My Point of Heu |
1/5/2021 You Know You're From Hawaii When...Originally written in October 2014. Using My Point of Heu, here are 22 ways to know you’re from Hawaii: 1. You end your sentences with “no?” even when you mean “yes.” 2. Chili pepper water is a regular condiment on the table alongside shoyu, vinegar and salt & pepper. 3. While visiting the mainland you are trying to figure out why they don’t serve fruit punch. 4. It frustrates you when people don’t understand what “pau” means. 5. Jeans are your dress pants. 6. You love Spam so much you have found a way to recycle and reuse the container. 7. Your cousin’s baby luau has more guests than your graduation and wedding combined. 8. The sun is shining, the skies are blue, but it’s raining outside. 9. Traffic is backed up in your neighborhood cause two cars headed in both directions of the road are stopped, and the drivers are chatting with each other. 10. You take dad to a fancy restaurant, and he orders a steak with extra white rice and a bottle of ketchup. 11. Your favorite breakfast is eggs, rice and Portuguese sausage or Spam, but when you run out of meat, you fry up bologna. 12. Chickens or mongoose scurry across the road, and you don’t even notice, and it doesn’t even bother you. 13. You’ve named the gecko who lives in your house. You may have named the chicken outside too. 14. There’s a grand opening of a store, and people from across the island campout overnight to be among the first to see inside… and they have that same store near where they live. 15. You know all the words to “Hawai’i Pono’i,” but not the “The Star Spangled Banner.” 16. You have long arguments with family and friends about the correct pronunciation of Hawaii or Hawai’i. 17. Half of the staff at work called in sick, and there just so happens to be a large surf swell that day – cough, cough. 18. Traffic is backed up for miles because everyone is slowing down to look at the fender bender headed in the opposite direction on the freeway. Rubber neck check! 19. You know the shaka is not a gang sign. 20. You call everyone over 21 “aunty” or “uncle.” 21. You come back to the islands from a trip, and your next stop is Zippy’s! 22. And…you meet someone for the very first time so you have to ask, “What high school you went?” 12/31/2020 Saying aloha to 2020A lot of people might say the year 2020 was a terrible, no good, very bad year. Yes, it was unprecedented, tragic in many ways, unnerving, vicious, life-altering and devastating for some. But, for those of us who made it through... we did just that, we made it through. I remember during the first lockdown we didn't really know what COVID was capable of and we didn't know what the future held. We were scared, panicked and uncertain what would happen. What would happen to our lives, our jobs, our families. And while some lost their jobs, some also lost their lives and some perhaps lost all hope too... but if you are reading this, you must've gained something.
For me, I feel I great sense of peace with 2020. I choose not to focus on all the terrible, no good, very bad things and instead choose to focus on what I am grateful for. I am truly thankful that in February I managed to go to California with a client and also visit Disneyland, then in February I traveled to Boston for the very first time. After that the world was turned upside down, but I got to stay home, with my husband and I worked tirelessly for my clients and to support friends and family. It was rewarding to see everyone pivot, adapt and change. Now, the world has settled into this current reality while we continue to live in a post-pandemic society. And yes, post can mean currently not just eluding to afterwards or completed. As we all know COVID isn't done and this pandemic is not over. But, I feel we all have hope and faith and with that there isn't really anything else we can ask for. Some are being vaccinated, some are still isolating and some have resumed normalcy. (Please don't hug me). We accomplished a lot of what we wanted to do with our house. I've maintained the cleanliness and tidiness of the home. We've tried to avoid excess and clutter, while also doing our part to donate here and there and tip a little more every time we could. We got a puppy just in time for the second lockdown and that was probably the best decision ever made for my sanity and good health. All my clients stayed open and all my clients are still surviving. To be completely honest, I dropped a handful of other clients who were not serving me in the way I needed to be cognitively served, but I wish them the best, as communication and adaptation is key during any time of your business. My personal goals have continued to evolved and my professional life has been continuously busy. I am grateful for all the opportunities and experiences that have shaped me into the woman I am today. I am keeping