Odds & Ends

Aloha, You :)

click amongst the clouds (pics)

"The only valuable thing

is intuition."

Einstein

"Things that are a little past their prime

can be fetching in the right light."

Mark Norseth

(In-joke. My birthday is this week :)

"I remember my parents sacrificing for us,

pouring everything they had into us,

being there for us,

encouraging us to reach for a life

they never knew."

Michelle Obama

(Hmmm, how will Fox/Faux News paint this in an ugly light?)

"In Hawaii we greet friends, loved ones,

or strangers

with Aloha,

which means with love...

try meeting or leaving people with

Aloha

and you will be surprised by their reactions.

I believe it,

and it is my creed.

Aloha to You."

Excerpt from the calling card of

Duke Kahanamoku

><>

Thanks and Aloha to

YOU;

Thanks for visiting!

Leave a comment/aloha, won't you?

cloudia

Silly Sunday

ALOHA

Blog Fellow Nerd!

klick on kitty

"A friend is one who dislikes the same people that you dislike."

- Anonymous

"Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body."

- Sir Richard Steele

Shower Tree

"Your very bones will lighten as you rest.

Cut loose what isn't yours.

Spread what is from east to west."

Shay

><>

Ah Sunday.

I have a date today with Buffy the Cheeseburger...

Hope she's wearing cheddar!

This Great Day

A Warm Aloha Welcome

to

(the weekend of)

Kamehameha Day,

June 11th

Here in

HAWAII

&

For The First Time

(Courtesy of locally born

President Barak Obama)

Throughout the USA!

Click on the images today!

Today the Royal Societies

(With the help of the Honolulu Fire Dept

that was founded by King Kalakaua)

Drape the "Lonely One's" statue with lei of love

and gratitude.

Last weekend, Hawaii folks did the same to the one at

statuary hall in the US capitol.

"Americans... still believe in an America

where anything's possible -

they just don't think their leaders do.
Barack Obama

Thanks, Barak!

You loved that lei draped statue growing up too,

didn't you?

<:>

No one knows the day of his birth,

or the Big Island (Hawaii) place

where his bones were laid to rest.

Full of MANA, spiritual energy,

they were hidden away in the old way

by an ancestor of the family

that cares for the Royal Mausoleum

here in Honolulu today

(the new way).

He was born, a young Ali`i (chief)

among others,

in a traditional world.

As a boy,

he was present to experience

aliens landing:

Captain Cook.

He saw the need for Hawaii to unify

in order to survive

in a suddenly larger world

or opposing powers.

Using western and traditional weapons

he conquered all of our islands,

except the kingdom of Kauai

which joined through treaty.

200 years ago he established the

Hawaiian Kingdom,

recognized as a sovereign nation

throughout the world.

The USA celebrated Bicentennial

was back in 1976.

Hawaii is a young nation in comparison!

Of course, we are now a US State,

but the Kingdom lives in our hearts

by acclimation & defacto affection.

Yet it is real-

like the Kingdom of Heaven.

June 11th was chosen over 100 years ago

to be his special commemorative day.

It also falls close to my birthday.

Me and Kamehameha:

together in Hawaii-

it was meant to be!

This year, the floral parade

will run" backwards,"

ending at his statue downtown

rather than starting there like usual

and ending here in Waikiki.

It's also different because our locally born President,

Barry,

has proclaimed this King Kamehameha Day

throughout the USA

for the first time ever!

It is a day to celebrate Hawaii's contributions

to the World.

The President mentioned

The Law of the Splintered Paddle

in his proclamation

(you may read it below).

Once, the great warrior was traveling by foot

up the coast of his Big Isle (my first Hawaii isle too).

He and his companions came upon a fisherman

who jumped up (seeing warriors)

and hit the closest one (yep, Kamehameha)

so hard with his paddle that it splintered.

The High One's companions would have killed the man

but their leader stopped them.

Like the blow of a Zen staff,

the shock had transmitted

a great insight to him.

He declared that warriors

would never harm non-combatants

from that day.

He made Hawaii a respected nation,

rather than colony fodder.

And so we celebrate our first king

Kamehameha the Great

on this

his special day.

I'll get you some good parade pictures!

:)

><>

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

June 10, 2010

Presidential Proclamation-- King Kamehameha Day

Two hundred years ago, King Kamehameha the Great brought the Hawaiian Islands together under a unified government. His courage and leadership earned him a legacy as the "Napoleon of the Pacific," and today his humanity is preserved in Ke Kanawai Mamalahoe, or "the Law of the Splintered Paddle." This law protects civilians in times of war and remains enshrined in Hawaii's constitution as "a unique and living symbol of the State's concern for public safety."

On this bicentennial King Kamehameha Day, we celebrate the history and heritage of the Aloha State, which has immeasurably enriched our national life and culture. The Hawaiian narrative is one of both profound triumph and, sadly, deep injustice. It is the story of Native Hawaiians oppressed by crippling disease, aborted treaties, and the eventual conquest of their sovereign kingdom. These grim milestones remind us of an unjust time in our history, as well as the many pitfalls in our Nation's long and difficult journey to perfect itself. Yet, through the peaks and valleys of our American story, Hawaii's steadfast sense of community and mutual support shows the progress that results when we are united in a spirit of limitless possibility.

