Water Bird Wednesday

 A  L  O  H  A ! 

"A wise man changes

 his mind, a fool never." 

                        Spanish Proverb

"What comes from the heart

 reaches the heart, 

what comes from the 

mouth reaches the ears."

                     Arabian Proverb

PhotoBomb!

" I am not at all concerned 

with appearing consistent.  

In my pursuit after Truth

 I have discarded many 

ideas and learnt 

many new things.  -

--Old as I am in age, 

I have no feeling that 

I have ceased to grow 

inwardly...  "

                        Mahatma Gandhi

Linking to

Wild Bird Wednesday
&
The Bird D'Pot
&
Wednesday Waters

Thank YOU

for Visiting!

                               cloudia

Spotted in Honolulu Chinatown 您好

A  L  O  H  A !    您好

All Photos are Clickable

" The more we meditate 

on good thoughts, 

the better 

our world becomes. "  

               Confucius 

“ You will receive 

everything you need 

when you stop asking 

for what you 

do not need. ”  

                    Nisargadatta Maharaj

" I like Chinese

I like Chinese

Their food is guaranteed 

to please

A fourteen, a seven, 

a nine and lychees. "

                                      Monty Python

This time of year

excitement is building:

Chinese New Year!

 (CNY)

Preparations are underway.

Soon the dancing lions

will be awakened.

These young men

will be ready 

to Dazzle!

>[(\)]<

Wishing You

a lovely Day!

Thanks for Visiting

                  warmly, cloudia

Texture-Scapes

A  L  O  H  A!

 Palm Shadow Afternoon

" I imagine that

 yes

 is the only living thing. "

e. e. cummings

 Land of Homemade Bread

“ You aspire to great things? 

Begin with little ones. ”

Saint Augustine

 Lava Rock Wall

" God made everything 

out of nothing,

 but the nothingness 

shows through. "
       
Paul Valery

Trunk of Palm

" We all have

 the extraordinary

 coded within us, 

waiting

 to be released. "

Jean Houston



=^..^=
 > < } } (°>
' Take Peace & Smiles - Leave Your Comment '
Thanks for visiting!
                           Warmly, cloudia

Bonus Points:

Did you notice the
 caveman & Tyrannosaurus
on the palm trunk:

Old Friends and Hermits

A   L   O   H   A  !

“ Why give in

 to rudeness,

 when you can fight back

 with kindness. ”

 Donna A. Favors

 The Moana Hotel opened on March 11, 1901 (LINK)

“It takes a long time

 to grow an old friend.”

 John Leonard

" What a wee little part 

of a person's life 

are his acts and his words!
 His real life is led in his head,

 and is known to none 

but himself. "

 
Mark Twain

YOUr Comments

are currency

in my world

                         WARMLY, cloudia

Dodged the Bullet

A L O H A!

Aren't YOU glad that YOU aren't in Waikiki Today?

click on photos for the full experienceThe folks at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center

are busily working the phones, computers & satellite feeds.

They are monitoring buoys scattered throughout the Pacific

looking for patterns and trends.

An 8.4 earthquake rumbled in Samoa today

creating waves that pushed some cars around, destroyed at least one village, and injured some people; though there

are no reports of fatalities.

Selfishly, the question for me is:

"Do I need to grab necessities

(including Kitty) and head for the hills?

We do after all live on a boat here in Waikiki.

Bless my gal pal Judy who called to warn me and re-activate our standing emergencies-invite to her lovely home WAY up

on the hillside.

(Thanks, Special!)

Imagine living in the days when a gentle, island day like this could suddenly,

without warning, erupt in a huge killer wave or hurricane!

Better to know, but still disruptive of my planned day.

"Why must there always be a problem!"

George Costanza / Larry David

Well, General Lee, of the Hawaii National Guard and the

Civil Defense honchos

inside their Diamond Head HQ, are letting their breath out as the experts at PTWC downgrade the threat to our Islands.

At 11:11 am Hawaiian Standard Time it appears that we will have some unusual tides, but no hugely dangerous tsunami, arriving sometime after 1pm.

Locals and visitors are advised not to swim in the ocean till 7:30 pm.

I will be standing by to ease up my lines, shift bumpers, & otherwise protect our floating

home.

Not the way I intended to spend my day but. . .

"Life is what happens, while you are busy making other plans."

John Lennon

And speaking of major impacts that can shatter all "normalcy"

yesterday, September 28th, was the 75th Birthday of "BB"

Brigitte Bardot

<>< . ><>

"In all her films, she likes animals."

De Beauvoir

<><

"Well my telephone rang it would not stop.

It's President Kennedy callin` me up.

He said 'My friend Bob, what do we need

to make the country grow?'

I said, 'My friend, Brigitte Bardot. . . .' "

Dylan

><>

Thanks SO much for looking in.

Let's meet here tomorrow for more

mundane sights,

Quirky Quotes,

and "Tall Tale" speculations!

Warm Aloha, Cloudia

Clear Skies

A L O H A!

It's the 'Morning After' here in Waikiki. . .

click on photos to enter a magical realm "The truly efficient laborer will not crowd his day with work but will saunter to his task, surrounded by a wide halo of ease and leisure, and then do what he loves best."

