Hawaii Music Video of the Day

On The Way

It's ALOHA Friday

in Hawaii!

"Great events make me quiet and calm,

it is only trifles

that irritate my nerves."

Queen Victoria

See the little Prince leaving his royal parents and going into the Hawaiian

AfterWorld?

Lobby mural in the Leiopapa a Kamehameha Building (State Office Tower). 

235 South Beretania Street, Honolulu,

  named after little Prince

 Albert Edward Kauikeaouli Leiopapa a Kamehameha;

 Born to King Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma

 on May 20, 1858,

 he was only four-years old when he passed away

 due to meningitis on August 27, 1862.

 The spirit of the young prince, affectionately known to the people as

 Ka Haku O Hawai'i "The Lord Of Hawai'i,"

is said to inhabit the building named in his honor to this day:

Leiopapa a Kamehameha translates to"

 "The Flower Of His Father Kamehameha."

Much hope rested on this little boy whose godmother was

Queen Victoria.

Hawaii still loves protocol and pageant.

This is the Brothers Cazimero's Christmas Show

at the historic Hawaii Theatre

"You can become a winner

only if you are willing

to walk over the edge."

Damon Runyon

(for Robert Cazimero)

Iolani Palace by Night.

Electrified by Edison himself, years before the US White House.

Honolulu's citizenry gathered right here

at eve to watch the lights come on all at once,

a bit of magic we take for granted today.

 "Our children

 (and elderly parents! cloudia)

 give us the opportunity

 to become the parents we always wished

 we had."

Louise Hart

By Day

"Morality may consist solely

 in the courage to make a choice."

Leon Blum

In Gingerbread!

"And I had but one penny in the world. 

Thou should’st have it to buy gingerbread." 


 William Shakespeare,
 Love’s Labours Lost

"The child with his sweet pranks, the fool of his senses, commanded by every sight and sound,
 without any power to compare and rank his sensations,
 abandoned to a whistle or a painted chip, to a lead dragoon, or a gingerbread dog,
 individualizing everything, generalizing nothing,
 delighted with every new thing,
 lies down at night overpowered by the fatigue, which this day of continual pretty madness has incurred.


 But Nature has answered her purpose with the curly, dimpled lunatic.
 She has tasked every faculty, and has secured the symmetrical growth of the bodily frame,
 by all these attitudes and exertions /an end of the first importance,
 which could not be trusted to any care less perfect than her own." 


 Ralph Waldo Emerson

Meanwhile. . .

May you delight in everything that comes today.

May the child in you stir

and awake

for a season of Wonder

and radical Hope.

That is my wish for 

YOU.

        What is YOURS?  cloudia

Dancing the Big Island of HAWAII

Aloha Welcome

"A positive attitude may not solve all your problems,

but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort."



Herm Albright

Kamehameha II

“Being happy is better than being king”

African Proverb

These guys are gonna take us on a tour
of KONA on the Big Island of 'Hawaii'

Kona Kai `Opua

Lyrics by Henry Waiau

This mele tells of a love affair between Liholiho (Kamehameha II) and a woman of rank.


It sings of the places and activities of Kona and compares them to the deep emotions of love.




Known as Kona of the tranquil seas, the opua or pink cumulus cloud formations that hang low, are regarded as omens of good fortune and good weather.




Hinano is the blossom of the male pandanus tree and was used as an aphrodisiac.




Na`u is a game of Kona where the children chant "na`u" and hold their breath until the sun disappears.



On Nov. 27, 1823, the King and his Queen boarded the English ship L'Aigle.




They were the first of the Hawaiian Royals to travel abroad.




A state visit with King George of England was intended to establish a political and commercial understanding; The better to enable Liholiho to govern an island kingdom that attracted the avaricious interest of many foreigners.





Before they had an audience with the English Monarch,
the Hawaiians were struck with measles.



Queen Kamamalu died July 8, 1824



followed by the death of King Liholiho on July 14.



Like their subjects,, the Hawaiian Royals lacked immunity to western diseases.



