Random photos of Little E taken with the Canon EOS Rebel T1i. Think he looks better as a cool dude or a cool chef? I might be biased, but I love both!

-NGK

If you follow this blog, you know the Kam family is a big fan of Therapy Sportsgrill in Koko Marina. My pal Regan sent me an email the other day alerting me the restaurant is doing sushi/sashimi platters this holiday season. Based on the photo above, anyone sporting this platter at their party would be nothing short of a rock star. Look at the variety!

Platters range from $50 (for a small that feeds 10-15) to $100 (for a large that feeds 20-25). You can customize the platter any way you want…more hamachi, less salmon, add oysters…whatever you like! Why stress out in the kitchen this holiday season? Leave the work to Therapy Sportsgrill and spend more time with family and friends are your next family or office party.

To order, simply email theraphysportsgrill@gmail.com or tweet @TherapyGrill and they’ll hook you up.

Happy Holidays!

-NGK

The Kam family had the pleasure of seeing the Polynesian Cultural Center’s new show “Ha: Breath of Life” a few weeks ago as a guest of the center and really enjoyed it. It’s a colorful production the entire family can enjoy with a touching storyline and action packed performances from start to end with exciting dancing, great music, and beautiful costumes.

PCC is a client of the firm I work at and it’s been hosting agency staff and special guests from around town to experience the night show and spread the word. As a kamaaina (Hawaii resident), I’ll confess that going to a luau and a Polynesian show isn’t the first thing on our weekend “to do” list. I’d be willing to bet that’s probably the case with many locals. However, as a public relations executive in the tourism industry, it’s important for me to play “tourist” and experience as much of what these islands have to offer.

So we made the 30+ mile journey from Central Oahu to Laie with the thought in the back of my mind that “this better be worth it.” And I’m glad we did because it certainly was.

Here’s my 5 reasons I feel it’s worth heading north to see this beautiful production called Ha: Breath of Life:

#1: GOOD USE OF TECHNOLOGY – The feature animation projected onto different parts of the theater to transition each section of the show was a nice touch. It modernized the show without taking away from its authenticity and provided a visual narration of the story that was taking place on stage. It was a good way to move from the exciting dances, back to the storyline, then back to the dancing.

#2: BEAUTIFUL COSTUMES AND DANCING – One of the most impressive things about the show is the detailed costuming representing each Polynesian culture. Talk about colorful and attention getting. Combined with the traditional dances makes for an incredible visual presence on stage. Aside from looking down at my iPhone to tweet every now and then about what we were seeing, my eyes were glued to the stage the entire time.

#3: THE STORYLINE IS NOT CHEESY! – Whenever I attend a show like this, I’m always weary of cheesy storylines that make you want to gag. Thankfully, Ha: Breath of Life came nowhere near cheesy on my radar. In fact the story of Mana is an engaging one that really keeps the show interesting, through emotional highs and lows, as he goes from being a boy to becoming a man. But the way the Polynesian Cultural Center website describes it is much better:

This is every man’s story, told through the life of a Polynesian man named Mana. Journey along with young Mana as he is born out of the turmoil of a capsized canoe, washed upon the shores of life to find his way. He and his parents find refuge in Tonga and learn the importance of community. Little Mana celebrates his early years of life in Hawaii with the customary birthday luau marking his survival in the world. We next see Mana as a young boy in Aotearoa, or Maori New Zealand, where he is growing and becoming a young man. As he comes upon a beautiful maiden named Lani in Samoa, he learns about falling in love and earning the acceptance of her family. With love comes marriage and soon Mana and Lani are taking their vows in the romantic setting of Tahiti. War touches their lives in Fiji and Mana is saddened by the death of his father. The story begins again with the celebration of life as Mana and Lani welcome their new baby into the world.

#4: THE FIRE DANCE – I’ve never seen anything like it before. A bunch of dudes wearing ti leaf skirts and dancing over a pit of hot fire. And not just dancing over it, but actually sitting on it as well. This fire dance was one of my favorite parts of the night. Not only was it memorable, but it had me scratching my head as a man thinking “that must be harsh on the…errrr…private parts.” I’m still not quite sure how they did it, but it certainly was awesome! Kids…and adults…do not try this at home.

#5: THE SHOW IS A GREAT VALUE! – To see the show only is just $45 for adults and $35 for children making this arguably the one of the best deals on the island for Polynesian entertainment. And 90 minutes of it for that matter. And kamaaina (Hawaii residents) have an even better deal to see the show for just $25 (plus buffet dinner) for a limited time to get out there and go see it. Of course, if you’re going to make the trip to PCC you’ll want to make time to explore the rest of the park too and possibly grab a bite before the show, so check out all of the Center’s different packages to make the most of your day.

Overall, this is definitely a show even locals will enjoy! If you happen to get out there to see it, I’d be interested to hear what you thought about the experience. Aloha!

-NGK

The real bosses of the Kam family household – Jabbey and Tikki.

Photo taken with my Canon EOS Rebel T1i.

