Aloha !
As always, breakfast conversations are full of much laughter. As I was getting my morning coffee , Sunshine came up to me and said, " How do you always look so purty , especially so early in the mornin' ? " I laughed . I wake up, wash my face , brush my teeth , put on sunscreen and a flower in my hair. Nothing special . I wear absolutely no make up . " My hair gets all tangled in the morning ! " Sunshine said as he runs a frenetic tangle motion with his hands over his completely bald head . We both laughed.
There was an article in the Hawaii Tribune Herald ( a local newspaper ) today about Big Island beef Boom and it referred to Parker Ranch . Here's the link to the daily paper and the article. Arno said that it was bad news for the Big Island. Soon , there will be no trees as it would be cut down to grow grass to feed the cows. " Ch " Ch Ch Ch Ch Ch Ch Ch " Arno imitates a chainsaw slicing across trees . " Crandle shakes his head and said that would never happen , the Hawaiians won't allow it. " Well, we'll see in 50 or 60 years when there is not one tree left on the Big Island because of ranching grass fed cows ! " Arno replies. What a sad thought .
http://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/
I hope to go horseback riding at Parker Ranch. Kumu loves to ride horses too. " Perhaps one day, we will go riding together, Molly, " Kumu said to me. I would love that very much .
And as I sat down for breakfast directly across from Karl , I smiled at Karl and Karl smiles back at me and said , " I always love a beautiful half asleep woman smiling at me in the morning ! " I just shook my head and laugh . " Even if she is sitting across from me at the breakfast table ! " he adds , smiling and raising his bushy eyebrows like Groucho Marx. He really made me laugh as he can move them eyebrows very rapidly and in all kinds of contortions. Oh, the innuendos that go around. Karl is an attractive man and he doesn't look like Groucho Marx , but he does have thick eyebrows.
Bud , an older man, was sitting across from me too. He reminds me of Willie Nelson , minus the long white hair and the long beard , with old tattoos everywhere on his body. Bud's hair is fuzzy white buzz cut. In his raspy voice, he peers at me over his glasses , " Are you Hawaiian, Molly ? " I love his voice. Its hard to describe Bud's voice. I shook my head. " I bet you you're Hawaiian and just won't confess ! I know you're Hawaiian ! I've lived on this Island for 17 years . I know you are an Island Girl ! " I get that all the time.
Oh, yesterday morning , Gary left for Las Vegas for the World Poker Championship. He is apparently a really good poker player and he is going there to play . I mean, he's really really good . He apparently has won some big bucks . He was sitting beside me at breakfast yesterday and I wished him luck with Lady Luck. I told him that when I first saw him , I said to one of the volunteers , " Gary has a poker face. you can't read him. I bet he's really good at poker , if he plays. " Gary laughed when I told him this. Funny enough, he did a rap video that will soon be on Kalani's website. It would be really funny, I'm sure , to see and hear Gary rap and dance, with his poker face ! He really has a dead pan face ! " Should we be getting your autograph now before your head swells up from all your winnings ? " one of the guys said to Gary yesterday morning. Another one starts rubbing his elbow on Gary. " Hey, guys, I'm rubbing elbows with a famous poker player ! "
D ( his name is Donald and he goes by D ) was heading down to the lower Lanai and he said to Crandle , " I'm going down . " Crandle yells out " Who are you going down on ? " Yep . Typical male.
Arno, as usual, was reading his horoscope . Julia read his horoscope out loud and said to Arno, " Arno, you are suppose to flirt, as you do it so well. Tonight will be your night ! That's what your horoscope says ! " Arno looks across from me at the breakfast table and said , " Molly ! " He smiles at me and winks at me , winking like he's got something in his eye and he had me laughing . " Are you flirting with me , Arno ? " I said through my laughter. He's so funny . " Am I doing good ? " He asked . He's too sweet . " You're a natural ! " I replied, still laughing.
I have a hectic day ahead . Kumu is coming to work with me to fine tune three kahikos that I will be performing this weekend at Kona. I will be meeting her on my lunch break as I will be working at Hale Aloha all day . Yesterday,.I scooped 100 ice cream cups of ice cream, which, I believe is an all time record for scooping ice cream !
Hale Aloha. Hale means house/ home . Aloha means Love. Venetia said to me one day, " Molly, we work in the House of Love ! "
Yes, Hale Aloha , House of Love !
With much aloha ,
x0x0x0x0x0
Molly
Tuesday, 26 June 2012
Sunday, 24 June 2012
My Friend Joel
Aloha !
This evening when I was in the line for dinner , Joel came up behind me and gave me a shoulder rub . " Ow ! " I winced . " OOOOo, Joel , I have a really bad sunburn on my shoulders and back ! "
" Oh , I should have seen " said Joel , as the dress was I wearing did expose my shoulders and my back , and my hair was put up. He took a closer look at me back. " OOooooOOOO " he said. : That looks painful ! Owie ! " I nodded with a pout. Poor guy, he felt so bad . I gave him a gentle hug and he was mindful not to touch my back .
During dinner, we talked about stuff. He asked me if I was going to Improv . Improv classes started recently at Kalani . I told him that definitely was not my thing. I would freeze up. " Well, that's why there are classes ! " he said. " No thank you. " " Well, you might like it ! Try it ! " " No thank you ! "
While I was eating dessert , Joel said to me " I'll be right back ! Don't go anywhere ! " He was gone for a while and I didn't think he would come back. All of a sudden , I see him from the corner of my eye and he was standing behind me . I felt a cooling sensation on my shoulders and back. The sweetheart went to get aloe for me. He went to look for a wild aloe plant for me. He cut several leaves from an aloe plant ( they are huge here at Kalani ) and was gently putting aloe on my shoulders and back . It feels so much better. He also cut me some extra leaves to use later .
