Spring Break Makapuu style

Sunday was a nice, sunny day out at Makapuu beach. It was the day after the official start of Spring, so the great weather brought out enough people to fill the water and much of the sand. While sun bathers caught rays, body surfers and boarders like myself got to catch fun waves in 1-2, occasional 3 footers (dodging nasty shore breaks) with a steady flow of sets constantly rolling in. The water had a lot of seaweed, which is way better to have than Portuguese man-of-wars, but felt similar so it was freaky at first. Para-gliders were in effect as usual, this time gliding directly overhead, and one female got swept out pretty far by the current that had everyone looking. She managed to come back in by herself, wheeew!

I was trying to get a tan and of course got burned, but that's all a part of the fun too. Going to Makapuu was a great way to start off Spring break AND birthday week (3-23).

Well,time to Partay!

Melodious Solutions

Last week I had the wonderful opportunity to check out my friend's showcase of up-and-coming local bands entitled The Rising Melody. It was held at the Waikiki Nei Theatre inside Level 4 Nightclub. The concert hall/opera house is like no other on the island-it's humongous! The theatre has a really great soundsystem that made every band sound crisp and clear. Visual patterns were also projected onto a 40 foot screen behind the performers. The view was great from the balcony center front, bucket seats and all. Of course, the millions of dollars put into the theatre's construction paid off because it is quite an experience just to be inside there.

Rising Melody's root fundamentals are to expose talent who are passionate about their craft, promoting those more concerned about listener satisfaction than money.
The crowd was very supportive; a combination of students, scensters, veteran musicians, surfers, skaters, arists, and friends of friends, all who reciprocated what they saw and heard through a frenzy of cheers for each act.

Stuck on Prius

A man drives down a San Diego highway and somehow his accelerator gets stuck to the floor of his Prius. Of course he freaks out, calling the police. They help the man slow down to 50 mph while instructing him to slam the brakes and emergency brake at the same time (a good tip-in case that ever happens to anyone reading this).
Toyota Prius had a recall of vehicles in the recent past for having accelerator problems.

That is the epitome of a scary driving experience. Hopefully Toyota gives the model proper repairs so that no one ridicules the "green" automobile.

And yes to Boo, Prius are ugly. I hope that new electric car takes off and creates a cleaner world for everyone in the future-without defects.

source:http://att.cnn.mlogic.mobi/cnn/It_ne/It_ne/detail/466635/2

Jazz Minds Finds The Rhymes

This past weekend I visited Jazz Minds, a local bar/lounge that plays live jazz, funk, hip hop and soul six nights a week. On this occasion, Los Angeles lyricist and freestyle wizard Mykah 9 performed to a packed audience, backed by local band Tempo Valley. Tempo’s deep grooves resonated from within the walls of the lounge, allowing opener and slam poet Bridget Grae to give her signature speakeasy-style lyrics. Both complimented each other well.

Mykah 9 walked up on stage as the dance floor filled with collective energy. He and Bridget collaborated for some improvisational songs that sounded like they could have been written. The audience looked satisfied one of Hip Hop’s ambassadors was performing off Chinatown’s beaten path.

The crowd was still charged by 1:45am, and only the disconnected felt the need to leave. Mykah’s encore was his Freestyle Fellowship classic and Gil Scott Heron cover song, Park Bench People. It was a very comforting rendition, reminding me of back home in L.A.

This was an all around great performance in an intimate setting that boasted seasoned musicians and a susceptive audience.

Chilean Looters

The devastation of the 8.8 earthquake in Chile brings yet another dilemma-looting. Chaos in the city of Concepcion has not let up due to vulnerable businesses that are affected by the quake. Some structures are FUBAR, where owners do not have the means for repairs. This is the point of entry where all needy people take advantage of the situation and steal everything in sight.In the midst of the looting, eight fatalities have been reported. Looters were disabled by teargas thrown from local authorities.
source:http://www.usatoday.com/video/index.htm?bctid=69251371001

I remember how intense a situation like this can be. Once at Six Flags Magic Mountain I was in the middle of a riot which started from the amusement park over-selling tickets to the diva group TLC's concert there. Once capacity was reached and people kept arriving, the rest were turned away. They broke through the gates and after that it was complete anarchy. Looters took everything from Bugs Bunny stuffed animals to food at Denny's restaurant down the hill. It was no joke!!