As some of you have read by now, Uncle Rodney from “Midlife Crisis”, Queenie from “Odds & Ends” and myself had the pleasure of meeting a long time reader and poster of our respective blogs IRL (in real life).

Spooky? Of course.

Nuts? Maybe.

But being dat Ynaku has been a faithful reader, I can fairly say we’ve all gotten to “know” him by his posts. Funny how da internet can bring people together - and we nevah even use eHarmony! 

So it all started with Queenie and Ynaku exchanging food comments on a few blogs and one thing led to another. I get an email from Ynaku asking if we were going to be in on Monday and unfortunatly Queenie was off. Ynaku offered to drop off da goodies or we could meet him at a job site in Moanalua and since I knew the area, I offered to pick ‘em up… and tough luck to Queenie. 

So Monday comes and I ride ovah jus’ before 3:30pm and see no one. I ring da bell and a worker steps out and I ask,

“Excuse me. I’m, uh, supposed to meet someone.” (kinda looking at him hoping it was Ynaku)

“You know who? I’m the only one here.”

“Oh. His name is Yn…. (wat da heck was his real name?! WWD!) Eh, nevah mind.”

“_ _ _  just left a few minutes ago.”

“YEAH! Dat’s him! From Big Island right?”

“Yup. He said he had to meet some people and went to their office.”

“($h!t) Dat’s cool. I’ll head back right now.”

“Try wait. I’ll give him a call…..(dialing) Hey _ _ _, get somebody ovah hea asking for you. You stay at their office already?”

“Mahalos! (zooming away)”

As I walk into da lobby, I see three huge grins staring at me. Ok, they were laughing.

“Eh, I thought I was supposed to pick ‘em up?”

Queenie: “You didn’t read your email?”

“I did! Wen I wrote last last I was supposed to pick ‘em up.”

Ynaku: “No, I thought I wrote I’d meet up with you guys after.”

“Did you? You guys probably right. See dat’s wat happens wen you barely pass English and go into finance instead.” 

Ho da shame!

I wen reread da email and yup, smack dab in da sentences were, “I’ll be by at 3:30pm”.

Sorry, my bad.

Ynaku, as Uncle Rodney said, is a “gentle, down to earth (guy) with a big heart”. No doubt about dat! It was cool to meet “Uncle” Ynaku and it was very generous of him to bring us da goodies! I wen pound ‘em wen I went home… yeah, wit Da Wife of course.

And why did I wait till Friday to blog about it? Cause Ynaku said he wouldn’t be home to use da computer till then….

at least dat’s wat I heard. 

 

Yeah, we all got da same pic but used different cameras

 

 

Mochi manju variety pack

 

 

Au’ kine mochi manju

 

 

Azuki bean middle… dunno wat da white stuff is but was ono

 

 

Dis was onolicious! Mochi covered strawberries with azuki filling

 

 

Hea’s da insides

 

 

Da buggah was hugemangeous!

 

MUCH MAHALOS YNAKU!

 

DA PIDGIN WORD OF DA DAY! -
(as quoted from Da Kine Dictionary & Pidgin To Da Max… wit a Braddah Lance twist)

ONO
also ONOLICIOUS
(OH no)

Haole Translation 1: Delicious, taste good
Haole Translation 2: Look good

Use: Usually wen speaking of food or good things

Sentence: “Da manju was frickin’ ono!”

Sentence: “How’s dat chic, she ono yeah!”

 

 

A couple of weeks ago Da Wife’s boss went on vacation and that meant we had to take da car instead of da bike. We all know parking in downtown is crazy and being that she had to run back and forth to offices, prime time use of a parking space smack dab in Downtown is gold.  

So for two weeks we parked in her boss’ parking spot in da garage and I walked to work……. well, scooted.

 

There I was scooting my way to and from work all the while the world is buzzing by. It’s moments like this that I take the time to pause and soak up life’s little moments. For those who work in Downtown, it must be chaotic with everyone on the go but it’s a great place to “people watch”.

Wether your one of those who exercise (walk) in their running shoes (mostly women) in full dress work clothes or one in business suits or aloha shirts, Downtown has it all. You got the “power” people, delivery people, weird people, regular people… and that’s just the first ten minutes! 