I got the bad sunburn from weeding in my bathing suit and sarong yesterday , at the cleansing. I forgot to put sunscreen on .It was so painful I couldn't sleep on my back last night . It hurt sleeping on my side also as my the back of my shoulders were sunburned too. :( Well at least, I didn't get sunburned on my first week at Kalani ! I am very tanned , a nice warm soft earthy brown . Now I really look Hawaiian .
Joel is one of the sweetest guys here at Kalani . He is so incredibly thoughtful and gives amazing hugs. I am so blessed to have Joel in my Life.
With much aloha ,
x0x0x0x0x0
Molly
This evening when I was in the line for dinner , Joel came up behind me and gave me a shoulder rub . " Ow ! " I winced . " OOOOo, Joel , I have a really bad sunburn on my shoulders and back ! "
" Oh , I should have seen " said Joel , as the dress was I wearing did expose my shoulders and my back , and my hair was put up. He took a closer look at me back. " OOooooOOOO " he said. : That looks painful ! Owie ! " I nodded with a pout. Poor guy, he felt so bad . I gave him a gentle hug and he was mindful not to touch my back .
During dinner, we talked about stuff. He asked me if I was going to Improv . Improv classes started recently at Kalani . I told him that definitely was not my thing. I would freeze up. " Well, that's why there are classes ! " he said. " No thank you. " " Well, you might like it ! Try it ! " " No thank you ! "
While I was eating dessert , Joel said to me " I'll be right back ! Don't go anywhere ! " He was gone for a while and I didn't think he would come back. All of a sudden , I see him from the corner of my eye and he was standing behind me . I felt a cooling sensation on my shoulders and back. The sweetheart went to get aloe for me. He went to look for a wild aloe plant for me. He cut several leaves from an aloe plant ( they are huge here at Kalani ) and was gently putting aloe on my shoulders and back . It feels so much better. He also cut me some extra leaves to use later .
I got the bad sunburn from weeding in my bathing suit and sarong yesterday , at the cleansing. I forgot to put sunscreen on .It was so painful I couldn't sleep on my back last night . It hurt sleeping on my side also as my the back of my shoulders were sunburned too. :( Well at least, I didn't get sunburned on my first week at Kalani ! I am very tanned , a nice warm soft earthy brown . Now I really look Hawaiian .
Joel is one of the sweetest guys here at Kalani . He is so incredibly thoughtful and gives amazing hugs. I am so blessed to have Joel in my Life.
With much aloha ,
x0x0x0x0x0
Molly
I am performing at Puuhonua O Honaunau in Kona !!!!!!!!!!
Aloha !
Wow ! Its a dream come true ! I have always wanted to learn Hula in Hawaii and perform Hula in Hawaii ! This weekend, I will be doing just that ! I will be performing at Puuhonua o Honaunau in Kona !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It happened so very fast. I joined a hula halau on Monday , June18th , ( today is June 24th ) and now I am going to Kona to perform with them on the weekend of June 29th, 30th and July 1st !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Right now , I have gathered 3 dozen brown ti leaves and I will be braiding them into 2 x 10 feet ropes and 2x 25 feet ropes to make slippers to wear at Puuhonua O Honananu .
I have also gathered 3 dozen fresh green ti leaves and I will be taught to make my own set of leis , for my head, around my neck, for my wrists, and my ankles. Thank goodness there is no time to make a lauhala skirt out of fresh lauhala leaves . The hala tree has long spiky leaves that you have to strip before using. Really major intensive work required to make a skirt . The spikes are very sharp . Here's a link to see what this tree looks like. The picture isn't that great as this tree can be huge and you cannot see the spikes on the edges of the leaves. .It is also known as the walking tree, so google that too. .
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lauhala
So, yes, I am performing at Puuhonua O Honaunau Cultural Festival ! Puuhonua O Honaunau was a place of refuge in ancient Hawaiian times. It is deeply sacred and spiritual . I feel incredibly humbled and honored to be performing there . Thank you Kumu Ehulani for this privledge and honor . Mahalo is not enough to express how I feel. I will be part of the Royal Court. Isn't this simply AMAZING ?????? I love how I am performing in a place of Forgiveness and Peace. It is/ will be good for my heart and spirit. It will be incredibly grounding .
http://www.gohawaii.com/big-island/regions-neighborhoods/kona/puuhonua-o-honaunau-national-historical-park
Yesterday , the hula halau did a special cleansing in preparation for the performance at Puuhonua O Honaunau . We went to Maia's ( I believe that was her name ) house and did weeding on the long lava steps that went down to a thermal pond. The place looked like a deep quarry leading down into the pond . It was incredible. The thermal pond was crystal clear and emerald green . The water was 89 F . We were so hot from weeding in the sun and the thought of getting into an 89F water didn't exactly appeal to me. I jokingly said that were we going to take a warm bath after getting baked by the sun . After the weeding , we went into the thermal pond for cleansing. Kumu Ehulani did three Hawaiian chants , as we stood on the lava steps. We then all went quietly into the thermal pond water and did a full dip . After that , we meditated for 5 minutes . In olden times , I was told that the cleansing would be done over 5 days . While we were meditating in the water , beautiful blue and green dragonflies were flying around us . Two of the dragonflies were mating in flight . It was deeply spiritual and magical !
Maia made us a sumptuous BBQ lunch . I ate baked purple sweet potatoes for the first time ever . The colour of the sweet potato was so beautiful. The purple was a deep amethyst . It felt like I had a jewel in my mouth . It was so yum !