-NGK

When it comes to pupus (appetizers) in the islands, you can never go wrong with edamame (soy beans) boiled to perfection and lightly seasoned with Hawaiian salt. At the same time, boiled peanuts is also another winner. Just add a nice cold beer, serve, and enjoy.

Photos taken with my Canon EOS Rebel T1i.

-NGK

When our zipline guides George and Luke joked about it being Joe’s (pictured above) third day up on the mountain strapping guests into their harnesses and sending them flying high through the West Maui mountains, it only made our group of 10 first time zippers that much more anxious. The additional jokes about how the trees below will soften the fall in the unlikely event of an accident only compounded the butterflies in my stomach. But truth be told, we were safe and in good hands and “greenhorn” Joe was an excellent guide. By the time the group reached the third zipline, my butterflies and fear of heights had vanished. Adrenaline had kicked in. This was also the case for the rest of the group.

Let’s get a couple things out of the way. I’m not the biggest fan of heights and I’ve never ziplined before. Kelly and her family did the ziplines at Kapalua Adventures earlier this year and had a lot of fun. So my visit to check out a new client Skyline Eco Adventures on Maui a couple weeks ago was one of great excitement and fear. I’d been told by owner Danny Boren and others that their line was one of the more “adventurous” ones on the island. “What the heck did that mean?” I thought to myself. I soon found out after committing to do both of Skyline’s courses – eight zips in Kaanapali in the morning, followed by five zips up on Haleakala in the afternoon – for a total of 13 incredible zipline crossings in one day. Here’s a few photos I took at both courses and a video highlighting some of the fun we had.

As they say, go hard or go home, so I made the most my time on Maui. The three-hour Kaanapali Skyline Adventure course winds its way down Mount Kahalawai over verdant valleys at a leisurely pace with spectacular views of West Maui and Lanai. This would prove to be a great way to start the day. The eight ziplines progressively get longer and faster starting at about 350 feet and ending at over 1,100 feet. But the most exciting and unexpected thing about the experience was the harness system Skyline uses. You’re literally strapped in at you waist and given the freedom to control how you twist and turn down the line by steering with the carabiner.

No two zips are alike…I went down a few straight, sideways, and backwards…which added to the thrill and excitement. The entire group had a great time and gave the tour 20 thumbs up. I documented my Kaanapali adventure on Twitter with commentary and photos which you can find here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

With my adrenaline still going, I jumped in my rental car and booked it up to the Hakeakala Skyline Tour for another five zips just after noon. This tour was much shorter at one and a half hours and featured a much tighter course in cooler mountain conditions. If you’ve been upcountry on Haleakala, you know the air is much crisper up there. The lines aren’t nearly as long as the Kaanapali course with the longest at just over 750 feet, but the thrill and excitement was just as intense. About a dozen of us took to the course. For most it was their first time. For a handful they had come back to do it again with friends.

The first four lines prepare you for what was my favorite zipline of the day…the fifth and final run that you saw in the video above. Talk about WOW! Perched high above the final destination, this line featured quite a drop and a boomerang effect for extra excitement. You go pretty fast on this line too (someone said up to 50 miles a hour). As the ladies rushed off the platform, some of the men in the group (including yours truly) had a sudden rush of butterflies in our stomachs again. But when all was said and done, we all made it, enjoyed it, and left wanting more! Again, I documented this Haleakala adventure on Twitter here, here, here, here, here, and here.

So there you go. If you want to overcome your fear of heights while enjoying some serious adventure, consider a zipline tour. It worked for me. Hawaii’s got plenty of them on Kauai, Maui, and Hawaii’s Big Island. They’re all different in their own way so be sure to do your research before you book. Some have you seated in a swing type seat going straight down the line, while others give you the freedom to maneuver around. Whatever you chose, be sure to bring your camera and take lots of photos. The views are priceless.

And before saying aloha, I leave you with some helpful zipline tips from my friend Sheila Beal who authors the GoVisitHawaii.com blog. She had the opportunity to zip on Kauai and provides some great reminders about being in Hawaii’s great outdoors.

Happy ziplining!

-NGK

Uncle Kevin and Paul "Little E" Stanley.

Another fantastic Halloween in the books. What has become a family tradition, we headed down to Kailua to trick or treat with the family and Ensen gave fellow ghouls and goblins his best KISS (Paul Stanley) impersonation. Kelly sewed his costume and the little guy even let her paint his face. Doesn’t he look like a true rocker? He got a lot of nice comments from passersby and from the family. Now the big question is, what should he be next year? Before you answer that, here’s a few more photos to recap the night.

The hunt is on for candy…

Uncle Glen and Aunty Kim join Ensen on the trail…

Bag is filling up fast with lots of candy…

About half way around the block, Ensen started going up to the houses himself, saying “trick or treat” and collected candy himself. Priceless!

Battling the big kids for position…

A successful trip around the block and we’re spent…

Having fun with the Canon EOS Rebel T1i. Still figuring out how to use this thing…

Here’s a couple of Ensen’s friends…Kyle and Tara…

And one last crazy photo before we close.

-NGK