North Shore Joyriding

Driving down North Shore listening to the Oahu’s Island Jams while the 80 degree breeze combs through your face as easy as a feather through the sky, you get a new appreciation for the word “joy ride”. As you are listening to Kolohe Kai’s “cool down” going 65 mph, you are at near disbelief at how deep the clear blue sky can be, how healthy green the lush mountain paves the skyline, born from the very dragon’s skin that cuts across the horizontal vantage point of paradise. The Pacific waters dancing in sync with the flow of the natural backdrop of mother earth, calling mortals to pause in awe of its earth glory.

The best weather (http://gohawaii.about.com/cs/travelplanner/ht/when_to_visit.htm) to do a locomotion tour is during April to October, when the sun is high, the ocean temperature is around 74 to 80 degrees, and the humidity is just wet enough to cool you down from the radiant sun bath. Rent a Jeep Wrangler or a Ford Expedition (http://repairpal.com/ford-expedition-2004) since both cars are made for rugged off-roading and long distance travel. If you are driving a used car or any kind of car that isn’t quite built for dirt mounds or rocky roads, make sure you are prepared to do a thorough inspection of your car (See Spaishee Savvy Tip on Off Roading Preparation below).

North Shore is known for its surf and turf. Not only is it a great place to catch waves, but it also has places where you can go horseback riding, hiking, shrimp truck eating, and touring. Home of the Dole Plantation and the Polynesian Cultural Center, this place is the feng shui epitome of mountain-ocean harmony not to mention agriculturally attuned to mother nature. So when planning your stay at Oahu, be sure to reserve a few days to stake out the tourist hot spots. Rent/borrow your drop top or off road cruiser because the scenic view is one of the best parts of island exploration.

 

Spaishee Savvy Tip on Off-Roading Preparation:

If you are renting the car, like most mainlanders are, here are some basic questions you should ask for about your rental car:

• Mileage (If the car has a mileage of more than 30,000, don’t rent from that store, since most rental dealerships sell their cars after 15,000-30,000 miles)
• smog check
• Tire rotation and pressure
• where the jack and spare tires are
• size for clearance
• Brakes

If you are lucky enough to have a local as a friend but not quite lucky enough that you end up driving an old car,here are some things that you should check in addition to the inspection bulleted above:

• hoses, belts, and filters (i.e. If timing belt has been replaced (http://repairpal.com/timing-belt-replacement )
• Check engine’s computer and air intake for maximum water intake
• Axle’s and differentials
• Batteries
• Brakes
• Fluids:oil, transmission, brake, radiator coolant, gear oils, wipers, power steering,

 

For more detailed information, check out about.com’s “How to do a 4WD Vehicle Inspection” http://4wheeldrive.about.com/cs/checklists/a/aa121901a_2.htm or the encyclopedia section of repairpal.com’s webpage (http://repairpal.com/phoenix-auto-repair) gives a thorough explanation on what each part does for a car, when to replace it, and why it’s neccessary to do so at that stage.

Pho Hana

       Normally when you think authentic “Vietnamese” or “Korean” or “Chinese”, you’d probably expect the workers, cook, or at least the owner to be of that ethnicity to claim the title “authentic”. So when I first stepped into Hana Pho, I was a little bit on my guard when I realized that the waiters, cook, and owners were all Korean. Boy was I pleasantly surprised when I tried their Pho-- it was PHO-Tastic! I tried the brisket pho, also known as Phở bò chín nạc and it was so tender it just softened instantly upon oral contact. The hot soup was cultivated with a medley of spices: star anise, coriander, cinnamon, cloves, fennel, and cardamom, thoroughly infused with beef marrow slow cooked hours upon hours to finally be before us. While the soup is still boiling hot and right before they serve the bowl, the cook would put thin white rice noodles, also called Bahn Rice Noodles or you’ll also hear it being referred to as Bahn Pho Noodles.

