Member Profiles

Aaron

Nickname: Konaguy
Age: 30
Location: Kailua-Kona, Hawai'i
Occupation: Retail
Education: Konawaena High School (Class of 1994)

I have lived in Kona my entire life, born and raised. I'm deeply concerned about the future of Hawaii, hence why I got into blogging. As maybe something constructive can come from writing about the problems I see living here.

Ailina

I was born on 'Oahu to my "born & raised" dad (from Kalihi) and my haole mom (from North Louisiana). My parents brought me back to Louisiana when I was still a toddler, and I was raised there on both cultures. I returned to Hawai'i as a teenager--with a Southern accent--and it was during those four years I realized the Aloha in my blood. I left Hawai'i as a young mother, and I've been in Louisiana ever since.

Dad's gone now, and I'm striving to preserve his part of my heritage by studying Hawaiian culture and passing on that knowledge to my own kids. I'm always missing Hawai'i and remembering the lessons I learned during my short residency there. No matter the distance or the time away, Hawai'i will always be home to me.

Albert

Nickname: Panther
Age: 60+
Location: Honolulu, Hawai'i
Occupation: Urban Nomad
Education: Excelsior Union High School - Norwalk, California (1958).

Ali

Nickname: Ali
Age: 30+
Location: Hilo, Hawai'i
Occupation: Counselor
Education: Ka'u High School; Hawai`i Community College, AA in Liberal Arts & AS in Administration of Justice; UH Hilo, BA in Psychology

I'm a bitch, I'm a lover, I'm a child, I'm a mother, I'm a sinner, I'm a saint . . . oh wait, that's Meredith Brooks. Well, it could be me.

Amy

I was born in Hilo, but I'm currently living in Dallas, Texas. All of my family is in Hawaii (I get asked all the time, "WHAT are you doing here?!"). I just graduated from the Art Institute of Dallas with a degree in Multimedia/Web Design, but I plan to go back to film school. Once I'm finished with all of that, then I plan to move back to Hawaii.

My blog's description reads: "Online journal of daily occurences in the life of an Island Girl living in a land-locked city...So far inland I've had to settle for the 'breeze' of chlorinated water. How is that fair?"

Anaiis

Andre

Nicknames: Anakela, Aristocrat
Age: 48
Location: Ireland, British Isles
Education: Some college, Mastered at the University of Life

Da kine haole guy sympathetic to the native Hawaiian, keen observer of the wonderful people of the islands.

Arlan

I was born on the island of O`ahu and have lived all my life on the Leeward side. A graduate from Waipahu High School and Heald College, I'm currently labouring as an in-house web developer. I have fancied writing, but doubt I have the refined talent. Yet still I try, in between my bouts with video games, reading, PHP and XHTML/CSS. My web site is rated PG on its best days and NC-17 on its worst.

Art

Location: Honolulu, Hawai'i
Occupation: Artist, soon-to-be Grad Student at UH-Manoa
Education: San Francisco Art Institute, BFA

I often perform some pretty tricky stuff without the use of a stunt double.

Ben

Nickname: Mynah Bird
Age: 25
Location: Honolulu, Hawai'i
Occupation: Legal
Education: Neighbor Island Public School; Mainland College/Law School

I come from Maui and have returned after seven years on the mainland. This is my first time living in Honolulu. It's surreal. This blog is an attempt to share what I experience here. I must admit that sometimes it feels like a strange joke, and other times it's so crazy that Kafka could have written it. Watch out, though, I have a tendency to be bookish.

Beth

Age: 32
Location: Manoa, Hawai'i
Occupation: Software Company Marketing Director

I have been described as very black and white and also as obtuse. I grew up in the South. (Anderson, SC, to Charleston, SC, to Charlotte, NC, back to Charleston, SC, then to Atlanta, GA.) I moved to Honolulu with my husband, Basil, purely out of adventure. My personality type is ENFJ... I look forward to cultivating my role as evangalistic cult facilitator, comedienne, and leader of a communist party!

Bill

Age: 30
Location: South San Francisco, CA
Occupation: Teacher
Education: University of Florida, BA in Classics; University of California at Berkeley, MA in Classics

I live in the San Francisco bay area. Yes, that's the Golden Gate Bridge in the background of my picture. I'm a former travel agent with a love for Hawaii and a desire to learn more about Hawaiian culture and folklore. I came this close to moving to Oahu in 2002, but the perfect job opened up for me out here, so I'm staying. For now, anyway.

