Getting There

A l o h a !

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"We're all here for a little while.

Let's try to work it out."

Rodney King

"To me, everything terrible in the world

 stems from people

 trying to force their ideas and beliefs

 on other people."

Ed Hardy

"Just become quiet, still and solitary - 

and the world will offer itself to you

 to be unmasked; it has no choice.

 It will roll in ecstasy at your feet" -

Franz Kafka

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The Ego is fighting for it's life.

Your best interests are not it's goal.

It makes you

"just not want to"

do just the things that will set you free.

You free = ego death;

and that feels real good

and it feels just right-

as the ego shivers in it's grave,

starved of striving

and regret.

So hush little ego

don't you cry

I will defeat you, by and by

to live Here,

Now

without gut's regret.

Bravely

matter-of-fact-ly

in the glory 

of my own

sunset.

   

        You know?   cloudia

Life Kaleidoscope

A L O H A

Means YOU are Warmly Welcome Here :)

"There is much pleasure to be gained

from useless information."

Bertrand Russell

(The new motto for this blog?)

reflective

"In water one sees one's own face;  But in wine one beholds the heart of another”

French Proverb

"She has a light inside her

that makes other people

look better."

Homer Simpson,

of his wife Marge

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What a weekend!

Was yours hectic as well?

New horizons seem to be opening up to me.

I can hear

new opportunities singing

 over the next hill.

And part of that feeling

is absolute comfort

with

TODAY;

Just the way it is.

Ups and downs make the

ride what it is!

Keep YOUR rubber

firmly on the road;

Until it is time to lift those wheels

as you take off

to the open skies,

to 

your 

dreams!

Have a wonderful flight,

you are cleared for takeoff!

        Fondly, Cloudia      

Ina - Imagine

Do you see the tiny hang-glider in the top/left?

"To live is the rarest thing in the world.


 Most people exist, that's all."


 Oscar Wilde

Do You Recognize This Song?

       Thanks for visiting!  cloudia

Alan Brennert

A L O H A !

Alan Brennert, 

by me :)

There are recognized artists,

 who remain humble even while enjoying best seller(s),

 the laurels, and the rewards that success brings.

 They feel, perhaps, a responsibility to their muse &

 a mission to carry the torch with some purpose greater than

 their own egos.

 They remain alert to the struggling beginner

 for whom a kind word is like winning a prestigious award.

 No need to lie, a mere friendly acknowledgement

 will satisfy the hobbyist, 

feed and fire up the true & lonely journeyman.

Such an artist is author Alan Brennert.

A while back I blogged a review of Alan Brennert'sMolokai a novel that haunts me still with it's successful alchemy of research, skill, & magic.

 (You can look at that review here)

Well, out of the blue, Mr. Brennert was kind enough to

 send me a friendly e-mail graciously thanking me for the

 review! His book is already HUGE, and he's on to the next

 ones. He didn't have to do that. He wrote that my little 

Hawaii novel, Aloha Where You Like Go?

 and this blog,

 looked "interesting" and invited me to meet him

 here in Honolulu during the promotional tour of his 

follow up, Honolulu.

That's when I took the picture of him at top.

A

Later, he sent me the link to the interview below

 in which he kindly quoted something

 I had said to him when we met:

A:One of the aspects of your writing I love best is your ability to cover a wide scope of time through a collection of moments with emotional poignancy. You are one of the few authors who can make a novel feel like it spans an entire life without leaving out anything of significance. Can you articulate your philosophy of writing?

AB: I can’t say I have a conscious philosophy other than that the story should be both historically and emotionally true.  I don’t bend history to accommodate the plot nor do I have my characters behave in a way that isn’t true to themselves just to advance the story.  And in Moloka’i and Honolulu I also strived to be—in the words of my friend, Honolulu writer Cloudia Charters—“Hawai’i true,” that is, accurate in depicting Hawaiian culture, society, and traditions..    (source HERE)

Yesterday, Alan kindly sent me the link to the web page below that mentions both of us. . . as if we were in the same category or something!  Alan is the real deal. He produces great books with absorbing characters set in complex environments that he researches deeply. If you can't visit us in Hawaii, you can feel as if you are here by immersing yourself in his best selling novels.

Knowing Alan and reading his books have proven to me that "best seller" doesn't have to mean middle of the road pablum.

StressCadet  Posting Member 1000+ Posts Club Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: So Cal Posts: 1,728 TS4MS Points: 52,029

Do you enjoy fiction books about Hawaii? I just finished Honolulu by Alan Brennert. It's a time piece following 4 picture brides and their lives from Korea to Oahu and spans about 60 years. I loved it. I had previously read Molokai by the same author and enjoyed that very much as well. I also enjoy Kiana Davenport's books...though I set aside Song of the Exile and then moved-so I need to go through some pretty big boxes to locate it-but I'm on a roll-so I think I'll do that. If you haven't read Shark Dialogues-this really is her premier piece. Start there. I also enjoyed a really light read while on Oahu this past year called Aloha, Where you like go? About a woman who moves to the BI following her boyfriend and eventually lands in Oahu and drives a taxi. This one is a little graphic-but heartwarming never the less. I also enjoyed the Chicken Soup for a Hawaiian Soul and the Glen Grant ghost stories...but to be honest-I almost did want to return to Oahu after reading some of the stories...talk about chicken skin. Please add your favorite authors and books about the Hawaiian Islands. I need a fix.

