Homespun Honolulu

There’s just something about a tropical island just before dusk, or just after dusk. For some of us, there’s a feeling of melancholy serenity coupled with an underlying tone of anxiety. Some people wait for the evening hours for rest while others wait for the nightlife. For some of us, there’s an ever-pervading feeling that the day’s almost gone and there must be something else that can be done.

There’s something about the shoreline of the southern side of Oahu just before sunset. The calm, the quiet, and the subtle threat of rough water all add to the romantic, spiritual nature of this setting. Part of the beauty of our islands is the spiritual balance that calms the fears of those insidious pleasures that the nighttime brings.

On a Saturday afternoon, just before evening, there is nothing better than to be off the beaten path just a bit and enjoying this quiet time while being reminded of that spiritual balance that is intrinsically our own.

I thought about this as I stopped at this location. I’d heard about this place on the news some time back. I was quite fascinated to know there was an explanation for these rocks that just sit here — seemingly in the middle of nowhere.

Visiting tourists were there, taking pictures and trying to capture the last light before sunset as another day of their vacation came to an end. An older gentleman asked me if I knew anything about this little shrine that sits at one of the look-out points along the coastal drive between Hanauma Bay and Sea Life Park.

“Uh, yeah — a little,” I responded. This visitor was retired military who served here in 1961. “This is Jizo,” I continued, “he’s a Buddhist deity placed here by Japanese immigrants to protect them while they were fishing (casting for ulua) or swimming.”

I’m not sure who was more surprised, the gentleman actually getting an informative answer to his question or me for being able to give him one! I don’t know where it came from but there it was — I was a tour guide for five minutes.

In keeping with the Buddhist (or Japanese) tradition, at least one that I am familiar with, there were flowers and food gifts left at the feet of this deity. As we here at Homespun Honolulu were reminded recently by one of our Carnival of Aloha participants, it’s Obon Season and this may have heightened the leaving of these gifts for Jizo. Perhaps Japanese tourists left those mementos, maybe some fisherman — this part is unclear.

Do we have a conflict of religious beliefs? Not really. It’s more a harmonious commingling of the multi-cultural map of the islands and a grand example of religious tolerance.

It’s not unusual or unlikely for a “blessing” of a new business or building to be multi-cultural as well. I have heard of people having several different types of blessings or services for big events like that. Now that I think about it, I might do the same. Let’s see, I would look for a Hawaiian blessing for the land, a Chinese dragon or two as sentinels, and the blessing of my own Christian faith to wrap it all up and bless us all — dragons included. Of course one might want to get a blessing from Jizo for your boat. I’ll never own a building or a boat so don’t worry about it.

There’s nothing quite like this type of cultural manifestation to calm your fears, quiet the soul and bring you back to the peaceful reality of our lives. It’s an intangible feeling but one that’s definitely there. It’s one of those feelings that is rarely spoken of or talked about — I’m just one of the few people crazy enough to talk about it.

Designated as the protector of fishermen and swimmers, having this Jizo memorial along the often-treacherous south shore is not such a bad idea. There are other statues of Jizo on the Northshore of Oahu and in several different seaside locations throughout the islands.  I’m sure I’ll find some one of these days and refer back to this post. If you’re a little curious, like I was, you can find John Clark’s book, Guardian of the Sea, Jizo in Hawaii, published by University of Hawaii Press, at local book stores and through Amazon.com.

So, let’s fix it!

I know everyone is busy so I am extending the deadline for the upcoming Carnival of Aloha to midnight this coming Friday.

For anyone who has been ill, overworked, or who just plain forgot, come join us and share in some of the fun that makes always makes a Monday just a little bit better!

The statue of King Kamehameha was draped beautifully this year for Kamehameha Day! I caught it at a bad time of the day for picture taking but the flowers looked beautiful! There was a lot more greenery sharing the stage this year which added a nice touch.

I’ve missed talking to all of you and chattering about things and events.  I certainly didn’t anticipate getting sick and being so out of sorts at the beginning of what’s supposed to be the season of summer fun and activities.

