INFINITY.

Life has taken an amazingly different turn during the last handful of months, and I’m cautiously blissful. Most of you know that I began blogging only recently as a commitment to being true to myself. Maintaining INFINTY has been more than just a hobby, it’s become a therapeutic passion. I escape into the “Mind of NEENZ” and there, I am the supreme ruler, well I am the only one who exists, along with the memories of my experiences and thoughts. I am comfortable there because it’s familiar, however a sense of vulnerability appears after I click “publish.”

With uncontrollable changes in my professional life I have decided to return to college the same year that I’m celebrating my 20th high school reunion. I feel strangely more prepared to tackle the challenge then I ever did, am I finally all grown up? An aspiring geek I chose to focus on Digital Media Production. DMP incorporates not only lessons in design, but it’s also something I enjoy learning more about and I could finally have a career that I love.

I discovered my love for design and media just as I discovered my soulmate, serendipity. Self-taught, and in real need of professional instruction, I dabbled in the basic Adobe and what I consider an upgrade, to a Corel program. For over a year I’ve been enlisted to create basic print designs of invitations and promotional items.

I’ve recently joined a global blog community, FuelMyBlog which is basically a network of bloggers for bloggers; promoting, critiquing, and supporting one another. One of the benefits I immediately received was news about Microsoft Expression Web. The “in crowd” is all-a-buzz about Apple this and Mac that, and while I’m envious I’m also unfamiliar and realistically unable to afford those toys. Microsoft programs have gained my satisfaction, and I’m confident Microsoft Expression Web will satisfy my design cravings. And, as I mentioned earlier in this post that my life has taken an amazing turn, FuelMyBlog is having a contest to win a copy of Microsoft Expression Web!

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Today is day seven on Maui. Work is good, there was much preparation before my arrival, therefore the transition is smooth. One of the highlights of my first week was spending time with my sister’s children; Amu (10), Tolea (9), Taimane (2) and Kaulana (10 days!). The older children belong to “Na Kamali’i ‘O Ke Akua” (Children of God) and participate in performances 3-4 times per week, provided their school work and other responsibilities are completed.

I was able to catch the Thursday night double performance, first at the Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas. The “Villas” as it’s commonly known amongst the locals is a vacation ownership property that opened it’s doors in 2003. It’s a luxurious property with lagoon style pools, waterfalls and slides and sits in front of prime oceanfront property. There are a lot of water activities, including scuba diving, snorkeling, kayaking and windsurfing. The sunset is breath taking and you can watch it from your balcony, on the beach in a cabana or a hammock. One of the attractions for me was a line of gas grills set-up near the poolside. And of course, at sunset you can enjoy a fun, heartwarming keiki Polynesian show.

We then took a quick drive down Honoapiilani Highway to the “Lahaina Cannery Mall” a place I frequented almost daily during my first tour of duty on Maui especially since there’s a Longs Drugstore, Safeway and the all important Footlocker. This show featured the teenage dancers, fresh from volleyball practice at Lahainaluna High School, but you couldn’t tell as they gave a hip-shaking performance.

Once again I will be moving to the island of Maui for work, and though I’ve been preparing for the past three months, it’s finally beginning to sting.  I will be traveling alone; without Lilinoe, Chelsea or Jayden and the reality of not having them nearby is piercing.  For more than two years, Lilinoe and I have spent time with each other everyday, even if for a few hours before we reached the recent milestone of “living together.”  As I described in previous posts, she’s wonderful…our souls have fused.  Chelsea is growing into a strong, independent, determined young lady and it’s my privilege to witness her life.  And, Jayden has already attempted to pack his bags!

We shall take advantage of all of the technology available to continue to communicate frequently, and have already booked flights for them to visit often. 

I look forward to rediscovering Maui, a sanctuary of mine and our traditional destination to welcome in the new year.  I have the opportunity to spend time with my sister and her family, focusing on building a better relationship with her children, especially my niece Taimane.  The overall move to Maui is positive, except of course without my family.

