When I was at UH — struggling to pay my own tuition, I might add — my dad suddenly turned to me one day and said, “Do you want to go to bartending school? I’ll pay your tuition.” I was totally appalled at his offer, wondering why he would send me to bartending school when I was already studying for…
The HURT 100 during the day. —Photo by Augusto DecastroDid you know that one of the hardest ultramarathons in the country takes place right here on Oahu? Every January, the Hawaii Ultra Running Club (HURT) of Hawaii puts on the HURT 100, and athletes from all over the world try to gain entry. Since they limit the field to just…
Basement food mania ◄ Back Next ► Picture 1 of 27 Temperatures in Seoul today have plummeted below zero (that’s right, and that’s Fahrenheit), but do I know that? I’m underground. This is Lotte Department Store’s Premium food basement, just across the street — make that under the street — from my hotel.On any given day, a good part of…
Seoul-ful Saturday ◄ Back Next ► Picture 1 of 26 Saturday morning. The sky is bright and clear, the wind gusting and temperatures plunging toward single-digit territory. It’s a gorgeous day in Seoul.I’m meeting Ryan, Burt, Aaron and Annie for lunch, but my taxi driver can’t figure out the map the hotel printed out for me. He calls dispatch and…
Seoul is massive, population 11 million, fastest broadband speeds in the world, highest per capita energy consumption in Asia. In other words, ultra-developed. Going to take me a bit to get my bearings.My first taxi ride helped (I think). I left the Hawaiian Air peeps and guests at the luxurious Seoul Plaza Hotel the first night, rolled my luggage into…
For the past five weeks, I’ve been working downtown for HAWAI’I Magazine.It was a nice break from my full-time job at Kapi’olani Community College, where most of us who work there eat at the cafeteria (run by our award-winning culinary arts program) or Subway. Unless you don’t mind walking to Pioneer Saloon or Fort Ruger Market, there isn’t much variety…
A new movie released tomorrow raised an interesting question: if you caught your best friend’s spouse cheating, what would you do?That’s the premise behind “The Dilemma,” starring Vince Vaughn and Kevin James. They play best friends and partners in an auto design firm. But Ronny (Vaughn) catches Nick’s (James) wife making out with another guy. And that leaves him wondering…
What are you going to do with all that leftover mochi in your ‘fridge from New Year’s?There’s only so much ozoni you can make.Well, you’re in luck!Our resident foodie Mari Taketa — who’s probably not eating mochi right now in Seoul — has some innovative ways to spice up that boring mochi, a traditional Japanese food served during New Year’s. (You’ll…
If you’ve ever wondered about sake but were afraid to ask, visit The Sake Stop at 1461 S. King St. Their whole reason for opening their store was to help educate people about sake and share in the appreciation of the rice-based alcohol.They have free tastings at least once a month around a theme. During their tastings, they teach you…
I had the chance to sit down with Actor Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa to talk story about acting, his teaching efforts and about discovering Twitter and social media to connect with fans.With a recent appearance on “Hawaii Five-0,” Tagawa takes a moment to reflect on his role and to talk about how his next 60 years are devoted to sharing his experiences…
Question: Dear Dr. Dish, I want to get my girlfriend an engagement ring. But after I have seen all of her friends parade around 1.5-plus carat rings, I can’t afford it. She says it doesn’t matter, but it does, doesn’t it? I feel she’ll be embarrassed to wear my itty-bitty ring, which is all I can afford. What should I…
Podium Raceway Hawaii Electric Indoor Go-Kart Racing ◄ Back Next ► Picture 1 of 17 The line-up jQuery(function($) { new NggPaginatedGallery(‘b73e1682723d90fb392914107259bd18’, ‘.ngg-imagebrowser’); });If it’s not the beach or a hike, it’s the water park. If it’s not the water park, it’s the mall. If it’s not the mall, it’s likely at home sleeping, but if you’re not in the mood…
It was standing-room only — with an overflow in a separate room — at First Assembly of God in Red Hill on Saturday.The attendance — more than 1,000 people were there, with a line to visit the family twisting through the church, down the stairs and through the parking lot — was a testament to the life of Zachary Manago, an 18-year-old…
I love Korean food. You name it, I’ll probably eat it. And it’s not because I watch Korean dramas. (I don’t.) And it’s not because I love spicy foods. (I do, but my stomach doesn’t.) It’s the big, robust, no-shame flavors of this cuisine that make it one of my favorites. So I’m always looking for the restaurant that’s going…
You’ve seen ’em.The newbies at the gym. The ones who resolved to be healthy this year but are unsure about what to do, where the classes are and, well, how to properly behave at the gym.Oh, don’t get me wrong. There are a lot of gym veterans who have the worst etiquette. They don’t re-rack weights or talk on their…
They strap us up pretty well before riding the zipline. Ouch!There’s more than one way to get your adrenaline pumping while you’re in Las Vegas, as we found out at the Fremont Street Experience. I flew through the air with the greatest of ease with Julie Yoneyama and her brother Vern, zipping over crowds on an 800-foot cable into the…
We love to support our Hawaii peeps when they open businesses on the mainland. When our Twitter friend Brad Tada (@tadasauce) told us about his cousin’s bakery in Las Vegas, we made the perilous drive out to Caked just to meet Carolyn and try her cupcakes. (OK, well, it’s perilous if I’m driving.) It’s not just a bakery, it’s a…
Most of you know Grant “Lanai” Tabura as a stand-up comic and deejay.Some of you may remember him as part of the Hoku-nominated comedy trio “The 3 Local Boys.” (Shows your age!)But Tabura is much more than that.He’s an avid stand-up paddle surfer, he’s a cigar aficionado — and he’s a savvy entrepreneur.For the past few years, Tabura has been making…
We watch too much TV.I’m not kidding.We, as Americans, watched an average of 34 hours a week last year. That’s more than a part-time job! And it amounts to the most TV consumption by Americans ever, according to the Nielsen Company (via the New York Times.)Blame addictive TV.Shows like CBS’ “Hawaii Five-0,” the breakout hit for the No. 1 network…
Let’s be honest: 2010 was, well, interesting.There were hurricanes and earthquakes, debates and discussions, rallys in Washington D.C., testimonies to Congress by comedians, sex scandals, shocking deaths and Bristol Palin in the finale of “Dancing with the Stars.”Weirdness everywhere.But through that, I’ve learned a few valuable lessons:A tablet computer can be functional. I was one of the biggest critics of…
As Melissa Chang and I cruised down the Las Vegas strip on our way to our next food location, I saw on one of the giant billboards that Jabbawockeez were performing in a show called “Mus.i.c” (Muse I See) at the Monte Carlo Hotel. I was a big fan of season one of “America’s Best Dance Crew,” when Jabbawockeez won…
I’m sure there were lots of iPads being given this Christmas, and if you got one, chances are, you’ve already tricked yours out with a cool cover or case to protect your precious cargo.There are tons of cases and covers out there made by several companies, and while I own several different cases, I’ve always been impressed with Speck Product…
As Ed Morita mentioned in his blog, he was supposed to go to a New Year’s Eve party at Serendipity 3 with me and Brooke here in Las Vegas. But due to his New Year’s Eve jinx, he sequestered himself in his hotel room to keep safe for the rest of the day and night.I had always wanted to see…
Every year my family goes out to dinner on Christmas Eve. And we like to try new restaurants, though with some restrictions, like, “not in Waikiki” and “not going to make my parents take out a second mortgage on the house.” So we’ve had Christmas Eve dinner at Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Morton’s and Kobe Japanese Steakhouse (which is the…
