Cruising on a Sea of Words: Mele Kalikimaka

The "Sea of Words" series consists of Hawaiian words found in my latest Pepper Bibeau mystery novel, Island Cruise Homicide. For Christmas, though, I am posting a Hawaiian phrase that represents the spirit and aloha of the Islands: Mele Kalikimaka.

Mele means song or chant; also, merry. Kalikimaka is Hawaiian for Christmas. This is truly the locals' traditional way of sending holiday greetings to say Merry Christmas to you.

The greeting is familiar to many people because of a song by Bing Crosby, a crooner of the early 20th century. "It's the thing to say on a bright Hawaiian Christmas Day!"

The following includes excerpts from my Christmas posts of 2018 and 2009.

Shaka Santa and Mrs. Claus with poinsettias
in front of Honolulu Hale - 2019

Prior to 2020, each year, I visited the downtown area to check out the Honolulu Christmas decorations. At Honolulu Hale, Santa and Mrs. Claus (who sport palaka design masks this year) reign over the festivities: the tall Christmas tree, the Mele Kalikimaka toy display, and the Christmas wreath contest of unique wreaths decorating the walls. Hearing the squeals and chatter of school children as they enjoy the sights always brings a smile to my face.

The days leading up to Christmas Day are a time for just that, squeals and chatter, the joys of childhood, and remembering the pleasures of past holidays. In our family, celebrations were prefaced with attendance at mass, first St. Luke's Church, and later Holy Redeemer Church. Giving thanks reminded us not to take our many blessings for granted.

Today I am focused on simple blessings so often taken for granted throughout the busy year: colorful birds and flowers during my walks; the sweetly-tart juiciness of a chilled tangerine; and an unexpected exchange of friendly greetings. Burdens lessen as I concentrate on a few of my "favorite things."  

May your days be filled with merriment and peace!

*****     *****     *****

Much of the information in the following 2009 post remains relevant, although I haven't seen The Candy Cane Train in years and Santa on the roof of Ala Moana Center doesn't have a lei this year!
But he does have a mask - a sign of the times.
*****

MELE KALIKIMAKA is one of my favorite Christmas songs. Remember Bing Crosby's 1950 rendition, accompanied by the Andrew Sisters? "That's the island greeting that we send to you  . . ."

The holiday season on the island of O'ahu opens with the Honolulu City Lights celebration. The Electric Light Parade travels through downtown to Honolulu Hale (City Hall) for the annual tree-lighting ceremony. This year's tree is a striking 55-foot Norfolk pine. Another tradition is "Nutcracker" performed on-stage at Blaisdell Concert Hall.  

At the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl, rows of evergreen wreaths on grave sites honor fallen veterans this holiday season. The wreaths adorn 1,288 of the graves, part of the Wreaths Across America campaign.

Aunties like myself, keiki, and tutus all enjoy the entertainment of Hawaii's local groups this time of year - Na Leo Pilimehana, Makaha Sons, Kapena, and the Brothers Cazimero, to name a few; special hula dance groups (halaus) including Hoku Zuttermeister; and celebrities Amy Hanaiali'i Gilliom, Keali'i Reichel, and Willie K (the title of his Christmas song "Aloha Kalikimaka" reveals what the K stands for.) Music by the late Israel (Iz) Kamakawiwo'ole is always heard around the islands. 

 

Candy Cane Train

At Ala Moana Center, our open-air shopping mall, children ride the Candy Cane Train and watch musical productions on Center Stage, the illusion of snow delighting the young at heart. Hula performers draped in colorful regalia entertain with beautifully choreographed, swaying movements.



Santa gets lei-d for the holidays

But it isn't officially the "season to be jolly" until the Santa Claus statue is assembled up on the center's rootftop for all to see!

In Honolulu, jolly ol' St. Nicholas arrives in an outrigger canoe, landing on the shores of Waikiki! http://bit.ly/IPRKP1 

And we do have real snow here. Recently, my cousin reminded me of the snow-covered mountain of Mauna Kea on the Big Island. Low temperatures on Maui's Haleakala also attract the white fluffy stuff that folks in the northern states take for granted this time of year. 

http://gbjorn.wordpress.com/2008/02/02/pictures-of-snow-on-haleakala-maui/

 


Hawaiian Menehune

Kalikimaka is Hawaiian for Christmas.