This truly is a dream come true. I am now immersed in Hawaiian culture . I feel so very lucky and blessed ! Oh happy happy day ! :)
With much aloha,
x0x0x0x0x0
Molly
Wow ! Its a dream come true ! I have always wanted to learn Hula in Hawaii and perform Hula in Hawaii ! This weekend, I will be doing just that ! I will be performing at Puuhonua o Honaunau in Kona !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It happened so very fast. I joined a hula halau on Monday , June18th , ( today is June 24th ) and now I am going to Kona to perform with them on the weekend of June 29th, 30th and July 1st !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Right now , I have gathered 3 dozen brown ti leaves and I will be braiding them into 2 x 10 feet ropes and 2x 25 feet ropes to make slippers to wear at Puuhonua O Honananu .
I have also gathered 3 dozen fresh green ti leaves and I will be taught to make my own set of leis , for my head, around my neck, for my wrists, and my ankles. Thank goodness there is no time to make a lauhala skirt out of fresh lauhala leaves . The hala tree has long spiky leaves that you have to strip before using. Really major intensive work required to make a skirt . The spikes are very sharp . Here's a link to see what this tree looks like. The picture isn't that great as this tree can be huge and you cannot see the spikes on the edges of the leaves. .It is also known as the walking tree, so google that too. .
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lauhala
So, yes, I am performing at Puuhonua O Honaunau Cultural Festival ! Puuhonua O Honaunau was a place of refuge in ancient Hawaiian times. It is deeply sacred and spiritual . I feel incredibly humbled and honored to be performing there . Thank you Kumu Ehulani for this privledge and honor . Mahalo is not enough to express how I feel. I will be part of the Royal Court. Isn't this simply AMAZING ?????? I love how I am performing in a place of Forgiveness and Peace. It is/ will be good for my heart and spirit. It will be incredibly grounding .
http://www.gohawaii.com/big-island/regions-neighborhoods/kona/puuhonua-o-honaunau-national-historical-park
Yesterday , the hula halau did a special cleansing in preparation for the performance at Puuhonua O Honaunau . We went to Maia's ( I believe that was her name ) house and did weeding on the long lava steps that went down to a thermal pond. The place looked like a deep quarry leading down into the pond . It was incredible. The thermal pond was crystal clear and emerald green . The water was 89 F . We were so hot from weeding in the sun and the thought of getting into an 89F water didn't exactly appeal to me. I jokingly said that were we going to take a warm bath after getting baked by the sun . After the weeding , we went into the thermal pond for cleansing. Kumu Ehulani did three Hawaiian chants , as we stood on the lava steps. We then all went quietly into the thermal pond water and did a full dip . After that , we meditated for 5 minutes . In olden times , I was told that the cleansing would be done over 5 days . While we were meditating in the water , beautiful blue and green dragonflies were flying around us . Two of the dragonflies were mating in flight . It was deeply spiritual and magical !
Maia made us a sumptuous BBQ lunch . I ate baked purple sweet potatoes for the first time ever . The colour of the sweet potato was so beautiful. The purple was a deep amethyst . It felt like I had a jewel in my mouth . It was so yum !
This truly is a dream come true. I am now immersed in Hawaiian culture . I feel so very lucky and blessed ! Oh happy happy day ! :)
With much aloha,
x0x0x0x0x0
Molly
Arno , the Pig and the Donkey
Aloha !
I had such an amazing day today , but I will write about it on the next blog post. Tonight , when I sat down for dinner , Arno came and sat down beside me. He had already finished his dinner . He asked me about my day and I asked him about his. " I almost had a head on collision with a pig today, Molly ! " Arno said .
I started laughing . It was already funny without him going any further . " I was riding my bike , and I think I scared the pig , and the pig scared me . We didn't see each other and I think we were startled both at the same time. Well, instead of running away from me, I think the pig got confused and he ran straight at me ! That really scared me ! I had to swerve so fast otherwise, I would have hit it for sure ! " I could totally visual the whole scenario . We were all laughing hard.
" Oh, and another time , I hit a donkey ! " That really had me laughing . " A donkey ? Where in the world did you hit a donkey ? "
" In Bonaire . I was riding my bike and it was really dark. There were no lights. All of a sudden , I see this stopped car with its headlights on. It blinded me . I hit something and went flying over it. I had hit a donkey ! The jackass in the car had stopped and was feeding a donkey from his car window. Good thing I was wearing my helmet ! I was badly scraped up but the donkey was fine ."
Oh, he had me in stitches. This one, I totally visualized second by nano second. I was laughing so hard I couldn't breathe . Arno rides his bike a lot. Someone told me he rides at least 30 miles a day . Riding his bike is a passion and he once rode the Tour de France route before it started. That would have been quite a thrill for someone who loves biking. And yes, he did stay and watched the Tour de France !
This morning at breakfast , Arno asked Barcus " May I have a piece of newspaper ? " Barcus started handing over the newspaper to Arno , and then took it back. He then tore a tiny corner piece of newspaper about 2 inches big that had no print on it and gave it to Arno. Arno looked at it and handed it back to Barcus " I'm finished ! May I have another piece ? " Everyone laughed . " Arno, didn't you need translation with that ? " I teased him . He smiled . " No , I've become a very fast reader . I just demonstrated that ! " He was such a great sport. Everyone was laughing .
I will miss Arno when he returns back to Bonaire . He told me that people drive around Bonaire without their headlights on in the dark , with the donkey experience being an exception to the rule. That's really dangerous. " When I take a taxi , I have to pay the taxi driver extra to put his headlights on in the dark , Molly ! " The things that most of us take for granted.......
I will truly miss all the laughter with Arno when he leaves in a few weeks.
With much aloha,
x0x0x0x0x0
Molly
I had such an amazing day today , but I will write about it on the next blog post. Tonight , when I sat down for dinner , Arno came and sat down beside me. He had already finished his dinner . He asked me about my day and I asked him about his. " I almost had a head on collision with a pig today, Molly ! " Arno said .
