Meaning of the “Lei” – Here’s one for the Holidays!

In Hawaii, the “lei” is a traditional part of  Hawaii and is given at many events, special occasions, and is a way of showing, respect, love, congratulations,  and is also a way to welcome visitors to the islands.  

Traditionally leis are made out of many different flowers and now many lei makers are using leaves, shells and other plants, beads, and nuts to decorate the lei.  

Here is a silk flower lei with poinsetta and a white flower called tuberose.  Get ready for the holidays and contact us to order – Email:  wishiwere@themarketplaceshops.com.

HAWAII 5-0 on Monday, Sept 20th.

It’s Back!  The first episode to air on Sept 20th on CBS with a new look, new drama, and new actors!   Waiting to hear that popular theme and the actors portray the roles of what was one of the longest running series of police shows. 

Get your Hawaii 5-0 tshirt at:  http://www.wishiwereinhawaiishop.com/store/product.aspx?catid=24&pid=203

Check your local television listing for time in your area.

More About Asantae Java Organic Coffee

- Certified Organic

- Derived from the highest quality Arabica beans

- Environmental and Farmer Friendly

- Cost competitive

- Delicious!

The roasting process is proprietary and patented ‘Healthy Roast Process (TM)’. 

“Asantae Java not only has more antioxidants than vegetables, fruits and green tea, but importantly, it has more antioxiants that all competitive premium coffee brands!

Email for more information:  wishiwere@themarketplaceshops.com

At Ala Moana Park – have you noticed?

 

Just wondering how many of us who regularly drive past Ala Moana Beach Park ever really take notice of the trees, plants or flowers.  One day while walking through the park and through the distractions, traffic noise, and people bustling about, I noticed this banyan tree that fronts Ala Moana Blvd., that I never really noticed before –  it made me realize that at times it is hard for us to look beyond and see things that are right in front of us…

Asantae Organic Coffee – Great for Coffee Lovers!

Asantae Java, antioxidant coffee – robust and good for you!  Great flavor, I tried the Breakfast Blend and there is no after taste.

Made from premium roasted certified Arabica beans, its’ rich flavor is packed with antioxidents that have some health benefits.  One benefit is that – “it as been shown to prevent the oxidation of LDL cholesterol.”

Decaf, Breakfast Blend & Signature Roast

For more information and to place an order, email:

wishiwere@themarketplaceshops.com

Pilau

Although this word is not used as much as before most local people will know what this word means, used mostly when someone swears a lot or does something ethically wrong.

Used in context:

You went go see da pilau ting that bugga went go do?
That bugga get one pilau mouth!
Or, as we use it when someone else something that isn’t quite right – “One word…” PILAU!

PILAU, as posted in the Urban Dictionary: “1) Stinky, Rotten (of hawaiian origin) 2) refering to rude, illmannered, inconsiderate behavior”

Bath Salts from Hawaii (last in this series about salts)

Bath Salts Hawaii - provides a premium, all natural bath salt made from the finest grade sea salts, natural skin conditioners, vitamins, moisturizers and ‘essential oil’ blends.   These tropical scented bath salts are manufactured in Hawaii.

About Bath Salts Hawaii – “As a young boy,  my grandfather (a conservationist, fisherman and waterman) taught  how to gather sea salts from the tidal pools on the beaches of Makaha, on the Island of O’ahu.  Today to continue his tradition and legacy we provide these high quality bath salts to purify your well-being.” 

Purchase bath salts at:  www.wishiwereinhawaiishop.com

A History Lesson about Salt – Part II – Sea Salt in Hawaii

The ancient Polynesians used bathing and soaking in the ocean to cure and ease everyday common calamities.  To this day the ocean is a great rememdy for cleaning and purifying sores, rashes, and other skin ailments.  Salt was also used to cure and preserve their food, and they would put it on their mead and fish as they prepared to leave on long journeys on their double haul canoes in search of other islands and opportunities.  It could be weeks or months before they arrived at their destination and a readily available source of food was required.

Sharing a story: “While growing up on a 5 acre farm lot in Wai’anae on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, a stray dog and her puppies lived under our house.  We quickly learned that they had fleas and soon my legs were ravaged by flea bites.  My parents would take us tot he ocean to sooth the itchiness and clean the bites.  Needless to say swimming and playing in the ocean was a fun and it got me out of some chores!”

