tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66157336092269163352024-03-13T08:42:27.619-07:00life..... REANIMATEDb.reANIMATEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987226839543079029noreply@blogger.comBlogger117125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6615733609226916335.post-39585935225130381492012-04-25T04:52:00.001-07:002012-04-25T04:55:12.666-07:0016. DRESS UP AS SANTA CLAUSE<div style="text-align: left;">
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;">Tis the most wonderful
time of the year!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;">Last
year I scored when I was asked to dress as Santa Clause for work for Christmas.
Last year, after the holiday season had passed, I was delighted to hear that
there was an overwhelming positive response to the way I “did” Santa. I was
delighted to have been asked if I could be Santa once again this year. Though I
had the opportunity to do it once, I still jumped at the chance. Based on the
crowd’s response, it seemed as if I did a pretty good job.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;">This
year instead of centering this post on the guests at our hotel, which again was
a great experience, I instead am going to revolve it around Santa Clause
surprising my niece Ashanti. Like most children, my niece loves the holiday
season. Not necessarily because of all the gifts, but because it’s one of those
times when the entire family comes together to spend time with each other. She
loves seeing everyone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;">This
year my family and I decided to open gifts on Christmas evening. I kind of
planned everything out so I brought my Santa suit home from work. While the
action was going on outside, I snuck off to the side into a bedroom to get
changed. I asked my cousin, Ashanti’s mom, to bring me one of her gifts so I
can put it in my Santa sack. Because I got dressed up the day before, putting
the suit back on correctly was literally done in a second. I went thru the back
and snuck around to the front as my cousin got my entrance song ready to go. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;">With
everyone together and Ashanti not knowing, “Santa Clause is Coming to Town”
played. She looked outside at the figure that was coming towards the house. I
weaved my way through the driveway and started dancing. Our family was cheering
along. It was rather hard trying to dance and entertain while trying to keep
everything together, i.e. the hat, the beard, and making sure the pants don’t
fall. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;">The
moment went by like a blur. After everything was done and I transformed back
into Brandon, I went back into the house. Ashanti was ecstatic telling me I
just missed out on seeing Santa. Seeing her smiling ear to ear made this
Christmas one of the best ever. This moment was the personification of the
holidays. I can only hope I’ll be able to not just surprise her, but take Santa
Clause island wide. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/lpJCV_3-hbs?fs=1" width="480"></iframe></div>b.reANIMATEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987226839543079029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6615733609226916335.post-25690795919198829322012-04-20T16:16:00.000-07:002013-06-18T16:20:15.027-07:00The George Lopez Story<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Sometimes you need to gun it!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Anabelle, myself, my cousin Ashley, and her boyfriend Ray
made it a semi double date night attending the George Lopez comedy
concert.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On our way to the show, Ashley,
being all decked out, took picture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After picture after picture after picture of herself to post on Facebook.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She had taken so many picture retakes she had
my battery in the red before we had arrived at the venue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thinking that I didn’t necessarily need my
phone, I turned it off but I did keep it on me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I mean hey, don’t you feel naked without your phone, even if it’s dead.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">About 3/4 through the set, George Lopez had mentioned how
his schedule had worked out in his favor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He shared with the audience that he’d be able to spend his birthday at
his house on the island of Lanai because the day after this concert, April 23<sup>rd</sup>
is his birthday, which is also my birthday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I didn’t pay much attention the rest of the show, I was too busy
plotting. I kept telling myself to “Think…. Think of how I may be able to meet
George Lopez for my Birthday.” Then it hit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was a long shot but it was worth a shot.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">As the show ended, I turned my phone on and Anabelle and I
began walking downstairs while it booted up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>With barely any juice left, I jumped online and googled George Lopez’
twitter name, which simple enough was @GeorgeLopez, racing against both time
and battery, I tweeted him faster than a belieber tweeting Justin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tweeted:@GeorgeLopez.. Just seen your show
at the MACC… You killed it. Heard we have the same B-day… Can I meet you for my
b-day??</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">By then phone was on the brink of dying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I maybe had 2-3 minutes max left before my
phone dies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anabelle and I met back up
with Ashley and Ray.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone asked why
I was sitting down and not leaving like the droves of other people were.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I told them about my Hail Mary plan and could
see their thoughts of absurdity painted on their faces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As crazy as it seemed, I asked them if they
could give me until my phone dies, which was bound to happen at any moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew it was a long shot but sometimes you
need to gun it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Within a minute of
