HUNA: Hidden Wisdom

" We are made to persist. That's how we find out who we are." Tobias Wolf

"I know what I want to do with my life. I intend to do everything. . . Everything matters! . . . . I am alive . . . I am beautiful . . . .what else is there?" Susan Sontag, age 16

"I hope life isn't a big joke, because I don't get it."

Jack Handey

"Huna" means "hidden." This is the wisdom behind appearances that the Hawaiian Kahuna developed over centuries of learning & practice. These principles are considered practical techniques, not mere symbols. Emerging ideas, such as "The Secret," are uncannily similar, don't you think?

The Seven Principles of Huna

IKE -The world is what you think it is.

KALA -There are no limits, everything is possible.

MAKIA - Energy flows where attention goes.

MANAWA - Now is the moment of power.

ALOHA - To love is to be happy with.

MANA - All power comes from within.

PONO - Effectiveness is the measure of truth.

Food for thought . . . A L O H A! Cloudia

Hang in There

"No written law has ever been more binding than unwritten custom supported by popular opinion."
- Carrie Chapman Catt

"No one has a finer command of the language than the person who keeps his mouth shut." - Sam "Mr. Sam" Rayburn

"Insane people are always sure that they are fine. It is only the sane people who are willing to admit that they are crazy."- Nora Ephron

"This crisis can be the greatest time of your life if you learn how to use it."

- Tony Robbins

Patience is the most powerful thing in the world. Just ask water that has been falling on stone for a while.

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A Hero

A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles."
Christopher Reeve

"The hero draws inspiration from the virtue of his ancestors."
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe


“A hero is a man who does what he can."
Romain Rolland

Her people, "Na Pua" (The Flowers) are the ornament of Hawaii

Every day, all over the world, countless acts of heroism and humanity are accomplished by people who didn't ask to be there. . . The heavy rains we in the islands were "blessed" with last month caused some amazing flooding. Paukauila Stream, near O`ahu's North Shore Town of Hale`iwa, overflowed it's banks, and the waters were lapping at the door of the Gonsalves Ohana before they could be evacuated. Young Mom, Johnell was braving the torrential downpour to get to work on the bus. When she realized how trecherous the storm was, and that her baby Ikaika might be in very real danger, she grew frantic. Soon she was screaming into the phone for her brother, Henry Gonsalves, 24, to do something! Henry, unemployed and looking for work, is an experienced surfer who has lived near some of the most famous big-wave surfing beaches in this world his whole life. In water up to his neck, Henry made his way to the neighbors house where a surfboard awaited him. Somehow, he managed to jump to the cottages roof and then jump the 12 feet to his own. Clambering down through a window he retrieved his screaming nephew and paddled against a raging current to safety. Then he went back for his girlfriend, mother, and aunt. An opportune kayak floated by; Henry placed his relatives aboard and towed them into the arms of Honolulu firefighters (Yay!) who then helped to secure the family's handicapped father. "I got bit by centipedes and cane spiders . . .I wasn't going to let anything happen to my nephew. My sister would have died." he told reporters later. In Hawaii, it is a sign of respect to call folks older den you "Auntie" & "Uncle." That's how we roll in the 808. Well, Uncle Henry is a hero indeed to his nephew and all the local folks on the "country" side of our island. To me too!

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Royal Hawaiian

Ted Trimmer Sunset
(Click on photo to enlarge!)





"The universe is an intelligence test."
Timothy Leary




“We are the boat, we are the sea, I sail in you, you sail in me."
Lorre Wyatt

"A smiling face is half the meal."

Latvian Proverb

Today I saw the press release below about the re-opening of my neighbor, the "Pink Lady."

"The Royal Hawaiian - PR/Media
2259 Kalakaua Avenue Honolulu, HI 96815

WAIKĪKĪ BEACH, HAWAII (December 4, 2008) – The iconic Royal Hawaiian will reclaim its place in modern history again when it emerges from a multi-million dollar renovation on Tuesday, January 20, 2009, the same day Hawai‘i-born President-elect Barack Obama is sworn in to office."

