Hawaii Tesol is a wonderful nonprofit made by in-service teachers who truly believe in helping…read moremainly new student teachers learn how to be better English as a Second Language teacher. It really is all about the events that TESOL presents- mainly the teaching ESL conference held in the spring. I was lucky enough to be able to present at the spring conferences a few times- all the participants are eager to learn and eager to share. Many practical lessons and a bunch of real research one could use in their college studies. The fall get to know you events are the most fun and most laid back- there is food and more food and then a chance to talk and meet some of the different organizers- many are Professors at UHM or BYUH or HPU and some are admin for private ESL schools here in Oahu. Anyway it is a wonderful way to get to know more ESL teachers and get more resources. There really are great folks that are so interested in good teaching- some know other languages and some that are only English speaking- it takes all kinds of teachers and it really improves (especially teachers that have never really taught before) abilities to teach English better. Why do I like it? I am not so much as learning more about ESL but being able to talk and share about my own ESL teaching experiences and reflection- being a part of a learning community is really important too. If you are a student- wanting to teach English, ESL or another language but are in school here in HI - I would highly recommend looking into joining the group events. Past events 14 Feb 2014 Hawaii TESOL Spring Conference 2014 13 Nov 2013 Fall Professional Development Workshop: Online Education 04 Oct 2013 Call for Participation to Hawaii TESOL Conference 2014 30 Sep 2013 Fall Activity Exchange/ Round Table Discussion 15 May 2013 Spring Language Experience 02 Mar 2013 State Conference Follow up Workshop 16 Feb 2013 Hawaii TESOL Spring Conference 2013 08 Nov 2012 Call for Participation to Hawaii TESOL Conference 2013 07 Nov 2012 Fall PDW--The Problem of Orkish: Exploring Second Language Acquisition in Virtual Environments 24 Sep 2012 Fall Activity Exchange/Round Table Discussion What is Hawai'i TESOL? Hawai'i TESOL is committed to building a community of professionals teaching ESL (English as a Second Language) in the State of Hawai'i. Hawai'i TESOL works to promote the highest standards in employment and instruction, improve professional support and interaction, and increase public and government recognition of the ESL field. Hawai'i TESOL provides ESL professionals in Hawai'i with opportunities for networking and professional development. We welcome all who share our goals to join with us in our efforts. Hawai'i TESOL welcomes all interested individuals to active membership and seeks the involvement of all its members. Hawai'i TESOL offers four major activities a year.

The Honolulu Pride Parade provides a safe space to be yourself, be accepted, be celebrated, be…read moreLOVED...because YOU matter. Find me for a mom hug, or this guy (sorry didn't get your name!) for a dad hug. Eat your vegetables! And brush your teeth. Love, Mom

Went to the Honolulu Pride Parade for the first time in October with some friends. It was a lot of…read morefun! Lots of businesses and community organizations walking in the parade. Lots of colors, music, costumes, and fans. This parade is very family friendly, and lots of groups gave out candy, stickers, and other swag. Unfortunately, it feels very corporate. There was a festival after the parade at the Waikiki Shell. It was free, but you had to register online ahead of time. And no water bottles were allowed inside. Lots of security. I appreciated this positive celebration of the LGBTQ+/mahu community in Hawaiʻi!