sending the tweet, my phone vibrated with a notification.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a response from George Lopez telling
me to ask for someone named Bruce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The 4
of us were ecstatic, we were no on the hunt.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Shortly after some questioning and explaining our situation
a few times, we found Bruce, who was looking for us as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bruce had led Ray, Ashley, Anabelle, and I
back through the amphitheater.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were
escorted onto the stage, then backstage, and towards the dressing rooms.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">There he was waiting the most for us, George Lopez.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was as in shock to have this “Plan” work as
I was to meet him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anabelle, being an
even bigger fan of him than I am was on cloud 9.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This dude was super cool and extremely
cordial.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When meeting him, he gave me
the pound and a big hug and did the same to Ray, plus and added kiss for both
Anabelle and Ashley.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Needless to say ,
the 2 girls nearly melted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He struck up
conversation with each of us and answered all the groupie questions we threw at
him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We took pictures (with my camera,
not a phone) and he even gave each of us a George Lopez shirt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was beyond awesome.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Leaving the amphitheater started reminiscing on how crazy an
experience this was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After getting home
and posting the picture on facebook and pinterest, dozens of comments poured
in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were many requests for a
retelling of the story and of course I obliged.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Since this experience, I‘ve always took great pleasure in
the sharing of this story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The irony is
that it’s not for my benefit or to boast but for the listener to get the lesson
that’s behind his unharrowing tale.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">What would have been the absolute worst thing that could
have happened in the scenario?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would
be 1 of 2 things; George Lopez could have either said no or they could not have
answered at all. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes you can’t be
afraid of denial.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes you can’t be
afraid of failing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If an opportunity
presents itself, no matter how far-fetched it may seem, you need to at least
try to capitalize on it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes you
need to think outside the box.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes
it won’t work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes it will.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s only one way to find out. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Sometimes you need to gun it!</span></div>
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<br />b.reANIMATEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987226839543079029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6615733609226916335.post-68342574295609396872012-04-20T03:58:00.003-07:002012-04-20T04:07:43.514-07:00BOYZ II MEN CONCERT<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;">My very first memory of Boyz II Men is about 20 years old. I remember listening to Motownphilly over and over and over, repeatedly while being in line at the car wash. I remember singing the “doom doom doom da da, da doom doom doom da da” part as if I sounded like them. Fast forward to 1992, I was in the 6<sup>th</sup> grade and Boyz II Men ruled the airwaves. There wasn’t an hour that would pass by that you wouldn’t hear “End of the Road” on the radio. In 1993, when II came out, it was over. That was the year that solidified my love for them. I mean, I liked them during their earlier years, but after hearing hit after hit, “On Bended Knee”, “I’ll Make Love to You”, and “Water Runs Dry”, you couldn’t help but believe this group was an undeniable force. Years later, Evolution reintroduced me to BIIM with hits like “4 Seasons of Loneliness” and “Song for Mama”. After 5 long years, the trademarked Boyz II Men sound was back, and man, was it refreshing.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxtFruO5gI4wEKnKaYVs3LzCObOJwZDJgfbWsA-6TD6DUuYERv7iz-cH5gEsqwuJEk7ATnEP_bTAGC8cga1TXDDaggysFovJjWSOWp4aslrURpKH0tFBbFNWAQY6_FjjaNo58fpTjEHwix/s1600/388963_10150431868553036_702498035_8914413_1808492518_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxtFruO5gI4wEKnKaYVs3LzCObOJwZDJgfbWsA-6TD6DUuYERv7iz-cH5gEsqwuJEk7ATnEP_bTAGC8cga1TXDDaggysFovJjWSOWp4aslrURpKH0tFBbFNWAQY6_FjjaNo58fpTjEHwix/s320/388963_10150431868553036_702498035_8914413_1808492518_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;">When I first seen that Boyz II Men was coming to Maui to perform, I instantly became excited. I couldn’t believe it. Could it be? Is my all time favorite music group really coming to my hometown to perform? I had to read the article twice to make sure there wasn’t another Boyz II Men out there parading around. I was so skeptical; I had to examine the words Boyz II Men to see that the spelling was correct. As the months turned to weeks and the weeks turned to days, the excitement went from overdrive to hyperspeed. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;">Anabelle and I got ready several hours in advance. We both tried our best to look absolutely perfect for this momentous occasion. As we took the right turn into the Maui Arts & Cultural Center, we were both hit with an overwhelming sensation. We were so excited to get in, we parked in the first stall we came across; and we were still about an hour early. In concerts past, we’ve always gotten to the venue with very little time to spare. This time, I wanted us to really capitalize on having a beautiful evening.