Rhapsodiasical

Aloha & Welcome to the Beauty of
HAWAII

click on the pictures

"The trouble with life isn't that there is no answer,
it's that there are so many answers."

Ruth Benedict

"Everything should be made as simple as possible,
but not simpler."

Einstein

"There is always some specific moment

when we realize our youth is gone;

but years after, we know it was much later."


Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960


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Just being born an average person:
no wealth,
no connections,
no extraordinary talents,
no extraordinary luck,
is the greatest challenge,
and adventure
in the universe.


What do YOU think?


Thank You for Visiting,
Kindly leave a comment!
cloudia

Drenched

Aloha Welcome

FRIEND!

Click on the cloud pics

I wandered lonely as a Cloudia...

Flotsam Gems

Um, OK...

Saturday on Waikiki Beach:

Jennifer Bright, left, Lyndsay Haywood, center, and Lisa Chin are drenched in chocolate syrup to symbolize the oil-drenched wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico.

Courtesy of DENNIS ODA at Honolulu's STARADVERTISER.COM

(related naughtiness HERE)

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"When our intentions toward others are good,

we find that any feelings of anxiety or insecurity we may have

are greatly reduced.

We experience a liberation from our habitual preoccupation

with self and paradoxically, this gives rise

to strong feelings of confidence."

Dalai Lama

&

cloudia

ALOHA!

My Time Machine

Aloha,
Golden Summer FRIEND!

click on the pics :)

Waikiki is known for sweeping sky vistas...



"A man without ambition is dead.
A man with ambition but no love is dead.
A man with ambition
and love for his blessings here on earth
is forever so
alive."

Pearl Bailey

...But there are little secrets to find. What is this?


"Happiness comes of the capacity

to feel deeply,

to enjoy simply,

to think freely,

to risk life,

to be needed."

Storm Jameson

A little hobo cat lies sleeping.



“The more you know,

the less you need”

Australian Aboriginal Proverb


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I love my time machine.
You may call it a scooter, but to me it is a magic carpet.
Since I usually walk through Waikiki
it seems magically effortless to swoop down these same streets
open to the skies,
to Heaven,
yet keeping my eyes alive all around me.

In a car
you are behind a windshield.
Bikers call cars
"cages."

But on two wheels
you are part of the scene
part of the weather.

I feel rejuvenated!

Of course,
car drivers come to two wheelers
with lots of bad driving habits,
like assuming that others see them.

On a bike you must always remember
that you are invisible.

You must pay Zen attention to your surroundings all around,
not merely ride the bumper of the car ahead.


I was a licensed motorcyclist
before I was licensed to drive a car.

On a bike you are active,
like a cow girl riding herd on the traffic.
The complete attention is soothing,
meditative.

And the time part?

Well I'm able to swing into a place,
park right away,
complete my chore
and on to the next place.


Suddenly it feels possible
(and fun)
to accomplish every little task.

What fun activity
have you forgotten?


Go build a sand castle,
or a go cart!

If you decide to ride on two wheels
it would be a good idea
to take a rider course.

Break out of the cage.


Let's FLY!


Thank YOU for swinging by here- cloudia


A serious note: Many of you have asked for pictures of the scooter.
I'd enjoy showing you, but it occurs to me that the web has many
lurkers, some of whom might live here in Honolulu.

Prudence demands a certain reserve, and I advise YOU to
safeguard YOUR self while on line too.

So NO scooter pictures. Sorry.

But just picture me on a little Japanese pony
having the time of my life
and you will "have" the
true picture!

Now YOU stay safe :)

More Parade

Aloha Friday is Here!





Click on the birdies

“God finds a low branch for the bird that cannot fly.”

Turkish Proverb

"Reading is to the mind

what exercise is to the body."


Sir Richard Steele

And here is a slide show of more parade pictures:




Thanks for YOUR visit!

cloudia

Hello Sailor(s)

Aloha, Friend!



click on the clouds

Eaves, skies, and spirits soaring!



"I bought a cactus.

A week later it died.

And I got depressed,

because I thought, Damn,

I am less nurturing than a desert."


- Demetri Martin

Taiko Taiko One Day...




"An uncle gave me a side drum

and my mother decided I should have lessons."


Humphrey Lyttelton

Australian Military Pilot



“It is courage, courage, courage,

that raises the blood of life to crimson splendor.

Live bravely and present a brave front to adversity.”