I started laughing . It was already funny without him going any further . " I was riding my bike , and I think I scared the pig , and the pig scared me . We didn't see each other and I think we were startled both at the same time. Well, instead of running away from me, I think the pig got confused and he ran straight at me ! That really scared me ! I had to swerve so fast otherwise, I would have hit it for sure ! " I could totally visual the whole scenario . We were all laughing hard.
" Oh, and another time , I hit a donkey ! " That really had me laughing . " A donkey ? Where in the world did you hit a donkey ? "
" In Bonaire . I was riding my bike and it was really dark. There were no lights. All of a sudden , I see this stopped car with its headlights on. It blinded me . I hit something and went flying over it. I had hit a donkey ! The jackass in the car had stopped and was feeding a donkey from his car window. Good thing I was wearing my helmet ! I was badly scraped up but the donkey was fine ."
Oh, he had me in stitches. This one, I totally visualized second by nano second. I was laughing so hard I couldn't breathe . Arno rides his bike a lot. Someone told me he rides at least 30 miles a day . Riding his bike is a passion and he once rode the Tour de France route before it started. That would have been quite a thrill for someone who loves biking. And yes, he did stay and watched the Tour de France !
This morning at breakfast , Arno asked Barcus " May I have a piece of newspaper ? " Barcus started handing over the newspaper to Arno , and then took it back. He then tore a tiny corner piece of newspaper about 2 inches big that had no print on it and gave it to Arno. Arno looked at it and handed it back to Barcus " I'm finished ! May I have another piece ? " Everyone laughed . " Arno, didn't you need translation with that ? " I teased him . He smiled . " No , I've become a very fast reader . I just demonstrated that ! " He was such a great sport. Everyone was laughing .
I will miss Arno when he returns back to Bonaire . He told me that people drive around Bonaire without their headlights on in the dark , with the donkey experience being an exception to the rule. That's really dangerous. " When I take a taxi , I have to pay the taxi driver extra to put his headlights on in the dark , Molly ! " The things that most of us take for granted.......
I will truly miss all the laughter with Arno when he leaves in a few weeks.
With much aloha,
x0x0x0x0x0
Molly
Friday, 22 June 2012
More Breakfast Conversations With Men
Aloha !
As usual , morning conversations around the breakfast table ends in much laughter with the men. Today , I was having granola with maple yogurt , blueberries , papaya and pineapple , minding my own business when I heard Gary say, " Yes, Arno is special alright. Like in Special Ed , special needs ! " The men were all laughing. Arno had it coming as he was acting goofy, waving his hands widely and wildly in the air when he saw Gary sit down across from him . Men are merciless when it comes to teasing other men. Absolutely no mercy . " He doesn't know what that means, guys. Be nice . Arno, there's no need for this to be translated " I responded. " What did they say ? " Arno asked. One of the men said, " Arno, you're too young to be going deaf . " " What? " Arno said. I laughed and they were all laughing. " You just confirmed what Clint said. He said that you're too young to be going deaf . Don't pay attention to them ."
And Arno was all excited because his horoscope had a five star rating. " I'm going to have an excellent day. Five stars . Don't anybody ruin it for me ! " " Crandle, you better not speak to Arno, then ," I replied. Crandle has a way of goading Arno . They all laughed .
" None of you read the horoscope completely. If you read the explanation below all the horoscopes , it will tell you the meaning of the star rating. Five stars doesn't necessarily mean a great day . It means a dynamic day. Dynamic can be good or bad. Read it properly ." Barcus voiced out without looking out from behind his newspaper.
" I don't care ! My day is going to be five stars ! " said Arno.
" Did you say hi to the Basinji on Barcus's t-shirt ? " I said to Arno. ( I had written about this on an earlier blog post . ) Barcus looks out from behind his newspaper at Arno, his eyebrows raised . Arno shrugged and smiled at the Basinji on Barcus's t-shirt.
" Shit, I went to buy cigarettes for a friend the other day and a carton costs more than 50 bucks ! I can't believe how expensive it is ! I remember when cigarettes costed 75 cents a pack ! " Gary adds, changing the subject. Clint starts howling and we were all laughing. " Boy, are you ever dating yourself, Gary ! 75 cents ! That would have been a loooooong time ago ! " Clint says.
" Hey Sunshine ! Did you put Arno up on the ladder yet or is he still painting standing on the ground ? Has he graduated yet ? " one of the men asked. Sunshine and Arno are painting the exteriors of some of the Hales in Kalani.
" Nope. Today might be the day I put Arno on the ladder, " Sunshine laughs as he continued eating his breakfast. " I think he's ready. "
Gradually they all dispersed , going to start their day 's work . I did not start working until 1:30 p.m. as I worked the late kitchen shift today. I sat there for a while , trying to juggle my next week's work schedule to make it work for me to go to Kona . I have several scenarios worked out. Now I will have to present it to 3 managers . It gets so friggin' complicated. And so I wait for a few more days. For now, I will continue on as if I am going to Kona for sure. I have studied the info given to me and tomorrow, Ayako is coming to practice the kahikos with me . I have to start gathering ti leaves tomorrow to make special slippers to wear . Mayumi showed me today during my break how it is to be braided and it has to be 2 x 10 feet ropes and 2 x 25 feet ropes of ti leaves. She had me laughing as when she started to show me , she put one of her feet on a chair . " Oh, I have to get a chair to do this ? " I asked. " Yes " she replied. She placed one foot on the chair and then stuck 3 strands of ti-leaves between her big toe and her second toe. I started laughing . " Are you serious ? " " Yes, this is how you do it . " Well , putting the strands of ti leaves between her toes were simply to anchor it to start braiding . " I just learned how to braid , " said Mayumi . " Oh, I braid my hair all the time . My hair is in two braids right now and then fold into fourths and an elastic to keep it all in place ! " This is how I do my hair when I work in the kitchen . There's no way any hair is going to fall out . How can it ? My hair is down past my waist , braided into 2 braids , elasticed together, then fold into fourths, then elasticed again. Ain't nothin' s gonna fall out ! And of course, I have to wear a bandanna to cover my hair.