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;">As we walked in, there was a table selling VIP passes. Anabelle asked about them. Basically, they were passes for a post concert meet and greet plus an autograph picture from the members. My main concern though was the price. When I found out it was $45/person, I was all over it. I thought what other time will there be in my life that I’ll be able to meet all 3 members of Boyz II Men at the same time and get them to pose for a picture with both Anabelle and myself. Without hesitation I dropped the money. Anabelle and I put on our new jewelry and continued on. As we were walking around, there were several concert goers asking us about the passes. In a way, it felt like we were the envy of many people. It was actually kind of weird. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy5qnBV_oYRfpepgN8jNzKBzW-bpFPOZGqljqHiMkfKWHzx5a8WjOiKQNzlWWRyQMn3_HRib4gUiroQ8JOqSo0ltGoxx7Qzg6jE_58ynDWHwkQTB2iDRx9BVEx6SZ7TLfKUtMlwVHrcw4j/s1600/379507_10150431857668036_702498035_8914380_1557096625_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy5qnBV_oYRfpepgN8jNzKBzW-bpFPOZGqljqHiMkfKWHzx5a8WjOiKQNzlWWRyQMn3_HRib4gUiroQ8JOqSo0ltGoxx7Qzg6jE_58ynDWHwkQTB2iDRx9BVEx6SZ7TLfKUtMlwVHrcw4j/s320/379507_10150431857668036_702498035_8914380_1557096625_n.jpg" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;">Anabelle and I decided to grab something to eat. The dinners at the MACC are awesome. I ordered the chicken and Anabelle ordered the salmon. Man, they were delicious. We literally ate all our food within 5 minutes. I don’t know if we were just that hungry or if the food was just that good. I’m thinking the latter. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;">We started seeing a ton of people beginning to walk in so we finished our drinks and jumped in line. With the help of the many ushers the MACC has, we easily found our seats. We sat and quickly realized we were surrounded by fans that were as fanatically crazy for Boyz II Men as we were; we felt right at home. Our seats were on the 2<sup>nd</sup> mezzanine level on the last row. We had a panoramic view of our teen idols without an interruption in sight. The seats were damn near perfect.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;">The countdown began. The venue was going berserk. The house lights dimmed. The backdrop graphic illuminated. Out came 3 silhouettes walking towards center stage. We immediately knew who it was. Each silhouette took its place onstage. Seconds later the stage came to life and there they were, Boyz II (f’n) Men. The amphitheater was louder than I’ve ever heard it be. The crowd was so loud you could barely hear the song that was being sung. It was mass hysteria. The females were acting like guys and the guys were screaming like girls, not me though ;) At that moment, I literally felt like a part of me came full circle. Here in front of me, in flesh and bone is the band that I’ve followed and listened to for as long as I can remember. This is the group that through thick and thin, no matter who’s “trending”, this is the group that no one can top. And here they are, here!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;">Once the noise dropped about a decibel, and you could hear the vocals, Boyz II Men made the place erupt with “On Bended Knee”. In an instant, each audience member of the Maui Arts & Cultural Center was transported back to their youth. Whether it be elementary, intermediate, or high school, everyone seemed to have that 1 undeniable nostalgic moment come over them. It was incredible. We were only one song in and I could see the tears glistening off of Anabelle’s face. I was in awe. You could feel the positive energy being exuded and flowing throughout the concert. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;">Boyz II Men also paid homage to their Motown ancestors; Earth, Wind, and Fire, The Temptations, and The Jackson 5. They had each person in each row in each seat on each level doing the 1950 scat. I’ve been to many concerts, and to have every doing the same dance in unison was one of a kind. They also sang a few of their chart topping hits like Water Runs Dry, 4 Seasons of Loneliness, and A Song for Mama. They performed “More Than You’ll Ever Know” off of their new album XX. As they were singing that song, there’s a certain part towards the end where Wanya pelts this incredible note, it sent goose bumps through me. Seriously, look up that song on youtube, you’ll agree.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgki5JnUnfy4hCsHL9thUeDHxjRIqnPP0QTuai2ia4o-1PnoDZnIHSGLIg9rEkLZZXnhBZfAmeoFeCmAtaXuOtF8yz1LcsbJB8Y5A99SzpZX5PLHopEZK0GsNouDkT7Vecuy3VwMTWR3JnR/s1600/377504_10150431872078036_702498035_8914434_1880713430_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgki5JnUnfy4hCsHL9thUeDHxjRIqnPP0QTuai2ia4o-1PnoDZnIHSGLIg9rEkLZZXnhBZfAmeoFeCmAtaXuOtF8yz1LcsbJB8Y5A99SzpZX5PLHopEZK0GsNouDkT7Vecuy3VwMTWR3JnR/s320/377504_10150431872078036_702498035_8914434_1880713430_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;">Within seconds, another wave of screams filled the air as the first 3 instrumental notes from “I’ll Make Love to You” were played. The girls were going crazy. As BIIM continued to sing, they started to pass out red roses to all the females. Needless to say, there hundreds of girls that bum rushed the stage to fight for a chance to get a fresh rose by someone from their all time favorite band. Being that Anabelle and I were sandwiched in between two groups, we decided to stay put and watch the madness from above. In the time that they sang the song, they literally passed out over 100 roses and made the nights to its recipients. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;">Every classic was being done. But you could hear the audience beginning to whisper. What happened to MotownPhilly? Could it really happen? Is it possible that Boyz II Men can do a concert without doing MotownPhilly? Then Shawn screams “Maui, ARE YOU READY!” Once again, the place erupted into a frenzy. It’s been 20 long years since this track has come out, and still, the audience knew every word. This was probably the absolute best end that Boyz II Men could have given. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;">As the guys Shawn, Nate, and Wanya said their farewells and thank yous, the house lights came on. The audience started making their way out. There wasn’t a single soul in the MACC amphitheater that left disappointed. The concert was so good; it was a harsh reality that the night was coming to an end. It was at that moment that Anabelle and I remembered that we still had the backstage passes. Yes sir! Anabelle darted to the meet and greet line while I headed back into the venue, but on the first floor. I wanted to see if I can get a little souvenir. I walked over to the stage and asked one of the crew members if there was any way that I’d be able to get a bottle of water that one of the guys drank from. I know, it’s weird, but why not? The guy thought I was joking. Luckily he realized I was a “crazie” and obliged. I was ecstatic. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;">I ran outside to get in line with Anabelle and gave her the water. Everyone around us somehow impressed. It’s like there are more “crazies” than there are normal fans. As I told Anabelle about how I got the bottle, people were like, “wow, I should go get something”. It put a smile on my face. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;">The time was finally here where Anabelle and I were going to meet our childhood idols, Boyz II Men. As we walked into the hall to meet them, Anabelle quickly turned into a groupie. She was trying to rub them down, it was so funny. Though I was jumping like a little girl on the inside, I tried to maintain and give them a daps and a hug. All 3 guys were real. Not just real in the physical sense but real as in they all seemed genuinely happy to meet their fans. We all turned around and got a picture taken. Directly after, both Anabelle and I were outside admiring our new Facebook default. We couldn’t wait to get it up. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;">The entire night went by like a serious blur. There are so many things that happened that I can’t remember. As much of a blur that it was, it’s a blur that both of us will never, ever forget. Thank you Boyz II Men for visiting our island Maui. Thank you for making my evening special but an even bigger thank you for creating millions of long lasting memories for Anabelle. This concert helped both of us come full circle. Hopefully you’ll be back one day. Hopefully it’s one day soon. Please don’t let it be when you release XXXX. Daps.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
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</span></div>b.reANIMATEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987226839543079029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6615733609226916335.post-79992358722665198172012-04-17T13:47:00.000-07:002012-04-17T13:47:04.321-07:00GOOD DEED- I CAN<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:DocumentProperties> <o:Template>Normal</o:Template> <o:Revision>0</o:Revision> <o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:Pages>1</o:Pages> <o:Words>126</o:Words> <o:Characters>720</o:Characters> <o:Lines>6</o:Lines> <o:Paragraphs>1</o:Paragraphs> <o:CharactersWithSpaces>884</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:Version>11.1539</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:DoNotShowRevisions/> <w:DoNotPrintRevisions/> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:UseMarginsForDrawingGridOrigin/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I enjoy putting gas at night. Not only is it easier for me to get in and out, but the station’s always emptier and the streets are a bit clearer, but I heard it’s also better for the vehicle.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;">While putting gas, I noticed an older lady digging through some trash cans looking for recyclables. I seen her take what she found and put it in her car which was filled from floorboard to ceiling with bags of cans and both plastic and glass bottles. Because I helped do some cleaning at Moku’ula a few days prior, I still had a medium sized trash bag in the back of my truck filled with recyclables. While pumping gas, I caught her down and asked her if she wanted my bag. She happily took what I had and mashed it in her car. Before pulling out, she said “Thank you and God bless you.” Who would’ve known you could still have a smile on your face even with today’s gas prices. <o:p></o:p></span></div><!--EndFragment-->b.reANIMATEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987226839543079029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6615733609226916335.post-5119846703846027192012-04-05T05:08:00.002-07:002012-04-05T05:08:49.796-07:00PRAISE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm7OYIEOTxZN6DWVTpSRG-ZUAx-LklPaA2LyETxlMyGCLVmnFfhaPK8epmT70-m5wMpBd6cnvfTDLEJxWqM9DjtiAVCYmTNIDu8sZv955hezqssIqjUnJ2MJSF1srzhBtVCSCFA0GMGces/s1600/DSC01437.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm7OYIEOTxZN6DWVTpSRG-ZUAx-LklPaA2LyETxlMyGCLVmnFfhaPK8epmT70-m5wMpBd6cnvfTDLEJxWqM9DjtiAVCYmTNIDu8sZv955hezqssIqjUnJ2MJSF1srzhBtVCSCFA0GMGces/s400/DSC01437.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>b.reANIMATEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987226839543079029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6615733609226916335.post-45651542908318403722012-04-04T05:17:00.000-07:002012-04-04T05:17:43.593-07:0024 HOUR GETAWAY- LAHAINA SHORES<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:DocumentProperties> <o:Template>Normal</o:Template> <o:Revision>0</o:Revision> <o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:Pages>1</o:Pages> <o:Words>617</o:Words> <o:Characters>3521</o:Characters> <o:Lines>29</o:Lines> <o:Paragraphs>7</o:Paragraphs> <o:CharactersWithSpaces>4324</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:Version>11.1539</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:DoNotShowRevisions/> <w:DoNotPrintRevisions/> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:UseMarginsForDrawingGridOrigin/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sometimes a mini vacation can come at a minutes notice. In this case, it did. I’ve mentioned before that we don’t travel that often anymore so we try to capitalize on what we call “24 hour getaways”.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Anabelle and my mom had a wedding to go to so they decided to get a room over at the Lahaina Shores on Front Street. My dad, Damien, and myself were invited slash asked if we could slash wanted to come to both getaway and do a little volunteering, or in this case, “volutourism”.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The Lahaina Shores has been around for quite some time. They’ve in fact been around for so long that they’re even in my earliest memories of Lahaina town. Being that I’ve seen the hotel from the outside all my life, I’ve always been curious about what the interior looks like. After 30 years, I got to find out. I heard awhile back that the Lahaina Shores was going under a major renovation so that added to my expectations. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkvdsubnNLGl0-uDR-U-PhWko7j2lqbphH6ZH7DHeE7Rux8fC03B1U-r8EADo29VUutvUIY5YGeHN1Q_zj-dvpdZyAWUW8UMIKFMg02kzXPAsRKNlTJo5EykElN4Xk_Nh8GKMIlrI_ZUuP/s1600/Lahaina+night-stay+11-12-11+007-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkvdsubnNLGl0-uDR-U-PhWko7j2lqbphH6ZH7DHeE7Rux8fC03B1U-r8EADo29VUutvUIY5YGeHN1Q_zj-dvpdZyAWUW8UMIKFMg02kzXPAsRKNlTJo5EykElN4Xk_Nh8GKMIlrI_ZUuP/s400/Lahaina+night-stay+11-12-11+007-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: x-small;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;">After we got our keys, we made quick work walking to the room. I’m sad to say, the room was a bit of a letdown. Normally, when we get a room, we try to make it an effort to enjoy both the hotel room and the hotel’s amenities. However, because the room wasn’t really what we expected, Damien and I wanted to do something off property; have a small dude’s night out since Anabelle was busy.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnogs3fwfKQgiu3Mz1xyk_Gk4v680ehtFa_Ha-VMSVJY_GqzTTNQWfvYKQW9H-KN4_8kNqLPdam2LgVtoCVnxWUuvxFjBQe9w5CZ-ba2znFC89vpJwbuYIO1188GJzvr1XdIytUiSEulKU/s1600/Lahaina+night-stay+11-12-11+008-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnogs3fwfKQgiu3Mz1xyk_Gk4v680ehtFa_Ha-VMSVJY_GqzTTNQWfvYKQW9H-KN4_8kNqLPdam2LgVtoCVnxWUuvxFjBQe9w5CZ-ba2znFC89vpJwbuYIO1188GJzvr1XdIytUiSEulKU/s200/Lahaina+night-stay+11-12-11+008-1.jpg" width="150" /></a><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Damien and I chose to eat at Kobe’s Steakhouse since he’s never been there and has never seen anything like it. I was really looking forward to his reaction. Once we got seated, I instantly noticed Damien’s eyes wandering around trying to watch the other cooks doing their little showcase. Shortly after ordering, our cook slash showman came out and started. There were only 2 kids seated with us so our cook really took care of them. Damien was in awe. Our cook was throwing, flipping, tossing, and twirling everything; food, cutlery, bowls; even the sauces were made into a prop. From time to time, I was watching Damien to see what his reactions were, and for the most part, he seemed overly intrigued. The night was also a success because not only did Damien get to finally experience a meal of this sort but he got to try fried shrimp tails for the first time. Neither of us had heard of it but he seemed to enjoy it. We both enjoyed our meals immensely. The cook was great. He was so entertaining and funny that we actually would have “waited” even longer if he did more of his culinary magic for us. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;">From there headed over to Barnes & Noble. I enjoy taking Damien there because it lets me see the different types of things that he’s into and curious about. Since we had such an awesome dinner, we didn’t stay there too long because were hit with a sudden jolt of food comatosis so we wanted to lie down and relax. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Saturday started at the crack of dawn. This is where Damien and I would earn our hotel stay. We checked out and headed over to Waine’e Church for the Royal Hawaiian Guard Ho’ike. The Ho’ike is ceremony that celebrated the 175<sup>th</sup> birthday of King David Kalakaua. Along with a royal ceremony, event goers were also able to see the crafts of local artisans, try some “ono” (delicious) local food, and listen to some of Hawaii’s best musicians. Anabelle, Damien, and I, along with my parents had to help set up the Moku’ula booth and help wherever and however necessary. Judging by the amount of visitors the Moku’ula tent had and by how many people came to check out the festivities, it seemed like the event was a success. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;">As the sun went down and everyone was packed up, the Royal Hawaiian Guard Luau began. There were a lot of people that stayed throughout the Ho’ike but even more folks either came or came back for the luau. The luau was in fact so good that I wished I had known about it earlier so I could have promoted it at our hotel. The food was excellent and all you can eat. The musical program was great as was the hula performances. As good as the luau was, it was in actuality nice to see a local “society (?)” put on such a wonderful program for an equally wonderful cause.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Though Damien didn’t get the full experience because he missed out on the luau, I know for a fact that he had a good time. Being able to have such a good time with Anabelle while giving back to the community made this 24 hour getaway all the more better.<o:p></o:p></span></div><!--EndFragment-->b.reANIMATEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987226839543079029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6615733609226916335.post-75113742569118961652012-04-01T16:13:00.002-07:002012-04-01T16:19:10.669-07:00LOKELANI INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL BAND- CHRISTMAS MEDLEY 1<div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;">SORRY. I HAVENT POSTED IN A WHILE WHICH MAKES THIS VIDEO A FEW MONTHS OLD. <o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;">It’s been a while since I last got to attend one of Damien’s concerts. Unfortunately, because he tells me with a literal minute to spare, I don’t have enough time to change my schedule or take the day off. Luckily for me, this time Anabelle came through and told me about his holiday concert. I don’t think Damien expected me to be there but he seemed happy once he spotted me in the crowd. There was a big show of support for the band members from not only their families but by the community. It was a great way to bring in the holiday season and the students of Lokelani Intermediate School did great.