The ancient Po

A History Lesson about “Salt” – Part I

Throughout history salt has been widely used and known by every civilization.  The earliest documented use of salts and methods of its extraction was first published in China around 2700 BCE.

Roman soldiers were partly paid in salt money, salarium argentium, it is said to be from this that we get the word solider – ’sal dar’, meaning to give salt.  we also get the word salary ’salarium’ hence ’salary’ and “worth his salt.”  Not to be worth one’s salt was considered a great insult.

May 31, 2010 – Memorial Day at the National Memorial of the Pacific – Punchbowl, Oahu, Hawaii

A visit to Punchbowl on Memorial Day on a sunny day,  brought a sense of awe and inspiration as you see the flags waving with the tradewinds blowing.  It is an unexplainable feeling as you stand and look around and know that with all that is happening in the world today, how much this means.

Hawaiian Monk Seal

Why are these Seals unique? While most seals are found in colder waters, the Hawaiian Monk Seals enjoy the lounging on the warm beaches of Hawaii. While you may spot some on the Northern islands such as Kauai, there have been spottings on the other islands as well. Most of the Seals live in the more Northern islands and atolls upward of Kauai.

The Native Hawaiians named the seal Ilio-holo-i-ka-uaua, which means “dog that runs in rough waters. ”

Why oh why are they called “MONK” seals? There are several reasons for this. They are usually “loners” and are sometimes seen in small groups. Additionally, their loose skin around their neck tends to look like a monk’s robe. We will be posting a video shortly, where you can see what we mean.  One of them is just “hanging” out there by himself, contemplating.. well, Sea Life, we suppose….

Some facts:

• In their natural habitat they feast on fish, spiny lobsters, octopuses and eels. However, because of the many environmental factors and disturbances in their natural habitat their numbers have been slowly declining. According to our experts at Sea Life park there are only approximately 1100 Hawaiian Monk Seals left. as of this writing.
• Their average life span in the wild is 25 to 30 years an their average size is approximately 7 ½ ft.
  They have no external ears and they swim using their hind flippers while using their front flippers as stabilizers.
  Mother monk seals are dedicated and remain with their pups constantly for the first five or six weeks of their lives. They do not leave their pups during this time and if disturbed by humans they have been known to abandon their pups to flee.

So. if you are here visiting the islands:

•  Do not approach monk seals while on land or in the water. They may approach swimmers, divers or vessels out of curiosity, but in no instance should you approach them. This may be considered a form of harassment.
• When it is necessary to pass by a monk seal that has hauled itself on to a beach, it is recommended that you remain a minimum distance of 100 feet away from the seal, so as not to disturb them.
• Do your best to avoid female monk seals with pups, and never come between a mother and a pup.
• Report sightings of injured or sick seals or of harassment by others to the National Marine Fisheries Service in Honolulu at your earliest convenience. The seals will thank you! The number there is: (808) 955-8831.

Wish I Were In Hawaii and Bath Salts Hawaii have adopted these seals as our “mascot” and the non-profit organization we will be working with will be named soon.

Ukulele Lesson by Bruce Shimabukuro

For those of you who are thinking about learning to play the ukulele but don’t know where to start, here’s a video to give you a starting point. Bruce Shimabukuro, an ukulele instructor and performer, was gracious enough give us a quick lesson on strumming and picking. It’s not really a lesson on how to play the ukulele but more of just an overview of some of the basics.

One of the places where he teaches is at Ukulele Pua Pua in the Sheraton Waikiki. The store is managed by Tyler, who is also an ukulele player. In fact, I believe they will both be performing at some event at the Waikiki Trade Center on Tuesday, March 30, 2010. But anyway, Ukulele Pua Pua has the biggest and most diverse selection of ukuleles I have ever seen! Besides the usual ukuleles, they had some that were shaped like a jukebox and other non-traditional shapes. They have everything from quality entry level ukuleles all the up to some costing thousands of dollars. For those of you who are in the area, I recommend going to one of their free lessons to see if you enjoy the ukulele enough to buy one and sign up for more classes.