I have to attend a special cleansing this Saturday before we go to Kona next week. This event will definitely be one of the most interesting cultural events I will ever have participated in. I am so looking forward to it !
With much aloha,
x0x0x0x0
Molly
As usual , morning conversations around the breakfast table ends in much laughter with the men. Today , I was having granola with maple yogurt , blueberries , papaya and pineapple , minding my own business when I heard Gary say, " Yes, Arno is special alright. Like in Special Ed , special needs ! " The men were all laughing. Arno had it coming as he was acting goofy, waving his hands widely and wildly in the air when he saw Gary sit down across from him . Men are merciless when it comes to teasing other men. Absolutely no mercy . " He doesn't know what that means, guys. Be nice . Arno, there's no need for this to be translated " I responded. " What did they say ? " Arno asked. One of the men said, " Arno, you're too young to be going deaf . " " What? " Arno said. I laughed and they were all laughing. " You just confirmed what Clint said. He said that you're too young to be going deaf . Don't pay attention to them ."
And Arno was all excited because his horoscope had a five star rating. " I'm going to have an excellent day. Five stars . Don't anybody ruin it for me ! " " Crandle, you better not speak to Arno, then ," I replied. Crandle has a way of goading Arno . They all laughed .
" None of you read the horoscope completely. If you read the explanation below all the horoscopes , it will tell you the meaning of the star rating. Five stars doesn't necessarily mean a great day . It means a dynamic day. Dynamic can be good or bad. Read it properly ." Barcus voiced out without looking out from behind his newspaper.
" I don't care ! My day is going to be five stars ! " said Arno.
" Did you say hi to the Basinji on Barcus's t-shirt ? " I said to Arno. ( I had written about this on an earlier blog post . ) Barcus looks out from behind his newspaper at Arno, his eyebrows raised . Arno shrugged and smiled at the Basinji on Barcus's t-shirt.
" Shit, I went to buy cigarettes for a friend the other day and a carton costs more than 50 bucks ! I can't believe how expensive it is ! I remember when cigarettes costed 75 cents a pack ! " Gary adds, changing the subject. Clint starts howling and we were all laughing. " Boy, are you ever dating yourself, Gary ! 75 cents ! That would have been a loooooong time ago ! " Clint says.
" Hey Sunshine ! Did you put Arno up on the ladder yet or is he still painting standing on the ground ? Has he graduated yet ? " one of the men asked. Sunshine and Arno are painting the exteriors of some of the Hales in Kalani.
" Nope. Today might be the day I put Arno on the ladder, " Sunshine laughs as he continued eating his breakfast. " I think he's ready. "
Gradually they all dispersed , going to start their day 's work . I did not start working until 1:30 p.m. as I worked the late kitchen shift today. I sat there for a while , trying to juggle my next week's work schedule to make it work for me to go to Kona . I have several scenarios worked out. Now I will have to present it to 3 managers . It gets so friggin' complicated. And so I wait for a few more days. For now, I will continue on as if I am going to Kona for sure. I have studied the info given to me and tomorrow, Ayako is coming to practice the kahikos with me . I have to start gathering ti leaves tomorrow to make special slippers to wear . Mayumi showed me today during my break how it is to be braided and it has to be 2 x 10 feet ropes and 2 x 25 feet ropes of ti leaves. She had me laughing as when she started to show me , she put one of her feet on a chair . " Oh, I have to get a chair to do this ? " I asked. " Yes " she replied. She placed one foot on the chair and then stuck 3 strands of ti-leaves between her big toe and her second toe. I started laughing . " Are you serious ? " " Yes, this is how you do it . " Well , putting the strands of ti leaves between her toes were simply to anchor it to start braiding . " I just learned how to braid , " said Mayumi . " Oh, I braid my hair all the time . My hair is in two braids right now and then fold into fourths and an elastic to keep it all in place ! " This is how I do my hair when I work in the kitchen . There's no way any hair is going to fall out . How can it ? My hair is down past my waist , braided into 2 braids , elasticed together, then fold into fourths, then elasticed again. Ain't nothin' s gonna fall out ! And of course, I have to wear a bandanna to cover my hair.
I have to attend a special cleansing this Saturday before we go to Kona next week. This event will definitely be one of the most interesting cultural events I will ever have participated in. I am so looking forward to it !
With much aloha,
x0x0x0x0
Molly
Thursday, 21 June 2012
Spending the Day With Kumu Johnathan
Aloha !
As always, breakfast conversations with the " Mens ' table are very funny and entertaining . Yesterday , when I was planning to go to Hilo on the county bus , Dominic suggested that I hitchhike . He said that people hitchhike all the time . Sunshine looked at him and said , " Not a good idea. Look at Molly . She's so purty she will be picked up for sure . She's too purty to hitchhike. There's bad people out there . Something happened to one of the girls last year that was hitchhiking . Not safe. Now, if you have a mug like me or Dominic , then , yes, go ahead . " I laughed when he talked about his mug. I had absolutely no intention of hitchhiking . Those days are way over for me and its not safe, no matter where you are. I was willing to take the 2 and a half hour bus ride into Hilo .After breakfast , I was dashing off to catch the county bus and Johnathan was just sitting down for breakfast. I gave him a good morning hug and told him that I had to run . He asked me where I was off to and I told I was taking my bus adventure into Hilo. Well, it just happened that he was going into town and the sweetheart gave me a ride to Hilo ( and back. ). I spent the day in Hilo and with Johnathan.
