The 4th of July in Hawaii is celebrated just about da same as New Years with fireworks and bbq's but with the added exception of increased beach activity kapu'ing da best spot all da from Ala Moana to Kailua to White Plains. How are you spending your 4th? Dis year we're going over to a friends house (just up da road too!) for a potluck bbq and let's just say dat I'm glad dat it's up da road.

But let's talk about life's independence.... with a game!

List your independence from - watevahs! All da things dat you're doing "on your own" aftah being taught from any age.

Hopefully we'll break da century comment mark if anybody is at work today.

btw, Happy Feel Good Friday and have a great July 4th!!! Pah-tay hard and please, please pah-tay safe!

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The Honolulu Advertiser doesn't.

Well normally we don't.

We've been given the option to take the day off or not and I'm taking it.... plus Monday too.

I just really need to get "euphoric" in my sleep and plus Da Wife has da day off - Monday too!

Wat da heck is B/B/V/A Day?

Well if you're anything like us, it's all our "special days" celebrated in one day. It's her birthday, my birthday, Valentine's and our Anniversary all rolled up into one.

So wat are we doing?

Nothing.... sad yeah?

Well hea's wat happened. Da Wife's birthday was in late November and as such, da holiday festivities was about to go full tilt. We had seasonal obligations so we couldn't really do anything special like going out to our favorite restaurant, DK Steakhouse. Then my birthday came around and we had stuff to do hea and there so we put it off. Valentine's was right around da corner and da next thing you know baseball season was on it's way.

In a few days, it'll be our 2nd wedding anniversary on da 7th so dis time we're making time! Amazing. Our 2nd. We barely made it through da first - beats me how we going make through da next 10 even?

We both wanted to go holoholo to a neighbor island but there was no airfare specials like they had a few weeks ago with $3 airfare! Yeah, tree bucks! So we're heading to our favorite restaurant this weekend to DK's! Oh yeah baby! We've both been craving dat place for a very long time since it's our place to celebrate our "special events". And no worries, going get one follow up Shaka-nack review on DK's. 

So if there's no post on Friday... I slept in.

If there's no post on Monday... I stay kanack.

If there's no post on Tuesday... call... eh, nobody kea about me.

Wea's your favorite place to celebrate things? Wat's your favorite type of grindz?

SHOUT OUT #1:    Howzit Scott! Was nice seeing you at Point Panic yesterday!

SHOUT OUT #2:    WWD! Experiment still going strong - quite a bit of Lurkahs have come out of hiding! Mahalos for dat! Now if only I can get them to post on hea on WWD!....... ok ok so there's only like 22 people but I'm hoping there's more out there!

Click below, if you like be my "friends". 

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I've posted on WWD! saying I'd nevah do it.

And like a true lolo....... I've gone and done it.

*standing up with my head down* Hi, my name is (Braddah) Lance... and I'm on Facebook.

I don't know if that's a good thing or not - yet - but I've signed up and it's a wait and see game now. My friends have always been on social networks and wen MySpace came out they were all like, "you gotta get a MySpace page."

Uh, no thanks.

Now dat MySpace is a considered "unsafe" to an extent (*see, told you so!*), FaceBook (FB) has become the site of choice and you could say FB has found a niche on networking where it could be better controlled and more suited for adults who truly want to just keep in touch.

I kept saying it was a cult and the more and more I heard my friends and others saying (even tita leerz said she's on FB from her last post) you gotta get on FaceBook the more I was reluctant to do so..... untill my friend said he just signed up and I told him I'd check out his "page".

Once I searched and found him on FB, I couldn't get into his page.... I had to be his "friend" first.

Hold up.... I'm already his friend! His real life friend!!

Wassap Wit Dat!

Then I understood why FaceBook was touted as being more "secure" because you could control who you want seeing your "personal" life. While at first glance, the site does display pictures, it's just your profile pic dat the host chose and it's also to help recogmanotice who've you searched for. It's helpful in the fact that you wouldn't want to mistakenly ask a complete stranger with da same name to be your friend. Also if you see the "friends list" you can kinda connect da dots and figgah out dat dat's da person you was looking for. You could, even for nostalgic sake, find a long time friend you haven't seen since hana-battah dayz. Capiché?

