Does Anyone at The Office Read My Blog?

Melissa Malahoff-Kamei and me enjoying the world-famous Hamura’s Saimin Lilikoi Chiffon Pie.

The Kam Family Blog is coming up on its one year anniversary in August and I think most of my colleagues at McNeil Wilson Communications know I update this thing religiously. So I thought it would be fun to do a little test to see if my fellow PR associates actually visits this site (or has McNeil Wilson setup on their Google News Alerts). I have a feeling the answer is no, but I’m about to find out. Here’s how.

We celebrated Melissa Malahoff-Kamei’s birthday yesterday with some delicious Hamura’s Saimin Lilikoi Chiffon Pie which Emele Freiberg brought back following her trip to Kauai. At the same time, I took a bunch of candid photos of the Travel and Tourism Division staff who were in the office having fun and working hard. If anything will get them to the site, this is it.

From left: Emele Frieberg, Patrick Dugan, Noreen Kam (@buzzbunny), Melissa Malahoff-Kamei, and Jeanne Datz-Rice.

From left: Dara Lum, Rhegan Liwanag-Luat (@rherhe) and Michael Ni (@kruz808).

From left: Erin Kinoshita (@shmerin), Kimberly Miyashiro, and Andrea Lum (intern).

To my fellow McNeil Wilson colleagues, if you would like your photo removed, please let me know and I’ll take it down. Either post a comment or corner me in my office.

So let the experiment begin!

-NGK (@golfnutn8)

Disclaimer: No PR people were harmed (at least not to my knowledge) during this experimental process. If you don’t know what the “@” references mean that follow some names, click the links or you better ask somebody. Here’s a hint: TWITTER!

Ensen’s First Birthday Party (Part 1)

We had a “rockin” time celebrating Ensen’s first birthday this Saturday at Dave & Busters with nearly 130 of our closest family and friends gathering in The Showroom for the “rock n’ roll” themed party. We decided to keep things fairly simple and straight-forward…no formal program, play a few games, provide a delicious lunch buffet and open bar for all, sing Happy Birthday, then give all the kids Power Cards and turn them lose in the arcade. That formula seemed to have worked as everyone said they had a good time. Mission accomplished.

Getting ready for everyone to arrive. The tables are set with the favors and goodie bags for the kiddies. Everyone getting seated and ready to party.

Truth be told, Kelly gets all the credit for the success of this event spending the past five months planning and executing with her sister Kim. My sister Erin and her friend Kim D. helped out as well, but the bulk of the work was really done by my awesome wife. She did it all…invitations, slide show, favors, and everything else in between..all while transitioning into a new full-time job. KELLY ROCKS!

Kelly and Ensen greeting people as they arrive. Glen putting the finishing touches on the birthday cake. Those awesome guitars were made by Kelly’s sister Kim out of fondant. Yes, Kim and Glen are both pastry chefs…our personal Ace of Cakes!

As for me, I attempted to keep Ensen out of Kelly’s hair (most times unsuccessfully) so she could get everything done and helped out when asked. I think I was also supposed to take photos at the party, but managed to fail at that task too. However, I did manage to get a few good photos, but we’ll need to rely on our friends and family to send more.

Brad and Lia say “hi” to Ensen and my mom (aka Kona Grandma). Ensen celebrated by having lunch with Kaui (the first girl he kissed…other than mom). The birthday boy and me.

Kona Grandpa and Grandma strike a pose with Little E. Kailua Grandpa capturing Ensen taking a swipe out of his birthday cake.

Ensen always enjoys spending time with Aunty Kim and Uncle Glen. Same can be said when he sees Maui Grandma. By the end of the party, the little guy was spent. Always a sign of a good party!

A huge mahalo to everyone who helped celebrate Ensen’s first birthday with us and thanks for all the gifts. Stay tuned for more photos throughout the week.

-NGK

Chillin’ with friends!

It’s been a while since we got together with friends at our place, so we had an impromptu gathering to grind, play some Wii, and have some fun to kick off the weekend. While the competition between couples got quite heated playing bowling on Wii Sports, the main focus of the night was our friends Brad and Tricia’s 6-month-old daughter Lia and our dude Ensen (12 months).

From left: Ensen with Uncle Chris and Aunty Kris, Lia, and Uncle Regan.

From left: Ensen with Regan and Aunty Cathy, everyone having a good time playing Wii, and Brad trying to roll a strike.

From left: Ensen handing out with Chris and watching Aunty Tricia play with Lia. Our cat Jabbey making sure Lia sleeps peacefully.