This is a show hosted by the Rock and Mineral Society of Hawaii 2-3 times a year. This year's and…read morelast year's shows have been happening in the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort Kou Ballroom. All the vendors and experts are from Hawaii too - so as you can guess, it's not that big, as no one is flying in from mainland or overseas, but it's got a bit of everything and the folks are friendly and are happy to share their knowledge with other gem enthusiasts! It's my first time at this show so I didn't know what to expect. It's definitely smaller than what I've been to. There were maybe around 15 vendors? But each vendor had their own niche - fossils, meteorites, cut loose gemstones, jewelry, amber with trapped insects, rare specimens, polished crystals, etc. the show had a bit of everything and the prices were actually reasonable! It's a good, quick dose of mineral exposure without having to fly to Tucson. The folks were very friendly and some were so nice to give out little free gifts for the Keiki. The ladies at the very front gave my son a Dalmatian jasper. He saw the black spotted rock and immediately picked it out. It's also heart-shaped! If you're curious what a gem show is like, this is a good place to start as admission is free and they validate parking for just $10 for pretty much half day. (But the hotel parking structure is terrible, so tight it can't have 2 cars turning into and out of the ramp at the same time.) It's also great to see what these local folks have to offer. Also, you got to see the minerals found in Hawaii on display! There's sulfur from Kilauea, 2 olivine specimens from Hualalai, and a beautiful calcite cluster of crystals from O'ahu!

It was a beautiful day for a May Day celebration in Kapiolani Park! The bandstand was decorated…read morewith an abundance of colorful pua (flowers),happy craft vendors,fantastic food vendors and the restroom trailers were brand new,convenient AND air conditioned!!!!! Ha ha ! There was an alternative covered stage with slack key guitar only...it was so mellow,u know--back yard kine paina style !!!! A sweet little local kupuna approached me and I thought she was going to tell us to move to the side or something but she kindly asked if I was a former May Day Lei Queen!!!!! Oh my goodness I was speechless & embarrassed! My husband was just beaming with smiles. I said "nooooo",I'm just a retired hula dancer & so happy to see the entertainment from a spectator's view !" She said she could arrange for me to dance hula impromptu right now. I graciously declined and giggled all the way to find a seat to watch the performance. My husband said " you're MY queen " Aww ! So sweet! Here's a pic of our mountain of a plate lunch! Aloha!

Once upon a time, Hawaii had no comic conventions. Back before cellphones, tablets and Apple…read morewatches the closest comic book fans came to an organized get together was at the "Hawaii State Comic Collector's Club". Meetings were held at the Moiliili Public Library on a semi-regular basis. Fans of comics, horror and syfy movies had a place to gather, share and compare thoughts and experiences of the latest news in the world of fantasy. Mind you that this was a time when back and forth instantaneous communication was only in the form of telephone, telegraph and shouting over your neighbor's fence. This was the 1970s. Fast forward to 2019. Hawaii has now hosted many entertainment conventions, one of which is the Comic Con Honolulu, a home grown produced annual event which gives fans a chance to match up with like fans and meet people involved in this segment of the entertainment industry. Some thoughts regarding this Con: Smaller than the Amazing Comic Con, they feature a large area devoted gaming in the main hall. They take elements of both the Amazing and Kawaii Kon (celebrity photo ops, artist alley, cosplay contests, panel discussions, etc.) They have the usual assortment of dealers selling related merchandise but seemingly, not as many as the other Cons. Just sort of less of everything but still pretty enjoyable. There were some vendors that seemed out of place for this con: T-mobile, ATT and vacation time shares, really!? Enjoyed seeing the King of Tokyo, Godzilla game play. A fan made oversized game which looked like fun. It's always fun to see the cosplay and this Con was no exception. The time and creativity put in by the cosplayers is something to behold. Less cosplayers than Kawaii Kon but still enjoyable. The con even had cars detailed with anime themes. Servco even had new Toyota corollas on display detailed with their newly created super hero theme- a fun campaign to market their latest offering. Definitely a smaller crowd but it, in some ways has a more local "feel". Was sort of a spin-off of the Kawaii Kon which focuses more on anime. 3.5 stars for this con, enjoyable without a wow factor. Will say that this con gave me more of a reminiscing type feeling like when friends would get together back in the day at the comic collector's club. Mahalos to Emi and Yelp for the free pass to attend the Saturday event. A nice way to spend a warm and muggy summer day.