Then I started to get a few "ask to be friends" invites - assuming dat they saw my name on our mutual friends page - and noticed dat FaceBook is pretty cleaver in that wen you do something/anything it posts straight on top so that anybody visiting your page would see who you recently added as friends and thus begins da networking game since you may see someone you've nevah seen in choke long time and noticed dat they're on now.

I've "determined" dat FB is actually an open "blog" of sorts between friends. A real open blog. You got some dat share every waking moment online and you got oddahs, like me, who just kinda chill and no even update their "page". I barely have enough time to keep up with WWD!

Although WWD! is an open blog between..... who knows? Well, I've gotten to know some of you so we're not "strangers" anymore.

Then I got an "invite" from a friend I haven't seen since high school and I remembah spending nights sitting on da curb talking to her while my friend was trying to mack with her friend - or was it her, or was it both? - but being da dutiful wingman dat I was, I was there in full support.

Wats even more surprising, she says she reads WWD! all da time even though she now lives in da mainland!

But den I thought, how come she no post? I have no frickin' idea but just hearing dat she reads all da time - supposedly - kinda lifted my spirits about WWD! but posed a question in my spinning coconut shell.... while I may not know who reads and who posts..... how many people are out there that I DO know, dat read WWD! ? Cause I know for surah dat they aren't posting.

So I'm posing this experiment. If you're in FaceBook, let's be "friends". Shoot me an invite (Braddah Lance Kwon - for da blog or Hyung Lance Kwon - personal) and I'll gladly accept either or both.

Plus I like see how much people like come out if not on WWD!, but on FB. I jus' curious to see how many peeps stay reading cause our site doesn't keep track (or at least I'm not told about it unlike some ODDah blogs) - even if only get 27 people.

If you put in a note of "WWD!" in your "invite" I'll know dat you're from Da WWD! Hui and it be cool to put a face to da name..... and no worries, I not going share stuff between FB and WWD!.

Dat falls undah da WWD!/Kwonics/Lanceformers/Lurkahs confidentiality clause.

SHOUT OUT:  Happy Belated Hau'oli La Hanau Jess!   

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For as long as I can remember, I've always been in the water whether it be at picnics, surfing, diving, watevahs - just as long as there was sand and surf, I was good. It didn't hurt that wen I used to live in Sand Island, I literally could just hop our fence and be at the beach.

With the recent South swells, as NKHEA keeps reminding me, da Pacific comes a calling.

Da past few weeks I hit da surf wenevah I could during lunch - my only free time to surf - but yesterday was almost fate-like. Da Wife had planned to have a pau hana get together with a few of her ex-coworkers after work so I was left in a predicament. Do I go all the way home, take care the dogs, rest for a hour and drive back or do I stay at work and work on some things.

Hmmm........ Neither.

I wen surf Baby!

Boy was it epic!

It wasn't as big as last weekends swell but a solid three feet (Hawaiian scale of course). It was a bit inconsistent at Point Panic but knowing wea to sit in the lineup was key so I had more than my share of fun waves. I was in da water for a little ovah 2 ½ hours till da only light we saw was the moonlight and it was the most time I've evah spent surfing since high school wea I'd surf on average 10 hours a day.

Barrel aftah barrel I was so stoked to not only be in da watah for dat long but da fact dat I was in da right part of da lineup wea da "hui" was going on da first sets and once they were gone I was still fortunate enough to catch da last one in da set. Almost every wave was pitching nicely due to da light winds and low tide.

My last wave was unreal.

It was one of the bigger waves of the day and all I could see was a huge wall lining up. I pulled in high and tight and whooosh! A picture perfect wave barrelling from beginning to end and I threw in a few spinners (body surfing rolo move) and not only made it out but rode it all the way in wea I didn't even have to paddle in to get back on shore.

It was euphoric... and Da Wife can attest cause wen I went to pick her up, all she saw was a huge grin ear to ear even aftah I was out of da water.

No wait.

I was grinning ear to ear cause I took one look at my beautiful wife and couldn't help myself.

We may have talked about it before but yesterday was just so enlightening dat it refreshes my soul.