" You don't want to ride the bus, Molly ! There are crazies that get on the bus, and whoowee , they are smelly ! It will take you 2 and a half hours to get to Hilo as the bus stops everywhere . Come, I 'll take you in to town! " said Johnathan. I was so happy ! On the way to Hilo , we passed a lot of hitchhikers. Johnathan looks at them and said , " Sorry , I already have a hitchhiker ! " referring to me, of course. I smacked him. On the 50 minute ride into Hilo , Johnathan and I learned a lot about each other . He has such a beautiful loving heart and spirit underneath a cool exterior. A truly beautiful soul. He dropped me off at Prince Kuhio Mall and went to make his leis for a dance competition that was happening in Honolulu this weekend. We met for lunch , he dropped me off by Hilo Bay , I wandered , he picked me up at Hilo Bay and took me back to Kalani. He was making leis at his friend's house and was happy as he used me as an alibi to leave for lunch and to leave early to pick me up !
" Don't you have to get back to lei making ? " I asked Johnathan as we were having such a leisurely lunch full of laughter . " Oh, no. I will just tell my friend that tutu eats very slowly and that I had to wait. " He told his friend that I am tutu ( grandmother ) , and that I was 70 years old and visiting Kalani. The rascal. When he dropped me off at Hilo Bay , he asked me to call him at 4:30 so that he could leave lei making. " I will tell my friend that tutu is tired from walking and shopping and I have to take her home ! " Yes, as if . He's such a rascal. His friend would be surprised if he ever meets me to find out what ' tutu ' looks like ! Too funny !
On the way back to Kalani, he serenaded me with a beautiful Hawaiian song sung in English . " Hawaii is calling , calling me......." He has such a great voice. Yes, he can raise the roof when he chants. When Johnathan does his Hawaiian chants , it comes from deep within him. His chanting resonates through him and explodes with power and spirit . I love to hear him chanting.
Johnathan speaks somewhat in pidgin . I understand him totally but he was making fun of himself . He was telling me how no one understands him when he says budda . I know he means brother. So he says, " yes, you want budda ? Would you like some brown sugar budda , honey on the budda , spread some budda on da bread ? " So, people think he's talking about butter when he says budda. He had me in stitches. You have to also see him as he becomes very animated . Its not just the words . Its also the actions to the words as he speaks. Such an entertaining man and so very funny .
Today , Dominic brought me some beautiful shells in all sizes. There were some big ones that apparently are really hard to find. I have forgotten the name of the shell but the inside is like a delicacy for the Hawaiians. Life and limb is risked in getting these shells as apparently , these shells cling to the rocks that large waves come crashing upon. So, Dominic went over the weekend to get me these shells ...... Crandle told me that he broke a rib one time getting the shells . They both told me that if you sand the shell , every layer of sanding brings out a new colour , with each colour being pearly and iridescent . Iridescent is my word to describe it as Crandle brought a ' finished ' product to show me today , knowing that Dominic was going to be giving me the shells. The colours range from pinks, browns, purples, greens , and oranges . Maybe in a few weeks, when my hula Life settles down a bit , I will get Crandle and Dominic to help me sand the shells, revealing their beautiful hidden colours. Pearly shells.
And so , I am still trying to work out my work schedule to go to Kona next weekend to perform and be part of the Royal Court......Wish me luck ! The kitchen schedule is rigid .I know scheduling can be a real challenge . I have to let the Kitchen know 2 weeks in advance if I want any special days off. Beth is trying to get me to switch to another volunteer department . I am thinking on this. Crap. There has been so many obstacles and challenges.
Oh well. Focus focus focus .
That reminds me of something that happened today when I was working at Hale Aloha . Jym was getting off shift and was having a rough day . Shelly was replacing him . As Jym was heading out the doorway , he turned around to Shelly and me and started dancing . He did a beautiful pirouette , some kicks in the air with his long legs , big jazz hands dramatically flung up high while Shelly and I were laughing with delight.
" Fosse Fosse Fosse ! " said Shelly . It was funny and most entertaining . Jym use to do musical theatre and I bet he was really good at it too ! Yes, Fosse Fosse Fosse !
With much aloha ,
x0x0x0x0x0
Molly
As always, breakfast conversations with the " Mens ' table are very funny and entertaining . Yesterday , when I was planning to go to Hilo on the county bus , Dominic suggested that I hitchhike . He said that people hitchhike all the time . Sunshine looked at him and said , " Not a good idea. Look at Molly . She's so purty she will be picked up for sure . She's too purty to hitchhike. There's bad people out there . Something happened to one of the girls last year that was hitchhiking . Not safe. Now, if you have a mug like me or Dominic , then , yes, go ahead . " I laughed when he talked about his mug. I had absolutely no intention of hitchhiking . Those days are way over for me and its not safe, no matter where you are. I was willing to take the 2 and a half hour bus ride into Hilo .After breakfast , I was dashing off to catch the county bus and Johnathan was just sitting down for breakfast. I gave him a good morning hug and told him that I had to run . He asked me where I was off to and I told I was taking my bus adventure into Hilo. Well, it just happened that he was going into town and the sweetheart gave me a ride to Hilo ( and back. ). I spent the day in Hilo and with Johnathan.
