S is for SWORDFISH AND SHRIMP #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.

*** *** ***  

 

Relaxing and enjoying a
view of Diamond Head before sunset

Dinner at House Without A Key in the Halekulani Hotel in Waikiki is a treat for several reasons. The atmosphere is quiet and amazingly peaceful. The service is rated above-par because the wait staff is unconditionally Aloha Friendly. And Hawaiian music and hula dancing is offered for relaxing entertainment on the lanai, with the Pacific Ocean and Diamond Head as a backdrop. Few thoughts, other than general goodwill, stick at a time like this.

Lovely Hula Hands
Elegant Hula Dancer accompanied by talented Hawaiian Musicians

Special Mai Tai cocktails relaxed us even further before the salads arrived. Several of us in our group chose the meal of Swordfish and Shrimp. Normally, I would be sure to take home half of the meal from such a nice establishment. But this fish was so tender and flavorful, I couldn't stop eating and the plate was suddenly clean! No left-overs for me.

 

Celebrating the evening with us were Left Coast Crime Lifetime Achievement Honorees and Authors Faye and Jonathan Kellerman. Those folks who worked hardest to make the entire conference possible were: Gay Coburn Gale, Honolulu Havoc Chair; Treasurer Stan Ulrich and Publisher Liaison Lucinda Surber (who were also Awards Co-Chairs) and Panel Co-Chairs and Authors Rosemary and Larry Mild.



Pleasant conversation over Swordfish and Shrimp,
and a backdrop of hula dancers and Pacific Ocean,
with Diamond Head off to the left.

As I mentioned above, few thoughts other than goodwill stick at such a time. But I wouldn't want you to take my word for it. Come on down to Hawai'i and check out the food and music for yourselves!

#AlohaFriday - Aiming for a Wacky Waterworld Week-end

World news, while necessary, can become addictive and even depressing. My desire to remain optimistic without becoming 'Pollyanna' in nature has led me to this: #AlohaFriday news that uplifts the spirit.

Today's news comes from Drew Schneier with a whale of a story that includes fantastic photographs, titillating news of the underwater world, and a fascinating audio.

The Mystery and Magic of Whale Songs

Posted by Drew Schneier

http://www2.padi.com/blog/2016/02/15/the-mystery-and-magic-of-whale-songs/

 

Snorkling, and enjoying the ocean from the shore, are more my speed. That makes Drew Schneier's article even more enjoyable reading for me.

 

Hope you have a wacky week-end, in or out of the water.

 

 

Some of Gail's Personal "Aloha Shore Views"

 

Kaka'ako Fishing Spot

 

Waikiki at Sunset



 

 

 

 

Ala Wai Boat Harbor with Diamond Head backdrop



 

 

 

I is for ICE, Shave Ice and Mochi Ice Cream

PUPUS, Hawaiian snacks similar to hors d’oeuvers, tapas, and canapés,

make up the third segment of my A-to-Z Challenge theme. 

Ice may not sound like a delicious snack food, but in Hawaii Shave Ice is King. This treat differs from the mainland snow cone because the ice is shaved from a block of frozen water rather than crushed. The sno-like texture of the shaved ice absorbs the syrup so you can eat it with a spoon, not just sip it through a straw.

 

My visitor from Minnesota, Flat Mary (of Flat Stanley fame),

enjoying a Passion Fruit Shave Ice

after our hike up - and down again - Diamond Head in Honolulu 

 

Shave Ice comes in multiple flavors, including the more local kine like pineapple, coconut, guava, lychee, mango, li hing mui, and passion fruit. My favorite Shave Ice is served with sweet azuki bean paste at the bottom and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Eh, brah, dis Ono*!

*See the letter ‘O’ for definition of Ono. 

Mochi Ice Cream is the other ‘Ice’ that tops my list of favorite dessert pupus. Mochi is a Japanese rice cake. It is very chewy and sweet. Mochi Ice Cream is fruity ice cream wrapped in mochi and dusted with a white powdery substance. 

 

The verdict is still out on whether Flat Mary likes Shave Ice or Strawberry Mochi Ice Cream better.

 

There are lots of steps to making mochi ice cream, easier if you buy it ready-made. It is popular in Asia, Hawaii, and the West Coast of the United States. 

Why not plan your next vacation accordingly?

 

Doing Just What I Want . . . Sort Of



The other day someone asked me how I liked retirement. In 2009, I decided to retire a bit early and enjoy life. That didn’t mean lounging on Waikiki Beach in the shadow of Diamond Head every day reading my fill of mystery novels; it meant researching, writing, and publishing mystery novels. It also meant paying closer attention to my blogs and participating in writers’ groups. But I do enjoy plenty of leisure time because I do just what I want . . . sort of. 

 

That means that although my goals are set and my projects outlined, deadlines are not carved in stone. If there is a deadline, I can begin the project far in advance so as not to be rushed. This year my goals include completing and publishing a novel; posting interviews with the 13 authors involved in the mystery anthology MYSTERY IN PARADISE 13 Tales of Suspense; and participating in Arlee Bird’s April 2014 A to Z Blog Challenge

by writing and posting twenty-six articles with topics ranging from A to Z.

 

Marketing is an area where I need to improve, another goal. My focus for 2014 includes the novel WITH FIERY VENGEANCE published in December 2013. As the third book in the Pepper Bibeau mystery series, and set in Hawaii, I am having fun discussing the settings featured in the story. 

Yesterday I spent time at Paˋina Café for the monthly local NaNoWriMo group gathering. I had been in a quandary about my WIP because of indecision over the story line. Scenarios had been swimming around in my mind since I completed the first draft last November. As I typed out my thoughts at the cafe, everything fell into place. Doing just what I want, letting my thoughts simmer until the time was right for a solution to develop, worked better than trying to force a decision. 

That’s what I like about my retirement state-of-mind: Doing Just What I Want . . . Sort Of. While I must still take the steps necessary to move a project toward its goal, I have the freedom to do just what I want at any given time. This is my idea of stress-free time management, an enviable luxury. 

How do you manage your time?

SUCCESSFUL PARADIGM



While trying to determine how I could implement Donald Trump’s advice for success, to “Be Everywhere,” I developed an interesting plan.

First, let’s look at Diamond Head, from April 5’s “D” day, again. Diamond Head is the extinct volcano anchoring the southeast corner of Waikiki. People remember this sight because of its visibility from almost every point of the island. Every point of O’ahu. Yes, O’ahu. It is not visible from any of the other Hawaiian Islands, nor is it visible from the Philippines or Alaska.

EVERYWHERE doesn’t necessarily mean everywhere at once.

Before the Sandwich Islands were discovered by Captain Cook, only Polynesians were aware of Diamond Head. Over time, knowledge of its existence spread, first by Polynesians in canoes taking the news to their families, then sailors on ships telling their buddies, and later travelers in airplanes sharing the tale. Then radio, and television, and internet, oh my.

My plan is to use this paradigm of recognition to market my novel.

First, I’ll “tell the tale of my novel’s existence” to family and close friends. They will help me spread the word by telling their friends. Then, by expanding my marketing territory over a period of time, my goal is to reach the edges of the boundaries I’ve set for myself. After covering the four points of my home territory, I’ll reach across the state, and then the country. After that, who knows, maybe the whole wide world.

What successful marketing stratagies have you implemented?