Things are better and I’m in the mood for a Carnival!  Perfect timing!  :)   I have asked if anyone would like to have themes for our monthly carnival and I’m more than happy to entertain any ideas or thoughts any of you may have!

Here are some thoughts for themes:

• Hawaiian Nights (evening events or natural evening occurrences)
• Back to the Aina (nature posts about hikes, scenery, flora and fauna, etc.)
• Politics (useful for the upcoming season)
• Water! (beaches, waterfalls, etc. for fresh or salt water… or even swimming pool posts)
• Roads and vehicles (traffic-related, automobiles, motorcycles, etc.)
• Sports (any kind — football, paddling, running, parasailing, horseback riding, whatever)
• Hawaiiana (cultural and historical posts about our home)

Let me know what you guys think.  Don’t worry, we will always accept submissions, even if they missed the theme, so it wouldn’t be exclusive.

Anyway, let me know if you have thoughts and send in your submissions by Friday at midnight (HST) for the Carnival going live on Monday!

It’s just what carnivals do. People think they’re just for kids but it’s much more than that. For Honolulu, the annual Punahou Carnival, put together by Punahou High School, is probably one of Honolulu’s best examples of bringing the community together.

Carnivals are a place for people who share a common interest and/or common goals to congregate! In Punahou’s case, people come together for a common cause (to raise money for the school), they come together to enjoy the food and have fun with friends and family, and many people get to see friends and neighbors they haven’t seen for a very long time.

So, people of like minds and like interests gather at carnivals — for a variety of reasons. In addition to traditional carnivals, there are blog carnivals for just about every topic! If CNN and MSNBC have not met your thirst for political news, even the political bloggers have Carnivals!

I recently joined I’m a Pundit Too at TheNewPundit.com for their political carnival with one of my posts. I have said before, and will say again here, that the blogosphere is one of the best places to get the news. I appreciate unfiltered news about things but I would also like to have it unclipped! I want the whole news! Bloggers keep going about their topics until they’re done making their point and sharing all of the important details! They don’t have to worry about commercials breaks and all that nonsense!

I’m asking for it with the political gang, I know that, but I really think it’s fascinating to see what you get from some of the posts submitted. Wide open politics! Here’s the most recent carnival where you will see that I’m a Pundit Too is not narrow-minded about things and I appreciate that. As a result, we get a huge array of different topics about American politics and the stance over laws and controversial topics. It’s certainly a slice of American life we don’t get elsewhere — not all at once anyway!

I appreciate the candor of the host of this political carnival and I appreciate the wide open nature. Politics. Period. Cool! It kind of reminds me of a carnival of posts all about Hawaii — regardless of topic. It’s just anything about Hawaii. You guys knew I was going to get to that didn’t you?!?

REMINDER!

The Carnival of Aloha’s deadline for submissions is next week Wednesday, May 28th! If you’re a blogger in Hawaii, send in your favorite post. If you have visited Hawaii and shared your visit on your blog, submit your story! If you’re a veteran of the Carnival of Aloha, don’t forget to send in your post!

The sky is looking pretty clear, at least for the time being. Our tradewinds returned yesterday afternoon and, while still very present, the vog started to dissipate.

This Sunday morning I can look out the window and comfortably say that it is not raining.  Recently, I have had to look down at the street to see if it was wet.  This morning, the sky is blue and the asphalt is dry!

These pictures show what it looked like at the end of the last week.

Even the afternoon traffic was looking like the beginning of the holiday season with everyone heading out for shopping or an evening football game. It’s the afternoon; headlights are not supposed to be so bright!

It looks like rain but it’s bone dry.  After walking for a while and waiting for droplets it suddenly dawned on me that I was standing in the middle of it.  I assume that the vog will all come back as soon as the trades stop blowing, but for now, we’ll enjoy the clear sky.

I don’t remember it ever being like this and I have heard even people in the media say the same.  While it does make for beautiful sunrises and sunsets, I think we’re done with the novelty of it all.  I’m sure those with breathing problems and the parents with asthmatic children are very done!   I just worry about how people on the island of Hawaii deal with it!  Maybe it all floats away from there and wafts over to linger over the rest of the islands.  How’s the air on Maui anyway?