"A Song About Kamehameha II"



Proud is Kona of Hawaii
The waters and thick clouds
Hualalai, the majestic mountain is high above
Kona is the best



This warm land
With the refreshing wind
The bright moonlight that
Beckons the visitors





Chorus:
Proud
The cloud banks over Kona's peaceful sea
Like the hinano flower
In the peaceful sea
The cloudbanks of Kona
Are incomparable, second to none
The cloudbanks of Kona
The streaked sea
The peaceful sea of Kona




The cloud bank over Kona's peaceful sea
Like the hinano flower in the calm
Where dusk descends with evening dew
The na'u is chanted by the playful children





Hold back the rays of the sun
The sun rays reflecting on the surface of the sea
Very warm is the land
Very loving the Ho`olulu progeny




Nothing compares to the love
O my beloved companion of all time
For my lovely chief, my last refrain
Liholiho, I praise your name





:)

Caz Christmas Show

Aloha Friends!
Saturday
Before Christmas
in
H O N O L U L U

Click on Christmas-y Pictures

A Ted Trimmer Photo

><>

Last week, the Cazimero Brothers had to cancel their Christmas show at the Hawaii Theatre. Everyone is OK, but it was a holiday disappointment nevertheless. So here is LAST year's post about a delightful outing....Hmmmm, it's not half bad! ENJOY

Warmly, Cloudia

click on photos to enlarge!

"Trumpet in a herd of elephants; crow in the company of cocks; bleat in a flock of goats."
- Malaysian Proverb

"Those that can't endure the bad, will not live to see the good."
Jewish Proverb

"Writing is the only profession where no one considers you ridiculous if you earn no money."
- Jules Renard

I have Spring Fever and Christmas spirit today! Last evening, clad in closed shoes AND socks, long black jeans, and my winter coat (a light wind-breaker jacket), I rode in a school bus with a jolly group from Hula’s Bar & Lei Stand, for the ten minute trek from Waikiki to down-town Honolulu. The ride was like being in some mutant adult summer camp. Flasks of good Irish Whisky were allegedly passed around (bad children!) And SOMEONE was filling the air with the sweet smell of burning Da Kine (“the kind!”) Yeah, you in da back! I’m looking at YOU! . . . We de-bussed in front of the venerable Hawaii Theatre as she glimmered in all her golden-age movie-palace splendor. The restored neon, and modern electronic marquee, splashed color all around little Bethel Street, gilding historic buildings, and our happy faces, in red, blue and razzle-dazzle. Many people wore a dear blend of aloha wear with holiday touches. Think of aloha shirts and mu`u mu`u accented with Santa hats and tinsel lei. An expectant crowd was gathering to enjoy a bona fide local institution: The Brothers Cazimero Christmas Show! The two living treasures, along with Robert’s kane (men) of Hula Halau Na Kamalei, the wahine of the Royal Dance Company, and special guests, would once again put on THE iconic Christmas Show of our town and WE lucky folk had actual tickets! As someone who dislikes the press of a crowd I was entirely comfortable among this glittering isle style assemblage. When the curtain rose on a set featuring a lovely Christmas tree, lighted palms, evergreen wreathes, and the usual proscenium for two, Christmas had finally come to our hearts for one more year. Even though they are seen shopping, going movies, or walking in a shop, it brings a strong pavlovian contentment to see the Brothers smiling and performing on stage. And there they were like favorite cousins visiting house: Robert on his trademark stand-up bass, and Roland with his guitar. Something wonderful in the world, something RIGHT, comes into blossom when they sing to us. For the curtain raiser, The Brothers played and sang while the entire company (filling the front of the stage before them) danced and sang along (Heck, WE ALL sang!) a rousing interpretation of the shopworn but beloved cliché: Mele Kalikimaka together. These guys play Carnegie Hall, and Robert just received a prestigious national artistic award & grant from the peer panel of the U.S. Artists organization, so this was like a family sing-along and a world-class cultural performance in one. The evening blended laughs, tears, young and older performers, in a soul satisfying early gift that I, for one, REALLY needed this year! Miss Keiki Hula 2008, Leah Santiago, danced an INCREDIBLE Hawaiian Lullaby! The night was full of excellent hula, but this little girl had such presence & grace that I KNOW we will be seeing her win Miss Aloha Hula in about ten years. (That’ll be about five years before Hawaii Governor Malia Obama proclaims me a Hawaii Treasure for my beloved writing ;-). Young Master Keiki Hula 2008, Lyons Wong of the Big Island filled the place with a rousing, energetic dance of his own. It was a night of wonderful moments pressed down, shaken, and running over. The night flew by, which is not always the case for lil ole short attention span gal – ME! I was so “knocked out” that I slept through the cannon AND booming fireworks that marked the start of today’s Honolulu Marathon. After last nights “wintry” visit downtown to the theatre (wearing shoes, SHOES I tell ya!) I woke to blue tropical skies and balmy breezes today. So Mele Kalikimaka to YOU, and please pass the sun block!