. . . Reading it started a flood of memories . . . Forget breakfast at Tiffany’s. It’s lunch at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel that makes me feel (to quote Holly Golightly) that “Nothing bad could possibly happen to you there.” Strolling towards the Pink Lady I always feel a wee pang of guilt towards my familiar secret lunch indulgence: the Hale Kulani, which remains decidedly “heavenly” despite the new Beach Walk Project jostling outside her peaceful precincts. The Royal is still hidden away like the celebrity she always was, though structural improvements (less cement!) at the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center right next door have opened her secret groves considerably. I can't wait to resume my secret lunches there soon. Walking the grand driveway I always look up to the pink cupola that defines Royal style. An atmospheric patina embraces her graceful Spanish influenced architecture. The Miami-pink livery of the doormen nicely burnishes my sense of entering a special place. Inside, the lobby was a Hollywood castle; and I always expected to see a golden-age movie star stroll by. Believe me, they did back in the day. Still do. (Shhhhh!) The Royal is undeniably a rich piece of the history of Waikiki and of Hawaii. I hope they haven't changed too much! Perhaps you’ve seen the black and white wartime photos of her beach cordoned off with barbed wire, when she was exclusively utilized as R&R for the WWII US Navy. Or maybe you saw it in some old movie. As if on cue, (the very last time that I was there) the hushed burble of many languages was embellished by the unmistakable voice of Bruddah Iz singing. . . “What a wonderful world…” as I approached the arch framing the white sand, palms, and amazing skies of Waikiki Beach just outside. Two extremely young Marines in formal uniforms walked by and a lump formed in my throat as something flew into my eyes. “Thanks for serving, guys.” I said. “We love you. Akua protect you,” I thought. Suddenly the peaceful day was somehow revealed to be even more precious, more beautiful. The lady’s lounge had been commandeered by Hula Halau from Japan, and from Hawaii, who were here for an international competition. Lunch in the Surf Room was delicious; they serve a great club sandwich with a nice side portion of “sense of occasion.” Gazing out over the beach, the people parade, and proud Diamond Head watching over us all who rest, and play in her foamy skirts, I believed myself a guest in a magical summer palace. Annabelle Lee – Annabelle Lee in her kingdom by the sea. It really does take an imagination reared on east coast bleak to fully appreciate the treasures of the tropics (or in our case, the SUB-tropics). Right Mr. Poe? Actually, the best part of my lunch was Dottie. In her quiet unassuming way, Dottie makes you feel like a royal family guest indeed. “Aren’t you a bit young to have your working papers?” I asked her. “I’m seventy PLUS” she said, “and they’ll NEVER make me retire!” I over-tipped her even more than I usually try to, and I HOPE that everyone else does too. It’s just that much less of Waikiki when you are served by a kid from California, just that more generic. I hope Dottie's still there. . . And speaking of what AINT generic, have you been to Mana Hawaii shop on the second level of Beach Walk on Lewers? Several local businesses that purvey authentic Hawaiian things have gotten together to create this unique place where you can browse Hawaii books, quality ukulele, hula implements, music, art, weapons, or get a restorative lomi lomi massage. Just walking into the place is fun and educational! The folks there are authentically nice and really knowledgeable. Let them help you choose a worthwhile memento of your visit that you will enjoy for years – not toss into a storage unit! I’d LOVE to do a reading or a book signing there for my novel “Aloha Where You Like Go? From Survival to Satisfaction by Honolulu Taxi” (Shameless Plug ;-> ) . . . Then, back home to "reality," my cozy boat. . . .

