Kung Hee Fat Choy

Kung Hee Fat Choy! Or, Happy New Year! Chinese New Year 2010 is just around the corner, and Elle and I went to Chinatown for the kick off weekend. We headed to the Chinese Cultural Plaza for the food mostly, but we also took in some cultural presentations.

Here's the view from the second floor overlooking the stage and the people. When we first arrived, I thought it looked pretty dead. However, by around 8 p.m. the place was pretty packed.


There were a handful of crafts booths throughout the Plaza. They were selling toys for the kids, jewelry, Year of the Tiger t-shirts and other trinkets.






One booth was selling these little lion replicas.


Another had these lion heads on display. Pretty neat stuff.


Here's the main event . . . the FOOD! It all looked really good. This was the vegetarian food vendor. I think it was run by a Buddhist temple, but I'm not completely sure.




The ladies making jin dui (a fried pastry with different types of filling) really looked like they knew what they were doing. I love the one with coconut inside, even though I normally don't like coconut. There's something about the crunchy, chewy shell that makes it so ono!




On stage, there were many types of performers. There were Chinese opera groups, children's choirs, tai chi performers, kung fu demonstrators and lion dance troupes. The lion dance guys were pretty cool. They came with their own little drum section.

JCCH New Year's Ohana Festival

Despite the rain, hundreds of people showed up for the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii's New Year's Ohana Festival held at the cultural center and Moiliili Field today. The place was very, very crowded as people enjoyed the cultural activities, children's education area, food booths, gift shop and performances.

There was a free shuttle moving people between UH's parking structure and the cultural center.


The year of the tiger was celebrated with displays of good luck charms and other items for sale.




Community cultural groups performed for the crowd at the center's courtyard.



Inside there were many cultural crafts . . .


. . . showcasing the handicrafts of many artisans.

There were instructional tables for you to try your hand at caligraphy . . .

. . . and bonsai exhibitions.

Across the street at Moiliili Field, people strolled through food and craft booths.

There were bouncers for the kids . . .

. . . and a taiko performance.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year people! Hope you had a very safe New Year's Eve last night. Just thought I'd post a quick video of my New Year celebration. This is how we do it up in the 808.

So sorry about the wobbly camera work. The thing was so big it was freaking me out. I kept backing up because I was afraid one of the firecrackers were going to fly into my eyes!

This wonderful display of money going up in smoke is courtesy of my sister's neighbor/friend. They apparently do it up big every year. Hope they have the best of luck after all of that!

Ringing in 2010

In just a few hours, it'll officially be the year 2010. Can you believe it? It's no lie that the older you are, the faster time seems to fly. I remember thinking my summer breaks were ions and school would never come. Now, entire years are flashing right before my eyes.

I don't usually make resolutions for the new year. Why willingly create a situation where I'll disappoint myself? LOL If anything, I'll try to get back on track with my Bucket List. I've let it slip these past few months as life just seemed to overwhelm me. I'll work harder at achieving some of these goals.

Anyone make any resolutions for 2010? Be creative. We all know we could all stand to lose a few pounds or eat healthier. What about something off-the-wall? Climb Mount Everest? Surf a gigantic wavce? Eat Rocky Mountain oysters?

2009 in Full Effect

Yes, I realize we're already a good week into the new year and I didn't even get to reflect on the old one. How's that one grab ya? So, I guess we'll just go ahead and skip right to the good stuff.

What's the good stuff, you ask me? I don't think I'll be able to answer that one. I'm finding 2009 just as difficult as 2008 so far. My car is still in the shop. Did I even blog about getting rear-ended? I can't even remember. Anyway, I got hit from behind on Dec. 19. My car's been in the shop since Dec. 22. Still waiting to get her back safe and sound. Looks like it won't happen till Friday or maybe even Monday.

Work is still the same as usual. I still haven't been able to crack the code to happiness there. It's definitely not a paradise situation at all. I know you're supposed to try to find work that you love doing. This keeps you from being burnt out. But, most times work is just work. It's a way to pay the bills. Trust me, if I could find something else to pay the bills I'd definitely jump at it.

With the end of 2008 and start of 2009 already in full swing, I've been thinking about life a lot lately. While on the surface I feel like I've done a lot thus far, I also feel as though I'm lacking a bunch of things too. I don't feel as fufilled as I'd like. The strange thing is that I don't really know what it'll take to fulfill me. Is this just a problem with my generation in general? We have too high of an expectation for everything and everyone. Is this why we can't be happy?

Being happy with yourself and your life should be one of the easiest ways to find your personal paradise. So, why is it that most people find this difficult to do and never truly find their personal happiness?