-NGK

Ensen turns one, Party at Farrell’s!

Ensen turned the big “1″ yesterday and the Kam family celebrated the very special occasion at Farrell’s in Pearlridge Center. This was just the “warm up” party with family for the big gathering coming in a couple of weeks. Ensen was super happy to have everyone come celebrate with him, including Kona Grandma (no Kona Grandpa since he was busy working), Kailua Grandpa and Grandma, Aunty Kim and Uncle Glen, Uncle Jon, and Grandma Ishii.

This place is the perfect venue for kids with a lot of noise and action going on every minute of your meal. The staff sings to everyone celebrating a birthday which Ensen just loved. We managed to have a great meal and even had room for the Pig’s Trough dessert at the end. So ono!

In typical Kam Family Blog style, here’s a bunch of pictures from last night.

From left: Mommy and Ensen on our way to the party. Ensen, Kelly, and Jon. Ensen eating dinner…baked potato.

From left: Glen, Kim, Ensen and Kelly. Everyone enjoying dinner. Ensen checking out the other babies at the restaurant.

From left: Singing “Happy Birthday” to Ensen. The Pig’s Trough dessert enough to feed up to 10 people. Glen, Kim, and Ensen.

From left: Kona Grandma with the little man of the hour. Kailua Grandpa showing Ensen all the toys. Everyone happy to be celebrating with the little guy.

-NGK

Happy Birthday Tate!

This would have been a great photo with Abe, Tate, and Lori, but what ruined it was the lighting. Okay, just kidding…what ruined it was my eyes being closed! Darn it!

The Kam family had a great time at Tate’s 3rd birthday party this weekend at Central Oahu Regional Park. Our friends Lori and Abe put together a great afternoon of food and entertainment, which included face painting and bunny rabbit petting for the kids. There were tons of kids and Ensen had a blast playing with most of them. Here’s a quick recap of the party…

From left: It was good to see Gale, Terry, and Abigail at the party too. Ensen had fun playing with Abigail and the cute bunny rabbits. He also had fun playing with the other kids too at the playground. He’s got a knack for making friends.

From left: Ensen checking out the playground at Central Oahu Regional Park. Tate (in the middle with the face paint) blows out her candles and cake is served. There’s Kelly and Ensen in the background looking in on the action.

From left: Tate, Ensen, Kelly, Gale, and Abigail pose for a shot. A Kam family photo before leaving the park. Since Ensen drools so much, we had to put his nametag on his back.

My theory on taking photos with a digital camera is to take as many as you can because you’re bound to get one good one…like this one above. Priceless!

-NGK

Friends, family and a whole lot of sunburn!

Cathy and Kelly doing their best Robert Palmer girls impersonation while playing Guitar Hero.

It was another crazy weekend for the Kam family. The madness started on Saturday when we got together with our friends Regan and Cathy for dinner at Tadashi. This place has quickly become one of our favorite Japanese restaurants in Hawaii and our meal there this weekend was no exception. The miso butterfish is to die for. After a dinner, we all came back to our place for a little Wii and Playstation fun. 

Then on Sunday, it was off to Tsukiji Fish Market for my cousin Caitie’s birthday party. Always good to see the family and Ensen had a blast playing with all of the young cousins and other babies there. As much as I don’t like buffets, Tsukiji is one of the better ones…as I previously wrote about in a prior blog post. That’s Ensen above playing with Kaena right before we left.

Later Sunday night, we headed to Aunty Kim’s house for dinner.  In the spirt of basketball playoffs, Ensen sported his styling Dwayne Wade shoes (see photo above) given to him by Uncle Jon a while ago.  We had a wonderful BBQ dinner as always and had fun playing Wii Fit, which is a great way to sweat indoors while having fun. I think we need to get one now. That’s Ensen playing above with Uncle Jon and Uncle Glen looking on. Oh, and last but not least, meet Mochi, Kim and Glen’s new long hair dachshund. That’s him in the third photo above. Mochi joins their other two dachshunds Rusty and Lucky.

And finally, our Memorial Day was spend down in Kailua helping Kelly’s parents clean up the house and swimming in the pool.  It was a beautiful day and we couldn’t pass up getting Ensen’s in the water for a second time.  He’s slowly getting used to the pool, but still not a huge fan. That’s him doing his “surfer dude” pose in his wet suit. The other photos were randomly taken in the yard. Oh and by the way, it was such a nice, sunny day I decided to get one hell of a sunburn on my back and shoulders. What an idiot! All I can say is OUCH!