In the decades since their persecution, Native Hawaiians have remained resilient. They are part of the diverse people of Hawaii who, as children of pioneers and immigrants from around the world, carry on the unique cultures and traditions of their forebears. As Americans, we can all admire these traits, as well as the raw natural beauty of the islands themselves. Truly, the Aloha Spirit of Hawaii echoes the American Spirit, representing the opportunities we all have to grow and learn from one another as we carry our Nation toward a brighter day.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 11, 2010, as King Kamehameha Day. I call upon all Americans to celebrate the rich heritage of Hawaii with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this tenth day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.

BARACK OBAMA

Shooting Rules

ALOHA, YOU!

Click on the Clouds :)

"The one serious conviction
that a man should have

is that nothing is to be taken too seriously."

Nicholas Butler

(Women already know not to take any man too seriously :)

"Nature gives you the face you have at twenty;

it is up to you to merit the face you have at fifty."
Coco Chanel

"Writing stories permits me to talk to anybody.

In multicultural Hawaii, that's marvelously exciting

because each person is unique. It's a constant adventure.

My job puts me right in the middle of the evolving identity

of Honolulu."

Bob Krauss


><>

Shooting Rules

If you stop to look at the pictures you've already taken today,
you'll miss the next great shot!

So here are my rules for photo safari.

Never leave home without a camera.

Look up, look down, look at different angles.

It's digital, not film. Just shoot it!

Shoot a quick "insurance shot"

then take others.

Often the first shot is best!

Notice where the sun is

and have it behind you, unless you are trying to

shoot brightness around flat subjects.

Cloudia's Golden Rule of shooting:
Don't make anyone uncomfortable.

(Be discreet, be nice, don't be paparazzi-rude)

Now, back in the day, people really noticed a camera.
Today, every mobile phone has one.
We shoot and Tweet and post to the web
instantaneously.

Most of us realize that we are in public
and behave accordingly.

And here in Waikiki

EVERYONE is carrying a camera!

I just hide in plain sight :)

We've gotten used to security cameras in many public places too.
So expectations of privacy have definitely evolved.
(Eroded?)

I use misdirection sometimes,
setting the camera for the intended shot
while facing another direction,
then sweeping smoothly in an arc,
capturing my quarry "on the fly."

Or from a distance using zoom.

The interesting subject can then be cropped
into a better composition later.

Photography used to be about creating an image
largely on the camera in the moment.
Now we just capture the data we need,
then crop/Picasa/ Photo Shop it later!

For subjects with tattoos, faces, outfits, activities
that you want to really focus on?

Just ask politely,
then shut up and let them answer,
no cajoling or explaining (I'm a blogger)
or promising (I won't post you to Freaks.com).

If they say "yes" be quick!

(No multiple shots)

If they say "no" stay nice,
and simply walk on (nicely).


It's a good idea to ask before shooting
children or pets.
But, again, within the golden rule,
public is public!

I have lost GREAT shots by asking permission.

The person invariably STOPS doing the interesting thing

and then they pose boringly.

Sometimes art demands innocent subterfuge.

Fortunately, one nice thing about being a
middle aged woman
is that one is largely invisible.
I can wander anywhere in my harmless-ness.

So what are YOUR shooting rules?

Thanks! cloudia

Up in the Rigging

Aloha, Summer Sailor!

click on the pics

We're up the bowsprit!


“Then the bowsprit got mixed with the rudder sometimes.”

Lewis Carroll

Great view from up here.


“People love to step out on a deck

and not see anyone or anything except a great view.

Even if the only view is the vast sky,

the feeling people get is expansion and relaxation.”


Amanda Sturges

I can look down on my neighbors' "roofs."





"The greatest monarch on the proudest throne

is obliged to sit upon his own arse."


- Benjamin Franklin

"Up on da roof"


"I'm not the type

who'll yell about my achievements

from the rooftops."



Aishwarya Rai

><>


Look!

I'm climbing around the boat like a monkey-

Thank you, pain,

for teaching me how

WONDERFUL

it is just to be mobile

and pain-free.



Wheeeeee!


Thanks for visiting!

(Just leave the banana :)

Retirement Is

Aloha, FRIEND!
Thanks for "Retiring"
Here

Click on the photos :)

“You have been warned

against letting the golden hours slip by.


Yes, but some of them are golden

only because we let them slip by.”


James Matthew Barrie

"If we opened our minds to enjoyment,

we might find tranquil pleasures spread about us on every side.

We might live with the angels that visit us on every sunbeam,

and sit with the fairies who wait on every flower."



Samuel Smiles

What is Retirement?




Is it the absence of work?


Some folks work harder in "retirement" than ever before:


on a mission, a garden, care-giving, creativity,

to remain involved with others, or to make ends meet;


But they still call it "retirement."

Maybe they use the "semi-"



I think retirement means to retire in some fundamental way

from life's worry & striving.

We recognize at last the pure unearned gift of being alive

amidst massive beauty and complexity.

The image (mirage, for some) of Golden Retirement reflects the

fullness of wisdom, the sun at Golden Hour,


past the age of "proving,"





What is past, too, is the illusion of endless tomorrows.

Days are no longer pulled cheaply from a warehouse,

but each is parsed and petted as the unique jewel it is;


Comforting is their regularity:


Dawn, Noon, Long After-noon, Dusk & Blue Velvet.




Our contra-dancing days stir up the Earth floor

in marvelous sensuality.



Thanks for dancing by here :)


april