SONY DSCWhen I travel, I like to blog events as they happen, but sometimes the days are so jam packed with things to do, there’s no time. Such is the case with the annual Celebration of the Arts, happening this coming weekend at the Ritz Carlton Kapalua. (By the time the weekend had finished last year, it was too late…
The famous Bird’s Nest stadium from the Beijing Olympics I got to spend, literally, one full day back in Beijing before heading home at midnight. Fortunately, it was a beautiful day and the pollution was low, so we could enjoy the sights and soak in the sun. My niece Morgen decided that I should see the site of the Beijing…
For most, summer means a break from school, hitting the beaches or going on a trip. For me, it’s all about watching some kick-ass movies. The summer movie season is when studios release their blockbuster flicks where bigger is always better. As usual, get ready for a heavy load of franchise film sequels, comic book heroes and a whole lot…
An old British married couple travels to Paris in an attempt to keep the spark in their relationship. She bitches and moans about every little detail from the hotel room to which restaurant to eat at. He’s left blue balled every night after begging for sex and getting rejected at each feeble advance. Tell me again why I should be…
I saw some reports on China’s “ghost towns” and was intrigued. The world’s most populated country builds gigantic cities fashioned after European destinations to house a million people each, but only a fraction of that reside in them. Many of these beautiful buildings stand empty for years, waiting for something to happen. Although the construction helps provide jobs for migrant…
They say that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. You wouldn’t know. Because after a day on the go, and a few too many pilates sessions, your scent is anything but rosy. Nature Girl products creator Dina Kaniho has a secret weapon to weed out those odors (and the bacteria that comes with them): a totally homemade,…
In high school, I didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up. But I knew exactly what I was.I was a slacker.This Wednesday, “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure” is back on the big screen, part of Consolidated Theatres Hana Hou Picture Show. Before Wayne and Garth, there was Bill and Ted, forerunners of a genre of movies…
Mick Jagger. Lou Reed. You, after a couple of beers and hogging the karaoke mic. You don’t need to be a top record seller to be a rock star. All you have to do is smell a little bit like teen spirit (try not washing for a couple days), don’t stop believin’, and maybe pick up one of these “bands”…
Mick Jagger. Lou Reed. You, after a couple of beers and hogging the karaoke mic. You don’t need to be a top record seller to be a rock star. All you have to do is smell a little bit like teen spirit (try not washing for a couple days), don’t stop believin’, and maybe pick up one of these “bands”…
Realtor Jaymes Song offers tips on buying in a hot real estate market.
Honolulu Night Market was aptly themed Recharge with its new location on Cooke Street Saturday, and offered a fresh element to the fashion show layout, sans the runway and stage.Featured swimwear brand Issa de’ mar, complemented by ready-to-wear clothing brand, Escape, showcased their Spring/Summer 2014 collections. I don’t know if it’s because Coachella fever is still in the air, but…
As mentioned in my initial travel post, it’s been 30 years since I was last in Beijing. One of the highlights of my last visit here was visiting The Great Wall, which was started as early as 7th Century B.C. as several walls, and joined together over centuries to create the world wonder that we see today — even from…
They say a lunar eclipse can make people go a little … well, mad. We totally feel it. And since Hawaii’s eclipse begins around 8 p.m. tonight and goes until about 11—hours before the rest of the country—we've been getting moon-crazy a little early. Luckily we haven’t been turning into werewolves, whipping out some MJ-style '80s dance moves, or considering…
A North Shore resident captured rare video footage of humpback whales surfing Pipeline’s waves.
Since the upcoming Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) of Hawaii Spring Soiree is this Saturday, I’ve been looking at the lineup of chefs and getting very excited. One of the new restaurants on the list is Top of Waikiki, and they’re showcasing their (sort of) new chef, Lance Kosaka.If you recall, Kosaka was the executive chef at the Pineapple room for 17 years, then…
Funny, super smart and thankfully, unpredictable. This tagline should be on the poster of the romantic comedy, “How to Fight in Six Inch Heels,” directed by Ham Tran. I had a chance to work with Tran on a project in 2006, the same year his film, “Journey From the Fall,” showed at the Hawaii International Film Festival. Back then, I…
Tomorrow's headline: Dangerously Dwindling Cardstocks of Cute Notes Triggers Panic Messaging has come to a stop. All lines of communications are stationary. Rumors are, at least one person was forced to break up via a Post-it. Stop the letterpresses. Word is just in that Miemiko Atelier opened at Ward Centre. The stationery line that has been dressing up parties, weddings…
The Hawaii International Spring Showcase begins today, and as usual, HIFF is offering a great mix of international cinema with an emphasis on Asian films. Most of the films will be shown at Dole Cannery theaters, but there also will be some special presentations at Hawaii Theatre. Here’s a quick look at what likely will be the festival’s draws. “Once…
Hey DC, why don’t you come on over and take some notes from the Marvel films? Because this is how it’s done. Growing up on comic books, you were either a Marvel or DC guy. Sure, it was possible to be fans of both, but you could only be passionate about one of the comic universes. Marvel has the X-Men,…
A conversation with Joe Wilson, director of a new documentary about Kumu Hina Wong-Kalu.
H&M comes to Honolulu One of Honolulu's most anticipated store openings ever brought in more than 3,500 shoppers last Thursday, including Lei Chic reader Tiffany, who scored a $100 gift card and half an hour of private shopping on us. We walked through the store before anyone else to give our readers a sneak peek of the goodies (especially opening-day…
There’s a lot of good food in Hawaii, but have you had a real dining adventure? I got to have one, literally, when two Maui businesses decided to collaborate and take their entities to a new level.One is Happy Opu, an event/catering/pop-up company that creates unique dining experiences. Their tag line is “a tasty adventure,” and they do have some…
Several years ago, I went to Rio de Janeiro for Carnivale and, while on Copacabana Beach, saw some young people in groups taking turns doing an acrobatic dance in a circle. It was unlike anything I’d ever seen, since it combined dance and martial arts moves with somersaults. Turns out, they were practicing capoeira, which is a Brazilian martial art….
This is not the real Polar Plunge pool! Nonprofits around town always have different fundraisers to help them keep running, but Special Olympics Hawaii probably has the most unusual and fun events that get the entire community involved. You’re familiar with Over The Edge — which Myong Choi and I participated in on separate years — where people collect pledges…
