No April fools joke, Aloha means goodbye!

1946 – 2008

The Story of Aloha Airlines

 

The Ides of March claims another one…

Beware the Ides of March! This month has not been kind to Hawaii businesses and the superstition that bad things happen in threes was confirmed once more.

First it was Weyerhaeuser announcing it was closing its doors after 50 years in Hawaii. Then Molokai Ranch shocked the islands with the same news last week. And today, the news we were all hoping we weren’t going to get came down.

Aloha Airlines today announced it is ceasing passenger operations at close of business tomorrow. What does that mean? No more Aloha Airlines interisland or transpacific service come Tuesday. But sadder, it means roughly 1,900 Aloha Airlines employees will lose their jobs in less than 48 hours. I wish all of the Aloha Airlines employees the best and a heartfelt mahalo for everything they’ve done over the past 61 years.

On a brighter note, Hawaiian Airlines and go! Airlines are stepping up its service to accommodate the void left by Aloha Airlines in the interisland marketplace. Hawaiian said today it is increasing its interisland capacity by 6,000 seats starting on Tuesday, so it good to know we won’t be hung out to dry.

If you’re following the story as a local or visitor heading to or currently here in Hawaii, the best source for updated information is the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau’s website. It’s a one-stop-shop for the latest updates from the Governor’s office, Hawaii Tourism Authority, airlines, hotels, and visitor industry.

-NGK

[Photo courtesy of Boeing]

Maui Vacation…Day 3

Our third and final day on Maui started off with a bit of Easter fun. We couldn’t possibly pass up the opportunity to color some eggs with Ensen. He seemed to enjoy watching Kelly and me dunk eggs in the colored water and even tried it himself. After some Easter Sunday fun, it was off to the Maui Ocean Center for our big day out before heading back to Honolulu later in the evening. As they saying goes, “Maui no ka oi” or Maui is the best. After a great weekend there, I can see why many residents and visitors feel that way! Here’s some photos/videos of our final day on the Valley Isle.

First order of business on Easter Sunday was to color eggs with Ensen. It’s been some time since Kelly and I have done this, so it was good to be sharing the experience with our little guy. I think Kelly made the best egg…the rasta looking one with a face on it. Cool!

After coloring eggs, the Kam family and Maui Grandma headed off to the Maui Ocean Center in Maalaea to end our trip with a bang! I’ve been here a couple times before Ensen was born and couldn’t wait to come back with him and Kelly. What a great family activity and one that I highly recommend for locals and visitors.

Here we are inside one of the main exhibits looking at tropical reef fish only found in Hawaii. And that’s an important thing to point out. This is an all Hawaiian marine life aquarium which makes it unique from any other ocean park you’ll visit in the state and the world.

Another great attraction is the touch pond where you can get up close and personal with starfish, sea cucumbers, and sea urchins. While Ensen is still a bit too young to handle these creatures, Kelly wasted no time getting her hands wet. Then it was off to the turtle pool to check out these beautiful animals gracefully move through the water. And finally, it was time to check out my favorite part of the park, the Sea Jelly Gallery and The Open Ocean exhibits. Just check out the video and photo from both of these spaces below.

This was a great way to end our family vacation on Maui and I can’t wait to get back there again soon. Next time, we’ll have to explore West Maui with Ensen and possibly venture more into Upcountry and Hana. If you’ve been to Maui and have a story to share, we’d love to hear from you.

-NGK

Walking soon? Don’t forget to make a guess!

Ensen with his pal Dane during dinner at our friends Julie and Brandon’s house the other night.

NOTE TO ENSEN FANS: He stood up last night without holding on to anything for about 10-15 seconds. Then he realized he was just standing there on his own and grabbed onto a chair. It was crazy!

It’s just a matter of time until the little guy takes his first steps. Just a reminder to make your guess on when Ensen will make Kam family history. Visit the “Let’s play a little guessing game!” blog entry and post your guess there. Winner get’s breakfast with us…cheee hooooo!

Good luck!

-NGK

Maui Vacation…Day 2

Kelly and Ensen in the yard at Maui Grandma’s house.

