Valley of the Temple

We took a drive along the east side of O'ahu today on Kamehameha Highway along the Kaneohe bay. There's this area which the highest concentration of temples and churches. There are three spiritual spots on the islands where the Hawaiians believe are the portholes for spirits to enter into the next world. Nuuanu is one of them. I took a panoramic shot from Pali lookout. Then we did drive through the Valley of the Temple with a quick stop at Byo-do Buddhist temple which is a scaled replica of one in Japan. Then we stumbled upon the old Pali Road that was beautiful beyond words - a fairyland of old tropical trees. If I were to leave earth to go to another one, this would be the last place on earth I'd like to see too.

Waikiki

I personally do not enjoy 'tourist spots' unless it's of historical significance. I'd pick an off the beaten track route hands down anytime. Still, I decided an initial peruse of the infamous Waikiki beach should be checked off on my list of to-dos. Besides finding it a novelty to see surfers carrying their surf boards off the beach or crossing the road, it's a typical tourist spot with a lot of tacky looking souvenir stores, tourist trolleys, loud bars, hotels and honeymooning couples (I'm assuming). I'm also assuming the Japanese are the largest tour groups to Hawaii as there were Japanese words plastered everywhere. I did however find it amusing that there were older folks playing chess under the gazebos overlooking the sandbars. Was a nice reminder of a scene I'd seen only too many times in China, except they dress better and speak English. But are just as intense.

Grandparents

As I've grown older, I've realized how precious grandparents are. Unfortunately I never got much opportunity to spend time with mine as an adult since I was only 12 when my last grandma passed. 


I discovered my beau has the cutest little grandma who's 94 year's old so I went to visit her today at the assisted living home. She's quite a character. Most people apparently seem to have a much lower mortality rate here in Hawaii and live up to their 90s and early 100s! Must be the air, water and better quality of life. She proudly told me how she and her 5 brothers and 5 sisters were born in Hawaii between 1900 and 1920 and they all grew up to be doctors, surgeons and teachers. She was remarkably sharp for a 94 year old, even curious enough about Elton's iphone and watched attentively as we scrolled through the pictures on it, unfazed by how we were using our fingers to zoom, move and scroll through them.


Jenny's definitely got a sense of humor. Once, she cracked me up telling me how she used to know Mandarin but have forgotten it all because she preferred speaking English. This is how she said it, "I went to Chinese classes after school to learn Chinese but I gave it all back to the teacher."

Local sweets

Discovered more interesting foods in Hawaii today. Frozen yogurt from Yogurtland on Waikiki Beach reminds me a lot Berry Chill in Chicago, only better. It's like frozen yogurt stir-fry. Just pump your choice of yogurts from a large selection of 30 over flavors such as Red Velvet Cupcake Batter, Rootbeer Float, Chocolate Coconut Truffle, New York Cheesecake, Candy Cane and Gingerbread and then sprinkle your choice of toppings. It's priced by the ounce. Though a little bit on the sweet side, it's absolutely delish! This one is original flavor yogurt topped with strawberry tapioca balls, lychee mochi, cookie dough batter and chocolate sprinkles.

Kaile introduced me to this new ice-cream here called Musk Melon ice-cream. I'm not sure what musk melon is but it tastes a lot like creamy honeydew. Refreshing but not too sweet. It's risen to the top of my favorite ice-cream list now. Apparently it's a favorite among kids and adults alike. Kaile licked up every single drop that melted off her stick. I had to use my hairband to tie her hair back so she didn't get it all over her hair! 

If you have a sweet tooth, you won't regret sinking your teeth into Ted's Bakery's Chocolate Haupia Cream Pie (Haupia means Coconut in Hawaiian). It's layers of chocolate mousse, coconut mousse and whipped cream in a pie crust. Oh so good! Just don't count the calories...

Mommy Power

Mothers are such special people. After a difficult day, all it takes is one short conversation with my mom, hearing her voice to make everything seem alright. She's the pillar in the family who keeps everything together. Without her, our family would be scattered. She's the one who stands in the middle when we start to grumble amongst each other, she's the one who cooks the dinner to bring everyone together that one time of the day, she's the one who can break my heart and send me bursting into tears with one single word. My relationship with my mother has never been smooth growing up. I've only gotten close to her in the last few years of my adult life. Age seems to have crept up on her gracefully as she's mellowed. And age has taught me to see things in her I had never realized before. Just last December, I managed to tell her, "I love you, mommy." She gave me a long hug. Later, I broke down in tears silently, overwhelmed with love for someone whom I regard as the rock in my life. And I think she doesn't even know it. 

