Today I headed over to the zoo for a free family day with my sister, sister-in-law and two nieces. Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children was celebrating its centennial celebration and was offering free admission by simply downloading a pass from the net.
We got there a little after 11 a.m., but it was difficult to find a place to park. Apparently there was a free shuttle to and from KCC but we didn't know it at the time. Luckily, my sister is renovating a studio in Waikiki so we used its parking structure.
On the way to the zoo, we stopped off at Rainbows for some burgers and plate lunches. Yummy! I haven't eaten there in forever. It was like coming home. I got the hamburger steak, my sister got their roast pork and we split it. Delish! When our stomachs were full, we went into the zoo.
I haven't been to the zoo in probably ten years or so and I have to admit that it has improved quite a bit. A lot of the enclosures are new and there's more food places. Today, there were tons of tents set up with activities for the kids. I think my nieces had a great time. We wandered through the zoo, and most of the animals were where I remembered them to be. I'm not sure if they're the same ones though. My friend the tortoise wasn't in his enclosure, but we did see him in a back area. God, he was there when I was a kid. Wonder just how old he is?
Despite the extreme heat, it was a good day. The place was packed full of kids of all ages. I think the event was quite a success for Kapiolani.
August 30, 2009
August 29, 2009
Opa!
Tonight I went to the Greek Festival with my friend Elle. It was held at McCoy Pavilion and was completely packed. It was $3.00 at the door to get in, and there were many booths - food, drinks, crafts and religious icons. There was also live music on a stage and dispersed around the pavilion in the form of single singers with guitars (or whatever the Greek equivalent is called).
The lines were ridiculously long when we got there at 7:00 p.m. I advise that you come earlier . . . either that, or don't go on an empty stomach. It was really hard to stand in line for 20 minutes when I was starving. Also, if you go too late they'll be no food. There's an area called Ethnic Foods where you can get a plate of diffent things for about $10.00-12.00. By the time we got around to it, they were saying there might not be any food left. The two girls in front of us were the official cut off. We might wait a half hour and walk away with nothing. Luckily, we were able to get a plate and have dinner, even though some of the entres were sold out already.
We stopped by the pastry section and picked some up to go. We tried the kataifi, which is like shredded wheat over a really sweet honey sauce. Too sweet for me. We also tried the kourambiedes (aka wedding cookies) because I had heard about them a lot. They were okay - not as sweet as the kataifi but nothing special either. They tasted like shortbread cookies covered in powdered sugar.
Overall, it was an okay night out. Nothing much happened and we didn't stick around too long. It was just too crowded and there really wasn't a lot of stuff to look at. It was also pretty dark in areas, even though there were lights strung up. This was my first and probably last time there. I'll wait for the real thing.
The lines were ridiculously long when we got there at 7:00 p.m. I advise that you come earlier . . . either that, or don't go on an empty stomach. It was really hard to stand in line for 20 minutes when I was starving. Also, if you go too late they'll be no food. There's an area called Ethnic Foods where you can get a plate of diffent things for about $10.00-12.00. By the time we got around to it, they were saying there might not be any food left. The two girls in front of us were the official cut off. We might wait a half hour and walk away with nothing. Luckily, we were able to get a plate and have dinner, even though some of the entres were sold out already.
We stopped by the pastry section and picked some up to go. We tried the kataifi, which is like shredded wheat over a really sweet honey sauce. Too sweet for me. We also tried the kourambiedes (aka wedding cookies) because I had heard about them a lot. They were okay - not as sweet as the kataifi but nothing special either. They tasted like shortbread cookies covered in powdered sugar.
Overall, it was an okay night out. Nothing much happened and we didn't stick around too long. It was just too crowded and there really wasn't a lot of stuff to look at. It was also pretty dark in areas, even though there were lights strung up. This was my first and probably last time there. I'll wait for the real thing.
Visian ICL - Pre-Comprehensive Exam
Back in June I went in for some consultations on corrective eye surgery. I was able to watch both procedures live, which was pretty cool. The Lasik surgery was extremely fast and looked painless. The Visian seemed a little longer, although it was definitely less than 15 minutes.
I decided on the Visian ICL procedure over the Lasik because I feel more comfortable that it isn't permanent. Hopefully I'll never need to undo the surgery, but I like knowing that it can be done. With Lasik, once they blast your eye with the laser, the cells don't grow back. I mean, on the off chance that there's an eff up, you'd be screwed. With Visian, they can remove the implant and you can go back to how you were pre-op.
Anyway, my comprehensive eye exam is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon. This is when they will do all the elaborate measurings and readings of my eyes. If I remember right, they said it'll take two hours. Once this is done, they can order the lenses. The surgeries are scheduled for the following two Wednesdays (only one eye at a time).
Because of the exam on Tuesday, I have to wear glasses from now till then. This is supposed to allow your eyes to return to their normal shape. I guess contacts of any kind reshape the surface of your eyes if you wear them for too long. I've had contacts since the fifth grade so I guess that's sufficiently long enough. On a positive note, I wear soft lenses so I only need to remove my lenses a few days prior to the exam. If you wear hard lenses, you have to take out your contacts for a couple weeks, I think.
If you're like me and never wear your glasses outside of your house, wearing them now is like a slow torture. I keep telling myself that I'll never have to wear glasses again, but the next four days will be a killer. Since I'm not used to wearing glasses more than a couple hours at a time, this should be a painful experience for me. Even now, after wearing them for only a couple hours, they feel extremely heavy. At least I only have to wear them for two days at work though.
I decided on the Visian ICL procedure over the Lasik because I feel more comfortable that it isn't permanent. Hopefully I'll never need to undo the surgery, but I like knowing that it can be done. With Lasik, once they blast your eye with the laser, the cells don't grow back. I mean, on the off chance that there's an eff up, you'd be screwed. With Visian, they can remove the implant and you can go back to how you were pre-op.
Anyway, my comprehensive eye exam is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon. This is when they will do all the elaborate measurings and readings of my eyes. If I remember right, they said it'll take two hours. Once this is done, they can order the lenses. The surgeries are scheduled for the following two Wednesdays (only one eye at a time).
Because of the exam on Tuesday, I have to wear glasses from now till then. This is supposed to allow your eyes to return to their normal shape. I guess contacts of any kind reshape the surface of your eyes if you wear them for too long. I've had contacts since the fifth grade so I guess that's sufficiently long enough. On a positive note, I wear soft lenses so I only need to remove my lenses a few days prior to the exam. If you wear hard lenses, you have to take out your contacts for a couple weeks, I think.
If you're like me and never wear your glasses outside of your house, wearing them now is like a slow torture. I keep telling myself that I'll never have to wear glasses again, but the next four days will be a killer. Since I'm not used to wearing glasses more than a couple hours at a time, this should be a painful experience for me. Even now, after wearing them for only a couple hours, they feel extremely heavy. At least I only have to wear them for two days at work though.
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