this week

This week was humid and hot...

Friday...I had been keeping pennies in this plastic bottle since 1989.

Since we have to get rid of things, I decided to bring in the pennies to the bank...well, 30 years later when I turned the bottle on its side, it cracked!

I'm glad it cracked at home and not at the bank!

It took me 4 to 5 (I can't remember) trips...the bank tellers knew who I was by the last trip...eep!

Thank goodness the bank counts it at no (5%) charge to members...I had $129 or so saved!

I brought some books to the library to be recycled.

Lunch was from The Elephant Shack in the Pearl Highlands Center.

The food court was renovated and it is a very nice space now.

I ordered the Yum Gai Yang...grilled marinated chicken tossed in fresh lime-cilantro jus w/ green papaya, grape tomato, cilantro, mint, lemon grass and shallots served w/ jasmine rice

So much food but so good! I had this for 2 meals.

I want to go back to try some other items on their menu.

Friday night I went to the Wahiawa Ryusenji Soto Mission Bon Dance with Aunty M.

Dinner was their hamburger curry rice bowl...comfort food!

And what would a bon dance be without andagi! 2 for $1!

Saturday, I moved my things into BFF's house.

She cleared a closet and dresser for me and has graciously allowed me to stay with her next time I'm in Hawaii.

I'll probably need to ride the bus to get around, or rent-a-car, but at least I'll still be in Pearl City.

Thanks W!

Lunch was at Big Kahuna's Pizza.

I ordered the Kanaka...kalua pork, bbq sauce and green onions...love their crust!

After lunch, we went to ChefZone.

Apparently Y.Hata, a large food supplier teamed up with ChefZone and moved from Sand Island to a huge warehouse near the airport.

In the past, I have gone to their Sand Island location with my mom which was kind of crampy (especially the parking!), she would've loved this new store.

Not too sure if their price is comparable to Costco's but I'm glad I was able to get a bigger size of Anahola granola for my breakfasts.

Saturday's dinner was breakfast at Pancakes and Waffles BLD...waffle, over medium eggs and portuguese sausage...It was nice having the whole place to ourselves (I think everyone was at home watching the Pacquio Thurman fight)

Sunday morning, my brother and I made a Paalaa Kai Bakery run.

Breakfast was their malasadas, love!

It was my brother's first time trying their malasadas and he is now a fan.

One thing we picked up was their custard pie for Sunday dinner.

The crust is junk, but the filling is nice and eggy.

Condo Update from Satoshi...it looks like it got even higher...boo!

Uncle H and Aunty V made a "late" night delivery to share some of their "gold" (mangoes) with us....thank you!

One thing the realtor mentioned to us was that counter tops should be cleared so that it shows buyers that you have enough storage space.

So, I deconstructed the shelving we had in my room and in another room.

I guess I am not too mechanical in the sense that when I took out a piece, the shelf came crashing down (on my foot!)

Needless to say, I had a bruise and some bleeding...and I also scared the "furry one" (and myself).

I'm sure the neighbors must've wondered what the heck was going on too.

Lunch on this day was Rainbow's chili fries.

I should've eaten it right then and there as the fries were soggy by the time I got home, but the chili was nice.

Thick with the right amount of spices.

It was my first time trying their chili and I'm glad it didn't disappoint.

I went through the linen closet one day (sorry I can't remember what day it was)

Found two table runners that I think my Grandma shishu-ed (embroidered)...One was this sakura (bummer there was a hole in it) and another was a peony...

And there were afghans that my mom crocheted and tons of towels.

The afghans, sheets, table cloths, runners and placemats went to the Salvation Army and the towels to the Humane Society.

Malia has been hanging out on top of the piano...probably because it is cooler there...probably because the house is upside down and her favorite spots to sit have been invaded by stuff to be purged.

I have this app called Yurekuru.

It tells me when the earthquakes in Japan are coming.

Well, when you are in Hawaii, it will still tell you when the earthquakes in Japan are coming.

So, it scared me one day...

I facetimed with Satoshi (since he didn't answer my email) and of course, he hadn't felt a thing...sigh, at least he was safe, right?!

Thursday, Uncle H came by to pick up my mom's orchid plants.

Aunty V adopted them....

I am relieved...thank you!

After dropping off towels at the Humane Society, I picked up a Meat Jun & Kalbi plate from Gina's Barbeque for dinner...the choi sum was hard like it wasn't cooked long enough and the kim chee was hard too like it wasn't soaked long enough.

Still, there is more than enough food for 2 meals...

Lunch on Thursday was from Musubi Iyasume at Ala Moana's Lanai (food court near Macy's)...I tried their konbu musubi bento.

1st musubi to have "stuff" in almost every bite!

I would get this again.

I don't usually like the musubi in Japan because the filling is usually only in the first bite, not to mention the rice is sometimes hardened from the refrigeration...

And rounding out Thursday...we finally got rain...lots of it! whoo! which also brought this awesome rainbow.

