Clearing da Banyan

Aloha, Friend!

A Ted Trimmer Photo


"Ask not what tomorrow may bring,
but count as blessing
every day that fate allows you."

Horace 64 B.C.

Ted caught this great shot of a box fish too.

"Perhaps more people would give heed
unto the word of the Lord
if the Lord had a funny blog."

Angel
in a Robert Mankoff cartoon,
in the New Yorker

This one's mine :)

"What difference does it make how much you have?
What you don't have amounts to much more."

Seneca


Sounds a little depressing at first,
but is liberating when you think about it...

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And here's a video I took of the dauntless yard men of Waikiki
clearing out a giant banyan tree.

The dramatic tension is provided by a fellow who,
upon seeing that I was filming,
stood in the frame and waited.

I could have screamed!
"Act normally, keep going!"
Ah, the life of a blogger...

Bye Now! cloudia

Hula Winners

Aloha, Friend!

We were up past midnight watching the announcement of the

Merrie Monarch winners.

Below you will find a video

of the Kane winners of the Auana ("modern") Hula.

Give them a chance to get going

and you will enjoy these things that tourists to Hawaii rarely see.

Wahine (women) hula is familiar to everyone, and you can see more great performances, both Kane (Kah-Nay, Men) and Wahine HERE.

Hula Heaven

ALOHA, Friend!

You should have been here last night:

The large and mixed crowd began filing into the roofed,

but open-air stadium

hours before the event was to begin.

Hilo Bay could be seen glittering in the distance.

But it was not a Kona golden sunset,

that's the other side of the Big Island of Hawaii,

no, this was rainy, jungle town, east side Hilo.

But soon this sleepy place would hold the eyes

of the world.

Google shows that newspapers as far away as the UK

are carrying the story:

Mahealani Mika Hirao-Solem

has been crowned Miss Aloha Hula for 2010.

(click HERE)

That's what Thursday night,

opening night at the festival,

is all about.

Tonight is my favourite night:

Kahiko, or ancient Hula.

Excitement mounts,

as do the chicken skin bumps

on the arms of viewers

in person, on TV, and via the Web.

The beat of the Pahu

(large shark-skin covered drum)

rings out.

A chant is heard.

A procession of male dancers

clad in malo (loincloth)

in greenery,

tribal tattoos,

and proud expressions,

take the stage as one

like a military unit.

After the proper moment of silence

they begin their chant.

Winds and skies and tiny beings,

leaves and rocks, waters

and ancient ones

all listen

and pay heed.

As one they begin

with force!

(courtesy of Paradise Cove)

The women fans,

and a good deal of the men,

yell and squeal with a primal delight.

And the women dancers!

Their power, beauty, and embodied sacredness!

They defy words

except perhaps ancient ones

such as we bathe our souls in

tonight.

Hoo! Good, yeah?

Yeah, I like Kahiko night the best.

Saturday is Auana, or modern Hula

as danced since the monarchy era.

The women sway as you are familiar with

the men wear pants,

they all wear quite a lot actually (missionary times)

and smile beautifully.

These men are not effeminate,

quite the opposite in fact.

It has taken some growth

since the "Hula is for girls,

and football for boys"

times of the 50's.

I guess I'm rambling.

I'll be in something of a Hawaiian fog

for the rest of the weekend;

Staying up late,

knowing a little,

but feeling a lot of appreciation,

pride,

and joy.

On Saturday night

as the judges tally the final scores

(after midnight usually)

a pandemonium of exhaustion and joy breaks out.

the musicians play,

the stadium buzzes.

Halau (hula schools/familes) that have competed

sit together and laugh.

The cameras sweep the place,

settling on great faces

young & old,

Local

and visitor.

This is the time when the

Kumu (sources/teachers of the Halau)

most always get up spontaneously

and dance,

each their own form,

yet all at the same time,

on the giant wooden stage.

Spectacle!

Everyone is giddy.

This year is the first

that Uncle George Naope

(read about him HERE)

will not be here

to get up and dance his

Kolohe

(mischievous, funny, borderline)

moves.

And the entire Hula world feels that loss

keenly.

Aunty Dottie,

festival founder and longtime head,

is now watching from the world beyond too.

This year is for them,

and for respected Kumu Hula

Rae Fonseca

who also passed recently.

(story HERE)

And yet the heart of Hula,

of the Hawaiian people,

and all who love this people

and culture

is beating stronger than ever.

So do check out the previous post about the festival

(Here) and below.

I should be back to baking

metaphysical muffins

and posting photos

of Waikiki again

soon.

I have tried to embed videos below

but am not sure they loaded right.

So check out the website HERE

Mahealani Mika Hirao-Solem,

YOUR 2010 MISS ALOHA HULA!

