Passion
Welcome Granny and Saxy
Welcome Granny and “Saxy” to our LEGO family. Opened up two more packs of LEGO Minifigures Series 11 and got the elusive Grandma and the Blue Brothers-looking Saxophone Player.
The only minifig left from Series 11 that I want is the Welder. I have a few more unopened packs, and I really hope the Welder is in one of them. Otherwise, I’ll have to pass since I’m done hunting for any more Series 11 LEGO.
That’s 3 Stars
That’s three Starbucks rewards stars right there in that bag.
For a limited time and if your account received the promotion, any purchase of a Starbucks breakfast sandwich yielded you three rewards stars. Not a bad tradeoff, $3-4 for breakfast and extra stars earned. Unfortunately, the promotion ended on October 15, 2013.
What about the breakfast sandwiches? Well, they’re okay. Nothing great, and they do remind me of breakfast from McDonalds. There’s not a whole lot of new breakfast combinations out there you know. An egg, sausage, and English muffin combination is pretty similar wherever you go. Anyways, two sandwiches and six stars later, I’m glad this promotion has ended.
Apple and Nike At It Again?
You think Nike and Apple are at it again, sharing playbooks? Read about the updated Nike+ FuelBand SE, and you’ll see what I mean. The dead giveaway is interfacing with iOS only. With all its resources, of course, Nike can make an Android app, but they haven’t yet.
Then there’s the adoption of Bluetooth 4.0, aka Bluetooth Low Energy, aka BLE, aka iBeacon. NFC is still a technology looking for traction, but Nike’s decision to go BLE is another nod to the way of Apple.
Old time Mac fans will recognize the SE moniker from the olden days of the Motorola 68000 series microprocessors in the all-in-one Mac SE. When updated, will Nike have the bravado to call the revised SE, the SE/x, or will they flinch like Apple’s SE/30 (back in the day, Apple hardware with a math coprocessor had the suffix “x” appended on).
And don’t think when Apple’s iWatch finally surfaces, Nike won’t be one of the first to interconnect with this personal ecosphere.
Checking Out Themify
With an on-going Cult of Mac deal for two Themify WordPress themes for the mere price of $19, I had to check it out. Normally priced at $60, this deal for two themes is hard to pass up at under 20 bucks.
And Themify has some impressive looking themes. I’ve never used their themes before and am not sure how the backend interface is. For my two themes, I might go with Magazine that so much potential though I’m sure customizing it will take some time. Parallax is really cool but doesn’t fit my needs. Responz looks fun and clean but in general, I’m not a fan of “z” words.
In either case, if these themes don’t work out, $19 is a minimal investment. Go ahead and check out the deal that’s expiring on October 20, 2013.
Pure Deliciousness Coming to Windward Mall
So Fun Factory is coming to Windward Mall and right down the way, Hokulani Bake Shop is setting up shop. Remember the corner spot of Gloria Jeans née Scrambled née Mocha Java Cafe?
Yup, it’s getting remade into a spot of pure deliciousness in a scant few weeks. Come beginning of November, the Windward side can enjoy plenty of cupcakes from this longtime local favorite. Just in time for the holidays!
Soon More Fun at Windward Mall
Windward Mall is maximizing its family friendly strategy by continuing to add stores aimed at kids. Joining the mall’s community will be Fun Factory.
The factory of fun is opening on the floor level next to the kids play area. It’ll be in the space vacated by Koolau Pets.
Ono Grinds from the Weekend
Simple. Just some of the ono grinds I partook over the weekend.
My first visit to a Lawson’s Station. Heck, I didn’t even know there was a location right next to Ala Moana in the Pacific Guardian Tower across from Walgreens and Walmart. A small but interesting place. I had to pick up some food while there. The daily special was a $6 bowl of curry. Not bad, both in price and quantity.
Because both @abaggy and @melissa808 shamed me about not dining at Goma Tei, I had to make another lunch stop there. This time, to avoid the lines, I went early and to the Ward location. This tan tan ramen with ban ban ji chicken was served quickly and flavorfully.
If you ever ask for a partial pitcher of Pepsi and a partial pitcher of fruit punch, be sure to make it clear that you want these partials in different pitchers, not combined in one pitcher. Otherwise, you’ll end up with this reddish brown, sweet concoction that’s actually pretty good.
Now pair this sweet mix-up with a King Arthur’s supreme pizza from Round Table.
Breakfast at YogurStory was an experimental pick. Instead of going with my usual choices, I went with a Smoked Salmon Benedict.
I already posted my picture (and Yelp review) of the Coffee Monster masterpiece from Ice Forest.
Yup, lots of onos this weekend. Gotta hit up You Are Your Own Gym extra hard this week.
Yelped Ice Forest
Over the weekend, I had my first exposure to Ice Forest in Downtown. From what I understand, this place is related to Ice Garden in Aiea and has a similar style.
Read my Yelp review for the details of my visit. But to summarize, I loved the flavors but not the hugeness of the creations. There’s just so much – too much in my opinion. At $7+ for my massive Coffee Monster, I think you have to be more selective of getting yourself an Ice Forest treat. Four stars, but I’d be down with smaller sizes and cheaper costs.
Pier 1 at Ward No More
That didn’t take long. Less than a month after seeing the moving sale signs at Pier 1 at Ward, the location is now closed.
I still haven’t looked into where this Pier 1 store moved to. The ones in Pearl City and Kailua are still there, and the official Pier 1 imports web site only lists these two stores for Hawaii.
Update 11-03-2013: The new Ward location is open down the street.
Health and Security from Amazon
Today’s Pulpconnection promotions from Amazon cover health and security. For healthy living and working on your fitness is the Lebert Equalizer bars
For bicycle security comes this highly rated Kryptonite Kryptolok Series 2 U-Lock
Bricks & Minifigs in Kailua
LEGO fans have yet another go-to location in Hawaii. Now open on the Aikahi side of Kailua is Bricks & Minifigs. While not affiliated with the official LEGO Store, this chain sells all kinds of new and old LEGO sets. But the more intriging aspect is the chance to sell or trade your unwanted bricks. There are also tables of loose pieces you can rummage through and buy in bulk.
I saw some interesting sets that I had not seen before, and you can pickup some great pieces. The tables of loose pieces is kinda maddening though if you’re an organized LEGO fan. It’s so hard to find pairs or matching stuff. While more fun with the pieces scattered on these tables, I wonder if a sorted system isn’t more effective?
Follow Bricks & Minifigs Kailua on Facebook since they post updates often.