So wat is it dat you do, want to do, have done dat makes you "euphoric"? Eating chocolate? Playing cards? Hitting golf balls?

C'mon, share yours.... or you like keep 'em to yourself?

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I've been going there since I was 15 and had more than my share of bad haircuts from their "stylists". They're either new and inexperienced or they just cut and be done with it. Their prices have gone up a few times and their once "everyday value" went from $9.99 to a whopping $18 (without tip). For da wahine, dat may not seem like much but to us guys, dat's a lot wen most times it's just a buzz and a trim on top - nothing fancy.

They've also gotten rid of their "get 12 haircuts get 1 free" card. It used to buy 8 get 1 free, then buy 10 get 1 free (I think) and then 12 and now nada.

In fact, a few months ago wen I went down to da Kaahumanu location, my "stylist" (who I could barely understand but have had cut my hair several times) asked me if I shampooed my hair after a haircut. I said, "not right away, but after I get home I do."

At the end of my haircut, she directs me to the back and I follow. It was a very slow day as I was da only person there so I thought she was just being nice and giving me a shampoo hookup...... then I got da bill.

Boy was I duped. Suckah.

Wasssap Wit Dat!

I didn't even want to bother arguing and just paid the little extra and went on my way but boy did Da Wife hear my...... opinion.

So last Saturday I took a chance on a barber shop I see almost everyday and always told myself I'd check them out. They're on da corner of Kamehameha Hwy and Waimano Home Road in the Pearl City Medical Building which is very ironic cause there isn't a single medical office there..... WWD!

I walk in and immediately they ask, "Haircut?".

"Yes."

They point me to a chair and there I was, hoping my hair wouldn't get butchered and praying I didn't make a mistake.

Right after I tell the "barber" wat I wanted, he buzzed and snipped away. I then began noticing that it's a quaint little shop with about six or seven chairs and each with their own "flare" ranging from equipment to Christmas pictures of their frequent patrons.

Then the fun began.

People started flowing in and the wall to wall bench seats were filled up. A little keiki was watching a movie on her dad's iPhone, a couple of others texting, the rest either reading The Honolulu Advertiser or magazine. A barber (are wahine barber's called barbers too?) took a quick second to grab a jar of candy on her shelf, opened it up and asked da keiki if she wanted one.

A big smile gleemed from da keiki's face.

Then da boss lady asked one of her barber's if he could work some extra days that he wasn't scheduled to and it was entertaining to say the least. If you've ever watched da movie Barbershop starring Ice Cube and Cedric the Entertainer, it was just li'dat. If you nevah saw it, you missed out on a fun movie.

It was exactly like the movie where they were arguing and quipping back and forth and all the patrons are laughing.

Classic.

Well my hair wasn't butchered and I was very impressed at the attention to detail my barber had. He even busted out the shaving razor - da kine with da huge blade and handle - and trimmed all da edges to make sharp lines! He was handsomely rewarded for attention to detail and he surah earned his tip.

And da $13.61 price for da haircut didn't hurt either.

Pearl City Barbershop and Hairstyling is in a prime location next to Longs, Don Quixote, banks and McDonald's and yet they are still able to keep their prices down.

Looks like I found a real barber now.

How's yours lookin'?

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I had a special blog ready to go but there seems to be some difficulty in getting it out. Well actually it's anoddah..... VLOG!

Yup. Did it again. A video blog but dis one is kinda neat considering dat...... well, I'll just keep you in suspense so dat you'll check back into WWD! and das all I'm going to say.  

Since da vlog is delayed and I have nothing prepared.......

Wat's your thoughts about Michael Jackson passing away?

I'd say - even beyond his "weirdness" - he was one of da greatest entertainers - and pioneers - of all time. Most, if not all, da moves he did are still being used today in all of pop culture. His videos also inspired a new age of music videos and his performances were something to look forward to (although I've nevah seen one live). Imho, I believe he's da only entertainer to move, capture and captivate da entire world.

C'mon, who's NOT heard of Michael Jackson? Who'd evah forget songs like "Beat It" and of course, "Thriller" and not to be outdone, da infamous and still popular "moonwalk" (I still can't do dat suckah today).

I bet most of you still either have da vinyl, cassette or cd? Or at least on song on your iPod or MP3 player?

