On the Catwalk

With her toes on the edge of the catwalk, she paused just long enough for the angelfish to catch a glimpse of her hibiscus-red painted toenails before making a dizzying pirouette back to the beach.

Color of the Day

The slushy and mushy wet weather continued throughout this day. I got caught in an early morning storm shower even with my parasol. My feet was completely saturated and so was the bottom half of my pants. I did manage to get into dry attire and had remained dry the rest of the day. Blue is the color of the day for lightning streaks and for the rain. I do appreciate the rain and if I didn't have to be at work, I otherwise could have cared less.

Friendly Fire

There's nothing like a cameraman getting a shot of another cameraman and a guy getting caught in the middle of friendly fire.

Peekaboo

 

Peekaboo! I caught this shot walking behind grandma and grandchild.

A Reflection of Chungking Express

Hong Kong director Wong Kar-Wai's   is known for his unique cinematography in film making. He is an auteur whose work stands out aesthetically. My favorite Wong film is Chungking Express where the story takes place in the inner city of Hong Kong. The shot above is a reflection off of a bus window and the couple in the image reminded me of the film.

Great Expressions

Happy President's Day weekend everyone. I especially liked the expressions in this photo that was again taken with the Brownie. Although the woman with the hat appears as if she's flexing her arm, she's looking at her cell phone. The guy in the green  smiling seems to be amused at her pose. The hairstyle and the fashion of the woman with the handbag made this photo look like it was taken from an earlier time period like the 70's although it was taken two weeks ago at the Punahou Carnival. When I look at this picture, it evokes a feel of a California beach and boardwalk for me.

Double Exposure

Another photo from the Brownie Hawkeye. It's a double exposure and without any adjustments. Out of all of the photos on this roll of film, this was probably the most interesting.

Photo on the Fly

I caught this photograph on the fly while exiting Maunakea Marketplace. Because of motion blur, it looked best as a sepia image. This woman was just waiting around in her kiosk for a customer or two.

The Old Man at Amy's Place

 

The wall next to Amy's place used to be red brick, then it was painted over gray and it peeled and now... The old man sitting under the sign added character to the facade.

There for the Taking

 

Coming up with a photo of the day everyday is a challenge especially when I run out of fresh ideas, and then... the photo of the day creates itself. The image is there for the taking and all I had to do was depress the shutter and POP! 

Childhood Dreams and Fantasy

Capturing the fun and joy in the eyes of these four girls on a helicopter ride at the Punahou Carnival was absolute amusement for me. Although a bit grainy and fuzzy, it captures the dizzying feeling of games, fun, childhood dreams, and fantasy. If only life was always as simple and fun as a carnival ride.

On the Eleventh Day of Christmas

Click here to see more photos of the Mission Houses Museum on Facebook.

The Mission houses was communal living for many of the missionaries to Hawaii in the early 1800's. It is the oldest wooden structure still standing in Hawaii that was originally shipped from Boston.

On the eleventh day of Christmas my tutu give to me, eleven missionaries,

Last Minute Shopping

As we close in on Christmas Day, families walk the mall to do some last minute shopping. The koi fish benefit from all the extra visitors.

Where Hard Decisions are Made

This is the Federal building in Honolulu where decisions on difficult cases are made in Federal Court such as for, long line fisherman, entry into Kamehameha Schools, the Felix-Waihee consent decree, and Hawaii State Hospital's acquit and commit violating civil rights of the patients.

In American culture, it is revered to be young and thin and as a result, an entire generation in their fifties do things to disguise their real age through make up, surgery, medicine, dress, and behavior, maybe to fool others or maybe it's to fool themselves that they are still thirty. There are those in their forties who dress very provocatively, dye their hair, stretch their skin, and apply anti-wrinkle creams to keep up with the twenty-somethings. Those in their thirties are the new teenagers. It's not until age sixty that one becomes comfortable in their skin. This woman knows who she is and isn't afraid to show it.

Handmade Holiday Market

There was a Handmade Holiday Market at Manoa Marketplace today where individual craftsmen lined up their booths and sold their handmade items. This one stood out in particular because of it's detail. The woman used wool to make these lifelike Christmas ornaments that looked simple but she described it as labor intensive. Click here to see more photos on Baby aWEARness' facebook page, the organizer of the Handmade Holiday.

Angry Korean Lady

Jars of Kim Chee on the Roof of Mu Ryang Sa

The Ah Lang Korean restaurant in downtown Kakaako district is owned by the "angry Korean lady" (click on the link to see more about Ah-Lang). She is known for having great Korean cuisine with reasonable prices and most of all being pissed off if you don't follow the rules of her shop. Before going there, we visited the Mu Ryang Sa Korean Buddhist Temple in Palolo to see the jars of pickled kim chee cabbage fermenting on building roof top to prepare ourselves for our excursion to Ah Lang. Because the angry Korean lady is a one woman show, she is the cook, the wait help, the bus person, the host, the cashier, the shopper, etc... She has rules in place that you must follow or be subjected to a tongue lashing and maybe refused. Here are some of those rules: You must seat yourself, you must write down your own order, you must choose how spicy your dishes are by using her number system of 0 to 8 (8 being the spiciest), food comes first then water, you must pay in cash if your order is under $50, if you bring alcohol then you must bring some for her or else there is a corkage fee, etc... The wait was long but the food was well worth the wait. We were her last customers of the day and so we conversed with her a bit about her kim chee cabbage before she ran out to buy ingredients for dinner and left us in the shop by ourselves. Apparently she purchases fresh ingredients for every meal and she ferments her own kim chee as she brought out half a head of cabbage to show us and for me to photograph. Click here to see the kim chee that the angry Korean lady brought out. I don't want to ruin her reputation but she turned out to be quite a character and a cool lady. The food is a ten out of ten and I would definitely go back but only with time to wait.

Ilikai 7:45p.m.

Every Friday evening at 7:45p.m. for the past many years, the Ilikai hotel in Waikiki faithfully launches a firework show. In the summer, the beach is packed with families, children, tourists, and surfers who become mesmerized by the booms and the bangs of the rockets that illuminate the sky and  cityscape. The smell of bar-b-que linger and groups of beachgoers bond with food. Tonight, the crowd was sparse and the weather was cool. Perhaps most were indoors at the malls.

University of Hawaii Lo'i (taro farm)

 

Driving down Dole Street next to the University of Hawaii, a lo'i (kalo/taro farm) at the Center for Hawaiian Studies was tucked away and nestled on the right hand side heading eastbound. It is named Ka Papa Lo'i O Kanewai, and it is a learning center and also a sanctuary. I appreciated that they gave me permission to walk around, take a few photos, check out the lo'i, and was invited to a Hawaiian cultural gathering tomorrow from 10a.m. until 2p.m. to take more photos. Above are young taro plants that was planted in one of the revived irrigation ditches. Click here to see more photos of the Kanewai lo'i.

Waikiki Natatorium, "Keep Out!"

To the left of these kids is Kaimana Beach and to the right of it is the Waikiki Natatorium. The gate to the pool is locked and the "keep out" signs have been up for years. Built in the 1920's it is the only saltwater Olympic size pool in the U.S. Built in the 1920's it has undergone wear and tear from the natural elements and from use. Thousands of dollars have been dedicated to restore parts of the the natatorium although it is still unfinished and has not been deemed safe by the state. It has gone though many political battles and continues to be up for discussion of whether to tear it down completely or preserve it. It is also a war memorial for those who have died and served in World War I. Many famous Olympic swimmers have competed here in the past and Duke Kahanamoku, the founding father of surfing has competed here as well. Click here for other images on facebook of the Waikiki Natatorium.