Not as bad as last time, but still a little questionable. Not worth the risk.
A few non-action pictures from the UH Men’s basketball game against South Carolina State. For game highlights, check out the Warrior Insider. Here are my non-game observations.
The new center court screens are amazingly clear. But I’m still adjusting to the layout of the info on the screens.
Shaq Stokes is a little guy, made more obvious when the entire team stands in line for the National Anthem.
Where has Bobby Miles gone?
The Farmers Hawaii Supa Bowzooka was shooting blanks at the game. Lots of motion but no action. 😉
After flying around our seats, the Jack in the Box blimp came back and rained coupons on us.
I don’t understand that foul assessed to Shaq Stokes. The Bulldogs guard turned around and ran into Shaq.
The Bows hit the century mark in scoring!
Go Bows!
Your little ghostly white baby needs some eye protection from the sun?  These are pretty cool.
Actually, the Kailua location of the Executive Chef has been open since the month of December. Located right on the corner of Kailua Road, they’re a highly visible sight.  In fact, the store appeared to be open in November, but Closed signs indicated otherwise.
The store’s interior is big, filled with every cooking gadget and tool you can think of.  The store is also deceptively “long,” taking some time to wend through all the aisles.  When I visited, there were so many workers (maybe 10), probably too much at an off-peak hour but reassuring nonetheless, and I did find a punchbowl serving ladle hiding by the checkout registers.
Now for the bad. While the location’s visibility is great, the parking is bad. There are three stalls (one of them reserved for Handicapped parking) near the store entrance, but getting to these limited stalls is tricky and the roadway is a tad tight. Otherwise, the parking is in the back, way in the back, beyond First Hawaiian Bank. In fact, the nearest row of parking is reserved for FHB customers, pushing back general parking even further. Hopefully, this FHB designation is removed to share the lot with upcoming businesses.
Executive Chef should get a boost once the neighboring Whole Foods opens up in 2012. You definitely need the upscale cookware to prepare your upscale groceries! Now I wonder if upscale clothing retailer, Fighting Eel, can get in on this… picture the modern day business mom driving home to Kailua, stopping off to pickup a fabulous outfit at Fighting Eel, then popping into the Executive Chef, and finally shopping at Whole Foods. Can you see it?
Observed the New Year’s Holiday at Waikiki Beach, took a pic, posted it on Hipster.com, and now, it’s popular. Yay!
#23. December 23, 2011. Air Jordan 11 retro. Concords. Black patent leather. The release date for the most iconic Air Jordan has been on every shoe head’s calendar.
Leading up to the release, original design sketches were released by The Architect, Tinker Hatfield. All MJ wanted was a shiny shoe.
Then, December 23, the clock hits midnight, the shoe drops virtually and physically.
Tinker made it shine. Mike made it fly. You made it iconic. Retro 11 #Concords are now available http://t.co/01zvJcip
— Nike.com (@nikestore) December 23, 2011
Pandemonium. Across the nation, fights and riots ensue to own the Concords. By now, you’ve seen the news reports.
Online, you felt the Nike servers melt under the onslaught.
#Concords update: We are experiencing heavy loads of traffic in our checkout. Hang in there and keep trying.
— Nike.com (@nikestore) December 23, 2011
You wondered, “What does a blank checkout screen really mean?  Did the order go through?” Nike.com is inaccessible.  In an instant, the holy grail of kicks is no more. Good try. Move on. Catharsis.
And then…
Did you manage to get one of those special Twelve Days of Christmas tumblers from Starbucks? The special on Day 12 of this promotion was a $20 tumbler that gets you free brewed coffee for all of January 2012. Yes, bring the 16-oz tumbler into Starbucks and get it filled for free!
At $1.70+ for a grande coffee, this tumbler can surely pay for itself soon enough. It’s the cup that keeps on giving (well, during January anyways).
I managed to get one after giving up on it. I slept on this deal, not planning on getting to a Starbucks early to buy one. I didn’t realize quantities of this tumbler were very limited with just a few allocated to stores. I went to one Starbucks at around 7:30am and asked about the tumblers. They said they sold out a long time ago. I then started calling every Starbucks on the Leeward side. Most laughed when I asked about the tumblers, saying they sold out “hours ago.” So I gave up on my hunt.
Then after work, I told my wife about the tumbler. She happened to see one at Starbucks Kaneohe while buying gifts there. I called and sure enough, they amazingly had one remaining. They held the cup for me so now I’ll be enjoying free Starbucks coffee to kick off 2012!
Forgot about my Flickr images of LEGO Minifigures Series 4. Got a bunch at a discount from the Borders’ closing sale.  I like the hair of the Mad Scientist.
Yay, this pic from the Makapuu Lighthouse Trail made Hipster.com’s popular list!
Here are just a few more shots taken on the trail. Did I mention my visiting cousin from Oakland is a giant? Check him out holding the lighthouse.
What do you see in this picture? Old timers will recognize the entrance to Hackfelds restaurant in vintage Liberty House Ala Moana.
I don’t remember if I ever ate at Hackfelds as a kid, but I must have at some point. I just remember this location being next to the downstairs bathrooms and a secret side entrance to the store. Since this restaurant is long since closed, there’s only one exit out of Macy’s ground floor.
Did you know the history of “The Liberty House” and the origin of its name “in response to anti-German sentiment” during World War I? The German Hackfeld family opened Hackfeld’s Dry Goods which became Liberty House and eventually Macy’s.
Even though I blogged this last year, I forgot how Hawaii public transportation #1, aka TheBus, decorates its fleet over the Holidays.
Sorry, not the greatest picture but funny how the locations of this pic and the one taken in 2010 are in the same place!
So how is your winter going?  The air is cooler here in Hawaii, but when the sun starts peeking out, it’s best to find some shade.
Just be sure not to use the rust-colored beach chairs at Ko Olina Lagoon #1. These belong to the new Disney Aulani resort and are for guest use only. It’s first come, first serve for the usage of the umbrellas, but these chairs are a different issue. And don’t ask the Aulani personnel manning the vacations booth. They know about the various vacation, travel, and lodging packages, but not about the use of the beach chairs. Be cordial to the Aulani worker whose job is to repossess Disney’s beach chairs, and the local boy might be cool enough to leave one for your use as a kamaaina.
