We Have Signage
While it’s still some time before the Target in Kailua opens for business, its well known red logo is installed and is very visible. Never mind that there’s no sidewalk or parking lot currently.
Passion
Apple Pay Worked for Me
Upgrading to iOS 8.1 was easy enough, but then what do I do with an Apple Pay enabled iPhone 6? You try it out on a break room vending machine, and amazingly Apple Pay worked!
First, I had to setup Apple Pay, associating my iTunes information for payment. Then I walked by the vending machine whereupon Passbook asked if I wanted to authorize a transaction using TouchID. After scanning in my fingerprint for a few seconds, the vending machine told me to make my selection. Out came my Coke Zero, and Passbook notified me of my $1.50 transaction. That’s it, that’s all, and it just worked.
Checked Out the New “Old” Liliha Bakery
Over the fall break, we were in the Nimitz area and decided to check out the new-ish location of Liliha Bakery. This new spot is a welcomed addition to alleviate the strain on the historic original, but this location was equally as crowded. I can’t say parking is any better or worse. There’s a limited amount of stalls since several are reserved for other businesses and getting into and out of the parking lot is tough with the amount of traffic traversing Nimitz.
Once inside, the decor hints to an upscaled experience (more on that later). The ever popular bakery and baked goods dominate the entryway as it should. Also in this area is the recently added Coke Freestyle machine where you can choose from over 100 flavors (orange Coke is nothing special by the way).
Now about that upscaled experience. While the decor, lighting, and dress code of the wait staff all point to finer dining, the actual menu is still the original. Your local favorites, are there but that’s the problem. The old menu selection doesn’t match the perceived modern ambience. I ordered eggs and portuguese sausage and yep, that’s what I got.
The saving grace is those butter rolls lavishly buttered with none other than butter. Slather on that atomic pink jelly and dig in. Just don’t mind your fingers drenched in butter afterwards.
So the food is okay, but the bakery is at a whole different level. When fully stocked, no one can resist. The textures, the colors, the shapes, the variety, the ingredients – they all beckon.
Of course, we left with a small box of goodies to snack on later. Overall, it was a mixed experience. I would definitely go back for the sweet temptations from the bakery, but doubt I would dine in again. But this just in, with their official grand opening, there are additions to the menu like spicy baby back ribs, prime rib, and possibly sautéed shrimp and scallop. Now these dishes befit the overall atmosphere of the new Liliha Bakery. Hopefully there are more tweaks to the menu to balance out the overall dining experience, distinguishing the new location from the old Liliha Bakery.
More pics from the new but old Liliha Bakery.
Signs of Hawaii: Private Property
See that little placard on the ground? It’s repeatedly placed every ten feet or so in the Ward area. What’s it say?
Private property
Permission to use
Revocable
At any timeI’m guessing that line on the ground separates the public sidewalk from the private property. So you can hang out behind the line (and sign), but you can be revoked at any time while on the other side.
Matching Kicks and Clothes
Don’t get me wrong. I actually do like these Adidas ZX Flux “Mythology” in subtle black and white.
But you might as well go over the top and match these kicks with this gaudy shirt I found at Ross (and it’s on sale!!). Go godly or go home!
Partial Total Lunar Eclipse
Here is my partial set of pictures taken from last night’s total lunar eclipse, aka the rare selenelion. I tried staying up to 12:30am to witness the total eclipse, but I just couldn’t do it, tiring out right after midnight.
SoHa Living Coming to Kailua
With the GNC Store moving down the street nearby the UPS Store, their vacancy is being taken by SoHa Living. Yeah, there’s a Kailua vibe to this Kahala retailer.
Scream Machines at Bishop Museum
Bishop Museum’s latest attraction is Scream Machines, the Science of Roller Coasters. Typically, these exhibits are somewhat static even though they’re touted as interactive, but I must say there’s fun stuff to do at Scream Machines. At the entry way, you can watch a model car zoom through a fictitious mini roller coaster. If it were to scale, no human could survive the ride.
Off to the left is a simulator taking passengers on virtual rides on America’s most famous roller coasters. Now this was pretty cool. Although the video of the simulation wasn’t high definition, the rides were believable enough, and you could see and hear differences between wooden and steel coasters.
The inner displays focus on the science of the roller coasters, analyzing speed, height, curvature, angles, and more. Roll balls down the tracks to see the impact of the differences.
Think you understand all the physics and science of roller coasters? Now go build one yourself. Not a real coaster per se but a customizable track with turns, loops, falls, and everything else you learned.
I don’t have pictures of the Revolver demo where participants stand on a spinning platform to learn about angular velocity. Walk a straight line? Real tough. Roll a ball in a straight line, and it curves, or does it? This was a fun demo to wait for. And if you’re feeling nauseous from all the movement, there’s a display explaining what the human body is going through when you upchuck. Basically, it’s like this.
Oh and on a totally unrelated note, the orange and navy VH07V shirt looks great in the sun or under black lights.
Selenelion, Syzygy, Celestial Geometry on Wednesday
Are you ready for the total eclipse of the moon along with the rising sun? This so-called selenelion is supposedly impossible according to celestial geometry. But nope, this syzygy where the sun and the moon are perfectly aligned 180-degrees apart is happening.
When all of this is happening, I have no clue – Tuesday night/Wednesday morning or Wednesday night/Thursday morning. Can someone let me know in plain English and what time is this visible in HST?
Here’s my picture of the Blood Moon in April 2014.
Update: Here’s the Hawaii-centric information from the Star Advertiser.
Update 2: If you’re going to take pictures of the lunar eclipse, here’s an article that gives you camera settings to start off with.
Stocked Up on VH07V
At the Rice Fest over the weekend, I stocked up on more VH07V gear. Got the navy with neon orange (though the shirt looks black) and a new gray fade design with the shaka.
Oh, and a discount from the VIP mailing list!
Cool Tea Names and an Oat Cake
Starbucks latest line of teas has some cool names. We’re talking Royal English Breakfast, Passion Tango, Youthberry, and Pineapple Kona Pop.
Passion Tango
Youthberry
Royal English Breakfast
Pineapple Kona Pop
Then there’s this Hawaii-themed oat cake. Yeah, I’ll pass on that lava rock of an oat cake, and what makes it “Hawaii” anyways?
Unlimited No Longer
And I feel the same. After getting the original AT&T unlimited data plan with my iPhone 3G and carrying it over for years, I finally gave it up, switching to an AT&T mobile data sharing plan. Truthfully, I never approached “unlimited” data in my usage, averaging less than 2 GB per month. So instead of keeping the cool sounding unlimited data plan, I opted for other useful services (hello text plan).
I also said goodbye to my iPhone 4. This phone really cranked up the camera quality, making the iPhone my preferred camera.