A L O H A! Cloudia

Battleship

A L O H A!

Happy Saturday, Come in and Relax-

click on photos - then saluteUSS Missouri Being Towed Past Diamond Head

“Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board”
Zora Neale Hurston

Her Great 16 inch Guns
(They fire shells the size of volkswagens 20+ miles)


"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed."
Dwight David Eisenhower

Surrender Deck, Tokyo Bay

"Lord, bid war's trumpet cease;

Fold the whole earth in peace."
Oliver Wendell Holmes

"When eating bamboo sprouts,

remember the man who planted them."
Chinese Proverb

Where did Summer Go?

Suddenly the floats are gliding down Kalakaua Avenue for today's Aloha Week Floral Parade.

The season just past was EPIC for South Shore surfers, and forecasters are calling for perfect big waves (and soon!) for Oahu's legendary North Shore.

Looks to be 6 to 10 feet today!

Just now, Waikiki is a glistening jewel set in azure waters, perfect for revving your engines - or just relaxing in style. China's Shaolin Monks are here, showing off their amazing moves at the Blaisdell Arena, and Aerosmith will perform here this Fall too. So many choices! Why just the other day a friend asked me if I was going to the Cazimero Brothers' Christmas Show at the Hawaii Theater again this year. Of course! But there's so much to enjoy around here before December. Heck, we even have opera!

One thing you WON'T be able to do for a while is to visit the Battleship Missouri; The "Mighty Mo" will be freed from her moorings on October 14th for the first time since arriving in Hawaii 11 years ago. Beginning before sun-up on that day, all 887 feet, and 54,899 tons of the grey lady will be nudged by three or four tugboats the two miles from Pearl Harbor's Pier Foxtrot 5 to the famous shipyard's Dry-dock 4. Dignitaries are invited along for the 12 to 14 hour ride. But hundreds more of us average folks are expected to be watching from the sidelines. Some lucky people residing up on the hillsides will be able to see the drama unfolding from their homes. Engineers are custom building 310 wooden "keel blocks" (8,000 pounds EACH) on which the giant will rest. Once inside the dry-dock it should take 3 hours for the water to be drained out while divers ensure the correct placement of bulk on block. (The dignitaries will be stuck with each other's company until the ship is high and dry ;) One of Hawaii's top 10 visitor attractions, the Mighty Mo drew 48,111 guests and pilgrims in July. That's 12 percent of all visitors to this island, including numerous WWII veterans from EVERY side of the war.

And yes, those are the big 16 inch guns that Cher cavorted on for her

"If I could Turn Back Time video!"

Sadly, the Association that manages the ship is forbidden from firing them (or the ships engines) inside Pearl Harbor. Watching the grey ghost glide past Waikiki from the deck of my own boat on Fathers' Day of 1998 was a surreal experience! Once tours resume on January 29th you can also hold your function or soiree aboard the ship's fan tail. What a place for a birthday party! (I'm just saying. . . .) You will again be able to walk the "Surrender Deck" where the Japanese Empire and the United States signed the instrument that ended WWII. While you are there, just look over one ship's length to the Arizona Memorial, and you will be looking at the spot where war began, from the very spot where it ended. Only in Hawaii!