The downside to this restaurant is two folds: 1) They don’t rinse their dishes well so the soap suds float in the soup. 2)Once in a blue moon, they’ll serious undercook or overcook their bahn pho noodles, causing the whole pleasant experience to turn 180 . With regards to the first point, my growling stomach and serious penchant for pho flavor seem to overlook this detail. With the latter point, it was so traumatizing that I took a three month hiatus to hunt for other pho restaurants. However, it’s like that ex you still keep around in your life—you know it’s bad for you, but you just keep going back. Blues Traveler said it best, “The Hook brings you back”.  For Hana Pho, their brisket pho is my hook.

Best Fusion Seafood at Roy

 

The best part of Hawaii isn’t the subtropical Mediterranean climate, the crystal blue green ocean, or the laid back islander pace of life. Okay, I lied. Those are all the best parts of Hawaii. But the cherry on top of your drool worthy paradise of a life is the food. And it’s not just any good fashioned Hawaiian meal, but the best of Asian/Polynesian food refined down generations and across the Pacific belly flopped into a pool of Western heartiness. Then take those traditional recipes, approach it with a think outside of the box redefinition of “Korean food” or “Italian food” or any other ethnic food by sculpting it together, and create the posh candle lit ambience of class and voila! What you have is Roy’s.

Roy Yamaguchi, a world renowned chef and James Beard Winner, opened his first high end fusion restaurant in 1988 with the vision of bringing the best Hawaiian fusion seafood there is to offer. Since then, he has opened an additional 30 restaurants. Then again, it isn’t much of a surprise that such a top rate restaurant can be so successful and spread its wings so internationally when you sink your teeth into their Misoyaki marinated Butterfish. It just melts in your mouth, carrying with it an explosion of spices and Umami like flavor. We ordered the Roy Sampler, which is a serious understatement for four of Roy Yamaguchi’s Original Hawaiian Fusion Classics; The entree sampler included Roy’s Original Blackened Island Ahi with Spicy Soy Mustard, Misoyaki Marinated Butterfish with Sweet Ginger Wasabi Butter, Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahimahi with Maine Lobster Essence, and Jade Pesto Steamed Opah with Chinese Style Sizzling Soy Sauce.

     

Another fulfilling signature dish is the Uncle Roy’s Pulehu combo dish. It includes the Hibachi Grilled Salmon, Mongolian Spiced Baby Ribs, Paniolo BBQ Glazed Shrimp. Yes, at this restaurant you can have your cake and eat it too! This three entree combo gives you sizeable portions that will leave you with a full belly and a mouth over stimulated. It is worthy of every molecule of saliva you render for mastication.

Not to mention, the top notch services of Aloha hospitality. Our waiter kept on coming back every ten minutes with a big smile asking if we needed any other accommodations but not before breaking down the menu for us, giving us the Roy’s nightly specials. I can only attest for the those two dishes as being the signature dishes you would find at any Roy’s restaurant. However, every Roy’s restaurant has their own eccentric platters they serve and the dinner menu changes nightly and depending on location.

So if you’re looking for a romantic night out or just want to experience quality seafood dining with an aloha welcome, then give your Uncle Roy a call!

Technorati Tags: Roys,fusion seafood,dining

Skydive Hawaii

Location: Skydive Hawaii @ Dillingham Airfield

Entertainment Value: Free falling @ around 115 MPH, 14,500 feet above ground, 10 minutes of cold sweaty anticipation from the time you got on the plane to the time you got off it, your hang loose surfer type Tandem master who tells you that it's his second time sky diving after you asked him the 60 million dollar question every tourist/first time sky diver asks, the priceless picture of your Picasso morphed mug as your cheeks flails about like the Pillsbury doughboy's love handles.

