Starbucks Stars Stolen?
What say you, Starbucks Stars stolen or old stock?
See the bag on the right? Is this an older bag that did not have a Starbucks Star sticker or did someone help themselves to extra stars? Hard to tell.
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
Nike Zoom Wildhorse Reviewed
I submitted my mini review to Zappos for my recent purchase of the Nike Zoom Wildhorse, and it goes like this:
Lightweight and great looking but very snug. After a few wears and runs, the shoe still feels tight. It’s okay for short runs, but I’m not sure if the snugness will affect longer runs. You’ll notice the 4mm differential, but it’s not extreme. You do feel closer to the ground compared to regular running shoes. Keep in mind, these are not Nike+ shoes and don’t have space for the running sensor.
Yeah, I don’t know why but these shoes are bordering on tight. If you’re running with thicker socks, then definitely go up a half size. These trail shoes talk about the height difference between the heel and forefoot being 4mm. You can tell these shoes feel flatter and lower than traditional running shoes, but they don’t feel that different.
The rounded anatomical heel seems gimmicky especially with the angular lugs, but it looks cool. The Wildhorse isn’t well cushioned to keep that lean 4mm differential, but the tradeoff of feeling what’s underfoot is worth it. The outer layer hides dirt well so these shoes won’t look trashed after a few runs.
My only misgiving with the Wildhorse? It’s not a Nike+ shoe. There’s no space for the Nike+ running sensor that works with diminutive iPods. So if you want to track your runs, you’d need to use an iPhone or something else.
Some pictures of the Nike Zoom Wildhorse in black spruce, total orange, and flash lime.
Coffeemate Peppermint Mocha Got Dark
It took me a bit to notice, but there was something different about Coffee-mate’s Peppermint Mocha creamer. Yeah, yeah, I know this flavor is no longer seasonal during the winter and is offered year round. So what was different? Luckily I already had a bottle in the refrigerator to make a quick comparison.
Overall, the Peppermint Mocha look went dark. The snowy blue background is a deeper blue, and instead of showing the creamer lighten the coffee, you get a delicious image of dark chocolate cream sprinkled with peppermints. The peppermint mocha text also got stylized, looking more wintry. So, no, if you see this bottle, it’s not a new flavor, just a new design to an already favorite.
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.
Recent LEGO Bounty
A recent early morning trip to the LEGO store at Ala Moana yielded this bounty.
Actually found the rare Minecraft edition in store so I bought this for a Christmas gift (not for me). Missing from the picture are the street/road base plates. These were actually in stock.
Reading “10 cars Americans don’t want to buy”
Saw this article titled “10 cars Americans don’t want to buy” and I had to read it. I gotta agree with the article since I don’t see very many of these vehicles driving in Hawaii.
At #5, the Infiniti EX is fun to drive, but it is small. And how about #7, the Nissan Murano. How this model has fallen from grace. When it first debuted, it definitely made a visual impact, especially that electric sunburnt orange. Over the years, the Murano has shrunk and is now barely recognizable, looking more akin to a Toyota RAV4.
Did you find any surprises on this list? Makes me reminisce about my all-time “favorite” car, the Pontiac Aztek.