Share your thoughts if you like.

Ok.... you bettah post a comment cause it's been getting lonely hea on da blogs.  

And it wouldn't be a Feel Good Friday without a joke and following da theme of MLC moments I've been having recently, I guess it is true dat you get wiser with age.......

A young man shopping in a supermarket noticed a little old lady following him around. If he stopped, she stopped. Furthermore she kept staring at him.

She finally overtook him at the checkout, and she turned to him and said,
'I hope I haven't made you feel ill at ease; it's just that you look so much like my late son.'

He answered, 'That's okay.'

'I know it's silly, but if you'd call out 'Good bye, Mom' as I leave the store,
It would make me feel so happy.'

She then went through the checkout, and as she was on her way out of the store, The man called out, 'Goodbye, Mom.'

The little old lady waved, and smiled back at him.

Pleased that he had brought a little sunshine into someone's day,
He went to pay for his Groceries.

'That comes to $121.85,' said the clerk.

'How come so much. I only bought 5 items..'

The clerk replied, 'Yeah, but your Mother said You'd be paying for her things, too.'

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No, not da sea kine ocean with waves and sand but Oceans nightclub in Restaurant Row. Wait. After a 2008 renovation, da new name became Oceans 808 and for all da MLC'ers.... it was wea da old Studebakers used to be.

We went there to help celebrate a friend's wife's birthday and boy was I.... glad dat I got older. Hear me out.

Oceans, back in da day, was a club dat my friends and I always wanted to go because it was one of da first "exclusive" 23 and older clubs. Most clubs were 18+ and had da mix of immature, about to be mature and trying fo' ack mature crowd all mixed together which at times  got wacky and weird. Plus, Oceans had a very strict dress code and many a people have been turned away at da door so it created an air of "class" just to get in.

I must have been stuck in da late 90's/early 2000 mode cause wen we got to da club I was kinda expecting a small line but nada.

Oceans: "$10."
BL: *takes out $10 and about to pay*...... leans ovah to Da Wife and asks "Did she say $10 total... or $10 per person?"
Da Wife: "I think it's $10 per person."
BL: *talking to self* "HEH?! $10 per person to get in now? WWD!" *turns back to cashier* "Per person?"
Oceans: *nods head with shmall kine eye roll*
BL: *I in turn give Da Wife da eye roll and reluctantly pay*

I remembah wen cover used to be $5 (and da real Whopper was only 99¢)! Boy, $10 per person, no free drink, no guest entertainment, nothing special going on in da club......

Wassap Wit Dat!

Aftah we find my friends, I immediately noticed a "different" crowd than I was used to seeing - a lot of "mature" and "clean cut" peeps chillin'. And then I recogmanotice da music - full on 80's!

BL: *turn to Da Wife* "Whoa! 80's blasting away.... in Oceans? I thought I'd nevah be in a club dat would slam 80's music."
Da Wife: *rolls her eyes*
BL: *about to bust out my John Travolta disco moves*
Da Wife: *rolls her eyes.... then gives da "you bettah not do it and embarass me" look*
BL: "ok. I'm going to da bar, you want a drink?"
Da Wife: "No thanks."

I come back with a round of drinks for my friends and I nevah thought Heine's would be cheaper than Miller Lite! Seriously. My jaw actually dropped at dat - all da while  still paying $5 for a bottle of beer! (WWD!)

BL: *turns to friend* "Wow, $10 cover and $5 beea's?! Geez, not even in da club 5 mins and I'm already down $40+."
Friend: "You paid $10 to get in?"
BL: "Yeah. Per person. Why? You nevah pay?"
Friend: "Nope. We were in by 10pm. Actually we were in at 9:58pm. No cover by 10pm."
BL: "Son of a motherless goat!!! We just came in! It's only 10:10pm. I thought was no cover by 9pm like how it used to be so we just took our time."
Friend: *lol* "See, everytime you come late."
BL: *takes beea back from him*

Nah, I nevah take da beea back.

