May 2008

Parents want the best for you, so they nag that your clothes should be respectable like so-and-so’s, your job secure like such-and-such’s, and your boyfriend, well…someone else.

Novelist Mingmei Yip rose to her parents’ challenges, graduating from the Sorbonne, studying Chinese arts and music, and becoming a writer – experiences channeled into her spectacular debut “Peach Blossom Pavilion.”

The novel brings to life the time of China ’s mingji – geisha predecessors. At age 13, Yip’s spirited protagonist sees her father executed, her mother escape to... Read more »

Lei Chic’s guide to the weekend’s best events.

State of Bliss
What: Hawai‘i native Bliss Lau returns home to host a trunk show of her upcoming fall collection of leather handbags and belts. Trunk show shoppers get 10 percent off, or get 20 percent off with a donation (school supplies like pens or notebooks) to The Children’s Alliance . Everyone who makes a purchase at the event is entered to win a new Bliss Lau bag.
When:  Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30p.m.
Where:  Riches boutique... Read more »

It’s an unshakeable party truth: no matter how many tables and chairs you put on the lanai – or even if you put the entire bar out there – everyone always ends up back in the kitchen.

Take the hint. Have your next party in the kitchen.

Call Gourmet Cooking Hawai‘i, and they’ll help you cook up a party with a recipe to impress. Maybe have Chef Mavro over to your house to cook dinner for you and your guests – knowing the master’s secrets is quite a party favor. Or, hold a bigger event at a restaurant or commercial kitchen and choose... Read more »

Every time Auntie returns from Hilo , you salivate waiting for her Two Ladies Kitchen omiyage – soft, chewy mochi wrapped around a tart strawberry dipped in smoky azuki bean paste. But now that higher inter-island fares have her sticking around O‘ahu, you’ve got the mochi blues.

If only you’d known earlier about Saturday Grandma’s gourmet mochi, made from Alice Yamanishi’s old Hilo recipe with no artificial flavors or colors, and available right here on O‘ahu since 2002. With equally tasty mochi-wrapped strawberries, chi chi dango specialties alternating weekly (this... Read more »

Remember the necklace Carrie thought she lost when she was in Paris with the Russian? It wasn’t really about jewelry, you know – it was symbolic of her lost identity after moving to France just for him. Once she discovered it hiding in her purse lining, Carrie also found herself again, and Mr. Big too (learn what happened next in the Sex and the City movie premier Friday).

Just like Carrie, now you can keep hold of your true self wherever you go, with a 14k gold-fill or sterling silver wire-wrapped name necklace, hand-crafted to order by Tiffany Young, owner of Bamboo Sky.... Read more »

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Three-day weekend! Don’t wind up beached without these sand and surf essentials.

Level Head
You can’t padlock your beach tote to keep your keys, cellphone and iPod safe when you’re in the water. But the Podillow beach pillow lets you hide them under the cushion in the hard plastic frame. The donut-shaped pillow also makes it comfortable to snooze face down, or relax  face-up to read while you watch the body boarders. Online at www.podillow.com

No Pain in the Neck
Loop your... Read more »

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