So, basically that is what my week was like. There are more photos with descriptions here if you are interested.

Have a nice weekend.

The Elephant Shack (UPDATE : 2022 no longer at this address)
1000 Kamehameha Highway
Pearl City, Hawaii
Hours: 11:00-21:00 (19:00 Sundays)

this week

Friday, my Aunty M invited me to have lunch at Gyotaku with her, Aunty M1 and my grandma's Hilo neighbor, C.

Growing up, whenever we would visit my Grandma in Hilo, I would have to go over to C's house to practice piano....

She recently moved from Hilo to Honolulu and living in a care home.

Every so often, my aunties take her out for lunch, sometimes shopping.

C is legally blind (I think, she can only see shadows), so eating was quite a challenge.

Since I was sitting beside her, I coached her as to where her food was as she ate.

I ordered the rainbow roll...it was delicious and just enough food for myself.

The weather has been blazing, so this was perfect...Thank you for lunch C!

We've been enjoying avocados from V.

I tried a new combo...croissant and avo...butter and buttery!

So good, thanks V!

Basically this week was more danshari (purging)...POGs milk caps...everyone used them to advertise back in the day...

Kerbangers...you could break bones with this toy...

Dinner with BFF at The Alley.

Furikake Ahi (tuna) sandwich was a little too fishy for BFF.

It was nice to get out for a bit...thanks BFF!

Christmas ornaments...most of the ornaments we grew up with were handmade from egg cartons, styrofoam, the flash cubes from cameras (back in the day when cameras had flash cubes!).

Even Hawaiian shells and nuts that we polished...good memories.

Sunday dinner at Aunty M1's.

Her appetizer was delicious!

Naan (flatbread), pesto, shrimp, lemon, arugula and a slice of apple...gotta try re-creating this!

We also found a box with lots of the Mother's Day and Father's Day cards we gave to our parents....

Highlights of some of the cards I gave them: "Kikaida loves Mom. Zaboga loves Mom"

"My Dad is a hard worker.... I think he is the best Dad in the world"

Tuesday, got a chance to meet up with L of Genki Tummy.

She is a research chef and food scientist at the new Culinary Innovation Center at Kapiolani Community College's Culinary Program.

The last time we met up was over 6 years ago!

It was nice touring the facility, seeing some of her upcoming projects in the works and I can't wait to try the curries and chutney she and her team created! (Thank you!)

On the same day, got to meet up with good friend G!

It is always nice catching up with her.

Thank you for dinner and great conversation G! (the Cobb salad at Big City Diner was HUGE!)

Wednesday, took some books to the library to be recycled.

Since I am technically not supposed to be lifting anything heavy, I was thankful they had a guy come out to the car to take them out for me.

Afterwards, I met up with V again since she had more avocados to share.

She had been craving hiyashi chuka (cold noodles) at Menchanko-Tei.

It was my first time here.

I didn't know this, but Goma Ichi closed in 2017! and Menchanko-Tei was given permission to use the tan tan men and other recipes.

(Back in the day, Goma Ichi was one of the first places that I tried ramen in Hawaii. The parking for the shop was junk but the food was so delicious!)

On this day, it was so blazing that eating tan tan men was unthinkable, so I hope to get back when it is cooler to try it.

After lunch, V and I walked across the parking lot to En Hakkore Cafe, which is located inside a Korean Supermarket.

She says that whenever she comes here, she has to have this....Pat Bing Su (azuki shave ice) to share!

Pour the espresso over everything, like affogato and dig in.

The espresso cuts the sweetness a little.

This is HUGE...I'm glad I got to try this.

V also shared some sakura manju that she made (so buttery, flaky and ono (delicious!)) and more avocados.

Thank you V!

Thursday, we had an appraiser come in to do a "time of death" appraisal.

We didn't know it at the time, but when my father passed away last year, we were supposed to get one done...still learning as to what things need to get done after someone passes!

Afterwards I met up with my Instagram friend @sunnyyelloww for coffee.

It was our first time meeting IRL (in real life).

She reached out to me last year as we had similar things going on in life at the time.

It was so nice putting a face to the name and I enjoyed chatting with her.

She gave us these Snack Addicted Beef Chips, I'll share these with Satoshi when I return to Japan in the Fall. (Thank you!)

Lunch was from Chubbies Hawaii, a food truck in the parking lot near Ohana Hale Marketplace, near Ward Avenue.

I tried their 50s burger...local grass fed beef, lettuce, tomato, cheese and their 50s sauce....I also added some avocado.

So good...I want to go back to try their Chub Fries.

Dinner was from Foodland Farms' Cold Bar.

I tried a little of this and that...$8.99 per pound can add up quickly.

I enjoyed the Beet Poke (poke that uses roasted beets instead of raw fish)...the least enjoyed were the roasted brussels sprouts which were hard.as.rock.

Whew! so that was my week (more photos here if you are interested) ...hope you have a nice weekend!

