ChanomiTalk

Kapiolani is an extremely busy street with lots of traffic all the time. With so many vehicles converging from all different directions and the sheer number of pedestrians it is always a hassle. At night, it is even more complicated to navigate due to reduced lighting and the utter lack of lighting in some places. Frequently, pedestrians will dash across the street in unmarked areas in the dark creating dangerous situations. However, what really was upsetting the other night was a situation created by a bicyclist. Having just broken away from a traffic jam, seemingly free of traffic, and apparently with a clear road in front of me, I finally began to relax driving along Kapiolani because I was almost at my destination. Then, I suddenly saw a shadowy figure dart in front of me. In the dark, it was impossible to identify what happened but I assumed it was someone that ran across the street. An instant later it became clear what happened and I had to slam on my brakes. A man on a bicycle with no light and no reflectors that were visible had pulled out hurriedly into the left lane of the street right in front of me in order to then make a left turn. The difference in our relative speeds was needless to say considerable and due to the darkness I couldn’t see him until he was almost on my front bumper. I understand the need to share the road but for a bicyclist to take this action in the middle of the night on an extremely busy street is lunacy in my opinion.

During our courtship Rika and I ate at many different restaurants in Waikiki. During that time we discovered Marukame Udon. It’s a small restaurant on Kuhio in Waikiki. How we came to finally picking it was because we had passed by it several times and there was always a long line. And Lots of Japanese in line as well. So we figured, if the Japanese are willing to wait then it must be good. And it was. :)and Now we go anytime we’re in the area. But if you don’t wanna take my word for it. They were also recently listed in Honolulu Magazine as one of the top 47 Japanese Restaurants on Oahu. 🙂 Just look for the long line.

For some reason, I’ve acquired a taste for Italian food as of late. Probably, this is because I discovered two Italian restaurants on Oahu that serve really good food. The first is cafe Olive in Wahiawa. They have a great atmosphere with live music, and I love the meatballs. The second is Amina Pizzeria, on Kalakaua avenue. I go there often when I take a break during my NACOS session. The place is halfway between a sit-down restaurant and a fast food place in price, speed and quality, so it’s great for a quick bite that you can actually savor, as opposed to going someplace like McDonald’s.


新しい好物

　最近、どういうわけか、イタリア料理が好きになりました。オアフ島で、大変美味しいイタリアレストランを二つ見つけたからかも知れません。一つ目は、ワヒアワにあるカフェ オリーブです。この店は、生演奏のある素晴らしい雰囲気のレストランで、ミートボールは絶品です。二つ目は、カラカウア通りの傍にあるアミナ ピッツェリアです。ナコスの休憩時間によく行きます。この店は、値段、速さ、味、三拍子揃った店で、本格的なレストランとファストフードの中間に位置します。ですから、急いでいる時は最高です。マクドナルドのような所とは違って、限られた時間の中で、料理を味わい、楽しむことの出来るレストランです。唯、このレストランには、一つだけ難点があります。この店で料理を食べた後は、睡魔に襲われると云うことです。

Here are some photos from the Ms. Aloha Hula competition. There are two different categories: kahiko & awana. Kahiko is more traditional hula. Awana is more contempory. The main difference is the style of dance and music.

My sister & I were able to attend the Ms. Aloha Hula competition at the 50th Merrie Monarch Hula Competition in Hilo, Hawaii. It was such a festive evening! Everyone was dressed in their finest aloha attire adorned with fragrant colorful flowers and leis. There were people from all over the world celebrating. It was a night to remember.

NACOSの新しいちらしをご覧くださいませ。

また、日本の諺にも親しんでいただけるように、英語で作成しました。

Hello,

I have just spent the last month in Melbourne on a working holiday and had a lovely time. Michael, Bali and I took the opportunity to tour around Melbourne on the weekends and see lots of lovely sights (see photos in my last post). Melbourne is Australia’s second largest city and it is certainly an international “melting pot” of a city! There is China town, Greek precinct, Little Italy and a small Malaysian area too. Lots of artists and producers live in Melbourne and of course lots of people from all walks of life.

Next we are on our way to teaching for 2 weeks in Sydney. Sydney is a lovely city. It is like another home to me (along with Hawaii, and Japan!). Right now I am about 80kms away from Sydney in the famous Blue Mountains. It is certainly a contrast to be in the mountains after being in a city for so long. It is gorgeous here in Fall. It is a lovely cold climate and gets very misty when it rains, the temperature averages about 14 celcius, and it is a lovely sunny day today. When it is not sunny the whole area can be filled with mist and it is very surreal indeed.
Walking on the trails can be like walking in another time, I am really enjoying my time off in the Blue Mountains and will send some photos soon.

Aloha!

今、有名なブルー・マウンテンズ国立公園にいます。
ここで、１週間ほど、骨休めをしています。

添付した写真は、メルボルンです。
ハイクポエムも考えています。
来週から、又、シドニーで忙しい生活が始まります。