The View From Space

Happy Chinese New Year to all!
According to the Chinese Zodiac it is the year of the Dragon. More specifically the Water Dragon.  (It is interesting to note that the true Chinese Zodiac is based on a 60 year cycle (12 animals x 5 elements) rather than the 12 year cycle typically celebrated here in the west)

Dragons in general are said to be passionate and driven.  A leader.

The water element is said to calm the dragon’s fire and promote a more balanced personality, one that can see other points of view.

Great qualities for a future leader.

Even after witnessing @Geewhy’s disastrous attempt at buying a candy bar from our work vending machine, my thirst for adventure (well actually my craving for chocolate and sugar) drove me to roll the dice and buy a chocolate bar from the same machine.

The results?  A partially melted and crumbly Almond Snickers bar.  Either we’ve got the worst luck at buying candy, or we need to get the folks who stock these to put in fresh items.  

Oh and unlike @Geewhy, I ate mine! 

Received the Gowalla Scarf that I won in December.  Now I’m all set for the next Hawaiian blizzard.

Oh the holiday cheer, the buying of gifts, the …. traffic?
If you’ve been anywhere near the malls this Christmas season you’ve seen your share of traffic INSIDE the mall parking lots.  This was the scene this past weekend at Ala Moana Shopping Center.

Gowalla is currently running a contest for the month of December called…no peeking now… Gowalla on the go.  There’s a different prize everyday, and you can win by simply checking in with Gowalla and tweeting about it.  Like this guy below:

Spent our Sunday afternoon watching the Blue Angels perform at the Kaneohe MCB Airshow.  Prepped for the event by reading @geewhy’s blog on what to expect.  The only thing he missed was the traffic trying to leave the base at the end of the day.

As far as the performance, the Blue Angels did not disappoint.  If watching these high caliber pilots perform doesn’t get your blood pumping you need to get your cardiovascular system checked immediately.

Here’s a couple of video clips taken from my Samsung Vibrant:

Did a short stay-cation at the Turtle Bay Resort to celebrate my wife’s birthday.  Having not been there in several years, we were pleasantly surprised by the accommodations.  The hotel itself has been wonderfully maintained and the grounds were well manicured.  The room, although rather spartan, was clean and pleasant.  My only issue was that the bathroom was dimly lit and bathing was done in a very dark stall.  I guess you could argue that it made for romantic showers, but at my age it’s probably more important to be able to see if you’ve missed washing any body parts.

I was also amazed to find that free wireless access was available throughout the hotel.  Normally high end hotels/resorts charge you upwards of $12/day  (although I later found out that it’s not quite free, there’s a Hotel Service Fee of $25/day that is charged to cover parking and …. wireless access).  Ok, maybe it’s just because I’m getting easier to satisfy in my old age, but I just looked at the fee as another add-on that resorts charge.

The highlight of the stay was most definitely the Luana Spa.  My wife had a facial and body scrub done the morning we left.  Although pricey, the services were definitely worth it.  The staff was warm and welcoming, making you feel at ease and relaxed.  I highly recommend a treatment or two if you ever stay there.

My wife and I recently celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary by traveling to Laie and visiting the Polynesian Cultural Center.  There, after a buffet dinner we were treated to the highly acclaimed show Ha: Breath of Life.

True to form the show centered around the various dances of each polynesian culture.  Here they introduced the concept of Ha (breath of life) and tied each culture together with it.  They also used the life story of Mana (a boy) as the backdrop.    His life starts in Tonga and as he grows they take you through each of the island cultures.  Hawaii, as a young boy where he grows and learns. Samoa, where as a young man he falls in love with a Samoan beauty.  Tahiti where he is married.  Then to Fiji to witness the death of his Father in battle.   All the while using dances unique to each culture to help tell the story.

While the message is very deep and spiritual the show is not without it’s fun moments.  In Samoa, Mana is caught wooing the girl of his dreams and must prove himself worthy to her father.  This entails doing the fire dance and suffering the hilarious consequences.

Here are some pics and short video snippets.

They’re currently offering Kamaaina’s a great deal, for $30 you get a buffet dinner and the show.  Hurry before the special ends August 31.  It’s well worth the price.

There’s also that “other” Magical place, Six Flags Magic Mountain. Comparing it to the Magic Kingdom is like comparing night to day. The mountain is geared towards the “older kids” with many high thrill coasters (X2,Tatsu and Goliath were my personal favorites) and a waterpark. Although California Adventures has Screamin and the Magic Kingdom has the Matterhorn it just doesn’t compare. So if you’re into coasters Magic Mountain is the place for you.

However, if you’ve ever loved a Disney movie, regardless of your age the Magic Kingdom will definitely not disappoint you. Every ride is a trip through Walt Disney’s endless imagination. On a more practical note, Disney definitely wins the parking and people moving experience. From the moment you leave your parked car you’re immersed in the Disney experience, the tram ride to the main gate could almost pass as one of the theme park rides.

In this department Magic Mountain is sorely lacking. An open asphalt field with poorly marked tram stops and even poorer methods of crowd control make the long uphill walk from the parking lot to the gate more inviting than waiting for one of the two trams that run the route.

I did feel safer at Disneyland than at Magic Mountain. Maybe it was the (possibly perceived) reputation of the surrounding area or perhaps it was the metal detectors at the gate, either way it took away some of the “magic” of the experience.

All in all I personally enjoyed both parks. Disney definitely gets the nod for families with young children (including the young at heart) while Magic Mountain wins hands down in the thrill-seeker department.

Summer is here and what better way to enjoy it than spending the afternoon with family and friends enjoying a concert featuring local artists. Well you can do that every Wednesday at the Honolulu Zoo’s Wildest Show in Town. Not only do you have an opportunity to spend time outdoors enjoying the music, there’s also food and even a ukulele giveaway. To top it off, all proceeds benefit the Honolulu Zoo.