But dat got me thinking. Once we was out of high school, my friends and I were into da club scene - my friends more than I - and I remembah doing always club hopping. Once we were of drinking age we'd still hit da same clubs but now had da wristbands fo' drink and we stayed out later till like 6am. Aftah dat it was into sports bars to throw darts, shoot pool, watch ESPN, order beea's by da pitcher and dress "comfortably". Then once we hit of "special age", back to da "exclusive" clubs mixing it up with da sports bar cause certain nights had theme nights at da clubs and nights nevah have, we was at da sports bar.

Now? It's just a regular bar, sports bar on occasion, and rarely a nightclub if I evah out to those kinds of places.

Evolution.

Wat else have you out grown of? Were there any rites of passage dat once you "passed", you was over and done with? Are you a been there, done dat, pau dat type of person?

Do you still go clubbing?

No shame if you do..... a bunch of my single friends still do..... and I've seen way "older" people at clubs evah since I could go and how you can afford it every weekend beats da heck out of me. Plus wen you start seeing people you used to babysit - or coach - dat certainly isn't a good sign.

Even at my current age I don't mind clubbing (especially since they have da smoking ban) but probably reserve dat for special occasions. I would choose any bar as a first choice cause can at least wear slippahs and shorts.

You could say I've evolved, but all heck going break loose if I evah gotta trade in my bottle of Miller Lite for a bottle of Ensure anytime soon.

SHOUT OUT:   Happy Belated Birthday Marci!

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Words kama'aina - and tourist alike - have found to be oxymoron-ish

Adding "affordable" Waikiki parking turns out to be a really big misnomer.

The City Council has decided to raise the parking rates for the metered parking stalls at the Honolulu Zoo and those fronting Kapiolani Park in proposed Bill 25.

According to Honolulu Advertiser's staff writer John Windrow's article, "one version would raise the parking fee at the Honolulu Zoo lot from 25 cents an hour to $1 an hour and raise the hourly rate at meters along Kalakaua Avenue fronting the park from 25 cents to 75 cents. The other version would raise the hourly fee at the zoo and along Kalakaua to 75 cents. An earlier plan that called for raising the hourly fee in both areas to $1.50 has been scaled back."

For those who don't do math well, the first version is a 300% increase and the other version? A whopping 500% increase!!  

Wassap Wit Dat!

Well nothing much if you don't park in Waikiki but obviously the parking increase itself, percentage wise, is outrageous! You might as well call it Bill 300 instead.   :roll: 

Personally, I don't park in Waikiki unless I'm in da mood to get ripped off with $20 parking from hotels which btw, how come no mo' kama'aina rates? Only now da hotels hurting so all their ad's they running now say "discounted parking"? WWD!...... 'nuff about dat one, dat's anoddah mo'olelo.     

Back on topic, I wondah if the City Council have thought about HOW it would work fully?

You know my mind, always brewing, and I was already thinking of a couple of things about it.

Numbah 1 - I think was kinda a no-brainer with da increased rates was:  Are they going to replace every single meter? Think about it. With a 300% increase... don't you figgah dat da meter needs to be 300% biggah to hold all da extra coins? Only once in my lifetime have I encountered a meter dat was full, I can only imagine how quickly the current meters would get full with da new higher rates.

Numbah 2 - I can understand and, believe it or not, partially agree with da increased rates. It hasn't been raised since forevah but 300% is a bit exhorbant - but no one is thinking in percentages. I couldn't see why the increase wasn't from 25¢ to 50¢ per hour (still a 100% increase)? It would have been a very fair increase considering and much more able to handle for da time being. I'm surah even most of da regular park users could live with dat.

Da biggest gripe I get is if you like more money for parking, Fine. But how come you no can make it easier for me to pay it then!

Who da heck is going to carry $4 in quarters? We all know dat if you pay in nickels or dimes you "lose minutes" compared to a quarter and how many times have we had to dig around for loose change? Unless you specifically know you're going to park in a metered stall, your coin count in your ashtray isn't going to cut it (mine's doesn't right now at da current 25¢ rate) and we all know how business' just looove to give change to "non-customers".

And who da heck wants to keep looking at their watch, stop wat they doing and run back to keep feeding da meter so you no get one ticket?

But I guess das da overall master plan yeah? No mo coins, tell yourself you going come back, forget, and see da big yellow flapping paper under your windshield wiper saying "Congratulations! You just lost $35! No pay in two weeks and get a bonus fine added!"