Mele means song or chant; also, merry.

This is truly the locals' traditional way,

Of sending holiday greetings,

To say Merry Christmas. To you.

Aloha Nui Loa,

That's Hawaii's way to say

"a canoe-full of love."

Although some traditions come and go, the spirit of the holidays always remains,

and around the Islands, people of all faiths share the spirit of

ALOHA!

*****     *****     *****

What's Love Got to Do With It? #WATWB

 

Welcome to We Are the World #WATWB Blogfest 

November 2018. 

Our stellar co-hosts are:

Eric Lahti, Inderpreet Uppal, Shilpa Garg, Peter Nena and Damyanti Biswas

Please do visit them and any others with the #WATWB tag.

Simon Falk:

https://bit.ly/2SmSXRG

 

In Hawaii, the favorite greeting is "Aloha" which has several meanings. The most important is easy to explain. The word means "the presence of breath" or "the breath of life."  "Alo" means presence, front, and face; "ha" means breath. Aloha is not only a way of living, but a way of treating others with respect and love.

 

Tina Turner's musical query, the title of this blog post, and Yanni's Love Is All look at love from opposite ends of the spectrum. One questions its validity; the other is bolstered by its presence.

 

When searching for a feel-good article for this month's post, I came across a timely story about a children's pageant. One child accidently misspelled a word, adding a priceless touch to a traditional play. The message gave me a sense of happiness that has stayed with me. Please enjoy the story here:

 

 http://dailyheadline.com/this-girl-accidentally-misspelled-the-word-christmas-and-the-results-priceless/

 

December is filled with holidays and traditions

around the world.

I hope all are celebrated with love.

 

  

E is for EGGPLANT PARMESAN at Assaggio's #AtoZ

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

My daily #AtoZ posts combine two concepts in under-300-words per day:

an appealing food choice along with thoughts that spring to mind.

*** *** ***  

One of my favorite restaurants is Assaggio's. And a favorite menu choice of mine is Eggplant Parmesan. In the early 90's, my initial experience with Assaggio's was in Honolulu at Ala Moana Shopping Center, my home away from home for 12 years. After a hard day's work, the restaurant offered a soothing respite. It also presented its patrons with visual tranquility. 

 

My thoughts quickly return to a platter of fragrant baked eggplant, smothered with fresh mozzarella and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. In the background is heard the steady, rhythmic flow of water into a pond below. Between bites, a glance reveals a school of colorful Japanese koi fish swimming languidly past the window table. The waiter asks, "More wine?"  

 

photo by Gail M Baugniet

 

A plaque fronting the sculpture reads:

 

WAIOLA

The Living Waters. Symbolic of the new life found

in the Islands of Hawaii by all peoples and of the

harmony of Aloha achieved here through the

mingling of cultures.

This fountain form is made of silicon bronze, weighs

two tons, stands fifteen feet high and cascades

1000 gallons of water per minute.

 

Artist: George Tsutakawa        Engineer: Jack Uchida

June 30, 1966   

 

***   ***   *** 

 

Happy February: Reaching Your Goals and Setting New Challenges

How's that goal-setting working out for you so far? Seems like 2016 barely ended and January hit the ground running. I wasn't in that marathon and didn't hit the ground very hard when it came to blogging. Rather than give up, though, I decided it was time to rev up my motor and get kicking.

 

February is NOT too late to set goals, or to begin working toward the goals you set in December.



FIREWORKS OVER MAGIC ISLAND IN HONOLULU
Celebrating Our Accomplishments of 2016
and looking forward to all that 2017 has to offer!

Two goals on my list for 2016 were to post thoughts about the 70 poems in my book of linked poetry; and to read and review 71 books. As New Years Eve approached, I could breath easier, knowing those two goals were met. That meant less guilt for me when transferring other goals to 2017.

 

You can access my Goodreads Reading Challenge 2016 page here:

https://www.goodreads.com/challenges/show/3890-2016-reading-challenge

My goal for 2017 is to read and review 72 books, in a wider variety of genres than ever before!

