had the time.  He asked me if I wanted to try. I agreed . . . except there was one small problem . . . I don't even own a waffle iron.  Click here to learn more about liege waffles.

I waited until the next family gathering, and I asked Geri to bring her waffle iron. Then I enlisted the help of my nephew Daniel and his girlfriend Kenna.


It turned out just okay . . . like regular waffles . . . nothing to write home (or blog) about.


Fast forward to a couple of weekends ago when me and my sisters visted La Tour Cafe. As you remember, we never ate there because all of the tables were taken.  But do you see what I saw on the menu?  LIEGE WAFFLES!  Oh the humanity!  

When I returned to work the following Monday I mentioned the "liege waffle" story to my coworkers and about my having missed out on trying it for the first time at La Tour.  

So guess what happened yesterday?
 

As soon as I walked in the door at work, coworker Ronnie greets me with about a dozen La Tour Liege Waffles!!  His wife works there and he asked her to pick them up for us to try. SO FRICKIN' NICE YAH!!!

It was still warm and sooooo ono, especially dunked into the whipped cream that came with each piece.  I actually forgot to take a picture until hours later.  Luckily, I hadn't been able to finish the whole waffle so I still had this piece left.

The Manzanar Fishing Club

Has anyone seen The Manzanar Fishing Club yet?  How was it?

SCORE!!!!!

Look what I found at the swap meet this past weekend!  It's a Lowepro Stealth Reporter 400 AW. The newer version of this same bag goes for $120 at B and H. Try check um out here.

Guess what I paid??  5 BUCKS!  Hooo hoooo!!  It looks brand new and my favorite thing about it is the zipper on the top for quick access.


I'm thinking of taking out the padding and using it as my carry-on when me and Les go to Japan later this year.


Geri scored too. She found a Vibram just her size for $1.  I'll post the picture of it and the other swap meet finds soon.

Los Gatos Coffee Roasting Company

Linda has been a faithful reader of my blog for a few years now. She grew up here, but now lives in California.   We finally got to meet for the first time about a week and a half ago when she came for a visit.

She brought me two bags of the most ono-est coffee, and she timed it so that I could enjoy it at its peak.  


Here are the beans in my coffee grinder.


I took some to work to share.  Here is CQ's cup.


Mmmmm . . . .


Here's Karen enjoying hers.


And Noreen and Anne.


Linda also gave me some bracelets to use in my "dress-up" photo shoots.  Howzdat!  So thoughtful yah!  Thanks again Linda!!

After Swap Meet 6/9/2012

Other than buying my food slicer at the swap meet last weekend, we mostly bought only small-kine stuff.   Most of the action actually happened after shopping at the swap meet.

Somehow we ended up at Alicia's Market on Mokauea.  It was my first time there.












I was surprised to see this line of people.












I had actually wanted to try out the food at La Tour Cafe on Nimitz, so that was our next stop.


It was busy there with no available tables, so this is all I got . . . a shot of the macaroons.


We decided to eat at Bangkok Chef instead. We ordered spring rolls,


Pad Si You,


and my favorite Chicken Larb.