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!

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!

The Prince Kūhiō Festival, which includes several cultural events and a Commemorative Parade, is…read moresponsored by the Hawaii Tourism Authority and Kamehameha Schools. Annually, this festival occurs to celebrate the birthday and legacy of Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaole who was also known as "The Citizen Prince". Just who was Prince Kūhiō and why do the people of Hawaii honor him? "Prince Kūhiō was a prince of the reigning House of Kalākaua when the government of Queen Lili'uokalani was illegally overthrown in 1893. He later went on to become a politician in the Territory of Hawai'i as delegate to the United States Congress. Prince Kūhiō founded the first Hawaiian Civic Club on December 6, 1918 and led the passage of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1921. The people of the State of Hawai'i acknowledge his many contributions and have memorialized the Prince by naming schools, buildings, streets, and beaches after him, and designating his birthday as a state holiday. " - see www.princekuhiofestival.com The parade started at Saratoga Road and Kalākaua Avenue and continued down Kalākaua Avenue. Unfortunately, it was drizzling and then the rain really came down so we left early. We walked back to our parked car near Kapiolani Park. We knew that there were more planned events at the Kapiolani Park Bandstand that featured local hula hālau, live entertainment, Native Hawaiian arts, crafts and exhibits. Uh, sorry to say that I'm a fair weather consumer so we just "buzzed" in and considered purchasing a Hawaiian plate lunch from one of the local food stalls. However, many of the vendors weren't quite set up and everyone else was scrambling around to keep their merchandise or artwork protected from the rain. Still, in spite of the ugly weather, there were many who came out to enjoy the festivities and to honor Prince Kūhiō. Thanks again to the HTA and the Kamehameha Schools for annually sponsoring this festival. We'll certainly return for this event next year.

"Da Parade is Back!"…read more Another sign that normalcy is trying to make comeback during these still trying times. The 2022 Kaimuki Christmas Parade marched off on December 1, 2022 to the delight of hundreds- the crowds stretched from 3rd avenue to Koko Head ave, along Waialae avenue . Marching band units, trolly units, local schools, community and business marchers all came to give what the public had missed for two years. While not as fancy or elaborate as many parades, the Kaimuki Parade embodies that neighborhood feel and is one of the oldest Christmas parades in Hawaii. The highlight of the parade is the tree lighting above Kaimuki fire station which takes place after the end of the parade. This tree can be seen as a beacon to Kaimuki town and will be viewable till the end of the year. A beautiful night for the parade, no rain, the air was crisp. It was a night for enjoyment for everyone. Welcome back Kaimuki Christmas Parade.

Hawaii's oldest parade 75 years young…read more Lots of businesses, school marching bands, dance troops, ROTC and of course Santa! There are commentators and singers dotting the Waialae route. A real family affair geared toward the little kiddies. A chance to dress up in your X-mas gear! Only downside is Waialae Ave is not closed down completely so there is still 2 way traffic traversing next to the paraders. Also, only one side of the road is the main audience to the performers.

Memories... We all…read morehave them and we all cherish them in many different ways. How can we celebrate...express...share or just release them. I think we are so blessed to have such even every Memorial Day to a point that I see visitors who come here just for this and that says a lot. With work I personally never have the moment to participate as you need to line up early to pick up a lantern I was fortunate enough that a friend did that for me and here I am nervous and emotional not knowing where to begin. I think that's the therapy as well to express yourself in grief, anger, or sadness as I watched my lantern float away to a point that I don't know which on it is amongst the many others just looking at the serene vibe standing in the water is a sense of calm. Thank you to Shinnyo En for this massive arrangement as it takes much more than a village to take care of this massive arrangement and know that it helps many, myself included that we are never alone in this. Thank you!

The lantern floating ceremony is one of the most spectacular event you can attend in Honolulu,…read moreHawaii. It take place at the Ala Moana Beach Park. This event is to memory the loss of someone in your life, They give out free lanterns. It is first come first serve, so you have to get there early in the morning to reserve it. Last year, I got there at 5 AM to stand in line, the ceremony start at around 6:30PM. After the official program, all the attendances can start release the lanterns after the sunset. It is a pretty emotional event, but also spectacular to watch with thousands of lanterns floating on the water. It is such an amazing scene if you never attend this ceremony before, I highly recommend you to go to experience it.

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.

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.

Let me tell you a secret.... I love chocolate. This festival…read morehas all sorts of delectable chocolate treats.