Bill Moake

William Starr Moake spent his childhood in Michigan and has lived on three islands in Hawaii since 1972. He was a newspaper reporter and editor for several years before working as a freelance travel writer-photographer. Moake is the author of three fiction books, two novels and a short story collection, all published as paperbacks since 1999. When he is not writing, he works as a freelance web designer and software programmer from his home in Nuuanu Valley, Honolulu.

Brie

Nicknames: Brie, Sushipig
Age: Holding at 30
Location: Austin, Texas
Occupation: Underwriting Asst.
Blogger Code: B9 d++ t- k+ s- f i- o++ x-- e++ l- c

Five entirely random things you should know about Brie (in no particular order):

• Will eat almost anything, including burned popcorn.
• Hates repeating herself.
• Addicted to silverjewleryclub.com.
• Smitten with Benicio del Toro.
• Has had several websites and over 30 email addresses.

Bruce

Candy

Nicknames: Canders or Doug
Age: 21
Location: Nu`uanu, Hawai`i
Occupation: ideo Editor, Quasi Singer, & Aspiring Song Writer
Education: Roosevelt, KCC, and Pacific Rim Bible College

Born in Cali and partially raised there, I moved to Hawaii somewhere between being 12 and 13 and have been here ever since. I don't have a degree nor do I plan on getting one but plans change so we'll see. I work at a church and I sing quite often, mostly at church oriented events but sometimes other places when I'm lucky. I love to travel and have a mad passion for tea drinking, a really really mad passion. I've kept an online journal for almost four years, which is quite a scary thing to see typed out. I love photography and artsy fartsy-ness in general. I make an average of two mixed CDs a week that I usually give away to random friends. I love unagi sushi. The rest is on my journal.

Carrier

Cheyne

Age: 21
Location: Waikiki, Hawai`i
Occupation: Graphic Designer/Cartoonist
Education: Academic Hiatus

I was born and raised in Hawaii, but don't really fit the local idiom: I don't like seafood, I don't perform hula, and I can't go past 6 feet in the ocean for fear of sharks. I'm gay and volunteer my time to help plan events for other gay youth. I still believe in old-fashioned monogamy and romanticism and am prone to broken-heart attacks. Basically, I've got a lot of very interesting and humorous anecdotes to share -- pull up a chair and listen for a bit.

Chris

I was born at Queen's Hospital and the family lived in Koko Head at the time. My parents moved to Sunset Beach when I was still a baby and I grew up near the beach, just down the hill from Orian's poultry farm. As I reflect on those days, I think of the huge vegetable garden we had, papaya, mango, avocado, lilikoi, tangerine fruits and the huge banana patch that used to occupy about a third of our front yard. I remember the row of coconut trees that grew along Kamehameha highway that passed by our house and how I climbed those coconut trees as a kid when the tourists buses would stop to take pictures. Our front yard would become flooded when it rained hard and schools of little fish would find their way to our yard from Mr. Shin's well that would overflow from the hard downpour.

I enjoyed the days of my youth, surfing, fishing and skin diving everywhere from Makapuu to Haleiwa, but mostly at spots along Sunset Beach. First love with a California girl marked the summer of '65 and I joined Uncle Sam's Navy after graduation in 1967.

Nowadays, old memories of Sunset, Kammie's Market, Kahuku High take me back to where I still long to be and the soulful sounds of Keali'i, Iz, Gabby Pahinui, Cecilio and Kapono and other local artists soothe and serenade me here, where destiny has led me, thousands of miles from the "Islands".

Christa

When I'm eating popcorn I try to be polite by just popping a few kernels in my mouth but before I know it I've got handfuls that I'm just shoving in all at once.

P.S. I'm addicted to taking pictures. Not, like, "photography," even though that's cool too, I'm talking about taking pictures. Like, hundreds. Of everything, of you, of your friend, of that thing over there.