Our second day on Maui was much more relaxing. We spent most of the day lounging around the house and took a quick drive through Makawao and Paia before heading to town to pick up a few things for dinner later that night at Maui Grandma’s place. This is what vacation is all about. No worries about work or driving in traffic on the freeway in Honolulu. Just pure relaxation to recharge our “batteries.” Here’s a quick recap of Day 2.

Ensen was his usual chipper self waking up early to enjoy another day in paradise. He wasted no time waking Kelly and me up and peeking outside the bedroom window to catch a glimpse of the island from the slopes of Haleakala.

Later that evening, the family gathered at Maui Grandma’s house for dinner. That’s Aunty Vicky and Uncle Herbert above with Ensen. Kelly and her mom worked all day in the kitchen to get things ready. Uncle Frank fired up the BBQ and grilled some steaks, smoked meat (YUM!), and teri beef. Uncle Joe and Aunty Avis brought ono salads, sashimi, and kim chee crab. Napili Grandma came over too, as did Kelly’s cousin Tyler, who happened to be on Maui over the weekend.

As for me, I didn’t do much on Saturday (I know…shame yeah?) but keep Ensen entertained and enjoyed a few Maui Brewing Company beers that evening. I was hesitant to buy this stuff…$12.99 for a six pack…but I have to say the beer was really good. So good that I would definitely buy it again. My favorite was the Coconut Porter, a dark “Guiness-like” beer with hints of toasted coconut, which was surprisingly delicious. The Bikini Blonde Lager and Big Swell IPA were also very good. Is it happy hour yet?

After dinner, Ensen provided much of the entertainment for the rest of the evening. It was another great day on Maui. With Easter and a visit to the Maui Ocean Center coming up the final day, it was a much needed break before heading back to Oahu.

The final installment of our Maui vacation coming will be posted soon.

-NGK

Madame Pele doing her thing on Hawaii Island

Reading the story “Volcanic eruption is fascinating and frightening” in today’s Honolulu Star-Bulletin instantly took me back to childhood days growing up on the Big Island.

I can still vividly recall the days of riding home in the car from Hilo and seeing the glowing curtain of lava spewing high into the air from Kilauea. It was like something from another planet. After a big eruption, we’d find “Pele’s hair” (the fine fiberglass-like strands) and “Pele’s tears” (smooth rock in a tear shape) in our yard, at the tennis courts…basically all over Kona town over a hundred miles from the source.

As a kid, it amazed me to see this act of nature taking place in my own “backyard.” And still today, whenever I visit Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, just the sight of Halemaumau Crater (see via live webcam) takes my breath away. I never get tired of seeing something so beautiful no matter how many times I’ve been there.

It doesn’t surprise me HVNP is the most popular visitor attraction in the islands. Born and raised in Hawaii, I often take for granted what makes this place so special. I can’t wait to take Ensen to volcano one of these days and see the reaction on his face.

-NGK

[Photo courtesy of National Park Service/N. Judd, March 24, 2008]

What goes up, must come down!

Does anything catch your eye in this video?

If you said “Why was Nathan video taping the ceiling in the middle?” you missed the point.

If you questioned, “Is Ensen crawling off the couch on his own at 9-months-old?” you saw what I saw this afternoon. After showing him a few times how to maneuver off the couch on his tummy, he executed the stunt on his own a few times. Yowser!

-NGK 

Maui Vacation…Day 1

The Kam family flew to Maui on Friday morning to spend time with Maui Grandma (Kelly’s mom) and to give Ensen a taste of the Valley Isle. It was nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of Honolulu and spend some time relaxing on Maui over the long weekend. During our three days there, we did quite a bit. Here’s what happened on Day 1.

At 6:30 a.m., we’re ready to go to the airport to catch our Hawaiian Airlines flight at 8 a.m. Ensen looked handsome as usual, posing with Aunty Kim before heading out the door. He enjoyed the plane ride to Maui, sleeping most of the way there.