active with voice work, on-camera work, producing my own tv show, editing, shooting, and having time to even launch a new platform devoted only to food and beverage (You Hungry Hawaii). Often I am inspired to create and take advantage of those ideas and set new goals. This is the time to do what you love and love what you do and 2020 really reminded me of that. Relationships were challenged overall. I read articles about how nationally people were frustrated with others and family members. But it taught me that these times really showed who was willing to make the effort, who really cared and who wanted to be there for you. Some people emerged to be true and other just faded away. So, what now? Well, we will continue to get up everyday. We take a step in a new direction everyday. Let's do our part to be good people. Now 2021 is a chance to really set your sights on everything you learned from 2020 and apply it to the new year and new you. Be thankful, be open and be honest with yourself and others. After all it may have been a terrible, no good, very bad year... but 2021 can bring hope and faith that it will get better and we will survive. 12/29/2020 All Natural Oahu OrganicsAs we approach the end of the year… resolutions are made, reflections are underway and revelations about a sound mind, body and soul are often explored. With the plant-based movement building in popularity, it seems people are more conscious of what they put into their bodies and on their skin. With that said, it seems what you put on your body and face would coincide with the common thought that chemicals are really not all that healthy for you. I found Oahu Organics skin care line to be very healing, hydrating and left my skin glowing. It was very potent and you only need a little drop to go a long way to help nurture and moisturize your skin and body, plus the fragrance was very mild and not overpowering. Caring for your skin and body is as easy as farm-to-face. Oahu Organics is a unique all-natural, organic, locally harvested, made in Hawaii and 100% good for your body, skin and soul — Hawaiian skin care line. Completely made from medicinal plants, Oahu Organics products utilizes the healing properties of specialty plants and flowers grown from local organic farms on both Oahu and Kauai, to create powerful vitamin-rich, healthy and nourishing cleansers, serums, masks, moisturizers and body polish/exfoliators. All natural skin care provides essential healing benefits, supports local, includes natural cleansing properties grown right here in Hawaii. Originally found in local Oahu farmer’s markets, Oahu Organics has gone digital too. Due to social restrictions and COVID-19 limitations, web sales have skyrocketed with over 90% of skin care sales moving online. As supply meets demand the all-natural products are now available nationwide via free first class shipping! New and available as the perfect gift for yourself or your loved ones, Oahu Organics has just released The Essential Collection which is a handcrafted customizable set of essential oils for your face and skin. The plant-based line offers hydration, healing and can be blended to address any skin type. What a great gift! Natural oils are aimed to promote healthy, rejuvenated, glowing skin and these new serums are also packaged in boxes and glass bottles that are 100% earth-friendly, reusable and recyclable. Visit www.oahuorganicsinc.com to browse the complete line of all natural products and the specialty holiday gift sets. Also be sure to use promo code SELFCARE for free nationwide shipping anywhere in the United States. 12/18/2020 Ready for 'You Hungry Hawaii'?It's been a minute since I've had a chance to update everyone. Time goes by so quickly and soon enough we will all say "Wow, where did the year go?" Thankfully, I feel we are all looking forward to a new year, a fresh start and hopefully some reprieve from the stresses and ups and downs of this past year. Quick updates: Roxy is doing great, she's growing everyday and all her issues don't seem to be issues anymore, although she is definitely blind, not 100%, but she can't see - but that doesn't bother her at all. Rico is fantastic. Daniel is still working a ton and as an essential worker it doesn't appear to be slowing anytime soon. As for me, projects, clients, writing and etc have all kept me extremely busy yet very happy. All my clients are stable and making it work. And I am glad I can assist them with their marketing needs. Now time to segue into my latest idea. As you know, I have been writing since elementary school and professionally for many years now. I have also been practicing marketing and promotions since the year 2000 and came up with a concept that I am excited to officially launch. My love of food, dining, cuisine and everything about eating really empassions me and I wanted to create a platform where you