Although this is the first time I met Bruce, I actually saw him play a few years ago in Fukuoka, Japan. The Oahu Visitors Bureau put on some kind of Hawaii Expo at a major shopping mall. Bruce and his band got the crowd going with their energetic music and style. I remember thinking way back then that this guy had talent and charisma so it was nice to finally meet him in person. Although I don’t play the ukulele (my sister got all the musical genes), I have can tell that Bruce is a great teacher.

Anyways, here’s the video of him demonstrating some basic picking and strumming. Please give us your feedback on this video as we hope this is just the first of a series of video lessons.

Downtown View from Punchbowl

Trip to Japan (video)

Last month I went to Japan for some work and play. The highlight of the trip was feeding the deer and monkeys. The night before we went to see the monkeys, was saw TV news reports of monkeys going crazy and attacking vendors and families for food. So when I asked some hotel peeps if the monkey park was dangerous, they just laughed. They probably thought, “Silly Americans! The monkey are not as dangerous. You want dangerous? America is dangerous!”

Well, maybe they weren’t thinking that, but I was prepared to do whatever it took to defend us in the case of a monkey attack. I did some stretches before entering the park and envisioned using karate and street fighting tactics to fend off any aggressors. But luckily for us, the monkeys were very mellow. And that’s a good thing because there were so many of them that if they decided to get militant, I would be totally overrun and could probably only take down one or two before succumbing. We saw a few monkeys get aggressive with each other and their shrieks and body language, not to mention the teeth and the big males, were very intimidating. At best, I would probably appear to be big soft food for them. So yeah, good thing the monkeys were peaceful.

Anyways, here’s a short video of our time in Japan.

Aloha Spirit

What exactly is “Aloha Spirit?” Did you know that there is actually a law that is written in the Hawai’i Revised Statutes on the Aloha Spirit (read HRS below) . So this goes a lot deeper than what we normally see written about the meaning of Aloha or the Aloha Spirit.  

 So here’s a story – after having dinner with a friend we walked by some young (about 25-28 years old) adults (yes, young to some…). They looked like they were about to hit the town, as they were in very good moods, smiling and laughing amongst each other.  As we passed them one of the guys said, “Aloha!” and all we said was “hey!” Using Aloha in that manner, coming from the heart doesn’t roll off of some tongues easily…. but this individual exemplified the sentence in the Statute — “Each person must think and emote good feelings to others.” You will find a warmth in some of the other nationalities on the island but the most heartfelt and outgoing, in our opinion, is from “Hawaiians”. Other nationalities might extend this in the sense of being helpful and/or being nice. Don’t get me wrong. Yes, sometimes it does really come from the heart but it’s the way that it’s shown and expressed that really makes the difference. Now with that said I have to say that we do have a few friends that are not Hawaiian but truly do exude the Aloha Spirit and a lot has to do with culture and upbringing.

The law, as written in the Hawai’i Revised Statutes, § 5-7.5 : “Aloha Spirit”. (a) “Aloha Spirit” is the coordination of mind and heart within each person. It brings each person to the self. Each person must think and emote good feelings to others. In the contemplation and presence of the life force, “Aloha”, the following unuhi laulā loa may be used: “Akahai”, meaning kindness to be expressed with tenderness; “Lōkahi”, meaning unity, to be expressed with harmony; “ʻOluʻolu” meaning agreeable, to be expressed with pleasantness; “Haʻahaʻa”, meaning humility, to be expressed with modesty; “Ahonui”, meaning patience, to be expressed with perseverance. These are traits of character that express the charm, warmth and sincerity of Hawaii’s people. It was the working philosophy of native Hawaiians and was presented as a gift to the people of Hawaiʻi. ”Aloha” is more than a word of greeting or farewell or a salutation. ”Aloha” means mutual regard and affection and extends warmth in caring with no obligation in return. “Aloha” is the essence of relationships in which each person is important to every other person for collective existence. ”Aloha” means to hear what is not said, to see what cannot be seen and to know the unknowable. (b) In exercising their power on behalf of the people and in fulfillment of their responsibilities, obligations and service to the people, the legislature, governor, lieutenant governor, executive officers of each department, the chief justice, associate justices, and judges of the appellate, circuit, and district courts may contemplate and reside with the life force and give consideration to the “Aloha Spirit”. [L 1986, c 202, § 1]

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