They Call Him 'Zap'

Aloha

Thanks For Coming

Today

click on the photos

"To love and to be loved

is the greatest happiness

of existence."

Sydney Smith

"There are three faithful friends:

an old wife,

and old dog,

and ready money."

Benjamin Franklin

My Waikiki Neighbor 'Zap'

"I didn't stand up. The Lord lifted me up."

John 'Zap' Zapotocky, 91

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Stand Up paddling has gotten very popular recently,

after almost disappearing from our Waikiki waves.

I've heard it called 'Old Guy Surfing'

but people of all ages

can be seen every day of the week

at all levels of skill

enjoying this old-is-new-again sport

that is associated with Hawaii's greatest waterman,

Olympian Duke Kahanamoku.

Zap learned the sport from Duke himself!

He was out on his 11-foot redwood surfboard

sometime in the 1940's

when Duke paddled up next to him

on a stand up board.

"I asked him about it and he taught me

and I've been doing it ever since,"

says Zap.

"He's been doing it for, like, 70 years.

He's a sweet sweet person."

Gerry Lopez,

Author of Surf is Where You Find it

"I'm a member of the vegetarian society,

but I'm not 100% vegetarian."

say's Zap

"If you're gonna eat something,

eat something fresh."

"I want to be out there surfing until I'm at least 100."

We hope so too, Zap!

Bless you

><>

Mahalo

to

Paula Rath

Honolulu Advertiser Staff Writer

"A Stand-up Guy"

(April 29, 2010)

the Height

Aloha Also Means a Loving Goodbye. . .

With deep gratitude,

we celebrate the life of

"just a woman."

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"Greatness is not measured by what a man or woman accomplishes,

but by the opposition he or she has overcome

to reach his goals."

Dr. Dorothy Height

(as are all)

Waikiki Cottage

<>

"If you worry about who is going to get the credit,

you won't get much done."

What, you no outrigger in YOUR garage?

<>

"I want to be remembered as someone

who used herself and anything she could touch

to work for justice and freedom.

I want to be remembered as one who

tried."

"We are not a problem people

we are people with problems.

We have historic strengths;

We have survived because of family."

The people who maintain the health, transport, and beauty...

<>

"We have to improve life,

not just for those who have the skills

and those who know how to manipulate the system.

But also for

and with

those

who often have so much to give

but never get the opportunity."

><>

Born in 1912

she knew a world

that we have forgotten,

prefer to 'whitewash'

or to forget.

I have been watching The Tudors

and have been impressed by the

state of fear

that accompanies life

under the rule

of king and caste.

As I say,

their mood

becomes the weather

and climate

that everyone else

must live under.

As a teenager,

Miss Height

marched in New York's Times Square

shouting

"Stop the lynching!"

She lived in a system

where black people

needed to smile,

bow, and shuffle.

She marched with King.

She saw our world change.

President Obama honored her.

Thanks for joining me today

as we do the

same...

cloudia

Childhood Sweets

ALOHA, Play Mate

click on the memories of childhood

Kids here in Hawaii, like children everywhere love their treats.

"We worry about what a child will become tomorrow,

yet we forget

that he is someone today."

Stacia Tauscher

This still makes me salivate,

taking me back to chocolate bliss

that could blot out all my troubles.

Ah for the days of waxed paper, before the crinkly cellophane!

And their blueberry pies...

*Sigh*

Maybe you lived in New England,

and it was NECCO Wafers

(New England Confectionery Company).

Or SKY BARS!

"Life is uncertain.

Eat dessert first."

Ernestine Ulmer

This one's for you, Travis, and all our friends throughout the south.

"Forget love

I'd rather fall in

Chocolate!"

Sandra J. Dykes

Well, in Hawaii, people of a certain age grew up with

Yick Lung Cracked Seed.

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The Chinese people who came to Hawaii

at King Kalakaua's invitation

were hard-working enough to work the plantations,

but they were too smart and ambitious to remain labor for long.