could get a no frills experience into culinary. I am often invited to new restaurant previews, menu tastings and chef events. I wanted to create one place where all the foodie experiences could live and also showcase an editorial perspective while also not being too lengthy or full of nonsense. Just simple, clear, to the point and photos to share! So, I came up with You Hungry Hawaii - it is a place to share food blogs, recipes, and anything culinary. Think of it as Eater meets Food Network but more so simple, easy to digest, showcasing photos and short reviews - while supporting local businesses, local chefs and local people. Feel free to gives us a like or follow @youhungryhawaii on Instagram and Facebook and be on the lookout for more write-ups to come. You can also share your favorite recipes or request a recipe simply by sending a message on IG or FB as well. I am hoping this will be a great resource for anyone who enjoys food, eating, cooking, culinary gems, new finds, tips and insight into the local foodie world! Oh and another reason I wanted to create the site, is I have all these fancy DSLR cameras that are sitting in the closet and I wanted to break them out again and create beautiful good quality photos using my lenses. I became so reliant on my phone that I didn't take the time to take professional images... so this inspired me to get it out and take those amazing photos and share them again. Website: www.youhungryhawaii.com Social: @youhungryhawaii https://www.youhungryhawaii.com Love you guys! Be safe! 10/27/2020 Puppy UpdateHi! So if you have been following me since August, you'd know that we got a rescue pup from the Humane Society. She recently celebrated what is believed to be her 5 month birthday and she is a true gem. We knew that she had nystagmus and didn't care, then we noticed she didn't seem to be able to see very well and was possibly nearsighted, the vet said they thought she was blind or partially blind, but that didn't phase us at all. We love her spirit, her sweetness and her kindness. So since we got her in August she has had this milky white, green and yellow discharge after urination. It wasn't a big deal, or so we thought, until one day she was extremely lethargic and only wanted to lay there and be a bump on a log (for about 3 days). After taking her to the Humane Society vet and her vet they all agreed she had "puppy vaginitis" which occurs when you spay a dog before they have their first heat. No one did any actual tests, no one sampled the discharge and no one did any cultures. They did say that it is best to not have a puppy on antibiotics and that puppy vaginitis would "resolve" on its own. So we are now at the end of October and she is acting fine, stool is good, appetite is great and her activity level is good. But she still has this discharge, that occasionally becomes very viscous and snot-like dangling from her vulva area. I was concerned, how long is this supposed to last? I asked one of my close friends, who is an emergency veterinarian, what she would recommend - she said she would put her on antibiotics. In turn I told her vet and then was told not to. Again, no one has seen the pup. Long story short I get my hands on the antibiotics, I wait a day to see if anyone calls or if anything starts to clear and it is the same. So I start giving them to her. Overall her energy is great, appetite is awesome and spirit is fine: Day 1 she is a-ok Day 2 her stool is starting to loosen Day 3 we notice her vulva area shrank down 50% from what it was We didn't know it was so swollen as we didn't know what it was supposed to look like, but it was somewhat miraculous, her vaginal area was so huge and swollen and there was definitely some sort of infection but we didn't know how bad it was. Day 4 stool is more loose Day 5 stool is firmer Day 6 stool is very loose She finishes this round on Saturday and I am very optimistic this will help her. My friend said the discharge should go away starting Thursday and I am hopeful that the recovery from the antibiotics is fast, as I know this can "mess up" her system but she is resilient and strong. Ultimately, I was disappointed in her official vet that we chose for her. I am a doer and I want action and if there is a problem I want something done about it. Were all resources utilized to help solve the problem? No. Did anyone do any actual tests on her? No. We were told to just wait. No how long am I supposed to wait? August, September, October... that seems like a long time for a dog to be sick. Long story short, I am going to take her to another vet, because I don't think the care was sufficient. I appreciate all the niceties and courteousness in person and over the phone, but if you don't act and don't find relevant solutions to my problem or answer my questions I am not pleased with the care. i still never heard from them and there was no follow-up. I will keep you posted on her health as it progresses and thank you everyone for sharing your love with us and our family. 