(Source HERE)

So hey, get Alan's Hawaii novels. You won't be 


disappointed. 

Then, if you have the appetite for a little light reading you


 can pick up my little novel "Aloha Where You Like Go?"

(HERE)   Just remember:  

 "This one is a little graphic-

but heartwarming never the less."




       Aloha, cloudia

Why Dogs -

Aloha, Friend

You Are Welcome Here

click on the clouds for magic envelopment !

“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.”

Plato

“Wanna get to know God?...

Get to know His Kids!”

 Donna A. Favors

Why Dogs Don't Use Computers

<> Too difficult to 'mark' websites they visit.

<>No emoticon for tail wagging.

<> Carpal Paw Syndrome.

<>Mouse gets slobbery.

<>Butt sniffing beats chat rooms!
                                                                     
                                                                                      courtesy: Planet Dog

"Everybody hates me

 because I'm so universally liked."

  - Peter de Vries

“I still get wildly enthusiastic about little things...  I play with leaves.  I skip down the street and run against the wind.”

Leo Buscaglia

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And here's a song you may enjoy. . . 

Thank You for Visiting!

Best Day

Alo - H A A A A A A A A !

Yesterday I was nervous as a cat about the election, especially for our next Hawaii Governor.

But gal pal Judy took me for a drive

 around the east side of the island.

Can you see the isles of Molokai, Lani and Maui's Mt. Haleakala on the horizon?

In 20+ years I've never seen them so clearly!

That sight is what the earliest Polynesian navigators

 first saw of Hawaii

when they "raised the islands."

Above you can see the Makapu`u  Lighthouse,

 and hang gliders making the most of the day.

That hillside is hung with steel curtain

 to prevent rock-falls onto the narrow road

 which would necessitate going back

 around the other way

 to reach this side of Oahu:

 over the Ko`olau Mountains

 through the Pali.

What a day!

I almost forgot about the election.

 But we all had worked so hard;

 so much was at stake for our future.

My Man Won!!!!

He came home from Washington where he could have easily won reelection to the US Congress.

And Now Neil Abercrombie will be sworn in as our executive next month!

Colleen Hanabusa defeated temporary Representative, Republican Charles Djou for Neil's former seat.

I never voted for all winners before!

Especially sweet this time because the other side was all about denying equal rights to Gay citizens

and claimed that they were God's choice!

In the middle of challenging times, they chose to appeal to the worst in people. AUWE! (" – Hawaiian expression of lament. 'Auwe! I lost my car keys!'")

I wish Duke & Lynn well, but THANK GOD we will NOT have them in the executive offices.

When Duke cried during his concession speech, I must admit I felt a satisfaction that I'm not proud of.

But as Alan Spector, who has worked SO hard for equal rights in Hawaii told me:

"They have made our people cry for generations.

Now it's their turn to feel some hurt."

Senator Akaka looks very happy

As Neil was swamped by the press, surrounded by security, and soon heading for Washington Place (our Governor's residence; originally Queen Liliuokalani's home) I thought of all the smiles and hugs and inspiration we all shared in this grassroots campaign.

I was just overcome thinking about all that we volunteers and supporters had been through.

Good Luck, Uncle!

(In Hawaii an older respected person can affectionately be called Uncle or Aunty)

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I'm rarely out at night anymore,

though it used to be my home country.  Those of you who have read my little novel know all about
 the Honolulu night.

(bottom of this page - check it out all the way below)

Riding my scooter through the delightfully cool darkness (not cool to you, to us. It was about 70F :)
 I saw others walking home in their campaign gear 
and we shouted happy greetings.

At a red light I saw Aaron Mahi, former leader of the Royal Hawaiian band who had sung at headquarters earlier.

We exchanged pleasantries
 and I got a magnificent smile from him!

My former job was as outreach worker
 to the sex workers in downtown Honolulu.

HBO made a documentary about the girls a few years ago and it had been interesting
 seeing some of them again on TV.

So I went down to the "stroll."

"April!" (my nick-name)

We had a nice reunion, they all looked healthy.


Has it really been YEARS since I've seen them?!

A girl who had been a 14 year old in my after-school support group was there socializing and seeking referrals from her friends for a (non-criminal) legal matter. She was no longer working the street, had married, settled. 


But she missed the girls as I had.
 Returning to socialize is not unusual.

I was blessed to see them;

passed out a few cards to stay in touch.

What a night!
Oh! and after months of trying, I got my Mom a parking space near her new building just in time!


I'm ON!

I'm beat. . .


HOORAY!