Entertainment Cost: $125 (w/o coupon it's $150) + Tip (That's important!) + $100 photographer (Highly recommended since it's not a weekly sport activity)

Food Cost: Don’t eat before you dive if you can’t handle the world’s most spin filled ride ever (keep on reading for more information)

What’s more frightening than the actual thought of skydiving and even the actual jump itself is the Life Waiver you’ll have to sign prior to being strapped onto a stranger and jumping out of the Cessna Caravan 14,000 feet above ground, basically stating that you are fully aware that there is a possibility of serious injury or death. It goes on and talks about the different methods of dying such as an airplane crash, a parachute malfunction, heart attack, etc. It then taunts you by saying, “Most people never sky dive. You don’t have to sky dive…” which is like a fat freckled fourth grader putting his thumbs in his ear and his tongue sticking out saying, “You big pussy”. So of course, you take the dare and go for it, signing your life away.

I recommend making an appointment for the first appointment of the day. That’s because once the first group of sky divers go, it takes about a good hour or two of waiting time, giving you ample time to imagine all the possibilities of what can go wrong, before you get to even sit on the back of the pickup truck that’s going to take you to the airfield. Then it’ll be another 16 1/2 minutes before you can feel your heart steady and your breathing pattern even out. It takes about 10-12 minutes to takeoff, 2 minutes of watching others jump off the plane, and 30 seconds of free falling and 1 minute of vertical spinning and gliding. With that said, I would recommend volunteering to dive first unless you want to be the only one sweating bricks while others are already pumping adrenaline and epinephrine with the air smashing your face while you freefall at 110 mph.

The only Warning I have are for those who are easily nauseated or disoriented from spinning. If you are easily dizzy from rides like Alice in the Wonderland’s Mad Hatter teacup party at Disneyland or a spinout ride at your local carnival, then you might need to go on an empty stomach and close your eyes for the last half of the jump. When the parachute releases, the Tandem master will make some adjustments on the straps to navigate you towards your landing mark that will inevitably cause you to spin, spin, spin spin spin spin, and spin. As somebody who avidly enjoys upside down, sideway, freefall, super speed spinning, all freestyle motion rides, even I had trouble with nausea (and possibly vertigo?) when the the Pacific Ocean swarmed around me like a teal colored hoola hoop and while the gravitational pull spun me down like a tornado.

Right before landing, you’ll even have to do a bit of a leg lift so that the Tandem master could place his wheels-on-tarmac landing. Your butt might hit the ground before your marbles are together, but when you initially put your foot on the ground, the after feeling makes it all worth the anxiety. When you’re done, it’s like you’ve just gotten out of a terrible dare devil stunt unscathed. The rush is amazing, you’re still feeling high from the spare adrenaline, and you feel even more lucky to be alive than twenty minutes earlier.

The experience is a high like no other.

525,600 Minutes of Measuring Up

Rent @ Hollywood Bowl 

 

How does RENT, a 14 year long standing rock musical sensation with an all star Bohemian cast, light up Hollywood Bowl's stage? For starters, it's definitely a unique Broadway show that brings in a lot of flash, crash, and crazy performances from better than average actors and actresses. Compared to the movie, the live show was a lot more hectic and the average RENT Newb might be lost in the scuffle of quick jabs and one sentence sinkers. The plot is rather complicated, especially in the beginning with so many characters that all live within the one block radius of the Lower East Side slums of transients, vagabonds, artists, and aspiring wannabes.  Despite the complicated plot, the energy on stage sustains the interest and allows us to get lost in the spirit of sing songs rather than analyzing the plot. Compared to the movie Rent, the play's enthusiasm for LA Bohemia is more lucid and unsurpassed by other versions, allowing for die hard Rent Fans to cheer, sing along, and laugh to the rhythm and lyrics.

What makes this show rather fascinating is that it juxtaposes the macabre with the lighthearted matter of fact ease throughout the play's tempo. Take the aspiring rocker nostalgic for his ex girlfriend who died of AIDS and longing to write that great "One Song Glory" before the "virus takes over, glory". Ironically, he falls for a heroin addict moonlight dancer, who seduces him through "lighting her candle". This is all set within the context of a HIV ridden community, when they confess to each other that they are HIV positive along with their homosexual, bisexual, and straight support group friends.