The third chapter of the Carnival of Aloha is taking its readers on a “Hawaiian safari!” Evelyn at Homespun Honolulu has prepared our minds for an adventure that’s sure to ease the recent rains, winds and electricity outages.

Once again, Infinity is a carnival feature highlighting “Our Roaring Weekend.” We’re enticed to trot off to Maui in “Reflections on Maui,” a love story. And, we’re shown exactly why it’s easy to fall in love with Maui when we visit, “Kepaniwai Park’s Heritage Gardens.” But did you know, “Best Halloween in Hawaii in Lahaina on Maui?”

From Maui we’re off to Kaua’i for a refreshing smoothie at “Banana Joe.” Before we head back to Oahu, let’s stop off in Hilo and take the challenge, “Move This 2 1/2 Ton Stone, and Rule Hawaii.”

Of course, what is a tour of the islands without stopping at the “other” island Las Vegas to visit Tita Lika as she, “Ms I-Wanna Hula.”

After all of that wouldn’t you love to find this “Secret Cove?”

Planning ahead, Auntie Pupule reminds us to support the “3rd Annual MWH Christmas Slippah Wish Project.”

Mahalo to Evelyn for bringing the Carnival of Aloha to our homes!

Hawaii’s rainy weather is the first indication that we’re entering the Fall and Winter seasons. In school though, the Kamehameha preschool Nu’uanu campus began their festivities with a field trip to Aloun Farms. The children, parents and Kumu (teachers) took a hayride to the pumpkin patches. Once there, the children bolted to choose a pumpkin for the upcoming week’s school projects. Pumpkins of all shapes, sizes, and colors (white pumpkins?) were selected and hauled off to the classroom.

Each child weighed and measured their pumpkin, but it was the carving that excited their minds the most! The week ended with a treat to a puppet show and parade!

Find more videos like this on INFINITY PRODUCTIONSEnjoy the discovery and smiles!

Our daily conversations involve several moments of hearty, side pain laughter! At times the topic doesn’t matter, we’ll laugh at one of my guffaws or a play on words from Lilinoe; and always something one of the children has either said or done. Lately, we’ve been having impromptu “family talent shows” that will have all of us proudly LOLing.

Early in our discovery Lilinoe gave me the label of “Funniest Person Ever.” Well, maybe I had to coax it out of her, but over the last few years I have lived up to my title. The same with my blogs, I don’t think I’ll ever earn a penny with my humor, but it’s a key ingredient in the harmony of our household, and therefore has heavy value.

The sound of Lilinoe’s hearty laughter, the giggles of Jayden, the loud chuckle of Maiyah or the burst of “ha, ha’s” from Chelsea are infectious, and most importantly soothing.

The ability for us to laugh at our shortcomings, individually and collectively has created an environment of forgiveness; strengthened our family and keep the endorphins flowing through all of our souls.

It’s just another ingredient of life that we cannot live without.

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“is the first way you can instantly blog your experiences, thoughts and ideas, anywhere, using all the capabilities of your mobile phone.”

A few months ago I created an UTTERZ account, mostly to feed the geek within, but also because I intended on using it. Social networking sites post-MySpace have made it easier to post your thoughts on-the-go via your mobile phone.

I hesitate to utilize the voice portion of UTTERZ, well because I strive for perfection. I would rather type it out, proofread and edit and read it as a script; but that would defeat its designed purpose.

One of the most appealing features for me is that I don’t have to convince a whole bunch of my family and friends to migrate over to UTTERZ. I’ve set-up a widget in the sidebar and with a click you can ‘hear’ what I have to say for the day. I figured, it will not only allow me to get more thoughts out into the world, but it will definitely help with my annunciation and dictation.

I don’t promise to be eloquent or profound, but I do promise to be consistent. UTTERZ emails a daily topic, but if anyone has a suggestion on what you want me to utter, leave a comment and I’ll do my best to provide you more than my two cents!