10/22/2020 Opening Yourself UpWhile this year overall has been a really challenging one, there are some bright spots that have appeared. I recall earlier this year I went to Boston and this was right at the onset of COVID in the U.S.. But at this time they said it was nothing major and just another cold. On my flight back passengers (including myself) were wearing face masks and it was the roughest most turbulent flight I have ever been on. Since then we've all be home with numerous stay at home orders and reduction of gathering efforts in effect. While some are suffering and households are out of work, I do consider myself to be very lucky as I am working everyday and my husband is considered essential too. Something that you might be surprised to hear is... I've been dropping clients. Yes. I have been terminating contracts with paying clients. Let me tell you why. During these "challenging times" I have learned a lot and the people you are surrounded by, clients included, really make an impact on your life. At the onset, anyone in marketing will tell you we were working overtime. I was often up at 4am and working until past midnight every day. Much of what was happening was trying to figure out what was going on, who was open, services changing, menus adapting and everything else needs to be constantly changed, updated, the word spread and information shared. With an MA in communication this is what I do, I take information and share it. What I found was... if you don't tell me, then how will I know? Some clients stepped-up and others made my job even more stressful. So, as time went on I decided if you were not part of my life's mission, if you were not conducive to my quality of life and I struggled to communicate with you - then you were getting dropped. A magical thing happened as a result when this new approach to doing work revealed itself to me...I closed these doors and new ones opened. When you make a conscious decision to better your life and happiness... you open yourself up to more opportunities to do what it is you want to do and what makes you successful. With quality of life being my top priority (along with less stress and overall joy and happiness) eliminating the negative allowed for the positive to flow in. Some might say during a pandemic the last thing you wanna do is lose work and money, but was it really worth it, was I able to offer my 100%, were they giving me what I needed to do my job efficiently? If the answer is no, then find something else to say yes to. Meanwhile, many inquiries for new very exciting work have come through and I've picked up some amazing projects to work on. I am thrilled by my decision to do what's best for me, my family, my business and my overall happiness. Don't forget it is ok to allow for opening yourself up to new, better and fresh beginnings. 10/15/2020 Tourism Reopens Today in HawaiiPre-Travel Testing allows visitors to avoid quarantineSo you may have heard... October 15th marks the day transpacific travel to the islands of Hawaii opens back up, with pre-travel testing. What does that mean? Well in a nutshell if you can prove that you have tested negative for COVID within 72 hours of your departure flight to Hawaii you don't have to quarantine for 14 days after arrival. Here are the exact details of the program: The pre-travel testing for transpacific travel program includes:
If a traveler’s COVID-19 test comes back negative, they will be exempt from quarantine. If the results haven’t come in yet, the traveler will be required to quarantine at their place of lodging until results come back. If the result comes back positive for COVID-19, the traveler and close contacts will be mandated to isolation for 14 days. Gov. Ige also announced that Kauaʻi and Maui will be participating in the pre-travel testing program for inter-island travel. Currently the neighbor islands have their own rules for this program:
To be completely honest, I am excited and both concerned about this. Firstly, I am excited to have money coming into our economy, to have people go back to work and to have hotels, stores and restaurants reopen. But, I am concerned because even-though these precautions are being taken this will eventually lead to an increase in sickness being introduced to our island home. I know our economy is hurting and I know local families are struggling so it is a bit of a double-edged sword. But perhaps we need to move on and continue to live our life as best we can. I am still avoiding hugs and physically distancing myself from others, I wash and sanitize my hands after every touch in public and I am mindful of wearing my mask. The truth is we can't be on lockdown forever and just need to adapt and do our best to remain safe.