I'll take plenty of parade pictures to share with you.

Have a great day-

A L O H A Cloudia

Men Dance!

Aloha!

Welcome to

H A W A I I

"Dare to Hula, Leave your shame at home!"

Hawaiian Saying

Please click on "Comments" to read my, um, comment ;-)

Chai's Island Bistro

Aloha!

Welcome to Honolulu Harbor at Sunset!

Aloha Tower, courtesy of Chuck Painter (c)



“A tree trunk the size of a man grows from a blade as thin as a hair. A tower nine stories high is built from a small heap of earth.”
Lao Tzu


Women Warriors of WWII. Note the camouflaged Aloha Tower!

Contemporary Clouds;
like Me!

Morning Ladies!

"The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them,

but to be indifferent to them. That's the essence of humanity."

George Bernard Shaw

No, I don't know what these birds are called.

I call them Oahu Woody Woodpeckers ;-)

"Cloudia, I loved your little book (Aloha Where You Like Go?);

I laughed, I cried, I got 'chicken skin.'" (Goose bumps)

Robert Cazimero

Tomorrow evening there will be a White House first: a Hawaiian Luau on da lawn!

My sincere admiration to Cha Thompson of Tihati productions for keeping secret this engagement of her dancers and fire knife masters until the official announcement. She looked like she won't need a plane to fly to DC.

The "Coconut wireless" has it that planners wanted to use East Coast hula dancers, but that a Local Guy (In Chief) nixed that idea in favor of bringing in the real, local performers. He can handle 16 crises AND chew gum at the same time. Our President well exemplifies the local Hawaii saying: "Cool head main thing." Yay Barack!

My luau was last night,

as Favourite Husband and those California Cattermoles took me to Chai's Island Bistro at the Aloha Tower Marketplace for a belated birthday dinner.

The Aloha Tower, a local icon, was the tallest thing in Honolulu till after WWII. Once upon a time, she greeted the Matson Liners on "Boat Day" while bands played, lei sellers displayed their fragrant wares, and kids (some of whom I met as senior citizens) dove for coins tossed into Honolulu Harbor.

The tower, though still Harbor Control Headquarters, and the docking site for the QEII and her sister cruise ships, is now home to a mixed-use "festival marketplace" like San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf.

Chai is a nice Thai guy who brought his palate to Honolulu some years ago and launched a successful restaurant career. His eponymous bistro is known for great food and as a place to hear world-class local talent.

Wednesdays feature the famous Cazimero Brothers, holding court and playing Hawaiian Classics as they do at their periodic Carnegie Hall concerts. But on Tuesdays the room belongs to Robert Cazimero: songwriter, vocalist, and respected Kumu Hula (hula master) who transfixes the room with his brilliant contemporary interpretations of the great Hawaii Songbook.

Alone at the piano, he effortlessly conjures a magic atmosphere. Deftly his melodious voice moves from one unique vocal interpretation to the next. "My Hawaiian Souvenirs" once recorded by beloved auntie Genoa Keawe on the old 49th State record label, is one such almost-forgotten Hapa Haole masterpiece that Robert breathes charming, fresh life into.

A single Hula dancer joins him from time to time, her expressive hands, feet, face, & body as supple and salutary as Robert's voice. During breaks, the sound system plays Hawaiian classics - including the evening's featured performer.

Can you tell I had a good time?

The food? Oh yes! I had a Pu Pu (appetizer) platter to myself (greedy girl) consisting of seared, crusted ahi (red tuna) sashimi, a diminutive crab cake (very different from the working class, Philly crab cakes of my youth) and two towering prawns wearing Summer-weight robes of spun tempura batter.

"These prawns are almost Hifumi sized!" I thought, comparing them to my favorite budget Japanese Restaurant, located (only-in-Hawaii style) at the Chinese Cultural Center. They are famous for giant shrimp tempura (and honorably stand up to the fleet of excellent Chinese eateries surrounding them).