Then there’s the sights and sounds that you don’t realize or recognize are there when just driving by so for two weeks I took my time scootin’ along to work keeping my head on a swivel. From landmarks to bus riders to a farmer’s market… life’s moments are what you make of it.

Take a step back and enjoy it.  

 

 

Old school street sign

 

DOWNTOWN FARMER’S MARKET - Tuesday & Fridays

These stuffed breads were ono - comes in white or wheat too!

  

DOWNTOWN SIGHTS

How many of you know this statue?

 

REMEMBAH THESE?

Take a closer look………

 

Yup. Wedding photos at the footsteps of Iolani Palace.

 

Scootin’ along….

 

A homeless man doing his morning exercise

 

Have you evah noticed dis? It’s next to dis……..

 

Still plenty of time to get to work

 

Now don’t tell me you don’t remembah dis!

 

DA PIDGIN WORD OF DA DAY! -
(as quoted from Da Kine Dictionary & Pidgin To Da Max… wit a Braddah Lance twist)

MALIHINI
(ma lee HEE knee)

Haole Translation: Newcomer, visitor

Use: What tourist are called

Sentence: “Roberts buses always get choke malihini’s.”

Sentence: “Can spot one malihini by their matching aloha shirt and shorts.”

I’m sure you realized by now that the Olympics have begun (08/08/08) but upon researching what the Olympic rings stand for, I came across a fact sheet from the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

So here are a few…. Did Ya Know’s:

• Is it possible to obtain an Olympic flag?
  The olympic flag is to be used within the Olympic Games ceremonies only and may therefore not be purchased.
  Olympic Charter.Chapter 1, Rule 7.2, p. 20
• Can I use the Olympic Rings?
  The Olympic rings are the exclusive property of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The Olympic rings are protected around the world in the name of the IOC by trademarks or national legislations and cannot be used without the IOC’s prior written consent.
  Olympic Charter, Chapter 1, Rules 7-14 and its Bye-law, p. 20-26
• Who wrote the Olympic Anthem?
  The music of the Olympic anthem was composed by Spiros Samara, based on the words of Kostas Palama, for the Games of the I Olympiad in Athens in 1896. It was adopted by the International Olympic Committee as its official anthem in 1958 at the Tokyo Session.
  Olympic Charter. Chapter 1, Rule 7.2, p. 20 and its Bye-laws, p. 22-26
• Why do the athletes take an oath at the Olympic Games?
  The athlete taking the oath promises, in the name of all the other competitors, to respect the rules and participate in the competitions in a spirit of sportsmanship.
  The oath has been part of the Opening Ceremony since the Games of the Olympiad in Antwerp in 1920. Its text was modified at the 2000 Sydney Games and now includes a phrase confirming the will of the athlete to avoid doping. Since 1972, a referee has made the same undertaking on behalf of all the judges and officials.
  
• What is the Olympic Oath?
  The Olympic Oath is one of the rituals of the Olympic Games. It is taken by an athlete from the host country, on behalf of all the athletes.”In the name of all the competitors I promise that we shall take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules which govern them, committing ourselves to a sport without doping and without drugs, in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and the honour of our teams”.The first Athletes’ Oath was taken at the Olympic Games in Antwerp in 1920 by Victor Boin, a Belgian fencer.
  Since 1972, a referee has taken an oath on behalf of all the referees and officials.
  
• Why a torch relay?
  In recollection of the origins of the Olympic Games, the flame is lit in Olympia, Greece, some months before the opening of the Games. It is than carried by relay from Olympia to the host city of the Games.
  Olympic Charter. Chapter 1, Rule 13, p. 22 + Chapter 5, Rule 55, p. 102-103
• What is the Olympic Motto?
  The Olympic motto is made up of three Latin words:
  Citius -Altius - Fortius. These words mean Faster - Higher - Stronger.
  
• What is the meaning of the Olympic Rings?
  The Olympic symbol consists of five interlaced rings of equal dimensions, used alone, in one or in five different colours, which are, from left to right, blue, yellow, black, green and red. The Olympic symbol (the Olympic rings) expresses the activity of the Olympic Movement and represents the union of the five continents and the meeting of athletes from throughout the world at the Olympic Games.But watch out! It is wrong, therefore, to say that each of the colours corresponds to a certain continent!
  