9/20/2020 Living My Breastless LifeApril marked one year since my mastectomy... it also was a painful reminder that one year prior to that my mother lost her fight against metastatic breast cancer. Since "going public" with my story last July, I have heard the words brave, inspiring and courageous. I never thought these words would resonate with others, based simply on the fact that I was sharing my breast cancer prevention story and journey; essentially just doing what I think was the best decision for me and prolonging my life. Granted, as I continue to move forward and (hopefully) encourage both men and women to be proactive about their health and self care... some may learn something, be more aware and make conscious decisions to improve their quality of life. Moving forward... I have encountered some really amazing people and women along this journey. Engaging with other "previvors" and hearing their stories of survival have been very rewarding and encouraging. At first, I thought I was somewhat unique and perhaps unlike anyone else out there. Then as I realized I wasn't alone it was comforting to know there were so many other women just like me. As I prepared for my journey, I spoke with many mastectomy survivors, most of whom actually had cancer. It was rare to find someone who had done what I did prophylactic-wise. And it was also hard to find others who had the surgery and just opted to go flat without any reconstruction... fast forward and I have started to notice this "Angelina Jolie Effect" as some might call it is starting to make me feel uncomfortable. I started following the #previvor hashtag on Instagram so I could see other courageous women similar to me around the world... there are a few that I respect and share similar stories. But each day I am reminded of these women who appear to be desperate for attention, tactless and some not even aware with the cause and just selfish. There is something going around now (as we prepare for breast cancer awareness month) called "Pinkwashing" aimed at corporate, businesses and other types of organizations that falsely showcase support of breast cancer awareness in an effort to gain attention and make a profit. Most of the time these types of pinkwashing examples are made by companies attempting to sell products to raise money for breast cancer research, when in fact they are just pocketing the cash. In general I also feel people use pinkwashing techniques to jump on the awareness bandwagon to falsely gain gratification and attention for something that makes them feel liked and popular. Many women are posting multiple images of themselves going into surgery with tubes in and out of the body, shots in their hospital bed and staged imagery to showcase the night before or the day of surgery posts. Seriously, when I was in the hospital prepping for a major surgery I was not on my phone taking photos. My husband was with me hoping I would come out safe and wake up ok. We were not consumed with trying to showcase how dramatic the entire process was. Honestly, it was scary and I was so nervous! I do recall taking one photo the day afterwards in my recovery room with a bouquet of flowers that a friend sent to me (who lives hundreds of miles away). I simply wanted to share the photo so she could see I appreciated it. Anyhow, I un-followed this hashtag as I see so many women who appear to be frantic, frivolous, fame-seeking and attention-seeking for all the wrong reasons. Instead I would rather be inspired, moved, motivated and informed. These impressions from all these women has really changed my perspective on others motivations. I have had many chats online with desperate women seeking to have this surgery immediately. Most of whom don't have a clear reason to have it. If your uncle had prostate cancer, your aunt had lung cancer or your cousin had a brain tumor -- that doesn't mean you need to run out and get a mastectomy. Talk to your doctor, assess the risk, decipher the percentage rate of chance that you could get breast cancer, have you been on a high detection plan, what have you done to bring down the risk and have you done generic testing? Additionally, ways to reduce the likelihood of cancer in your lifetime are: healthy diet, keeping your weight down, exercising regularly, feeling happy consistently, body awareness, mammograms, regular visits to the doctor, getting adequate sleep and consuming the right nutrition for your body (i.e. not eating fast food, preservatives, chemicals, candy and etc). My main goal was to save my life, live a long life with my husband, be happy and encourage others to do the same. I refrain from making all my posts about my surgery because there really isn't anything else to say. It's done, I am healed and I don't regret it. I will continue to keep doing what I am doing and don't have any selfish reasons behind it. This is my life as I choose to live it and I hope that if I inspired or educated someone along the way, then that was all worth it. 9/9/2020 What I Didn't Know About PuppiesOn the eve of the day my pup will go to the vet to get her last round of shots... I am so happy and excited with enthusiasm. I am hoping that she will like walking in the park, going to the beach and swimming in the water - like me! But I am also learning a lot as I have never raised a dog before. There are some things that I was really stressed out about and wanted to share so new puppy mamas can also learn too. 1. Puppy vaginitisSince she is a rescue and we don't know too much about her medical history or her history at all... what I do know is she was spayed at the Humane Society and then we were able to adopt her a few days later. A few weeks later so became extremely fatigued, lethargic and not her usual puppy self. We noticed a bit of a light green milky discharge from her vulva area but thought it would perhaps just