At the end of the evening, Robert sang "Happy Birthday" to me from behind the keys. An artist I admire so much!

You know, Robert's exemplary Aloha is very much at home everywhere, at classy Chai's or blue collar Hifumi. His graciousness to the upscale patrons last night was EXACTLY the same as I've seen him lavish on near destitute patrons at a favorite Hotel Street dive around the corner from the Hawaii Theatre. The governor, an ancient, homeless drunk, or me: Robert shares his simple, profound kindness with each one.

THAT is the definition of Aloha.

He permits each one of us to be Ali`i (chiefly) for a charmed hour. The world-recognized artist treats each like a peer, spreading his kingly feathered cloak over our shoulders too. . .

Last evening will always remain one of my cherished Hawaiian Souvenirs.

I hope YOUR visits here make you feel a little of that tropical

magic too!

A L O H A! Cloudia

Waikiki 'Snow Day'

"The line separating good & evil passes not through states, not between classes, nor between political parties either - but right through every human heart."
- Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

(click on photos to enlarge!)

"Any fool can make a rule, and any fool will mind it."

- Thoreau

"I've had mine, now go get yours, Honey."

- Betty Grable to a young Marilyn Monroe

Hawaiian Royals, Bruddah Iz & Hula

Having traveled around the Bahamas, Caribbean, Jamaica and Cozumel by boat, I KNOW that Hawaii, particularly Honolulu, is far from third world conditions. Nevertheless, a bit of winter rain with high winds does throw us into a "snow day" tizzy. Power lines come down (termites!) small streams flood, and choppy waves wash over the sweet little two-lane highway that is STILL the lifeline of Rural Oahu. Road closed! Turn around and go the other way around the island to work! Here aboard our 50+ year old boat in Waikiki, waking up to howling wind, drumming rain, and yanking, rocking, creaking all around at 3am is a magical and primitive-ly scary experience. I TOLD Miss Kitty at bed time that she wouldn't be happy out in the open for long. Sure enough I woke to find her meowing with relief on a pile of formerly dry clothes inside the wheel house. . . Power remains on: light, coffee, Internet & morning TV as the Favourite Husband heroically girds to brave the Pali Highway over the Ko`olau Mountains. . . . The Brothers Cazimero, those living treasures of Hawaiian Music, are singing live on the morning show as I write to you, and I remember happily that Saturday Night will find me at their Hawaii Theatre Christmas Show! Like to join me? I'll have my camera, notepad, and a trilling heart - be here at Comfort Spiral on Sunday for some inside pics. . . The Kailua High School baseball team is hosting a community IMU for a fundraiser! The traditional Polynesian cooking pit, complete with glowing hot Pohaku (stones) will be available on December 29th to recieve disposable aluminium trays containing such things as seasoned meats (turkeys, pork) sweet potatoes, taro and lu`au leaf, all swathed in tin foil, (up to 25 pounds) to steam overnight. Should be a nice "house party" complement to the lucky red Ahi tuna that EVERYONE in the islands eats at New Years time for good luck. . . . then REAL New Year: Chinese (lunar) New Year will convulse this town with lion dances, fire crackers, Chinatown street festivals and parades on weekend nights. In the neighborhoods the distinctive backyard "Thwak!" of mallets pounding Mochi rice in the Usu will be heard. Clans will gather to make chewy mochi for everyone to eat. Kupuna (elders) will teach the keiki (kids) that families should stick together like the gelatinous, pounded rice . . . .

Rain is regarded as a blessing in the Hawiian culture. "Liquid sunshine" we call it. At least it's warm! And tomorrow (or da nex` day) brilliant sun will blue the sky again. Impossibly white clouds will billow over the horizon and scrape their lazy bottoms over the suddenly green and sharp mountains . . .

"Here we know that Christmas will be clear & bright; The sun will shine by day and all the stars at night! Mele Kalikimaka is Hawaii's way to say 'Merry Christmas' to YOU!"

A L O H A! Cloudia