For the sober person, this is one hell of a "far out" ride--take Maureen's protest against corporate housing take over. In her solo, "Over the Moon", between talks of suckling milk from cow and a "suicidal Mickey Mouse", I was already lost in space. I guess it takes a few liberal La Vie Boheme conspirators and thinkers to get the inside joke. As for me, I am just fascinated by the dichotomy of love and lust, freedom and entrapment, the beautiful and the ugly all in packaged in hues of rainbow colors and catchy hooks. This is really one think outside of the box Broadway show--maybe so far out, you'd look back only to find the box looking like a dot in space.

  Transportation buses will take you to and from Hollywood Bowl. Just check your local metro bus stations.

  Parking $16 Stacked Parking. 10-20 minutes wait after the show is over.  Highland Ave on a Sunday evening @11:30pm

Technorati Tags: Rent,Hollywood Bowl,Bohemian

Fashionably Smart

LA Fashion District

Location: Olympic St. and 11th St, Downtown Los Angeles

Entertainment Value: Comparing prices, haggling, and feeling the high of getting more for less

LA's best deals on dresses, shoes, garments, and anything textile will have to be the Downtown Fashion District. This is the tour de force of clothes shopping--before it goes out to your local Charlotte Rousse, Forever 21, or any of the other popular retail stores that jack up the price to rip you off, this is where buyers come to get their supplies. The more middle men you skip, the more you save. Don't get me wrong--this doesn't mean you won't be ripped off here. In fact, if you look like a rich tourist that doesn't know what the heck you're doing, then most likely they will charge you 10 or 20 dollars over what they would charge a negotiator.

Need a wedding dress? How about buying a beautiful brand new one between 200-400 dollars? Or if you need shoes, there are an endless array of sandals, four inch platforms, boots, etc. between 10-20 dollars (although most smart buyers would haggle $20 shoes down to at least $17). My particular mission that day was to buy two dresses for my one year annivesary photo session with my husband. I wanted to buy a formal evening gown and a casual summer dress for the day time.

I didn't even fully leave the parking structure when a store with low cut satin colored dresses on manikins captured my attention. It was an all occasions, all designs, patterns, textures, you name it type of dress store. And if you can't name it there, well then, go to another store! There were at least 5 other dress stores within a one block radius. We (my wing-girl Lisa and I) ended up finding a lovely halter top v cut summer dress; It is two tiered--the bottom layer a green nylon stretch that hugs your body with a brown net on top blending the green into a forrest green with a brown glow.  Asking price was $75+ tax, and I bargained it down to $65 no tax.

We also saw some amazing shops that sold vintage clothing as well as costume clothing. One clear example was a store that sold only Victorian dresses, all handcrafted. It even came in junior sizes as well as baby sizes. It included accessories such as hair bands, pins, and shoes, the works.

The best deal I got was a tube top evening gown that looked like a bridal gown. It had the side drape fit and flair with intricate shiny beads sewn in. At David Bridal, it was $449. The one I got was pretty similar to the picture below and it only cost me $100 (no tax).  

Fifteen minutes before the store closed, I had managed to bargain down a dress that was orginally quoted as $75 and bargained it down to $35. I still didn't take it because it just didn't have the wow factor for me. But, it goes to show that with the right haggling skills, you can really get a good deal.