Prior to the start of the current NFL season I joined the “HawaiiThreads: Yahoo! Sports Pro Football Pick ’Em.” The older I get, my interest in sports are reserved until the playoffs or the championship match. And so, joining this ‘tournament’ was purely for “virtual fun.” Lilinoe became interested, and as we do with nearly everything in our lives, we collaborated on a strategy.

It wasn’t very complicated, it consisted of choosing the teams that had players with ties to Hawaii on their rosters; Houston was automatic since I was a former resident; and Lilinoe will choose the New England Patriots each week only because she finds Tom Brady to be “cute.”

The strategy worked the first two weeks as we were able to accumulate 22 points (1 point per win) or 22 correct picks. We didn’t consider the point spread, home field advantage, injury lists, or anything other than the method mentioned above.

In Week 3 I decided to read a few lines of summarized predictions, and managed a low 5 points. In Week 4 I woke up with a bad attitude that left me home alone and only increased to 6 points. Determined to be back on track, I committed to a better attitude and included (begged) Lilinoe back into the selection process, and our points for the week increased to 8. And, I don’t know what happened during Week 6 as the point spread broke our spirit to an all time low of 4 points.

At the end of week 6 we amassed a total of 44 points and were in second place overall. Determined to improve, but having not a clue of the players’ abilities or coaching successes or even the teams’ records we enrolled our 3 year old son Jayden.

As I sat by the computer, I rattled off the names of two teams and he chose. Whatever his response we selected it on the screen. I admit that I was a bit unsure of the strategy, so I went through the list again, but this time by their respective mascots and his picks did not change. The only game we (Lilinoe) attempted to “change his mind about” was the New England vs. Miami (+16.5), but I defended his choice and we went with his selection of Miami.

The last game just ended a few minutes ago, and of the 13 games scheduled, we have 10 points or 10 correct picks! Amazing to say the least, but he should have listened to his Mommy since New England beat the spread!

Back in April of this year, my parents displayed a class act of generosity and purchased a dozen tickets to the Lion King Broadway Musical. The month’s leading up to our scheduled October 13th performance were inundated with numerous inquiries from the children confirming, “Are we going to Lion King?” With every promotional commercial we viewed, the anxiety built more intense. My Mom declared that Maiyah just plain gave up and decided that she wasn’t actually going. And, my sister prepared her 2 year old with a DVD of the animated movie but Taimane opted for “Shrek” instead!

On the day of our performance, my sister and her brood of three (soon to be four) flew in from Maui. In the morning she made her usual stops to the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet and Pearlridge Shopping Center. We did our Saturday morning routine of hula practice in Nu’uanu and eventually all met up at Camilia’s Buffet in McCully. The buffet was so filling that my family and I headed home for an afternoon nap, while the Mauians headed to Kahala Mall to drool at the Apple store and purchase an iPod.

An economical family; we dined on manapua, pork hash, rice cake and passion orange juice in the parking lot of the Neal Blaisdell Center before making our way to the Concert Hall. The night air was absolutely muggy making it even more of a point to get indoors. The crowds were dressed in evening wear, both in the formal and ‘local’ formal sense, which meant Aloha attire permitted. Before heading to our seats we were confronted with a wonderful display of souvenirs of t-shirts, books, stuffed animals, and more. I describe it as being ‘confronted’ because an adult sized t-shirt was $30, and of course we happily purchased a t-shirt for each of the children and souvenir books for each household.

Our seats were perfect to our standards, great proximity to both the stage and restrooms with ample leg room. As the lights dimmed, and the first familiar cry from the character “Rafiki” played by the awesomely talented, Gugwana Dlamini, “Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba!” The entire audience roared as if we’ve all been awaiting the birth of “Simba.” As “Rafiki” continued an “oli” or a chant of declaration that “a lion is here” (Sithi uhm ingonyama) giraffes, zebras, antelope, and even a life sized elephant marched their way down the aisles through the audience.