Henry Thoreau

"An idea is not responsible for the people who believe in it."

Don Marquis

"No man ever got high by pulling other people down. The intelligent merchant does not knock his competitors. The sensible worker does not 'work' those who work with him. Don't knock your friends. Don't knock your enemies. Don't knock yourself."

Alfred Lord Tennyson

)=(

Lovely Spirit of the Earth,
of soil,
God's beloved
Rock-ribbed
spongy
fitting flesh of our experience
I live on you with gratitude.
You are within me
of which I'm made.








Lovely Water Spirit,
God's beloved,
flowing
falling
resting
patient;
Ocean, raindrop, tear
mother of life
you share the salt of the Earth.
I was born in you
and you are within me
of which I'm made.










Sacred Fire,
God's beloved,
Cold at the distance of stars:
you are the spark
the transformer
comfort and delight,
you nourish,
cleanse
destroy
and birth
in the melding of suns.
The lightning strike,
smile,
and hug
you imbue
within me of which I'm made.









Air,
God's beloved,
You
Are
!





Of which I'm made
Amen.
!

A L O H A, my friend ;-) Cloudia

Clever Bananas

A L O H A!

Welcome

click on photos to enlarge!

Banana Leaf

"Intellectual property has the shelf life of a banana."

Bill Gates

YO, Vinny!
They're EVERYWHERE!

"You don't want your credibility banana to turn brown, but you do want to speak out about what you believe in."
Bradley Whitford

"You have to have a certain persona to be a star, you know, and I don't have that. I'm a banana."

Harvey Korman

"By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest."

Confucius

Clever Bananas, the portable fruit!

I've tried everything to keep them fresh

when all the time they were ready to go:

simply separate them

and they know that it is time to be portable,

they keep fresh and go along.

Such a companionable fruit!

The bunch of five

like a vegetal hand

reaching out

across the species barrier

as if to shake hands

(That's what they're called:

a "Hand of Bananas"

at least that's what I call them.)

Yo, Yellow!

Time to come along on a little

walk-about.

Apple bananas, growing in da yard,

sweet and custard-y

not store-bought and hard!

So here's to a noble curved companion

No! not THAT one!

the lowly banana

whose "tree" is really a giant grass.

Tomorrow's post:

"I've got a loverly bunch a coconuts!"

A L O H A!

Summer-Addled Cloudia

I Never Did This Before. . . Really!

Aloha!

Welcome to

Virtual Waikiki A lens masterpiece by Ted Trimmer (c)

Right here in Waikiki

"Reality is nothing but a collective hunch."

Lily Tomlin

Love that rustic door pull!

King Street, Honolulu

"To love for the sake of being loved is human, But to love for the sake of loving is angelic."

Alphonse Marie Louis de Lamartine

Ah, A shower at the end of the day!

Yes, that's my actual shower.

"We all leave footprints in the sand, the question is, will we be a big heel, or a great soul."

Source Unknown

Poet, blogger, and urban rude-boy, Walking Man at:

http://themanwhowalksalonewalksfaster.blogspot.com/

Tagged me with a meme.

And though I have never participated in those sorts of goings-on before, it seems a lazy, hazy time of relaxation and gimcrackery like today might be just the time to take a break for some fun.

So here's "Times Four"

Four Movies You Can See Over and Over

"Once Upon a Time In America" Sergio Leone

"The Trouble With Angels" Hailey Mills

"Avalon" Barry Levinson

"Public Enemy" St. Jimmy Cagney

Four Places You Have Lived

Books

Philadelphia

Honolulu

Mostly in my head

Four TV Shows You Love(d) to Watch

Bill Mawr

TCM Movies all day & night/Sporanos

The Avengers / Honey West

30 Rock/NYPD Blue

Four Places You Have Been on a Vacation

Books

Movies

Magazines

Jamaica

Four of your favorite foods

Dim Sum

Pizza

Lomi Salmon wit da rice / Hawaii "Plate Lunch"

AUTHENTIC Deli / New Jersey Diner

I'm sure that I'm forgetting important items...glad this is just a game.

;-)

TAG

You're IT!

Aloha Cloudia

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

No Tourists

Aloha!

Welcome to Waikiki Three Hula Dancers Weclome You

"Prayer is meaningless unless it is subversive, unless it seeks to overthrow and ruin the pyramids of callousness, hatred, opportunism, falsehoods."

Abraham Joshua Heschel

Another Domestic Hawaiian Rainbow

"If I had to live my life again, I would have made a rule to read some poetry and listen to some music at least once every week. The loss of these tastes is a loss of happiness."

Concieted Carp

"You can get a whole lot more done with a kind word and a gun than you can with a gun alone."

Al Capone

There are No tourists in Hawaii!

That's right. We call them "visitors" as in Hawaii Visitors Bureau. I've always liked that old fashioned way of thinking about folks from elsewhere. It speaks of our local pride, identification with our island home, our traditional spirit of welcome. They all manage to hang on somehow – even in our topsy-turvy day. The real Waikiki, the genuine Hawaii, they still exist. Some visitors are fooled by our modern tempo and amenities, but for those with a heart to see beyond the "attractions" there is authenticity. The key is to bring some of your own along with you. . .

A L O H A! Cloudia