Sprouting buckwheat

I've recently learnt that sprouted buckwheat is a superfood packed with enzymes. Eating live (uncooked) enzymes are essential for helping speed up bodily functions like food digestion, our muscles, nerves and bones. Sprouted buckwheat is also rich in rutin which helps in preventing varicose veins or hardening of the arteries and lecithin. Lecithin soaks up “bad” cholesterol and prevents it from being absorbed. Since our brains are 28% lecithin, it may actually prevent anxiety, depression, brain fog, mental fatigue and generally make the brain sharper and clearer.

So I tried sprouting buckwheat and it was surprisingly easy. Within 2 days, I had sprouted buckwheat so I added them to my hemp granola and nut milk, sprinkled with honey, flaxseed and sesame seeds. Found it surprisingly delicious! 

Loving someone

I saw a different side to my other half last night. It suddenly made me wonder what really makes relationships work. Is it just a matter of communication? Do people have to be alike for a relationship work? If so, how alike? And what are the essential components that need to be in our relationship for us to want to make it work? 


Relationships are difficult. It's the coming together of two entities with entirely different coping mechanisms, habits, definitions of words and actions. Sometimes, it can feel like a clashing of two entirely different planets from entirely different galaxies! And you wonder, "What was I thinking of?", "Why am I putting myself through this?"!


What are relationships ultimately about? I think it's this: It's about wanting to be with someone whom you feel connected to somehow. Someone who makes you feel good about yourself because in his eyes, you're the one. Someone you know you want to be there for when things are difficult for them. Someone who appreciates you for who you are and not what they want you to be.  Sometimes, it's all about the right timing. Someone who has a common goal in life. The bottom line is knowing that we prefer to be together rather than without each other in our lives despite it all. And sometimes, that puts things in perspective and it makes everything alright.

Black Power

Someone once told me that white sesame seeds are good but black sesame is better. Black foods are always better. I wasn't quite sure why but today I just read this interesting article about black foods like japanese eggplant, black vinegar, black rice, silkie chicken (the one used for chinese herbal soups) shiitake mushrooms, blackberry, black tea and black sesame seems. Most of them contain antioxidants which help prevent cancer, coronary heart disease and altitude sickness. They're also rich in calcium, magnesium and iron which is good for the kidneys, blood circulation and bad cholesterol. Since I come from a family with many with high cholesterol, lost every grandparent to heart attack, and an aunt who has survived cancer twice and lost an uncle to cancer, I'll be trying to add these superfoods to my diet.

Tuna, Hamachi and All Things Fishy

Fish is so fresh in Hawaii. Or maybe I lived too long in a place where they thought that fish only tasted good when it smelled rotten and stale. Hence, my affinity for anything else other than fish whilst living in Beijing. Here, my islander beau has taught me the appreciation for fresh slices of fish in the form of battered and deep fried mahi mahi, the sweetness of fatty raw hamachi sushi and last night, Poké. It's a local dish here made up of cubes of fresh sushi tuna sprinkled with slices of onion, green onion and sesame seed, drizzled with soy sauce (which here is call by its Japanese name ‘shoyu’), sesame oil and hawaiian sea salt. We topped dinner off with a glass of malbec - Elsa Bianchi from Argentina. It  was my first malbec. Won't be my last.

Locomoco

Makes you want to run around the house pretending to be a choo choo train yelling out Kylie Minogue's 'Locomotion' song "Do the loc do the loc do the loco loco motion!!!..." 

It's a local meal in Hawaii - a layering of gravy on eggs over easy, meat patty and rice from top to bottom. Jesse made this patty with his personal mix of carrots, celery, breadcrumbs, turkey and onions. In addition, he added a layer of provolone cheese between the patty and the egg. It's a pretty heavy meal but delicious. 


I discovered a bad word today. Tryptophan. It's a amino acid in turkey ( and in lesser amounts in pork, chicken and eggs) that creates a sleep inducing effect and lethargy. I always thought meat was just too heavy for the body to process. Didn't realize it also contains natural chemicals that caused sluggishness in human body! I had a hard time keeping my eyes open after that turkey patty. Not a big fan of meat now that I started on my raw food diet. Hope to learn more about it.