-NGK

A ‘Wii’ bit of fun at the Kam family abode!

Okay, so get this.  After participating in the Visitor Industry Charity Walk early on Saturday morning, the Kam family had a little Wii party at the condo later in the evening. We had the Valdez (Tino, Katrina, and Oren) and Yuen (Kyle and Julie) families over for dinner and a little Wii and PlayStation fun. We’ve known these folks since college so it’s always great to get together to shoot the breeze.

We had a great dinner and Ensen and Oren really enjoyed playing with one another. But the main event of the night was the grown-ups playing a variety of video games…Wii Sports, Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games…and no gaming night would be complete without a little PlayStation2 Guitar Hero action! Here’s a photo montage of an awesome night of friends and fun!

From left: Oren, Katrina, and Jabbey having dinner. Uncle Kyle and Ensen snacking on Cheerios. The video games begin with some Wii bowling. That’s Tino in the green shirt.

From left: Kelly and Ensen watching everyone bowl. Tino cheers after a strike, while Kyle get’s really to roll one himself. Aunty Julie, Ensen, and Oren take break from the action.

A little bottle break for Ensen, while Oren plays on in the background.

Towards the end of the night, Ensen and Oren got a bit affectionate. That’s my boy!

Aunty Julie always enjoys spending time with Ensen. From the looks of these pictures, the feeling is mutual.

-NGK

Birthday Party With A View

The view from the 14th floor of Hilton Hawaiian Village’s Rainbow Tower with famous Diamond Head (Leahi) in the background.

Last weekend my pal Chris turned the big 3-0! So in celebration of this significant milestone in his life, his girlfriend Kris threw him a surprise party at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Resort & Spa in Waikiki. It was an awesome day with some good friends and delicious food. We also took advantage of a quick dip in the cool Pacific Ocean, as well as the newly renovated Duke Kahanamoku Lagoon and hot tub in the Kalia Tower. It was the first time I’ve touched saltwater in a while. A few photos below to recount the day. Happy Birthday Christopher!

Kris did a good job surprising Chris. Too many people named Kris/Chris in this post.

From left: The birthday boy and his girlfriend. Lorne, Regan, Cathy, and Ensen. Abe, Nicole, Jackson, and Wes.

From left: Aunty Cathy, Kelly, and Ensen. A Kam family portrait from the lanai. Regan and Cathy.

-NGK

Mixing it up this weekend

The weekends never come soon enough, and when they finally get here, they always finish too quickly.  As was the case this weekend which was a busy one filled with plenty family fun.

On Saturday morning, before heading out on our errands, Ensen entertained us with his usual silly antics, laughing and talking story with Kelly and me. He’s such a morning person and began doing something new…what we like to call his “AT-AT” impersonation…you know, that four-legged thing from Starwars. He can’t seem to do it enough and showed us several variations of this very cute maneuver…over and over and over.

Ensen showing Uncle John and Aunty Mary how to play Guitar Hero. 

Later Saturday night, we had Kelly’s cousins and Kailua Grandma (from the Watai side of the family) over for dinner. It’s been a while since we’ve gotten together and they were eager to see Ensen. More about this party in a separate post. And yes, there was some Guitar Hero playing involved.

Visiting my Grandpa Kam at Punchbowl.

The priority today was getting to the grave to visit our grandparents at Punchbowl Cemetery and Diamond Head Memorial Park. Kelly and I have grandpas on our father’s side buried at Punchbowl and my grandma on my mom’s side is buried at Diamond Head. It was nice to visit, take some flowers, and share stories with Ensen about our loved ones that have passed. We miss them and promise to make these visits to say “hi” more frequently. This family moment was a nice (and humbling) way to end a long weekend.

-NGK 

Finally got a new camera!

Julie and Dane came down to Kailua to party with Kelly and Ensen.

After weeks without a digital camera, we finally broke down and bought a Canon PowerShot SD750 from Costco this weekend just in time for Kelly’s belated birthday BBQ bash down in Kailua.

Cutting straight to the point, the camera is awesome. It’s compact, lightweight, easy to use, and takes great photos. We’re still figuring out all of its “bells and whistles” - and there are a lot of cool features - but wasted no time shooting a ton of photos to break the camera in. Seems to me Ensen likes the camera too! What do you think?

Checking out the zoom on the new camera. Proud daddy with his boy at sunset. Ensen hanging with Uncle Regan and Uncle Brad.

