How Do I Cross the Street?
Legally, that is. With only crosswalks that are parallel to each other, this makes it impossible to cross the street without legally being cited for jaywalking. 😉
Life
I Lost and Found my iPhone
In all my years as an iPhone user, I’ve never lost my phone. From a 3G to a 4 and now a 5, I always had my iPhone around. Then last night happened. Sometime after dinner at Tokoname in Kailua, I left my phone at the restaurant. I might have left it on the table. It might have fallen out of my pocket. Not really sure, but luckily Apple’s Find My iPhone feature works.
After getting home and wondering where my phone was, I logged into this service and saw a map showing all my registered devices. Sure enough, my iPhone wasn’t in the house or in the car, it was back at the restaurant. I also put the phone into Lost Mode just in case, ready to do a remote erase if needed. Fortunately, a call to Tokoname confirmed they had my phone.
Moral of the story? Make sure all your iDevices are registered with the Find My iPhone feature. Oh, and Tokoname has a great deal every Tuesday with 25% off your meal.
Not Starbucks Melody
Saw this sign at Starbucks in Kailua but don’t think this welcome (back) sign is for Melody Overton aka Starbucks Melody.
Starbucks Melody covers the latest and greatest about all things Starbucks and has quite a following. She recently published a book, Tales of the Siren
How to Enter a Promo Code on Shutterfly
Just as a reminder, but here’s the link on how to enter a promo code on Shutterfly.
Login, go to My Shutterfly, go to My Account Info further down the screen, enter the code number in the Promos/Gift Cards/Gift Certificates box.
This is useful when you get a $10 coupon for a Photobook via Facebook.
Because Ninja
With the advent of more top level domains, I’m changing up Pulpconnnection’s custom domain used for shortening links. In the past, I’ve used pulp.ly and pulpc.in, but now, I’m using pulp.ninja. Yes, .ninja is a valid domain.
Yeah, yeah, this vanity domain is actually longer so it defeats the purpose of shortening links. But I had to do it because ninja. I mean really, ninja! And my other domain registrations are coming to an end so might as well switch and embrace the new domains out there. Keep an eye out for pulp.ninja in your Twitter feed!
Grace and the High Road
No additional words are needed. Read the description below then watch the story of Summer Kozai, titled Grace and the High Road.
Summer Kozai contracted meningitis at the age of 26, and lost all four limbs. After four years in hospital, she has finally returned home to share her story of perseverance and hope. This documentary was a project for students in the Leadership Class at her alma mater, ‘Iolani School, in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Grace and the High Road from Risa Beer on Vimeo.
Saw How to Train Your Dragon 2
And it was awesome! Firstly, much thanks to the hardworking @yoda808 of the Red Band Project for letting the family watch an early screening of the summer animated blockbuster, How to Train Your Dragon 2. Secondly, I’m not a movie critic, so I won’t attempt one, but I will offer some words. 😉
Hiccup, Toothless, Stoick? These are some of the (odd) names of the characters in the land of Berk, not ways to describe the film. No hiccup between the first Dragon movie and this sequel so don’t worry if you didn’t watch the first episode. You can easily keep up as the story continues five years later. Toothless is no way to describe the Night Fury dragon who fights to protect his own and his family. Let’s just say there were no stoic faces with scenes involving Stoick, the Chief of Berk and Hiccup’s dad.
My favorite scene was watching the freedom of Hiccup and Valka as they flew and danced with the dragons.
I did feel that the bad guy, Drago, had a stunted storyline and history. Feels like he came out of nowhere to be the big baddie.
Who knew dragons were like dogs following the lead of the alpha.
Gobber has got to be the funniest of the Vikings – “Okay, change in plans!”
Anyways, like I said this is not a movie review, but I highly recommend watching the movie. It’s not just for kids (and it won’t scare them either). Lots of life lessons to learn. Reinforces the idea of family and unconditional love. Pursuing your passion even if personally detrimental, and to be great, you have to try.
In theaters on June 13, 2014.
Scenes from Yesterday
A few more shots to go along with yesterday’s view.
Hanauma Bay
Hanauma in the morning
Who snaps pics with an iPad?
Hooray for the tram!
Snacks at Kokonuts
Lemon lime all the way
Rainbow
Looking at Sandys
A little beach
That’s Hanauma Bay in the morning. It wasn’t as packed being a weekday, but as usual, the crowds kept ebbing and flowing throughout the day. I still can’t believe how many smartphones I saw in those ziplock “waterproof” bags. I guess they work, but the protection seems questionable.
Best moment of the day. After making fun of people using iPads to take pictures, a tourist couple asks @okamiNYC to take their pic…with an iPad Mini. What’s the word for that? Indignity? Ignominy? At the end of the day, Bklyngrl enjoyed the tram ride.
Then it was off to Kokonuts in Koko Marina to cool off. Their shave ice is soft and refreshing but takes some time to make. I gave them a three-star rating on Yelp, mainly because of the speed.
On the way back to Kailua, we stopped by some scenic spots to check out the natural beauty of Oahu. Can you spot the Kona Ice truck parked at Sandy’s? The gusting winds brought some nice blowhole action.
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Cocina = Ono
Crispy, crunchy, smokey – you can’t stop.
The menu isn’t complicated featuring a variety of tacos, but everything we tasted was great. Everything was flavorfully seasoned, but the secret is with the sauce pairing. Each taco comes with its own perfectly complementary sauce. The tacos are on the smaller side but are sufficiently filling.
If you want something heftier, definitely go with the Tortaguesa. Basically, it’s a burger, but oh what a burger it is. The sweet and spicy habanero sauce contrasts the earthy beef excellently. Do you dip the burger, pour the sauce on? No matter, just use it all up. The Tortaguesa was my favorite.
I’m not sure how often Cocina’s menu changes, but here’s a (blurry) shot of their current menu.
Check out Yelp for more reviews.
iTunes Nested Smart Playlists and iCloud Status Field
With the knowledge of how to create nested Smart Playlists in iTunes, how about using this along with the new-ish iCloud Status field. The goal is to find music stored locally on my small SSD drive but has a match in iCloud via iTunes Match. This way I can delete the local versions of the music and rely on iTunes Match to stream the very same songs.
Now how to construct the appropriate Smart Playlist…
Summer Shopping List
Summertime means cleaning, cooling, and tunes as seen in my recent Amazon shopping list.
Febreze Eureka Style Rr Replacement Vacuum Bag, 3-Pack
Lasko #2554 42-Inch Wind Curve Fan with Remote
Sennhesier MX685 Adidas Sports In-Ear Headphones – Black
Don’t forget that you can now use Twitter to shop on Amazon.
Morning Runs at Disney Aulani
The one benefit of the Disney Aulani fitness center being temporarily closed during my stay? Going out for morning runs and catching these sights.