Maui Grandma picked us up at Kahului Airport and we head straight to IHOP for breakfast. At 9-months-old, Ensen is now able to sit in a high chair and partake in breakfast with the family. He also wasted no time making friends with other babies as they screamed and shouted across the restaurant.

Following breakfast, we made a quick stop at Tropix surf shop to pick up some Maui Built gear, then headed to Walmart to pick up some essentials for Ensen. Then it was off to Queen Kaahumanu Center to kill some time shopping and browsing around the shops. I forgot how nice this mall was. After a couple hours, it was time for a sweet treat and lunch. We found ourselves at Maui Mall for guri guri ice cream at Tasaka’s. Four scoops of strawberry and pineapple for everyone. YUMMY! Before leaving the mall, we made a quick lunch stop at Genki Sushi before heading to Maui Grandma’s house in Pukalani. The photo of Ensen above was taken on the way. Needless to say, the big smile on his face was proof enough he was enjoying his first day on Maui.

We recharged our batteries with a little nap at Maui Grandma’s house and freshened up for dinner. We headed back to town to meet up with Kelly’s aunties and uncles for a nice meal at Dragon Dragon Chinese restaurant. Sorry, no photos from this part of the trip…we were so hungry by the time we got there. To cap off the first day, we ended up at Aunty Vicky’s house for coffee and dessert. Even though it was late, Ensen played well into the night. That’s him with Uncle Frank above playing with his new toys that Aunty Vicky gave have him for Easter. Before calling it a night, he managed to terrorize everyone’s feet as he crawled under the table and through the chairs.

All in all, a very busy and enjoyable first day on Maui! Be sure to come back and find out what day two and three has in store. Here’s a hint, more eating, dancing, and the Maui Ocean Center.

-NGK

Happy Easter!

The Kam family is back from the Valley Isle after spending a wonderful Easter weekend with Maui Grandma. Here’s a few photos of Ensen with the Easter Bunny taken at Walmart.

We also colored a few eggs this morning and played Easter egg hunt around the house.

More photos of our trip to come. Happy Easter!

-NGK

Life in PR and Generation-Why

My friend and colleague Melissa Chang, director of marketing for Aloha Tower Marketplace and Honolulu Advertiser blogger, wrote a thoughtful post the other day titled “Welcome to my life” about the realities of public relations and misperceptions of our profession. I think she hit the bullseye (and some) as she shared a tale about a recent day at the office. It’s exactly this kind of chaotic schedule that attracted me to the profession more than nine years ago. I really believe you need to have some kind of “madness” within you to enter a career in PR. Just ask my wife…I’m sure she’d agree.

After graduating from UH Manoa in 1999 with a journalism/PR degree in hand, I fully understood what I was getting into when I got my first PR job at the now defunct PRWorks in Waikiki. After completing an internship and working part time there as an assistant account coordinator (don’t think you can have a lower title than that), it taught me that PR was a tough job that required a thick skin, long hours, sometimes working on the weekend, a lot of “grunt” work to start, and the ability to work with a bunch of different personalities to get the job done. Oh, did I mention the low pay? Who cares! It was the perfect job and I couldn’t wait to start!

As an eager 20-something at the time I did it all. I faxed, photocopied, filed, stuffed envelopes, made coffee, got the bosses lunch, answered the phone, took the mail down to the post office, took meeting notes, compiled horrendous clipping reports, and probably a lot more that I can’t remember. Not the most glorious of jobs coming out of college, but one that I loved. And I must have been pretty good at it because in short time, I was promoted to account executive. My attitude was work hard, learn everything I could, show my bosses I could do what was asked of me well, exceed their expectations, PAY MY DUES, then wait for the rewards to come. And they did.

Sure things are different now. I get to work with great clients, deal with important business people, develop and execute exciting PR initiatives, and manage a great team. But I still have the same attitude today as I did when I started at PRWorks and came to McNeil Wilson Communications in 2000. I take nothing for granted, am still learning something every day, and striving to deliver to the best of my ability. It doesn’t hurt that I had great mentors along the way like Craig Miyamoto, Deborah Sharkey, David McNeil, and David Wilson. Ultimately, I attribute my work ethic to my parents who always supported me, pushed me to do my best, and never let me give up. It’s also the attitude I try to instill in those I work with.