" You don't want to ride the bus, Molly ! There are crazies that get on the bus, and whoowee , they are smelly ! It will take you 2 and a half hours to get to Hilo as the bus stops everywhere . Come, I 'll take you in to town! " said Johnathan. I was so happy ! On the way to Hilo , we passed a lot of hitchhikers. Johnathan looks at them and said , " Sorry , I already have a hitchhiker ! " referring to me, of course. I smacked him. On the 50 minute ride into Hilo , Johnathan and I learned a lot about each other . He has such a beautiful loving heart and spirit underneath a cool exterior. A truly beautiful soul. He dropped me off at Prince Kuhio Mall and went to make his leis for a dance competition that was happening in Honolulu this weekend. We met for lunch , he dropped me off by Hilo Bay , I wandered , he picked me up at Hilo Bay and took me back to Kalani. He was making leis at his friend's house and was happy as he used me as an alibi to leave for lunch and to leave early to pick me up !
" Don't you have to get back to lei making ? " I asked Johnathan as we were having such a leisurely lunch full of laughter . " Oh, no. I will just tell my friend that tutu eats very slowly and that I had to wait. " He told his friend that I am tutu ( grandmother ) , and that I was 70 years old and visiting Kalani. The rascal. When he dropped me off at Hilo Bay , he asked me to call him at 4:30 so that he could leave lei making. " I will tell my friend that tutu is tired from walking and shopping and I have to take her home ! " Yes, as if . He's such a rascal. His friend would be surprised if he ever meets me to find out what ' tutu ' looks like ! Too funny !
On the way back to Kalani, he serenaded me with a beautiful Hawaiian song sung in English . " Hawaii is calling , calling me......." He has such a great voice. Yes, he can raise the roof when he chants. When Johnathan does his Hawaiian chants , it comes from deep within him. His chanting resonates through him and explodes with power and spirit . I love to hear him chanting.
Johnathan speaks somewhat in pidgin . I understand him totally but he was making fun of himself . He was telling me how no one understands him when he says budda . I know he means brother. So he says, " yes, you want budda ? Would you like some brown sugar budda , honey on the budda , spread some budda on da bread ? " So, people think he's talking about butter when he says budda. He had me in stitches. You have to also see him as he becomes very animated . Its not just the words . Its also the actions to the words as he speaks. Such an entertaining man and so very funny .
Today , Dominic brought me some beautiful shells in all sizes. There were some big ones that apparently are really hard to find. I have forgotten the name of the shell but the inside is like a delicacy for the Hawaiians. Life and limb is risked in getting these shells as apparently , these shells cling to the rocks that large waves come crashing upon. So, Dominic went over the weekend to get me these shells ...... Crandle told me that he broke a rib one time getting the shells . They both told me that if you sand the shell , every layer of sanding brings out a new colour , with each colour being pearly and iridescent . Iridescent is my word to describe it as Crandle brought a ' finished ' product to show me today , knowing that Dominic was going to be giving me the shells. The colours range from pinks, browns, purples, greens , and oranges . Maybe in a few weeks, when my hula Life settles down a bit , I will get Crandle and Dominic to help me sand the shells, revealing their beautiful hidden colours. Pearly shells.
And so , I am still trying to work out my work schedule to go to Kona next weekend to perform and be part of the Royal Court......Wish me luck ! The kitchen schedule is rigid .I know scheduling can be a real challenge . I have to let the Kitchen know 2 weeks in advance if I want any special days off. Beth is trying to get me to switch to another volunteer department . I am thinking on this. Crap. There has been so many obstacles and challenges.
Oh well. Focus focus focus .
That reminds me of something that happened today when I was working at Hale Aloha . Jym was getting off shift and was having a rough day . Shelly was replacing him . As Jym was heading out the doorway , he turned around to Shelly and me and started dancing . He did a beautiful pirouette , some kicks in the air with his long legs , big jazz hands dramatically flung up high while Shelly and I were laughing with delight.
" Fosse Fosse Fosse ! " said Shelly . It was funny and most entertaining . Jym use to do musical theatre and I bet he was really good at it too ! Yes, Fosse Fosse Fosse !
With much aloha ,
x0x0x0x0x0
Molly
Wednesday, 20 June 2012
Performing Hula And Being Part of the Royal Court in Hawaii
Aloha everyone !
Wow ! My world is spinning so darn fast ! The last several days chain of events has me taking deep breaths and pinching myself to make sure I am not dreaming !
On Monday ( June,18th ) I took a two and a half hour class with Kumu Ehulani Stephany . I have now been asked to perform with her halau in Kona , on June, 28, 29th 30th and July 1st , during the Annual Cultural Festival - Pu'uhonua O Honaunau . I will be travelling with her Halau and be part of the Royal Court . I have a week and a half to learn 3 dances , all of them kahiko , the ancient Hawaiian chants. I learned one dance completely on Monday and now one of the dancers is going to show me the other 2 dances. Hmmmmmm, its gonna be challenging. As it is, I am still trying to work out my work schedule and getting people to trade shifts with me so that I can go. I have to believe that this will happen . I really want to do this. I have dreamed of being in Hawaii and performing hula in Hawaii . This truly is a chance of a Lifetime , a dream come true and a great honour. Yes, I am to be part of the Royal Court , although, I am not sure at this point what that means . This whole thing is so dreamlike . I have been given stuff to read and I haven't looked at it yet as I have been so busy today . I will read it before I go to bed, which will be in a few minutes. As I am part of the Royal Court , there is information for me to learn so that if people ask me , I will know the answers. All I know for now is that there are several single space typed pages for me to study about the history of the area . :) . At the Cultural Festival in Kona, I will also be participating in a hukilau , in the old Hawaiian way ! That will be really fun ! At this point , I am suppose to be gathering ti leaves and weaving them into strips to eventually make footwear for me to wear. I will be shown how to do that tomorrow., the weaving of ti leaves into strips, that is. This whole thing is very surreal and I feel incredibly honoured to be dancing and performing with Ehulani 's halau . So, here's some information about the Cutural Festival that I will be performing in.