The 2010 Merrie Monarch Festival: Television and Live Stream Schedule

Miss Aloha Hula 2009 - Cherissa Henoheanapuaikawaokele Kane

Watch the 2010 Merrie Monarch Festival in high-definition in Hawaii on KFVE or from anywhere in the world via live streaming on k5thehometeam.com! All times are Hawaiian Standard Time. (Midnight in New York City, is 6pm HST)

Thursday, April 8: 6:00 PM to 12:00 AM
Women compete for the coveted title of "Miss Aloha Hula"

Friday, April 9: 6:00 PM to 11:30 PM
Hula Kahiko: Halau perform ancient style dances

Saturday, April 10: 6:00 PM to 12:30 AM
Hula Auana and Awards presentation: Halau perform modern style dances and the winning halau are announced after the final performance.

Video clips of all performances will be available the day after the performance.

Warm Aloha From Hawaii! cloudia

Today!!

Aloha, FRIEND!

You have come at a MOST Wonderful time

as we celebrate one of THE great weekends of the year.

It's time once again for the

world Olympics of HULA

known as the

Merrie Monarch Festival.

Halau (Hula schools or families) have prepared for a year:

the chant, the hula, the adornments & lei.

Today they gather for the 47th time

from all over the islands,

and (in recent years) from the continent as well,

on the legendary stage of Edith Kanakaole Stadium in Hilo!

Click HERE

for link to info & streaming Hula!

Remember that Hawaiian Standard Time (HST)

is 6 hours later than New York.

Midnight in NYC is 6pm here.

Last evening, walking up Waikiki beach at sunset time,

I heard the strains of Hawaiian music as a trio serenaded our visitors.

"I wanna go back to my little grass shack in Kealakekua Hawaii. . ."

. . . it took me back

to our first morning in the islands, 23 years ago...

...as we ate brunch that day,

and prepared ourselves to fly to our destination,

our new home (sight unseen) on the Big Island called Hawaii.

That long ago day

was the first time I remember hearing the old song.

"WE'RE going to live in a shack in Kealakekua!"

Imagine my honor last eve

at hearing the classic song

and realizing that it is freighted with so much

of my life's story. . .

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You would really have to read my little Hawaii novel,

Aloha Where You Like Go?

(Click HERE)

to understand what that really meant to two refugees

from Normal America.

Suffice it to say,

the Merrie Monarch is a BIG thing here,

and it's a BIG thing to me!

Auntie Dottie, and Uncle George Na`ope,

the real founders of the institution,

both passed this year.

It is the passing of an age,

and this year they will be very near to us

from the moment that the

Royal Court

enters the festival tonight.

Like a big family reunion

we will see the Kumu (Masters of Hula)

and their Halau,

along with the judges and cultural experts,

that we have come to know for decades.

And like a family,

we will meet our new members:

new dancers (Wahine/Women & Kane/Men).

This year, there is even an all-Japanese halau

in from Japan!

You can read other posts about the festival,

and about Uncle George

HERE, HERE, & HERE.

Do look into the streaming broadcast

via the link near the red festival schedule near the top.

King Kalakaua, the Merrie Monarch himself,

said that Hula is the heartbeat of the Hawaiian people.

It's still beating in the Pahu Drum.

Come be moved with us.

Oh, and you can hear that "corny" grass shack song below.

ALOHA, cloudia

We'll Make More

Aloha, Friend!

click on photos!

Where are we going, Dad?

"A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on."

Carl Sandburg

People come here to Waikiki from EVERYWHERE!

"A friend who is far away

is sometimes much nearer than one who is at hand.

Is not the mountain far more awe-inspiring

and more clearly visible to one passing

through the valley than to those who inhabit the mountain?"

Kahlil Gibran

"What is the purpose of the giant sequoia tree?

To provide shelter for the tiny mouse."

Edward Abbey

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The Hawaii Tourism Authority is funding plans to re-sand our beaches, and to restore our reefs.

So come enjoy our Hawaiian beaches. . .

We'll make more!

Housekeeping

Aloha, Friend!
Welcome
back to
W A I K I K I
Today


click on photos!

This is the Waikiki that you probably think of:
relaxing and playing at da beach

But there is housekeeping to be done.

This guy is using an old palm branch as we have done forever.

Sweeping...sweeping...



Aloha, my friends!


You may have noticed
(if you've been visiting here for a while)
that USUALLY I post EVERY day around midnight.



I also like to visit all of YOUR blogs
spending hours a day on line.



Well, I've been having some
connectivity issues
here on the ole boat
and it has disrupted my
on-line activities.




So PLEASE excuse
that I haven't been ABLE
to visit your blog lately.




Once this gets squared away
I'll be back!

ALOHA, cloudia

The Secret

Aloha, my Friend!

Click on the photos

Pensive

"Come, pensive nun, devout and pure, sober steadfast, and demure, all in a robe of darkest grain, flowing with majestic train." John Milton

Polka-dots of shadow

"Should not every apartment in which man dwells

be lofty enough to create some obscurity overhead,

where flickering shadows may play at evening

about the rafters"

Thoreau

Pure Green Light!

"AS we become purer channels for God's light

we develop an appetite for the sweetness

that is possible in this world.

A miracle worker is not geared toward
fighting the world that is,

but toward creating the world

that could be."

Marianne Williamson

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The secret about religion

is simply to believe

what you were created to

believe.

Don't fuss about dogma

or details.

Just live in the light

that strikes

your

heart.

ALOHA, cloudia

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