Congresswoman Mazie Hirono endorsed Barack a few days ago and now Daniel Akaka has stated his support for Senator Obama.

Senator Akaka summed it up quite nicely with the following words:

“He is the antidote we need to cure Washington of the uninspired, partisan politics that has plagued our country far too long.

What makes him uniquely qualified? A March 2008 feature in Vanity Fair magazine offers a clue: ‘He was born and came of age in Hawaii, the 50th state and in many ways among the freest‑thinking, where mixed‑race ancestry is …a given.

If Obama comes across as a bit of a softy — if you don’t see the toughness or the ambition at first — it may be in part because he spent his formative years in a place where ‘Live Aloha’ had not yet become a slogan aimed at recapturing a more gracious time, but was simply a way of life.’”

That statement by Senator Akaka is one that I would say succinctly states the feeling of the bulk of the voting body of the State of Hawaii.

Now the question remains — where or where is Senator Daniel Inouye? Let me just say that while I generally don’t want a blind, rubber stamp to whatever we say, I’m going to be very confused and dismayed if Inouye doesn’t follow suit.

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That’s all of the Net in one net. Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration but if it keeps growing, this description of Alltop may not be so much of an overstatement after all.

In any case, this aggregated conglomeration of informational blogs and news sites just appeared under my nose. A lot of things have just appeared right under my nose recently!

Have you ever been oblivious to your surroundings and suddenly been shaken into the realization of something? Imagine yourself swimming at Hanauma Bay only to suddenly notice you’re swimming alongside a 500-pound manatee — it’s sort of like that.

I Got Into Alltop’s Net

Let me explain. I didn’t put my blog there, but there it was. That in itself was pretty cool. Then I read a little about the site designer, Guy Kawasaki, I looked around at the others listed there with me, and suddenly I found myself feeling just a little overwhelmed! Am I overreacting? I certainly hope not!

Somehow my darling blog earned itself a spot in this neat niche on the Net. While this niche is certainly an ever-expanding one, Homespun Honolulu was actually accepted into this net of niches on the Net! Thanks, Guy!

Hang on, it gets better! There’s one more thing I want to point out. Not only is this an ever-growing Goliath of an Internet Network, but its founder is a published writer and even writes a column for Forbes Magazine! That’s some impressive stuff to put on a resume if I’ve ever heard any!

A Little Personal Opinion

The beauty of Alltop is that, the way it’s organized, you can get a chunk of thoughts, news and opinions right in one spot. I am finding more often than not that it’s actually more beneficial to read the blogs about any given topic. While you might not get all the facts, what you do get, for the most part, is the truth. Readers will read about what’s really happening as seen through the eyes of those who are in the middle of things.

I’m so very tired of sensational journalism. I do love our media and I know the goal is to sell themselves with the juiciest, breaking news but, media guys, give it a rest and leave the fluff to your viewers! Tell us the truth, as much as you know about the truth and leave the embellishments and analysis to the listeners and their own points of view. We want to make up our own minds, based on the facts you provide.

I don’t know what put me up on that soap box but I must say that I was particularly grateful for Alltop’s addition of things I really want to know about and/or understand. What better way to understand the stance, the thinking, and the emotions behind something than to get it from the source? Am I being naive? Maybe.

Aliya at her Evolution blog said it best when she posted:

“Featuring approximately 150-160 Islamic news sites and general bloggery written by Muslims, the site aptly demonstrates that Muslims are a diverse bunch, with a wide spectrum of of views and opinions. In the same vein as the Gallup world polls, it’s the ideal place to go if you find out for yourself what Muslims really think.”

She’s talking about this area of Alltop and I agree and send out thanks to Guy for providing these kinds of educational experiences for those of us who really want to understand and follow the events around the World as they “really” happen and as they relate to us in our own lives.

Alltop shares many links to so many groups of links about related subject matter. Topics may include such things as fashion, celebrities, sports, Macintosh, science, topics about going green, and even automotive sites. Guy himself referred to it appropriately as a “digital magazine rack.” I’m impressed, grateful, and humbled.