Christy

Nickname: Mr. Stripeypants
Age: 23
Location: O`ahu, Hawai`i
Occupation: Part-Time Second Grade Teacher
Education: University of Hawai`i (English with a Spanish minor)

Dale

I was born and raised right here in Honolulu, HI. I am an employee of a Fortune 500 company by day, web enthusiast by night. Web publishing has always been an interest of mine, and for the last three years I have been the lead forum administrator for a popular gaming website with over 500,000 members! I have several personal blog projects, but LocoKineGrindz.com is the first one that I've made that is themed around the beautiful islands where I make my home.

Dan

Age: 50 and climbing
Location: Honolulu, O`ahu, Hawai`i
Occupation: State Worker
Education: Loma Linda University (BS in Psychology), University of Hawai`i at Manoa (MA in Public Administration)

I got started working on my website in the mid-to-late 1980s. At first, it was just to learn HTML, the mechanics of having a site, and to share things that I felt were important (mine was one of the early, if not the earliest, sites to have the full text of two famous speeches by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.).

Later, as blogging became popular, the focus shifted to what it is today - a forum in which I can express whatever I want, whenever I want, in whichever way that I want. It is by no means a commercial site. As such, I am free to say non-commercial, non-popular, and non-politically correct things.

In summary, someone once said any fool can say something. And with the web, they do. Well, welcome to my foolishness. YMMV. Insert disclaimer here.

Donna

Age: 29
Location: O`ahu, Hawai`i
Occupation: Information Technology Contractor
Education: Leeward Community College, University of Phoenix

Doug

Age: 34
Location: Kaneohe, Hawai`i
Occupation: Legislative Aide (when in session), Science nerd (the rest of the year)
Education: BA and MA in Poli Sci, UH-Manoa

I sail, I read, I hike, I blog. I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't have much, I don't want much. Former Marine, veteran of first Iraq war. Born in Madison, Wisconsin, Hawai`i resident since 1989.

Ed

Edward Sugimoto is a long time web dude who comes from a journalistic family. His first stab into the web world started at the University of Hawaii with a notable site called Ed-Land, following up with the award winning World Wide Ed web site and a regular column in the University of Hawaii Ka Leo O Hawaii school newspaper carrying the same WWE name. Today, he continues to be a self-proclaimed semi-webnerd, learning about and discovering new web trends and technologies in the industry. His new and improved World Wide Ed site is his current pet project that will include babblings ranging from computer help, web site favorites, travelogues, and much, much more. Sit tight!

Eric

Born in Honolulu, raised in Pearl City. Graduated from 'Iolani School. After spending my college years at UC Berkeley, I came back to the islands and settled down. I'm married, with kids, pets, and a house in Kalihi.

George

People often perceive the advertising in media to be institutionalized lying (what it is), but few know that so is the news section. It is the government's advertising, lying us just as badly by its selection of articles. Fact is, there isn't a newspaper with a non-fiction section. Nor a TV news update.

John Swinton, the New York Times' ex-chief of staff formulated this rather well to his colleagues: "There is not one of you who dares to write your honest opinion, and if you did, you know beforehand it would never appear in print... any of you who would be so foolish as to write honest opinions would be out on the streets looking for another job. The business of the journalist is to destroy the truth, to lie outright, to pervert, to vilify, to fawn at the feet of the wealthy, to sell his country for his daily bread...We are the tools of rich men behind the scenes...we are intellectual prostitutes."

Please welcome Hawaii Observer, which will publish ONLY articles for which a journalist would get fired. User feedback is encouraged. Let's openly talk about things we are not supposed to. "Extreme sports?" Big deal. Here, try "extreme democracy" instead.

Grant

Greg

Nickname: NemesisVex
Age: 30
Location: Austin, Texas
Occupation: Record Store Clerk
Education: University of Hawai`i

Five Things to Know About Greg (in no particular order):

• "NemesisVex" is an Internet-only alias. I've never needed a nickname.
• I am a gay man trapped in a straight man's body. That's not as sexy as you think it sounds.
• At any point in the day, my television is tuned to some airing of Law and Order.
• I turned nasty thoughts about Garrett Wang and Jesse L. Martin into my first unpublished novel.
• I would like to scream like Mukai Shutoku of Number Girl. Or at least write songs like his.