The march of the animals of the “Pride Lands” were “chicken skin” moments, and one middle aged man sitting behind me even admitted to being overwhelmed by tears. I too was more than misty-eyed.

The entire musical was mesmerizing and had each of our children sitting quietly at the edge of their seats anticipating each scene.

This memory was all made possible by my parents, and I dedicated this blog and the video below as a show of our appreciation for their consistent generosity.

Enjoy our photos and impromptu family talent show the night after!

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Yesterday my virtual and real worlds collided, on purpose, and in the words of Martha Stewart, “It was a good thing.”

For about a month now I’ve been following Guy Kawasaki on Twitter, reading his posts from his website Truemors. Some of his posts were of interest, especially the odd news stories from ‘round the world. He also twittered about his passion for hockey, despite modestly assessing himself as an average and below player. He also boldly twittered about Truemors being labeled the worst website ever. And, I enjoyed his twitters of his ventures on his daughter’s camping trip.

The last week or so he’s been twittering about being in Hawaii, the island of Maui at first and I assumed he and his family were on vacation. He shared, via twitter, showing pictures of his children to his father, and I knew he was now on Oahu, but without family in tow. And, a few nights ago he posted that he had two more speaking engagements before flying home.

I thought to myself that I had to hear him, not because he was an Apple Fellow or had roots in Silicon Valley, but it was my opportunity to allow my worlds to collide, on purpose. You see, I’ve been reading about Podcamps, TechCrunch and DemoFall for the last few months, and am interested but limited by this thing called the Pacific Ocean, and well a budget. This was my opportunity to bring some reality into my virtual world.

I found myself at Honolulu Community College riding the elevator with another gentleman whom said, “Are you here for the STEM conference?” Umm…no, I’m here to listen to Guy Kawasaki. The gentleman replied, “Yes, the STEM conference.” Great, I wasn’t registered for this conference but I did have a “Get In Free” pass, well sort of. Guy had directed a private message to me the night before that read, “If you can’t get in, call me over and we’ll say you’re my bodyguard.”

Approaching the registration desk with a good attitude, and great smile, the lady graciously added me to the list without me even having to use my pass! I found myself sitting amongst a room of people from my parents’ generation, I felt very comfortable, but I’ll admit I wondered if any of them could identify with the guest speaker from Twitter or only from all of his other accomplishments.

Guy was a little more than awesome. He spoke my language: simple, quick, and honest. The topic was relevant, to me, and by the nodding, abrupt laughter, and roaring applaud; I’d say others felt the same as well. He was equally as kind when I introduced myself, and much taller than I had pictured or was it his shaggy, surfer hairdo?

Here are the things I took away from my experience:

• Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Leadership Conference was sponsored by the University of Hawaii College of Education with a goal of building a framework for action. It was an invite only conference which brought together the Board of Education, Department of Education, Department of Human Services, and other relevant related offices.

• “Make Meaning.” I don’t aim to change the world globally, but I focus locally and should it ripple into something larger then I have overachieved, which is perfectly fine in my book. I choose to participate in life, and as a participant I have a responsibility to leave footprints with dignity.

• “Don’t be afraid to polarize people.” I‘ve said this before that I‘ve accepted that “not everybody loves NEENZ,” and knowing this, creates a secure balance. And so, whether in my professional or personal life, I give all of myself genuinely, but I know that not everyone will accept me in the same manner. Part of the balance includes this percentage of people whom may not accept me, it allows me to spend more time and focus on those that do.

• Guy Kawasaki likes to use the word ‘crap.’ And let’s face it, he’s right. Don’t produce it, don’t sell it, don’t give it away. Unless of course, it’s “beta” crap.

I had wanted to ask Guy a few questions, an interview of sorts which would have made my other blog, “TRUEMORS: Get Local Ties” a bit more interesting, but he was overwhelmed by other attendees one of which was the current Lieutenant Governor Duke Aiona. I shall be patient, besides with the available technology my interview is only a twitter away!