clear-up. But then when her personality and energy levels plummeted I was so worried. Upon taking her back to the humane society for a check-up they said it appeared as though so had Puppy Vaginitis. What?! The doctor said it is a result of spaying a pup before her first heat. Sometimes the vagina becomes inflamed because she did not yet go through her first heat cycle or puberty yet. He said he could give her antibiotics but that could have major effects on her down the road and mess up her stomach and other issues. He advised to let it run it course and in a few days it would clear up and she would resolve it on her own by just letting it go. I can't tell you how hard this was. Roxy would just lay there with no energy and literally in pain and to some degree of lethargy suffering. BUT, one thing to note is she never lost her appetite and was still having normal poops and pees. Fast forward 4 days and all of the sudden she was back to her normal self. It was the craziest and hardest few days I have ever had. I felt so bad for her and laid down with her to comfort her. Thankfully the doctor was right and she was fine. I am glad we didn't put her on meds or do anything else to eventually harm her down the road. But it was a rough few days for me for sure. 2. Baby Teeth Fall outI started to notice in some areas she would have double teeth. I was like whoa no wonder people are afraid of pit bulls, but it was actually her baby teeth being replaced with permanent teeth and then the baby teeth start to literally fall out of her mouth. I also saw some blood and her chew toys with blood on it and then realized she had bloody gums from the teeth coming out and in. This was kind of alarming but not too bad as a little research shows it is normal for pups to go through a teething stage and their adult teeth should come in around 16 weeks. Roxy was right on time at 3 months she started losing her first set of teeth, then the molars and etc will start to grow from 4 months on. 3. rashFrom as soon as we brought her home we started to notice a red rash forming on her chin, mouth, snout, tummy and ears. We were not sure what it was and thought it may have been the grass at our house or even the dishes we used to feed her. (Plastic isn't good because it is porous and can trap bacteria). Any how, when we left the Humane Society they gave us sample bags of Science Diet puppy food and were feeding to her, then when we brought her to the vet they also gave us Science Diet bags of food. Daniel, did a lot of research on the best food to feed her and I did everything I could to keep her off the grass and we got metal bowls for her food and water, washing frequently. The vet also gave us some natural rash remedies along with giving her some benadryl type drugs to help with the rash. Long story short, we changed her food to Bully Max which is a high performance, high protein food (no corn, wheat or soy) - not chock full of fillers and junk. And guess what? Yes, the rash went away immediately when we changed her food. Phew, mystery solved. 4. Woofs down foodSo for whatever reason this dog can eat her food in a matter of seconds. Now this isn't anything new, but it can have some major effects down the road like gastric dilation volvulus - stomach fills with gas. While some might only feed their dog twice a day, it is better to feed this kind of dog smaller meals multiple times a day. I also found that if I put a biscuit in with her food it slows her down a moment to chew and try to gnaw on the biscuit instead of inhaling all her food in under 30 seconds.
9/3/2020 Meet Roxy HeuSo for as long as I can remember, I have always been an animal lover. I especially love animals that are furry or fluffy. I remember the first time my mom said we could have a cat and then over the years one cat turned into 5. Not long afterwards I moved away for college and had one cat with me since. I have always wanted a dog, but my schedule didn't allow for it...looking back in March I thought we should get a dog now... but the timing wasn't exactly right. Anyhow, after a short trip to Kauai and then the travel quarantine in place again, I thought now is the time to get a puppy! We put in the word and get a call that a brindle pit bull mix pup was going to be available at the Humane Society but she had what was believed to be a neurological condition called nystagmus. We didn't care and wanted to meet her anyway. Long story short her eyes move around and shake and her heads wobbles like a bobble head but we loved her and took her home. Roxy is believed to be born on our wedding anniversary May 24th, she is a blue brindle with grey eyes and she is so sweet and very smart. The vet said they think she may be blind to some degree and we know she doesn't see 20/20 but we do know she can see somethings and some times. Her conditions don't impact her at all, her quality of life is impeccable and she is an extremely loving dog. Sometimes she tends to bump into things, but her sense of hearing and smell is impeccable. She is able to chase and get a ball, brings it back and runs to me, and she watches us like a hawk from afar. She's such a beauty and brings so much joy into our life! You might be wondering about the cat? Well at first Rico was pretty upset and would just sit in the corner and pout. Roxy is outside so inside is still his domain, but about a week or two later he warmed up again. They have met face to face a few times, but I am uncertain if she can see him. She can smell him and I know she wants to bite him as she is a puppy and wants to bite everything. But they aren't friends are anything just yet. He seems to tolerate her and she seems very intrigued and playful as usual. Lucky for me Rico and I have our cuddle time when the puppy is sleeping and he is back to himself again. |
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