Do you have Olympic fever? Do watch any of the events or just wait to hear if USA wins any medals? Is the medal count important?

This year’s two big theme’s for USA seems to be the men’s basketball - of course - and Michael Phelps quest to win 8 gold medals which overshadows other achievements such as the women’s fencing sweeping the medals. Wow!

How do you feel about professional athletes participating in “amateur” athletics?

I’ve watched a few events and I’ll admit what some of these athletes do is frickin’ amazing! All their training and discipline boils down to one performance and one slip up more than likely means they are out of contention for a medal.

While pride and honor should be the focus of the Olympics, the consequences of their performance can cost them. They bust their okole’s training for four years to audition for jobs.

Yes, jobs.

They are promoting themselves because if they do well, endorsements and opportunities will follow but if they don’t, they lose out all around. No medal(s) and no pay. Unlike professional athletes there’s no breaks for amateur athletes. Do you think we’d see Bryan Clay in Straub commercials if he wasn’t as successful as he is today? And he still has to work at it because there’s no off-season for what he does.

Das why shmall kine no fair eh dat professional athletes are allowed to compete - they already get paid from their respective sports…

Wassap Wit Dat!

Is it worth being an amateur Olympian?

 

SHOUT OUT: Much mahalos goes out to Ynaku fo’ dropping off Big Island manju! Check out Friday’s blog for da scoops!

 

DA PIDGIN WORD OF DA DAY! -
(as quoted from Da Kine Dictionary & Pidgin To Da Max… wit a Braddah Lance twist)

BUMBYE or BUMBAI
(bum BYE)

Haole Translation 1: “By and by”, measurement of time, soon enough, later on

Haole Translation 2: Consequence or result of action

Use: When you want to say “later on” or “because”

Sentence: “Bumbye I going clean da yard.”

Sentence: “Brah, if I no do ‘em, bumbai nobody goin’ do ‘em.”

 

 

Crrrreeeeaaaak.

Spock one chair in da back and sit down.

Blah blah blah.

My turn. Gulp. Stand up. Look around sheepishly,

“Howzit. My name is Braddah Lance….. and…. and….. and I’m a blogaholic.”

Everyone in unison, “Hi Braddah Lance!”

Eh no ack! All you guys reading dis stay sitting next to me waiting fo’ your turn! 

 

E Komo Mai to The Honolulu Advertiser Blog scene - where there’s a blog for everyone!

At least that’s what it appears to be. Hold up. What’s a blog you ask?

Here’s a definition per Wikipedia:

A blog (a contraction of the term “Web log“) is a Web site, usually maintained by an individual (The Honolulu Advertiser blog writers) with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. “Blog” can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.

I gotta admit that when I first started this, I’d never thought people would read what I had to write about more less comment.  

Yeah, I’ll admit too that I do check out what some other bloggers have to write about not only because of the content but to see what the other “competition” has to say.

We each bring our own niche to the table and the “blog page” is broken down into several scenes such as sports, lifestyle, entertainment and neighborhoods just to name a few. Here’s a breakdown on some of our own Honolulu Advertiser bloggers - IMHO:

• Stephen Tsai - undisputed “king of blogs” in the sports world with “The Warrior Beat“
• Catherine Toth - undisputed “queen of blogs” with “The Daily Dish” blogging about current events and fuud
• Rodney Lee - for all the ‘mature’ folk reminiscing about the good ole’ days in “Midlife Crisis“
• Leslie Kawamoto - animal lovers share their stories at “Island Tails”
• Shauna Goya - weird and wacky articles are run amock at “Odds and Ends”

Those are just a few of our staff bloggers but the number of bloggers seem to be growing in general. Most every website has a blog link and there are tons of blogs floating all around - it’s just a matter of what catches your eye.

So let me ask, what floats your boat? How many other bloggers do you check out regularly? Do you just check out titles and go from there or do you automatically go to your favorites regardless?

I know there a quite a bit of you who post everywhere and while the other bloggers appreciate it… I jealous.   

Jus’ joke! I do wonder though if those who post elsewhere - but not at WWD! - read WWD!? Is that one of you?

For those who do read, why don’t you post? No like get addicted?

For anyone new to the blog scene, Wassap Wit Dat! offers au’ kines of fun. WWD! has grown steadily and I would like to think that I’ve added a lil’ somethin’ somethin’ to get/keep you reading (some other bloggers have noticed and copied)!