Griffin

Hayneyz

Heidi

Location: San Francisco, California

I was born and raised on Oahu, Windward side. I moved to San Fran right after I got married, and I have been living here for 12 years. I miss home like crazy, but thank god that my husband works for the airlines and that I am able to go home at least once a year. It's not that easy, even though I am able to fly for cheap — I have created a life here, and so the time I get to go home has become less and less. But I always promise myself that I will go home at least once a year.

Helen

Age: 40+
Location: Honolulu, Hawai`i
Occupation: IT Specialist
Education: Univ. of Hawai`i–Hilo, Univ. of Hawai`i–Manoa

Infinity

Bred, born and raised on Oahu. We're better together, but the words are from the NEENZ part of our soul.

Isobal

Location: Honolulu, Hawai'i
Occupation: Social Worker/Artist

Born in Honolulu, raised in Hilo, recently moved back to the islands after living in the Bay Area for the last 5.5 yrs. I am a very private person who shares my life with My Beloved, a few members of my family, and an even smaller portion of friends. I work in the field of Human Services and am also an artist.

James

Name: James Edwin Rodden
Age: 21
Location: Honolulu, Hawai`i
Occupation: Retail
Education: Cottonwood Creek Elementary School, Finger Lake Elementary School (Wasilla, AK); Orchard Heights Elementary, Hidden Creek Elementary (Port Orchard, WA); Scenic Park Elementary School, Wendler Junior High School, Bartlett High School, Walden Pond Charter School, University of Alaska-Anchorage (Anchorage, AK)

I decided to come to Hawaii after spending many a long winters and very short summers in Alaska. I needed a change of atmosphere for a while and even if Hawaii does not become my permanent home, it will still be one hell of an adventurous experience for me.

Jamie

I was born in Philly, but my family moved to Honolulu when I was a year old. My youth was spent as a ranch rat, a child actor, a little leaguer and a beach rat. Most of my adult life has been absorbed by music, be it on stage or in the studio. I spent years touring on the mainland before returning permanently to Honolulu in 2005. Now I'm a full-time freelance writer, part time news writer and a working musician.

Jen

Nickname: Scarlett
Age: 30
Location: Makiki, Hawai`i
Occupation: Mother & Former Retail Slave
Education: Lake Weir High School - Ocala, FL ('90); Central Florida Community College, AA in Secondary Education ('93); UH Hilo and UH Manoa, majored in Marine Biology

Born in Florida, moved to Hawaii when I was 21. Met Ryan, my husband, only a couple months later. Raised Catholic and have a bit of a love-hate relationship with the whole thing. I have a four-year old daughter and am expecting a boy in a couple months. Probably wouldn't write if it weren't for Ryan and I think I'm getting better.

Jenn

Nicknames: Vehementi, kuroi_nezumi, YLEKOT
Location: Honolulu, Hawai`i
Occupation: Administration (Law Firm Style)

I'm a neighbor-island transplant living in the big city. My handful of friends are as varied as my interests, and alas, I fit no personality category. My favorite pastimes are reading, dining out, gaming, watching movies, complaining, and just talking story. And yes, that's Jenn with two n's, as there are way too many Jennifers, Jens, and Jennys in this world.

Jenn T.

Education: Punahou Schools; University of Hawai`i–Manoa
Location: Honolulu, Hawai`i
Occupation: Mom, Substitute Teacher, Basketball Coach

I was born and raised here in Honolulu. As a Hapa (Filipino, Chinese, haole - Scottish, Norwegian, German, English, and Native American) girl, I grew up in the Liliha area... Right smack-dab in between Kalihi and Nuuanu. My lifestyle was torn, much like my locale. I went to both public and private schools and graduated from both Punahou School and the University of Hawaii, Manoa.

Right now my primary focus is learning how to be a mom. I substitute teach to pay the bills and I coach basketball to connect with my inner youth. Along with that, I'm trying to reignite my writing career. It's all in there it's just a matter of getting it out...

Jennifer

Age: 25
Location: Hawai`i

I'm a 25-year-old girl living in sin with my boyfriend and soon to be hubby, Matt. My pudgy and gender-confused mouse Sophie (who is anatomically male, but is really a girly girl) keeps me company as I try to figure out what to do now that I'm out of college.

Jill

Nickname: Acousticlady
Age: 49
Location: Kihei, Hawaii & Saratoga Springs, New York - but not at the same time!