Gyotaku
1824 South King Street
Honolulu, Hawaii
Hours: 11:00-21:00

Menchanko Tei (UPDATE: 2022 out of business)
903 Ke'eaumoku Street
Honolulu, Hawaii
Closed Tuesdays
Hours: 11:00-14:30 (lunch), 17:00-22:00 (dinner)

En Hakkore Cafe (UPDATE: 2022 out of business)
825 Ke'eaumoku Street (inside Korean Supermarket)
Honolulu, Hawaii
Hours: 9:30-21:30

Snack Addicted
1234 Kona Street, 2F
Honolulu, Hawaii
Closed Sundays
Weekdays: 11:00-18:00
Saturdays: 11:00-16:00

Chubbies Hawaii : UPDATE moved to Kaimuki
960 Auahi Street
Honolulu, Hawaii
Closed some holidays*check their social media accounts for more info
Hours: 10:30-21:00

update

Update as to what I've been up to...

Tried Rainbow Drive-In's barbecue beef sandwich...super meaty, tender and tasty.

They have a new location in Pearlridge, will be back to try other items on their menu.

Tried the Haagen Dazs' Stout ice cream with Guinness Extra Stout...love! the slightly bitter beer balances out the sweetness of the ice cream.

Sunday, woke up bright and early to get some goodies from Paalaa Kai Bakery (snow puffies for sunday dinner and a malasada for sunday breakfast).

Went car shopping with BFF (lots of test driving but she ended up not getting anything)...lunch was at Kalapawai Cafe in Kapolei.

Boy! their wait service was lousy...took us forever to get our lunch...we were definitely hangry!

The beet and avocado sandwich was okay, but probably could've used a little more dressing or pickled onions, was kinda bland.

I also started cleaning/purging (and I was supervised by the furry one).

So far, the hardest part was going through all the photo albums...

Met with the realtor on Wednesday, who is super nice and patient.

I played my piano, thanked it for all the years of music, even the krazy piano lessons that at the time I hated taking, appreciative now that I can still read music and could play my favorite sonatina by Muzio Clementi...Sonatina, Opus 36, 1st movement.

Thursday, had lunch with V at Seoul Tofu House.

It was blazing hot and she had their seafood sundubu (tofu soup)...she said it was the best she's had, especially since there was a generous amount of seafood in it (no photo).

Me, I am a wimp when it is hot and had their cold noodles...so perfect for the heat and with a nice chew!

V treated us to these kouign amann from B.Patisserie...favorite in this order...original, black sesame and POG (passion orange guava).

All were delicious.

Flaky and buttery.

(Funny story about the coffee from Starbucks...I ordered a nitro cold brew and they gave it to me in those new (to me) "sippy" cup thingies. Well, the top has a hole in it to drink from.
Since I was taking it out, I asked her for a regular lid, and she said, "why does the nitro make your lips feel funny?!" I was like, "no, because I'm driving and I don't want it to spill"...gah!)

V also gave us some avocados, gummies

and a pretty bracelet. (Thank you!)

It was nice hanging out with her and I'm glad we found on street parking in Waikiki! (score!)

So that was most of what happened since the last post...hope you have a nice weekend.

Rainbow Drive-In
Pearlridge Downtown 3rd floor
Aiea, Hawaii
Hours: 10:00-21:00
Open when Pearlridge is

Seoul Tofu House
2299 Kuhio Avenue
Waikiki, Hawaii
Hours: 11:00-21:00

b.Patisserie (inside Kona Coffee Purveyors)
International Marketplace
2330 Kuhio Avenue
Waikiki, Hawaii
Hours: 6:00-22:00

p.s. if you'd like to see other pictures I've taken, I've added the link here.

happy 4th

It's the 4th of July here in the States.

Thought I should tell you what I've been up to...

I haven't touched anything to purge (yet), have been getting acclimated to the time difference.

I did visit my Dad and my Mom on Monday at their respective resting places.

And a day before, we had dinner at my Aunty M1's...all sorts of delicious foods.

Including Holy Bakery's peach pie and lychee (first photo).

Visited with Aunty V and she was kind to share with us some of the "gold" (mangoes) she had as well as a delicious harusame salad that she made.

Salads have been perfect food these days, it is blazing (and kind of humid) in Hawaii!

I went to Down to Earth a couple of times for their salad bar...bummed that they don't have avocado in their line-up at Pearlridge, but did try some new (to me) items like their spicy noodle salad and purple sweet potato salad.

As always, love their curry quinoa salad and beets.

And because it is so hot, I bought some ice cream & gelato from Target.

Talenti's new layers series...Peanut Butter Vanilla Fudge and Haagen Dazs' new Spirits series...Stout!

Both are so good!

Hope to put a scoop of the stout into a cup of stout!

And then I went back to Target and bought another new (to me) flavor...Coconut Almond Chocolate, if you love coconut, almonds & chocolate (like I do) this is definitely a must!

Hope all is well where you are and if you are celebrating the 4th, be safe, have fun and hope it is delicious!