If we're expected to pay more, why not make it easier for us to pay? I've seen meter's dat accept credit cards on da mainland and I'm surah someone has invented by now a meter dat accepts dollah bills. How about a coin change machine like an ATM so nobody can break into it? How about even paying by a cell?

We may not know wat or how da heck da City or State systems work, but bottom line is if they want more of our hard earned kala, you bettah be more akamai about how we can pay it.

I just wondering if going get kama'aina rates on da meter. 

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Besides it being the most dreaded day of the week, it's probably the least favorite. Think about it. If we had a holiday on a Monday and had to go back to work on Tuesday, you don't evah hear anybody saying, "*sigh* It's a Tuesday."

Is it because we had too much fun on da weekend and didn't want it to stop? Or is it just dat we no like working on "Monday"?

Watevah da case may be, we all do da exact same thing once da alarm clock rings early Monday morning....... *yaaaaawwwwwn* "Oh (insert your own expletive hea'), it's a Monday......"  

So instead of starting and going through your day grunting and moaning, go ahead and complain about anything and everything for I declare and proclaim today to be.........

"No Shame - Go Complain Day!"

Das right! Go share yours - anything and everything you gotta get off your chest or have been kept inside brewing for awhile. Garans-bombarans at least one oddah person from da WWD! Hui feel da same way.... if not, they can complain about it.  

I got a few from jus' dis past weekend.......

• How come, people no can frickin' park?! Take up TWO STALLS..... and their car not even da "expesnsive" kine either!
• How come da damn neighborhood cat always like take a crap in my yard?!
• How come my street neighbor, 10 houses down, throws a whole loaf of crumbled bread (Doritos sometimes too) in da middle of da street to feed da entire population of birds in Pearl City....... and then those same *big time expletive* birds come fly to my house, prop themselves on da electric wires above, then "bomb" away on Da Wife's car and my truck?!
• How come people no can read da octoganal shaped red and white sign dat says, "STOP"?!
• Wat for call customer service if they no can provide service to da customer?!
• Why da gas prices gotta keep going up?!

No scade 'em, go get 'em!   

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Wat oddah day of da year can Dad's kick back, drink a few and just be lazy.

Ok, so they can do dat any day they want.... let me rephrase.

Wat oddah day of da year can Dad's kick back, drink a few and just be lazy..... and NOT get busted or yelled at for doing so?

It's a day we pay tribute to da person responsible for actually determining if you came out a boy or girl. He's da person we go to to fix things, open stuck jars and smack us upside our heads wen we ack stoopid. He's da person we ask for some moo-lah cause he's always a suckah wen we give dat "sad puppy face".

But most of all, he's just Dad.

Regardless of your relationship with him, given da benefit of da doubt, he's tried his best to bring you up right. He's taught you lessons dat you'd pass on to your keiki without hesitation.

Wen I was little rugrat, I remembah telling my Dad I got into a fight,

BL:     "Dad, I got into a fight."
DAD:     "Who won?"
BL:     "Me."
DAD:     "You're stupid."

Da funny thing is dat no mattah da outcome, I was always stupid - stupid for fighting. Then I got lickins' for fighting.

Ai-goo.

My Dad also instilled into me to respect my elders - anyone for da matter - and to always help out in any way I can. My Dad had gotten burned so much times with his big heart dat while I was growing up, I wondered why da heck he constantly did wat he did. I later found out it's just because it was da right thing to do.

There were times, even to this day, dat I feel like I would never be like him but da weird thing is, I'm glad I am... for da most part. Of course there are things dat I don't like - who doesn't feel dat way - but I'm glad I "inherited" his big heart, his kindness, his humbleness, his humility and his ability to have fun just to name a few. And while I'm not too thrilled about da stubborn supah hard-head thing, I do have one mean Korean- stink eye.

So to honor Dad's everywhere, come share your mana'o, your mo'olelo's and those favorite "Dad-ism's" dat you'd nevah forget.... or maybe you want to but can't cause of all da years of it being drilled into you.

To Da WWD! Hui, Have a great Feel Good Friday and even a bettah Father's Day!

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