Folli Follie Fukubukuro
A $200-price range Fukubukuro pack from Folli Follie ends up being this blinged out watch.
Estimated retail cost is roughly $400+.
Gee Why
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Minamoto Kitchoan Fukubukuro
Fighting the Fukubukuro crowds at Minamoto Kitchoan at Ala Moana leads to getting one of these bags. Priced at $50 but contains $100 worth of goodies. To be unveiled later today…
Fukubukuro at Ala Moana
…is packed! I guess partying until the new year doesn’t stop avid shoppers looking for a bargain.
An anonymous pulpy texter sent me this image of the Fukubukuro crowds at Ala Moana. Not sure what store they’re waiting for, Lupicia for tea deals?
Here’s a partial pic of the Fukubukuro participating stores.
Here’s the full list.
Obama Holiday Stay Means Another Power Outage
It’s been some years, but whenever POTUS visits Hawaii during the holidays, there’s a very good chance that a power outage will ensue. That tradition continues tonight on the eve and first day of 2016 with power going out around 11pm and coming back around 5am.
Lots of stars out on a clear night (see the little white specks).
The moon was shining bright as well.
Instagram Best Nine of 2015 How To
On social media circles, you’re bound to see a Best Nine of 2015 picture collage tagged #2015bestnine. Scouring for your nine most liked pictures on Instagram, this web site does it for you. Enter in your (or anyone’s) Instagram username and wait a few minutes to get your best nine. Here’s mine.
There’s the Starbucks Halloween-themed Frappula. Pictures from #HIChina15, especially the Great Wall, were popular. I see a few pictures from the July 4th fireworks show at Kailua Beach, the Iolani Fair, the Holei Sea Arch on the Big Island, and French fries that I can’t place. The biggest surprise is that Star Wars crochet book from Costco. Never would have guessed book would be in my best nine. How’s yours look?
Unrequited Love from Fresh Foam
Oh Fresh Foams, how much I wanted this relationship to last. How you made my feet feel when I took my first step. So cushioned, so soft, so comforting. I knew I needed you in my life.
And what a journey it’s been, but this love has been an unrequited one because the foams are not for my best interests. My New Balance MH988 look great, sophisticated and eye catching. And the speckles in the foam soles add a nice touch. However. That however. The longterm wear. It’s just not good for me. The shoes feel great for short distances, but they’re just not supportive enough for medium to long distances. The sole is continuous foam with no added plates for spot support, and I need that support for my arches. Without enough arch support, I start feeling fatigue in my knees. So I know this relationship will come to an end sooner rather than later, and once done, it will be awhile before I open my heart up to a new foam experience.
The Next Chapter of CPK
While the holiday season is a time filled with fun and joy, it can also get hectic and overwhelmingly busy. Now that Christmas is over, there are no more parties to attend and no more fancy meals to prepare… for a few days at least. During this downtime, might I suggest dining at a nearby CPK and let them do the cooking from their “Next Chapter” menu.
For us Hawaii residents, the Next Chapter offerings also include a few Oahu-only dishes. That would be the Crispy Ahi Tuna Egg Rolls, the Wild Caught Sesame Seared Ahi, and the Poke Chop Chop Salad. Thanks to the generosity of karsha chang public relations, I sampled a few of the Hawaii-only ahi dishes along with other Next Chapter items. Here’s how our meal looked.
We started with the Crispy Ahi Tuna Egg Rolls which was an awesome start. The healthy portion of avocado brings a balance to these rolls. Paired with ginger and Srirachi dipping sauces, these appetizers are hearty.
Then the flat breads came. We couldn’t decide between Smoked Ham + Swiss and the Brussels + Bacon, so we got one of each. Good choice! The Ham and Swiss is named accordingly, tasting just like ham and swiss. The Brussels and Bacon is a good change and with bacon, you can’t go wrong.
For the salad course, I went with the Poke Chop Chop Salad and we also ordered a Harvest Kale. The Poke Chop Chop is a Hawaii exclusive, and it’s an interesting combination. I think this salad could be turned up a bit more for the local palate. Kimchi pears could have more zing, and while the consistency of the ahi is nice, I would prefer a shoyu poke to add a tinge of saltiness.
Where there’s salad, there’s soup, so we sampled a small Baked Potato soup. Aptly named as it felt like I slurped down a molten baked potato with fixings.
Of course, we went to CPK to order pizza, and we went for the obvious, ordering the seasonal Sunny Side Up Bacon + Potato pizza. Yes, there are two sunny side eggs topping the pizza along with bacon and potato. I don’t know what sunny side eggs has to do with the season, but let me tell you, it works. At first the eggs seemed a little odd, but then the flavors combine and your slice is gone, reaching for another. The eggs aren’t the only highlights with the potatoes adding subtle texture and taste.
By now, we were fully satiated, but we had to try the new S’mores dessert. To be honest, this dessert needs some work or at least, more practice with preparation. Our marshmallow topping was a little torched and didn’t look like the sample pictured in the menu. And it’s a mix of hot and cold with the warm top layer over the cold pudding. The taste is okay, but for me, the dessert is not a must-have.