On Bargaining (aka haggling): So you may not like the practice of haggling. You might complain that it is tedious, time consuming, or too confrontational. Well, like any other game that tests your wits, it is about understanding how to put on your poker face. Remember, when you really want an item, don't go gaga over it or make an enthusiastic display for it, or else they'll give you the retail price for it. Stay cool. Give it the once over and then move on to another item that you absolutely have no interest in. Look hesitant. You may even use your wingman or wingwoman to do a bit of a show in front of the seller. First you ask the storeowner for the price. Then you give a 30-60 second pause, as if brooding on the topic. You might want to even give the seller an intense quick stare, as if to say, "C'mon, you can do better than that". If you don't have the gonads or ovaries to stare a stranger point blank, then do it towards the merchandise, but with an apathetic stare. Poker face. Next, engage your friend in a pre-rehearsed dialogue, "What do you think?" you say. Wingman says, "Eh, it's alright. I mean it does look good on you, but I think I saw another place that's cheaper." That's when you look back at the seller and offer a price normally 5-10 dollars below your targeted price ( Note: you don't want to lowball the price too much or the seller might get offended). The seller will most likely give you some reasons why it's worth much more than your bid, but will give you a compliment, like "I like you. I give you good deal", then offer either your targeted price or will bend only slightly lower (around $3-$5 lower than the original asking price).

If you're one of those people that just likes to feel that you've won something, like a consolation prize from throw a ring in the coke bottle booth or an argument over which Joes Bros has the hotter ass, then you may stop here. Afterall, they deserve every dollar they earn for their daily hustle and bustle, especially if you can afford it. I mean, if you had planned on buying at the retail price from the mall for the same merchandise, you still would have gotten a better deal with the shop owner's initial asking price. Then, the way I look at it is, why not just give the money to the frontmen and the small business owners instead of the big corporations? 

But, if you would like to really haggle and squeeze every penny that could maximize your savings, balancing between being thrifty and not pissing off the store owner, then you'll have to do some planning ahead.

There are a couple of tips that will help hone your bargaining prowess:

1. Arrive right before store closing: They'll want to just be done with their last sale

2. Really give them a run around for the money: If they invested enough time on you, then they're most likely going to give you a better deal if you hesitate or try to leave the store empty handed. They don't like wasting sales effort.

3. Bring a friend: A back and forth dialogue of uncertainty. Play good copy, bad cop so that this uncertainty can become your bargaining chip.

4. Bring cash! Cash brings leverage. Most store owners prefer cash so that they don't have to report it. They calculate that into

Technorati Tags: fashion district,bargaining,dresses,downtown

bargaining package.

Overall, I would recommend taking a weekend or weekday (before 6:00pm) to go shopping with your girlfriend or boyfriend. Just be sure equip yourself with a sharp eye and a sharp tongue.

Drink.Eat.Play

Paramount Studios Block Party

Location: 5555 Melrose Ave, Hollywood CA 90038

Entertainment Value: All you can drink beer, Eat.Drink.Play Beer Mug, Roach Coach gallore, live music, and sampling international hard to find beer brands
Entertainment Cost: $30
Food Cost: $10-$20 depending on what you want & which roach coach you want it from

What's cooler than an ice cold refreshing beer on tap? How about getting your own souvenir mug to drink from? Or how about getting to sample dozens of different name brands, some of which are rare, borderline weird? Hmm. Or how about walking around a New York backdrop inside the set of Paramount Studios? Well...Then how about drinking while the DJ spins live hip hop, trip hop, and pop round the clock with speakers set all around the block? Then add dozens of roach coaches serving their eccentric food items? Enter hundreds of young beer lovers like you who are there to cruise through the booze, dance to the mix, and fraternize? So what is really cooler than an ice cold refreshing beer on tap?  How about having it all? Yes, at this block party, you can pay for your beer and drink it too!