Ensen and Dane checking out a new toy. Hanging out after dinner. Lia (2 months old - Brad and Tricia’s daughter) and Ensen get some rest after a long night of partying.

Brad and Lia chillin by the pool. More eating and partying. Glen made a delicious birthday cake from scratch…having a pastry chef in the family has its benefits!

-NGK

The Ala Wai was definitely a fun challenge!

What do you get when a team of public relations and advertising pros compete in an outrigger canoe race and ancient Hawaiian makahiki games? The Anthology Marketing Group (AMG) ‘ohana having a blast at the 23rd Annual Ala Wai Challenge this past Sunday…DUH!

From left: Rhegan Liwanag-Luat, Ashley Pias, Frank “The Enemy from CommPac” Clay, yours truly, and Karl Nakagawa. Amy Hennessey, Keith DeMello, Patrick Dugan, and Karl Nakagawa. Page Gaylord, Dan Zelikman, and the rest of TEAM LCA.

Roughly two dozen of the “finest athletes” from McNeil Wilson Communications, Laird Christianson Advertising, and StarrTech Interactive (all divisions within AMG) woke up very early to brave the morning cold and participate in this one-of-a-kind event celebrating the unique sports only found in Hawai‘i.

From left: TEAM MWC canoe paddlers Wok Kim, Keith, Ashley, Amy, and Karl. Cheering on TEAM MWC as they race into the wind.

There were more than a dozen teams (we had two) representing the hospitality industry who competed in a quarter mile outrigger canoe race along the Ala Wai Canal and in ancient Hawaiian games, including ‘ulu maika (bowling a round stone through pegs), o‘o ihe (spear throwing), moa pahe‘e (dart sliding), and ‘ihe pahe‘e (spear sliding).

From left: TEAM MWC makahiki squad Patrick, Erin Mankins, Rhegan, LeeAnne Mathews, me, and Darcy Maeda. Patrick rolling the ‘ulu maika. Leanne prepares to slide the spear.

From left: Erin in the moa pahee competition. Patrick leads off the spear throwing. Rhegan giving it her all to make it stick.

So how did our teams do? Well…considering we didn’t practice once for any of the events, I’d say we did…ummmmm…pretty good. There were definitely some ringers on other canoe teams that gave them a clear advantage. So our next opportunity to catch up was in the makahiki games competition. But seriously, how good could we expect to do? None of us have played these games since intermediate school or the last time we visited the Polynesian Cultural Center. We gave it our best, but in the end, there were just a few teams a bit more talented in rolling stones, throwing spears, and sliding darts than us.

From left: Darcy letting it fly. Me trying not to look foolish. TEAM MWC’s scoring sheet…aiya…where’s the rest of the points!

From left: LeeAnne and Erin Kinoshita, the MWC PR guru who had to work the event and got all four TV stations to cover the festivities. LeeAnne and Rhegan enjoying shave ice. AMG represent!

There was an area of the competition where Anthology Marketing Group was clearly the winner and that was in “team unity,” “enthusiasm” and “sportsmanship.” The entire AMG team had a great time! Who won versus who lost was inconsequential in the end…thought it was obvious it mattered a lot to one team in particular…not naming names here. If you’re wondering what kind of classless guy talks trash to girls from our firm, just ask anyone on TEAM MWC. We’ll tell you.

Last but not least, mahalo to the Waikiki Community Center for hosting the event and to Chris Tatum, general manager of the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, for being a great corporate citizen and sponsoring this great community cause.

I’m looking forward to doing this again next year!

-NGK

A Cajun shindig at Mike’s apartment!

From left: Karl Nakagawa, Rhegan Liwanag-Luat, Michael Ni, Merrissa Uchimura, Kelly, and Linda (Karl’s wife) deep in thought playing Cranium.

Since returning from New Orleans, I’ve craved creole and Cajun food like you would not believe. So much so that we’ve had two get-togethers with friends to satisfy my appetite for fried catfish, jambalaya, dirty rice, and beignets.

The latest Cajun party was hosted this past weekend by my co-worker Michael. The entire McNeil Wilson Communications HVCB PR team gathered at his apartment on the 29th floor high above Honolulu for some good food, company, and entertainment.

From left: Me, Karl, Rhegan, and Michael plotting our strategy to win the game. Unfortunately, even with all of this brain power it didn’t work.