Now we were done. Really. Really, really done, and with leftovers to spare. Thanks to Frank and Nanette of CPK Ala Moana for their hospitality and again, special thanks to karsha chang public relations for this dining opportunity. For more information about the CPK Next Chapter menu along with Hawaii exclusives, here’s the press release.
Kicks from My Era
This lineup of kicks is all from my era.
Of these on display, I’ve owned the (former) Chris Webber signature shoes and the heavy-as-bricks Pippens. I never owned those Barkleys and wanted the Zoom Flight 95 with “eyes” since 2007. What a vintage collection on display at Foot Locker.
That’s a Lot of Unclaimed Wishes
You may have to wait until Christmas 2016, but there are a lot of unclaimed wishes on discount at Macy’s right now.
Buy a few, write letters to Santa, and wait until December 25, 2016 for Saint Nick to deliver. At worst, your wishes will be in the form of toys, but that could be a lot of toys…but only if you stay on the Nice List.
Now Surfing at 200 Mbps
All this time I’ve had Oceanic’s Internet Ultimate 200 data plan and didn’t realize it. Simply put, my household could get 200 Mbps download speeds which is way greater than the 50 Mbps Extreme package I had back in the day. But my older Motorola SurfBoard SB6141 modem maxed out at 100 Mbps. Lose out!
So I purchased a new modem, the NetGear CM500-100NAS. Despite the name, this unit does not include a NAS but is just a plain old cable modem with no WiFi. Since I already have a good enough WiFi router, there’s no need to replace it. This NetGear model is on Oceanic Time Warner’s list of approved modems.
In order to activate the modem, I did have to call Oceanic Tech Support to authorize the new MAC address. Once that was done, it was 200 Mbps Internet surfing. It doesn’t feel faster for short, bursty downloads, but you can feel the speed increase when downloading big files. Oddly enough, while this modem just works, the best part I really like about it are its status lights. The usual complement of LEDs are on the front of the device, but their colors are muted, almost too much so. Kinda hard to see when the room lights are on, but not irritatingly bright at night like the blue LEDs of the SurfBoard SB6141. These LEDs would light up a room at night that could cause sleep issues.
Is This the ParkRat Effect?
This can’t be coincidental, can it? On December 24 when the Year of ParkRat calendar was posted, Pulpconnection saw a definite spike in traffic. And this spike has lingered with visits happening on Christmas, a typically slow day.
All I can say is mahalo to ParkRat and his fan base!
Notes from The Force Awakens
Finally saw The Force Awakens, Episode 7 of the Star Wars saga. I enjoyed the show especially the nostaligia it brought back, but I have questions about the film that I need to capture.
Needless to say, spoilers ahead. So don’t read any more unless you’ve seen The Force Awakens or don’t mind learning a few details from the movie.
Who’s Your Daddy?
Kylo Ren’s father was identified in The Force Awakens but there are still mysteries behind Rey and Finn’s lineage. Is Rey the daughter of Luke or Han? Could be either. First, I thought Luke, but then Rey’s familiarity and taking command of the Millenium Falcon hints at a Solo background. Sharing an embrace with General Leia looked materally intimate.
Who’s Finn’s daddy? For obvious reasons, Finn’s dad has to be the Lando Calrissian. Possibly Mace Windu (as the only other prominent brother in all of Star Wars) but I don’t think the timeline matches up.
Is Maz Kanata daughter of Yoda or possibly Mrs. Yoda? Too many hints indicate her ties with the Force are just a little more than coincidental.
Names without Flair
Sorry, I’m just not digging the names of the new characters – Rey, Finn, Kylo Ren, Poe Dameron, Captain Phasma, Maz Kanata. These just don’t have the flair like the originals of Skywalker, Darth Vader, Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Boba Fett.
Star Wars Redo
The storyline of The Force Awakens surely felt like that of the original A New Hope. This has to be intentional, but will Episodes 8 and 9 follow this familiar pattern? Maybe. Is Jedi Master Luke essentially replaying the past timeline to make corrections leading to a different outcome?
We know something went wrong leading to Luke’s disappearance. While the details haven’t been revealed, we know establishing his new order of Jedi didn’t succeed, bringing the rise of the new bad, Kylo Ren. After Return of the Jedi, the good guys with the help of the Ewoks had won, defeating the Empire. Ultimately was balance of the Force achieved? Seemingly not.
After the downfall of the new Jedi, perhaps Luke realized that everything that had transpired was not the end game. He and his father had not brought order to the Force…yet. So why not redo the past, but this time make different decisions, leading to different outcomes that could stabilize the balance of good and evil forever.
So maybe, we’ll see familiar storylines in Episodes 8 and 9 but with slight wrinkles, orchestrated by the last Jedi. Or maybe, all of this is just a ruse to draw out the new holographic big bad, Supreme Leader Snoke (another name without flair).