Never mind the fact that this block party gives you access into Paramount Studios, a paradise for starstruck Joes like me and a go-to site for Hollywood's best actors, producers, screen writers, extras, agents, stage developers, etc. This is where the magic all happens and it is apparently where all the magic water happens to be at on this fine occasion. Passing through side door entrance on Gower St. felt like sneaking into Charlie and the Chocolate Factory--it was exciting, it was new, and I was curious as hell as to what it would look like in there. Needless to say, I was not disappointed, although a little bit surprised. In many ways the back lot of a multi billion dollar company like Paramount studios looked mundane--I mean clean like a University dormitory, but very ordinary. I had expected some one way glass mirrors, solar powered robots hovering over ground running their errands, or at least a Saturday afternoon bombarded with busy people running around for a set. However, it was not only peaceful with scarcely a worker on site, but the offices were plain beige buildings with golden placards tagging buildings that would say "Lucille Ball" or empty carts next to big banners that said, "Congratulations to so and so for blah blah Emmy nominations". It was just all to paradoxical for me. Just like walking into the main lot, where star trailers were staggered together like the Metrobus lot on Sundays. As we almost arrived at the entry way to the New York Street back lot, to our right was the famous  Bronson Gate and to our left the Blue Sky B-Tank hungrily stealing the scenery with its massive facade of a cloud filled blue horizon putting all other backdrops to shame.

As soon we hit the NY set, the first thing I did was fill up my mug with Blue moon and with my husband's mug, Samuel Adam's Summer Ale--both well recognized brew brands in So Cal. While sipping away at the cold brew that tingled on the way down and double fisting through the crowd, I noticed the wide array of international and domestic beer brands that I've never even heard of (not that I'm a beer connoisseur or anything, but you're average Joe, aka me, would even have to do a double take on some of these eclectic brands). The range of beers go from light Pale lager such as Edison Light to American Strong ale's Arrogant Bastard. There were interesting international brew company brands like Czech's golden pilsner Bierbitzch, Japan's Sapporo, Tibetian's Chhaang, and Thailand's Singha, just to name a few. Domestic breweries such as Noble's Pale Ale, Bootleggers, Bitchcreek, and  Sudwerk also made their mark. They even had drinks that weren't beer: Sailor Jerry Rum, Naja's herbal tea, Korea's Makgeolli--a milky off white rice wine, and Honest Tea giveaways by the bottle. As someone who likes fruity, carbonated drinks, my all time favorite beer at the festival was Hornsby's red apple and green apple Cider. It was so good, that half an hour later when I went back for a second round (which is out of the norm considering there were dozens of available beer booths there), they had ran out of the green apple flavor. Hornsby's Cider had the tang of Martinelli's apple cider with the malted fuzz of beer--light, cold, and smooth. 

Not to mention the many different roach coaches out there. For those of you who don't know, roach coaches are your think outside of the box ice cream trucks and your old school taco trucks. Roach coaches are mobile trucks that travel from city to city hot spots feeding busy hungry businessmen and college students with their specialized menu items. Since the lucrative Kogi truck started, many entrepre-imitators have sprouted like California wildfire. What we have now is not only just a new wave of aesthetic enterprise but also a cultural fusion phenomenon. There were about 6-8 different food trucks at the party-- all different ethnic foods with its own unique flavor: Some highlights were:  Delicious Meat's wraps from Turkey, Kogi's Korean BBQ burrito, Dim Sum's Peking duck taco, Don Chow's Spicy BBQ pork taco (Chino-Latino fusion),  India Jones' curry, Fry Smith's Kimchi Pork Fries,  Crepin Around's fluffy sweet crepes, and Mediterranean's sweetly layered Baclava and fruit kabob.

By the second hour, I was feeling pretty good along with 200 other people there. It was getting pretty obvious that everybody was buzzin when even the vendors were smiling for the camera and giving nice compliments such as, "cool tattoo" and "pretty lady" this and that. People asked about the camera, they asked about my blog, and they asked about where we're from. The point is when people ask you personal questions in LA, that is being more than friendly--that's being buzzin friendly--and that's when you know you are at a good block party. Soon, networking started, people danced to the rhythmn of the DJ's beat, cigarettes and cigars distributed around among newly shaken hands, and spirits lifted higher and higher along with the vibrant late afternoon air. Cool magic water, cool LA air, cool music, cool setting, and cool people. All around a cool day

.