Oooh, I Like!
Hey, these new additions at Kicks Hawaii would look good while on a vacation at Disneyland.
Ace of Cakes LOST in Hawaii
Duff and the creative cast of Charm City Cakes are in Hawaii filming for their Food Network hit, Ace of Cakes. Through clandestine means, I learned about the filming at Tropics Community Activity Center on Schofield Barracks and being a fan, headed there to find a mass of cake fanatics.
We waited in the long line that wrapped around the Community Center but got to see Duff give an interview in the back of Tropics.
Surprisingly, the line moved quickly, and we were packed inside in a matter of minutes.
Duff, Geoff, Mary Alice, and the rest of the cast were introduced, and the show was underway. Duff explained that Ace of Cakes was in Hawaii for several reasons. First of all, the show was invited to Hawaii by Army fans stationed here. Still though, the cost to bring the cast and crew to Hawaii would be too much both for the Food Network channel and the Army. This is where the mega-ABC hit, LOST, stepped in. You see, LOST members are also big fans of the creativity of Charm City Cakes, and you know where LOST is filmed right?
So the big budget of LOST paid for Ace of Cakes to come to Hawaii! During their stay, Ace of Cakes filmed an episode, Duff and the crew accepted their Army invitation to Hawaii, and Hawaii fans benefitted. Not only that, but of course, Duff would need to work his cake magic while in the Islands and he did so, twice.
Going back to LOST for a bit. To return the generosity, Duff created a cake for LOST to be unveiled sometime soon. Sources say Duff met Jorge Garcia earlier this week, but the LOST cake is still a shrouded mystery like the show itself.
Back at Schofield, Duff designed a cake dedicated to the servicemen and women in the Army, and it looks like this…
Spoiler Alert! Don’t watch the video if you do NOT want to see the cake.
http://www.youtube.com/v/7PcYLw6wrTI&hl=en&fs=1
It was too crowded, so I didn’t stick around to try to meet Duff, Geoff, or Mary Alice or get closer pictures. I did get a picture of the non-big-three.
A few more pictures in my Picture Gallery.
https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf
Thanks Ace of Cakes (and LOST)! And thanks to Schofield security and the staff of Tropics for keeping everything under control and accommodating all fans.
Playing with PostRank
Playing around with PostRank which could be a contender going up against FeedBurner. I also installed the PostRank WordPress widget which shows the top ranked posts here according to their metrics.
Not sold yet, but time will tell.
Chill Out Scion Owners
Check out this list of most ticketed vehicles. You Scion car owners need to chill out a bit and slow down. Every Scion model is on the top of the list!
If you don’t want a speeding ticket, buy American as in Chevy, Buick, Oldsmobile, or GMC.
Thesis Theme Update Available
The WordPress theme, Thesis, that I use for Pulpconnection has a new version, going from 1.3 to 1.4. I haven’t upgraded yet, but the new version features “killer recent entries.” Sounds like a winner.
Read more and download Thesis 1.4 here.
SDV Tuning Adapters Come to Oceanic Cable
Looks like the Switched Digital Video (SDV) tuning adapters are now rolling out in Hawaii. After an expected availability of December 2008, Oceanic Cable (Time Warner) is sending out letters to interested SDV customers to schedule installation of tuning adapters. Here’s the letter I got in the mail.
I scheduled my appointment with some confusion since this is a new offering from Oceanic. First, there was a installation charge of $32, but that was waived after lengthy discussion with the customer service representative. With the SDV tuning adapter, additional Oceanic channels are now available for ordering. However, there are still some issues with the free digital SDV (but non-HD) channels. They’re not yet available even with the tuning adapter. Supposedly though, once these channels are available, the tuning adapter can be remotely updated to receive these channels.
You can order your free SDV tuning adapter from Oceanic here. More to come after my installation in early February (the first available install date).
Stefan is Unstoppable
With 8 Top Chef contestants remaining, it was time for the popular Restaurant Wars challenge. Sunset Lounge led by Leah up against Radhika’s Sahana.
Both restaurants struggled, but in the end, the Europeans, Stefan and Fabio, saved the Sunset Lounge. Fabio worked the front of the restaurant as only he could while Stefan continued his dominance, creating two desserts that delivered his team to salvation. I thought Stefan’s culinary weakness would have been desserts, but I surely was wrong. Even though Stefan is portrayed as an arrogant, non-team player, that dude can cook and is the one to beat in Season 5.
As expected, losing team leader, Radhika, was sent home after her nerve-racking experience in Restaurant Wars. Did I mention Stefan was arrogant? Read his words about Radhika’s departure. True, but a little too blunt.
Breakfast at Cinnamon’s
If you happen to be getting breakfast at Cinnamon’s in Kailua, try their special, the peanut butter chocolate chip pancakes.
The texture is a little doughy because of the peanut butter, but it’s really tasty, and the strawberry compote pushes it over the edge. If you can, get there before 9:00 when the crowds start rolling in.
Starbucks-Inspired Chinese New Year
As Chinese New Year approaches, you can find customary (and yummy) gau throughout the Islands (check Kin Wah Chop Suey for some freshly made gau on the Windward side). But, what if you were to take this traditional treat and spin it with modern day influences such as those served at Starbucks? You’d get a coffee-infused gau!
A great combination of old and new that offers an unique flavor and a caffeinated zing.
Twuat Didn’t Help My Twick
Awww, having a twuat on fire didn’t help my twick. 🙁 It’s still rates a 5 on Twicksize.
Twuat on Fire!
Ha, Friday was a fun day with Twitter tweets twirling around twuat (and yes, twuat is now part of the urban lingo!). If you missed the twuat tweets, you can relive the twuatage in the Tuileries of Twitter.
Thanks @NEENZ, @OahuAJ, @keani, @lavagal, @keani, @coachdeano, @slmcmahon, @semipro, @soultapestry, and yes, @twuat (not me).