First time visiting Comic Con Honolulu. We came fairly early to check it out. Plenty on…read moreoffer--artist alley had vendors, artists, and celebrity autograph and photo ops. We spent most of our time here, just hanging around the booths and talking story with the artists. I wish there had been more local comic vendors, but it was great to pick up some original work from local comic artists. In terms of the panels, a good assortment, although more anime and video game oriented. I wish there had been more TV, but Hawaii is more oriented toward the anime set. Cool cosplayers and plenty of fun to be had. However, the prices are certainly high, especially considering the parking cost and the cost for autographs and photographs. At least make the parking free.

FOOD: The Mini German Buns really stood out this year. Just the right size to pop in your mouth…read morewith an A-W-E-S-O-M-E amount of bread to jelly ratio. L-O-V-E-D the Oka from the Wings of Love Church booth, basically went there almost everyday to get my raw fish fix (if you no see it on the menu board jus ask cause the first time we went they forgot to list it and several times I was lucky enough that they made it for me). The only thing I wish was that the booth that had the Fish & Chips (which was really good) had an option for rice instead of fries and came with gravy like they serve it in American Samoa. PARKING: Had to go early because of all the construction but that wasn't going to stop me from getting my Samoan food fix. Not really any handicap parking so don't plan on it. My suggestion is to go early and avoid going after 4:30pm (that train of cars coming in at around 5:00pm was almost nonstop on some days).

Pick me, pick me...I was hoping to be selected for the Yelp Night Symphony tickets but, alas, I was…read moreNOT! Congratulations to fellow Yelpers who were selected. There will only be two performances, the first one is Saturday, December 12 at 7:30 PM and the second performance is scheduled for Sunday, December 13 at 2:00 PM. I still feel fortunate that I was able to just do an online purchase to what I'm sure was going to be an exciting performance when I signed up for this concert. When we were ushered in to our seats, we were surprised that this concert wasn't sold out. Perhaps it was because there were potential concert-goers who are Honolulu Marathoners resting for tomorrow's race. There was a lot of parking in the concert hall's parking structure for a $6 flat fee and even more free street parking that was also quite conveniently located. The people of Hawaii are lucky to be treated to HSO's premiere holiday pops event that featured World-renown conductor, music director and pianist, Rob Fisher. Maestro Fisher directed the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra through holiday classics ranging from Big Band Sounds of composer Irving Berlin to classical composers, Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky. He also presented multi-year Nā Hoku Award winning local talents of Nā Leo Pilimehana. Their melodic voices harmonized with the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra as their "back-up band". It was a special accompaniment for them. Nā Leo ended their performance with a sing-along to local Holiday standard "Mele Kalikimaka". As we sang along, we found ourselves moved to tears as we reflected back upon our younger days when we'd celebrate Christmas together with our parents and families. On Dasher, on Dancer, on Prancer and Vixen! On Comet, on Cupid, on Donner and Blitzen... which ever way you get into this event, you'll be transported into the Holiday Season on a rocking Sleigh Ride! #487

I like these types of events. It's free to enter for everyone which is always a plus. They had a…read morelot of different booths set up. Bank of Hawaii were giving out free popcorn with the option of li hing mui powder. They also had free giveaways to both Vegas & China. The photo booths were cool. You could take pictures of the Great Wall background or another background of a famous bridge in China and another picture taking display where you could wear a Panda head and snap away. They had a performance stage where they hosted a talent show. This marks the 11th annual of the Chinese festival. I would attend to this event again next year.

Went on Sunday since me being Chinese can't pass up a free deal. There were many stalls selling…read moreall the cheap made in China stuff that you would see at the swap meet. Glad they changed it to free admission I remember paying to go in years ago. Lots of food choices so you won't go hungry. Note to the guys who had the booth with the potstickers...it was stone hard cold, yuck! 3/$1 was not worth it. Thank goodness I didn't get a tummy ache otherwise I would be pissed. Several booths had small portions of samples for you to try which was nice. Saw a bit of the fashion show not bad. Lots of things to take pictures of but I got lazy lol.