Honolulu, HI

Yes. Hawaii loves spam. Some call it “Hawaiian steak” but to mostly everyone spam means breakfast, lunch, dinner or spam musubi… (more…)

Even over a decade after his death, Rap Reiplinger is still being recognized for his local style humor. I know I’m one of many who grew up on Aunty Marialani’s “not too sweet… not too rancid… but just right…” comedy sketch. That was fun to watch and then there’s also the infamous “Fate Yanagi” song which (for now) I can’t seem to get out of my mind. (more…)

Memorial Day - It’s a time to honor fallen soldiers for giving their lives towards the pursuit of our freedom. It’s a time when our community pulls together to gather in thousands of leis to decorate Punchbowl – the final resting place for many island veterans. (more…)

May 24, 2008 – May 26, 2008

Memorial Day Weekend means it’s a three day weekend and I can only think of one thing - barbecue! Well… At least for me anyway…. But if you’re looking for something to do, check out these places on Oahu this weekend! (more…)

I’ve decided that I’m going to do everything I can to make this summer great for me and my kids. Since they are going to be home with me, I wanted to do something different and make it interesting and fun – a summer they’ll never forget. Since it’s been one of my personal goals as a parent to expose my children to the various cultures that exist in Hawaii, I came up with a list of things I’d like to do with my children. A few years ago, when one of my children was studying Hawaiian culture, I wanted to take him to the Big Island. Well, maybe this is the summer that we’ll finally get to go there. (more…)

I read in the paper that Hawaiian Air just increased their airfare and American Airlines is now going to start charging for any checked in luggage. Yes… including the first bag.

I thought things got bad when we started to not have meals during the red-eye flights to the mainland. Things got worse when they brought back the food and made it an option to purchase charging about $10 for it. (more…)

Summer vacations are not out of the question! Yes, you can consider traveling to Hawaii or even traveling within Hawaii for your next get-away. Hawaii hotel chains are offering many freebies, kids eat free, and even free activities for kids. I’ve even seen some sites where the children’s airfare has been reduced as part of an incentive for a travel package.

As you plan for your next trip to Hawaii, here are some great links to help start off your vacation cost research. Keep in mind that the deals are subject to change. Check the website links for more info. (more…)

Making Hawaii a more walkable and bikeable community is definitely going to take a lot of effort. The Honolulu Advertiser just ran a three day special series written by Rob Perez, Advertiser Staff Writer, covering pedestrian traffic safety issues – a hot topic on the table of many of Hawaii’s government agencies. (more…)

As a kid, I remember seeing tons of these stores everywhere. In fact, they were the only places my parents would frequent. Especially growing up on Kauai, the largest chain was the Kress Store. I’m sure there were other large stores, but I rarely saw them. Today, I still see some Mom and Pop Stores still around, but most of them have gone… OR have they really? (more…)

With the way Hawaii’s economy is going, we’ll have to start getting creative about cutting costs and finding more opportunities to increase our income. Let’s put it this way. There’s madness in doing the same thing the same way and expecting different results especially when we know that economic times are changing. So we make adjustments in how we live, plain and simple.

The first thing we’ll need is information. Where can the deals be found and what can we get?

Here are a few sites that can help us with that.

1) The first is a freebies / coupon site called “Free Meals and More” found at Keiki Gifts blog. When I saw the partial listing of the types of items that were being offered, let me tell you, that the coupons are well worth the one year fee. Thanks to Keiki Gifts for finding that deal and letting us know about it!

2) The second blog, Hawaii Money Saving Mama, finds the freebies and deals in Hawaii both on and off the internet. Her most recent post was about places that offer “Kids Eat Free” nights in Hawaii.

3) Frugal Mania, part of the 451 Press Network, offers tips and resources for frugal living. In this one post, Michael talks about the bento box which we are all familiar with – those Tupperware containers. You know, it’s been several years since I’ve worked a corporate job that I forgot what happened to my containers. I had some pretty nice sectioned ones that held just enough food for me. Anyway…

Anyway, I plan to make this topic a regular part of the posts I do. If you have any other sites you’d like to share that can help us cut the cost of living in Hawaii, please share them here!

Keiki Gifts, Hawaii Money Saving Mama, Frugal Mania

It’s no secret that Hawaii drivers are married to their cars. But with gas prices hitting $4.00 / gallon on the mainland (and Hawaii close behind) is it time that the streets of Hawaii can be cleared out as we look for other means of transportation? Is it even possible that people will somehow leave the comfort of their cars? I’m not so sure.

For instance, the other day, I had lunch with my brother. I drove from Pearl City to Ala Moana Shopping Center and from the looks of it, there didn’t seem to be any significant difference in the amount of traffic – Lunalilo Freeway was still busy at 11:45 am. This was the rolling kind of busy. You know the kind where there are a lot of cars around but you’re still moving at a decent rate. (more…)

So continuing where I left off yesterday… I was reminiscing about mango.

Anyway, here was my next thought as I heard my mom’s request to ask for mango. “What if I buy some mangoes from Foodland?” You know, the thought of buying mangoes brings the same kind of feelings I had back when bottled water was being introduced – “What?!?! Pay for water?!?! No way! I’ll just keep drinking water straight from the tap if you don’t mind!” (more…)

I’m getting excited because mango season is right around the corner! I was driving through Liliha the other day with my mom when we spotted a mango tree full of little green mangoes.

My mom asked me to pull over on the side of the road. “Go ask them if you can pick some of their mangoes and you can make pickled mango.” A quick image of me walking up onto their front porch flashes through my mind AND THEN, better judgment kicks in! I think to myself, “I’m not sure who owns the tree and I certainly don’t know anyone who lives near the tree’s owner.” (more…)

I’ve been starting to hear about Frank De Lima a lot these days which is great because he still ROCKS! After more than a decade of not hearing anything about him, late last year, my kids told me that he visited their school and did a show. And of course, they started talking about being PODAGEE (pronounced po-da-gee ; say it like you see it). Honestly, I thought he ended up in Vegas or something like that, which is where most Hawaii people seemingly end up at.

Anyway, as I wrote yesterday’s post, I also saw another legendary comedian Andy Bumatai hosting a talk show which featured Frank De Lima. COOL! If you remember, Andy Bumatai had a television programs, “High School Daze” and “All in the Ohana” but I think I’ll post about that later.

Getting back to Frank De Lima, this guy is amazing. It turns out he started his own 501(c)(3), The Frank De Lima Student Enrichment Program which is touring throughout the elementary and middle / intermediate schools. I wish I knew that! I would’ve done the “casual drop-by” at my kid’s school! This two-year tour ends at the end of the month, but as I look at his calendar, he’ll be performing at Dot’s in Wahiawa for a Father’s Day event.

I was also surprised to hear that he was doing some humorous song writing. I know my mom told me last year about the June Jones song he did, but I didn’t really pay attention. Anyway, the main reason I bring that up is because I found this video clip on his site that plays the June Jones song. This song and other songs are available on his website for free downloading as well.

I’m glad I’ll be hearing more about him these days – really funny stuff!

Frank DeLima, Hawaii comedians, Andy Bumatai, High School Daze, All in the Ohana, The Frank De Lima Student Enrichment Program