Talking Story
Learning ‘Ōlelo: calabash
Calabash (cal-lah-BASH) A bowl or container often made of wood or a hollowed gourd. When used to refer to people, it implies a close friend or relative, i.e. someone so familiar he would eat out of the same serving bowl. Example English: "James is my father's best...
Character Haiku: ‘Ilima
Sniff, lick, snort, tickle, wag my tail in play, sly eye, never show the truth. ~'Ilima For more character haiku click here.
The Next Big Thing
Aloha! Today I’m part of a blog hop, officially known as The Next Big Thing. Many thanks to Elsie Park for inviting me to hop in after her. You can check out her website here. Her debut book is called Shadows of Valor and will be available everywhere July 27, 2013!...
Learning ‘Ōlelo: kuleana
Kuleana (koo-lee-ah-na) (nvt) Hawaiian word for right, privilege, concern, area of responsibility. Example English: "As responsible human beings we must take care of the earth! There are wastrels among us who must heed my words or our land will become a vast...
Character Haiku: Char Siu
Itchy wrist lei tight, wiggle up ti leaf skirt, wait for the drum beat. Dance. ~Char Siu
Winter Eggs
We are an egg-cident waiting to happen. I found four eggs this morning on top of a speaker in the family room, cupped in a sweat sock kiped from the shoe pile near the mud room door. On a shelf in the mud room I found another three and almost stepped on one cradled in...
Learning ‘Ōlelo: futless
Futless (FUHT-less) Adj. Pidgin for bored, frustrated, confused, unsure of what to do next. Literally without fart. Example English: Jay is so bored, he's sitting in on the couch, flicking the blinds, and staring at telephone lines. Pidgin: Ho, Jay futless, yeah?...
Character Haiku: Jay
Mountain of water, churning sand and reef below, no can breathe. Wipe out. ~Jay For more character haiku click here.
Dirty Secrets of an eBook Buyer
We’ve heard the death knell before. The printed page is dead! Bookstores are dead! Long live the eBook! Death makes great copy, especially combined with the old saw that technology is sweeping out the old to ring in the new. But as the latest research shows, I think...
Learning ‘Ōlelo: junkenpo
junkenpo (j'un-ken-POH) Pidgin for rock, paper scissors from the Japanese jan ken pon. How you choose who picks first, does the dishes, or buys the round. As a kid on Maui we'd swing our closed fist in time with a chanted rhyme and shoot three times for a two out of...
Character Haiku: Zader
The shark gnashes, swallows, chunks slide greasily downward, is it all a dream? ~ Zader For more character haiku click here.
Book Review: Boi No Good
by Chris McKinney
It's no false crack; Hawaiian author Chris McKinney's latest novel Boi No Good takes an unflinching look at a Hawaii that locals live in every day and tourists never see. It’s gritty, real, and not for the faint of heart. McKinney’s characters are people I feel I know...
Learning ‘Ōlelo: Local / Local Style
Local / Local Style (Lo-CAl) Adj. Someone originally from Hawai'i. Also used to describe anything typical of the way people do things in Hawai'i. People from Hawai'i automatically know that no matter where you are in the world, when someone from Hawai'i says...
Learning ‘Ōlelo: Hau’oli Makahiki Hou
Hau'oli Makahiki Hou (how-oh-lee mah-kah-he-key ho) Hawaiian phrase. In Hawaii people say Hau‘oli Makahiki Hou when they wish someone a Happy New Year. It’s a direct translation from the English: hau‘oli means “happy” or “glad,” hou means “new” or “fresh,” and...
Westin ‘Ohana 2012 Christmas Letter
Dear ‘Ohana, Mele Kalikimaka! We hope your family is well and enjoying all the aloha of the season. This past year we’ve felt especially blessed for all the good things in our lives. Here’s a quick snapshot. Lili continues dancing hula in Halau Na Pua O Lauele and had...
Aloha, Senator Daniel Inouye
Before opening the door to the galley above the Senate floor, the page gave us all the hairy eyeball. We were a bunch of teenagers from Hawaii in Washington D.C. and it was her job to make sure we didn’t make a sound. She couldn’t have cared less that we were a few...
Learning ‘Ōlelo: You
YOU (yu) In Hawaiian Pidgin, used as an attention-getter generally at the end of a phrase, similar to "I'm speaking to you, idiot, so pay attention." Example English: Please don't make fun of me! Pidgin: No laugh, you! Note: ‘Ōlelo is a Hawaiian word meaning language,...
Burning the Canoe
The last straw happened in church. I stood to leave the pew and realized that if I took One. More. Step. everything would be down around my ankles, exactly the wrong kind of calling on God moment you want to have in church. For the first time in over twenty years I...
Learning ‘Ōlelo: whatevahs
whatevahs (wha EV ahz) Pidgin word used as a response that can mean almost anything from I don't want to deal with/talk about it, I don't know/care, or you're a liar. Similar to a teenager's English use of whatever and usually as annoying. Example No talk: "Lili! Your...
Red Coat Magic
Last Christmas I ordered a deep red down-filled coat based on a picture and a few stellar reviews on a website. The knee-length coat promised to keep me warm during fall and spring soccer games and maybe even through a college football game or two. Better yet, it was...