I'm a born and raised island baby. Only the island I was born and raised on is located off the coast of southern New Jersey. I spent my youth frolicking in the ocean and playing classical piano. I was married very young (18) and am still happily married to the same guy. I have one son who is now 30. I went to college when he was 8 and studied waves. My first trip to Hawaii was in 1989 as a graduation present from my husband. We both fell in love with the place and have been coming ever since. We now spend summers in Kihei and winters in upstate NY. You always hear about rock fever but I tend to experience land-lock fever. Someday we plan on living in Hawaii year 'round but for now we consider Hawaii home and go away to college every fall - counting the days until we again come back to Kihei.

Jeff

Ji-in

Age: 29
Location: Kane`ohe, Hawai`i
Occupation: Writer/Editor

I'm an avid blogger, a freelance writer/editor, and a new resident of Hawaii by way of Korea, Iowa and Minnesota. After vacationing in Hawaii several times and then getting married in Honolulu, my hapa Filipino husband and I finally relocated here this year — a move that fulfills a lifelong dream for both of us. I'm a sushi addict and kimchee devotee, an amateur gardener and novice knitter, a risk-taker and a question-asker. In past lives, I've been a violinist, a pianist, a kickboxer, a ballerina, a pharmacy tech and a newspaper editor. I'm a self-confessed nerd with a weakness for Hello Kitty, and I can hang a spoon off the end of my nose with ease.

Jon

Age: Thirtysomething
Location: Honolulu, Hawaii
Occupation: Underemployed writer who happens to work as a collegiate teaching assistant on rare occasions.
Education: UH Manoa, BA in Journalism ('98)

Greatest Fear: I'll be a 30-year-old paperboy living above my parent's garage. Greatest Hope: I'll have enough to afford being a 30-year-old paperboy living above someone else's garage. Let me say this about the chattering teeth: They saved my life. Read about it at my weblog.

Joy

Nickname: JJ or J
Age: 30+
Location: Henderson, Nevada
Occupation: Graduate Student, Administrative Assistant, and Part-Time Instructor
Education: Laupahoehoe High School ('87); UH Manoa, BA in Journalism & American Studies ('92); University of Nevada-Las Vegas, BS in Secondary Education ('97/present)

I was born in Kailua on `Oahu and raised on the Big Island. After I graduated from high school, I went to UH Manoa for five years and finished with a BA in journalism and American Studies. Thereafter, I spent two years as a staff writer for The Garden Island newspaper on Kaua`i (the `Iniki years) and left the beloved islands in 1994 to return to school at UNLV. I received a BS in secondary education from UNLV. My 40-hour a week job is as an administrative assistant in the law library at UNLV. I am finishing my MA in communication studies and also teach one class at UNLV to undergrads. I plan on going on to a doctoral program next year if, and only if, I finish my thesis.

Julia

Nickname: Julia
Age: 20+
Location: Washington
Occupation: Daydreamer
Education: Kamehameha

Born in Honolulu and raised in Kane`ohe, I spent most of my life in Hawai`i. After graduating from high school, I escaped the islands for a brief relationship with a school in Oregon, where I fell in love with the Pacific Northwest. But things never turn out the way you plan, and the next year I was back home in Hawai`i. After several years of trying to finish college in the UH system (read: KCC), feverishly attempting to commit to a major that would suit my ideas and talents, and finding that learning has suddenly become so much harder than it ever was, I resorted to a "break." One of those breaks your parents have warned you not to take. And like all the warnings we've heard before, I still have yet to return to school. You'll shoot your eye out, kid. Apparently they were right. So last year, in search of a future, I moved my cheese. Sold most of my worldly possessions, packed up what was left, and hopped on a plane to Washington.

Kainoa

Nickname: Kimi
Age: Thirtysomething
Location: Hilo, Hawai`i
Occupation: Weekday Superheroine, Weekend Artist
Education: UH Hilo, Gonzaga University, University of Southern California

I grew up as an only child of young parents. I've spent my entire life trying to please my family by making all the right choices and doing what's expected of me, resulting in anal-retentive behavior, obsessive-compulsive episodes, and conformist tendencies. I've worked hard to be successful at what I do but truthfully, I'm happiest engaging in artistic endeavors. I'm still trying to figure out who I am even though my family thinks I've already become the person I was meant to be.

