Aloha Kākou : Welcome to all

I won't lie to you, this isn't really my first blog, but it will be my first attempt at a blog with a defined subject matter: life in Hawaii.

I am proud to say that I am Hawaii (Oahu) born and raised, never lived anywhere else, which is both a blessing and a curse (more on that later). Yes, Hawaii is paradise. Some of you may have read this online (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) especially if you have friends from Hawaii:

"Good ol' Hawaii...where the pork is sweet & mangos come pickled, summer is all year round, front porches are wide, words are long, rice is a vegetable, poi is the state food, Da Kine is a proper pronoun, pigs are cooked under ground, spam is a meat, we wear slippahs not flip-flops, everyone is Ohana, & someone is always getting some Aloha!! Repost if your PROUD TO BE HAWAIIAN!"

There more than a few wonderful things about Hawaii that I could add to this list about good ol' Hawaii, so here goes:

• Aloha attire - from the awfully cliche to the business appropriate
• Beautiful white sand beaches & pounding surf
• Sweet shave ice, (Matsumoto's or Aoki's when visiting the North Shore is a must) your choice of flavored syrups, with Azuki beans and/or ice cream or no, your choice, your design make it your own
• Li Hing Mui (and other Chinese style indulgences) tart and indescribable on your tongue
• Sweet pineapple-straight from the field or chilled- amazing either way
• Local food - a fusion of Japanese, Chinese, Hawaiian, Portuguese, Spanish, American, Filipino and quite a few others to be sure, to create dishes like no where else in the world
• Pidgin English -a language of its own

This list could go on for days, but I think this is a good starting point. While I'm not the best writer, if all goes according to plan, each of the wonderful things about Hawaii described -both in the quote and my add-on list- will be given its due in its own blog post so I can share the wonderful things (and maybe some of the bad too, because lets face it no one and no where is perfect all of the time) about this place I call home.

Wailea, Maui (circa Fall 2007)

-K