Ephemeral Life...

I am glad Kalani took photos of the Ho'ike at the Kamehameha Schools Songcontest. I can enjoy some of the magic...

I was in a hurry going through the Taco Bell drive-thru. This is basically what happened. Basically. Never fails...

Somehow the little sparkly beads around the eyes of these parade participants from Japan makes a super fun time even more fun. Even for the lone guy in the group...

Another hulu kupuna, cherished elder. Aunty Malia Craver. It was so beautiful to have her at the Haloa Festival watching all the beautiful activities...

Such a cute little baby at the Haloa Festival...

The boys ate healthy tofu warmed up in a pan and shredded cabbage. Then they ate my unhealthy Korean chicken thighs covered in chopped garlic after being soaked in Korean BBQ sauce over night, then baked in the oven. And some homemade KimChee with chopped turnips. It was mmm...mmm...mmm...good....

The police at the Waikiki parade had to make sure eager photographers didn't get too excited and step out into the street and get run over by parade participants...

Koa drew and painted a picture for the Board of Water Supply art contest. The theme was "Water is Life..." and I was very proud of his creativity and growing artistic skills for an eight year old...

When it is hot outside and the boys are sweaty. They love McDonald's Sundaes for a quick unhealthy cool down...

More Korean pride from the Honolulu Festival Parade...

I see a lot of hula. But I am never anything other than mesmerized. Watching these young students of Halau Ku Mana at the Haloa Festival at the Capitol really made me so very proud. Proud to be Hawaiian. Proud that the beautiful young spirits of the youth are rising to the occassion. I am sure the ancestors watched with so much loving pride as well. Actually, I am more than sure. I know they watched. I sometimes wished that I took hula when I was younger. I would love to dance along with them. For now, I have to watch and enjoy the spirit vicariously. At night, sometimes I am dancing alongside them. A thousand years ago...

We stopped by Bestbuy to look at giant televisions, computers and other cool and expensive electronics. The boys were able to get some gig practice time in for free. They were shredding the fretboard and cutting chops like the best of them. It was almost as awesome as the guitar dual in Crossroads between Ralph Macchio (actually slide guitarist Ry Cooder really playing...) and awesome Steve Vai. Almost as good. But not quite...

At the Honolulu Festival, the Japanese participants demonstrated their love for the Hawaiian hula. And all things Hawaiian...

At the recent Kukulu Kumuhana, or prayers in unison, Halau Ku Mana and Halau Lokahi exchanged beautiful mele (song) and oli (chant) as precious gifts of love and Aloha for each other. And for all of us. It was beautiful...

These Honolulu Festival participants from Taiwan passed out Taiwanese flags and brought their special brand of Aloha to the Land of Aloha...

I sense trouble brewing. The guy reading love poems to win the affection of his girl's heart doesn't notice the guy walking on stage with a guitar and a song in his heart. Uh oh...