Keith

Keith K.

Keoki

Name: ke0ki
Age: 23
Location: West Side, O`ahu

One haole, born and raised. Graduated high school, worked, joined the Army Reserves, worked again, went to school, got shipped to Iraq, coming home soon and planning on doing to all over again. (Well, the work and school part.)

Kimm

Born and raised in Hawaii, I never really considered how special this place really is. Sort of like not being able to see the forest for the trees, sometimes we miss the beauty that exists in our lives because it's so blatant and obvious. In the case of Hawaii, sometimes we miss her beauty because it is something that exists for the enjoyment of others. Yet with a personal gaze upon our islands and our cultures there can be nothing better than living in Hawaii.

Papaya lover, educator, pilates amateur, recent UH Manoa grad, avid journaler, big dreamer, working on the actual doing, daughter of Bert and Lei.

Kirby

Name: Kirby Wright
Location: Palo Alto, California
Occupation: Writer
Education: Punahou School ('73); University of California at San Diego; San Francisco State University - MFA, Creative Writing

Aloha! I'm a writer from Hawai'i and I'm going to be sharing some of my poetry and stories. I've been published in literary magazines and university journals across the country.

Leimamo

Age: 40-ish
Location: Japan
Occupation: Domestic Engineer (Fulltime Grandma)
Education: Life 101

I'm presently enjoying my time in Japan taking care of my second grand daughter while my husband continues to serve our country (He's also from Hawaii). We've been here for two years and plan to return home next year. When friends or family want to visit and ask what I want from back home, my only response is "POI, just POI!"

Lia

Age: 32
Location: Honolulu, Hawai`i
Occupation: Teacher
Education: Kamehameha Schools, UH-Manoa (B.A., M.Ed.)

He loa ka helena ma ke alahele. E huli i wahi ma keia ao... E ola mau ka 'olelo Hawai'i!

Linda

I was born at Queens Hospital. Grew up in Fernandez Village, Ewa. Seventh grade us moved to Waipahu. I grad Waipahu '71. A child of da '60s. I have lived in California, Oklahoma, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Nevada. Currently I live on the Navajo Reservation, Ft. Defiance, Arizona. Pidgin is my first language and I am proud of it. I write in pidgin weneva I can, weneva appropriate. I write like how I talk, kinda chop suey-ish. Me speaking/writing Pidgin does not make me "low class" or ignorant (ok sometimes I is, sooo). It makes me true to my roots. I feel dat Pidign is a gift of my/our Kupunas. The different nationalities came together and learned to communicate. Isn't that what life is about, communicating?

Loren

Age: Approaching 30
Location: Honolulu, Hawai`i

Aloha! I recently had my two year anniversary living in Honolulu after moving from the mainland. I love being a resident of Hawaii and though it's been an interesting and sometimes difficult transition, there's no place I'd rather be. I'm a mom of two spectacular children who are my purpose in life. I plan to write about a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Life, kids, my experiences in Hawaii, restaurants (I love to eat out though it's never a fancy restaurant - no $$$ for that), etc. If you happen to stop by - welcome!

Lynn

I am a mom to three USA soldiers. My son and daughter was in Iraq the same time while my youngest was in Korea and Philippines. My son returned with shrapnel embedded in his chest and still re-enlisted, as did my daughter. I must have raised them like a general, 'cause there is no military history in our immediate family! I was married for 20 years to my late husband, Conrado "Boy" Vasquez, and we promoted professional boxing here in Hawaii... thus, I was dubbed, "Hawaii’s First Lady of Boxing." Today, I assist my 80-year-old mom in running the family restaurant on the infamous Hotel Street.

Lisa

Nickname: windwardskies
Age: 25
Location: Kailua
Occupation: Web Developer, Photographer, Wannabe Windsurfer
Education: Redlands High, Redlands, CA (1994), University of California Riverside, BS in Biology, 1998

I'm a fourth-generation Southern Californian and Silicon Valley refugee who decided to relocate to Hawai`i immediately after spending a week on Maui. I moved to O`ahu sight unseen three months later, on August 31, 2000. I left behind everyone I knew- my family, my boyfriend (finally joining me here after 19 months!), my friends and my cats. The past year and a half has been one of the most difficult, and yet the best, I've had. I am grateful to all the people who have helped me along the way.