Facing Forward

 

There wasn't much time to celebrate reaching the end of the above goals, however. November 1st marked the beginning of NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writers Month. If you haven't participated in this annual ritual yet, check out what all the shouting is about and consider setting it as a goal for November, 2017. Here's the link:

 https://nanowrimo.org/sign_in



 

Not everyone sets goals at the start of each new year. Some have routines that keep them soaring toward their lifetime goals without hesitation. Others accomplish tasks and projects in routine fashion, gliding over bumps in the road and sidestepping obstacles with ease. My most heartfelt congratulations to you. I really, really need to watch more TED talks!

 

To everyone:

Happy FEBRUARY of this New Year

ALOHA

and

Best of Success in 2017

  

 

HISTORY OF LOVE: Looking to the Origin

First, let me wish everyone a belated Happy Valentine's Day. I hope you enjoyed a relaxing day, a fantastic meal with your favorite beverage (mine is still diet cola!) and a good movie. If you are far more active than me, you may have gone surfing, jogging, hiking, climbing, or golfing. More like me, back to the movie thing or reading or writing. Whatever your pleasure, passion, or mystery, I hope you found time to indulge.

While Valentine's Day has evolved into a celebration of love, the story of Valentine himself tells of learning to believe in something strongly enough to risk your life for that belief. One version of the story (there are always many, aren't there?) is here: http://www1.cbn.com/st-valentine-real-story


ANOTHER NEW BEGINNING
70 Poems for 70 Days

Poems #18 and #19

Today I am posting two poems from Another New Beginning. Poem #19, REVEALING A SOUL, seemed more uplifting than #18, RIVER OF MUD. Maybe the diverse emotions reflect the original and the evolved perceptions of St. Valentine's Day. To keep my posts of the poems in order, I am including both.

Neither poem appears to reflect the purpose of Valentine's Day. With photographs of pink hearts and red roses floating around on Twitter and Facebook and Google, there seems little room for thoughts of "Rivers of Mud" or even the more lighthearted "Revealing A Soul".

18

RIVER OF MUD

Walls fall

Houses crumble

Cars float downstream.

Winds howl

Skies blacken

Children cling to worried mothers’ skirts. 

Men nail boards

Across window panes

While roofs detach and concrete cracks.

Pack and drive to safety

Leave mementos

Bring water. 

She comes with fierce determination

Taking homes and claiming lives.

Anguished cries of man and nature

Die away

Revealing only tortured souls. 

 

While my thoughts were on Katrina’s destruction of New Orleans, these words can easily cover the devastation of many areas of life. 

“Walls fall Houses crumble” when a family is ripped apart by divorce or lingering illness. 

“Winds howl Skies blacken” during many dangerous weather conditions. This can also describe the inner turmoil of a person during a rape and the unending pain in years to follow. 

“Men nail boards” could refer to Christ’s crucifixion or even the slamming of a prison gate, figuratively being nailed shut behind a prisoner. 

Words can be interpreted in many ways. In the movie, I’M NOT HERE, a reporter says to a character representing Bob Dylan, “…some have questioned … whether or not you still care about people …”

The Bob Dylan character replies, “… we all have our own definitions of all those words. ‘Care…’ and ‘People…’”

“Well,” the reporter says, “I think we all know the definition of ‘people.’”

 

To which the Bob Dylan character says, “Yeah. Do we?” 

Is endless war the answer to the misunderstandings between nations? Between one nation? Is our world a true tower of babel with purpose misinterpreted for all? When ‘she - the river of mud - comes with fierce determination,’ will our answers - anguished cries - appease or anger before they die away? The river of mud, detached roofs, cracked concrete: What destruction will be revealed in the souls of man?

19

REVEALING A SOUL

 

The effort leaves her spent

filled with joy

Breathless.

She leans back

takes inventory, reveals

Satisfaction.

Dreamless, she sleeps,

gaining strength

Healing.

Preparing for what comes next

Already knowing, this child also

Will not give her rest.
 

 

 

The process of using the wording at the end of one poem to create the title of the next meant poems often took an unusual turn. As with many others, I had no idea where I was headed with this poem until most of the words had flowed onto the page. In this case, the effort exerted led to joy and satisfaction, and finally to a touch of humor.