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/npUgAiVhSaU?fs=1" width="480"></iframe></div>b.reANIMATEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987226839543079029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6615733609226916335.post-6549987236557454212012-03-30T17:52:00.002-07:002012-03-30T17:52:39.124-07:00GOOD DEED- BET<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:DocumentProperties> <o:Template>Normal</o:Template> <o:Revision>0</o:Revision> <o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:Pages>1</o:Pages> <o:Words>100</o:Words> <o:Characters>572</o:Characters> <o:Lines>4</o:Lines> <o:Paragraphs>1</o:Paragraphs> <o:CharactersWithSpaces>702</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:Version>11.1539</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:DoNotShowRevisions/> <w:DoNotPrintRevisions/> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:UseMarginsForDrawingGridOrigin/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Earlier in the day, I had lost a bet. Therefore, I had to play Damien’s chauffeur and drop him off to his grandma’s house. On my way home, I noticed a well dressed older Filipino woman standing on the corner looking for a ride. I don’t know where I had seen her but I knew her face. As I pulled up to the stop sign, she asked if I could take her down the street and drop her off. I didn’t think anything of it so I unlocked the door for her. After she jumped in, she thanked me because she needed a ride to church. We did a minutes worth of small talk before we arrived at her destination. She tried to give me $5 as a thank you but I declined. So in actuality, in this case, I won the bet. <o:p></o:p></span></div><!--EndFragment-->b.reANIMATEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987226839543079029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6615733609226916335.post-37777870501645243452012-03-29T03:01:00.000-07:002012-03-29T03:01:24.836-07:00FLUFFY ROUND 3<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:DocumentProperties> <o:Template>Normal</o:Template> <o:Revision>0</o:Revision> <o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:Pages>1</o:Pages> <o:Words>511</o:Words> <o:Characters>2916</o:Characters> <o:Lines>24</o:Lines> <o:Paragraphs>5</o:Paragraphs> <o:CharactersWithSpaces>3581</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:Version>11.1539</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:DoNotShowRevisions/> <w:DoNotPrintRevisions/> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:UseMarginsForDrawingGridOrigin/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;">It’s Black Friday night. In the last 36 hours, I’d be lucky if I had 2 hours of sleep. Having battled the retail elements along with the masses, I now am tired and fatigued. However, I have good reason to dig deep and fight to stay awake. Tonight we’re getting to watch Hispanic funnyman Gabriel Iglesias for a third straight year. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;">When I first seen online that Gabriel Iglesias aka Fluffy was returning to Maui, I was apprehensive about going. I figured because I’ve seen him perform live twice, watched his Comedy Central specials, and added to his 1,000,000+ views on YouTube, I probably heard majority of his schtick. I felt that because of his genuineness to his fans and how personable he always is, I’d definitely love to show some support. Also, my two boys Robin and Ray have always wanted to go in years past but never had the chance. Luckily, with the help of a hookup, I was able to change that. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Once again, Gabriel and crew killed it. I was expecting to hear the same jokes but Fluffy blew my mind by keeping us all in stitches with brand new material. From time to time, I was peeking at Robin and Ray to see what their facial expressions were and for the most part, they too thought Fluffy’s material was funny. I was looking at it as a mental getaway for them both. It was an awesome sight to see them having a good time.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2eD42YMNNk4by5MKSPLxIxvK6ZRai1LQP261tJDCmyIFY-MgMI3DWffs4upAo-SPdKoUo-fQak-96XitMNInpg28J9kXDc-piCZt8c2bBn6vW0njxdV02JllqNRhggnfPiY65zfs_0wax/s1600/Fluffy+Show+11-27-11+002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2eD42YMNNk4by5MKSPLxIxvK6ZRai1LQP261tJDCmyIFY-MgMI3DWffs4upAo-SPdKoUo-fQak-96XitMNInpg28J9kXDc-piCZt8c2bBn6vW0njxdV02JllqNRhggnfPiY65zfs_0wax/s320/Fluffy+Show+11-27-11+002.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Anabelle and I kept asking them if they’d be willing to stand in line to meet and take pictures with Fluffy after the show. Luckily for us, both Robin and Ray were down. The wait began. The line was a few hundred strong and it ran about a hundred yards long. At first glance, we knew that the wait would be daunting. Being that we had such a great time at the show, we had a lot to talk about and share, which made the wait go by that much quicker. Throughout the wait, Gabriel’s staff kept making fun of certain audience members; they were hilarious. As Anabelle and I started getting closer to our photo op, I suggested to her that she ask Fluffy if she’d be able to sit on his lap. She was hesitant but knew she didn’t want to pass up the opportunity. It was now our turn. With each step, I could tell that Anabelle wasn’t about to ask. I knew it was one of two things; she was either so star struck she either forgot or didn’t care because she was in his presence. I didn’t want her to regret not asking so I asked on her behalf. Fluffy happily accommodated. We had a quick chat and smiled. Once again, I was impressed with Gabriel because he asked us if the picture was okay with us or if we wanted to take another. As we walked off stage, we exchanged smiles, daps, kisses, and hugs. Robin and Ray were up next. As they approached Fluffy, Robin shook his hand and without hesitation, Gabriel asked Ray if he wanted to sit on Gabriel’s lap. There were still a ton of people waiting to get their pictures and everyone that heard erupted in laughter. I was sipping on a bottle of water and almost spit it out because it was so funny. Ray is probably as manly as you can get so to hear another MAN ask him such a question made it one heck of a moment.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Once again, Mr. Gabriel Iglesias along with his band of comedy legends came into Maui and put their stamp down. They absolutely rocked the 100% packed house. No seat was left empty. No body left any less than overly satisfied. And no spirit was left <i>un</i></span><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;">lifted. I think I can speak not just for myself and Anabelle, but also for Robin and Ray and the legions of us Mauians who love and adore Gabriel Iglesias; please come back. Hana Hou!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6hoa1dGsYHQBYIspZWYHIf7pDNh01F8Dwdy7OtGkzAQSjpcUfNOpPgFaBLaUXV8IrUmI0_vOwT8ZGZwMQEhIj2I_Eqy3f43PDq41_kLVzbDgSIcp9yrQCSN2zgACYrhsR2kGabM3WSRYY/s1600/Fluffy+Show+11-27-11+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6hoa1dGsYHQBYIspZWYHIf7pDNh01F8Dwdy7OtGkzAQSjpcUfNOpPgFaBLaUXV8IrUmI0_vOwT8ZGZwMQEhIj2I_Eqy3f43PDq41_kLVzbDgSIcp9yrQCSN2zgACYrhsR2kGabM3WSRYY/s400/Fluffy+Show+11-27-11+001.