Today is the first day of summer and we are having a great time here in Hawaii. To celebrate the longest day of the year, Jes went out for his first surfing lesson this morning. He took a one-hour lesson and caught 3 waves! He had a good time but was pooped out by the end.
We just got back from a day at the pool and we’re heading out for a cheesy luau at Germaine’s. Jes is looking forward to seeing some dancing coconuts and eating kalua pork.
On Sunday morning, I was up by 5:45 am again and took a little stroll down to the beach to watch the surfers. Once Jes woke up, we headed down for breakfast at the Beachhouse and then over to the towel hut for a day at the beach. We rented an umbrella for the day and it was totally worth it. They set us up with two beach chairs and plenty of towels. We were there from around 9:00 am and had it to ourselves until 5:30! So we lazied around in the sun and then under the umbrella and then back in the sun. We’d take a few dips in the ocean to cool off and then go back to the umbrella. What fun! By 10:30, the poolside bar was open and the number tag on our umbrella was flipped over as a signal to the waiter that we needed assistance. We sat for another hour with drinks on the side table until it was time for lunch.
For lunch we walked over to Ramen Nakamura, Jes’ favorite ramen place, and stuffed ourselves silly. We browsed through some of the stores on the way back to the hotel, gathered up our belongings from our room, and headed back to the umbrella. Ah…it was just sitting there waiting for us. How nice.
We spent another couple hours in our chairs until Yoon and her friend came by to join us. We asked for two more chairs and the four of us just hung out watching the people on the beach. Jes also had fun floating in the waves and I bobbed up and down in the water with my waterproof camera watching all the activity around me.
At the end of the afternoon, Yoon took us for a drive up the coast to see China Wall. It’s actually called Koko Mini Beach Park and it had a spectacular view. We carefully walked down the rocky steps to a flat area just along the crashing waves.
There’s a series of cut-up rocks and walls that make the water swirl violently in the middle and then crash up against the walls. It was pretty fun to watch!
We drove farther up the coast to find a few other pretty places to take photos and then headed back to town.
Dinner was at Azure inside the Royal Hawaiian. We had their tasting menu and I really enjoyed all of the items, well, maybe except for the veal. Poor baby cow… By the end of the night, we were pooped and asleep by 11. It was yet another good day on the rock. Umbrella day was fun.
Aloha! Jes and I are on our annual long weekend in Hawaii and it’s gorgeous out here. We flew out on Friday night and arrived around 10pm HST with Yoon picking us up. We were starving so we stopped at a local sports bar that served a tasty BBQ pork loco moco and salt and pepper shrimp. We stayed at the Sheraton the first night since the Moana was sold out that night and got upgraded to their deluxe ocean view room overlooking the Moana. Yippee!
On Saturday am, we lazied around and had the requisite McDonald’s spam, eggs, and rice platter with a side of fresh pineapple. Ah…what a great way to start the day. I also ended up taking two naps before 11am. Boy, I must have really needed this vacation.
By 11:30, Yoon came by to pick up Jes. She hooked him up with a friend that needed crew for a sailing race in Kaneohe Bay. Nice! So I stayed behind and did some shopping, had Yoon’s favorite kim chee fried rice from Choi’s Kitchen, and took another nap.
Dinner was at Orchids and we had some tasty local fish there. By the end of the night we were both passed out by 9:30. It was certainly a good first day of our vacation.
After 3 weeks of sitting in a dark bar surrounded by LA haters and countless fried zucchini chips, I am one happy camper. LAKERS WON THEIR 16th NBA CHAMPIONSHIP!!! Victor and I (a.k.a. 6th Man) have put a lot of hard work into this series and it paid off. We’ve endured night after night of being outnumbered by Giants fans (aka anti-LA fans). There’s just something so sweet and extra-satisfying about watching the Lakers win in SF.
I was so nervous today at work and hustled to get home early enough to get to Pete’s for one last time this season. It was packed and we got a good corner of the bar for our group of 15. Fortunately for us the number of Lakers fans was comparable to the number of people rooting for the Celtics.
It was such as stressful game and I still have a tummy ache from the game 2 hours later. Artest’s after-game interview was so cute. He really pulled the team through this game and he was as giddy as a little kid at Disneyland. Maybe I’ll have to get a jersey with the number 37. Great job, Lake Show. See you next year for a 3-peat.
Here’s a little video clip of the minutes after we won:
This week ended with warmer weather and lots of time spent in AT&T Park. On Friday evening, Jes and I went to the Giants vs. A’s Game. Luckily Dot and Marc had tickets and got us up to the Club Level where they serve gourmet brisket sandwiches along with the usual garlic fries and Coors Light. So, we watched the first half of the game from this spot, which is a rather good location with a nice view. I was happy.
Victor was also at the game but had a work function in the Charles Schwab Box on the Suite Level. By the 5th inning, Susie got a call to meet him at the elevator. So, we go and there he is with tickets and passes up to the Suite. Nice! So the rest of the game is enjoyed in a suite complete with couches, a hot dog machine, lots of drinks and food, and a private box on the balcony with an amazing view. I was even able to see the players hanging out in the dugout.
I had a tasty chocolate chip cookie and strawberries from a comfy couch overlooking the ballpark. I was even happier.
This morning, I got up at my usual work time, had a peanut butter and jelly sammich with a cup of coffee, and got ready for the race. Today I ran the Giants Race Half Marathon with Susie and it was tough. The route wasn’t the hard part. It was just the first day of a heat wave in SF and I wasn’t feeling 100%. I hadn’t been able to run more than 3 miles in the last 2 weeks and have no idea why.
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So, I took more walk breaks than expected but still finished in 2 hours and 24 minutes. It’s not my best race but I was happy to finish my “training race” in under 2:30. The race ended inside the ballpark and we got to have our picture taken at Home Plate. Boy am I pooped. Hopefully this will keep me on track for the SF Half Marathon coming up in July.
Here’s my bib and finisher’s medal. Tada!
(click on image for movie trailer)
For those of you who know me, I LOVE LOVE LOVE “My Neighbor Totoro“. Well, last summer, Miyazaki released a new movie called “Ponyo” and I FINALLY got to watch it. It came in the mail today and I watched it right away with such delight. I sat on the couch in my PJs with a blanket on my lap and a frozen strawberry bar in hand and felt like I was 5 again. I had no idea what to expect of the movie since the trailer makes it look a little creepy but it was so much more fun and was a little crazy at the same time. In the same “Totoro” style, there’s an intermingling of reality and fantasy and a lot of innocence. On top of that, I absolutely adore hand-drawn animation and Miyazaki is THE best. Ah…I can go to bed happy now.
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