As a supervisor of people and workloads now, it’s hard to dismiss Melissa’s observation about the growing Generation Y work force coming into the marketplace. It’s also a subject of great discussion lately. In her post she writes:

“Yes, it (PR) can be glamorous, but you have to pay your dues and put in the hard work it takes to get there. If you are the type who physically punches in at 8 and out at 5, and demands to have a balance of “me” time, get a government job. If you are fresh out of school and looking to start at the top, call all the shots, make top dollar, and not have to do much but look pretty, … good luck.”

It’s the reality every company is facing today. A story in the Daily Mail describes Gen-Y as “those born after 1982 who expect everything to fall into their laps but who, in reality, massively overestimate their own abilities.” Yikes!

I’m still trying to figure out if this is a fair way to characterize this talented pool of “young-uns,” but one thing is certain in my opinion. This new work force is at our doorstep and cannot be ignored. The challenge for us Gen-Xers and Baby Boomers is to find ways to peacefully co-exist with Gen-Y, manage their expectations, keep them engaged and motivated, and show them that a little hard work never hurt anyone. Will this be easier said than done? Either way, I’m up for the challenge!

If anyone’s got some best practices to share, I’m all ears!

-NGK

What do you mean NO!?

It appears the little guy has learned something new at 9-months-old…

-NGK 

Big Break Kaanapali airs in April!

One of the things I love about living in Hawaii is the golf! We’ve got more than 80 courses to choose from on Kauai, Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lanai, and Hawaii Island and with warm weather year-round, Mother Nature rarely gets in the way of a round of golf in the islands no matter what season it is.

As a “golf-a-holic,” I love watching golf on television as well. Which is why I’m excited for Big Break Kaanapali (BBK) to start on the Golf Channel in April. I haven’t been following the show that closely as of late, but with the ladies returning to battle it out at Kaanapali Golf Resort on Maui, I have a feeling this is going to be “must see TV.” Kaanapali Resort General Manager Ed Kageyama sent me a sneak peek of the BBK trailer and this season certainly looks like it’s going to include some drama - both on and off the golf course. Click here to watch the trailer yourself.

For a “behind-the-scenes” look at what happened on Maui, visit the Kaanapali Golf Resort’s special page dedicated to the show. I’m was bummed that Stephanie Sparks, who I’ve gotten to know pretty well over the years working with her on HVCB Aloha Season projects, wasn’t part of the show. But life goes on.

And last but not least, from one golfer to another, here’s a couple of great Hawaii golf course resources to help you plan your next tee time:

• Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau’s Golf Guide
• The Honolulu Advertiser’s Golf Course Directory

See you on the greens!

-NGK

[Photo courtesy of Golf Channel/Kaanapali Golf Resort]

Crazy huge papayas in Kailua…

We headed to Kailua last night to spend St. Patrick’s Day with Kelly’s family. Aside from all of the great food and drinks, it was hard to miss the massive papayas Kailua Grandpa has growing in the back of the house. Just how big? Bigger than Ensen’s head which itself is roughly 18 inches around. I’ve never seen a papaya of mammoth proportions like this before and according to Kevin (Kelly’s brother) it’s seedless and good eating.

Ensen and me posing with massive papayas. Kevin, Ensen, and Kelly. Ensen admiring Kailua Grandpa.

Am I over exaggerating or are these fruit huge? In any case, I can’t wait to sink my teeth into the gigantic papaya ripening on our counter.

-NGK

Photo/Video of The Day

Ensen loves hanging out with his uncles and aunties. Here are a few photos from a recent dinner with Kelly’s side of the family.

Ensen with Aunty Shoko and Uncle Jerry.

Ensen with Uncle Herbert and Aunty Vicky from Maui.

What’s up with the evil look on Ensen’s face?

-NGK

Baby Lia stops by for a visit

Our friends Brad and Trica stopped by this weekend with their 3-month-old daughter Lia. Ensen (9 months old) always loves hanging out with other babies and Lia is no exception. So cute!

-NGK