Friday 5 for August 17: Statehood!

Historic photo from the Hawaii State Archives.

From Scrivener's Friday 5 site:

Today is a state holiday in Hawaii, which I am blessed to call home. Fifty-three years ago, the island chain became the fiftieth United State, and while that is a mixed bag I won’t delve into, I won’t complain about a day off! So to honor the fiftieth star on the U.S. flag, here are five questions very loosely inspired by this day.

1. Hawaii’s nickname is the Aloha State. If your neighborhood were to be admitted as the fifty-first state, what would be its nickname?

Koreamoku Town!

2. What do you own fifty of?

Years plus some!

3. What’s the nicest beach you’ve been to?

Lanikai Beach near Kailua, Oahu. It's been years since I been there that I have zero pictures of the place.

4. A pizza with ham and pineapple is often called a Hawaiian pizza (something that annoys many of us who live here and can’t stand that flavor combination). If you live in Hawaii, what should rightfully be called a Hawaiian pizza, and if you live elsewhere, what would go on the pizza named after your area?

Kim Chee, Hamburger and Pepperoni - heh, it probably taste terrible but would go fine at the Koreamoku Town 51st State.

5. What mental and emotional states do you hope to attain this weekend?

Calmness and relaxed mental, emotional and physical states would be the best to attain, though not always easy.

Thanks for participating, and happy Statehood Day, Hawaii! Same to you all.

Friday 5 for August 3: Movie Questions

From Scrivener's Friday 5 site, he asks:

"Hello, and welcome to this week’s Friday 5! Please copy these questions to your webspace. Answer the questions there; then leave a comment below so we’ll all know where to check out your responses. Please don’t forget to link us from your website!

This week, please answer these questions that are also titles of films I’ve seen. Some of them may not make any sense, but do the best you can! Also: If you try to answer the questions literally, you may find this a boring set. I don’t actually want to know your number, and you don’t really want to share it. So here’s a little challenge to be creative."

Well, I don't think these are very creative, but the answers maybe are music related. Hence the videos.

1. Shall We Dance? ah ah ah stayin' alive, stayin' alive....



2. O Brother, Where Art Thou? He's not in the jailhouse now. Never has and that is good.



3. What’s Up, Doc? Great catch phrase used frequently by Warner Bros. Looney Tunes' character Bugs Bunny.



4. What’s Your Number? 867-5309 - ask for Jenny.



5. Did You Hear About the Morgans? Not really. Never knew anyone by that name.

Out of those movie titles I've only seen one of them. Can you guess which one?

Friday 5 for July 6 - Disposable

From Scrivener's Friday 5 site:

Hello, and welcome to this week’s Friday 5! Please copy these questions to your webspace. Answer the questions there; then leave a comment below so we’ll all know where to check out your responses. Please don’t forget to link us from your webpage!

1. What’s something whose disposable version has replaced its non-disposable version in your regular use?

Plastic bags that I get from the store... I use them to throw my trash away. I don't like the ban on plastic bags. It is cheaper to use the plastic bags you get from the store vs. having to buy regular trash bags.... so yes, I am stocking up on my plastic bags. Damn those environmental wackos.

I also use paper plates, plastic forks, paper cups, paper towels, and of course the old standard toilet paper! Whoever heard of non-disposable toilet paper????

2. What disposable item do you almost never use because you greatly prefer the non-disposable version? 

Cameras! 

3. If they could somehow create a disposable version of something that (as far as you know) is currently not available in that format, what would you like to see? 

Train. 

4. What disposable item do you feel the most guilty about using? 

Nothing. If it has been created to be disposable, then disposable it is....
You toss it and move on to the next thing. I have no problem with that.

5. What disposables do you tend to use more than the usual amount before discarding? 

Occasionally when I buy bottled water I tend to keep the bottle around, refill it with regular water and use that again... and again. I rarely buy bottled water. Tap water is good enough where I live. Plus I hate the bottle tax!

Friday 5 for May 11: Travel

From Scrivener's Friday 5 - Travel

 

1. If you could get on a plane tomorrow, where would you go for a week? Where would you go for a month?

 

 A week? - I would go to the Big Island of Hawaii - Hilo to Honokaa and places nearby. Fact is I will be there later this month.