Movies, and the imagination of non-boaters, portray those of us living on our boats wearing crisp "whites" and being served a perfect beverage on a deck chair. I have to chuckle, as we’re more often covered in muck and grease, trying to borrow some tool from a sympathetic neighbor. Ah, the sea! Oh! And blessings on whoever that was back in 250 B.C.E. who invented the water pump! (you don't wanna know)

These are just the things I muse upon. . . when I’m walking in Waikiki.

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Walls Outgrown

"If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they'll kill you."
- Oscar Wilde

"When you're through changing, you're through."

- Bruce Barton

Hawaiian Shark-Toothed weapon, below

"I want to stay as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can't see from the center."
- Kurt Vonnegut

Another wonderful day!

Today I was thinking that coping mechanisms (we've all got 'em) become self-imposed handicaps when we neglect to outgrow them. To gain perspective on what's really important, just look at a six-month-old newspaper!

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Elvis Birthday

click on photos to enlarge!


“It is strange to be known so universally and yet to be so lonely."
- Albert Einstein



Today we celebrate the birthday of cultural icon Elvis. He loved Hawaii, made movies here, and he raised much of the funding for the moving Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor.






Some claim that the king never died; they say he is living here in the Isles unnoticed. Perhaps he has lunch with Ann Margaret who is known to visit regularly. Time has changed her to the point where she can stand outside her hotel in Waikiki and not be recognized. Local guy Barack Obama, on the other side of the curve, can no longer stroll Waikiki anonymously as he did growing up. Alive or immortal, Elvis is seen every night from Waikiki when the lights of Saint Louis Heights come on. There, many of us see the likeness of the king in the lights on the side of the dark mountain. One particular row of street lights makes for a dandy guitar strap. The film Blue Hawaii appeared in 1962. Watching it this morning on TCM I was struck by all the changes in Waikiki and our island in the past 47 years. . .
Aloha, Cloudia

Back to Normal

"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be."
- Kurt Vonnegut

"The ordinary acts we practice every day at home are of more importance to the soul than their simplicity might suggest."
- Thomas Moore

Friendly sprinkler! (Below)

"With age come the inner, the higher life. Who would be forever young, to dwell always in externals?"
- Elizabeth Cady Stanton

"New Year's Day: Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual." - Mark Twain

Now that the hoopla is dying down, we look around us and settle back to our routines. There was a fire at Cafe Duck Butt (My favorite back-street bar sign!) and the cheer leading squad from my old alma mater, University of Hawaii at Manoa, won MTV's "RAH!" reality show. . . Here in Hawaii, we have a happy reprieve from the icy, slippery "hard landing" of the post-holiday crash elsewhere, and it only STARTS with the glorious weather (all photos above are current). Sunday will bring the fanfare and distraction of the annual Mo`ili`ili New Years Festival sponsored by the Japanese Cultural Center. Mo`ili`ili is a sweet little neighborhood mauka (mountain-ward) of Waikiki, and her "local-Japanese" population has been an important part of the ethnic fabric of Hawaii for over one hundred years. These are our friends, coworkers, neighbors & family members. And theirs is our local comfort food. So this will be a neighborhood-type fair with familiar (to us) sights and flavors, not an "exotic" cultural event. Japanese visitors to our shores oft feel that they are visiting an earlier time and place as they experience something of the "old Nihon" from which the plantation-era Japanese people came. Certain customs and manners remain richer in Hawaii's Japanese community than have survived modern Japan's frenetic pace of change. . . Though Japan was one of the first Asian nations to adopt the familiar "western" calender, the so-called "Chinese" or Lunar New Year (which comes along weeks after January first) is still a meaningful time of reflection & celebration. That's right; we get TWO New Years! And we DO celebrate both, making the interim period both a recovery from Christmas time, and a happy anticipation of fireworks, parades, and holiday foods. Expect MANY pictures of lion dances and firecracker smoky streets on this blog in coming weeks. Through the inevitable stresses & challenges that life contains, let the celebration continue. Each dawn in a new day, a new life. . . especially when you're walking through the years here in Waikiki . . . .

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