Michael whipped up a pot of delicious jambalaya, Karl and his wife Linda brought some delicious crab “crawfish” dip, and Kelly baked her world-famous cornbread. Of course, no Cajun dinner would be complete without an assortment of desserts. Rhegan’s boyfriend Kyle baked an unbelievable peach bread pudding, while I did my best to recreate the classic Cafe du Monde beignet. Merrissa joined the party later in the night and brought smiles to our faces as she unveiled a selection of alcoholic beverages she picked up on the way.

From left: Michael and Rhegan with Ensen. Merrissa making the little guy laugh. Kelly, Linda, and Kyle (Rhegan’s boyfriend) on their way to winning the game.

Throughout the night Ensen got to know all of his uncles and aunties a little better and eventually called it a night. Before saying goodnight, we all engaged in a friendly battle of Cranium. Unfortunately, my team consisting of Michael, Rhegan and Karl was outmatched by Kelly, Merrissa, Linda, and Kyle. Trust me, they won’t be so lucky the next time.

With this party, I think I’ve officially had my fill of creole/Cajun food for a while. I’m looking forward to discovering what my stomach will be craving next.

-NGK

Ensen’s new playmate…Ms. Lia!

Congratulations to my buddy Brad and his wife Tricia on the arrival of baby Lia on December 12. It was good to see the Araki family again after almost a month as they’ve been busy adjusting to parenthood. Lia is so cute and has the chubbiest cheeks I’ve ever seen. Ensen had fun playing with her at Uncle Regan’s BBQ this past weekend, although she slept most of the time. It’s hard to believe Ensen was that small just a little while ago. The both of them are so precious. Don’t you agree?

From left: Tricia and Aunty Cathy playing with the little ones. Ensen reaching out to say hello. Lia and Ensen posing for the camera. Below: Hamming it up for the camera.

-NGK

Ensen loved his first Christmas!

Seeing Ensen glowing with excitement just looking at all of his gifts was probably the best Christmas gift Kelly and I got this year…though we are extremely thankful for all other gifts we received too…don’t get us wrong. But to see your first child mesmerized by gifts taller than him was priceless and something we’ll never forget! And Ensen wasted no time getting right to the point.

Christmas has always been my favorite holiday of the year. Not just because Santa always brought me great presents (because I was ALWAYS a good boy!), but because it also meant our family would leave the Big Island to spend the holidays with the family on Oahu. Growing up, we couldn’t possibly spend enough time at grandma’s house in Manoa and Christmas was no exception. I’m truly greatful that both of our families were able to share in Ensen’s first Christmas.

As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, so instead of trying to describe Christmas morning at the Kam family household, I’ll let the following photos do the talking.

A big “MAHALO” to all of our family and friends (near and far) who gave wonderful presents this year. A more formal thank you to come via mail. Until then, take care and Happy New Year.

-NGK

Family, food, and fun on Christmas Eve!

Ensen with his second cousins Cailey, Chloe, and Courtney.

Kelly, Ensen and I spent Christmas Eve with my parents, sister, Uncle Dickie, and the Tonokawa family (Aunty Steph, Uncle Alan, and their four girls Courtney, Chloe, Cailey, and Caitie…aka the “4 Cs”).

We all met up for dinner at Shokudo Japanese Restaurant and Bar on Kapiolani Boulevard, one of our favorite restaurants for “tapas style” Japanese fusion cuisine (more about the food and drinks soon in another “Restaurant Ramblings” blog). It’s been nearly four months since they last saw Ensen, so it was hard from everyone to restrain from holding the little guy…at least for a little while.

From left: Chloe and Ensen. Uncle Dickie taking video for the family archives. Aunty Erin giving Kelly and I a chance to eat.

From left: Uncle Dickie, Caitie, and Chloe. Alan, Catie, dad (Gary), and mom (Rhonda) with the little guy. Everyone having a good time.

Dinner was great and when everyone was full, we headed to the Tonokawa’s house in Manoa for more holiday entertainment. Bingo has become somewhat of a family tradition around the holidays, so this year Aunty Steph mixed it up a bit with some Christmas style bingo which used pictures instead of numbers on the cards. Everyone was a winner taking home cash and prizes. During the times when Kelly and I won, we let Ensen pick a prize for us. I gotta say, the kid has a nose for money as he picked three cash prizes. YEAH!

From left: Special holiday bingo cards. Ensen drawing a prize from the goodie bag. Family enjoying time together.

Well, we didn’t stay late enough to open presents with the family. Kelly, Ensen, and I headed home just short of midnight for a good nights rest. We figured we’d all need it for the following morning to keep up with Ensen’s excitement of opening his gifts. We were right. A blog about his first Christmas coming up soon.

-NGK