I would like to think that WWD! has added fun features that no one else offers. I not only reply to 99.9% of EVERY single post (’others’ have followed), I have a SHOUT OUT section (feel free to email me to post any) to our recently added ”Da Pidgin Word of Da Day”. We’ve played games here too - I wasn’t the first, but my games are more “difficult” - I blog about anything and everything (most times in pidgin) and people poke fun at me but it’s au’ good. And contrary to popular belief, I had a vlog (video blog) first… with the help of our newsroom photog Greg Yamamoto.  

The blog has grown into something I would have nevah imagined but it’s because of the people who visit and post comments dat make it fun to keep coming back. You guys No Ka Oi!

In blogaholic fashion - and to get all da Lurkahs (people who only read but no like say nothing) to post - let’s get started wit da first step, to admit it.

So no scade, no shame. Have a little fun and “get involved”…. only hea at WWD!

I started earlier already but here’s my admission,

“I read two other blogs regularly - besides mines of course.” 

 

SHOUT OUT:  Happy Belated Birthday to hemajang!  And jus’ fo you……..

 

DA PIDGIN WORD OF DA DAY! -
(as quoted from Da Kine Dictionary & Pidgin To Da Max… wit a Braddah Lance twist)

HEMAJANG
(HEH-ma-jang)

Haole Translation: All mix up

Use: When things are out of order or messed up

Sentence: “Hemajang so hemajang, he no even know his name!”

Sentence: “Evah since you wen clean up, I stay mo hemajang den evah!”

Lawsuits, layoffs, performance enhancing drugs… oh my! Troubling times these days from KSBE lawsuits to Olympians being stripped of medals to….. 54 of our fellow co-workers from the original RIF being laid off today (at least from what I was told).

Not so good Friday on a date - 888 - that is supposed to be lucky by Chinese standards.

I still feel sick that not only people I grew friendships with lost their jobs but just losing your job in general. My sentiments were shared awhile back while popping a few of my imaginary cans and it still remains the same.

Kitty’s have been going around the office and people give what they can cause we all show aloha in times of need. Monetary and moral support always helps but a J-O-B would be way better.

I wonder if any of the people getting laid off had a keiki being denied from KSBE? Hmmm…. 

Nah, they get waaaaaay more class then that. 

I sincerely appreciate the support - as posted in the comments - on the previous blog and I aim to do the same for those who are forced to leave.

And being da “jestah” of da blogs, hea’s a couple of jokes to at least make you chuckle… even if it’s fo’ a few seconds.

So share ‘em if ya got ‘em - jokes, wishes, feelin’s… beer - let me know wen and wea.  :lol: 

To da 54, A Hui Hou, Malama Pono.

——————————————————————–

Why you never question a Drunk!

I was shopping at the local supermarket where I selected:

   A half-gallon of 2% milk,
  A carton of eggs,
  A quart of orange juice,
  A head of romaine lettuce,
 A 2 lb. can of coffee, and
 A 1 lb. package of bacon.

As I was unloading my items on the conveyor belt to check out, a drunk standing behind me watched as I placed the items in front of the cashier.

While the cashier was ringing up the purchases, the drunk calmly stated,

“You must be single.”

I was a bit startled by this proclamation, but I was intrigued by the derelict’s intuition, since I was indeed single. I looked at the six items on the belt and saw nothing particularly unusual about my selections that could have tipped off the drunk to my marital status.

Curiosity getting the better of me, I said:

“Well, you know what, you’re absolutely right. But how on earth did you know that?”

The drunk replied, “Cause you’re ugly.”

——————————————————————-

A woman was unhappy with the way her laundry was done at the local Chinese Laundry, so she wrote a note and put it in the bag with the next collection of soiled clothes :

“USE MORE SOAP ON PANTIES!”

She got the clean laundry back, and was still dissatisfied with the results, so the following week she enclosed another note:

“USE MORE SOAP ON PANTIES!”

The Chinese laundryman became very annoyed, and when her clean laundry was delivered, it contained a note from HIM:

“I USE PLENTY SOAP ON PANTIES!!!

USE MORE PAPER ON ASS!!”

 

You gotta love dat one!

Have a grrrrrreeeeeaaaaat weekend!