Wintery Wah Wah

ALOHA
Friend!

Wednesday has come to
W A I K I K I

Click on the photos for eye-popping pulchritude

"A man (sic) has not begun to live until he can rise above the narrow confines of his own individual concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity." Martin Luther King

"The propagandist's purpose is to make one set of people forget that certain other sets of people are human." Aldous Huxley

"Vision is the art of seeing things invisible." Jonathan Swift

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Winter has come to Waikiki. . .
The nights are cooling, and it is time to bring out the quilts after months of sleeping only under a thin, rayon pareau (sarong).

There is snow atop the Big Island's Maunakea and Miss Kitty's fur is regal & thick once again. Visitors may only feel the relative mildness but we who live here, Kitty & I, we know the changes of this `Aina (land/country) in our bones and in our noses.

Crystal sharp trade winds bear the scent of Alaska, of thousands of open ocean miles, and vast empires of sky. They pause to pick up smells from yellow ginger, hidden mosses, and tropical soil, as they push themselves over the green Ko`olau mountains that backdrop our toy city like a misty Asian scroll painting.


The character of the clouds tells me it's winter.
Is it their shape, activity & color? Or is it their sense of humor as they tumble mumble and disassemble like Circe de Soliel acrobats above us? The Hawaiians of old found ready messages and wisdom in the clouds. Knowing their love of fun and word-play, I think certain funny-clouds rained punchlines that made the Kahuna chuckle all day. . . their cirrus & cumulus descendants are not telling; Not even me, their cousin Cloudia. . .

. . . So Take a moment.
Just a moment to stop & take a moment.
Close your eyes. Take a deep breath.
Another.
Exhale ALL the way.
Repeat.
Notice the un-noticed sounds surrounding you.
Are you cool? Warm? Secretly happy?
The clouds won't tell ;-)

Just let the thought-express rattle on without you for a while, who cares? YOU don't!
Just for a moment. . .
Breathe and Be.
The moment of calm clarity that arises is yours to keep.
Will you?

A L O H A! cloudia

Here's a Waikiki sunset for you to enjoy:

LOST Waikiki Premier

LOST premier video: HERE

Back!

ALOHA, Friend!
it's
TUESDAY
here in
W A I K I K I



click on photos to enjoy

"We must live today by what truth we can get today,
and be ready tomorrow to call it falsehood."

William James

"Compromise, if not the spice of life, is its solidity.
It is what makes nations great and marriages happy."
Phyllis McGinley

"All appears to change when we change."
Henri-Frederic Amiel

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It felt weird.
But I had to do it.
Plans were made,
greeting snacks and pictures
were carefully scheduled to
post.

Then I put my computer away
for a few days.

Like an addict
my thoughts turned to all the juicy
blogs
and bloggers
that I was missing.

Was Walking Man
awake through the Detroit night
channeling poetry?

How is Daryl's new promotion going?
Is she still visiting so many blogs?

Is Weaver still coping with English snow?

Is Wenn posting from Malaysia today?
Dina from Jerusalem?
Marguerite from Cajun Country,
Reader from Holland,
Claude from France?
And what of Akemalu's cruise pictures?

It doesn't feel right
to miss your wonderful blogs,
and yes, that includes YOU
SHAY,
and all the others
who I will
groan
to have left unmentioned here.

Each of you has become an important part of my day,
my life,
my heart.


Thank you for visiting me here,
and for your kind indulgence
even when I run into the jungle
and disappear from the web
for a few days.

Everything
is OK.

Except that I missed you!

Now I'm off to catch up. . .

ALOHA! cloudia

Monday Shmonday

ALOHA
Friend


click on photos

"As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
Nelson Mandela

<.>

"The only normal people

are folks you don't really know yet."

-Gerald McBoingBoing

<*.>

"Until you've lost your reputation,

you never realize what a burden it was

or what freedom is all about."

-Margaret Mitchell

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Anxiety comes from past regrets or future anticipation.
Pausing to inhabit THIS moment, just being in your skin, saves so much energy
that it becomes noticeable.

Let go of responsibility for the words and attitudes of others.
Just love them and let them be.
Tolerance for others and for yourself
are inextricably bound together.

Notice how much of your inner dialogue is judgments.
Are you being paid to be a judge? It's hard work!

Try this: When you notice judgments arising: stop and smile and breathe.
Notice your surroundings. Your only dogma: DE-ESCALATE.
Think: "So what, who cares?"
Even driving will get smoother and your gas mileage will improve!
You'll build an energy surplus.

Watch how you "take the bait" of daily life.
And SURPRISE: you will make better choices from a place of wisdom,
instead of being a reaction robot.

Aloha! cloudia



bouus:

Behold da Mighty Land

Saturday Lark

Welcome

to

Aloha Saturday

here in

Waikiki

click on photos, eh?

See the canoe full of paddlers?



"Live in the sunshine, swim the sea,
drink the wild air."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Chinese New Year is percolating throughout Honolulu.
Think of me breathlessly chasing the sound of ancient drums and gongs;
sniffing the tropic air for the smell of firecrackers, keeping my eyes peeled for gutters and sidewalks banked with tell-tale red paper.


Good luck is everywhere to be welcomed.
Here, feed the dancing lion this dollar.
Where else can you have so much fun
while courting good fortune to last all year?

Gung Hee Fat Choy, everybody!

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"Always speak politely to an enraged Dragon."
Steven Brust

Narcissus Queens Smile


“There is one spectacle grander than the sea,
that is the sky;
there is one spectacle grander than the sky,
that is the interior of the soul”

Victor Hugo


<-.->


Dare to believe in your own grandeur;
move through your weekend
like a benevolent sovereign.
Not haughty,
but with love & protection for all.

Guard the throne room
of your sweetest heart
and greet the new year
tiger
as your friend. . .

ALOHA, cloudia

ALOHA
Welcome to Friday
in
Waikiki

click on the foliage to release the good luck

These are Friday fronds!

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"All of us should strive for a newer and better self-
take our lives to the next level."
LL Cool J

Sea turtles like to hide on the bottom among the treasures of the deep.


"Why do we love the sea?
It is because it has some potent power
to make us think things we like to think."
Robert Henri

Chinatown Florist Cat



“There are two means of refuge
from the miseries of life:
music and cats."

Albert Schweitzer


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They say that when you find what you were born to do
you will know it.

After many years of soul searching,
wandering,
aspiring, succeeding, failing,
I think I now see my destiny clearly:


A recent study in Pediatric Anesthesia
reported that Medical Clowns
"significantly alleviate pre-operative anxiety
in children better than, or at least equal to,
pharmaceutical medication."

Medical Clowns?!

Sometimes called:
Clown Doctors
these professionals work in nations
around the world.

The Big Apple Circus, alone,
has participated in the training
and placement
of these funny healers
in more than 18 facilities
throughout the US.

There is something about
warmth,
and the puncturing of pretense,
that touches the human heart
in any situation.

Let us take ourselves
less seriously,
shall we?

Let us bring lightness
wherever we go today.

Now let's all get into the tiny car together-


ALOHA, cloudia