This is for those who have given birth to a number of children. You know babies don’t give a mother much time to relax. Of course, she has already prepared herself for what lay ahead. She isn’t concerned about breast feeding and diaper changes. Or worrying needlessly about skinned knees or school detentions. She nervously looks ahead to the first weeks of dating, the temporary driver’s license, cigarettes hidden in the desk drawer (and other stuff, too!); everything that comes with adolescents developing into teenagers; on-and-on.

If that were the end of a mother’s worries, this would remain a simple, humorous poem. But the ambiguous on-and-on includes releasing your babies to the outside world without further hands-on influence over their daily thoughts, or their actions.

For now though, accept this poem’s originally intended tongue-in-cheek message. The reality of this newly-born child, sleeping so peacefully in its hospital bassinette, is that he or she will soon be capable of creating headaches with endless unanswerable questions; generating colorful drawings on the newly painted white kitchen wall; and displaying a stubborn streak you know with absolute certainty comes from your mother-in-law’s side of the family.

 

 

ALOHA Where You Like Go? by Cloudia W. Charters #FridayBooks

My goal is to read and review 71 books between October, 2015 and October, 2016. My eclectic reading list includes a wide variety of genres, from first-in-series self-published novels to the classics. At the end of each review, I will list the next book slated for review.

 

ALOHA Where You Like Go? by Cloudia W. Charters

From Survival to Satisfaction by Honolulu Taxi

 

In this memoir, the author relates the story of a young adult female who moves to Hawai‘i and experiences an unusual “coming of age.” Her story begins on the Kona side of the Big Island, where she expects cheap living in paradise. But, hey, where the beach? What she gets is jungle.

 

She eventually moves to Honolulu, the state capital of Hawai‘i on Oah‘u, to live and work. Her careers span from nightclub dancer to cab driver. Her life lessons, and the people she meets, are a joy to experience with vicarious reading delight.

 

The local historical details included in Ms. Charters’ tale are excellent. This is not a travel guide rehash but a “well-researched through living” story. Each chapter includes little known facts used to enhance the narrative.

 

I have visited and explored many locations on six major Hawaiian Islands over the past twenty plus years. But this author took me to places in Hawai‘i I will most likely never have the opportunity to see or experience on my own. I enjoyed every page of this book.

 

Next up for review:

 

Murder in Mesopotamia

by Agatha Christie

 

Book Sale at The Makiki Community Library Honolulu

When I first moved to Hawaii in 1992, my timing coincided with the devastation of Hurricane Iniki. It was humbling to watch as locals, kama’aina, and malihini joined forces to demonstrate Hawaiian resiliency. For the first six months, I stayed at the Fernhurst YWCA on Wilder Ave. in Makiki. Whenever I had a few spare minutes, I roamed the area looking for interesting buildings and sights. I discovered an interesting library next to the Makiki District Park, The Makiki Community Library (MCL) and fell in love with its quaint atmosphere. 

Though the MCL is housed within a City and County parks building, it is not a city operation (nor is there any affiliation with the State Library System.) It is managed by the Friends of Makiki Community Library and functions as an independent non-profit group within the building.

Inside The Makiki Community Library

MCL accepts donations of books in good condition and holds fundraisers to cover some of the expenses for keeping the library open to the community as a recreational reading room and lending library. The mission of this library is to provide quality materials and programs that fulfill educational, informational, cultural, and recreational needs of the Makiki community. 

The Makiki Community Library
in background of Park

The Friends of Makiki Community Library

will hold a

Used Book Sale

on

Saturday and Sunday,

February 11 and 12,

from Noon to 4 p.m.

Along with finding some great books for a terrific price,

you can help support your local library.

The Makiki Community Library is located in Makiki District Park at1527 Ke’eaumoku Street, just mauka of Lunalilo Freeway. There is a parking lot off Ke’eaumoku Street about half a block makai of Wilder Ave. Another smaller lot can be accessed from Makiki Street, just makai of the garden plots. Signs on Ke’eaumoku Street and Wilder Ave. list times that street parking is allowed.

Makaki Public Garden Plots

If you want to supplement your books-in-print collection at a price that you might expect to pay for an eBook through the Internet, stop in at The Makiki Community Library on Saturday and Sunday, February 11 and 12. If you see me there, be sure to say ALOHA!

Poinsettia at Makiki public gardens

ALOHA