Yesterday morning the news came over the wire that Colt Brennan has been drafted by the Washington Redskins! I was very happy to hear that for a variety of reasons.

Even though it took until the 6th round for Colt to get drafted, he didn’t end up as a free agent. Sheesh! Some of our much beloved receivers did end up as free agents.

Colt will be joining the same team that Kurt Gouveia retired from relatively recently. Kurt is now looking to be a coach for the UH Warriors. Hmmm… sounds like a good person to talk story with! Kurt graduated from the same high school as me except he’s a year younger. Yeah, he’s making me feel old.

Since the Redskins are on the West Coast, Washington has got to be a little familiar with the way locals function. In addition, Colt is closer to home and can come back to visit!

Congratulations, Colt! I think the Redskins just acquired some new fans! Good luck and we’ll be watching!

Chaminade University of Honolulu is an interesting place. Sitting adjacent to St. Louis High School in Kaimuki, Chaminade has a very traditional-looking campus with a not-so-traditional focus on entrepreneurship.

I was asked by an instructor, Danielle Lum, to visit her communications class and talk about… blogging! Really? Me? Gulp! Okay, I can do that. I think everybody’s blogging pal, Ryan Ozawa, was the one who dropped a note to let people know Danielle was looking for someone. I can only hope that I wasn’t a disappointment.

Let’s put it this way, I wasn’t too pleased with myself. Between tax time and three or four other things pulling on my time (and my mind), I wasn’t prepared like I wanted to be, or like I should have been. The delay between blog posts around here for the past several weeks is indicative of that!

Anyway, I am very glad I was able to visit with these students — it had an unexpected impact on me. I was at least able to tell them some important things that I have learned — to not look to make money blogging, to write consistently with passion, and that when your start your business (not if, but when), a blog should accompany your business’ website.

These are things that have struck me over recent months and I was happy to share them! I was lucky enough to have their instructor there to ask pointed questions and open the way for conversation. It opened things up for some of the students to ask questions too. Those questions actually reminded me of things I wanted to say. I was nervous, I admit that. They were cool!

It was exciting to see these young people on their journey of higher learning! The interpersonal relationship with their instructor was interesting to observe. The rapport that the students had with Ms. Lum created a nice relaxed atmosphere that, I believe, is more conducive to the learning process.

Chaminade University does have the traditional classes for the traditional areas of study but it also takes pride in its pre-professional programs. The atmosphere of higher learning is very obvious and I feel very comfortable in saying that it is an institution that Honolulu should be proud of. I was humbled by the invitation and I remain humbled by the approach taken to the collegiate education being bestowed on these lucky students.

I don’t know who is the luckiest in this whole scenario but I need to send a huge “Mahalo!” out to Danielle Lum for having me, to her students for tolerating me, and to Chaminade for the opportunity to see a segment of our future!

There’s nothing that ignites a keyboard better than things that ruffle your feathers, make your hair stand up or just plain make you furious!

The Good…

…started out bad. The State of Hawaii’s Department of Health actually had the audacity to try to push through a Bill that would allow any moron to put tattoos on people without being licensed and without having any sanitary procedures or other requirements in place. What?!? What were they thinking?!?

Somebody decided that it was okay to loosen the rules on the Tattoo industry because we hadn’t had any disease outbreaks from tattooing. Hello?!? No, duh! That’s because those regulations were in place to protect the consumers and the public at large! They can’t be that dumb!

Associated Press Writer, Mark Niesse, has a nice write up about the issue. There is also a quote contained in that piece from Anna Paige. Ms. Paige was a spokesperson for the Artists on a news clip that I saw a few days ago. She gets it, the other artists get it, what’s wrong with everyone else? How did it even get this far? Senator Rosalyn Baker said that the Bill, “needs more work before becoming a law.” I’ll say! Is that ever an understatement!
This is a much bigger issue than people seem to realize. These are needles we’re talking about. Hello?!? Think about it, friends, family members and anyone who comes in contact with those seeking and acquiring tattoos are at risk by this kind of deregulation. I’m sorry, I just cannot believe that the Board of Health would have even considered such a thing! It’s just so damn irresponsible!