Laura

Madnamo

Age: 38
Location: Mid-Pacific Basin, Earth, The Terran System
Occupation: Writer
Education: Maroon & White; then Navy Blue, and finally Green & White
Race: Human

Mild-mannered. Wears glasses/contacts. Public and private personae. Left-handed. Circumnavigated the world in 1983. Addictive to sappy, over-emotive songs and music in general from the 80s/70s (Was that you I saw at the Chicago concert at the Waikiki Shell in March 2001?) I make a living with my words but most times they are not my own. Welcome to my escape.

Mel

Nickname: Macpro
Age:
Location: Honolulu
Occupation: Macintosh Consultant & Publisher
Education: Honokaa High School

Melanie

Nickname: Mel
Age: 29
Location: Hilo, Hawai`i
Education: Hilo High School

Meri

I landed in Hawaii as a military brat when my father was stationed there with the US Civil Service, and fell in love with the state. I attended Kailua Intermediate School, Kalaheo High School, and sometimes even managed to make it to my classes at Hawaii Pacific University. Unfortunately, I ended up leaving Hawaii in the hopes of earning a living wage in the computer industry, and now live on the east coast, just outside of Washington DC, where I work at an ISP and futz around with computers, books, comics, and my website in my spare time.

Michelle

Nickname: Vivi
Age: 20+
Location: Honolulu, Hawai`i
Occupation: Student
Education: Maryknoll High School ('93); UH-Manoa, English major (present)

After various bouts with idealism, depression, and financial temptation, she has finally settled into a career path she feels comfortable with. She is a person teetering on the verge of computer geekdom, an incurable technophile, and a bookworm. On her off-hours, she likes putting words together in ways that other people seem to enjoy and has vague dreams of becoming the next J. K. Rowling. (Stop laughing...)

Mike

Living in Hawaii since 1994 has been one of the most exciting times in my life. I've lived on three different islands and was fortunate enough to really get out there and explore. I got choke story for tell.

Mitchell

Nickname: Scrivener
Location: Honolulu, Hawai`i
Occupation: Teacher
Education: University of Hawai`i

I used to be an English teacher at Hawaii Baptist Academy. It was my dream job, and I loved it, but now it's my former job. I'm now teaching at ASSETS School, a wonderful, small, private school near the Honolulu International Airport. I teach computers, math, and performing arts.

Mynette

Author of the Hawaii Film Office Blog, which focuses on legislative updates, tax incentives, and other happenings in Hawaii's film and television industry.

Mokihana

I was born and raised on the island of O`ahu, up Manoa Valley side. I now live in the Pacific Northwest and am active in the Hawaiian community. I'm on staff at www.alohaworld.com, where several of my "Hanabata Days" stories have been published. Though I love Oregon, every so often I get a bambucha attack of homesickness, and end up filling page after page of my longing for the `aina. I'm fluent in pidgin and know some Hawaiian, so my writing is filled with the sounds of my first languages.

Peter

Randy

Randy is a Silicon Valley guy; born in San Francisco, currently living near Santa Cruz. A few years back, he was with an Internet startup that did well enough to get purchased, so he bought a home in the Islands at Mauna Lani, South Kohala, Big Island. He and his family vacation there, it's rented out by Classic Resorts when they aren't there. He will be moving fulltime to the Big Island in nine years, when his youngest daughter graduates from high school."

Randy

Nicknames: R.J., Harley Dog
Age: Ripe
Location: Ewa Beach, Hawai`i
Occupation: Freestyle
Education: Too much. MS.

From Port Angeles, Washington originally, lived all over. Been in Hawaii almost six years total. Na Ua!

Roland

Ron

Rowena

From the land of 'Alohas' to the land of 'Ciaos'... You can take the girl out of the island but you can't take the island out of the girl.