June 30 to July 1, 2012
ANNUAL CULTURAL FESTIVAL - PU'UHONUA O HONAUNAU NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK
The Park will be hosting its 51st Anniversary Cultural Festival from Friday, June 29, through Sunday, July 1. This event is free to all (park entrance fee waived). The event will begin on Friday with a Royal Court and Ho'okupu Ceremony, and the fun activities will be held on Saturday and Sunday, with dozens of hands-on craft activities and hula. On Saturday only, there will be canoe rides in Honaunau Bay. On Sunday only, there will be Hawaiian food tasting and a Hukilau demonstration. Pack a picnic with plenty of food and drinks and spend a day of fun at the festival. Take home craft items that you learned to make with your own hands. Time: 9 AM to 3 PM. Free to the public.
More to come on this ! It may be a somewhat stressful but fun week and a half ahead. The costumes haven't even been mentioned yet , so that in itself will be interesting as all the leis , head leis , wrist and ankle leis are made with fresh greenery . I know first hand that this is labour intensive as Johnathan has been making the whole set of leis over these past few days and has been telling me about it . He is making 32 sets of leis ( neck , head , wrists , ankles ) Johnathan is flying to Honolulu tomorrow to help a Halau from Japan with their leis, performances and costuming. King Kamahemaha Hula Competition is happening in Honolulu on June 22nd and June 23rd. I spent a wonderful day with Johnathan today in Hilo . He went Lei making while I spent the day wandering in Hilo. We met for lunch and had much laughter and silliness . He went back to lei making while I wandered some more , and then drove me back to Kalani where we had Chef Mark Ceranski's amazing yummy delicious Coq au Vin for dinner ! Johnathan called me his Chinese sister. I call him my Hawaiian brother. I cannot dance with Johnathan, Kumu hula , while I am dancing with Ehulani. I cannot dance with two kumus at the same time.
Off to bed I go. It is about 11:15 p.m. , Kalani time and the air is cool right now. perfect for sleeping.
With much aloha ,
Molly
Wow ! My world is spinning so darn fast ! The last several days chain of events has me taking deep breaths and pinching myself to make sure I am not dreaming !
On Monday ( June,18th ) I took a two and a half hour class with Kumu Ehulani Stephany . I have now been asked to perform with her halau in Kona , on June, 28, 29th 30th and July 1st , during the Annual Cultural Festival - Pu'uhonua O Honaunau . I will be travelling with her Halau and be part of the Royal Court . I have a week and a half to learn 3 dances , all of them kahiko , the ancient Hawaiian chants. I learned one dance completely on Monday and now one of the dancers is going to show me the other 2 dances. Hmmmmmm, its gonna be challenging. As it is, I am still trying to work out my work schedule and getting people to trade shifts with me so that I can go. I have to believe that this will happen . I really want to do this. I have dreamed of being in Hawaii and performing hula in Hawaii . This truly is a chance of a Lifetime , a dream come true and a great honour. Yes, I am to be part of the Royal Court , although, I am not sure at this point what that means . This whole thing is so dreamlike . I have been given stuff to read and I haven't looked at it yet as I have been so busy today . I will read it before I go to bed, which will be in a few minutes. As I am part of the Royal Court , there is information for me to learn so that if people ask me , I will know the answers. All I know for now is that there are several single space typed pages for me to study about the history of the area . :) . At the Cultural Festival in Kona, I will also be participating in a hukilau , in the old Hawaiian way ! That will be really fun ! At this point , I am suppose to be gathering ti leaves and weaving them into strips to eventually make footwear for me to wear. I will be shown how to do that tomorrow., the weaving of ti leaves into strips, that is. This whole thing is very surreal and I feel incredibly honoured to be dancing and performing with Ehulani 's halau . So, here's some information about the Cutural Festival that I will be performing in.
June 30 to July 1, 2012
ANNUAL CULTURAL FESTIVAL - PU'UHONUA O HONAUNAU NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK
The Park will be hosting its 51st Anniversary Cultural Festival from Friday, June 29, through Sunday, July 1. This event is free to all (park entrance fee waived). The event will begin on Friday with a Royal Court and Ho'okupu Ceremony, and the fun activities will be held on Saturday and Sunday, with dozens of hands-on craft activities and hula. On Saturday only, there will be canoe rides in Honaunau Bay. On Sunday only, there will be Hawaiian food tasting and a Hukilau demonstration. Pack a picnic with plenty of food and drinks and spend a day of fun at the festival. Take home craft items that you learned to make with your own hands. Time: 9 AM to 3 PM. Free to the public.
More to come on this ! It may be a somewhat stressful but fun week and a half ahead. The costumes haven't even been mentioned yet , so that in itself will be interesting as all the leis , head leis , wrist and ankle leis are made with fresh greenery . I know first hand that this is labour intensive as Johnathan has been making the whole set of leis over these past few days and has been telling me about it . He is making 32 sets of leis ( neck , head , wrists , ankles ) Johnathan is flying to Honolulu tomorrow to help a Halau from Japan with their leis, performances and costuming. King Kamahemaha Hula Competition is happening in Honolulu on June 22nd and June 23rd. I spent a wonderful day with Johnathan today in Hilo . He went Lei making while I spent the day wandering in Hilo. We met for lunch and had much laughter and silliness . He went back to lei making while I wandered some more , and then drove me back to Kalani where we had Chef Mark Ceranski's amazing yummy delicious Coq au Vin for dinner ! Johnathan called me his Chinese sister. I call him my Hawaiian brother. I cannot dance with Johnathan, Kumu hula , while I am dancing with Ehulani. I cannot dance with two kumus at the same time.
Off to bed I go. It is about 11:15 p.m. , Kalani time and the air is cool right now. perfect for sleeping.
With much aloha ,
Molly
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