Anyway, that stupid Bill was killed by the Senate yesterday after the Tattoo artists themselves made a stink about it on Monday. I heard about it on Friday and I went ballistic! Then I saw a news clip where several tattoo companies had gotten together to share their concerns. So, I waited. Their businesses and their clients both need protection from this kind of legislative nonsense!

I will restate, once again, that the image of the Tattoo industry, one that seems to be held by the general populace, is not necessarily an accurate one. This is a wonderful example — it was the artists themselves who yelled about this crazy idea and I say “hats off” and a huge “Mahalo!” to Honolulu’s Tattoo Artists! Thanks gang, for keeping us safe! You stood up, you came forward and you made a good thing happen!

So, what’s Bad?

The weather. Well, not really… Kilauea is bad. Our friends and families on the Big Island of Hawaii are choking on the sulphuric fumes from the volcano, Volcano National Park has been closed yet again, and the American Red Cross is standing by in case there is a need to evacuate some people.

Meanwhile, Oahu residents are suffering from extreme headaches, nasal problems and throat irritation. We can only venture a guess as to how they are feeling on the Big Island. So, while Kilauea is just being a volcano and doing what they do, we’re just breathing some bad air. It has not become a medical issue, yet.

Ugly!

There was a meeting Monday night (last Monday) about the rail system. Did you know about it? Yeah, I didn’t either. But, there was a notice about it from the City and County of Honolulu’s News and Events email. The notice said that, “Monday’s meeting on rail transit will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the cafeteria of Radford High School.” When did I get the email? At 8:51 p.m. Monday evening –twenty or so minutes after the meeting was over. Yes, I confirmed it; it was this past Monday night.

Is the Mayor trying to avoid confrontation? Perhaps. I will talk more about my thoughts on TheRail later, I promise. It has become an even bigger issue than simply transportation.

Was this late notice intentional? Maybe, maybe not. At the very least it was negligent and it sure looked ugly. Even more flagrant is the other part of that notice. The rest of the notice is all about the curbside recycling program. There will be meetings for that all over Oahu. There’s even a schedule for those meetings. But, there’s no schedule for rail meetings. Looks very sneaky. Ugly.

Go Visit Hawaii and Homespun Honolulu were able to connect for a brief greeting at Honolulu International Airport! Bloggers do a lot of bonding online and always hope to someday meet in real life. It’s always exciting to meet a fellow blogger for the first time and this was no exception. Sheila and her husband, Andy, flew in on Friday afternoon from North Carolina

Okay, this may not be the greatest picture in the world but we got it! We were outside the main terminal area so the lighting was poor and the young man who helped us had trouble holding still enough to keep the picture in focus.

It had been a long day for me so getting away from work a little early to see these two was the highlight of the afternoon! I’m glad the darling lei stands were in very fresh form with some beautiful leis to choose from!

Sheila kept trying to tell me how she was not feeling right, but, for two people who had just been flying for twelve hours, they looked pretty good to me!

While waiting to board their flight to Kona, Sheila and Andy were kind enough to take turns watching each others bags at the gate so that I could say hello to both of them, in spite of the fact that they had to stand in line to go back through security again. Sorry guys! Thank you! I had to take pictures of them one at a time but we just make adjustments for pictures not taken together!

They made it here and that’s the most important thing! It’s also very important that they have fun while they’re here! Check out GoVisitHawaii and see what Sheila’s been up to since Friday.

Sheila took the time to thank me for the leis but, in reality, I was the fortunate one — fortunate to give leis to people who didn’t expect them and were so happy to receive them! Besides, I had fun being a temporary lei greeter!

Sheila brought this Pecan Praline snack mix that you certainly won’t find anywhere around here! It’s from the Carolinas! Andy brought me a copy of his newly-published book — autographed and everything! I’ll show everyone and talk about it soon, I promise! An author needs a post all to themselves.

After leaving the airport I got stuck in traffic but it was good to have a chance to think about our little meeting, melancholy as it was, and contemplate the vog over Middle Street and wonder just what it was like for them to follow the vog back to its origin. Maybe we’ll be able to rope them into Oahu for a few days next time!