Ruth

Location: Honolulu, Hawai`i
Occupation: Singer-Songwriter & Web Site Editor
Education: Hawaii Baptist Academy ('91); University of Hawai`i

Ryan

Nickname: Prophet Zarquon
Age: 28
Location: Makiki, Hawai`i
Occupation: Webmaster
Education: Mililani High School ('92), UH Manoa, BA in Journalism ('01)

Born and raised in Hawai`i; of Japanese and Hawaiian ancestry (among a multitude of others). Grew up in `Aiea, then moved to Mililani, where I survived high school by cartooning (yes, cartooning), running a BBS, and working at the school newspaper. Went straight to UH Manoa upon graduating, like a good boy, but quickly gave up my dream of majoring in English or drama when I got sucked into writing for Ka Leo (the campus daily)... and quickly burned out. Escaped to the Big Island to attend UH Hilo (and study geology), where I met my wife Jen, got my start on the Web, and ended up editor of Ke Kalahea. Gave up resisting the call of journalism and returned to Manoa in 1995 to serve as editor of Ka Leo for a wacky and intense two years. Finally graduated after nine years of academic meandering with a Journalism degree, by which point Jen had become my wife (1997), and I had become a father (1998). We've now got three kids (2002 and 2004), and I've got a day job downtown. In addition to HawaiiStories, I run a number of other obsession-inspired, if somewhat useless, websites.

Sharon

Shelly

Nickname: Raevyn808
Location: Puna, Hawai`i

I share a home with my sweet baboo Feda in Hawaiian Paradise Park. We are indentured servants to a Netherland Dwarf Rabbit named Chloe who demands love and attention and food 24/7. I love Vern Yip & Dreyer's Vanilla Bean Ice Cream!

Sherry

Location: Texas

Mommy to lovely Kahea and Kai. Domestic goddess. Master chef of our family household. Kisser of boo-boos and auwes. Healer of broken hearts. Wiper of tears. Soft hearted to two beautiful keikis, a big bubba guy and whoever else can bat their eyes. Best friends with dear husband. My real, paying job is word processor slash graphic artist slash desktop publisher slash secretary slash gopher slash I-don't-wanna-do-this-so-do-it-for-me gal. My favorite job is being mommy and wife, soulmate and lover, pal and friend. That's me.

Even though most of the time I am clad in my faded blue jeans and muddy ole cowboy boots, I still long to dig out my floral muumuus and sway with the ocean breeze. Okay, not really since I can't hula, but I can two-step. Hehe. My family roots run deep in Hawaii --- my mom's family is from Waianae and my dad's family is from Hilo. I'm hapa --- Hawaiian, Japanese, Heinz57 --- and happy in central Texas. Just send me some chocolate macadamia candy, manapua and cracked seed!

Steve

Nickname: Linkmeister
Age: 51
Location: `Aiea, Hawai`i
Occupation: Freelance Researcher
Education: Jefferson High School - Alexandria, VA ('68); U. of Arizona; HPU, BS in Bus. Adm. ('79)

I left Alexandria three days after high school graduation in 1968; moved to Guam for the summer, then attended U. of Arizona for about three years. Enlisted in the US Navy in 1972 and spent two years in Yokosuka, Japan (50 miles S. of Tokyo). Got out, went back to U of A for spring and summer 1975, missed the steady paycheck, and took a job as teletype operator on Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands. Stayed there for more than three years, saving enough to pay for the last 18 months of undergraduate school at HPU (tuition was approx. $1,000/semester at the time). Then went to work in Honolulu, and have done so ever since. Spent a few months in 1998 recovering from a disagreement with a non-safety-glass sliding door which left me with a lovely scar and four pieces of wire in my knee.

Sun

Location: Astoria, New York

Susie

I was a stupidhead and fell in love with a Frenchman and went to France to be married. Now I am divorced and stuck 'cause the judge is afraid that if I go with the kids to even visit Hawaii, I will never come back here. He may have a point. So here I am like one fish out of water, in a small French town. In order to preserve my sanity, I write about the people in this place where I live... wanna come read and meet them?

Vincent

Age: 30+
Location: Honolulu, Hawai`i
Occupation: Operations Manager
Education: University of Hawaii & The School of Hard Knocks

Wendell

Nickname: Mr. Wendell
Age: 33
Hometown: Kapa`a, Kaua`i
Location: Honolulu, Hawai`i
Occupation: Artist, Actor, Cat Herder & Insufferable Critic
Education: Mid-Pacific Institute, 1989; UH West-Oahu, present

I'm nerdcore.

Yoon-jee