Completing their employment contracts,

many of them moved to Honolulu

and started prosperous businesses that were among the shoots of modern Hawaii.

Now chocolate tends to melt in the tropics,

at least it did until Milton Hershey's alchemy

rendered it suitable for American troops

to enjoy, barter, and share in WWII. . .

But where was I?

Oh yeah, treats in Hawaii, like mangoes,

bananas and sugar cane. . .

The Chinese had a long tradition of preserved fruit snacks,

See Mui,

and Cantonese immigrants to the the kingdom

first imported and sold it here

over a hundred years ago.

It was the local Yee family

that is credited with adding their own flavorings

and spices, and creating the local treats

familiar to generations of isle children

of all ages:

Rock Salt Plum was created

when rock salt was added to preserved plums.

A sweet/sour mixture became the famous

Ling Hin Mui

which today flavors upscale martini's

in downtown Honolulu.

You can find Li Hing Teddy Bears, Li Hing Tequila

(home-flavored) all around these islands.

It's sort of one of the flavors of Hawaii,

and as you can see, not just for kids anymore.

One variety of preserved plum arrived complete with pits.

The family cracked the seeds open with hammers

to expose the inner kernel,

which gave rise to the categorical name

of all these local snacks:

Crack Seed.

There is quite a good crack seed shop

at Ala Moana Shopping Center, where you can buy many varieties in bulk directly from big apothecary jars.

The Yees

are considered the first to repackage the treats

(that they imported in bulk, and flavored themselves)

so that they could be sold in retail outlets under their

Yick Lung brand, which translates as: "profitable enterprise."

During the 1960's and 1970's

they even had a jingle and TV commercials.

So here's to Sweeties!

To sticky fingers and small-kid-times.

May this May

be very sweet

to

YOU :) cloudia

Here are some related links to drool over:

Nostalgic Candies

Candy Bars Worth Crossing State Lines For

British Sweeties

Malaysia Treats

Li Hing EVERYTHING!

All Over da Place

Aloha, Welcome!

Click on photos to enlargeTubers

"The problem with people who have no vices

is that generally you can be pretty sure

they're going to have some pretty annoying virtues."

Elizabeth Taylor

Washington Place,

Queen Emma's Home till she died in 1917.

Now our scalawag governor lives there.

There goes the neighborhood!

“A beautiful lady is an accident of nature.

A beautiful old lady is a work of art.”

Louis Nizer


Self Portrait with Fallen Lei

“The most important thing in life

is to learn how to give out love,

and to let it come in.”

Morrie Schwartz

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I find small pleasures where I may.

Today,

Waikiki is, shiny, greenish, and defiant in gold,

blue, and white.

The air grows more gentle.

The Jacaranda are blooming their

otherworldly shade of lilac.

South Shore Surf,

Summer Surf,

is teasingly arising.

Go wave surfers!

Go web surfers!

You are my people!

When I was young and feckless

the mature couples I saw

sitting quietly in a restuarant

seemed sad

and lacking anything

to say.

Now I know

the pleasure

of simply be-ing

together

when nothing

needs

be said.

A L O H A! Cloudia

Run Through the Banyan

ALOHA!

Let's just run through the jungle today,

shall We?

Just play the song, and off we go!

Don't forget to click on the trees!

"Don't call the forest that shelters you a jungle."

Ghanan Proverb

"It's ironic, but until you free those final monsters

within the jungle of yourself,

your life,

your soul,

is up for grabs."

Rona Barrett

"Without culture, and the relative freedom it implies, society, even when perfect, is but a jungle. This is why any authentic creation is a gift to the future." Camus

"Roaming through the jungle of "oohs" and "ahs," searching for a more agreeable noise, I live a life of primitivity with the mind of a child and an unquenchable thirst for sharps and flats." Duke Ellington

"Kindness

is my

Religion."

Dalai Lama

"It's a jungle out there, kiddies.

Have a fruitful day."

Jimmy Buffet

><>

Thanks for relaxing here

for a while!

ALOHA, cloudia