Horace

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The flotilla approaches our island of Oahu.

34 military ships, five submarines, and more than 100 aircraft from 14

Pacific nations,

began their maneuvers yesterday.

It was just the start of activities that will last till August first.

Some 20,000 officers, sailors, submariners,

and aviators will be exploring our town

when their schedules permit,

for they will spend the bulk of it practicing

to hunt submarines,

to clear mines,

and to otherwise cooperate and collaborate.

A few missiles will even be fired!

New York City may enjoy Fleet Week annually

(Hi, Daryl :)

but the U.S. Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor

gets to play host to colleagues

from Australia, Chile, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore and South Korea

(among others)

for RIMPAC (Rim of the Pacific) Exercises on alternate years.

It's sort of a naval

"You show me yours, and I'll show you mine."

Taxi drivers, bar girls, and t-shirt shops: gear up for more business!

Hello Sailor...

And aloha to YOU, my webby friend!

cloudia

Floral Parade

Aloha, Friend!
Welcome to the
Kamehameha Day Floral Parade


click on the parade!

Pau Rider


"No child but must remember laying his head in the grass,
staring into the infinitesimal forest
and seeing it grow populous with fairy armies."

Robert Louis Stevenson,
Essays in The Art of Writing

Ladies of a Royal Society



"The thing I was attracted to as a little girl
was Kirk, Bones and Spock, and their utter loyalty.
There's nothing more powerful than that."

Jolene Blalock


"When you eat fruit,
think of the person who planted the tree"

VIETNAMESE SAYING

It's a family thing.

"A hug is like a boomerang - you get it back right away."

Bil Keane, "Family Circus"




"Millions and millions of years
would still not give me half enough time
to describe that tiny instant of all eternity
when you put your arms around me
and I put my arms around you."

Jacques Prévert




"Everybody needs a hug.
It changes your metabolism."

Leo Buscaglia




"You can't wrap love in a box,
but you can wrap a person in a hug."

Author Unknown

Honolulu Police Department Motor Officer
wearing a maile lei.

Celebrating Kamehameha the Great,
the "Napoleon of the Pacific,"
the "Lonely One."
He united the islands into one kingdom
1810.

"Children make you want to start life over."
Muhammad Ali

Old & New:
Feathered Capes and Mobile Phones

"Face in the Crowd"




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Sure is Summer, isn't it?
Well, here in the northern it is.
Minds wander, and blog traffic dips.

But the desire to take pictures,
to reach out,
and to share with jolly friends
only blossoms.

We excuse each other
for the long days of reverie
far from the internet.

Love you guys;
That's ALOHA!
:) cloudia

Mrs. Cheng's Tofu

Aloha,
Summery FRIEND



remember to click on pics

Field Trip!


Tucked away in Honolulu's light industrial, residential,
catch-all neighborhood of Kalihi
you can find one of our little gems: Mrs. Cheng's Tofu Factory.

Our town has long imported and manufactured the ethnic foods
that our island population enjoys. There are other tofu factors in town.
We also produce Aloha Shoyu (soy sauce) Portuguese bread, halo-halo and adobo (Filipino treats).
We have several little and big noodle factories,
and even enjoyed our own local sake brewery. . . once upon a time.

Let's go inside to buy some fresh tofu, shall we?




"Have a mouth as sharp as a dagger,
but a heart as soft as tofu."

strange Chinese Proverb

All very basic but sanitary.



"Run, they're handing out tofu again!"
Panic scream of child trick-or treating on Halloween
'America's Food' by Harvey Blatt (2008)

Check out the Chinese instructions
on that super-special tofu machine!



"The method of making doufu dates back to Liu An (179-122B.C.), the Prince of Huainan.
It is made of soya beans,
either the black or the yellow variety."


Ancient Chinese work on medicinal herbs

Here is the prey we seek fresh from the oven:
Tofu Cheese, a baked specialty of Mrs. Cheng.




"Traditionally in the U.S., tofu was eaten by vegetarians as a protein substitute for meat. It was generally served plain, in large chunks completely devoid of flavor."

Brita Housez

Here it is packaged and at home, ready to eat!


" I like tofu cheese
and soy milk in my coffee and cereal."

~ Grace Slick quotes


Ah, Bertrand Russel was right:
"There is much pleasure to be gained
from useless information."


Thanks for visiting us here in Waikiki today!