 A month? - Big Island of Hawaii - Hilo to Honokaa and places nearby. I will be there again later this summer, fall and winter.

 2. Where do you want most to return to?

 

Big Island of Hawaii - Hilo, Honokaa, Waimea, Volcanoes National Park - Do I like the Big Island of Hawaii? Yes I do. My favorite place.

3. What was your most memorable meal or drink while traveling? 

I don't do any alcoholic beverages at all - so if it came to drinks.... well... soft drinks will do or simply water.



For most people who have lived or visited Honolulu (where I live), the most breathtaking view is from the top of Diamond Head crater looking out west to the rest of Honolulu. For me I like the view from the top of Tantalus since it is easier to get there (drive vs. hike) and grab the view shown above. Of course anything from the air is always breathtaking.... see photo below:

 

 In my travels - I almost never travel out of state. I live in "paradise" even thought taxes are high and the cost of living is very expensive.... That being said, here are some favorite images:

 

Volcanoes National Park on the Big island of Hawaii - Crater Rim Drive above. Below lehua blossoms.

 

 Hilo in the Keaukaha area:





Hilo near Rainbow Falls:



 The town of Honokaa, though I would not call it "breathtaking":



The island of Kauai:





I would also say a trip to Hana on the island of Maui and the sunrise at the top of Haleakala also on the island of Maui would be among my photos here... alas those were taken a long time ago with a 35mm SLR camera and I have never gotten around to scan them in. Perhaps a return trip to Maui is in store. The last time I went to that island was in late 2007 and I was only there for about an hour!


5. What’s the most touristy thing you’ve done? 

Went on a two week tour with a bunch of other tourists to the East and West Coast of the continental United States... this was a very long time ago when there were no cell phones, no digital cameras, no Macintosh computers, no internet, almost nothing that we take for granted today... but yes we had jet airplanes, cars, ships and trains. Hence I don't have any decent photos of that tour. I rarely travel out of state.

Someday perhaps a short cruise would be nice or another trip to the U.S. mainland may be in store.

All of the photos provided in this entry were taken by me.

Friday 5 for May 4: Take Out

Questions from Scrivener's Friday 5 blog.


1. What was the last thing you took out of your microwave oven?


Reheated chicken wings.


2. What was the last thing you took out of the washing machine?


Clothes


3. What was the last thing you took out of the trunk of your automobile?


Myself and my camera stuff


4. What was the last thing you took out of your mouth?


Spoon


5. What was the last thing you took out of an envelope?


A bill was the last thing I took out of an envelope. Fact is most of the things I get in the mail are either BILLS or junk commercial mails. Paper mail is next to obsolete.

Friday 5 for April 13: National Library Week

Shown above: The Hawaii State Public Library, main branch in Honolulu.

1. What were the libraries at your elementary and high school like?

Small and quaint... at least that is what I remember from more than 40 years ago.

2. What’s interesting about your nearest community library?

I live closest to the main branch of the State Library (shown above). I guess what makes that library interesting is that it is in an old, probably historic building in the Capitol District of downtown Honolulu.

3. What is the longest you’ve had an overdue library book? 

Not a book but somewhere in a closet I probably have an overdue issue of "Mechanix Illustrated" magazine from 1969.

4. Among people you know who aren’t already librarians, who would make a good librarian?

Perhaps you or anyone who likes reading, has patience to keep things neatly filed and a good sense of customer service.

5. Who is your favorite librarian?

The ones I knew from kid time have probably died. Sad.

Questions from Scrivener's Friday 5 website.

Friday 5 for March 30: Handle

Again... a day late and probably a dollar short.



1. How well do you handle the sight of blood?

It's somewhat tolerable.

2. How well do you handle bumpy plane rides?

I think about plane crash statistics when this happens and remind myself flying is safer than driving your own car. Of course it depends on the severity of the turbulence.

On another note read this speculative story about deadly air turbulence.

3. How well do you handle spicy food?

Tolerable.

4. How well do you handle (or think you could handle) yourself in fisticuffs?

My natural instinct is to flee from a situation. Luckily it hasn't happened since maybe 2nd grade.

5. How well do you handle a chef’s knife?

I'm not a culinary expert, but I would presume I could cut something with it.