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</span></div><!--EndFragment-->b.reANIMATEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987226839543079029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6615733609226916335.post-46082074469565964432012-03-28T15:45:00.002-07:002012-03-29T01:53:37.007-07:00PRAISE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid5es0bIQdo03tiFFK9peT3rupE4g9bC890wutQ9hjXigCG6LIL2U0zokWFcGqr2EyPs2o_r3z-6-faeaPHsw618z9YElTpEw61AXDaylkb5ya_YEkYGxvkipRwLsoqb2jtJKVv_pW7JMw/s1600/DSC01439.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid5es0bIQdo03tiFFK9peT3rupE4g9bC890wutQ9hjXigCG6LIL2U0zokWFcGqr2EyPs2o_r3z-6-faeaPHsw618z9YElTpEw61AXDaylkb5ya_YEkYGxvkipRwLsoqb2jtJKVv_pW7JMw/s400/DSC01439.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>b.reANIMATEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987226839543079029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6615733609226916335.post-70164263358070515692012-03-10T03:22:00.001-08:002012-03-10T03:22:57.179-08:00KONY 2012<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Y4MnpzG5Sqc?fs=1" width="480"></iframe></div>b.reANIMATEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987226839543079029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6615733609226916335.post-14690642206142717762012-02-29T22:44:00.000-08:002012-02-29T22:44:12.592-08:00LEAP YEARconsidering itll be awhile till i'll be able to post something on february 29th, i may as well capitalize. post coming soon.b.reANIMATEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987226839543079029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6615733609226916335.post-35197960743451814192012-02-17T22:25:00.001-08:002012-02-17T22:25:56.699-08:00I'M A YELPER<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10pt;">I’ve heard of YELP a long time ago. I was familiar with the site but never spent much time on it. Over time, I came to know a lot of people that use the site’s reviews to help them make a decision on their next outing. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10pt;">At the hotel, I get asked on a daily basis, where would I go, where do I recommend. The places that I like, I always refer business their way. If I had a negative experience at a certain place, I won’t recommend them; plain and simple. However, I’ll never tell the guest of my experience because I’d never want them thinking that I have a personal vendetta with a certain spot. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10pt;">There were many different reasons why I finally joined the legions of “Yelpers”. One day I visited the site and read a random review on the Haleakala Zipline. My family and I had gone on their ziplines and I actually blogged about it. What the reviewer was saying seemed to be a flat out lie. I continued reading and it seemed there were a lot of people going to different <place w:st="on">Maui</place> attractions with very different expectations than what the show is really about. That’s when I chose to take action. I figured since I already give reviews to our guests at work; why not share it over social media. I also wanted to clarify a few things considering several reviews seemed to be a bit misconstrued. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10pt;">My goal with yelp is to not just review certain places, but inform the masses about the spots that the locals flock to; the diamonds in the rough. They may not be the most ideal looking places on the outside, but once found and experienced, you’re more than likely to come back. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10pt;">Prior to this entry, I wanted to have a few reviews under my belt. In a week’s time, I’ve garnered 7 reviews with 2 USEFUL tags, 1 FUNNY tag, and 1 COOL tag. What I’m most proud of though is my first COMPLIMENT; Good Writer. Just when you think no one is reading what you’re saying, it all pays off when you’re being told you’re a good writer. I think I may have found another calling; Yelper!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div>b.reANIMATEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987226839543079029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6615733609226916335.post-65602818089345169202012-02-17T22:24:00.001-08:002012-03-29T02:00:49.619-07:00MILESTONE<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">3 YEARS SOBER</span></div>b.reANIMATEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987226839543079029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6615733609226916335.post-45520218155884225632012-01-02T21:12:00.001-08:002012-01-02T21:12:12.357-08:00INTERMISSION<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
Time has definitely flown by for me the past few months. Between the “rigors” of work, the joys of life, and this past year’s joyous holiday season, it’s been really tough to find the time to blog. It’s now January 2<sup>nd</sup> and things are seeming as if they’re all falling back into place. It’s been about 2 months since my last post so hopefully I won’t miss any of the amazing things life has brought my way in that missed time. I’m just trying to consider this a brief intermission. Let’s carry on, shall we?<br />
</span></div>b.reANIMATEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987226839543079029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6615733609226916335.post-64386179299426999972011-11-14T01:06:00.000-08:002011-11-14T01:06:58.421-08:00MILESTONE<div style="text-align: center;"><!--StartFragment--> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 18.0pt;">32 MONTHS</span><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div><!--EndFragment-->b.reANIMATEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987226839543079029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6615733609226916335.post-25534484395764937192011-11-01T02:18:00.001-07:002011-11-14T00:29:44.195-08:00HAPPY HALLOWEEN<!--StartFragment--> <br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;">For my Halloween post, I’m going to flex my K.I.S.S. muscle and keep everything short and simple. When it comes to Halloween, I’ve somehow been bitten by the Grinch bug. I can’t exactly pinpoint when, how, or why I’ve come to not like Halloween but that all changed. After seeing the ingenuity and brilliance both Anabelle and Damien had for Damien’s costume, I’m happy to say that I am now back in the positive with the final day of October. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Over the course of a week and a half, Anabelle would send me picture messages of portions of Damien’s upcoming costume. Picture by picture, I wondered what the heck they were up to. Finally, I got to see everything as a whole and it looked incredible. There before me was a near replica of a Deadmau5 helmet. I’m far from a craft person but if you looked good at it, Anabelle and Damien seemed to have used the old newspaper and balloon paper mache method. The most impressive aspect though from everything is that they had used those little click lights as the Deadmau5 eyes. When I had first seen the helmet, I was impressed. However, when Damien clicked the eyes on, I was beyond myself. They did a spectacular job. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;">For those not in the know, Deadmau5 is a world famous DJ whose sets have sold out some of the planet’s biggest venues. Deadmau5 has also made a name for himself with the help of his very ingenious and intricate Deadmau5 helmets. When I had seen that that is what Anabelle and Damien had made, I was in total awe. Simply said, I was just proud that they accomplished what they had set out for. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;">On Halloween night, as Damien brought out his helmet and showed it off to everyone at our family get together, there wasn’t one person that was not impressed. Everyone’s jaws dropped. As we began trick or treating, unfortunately, there were very few people that knew who Damien was supposed to be. However, the few that did know who Deadmau5 is were blown away. As the evening ended and I gave Anabelle a recap of the night (she was working and didn’t come), I told her the helmet was a smash. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;">As the evening winded down, I realized just how special Halloween is. I don’t think I realized just how much fun it would be to be someone or something else for an evening. I lost that spirit but fortunately I got it back; all thanks to the ingenuity of Anabelle and Damien, as usual. Happy Halloween. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrkDWsOFtiOGCop3UObrTxyJd2q1muWpKoulk1c3GnWqk2WcrUG8xzK_0-qGEqwrEXp27TfxesL3fsDpLGsJqVQaqwkytCAurvF5a6ygR0d70WGaLqrXbgbM8XMyy05FBRwwmRx7dRauvh/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrkDWsOFtiOGCop3UObrTxyJd2q1muWpKoulk1c3GnWqk2WcrUG8xzK_0-qGEqwrEXp27TfxesL3fsDpLGsJqVQaqwkytCAurvF5a6ygR0d70WGaLqrXbgbM8XMyy05FBRwwmRx7dRauvh/s320/images.jpeg" width="228" /></a></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;">THE REAL DEADMAU5<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSMfT1e6J2IzHr9OoJ6vpj841hejZFgGV8PdDocRTGreUjwGDCISIqkinV7dphzOpZglnvBe7Of_ISEbYDmqDxmBsfIEBh6u4ysFD2XXfBbnhvW_5r9sDNadrGsMedqGWxPi8DKkXrGSFO/s1600/DSC00999.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSMfT1e6J2IzHr9OoJ6vpj841hejZFgGV8PdDocRTGreUjwGDCISIqkinV7dphzOpZglnvBe7Of_ISEbYDmqDxmBsfIEBh6u4ysFD2XXfBbnhvW_5r9sDNadrGsMedqGWxPi8DKkXrGSFO/s400/DSC00999.JPG" width="300" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 13px;"> </span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;">DAMIEN’S DEADMAU5<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><!--EndFragment-->b.reANIMATEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987226839543079029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6615733609226916335.post-67299598590438377632011-10-29T03:27:00.000-07:002011-10-29T03:27:49.574-07:00100TH POST<!--StartFragment--> <br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;">It has come to my attention that I’ve hit the century mark with my blog. I almost can’t believe it, 100 posts. Wow, 100 posts! Wait, what, 100 posts? I need to ask myself, did time fly or am I having that good a ride? I’m opting for the latter.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;">When I first started blogging, I first had another blog which is still up and running. I tried to delete it but never could. When I first started that one, I took great pride in it. I’d post everything that’s near and dear to me, externally. I spent many hours cutting, copying, and pasting images that I’d find lurking online and called it my own. Blogging back then was so much easier. As time went on, one day, I looked back on all those posts and realized that that blog really had nothing to do with me as an individual. As I surfed the web, I came to a harsh realization that my blog was no different from all the other blogs with similar content. I looked in the blogging mirror and knew it was time for a change.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I decided to (re)start from scratch. The absolute first thing that I needed my blog to be was <i>my </i></span><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;">blog. Instead of looking for a cool layout with bright colors or animated graphics like the old blog, I wanted this one to be a mixture of user friendliness, be easy on the eyes, yet be catchy and of course, different. I copied over a few of the old entries, proofread them, and posted them. I stuck with the whole substance over style mantra and it hasn’t done me wrong thus far. I thought of a few more topics and tried to concentrate on that.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><u>BUCKET LIST<o:p></o:p></u></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The first thing that I wanted this blog to be about was my Bucket List. I firmly believe there are very few things that reflect a person and their passions more than a Bucket List. When I first heard the term Bucket List, it was on Oprah about 12-13 years ago. Like many people, I thought, “Ah, I got time”. Then I forgot about it. Fast forward about 10+ year. I once again heard the words “Bucket List”. I then realized that over 10 years had passed and I have very few things to show for it. On that very day, I started coming up with my list. It took me a lot of time and I still add to it ‘til this very day. I never realized how many childhood hobbies that I had that still linger with me today. Experiencing these things and crossing them off from my list is one of the greatest feelings. Being able to blog about them and share them with you makes it all the more gratifying. If you don’t already have a Bucket List, make one. Use <a href="http://rebranimated.blogspot.com/search/label/THE%20LIST"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">MINES</span></a> if you’d like for inspiration. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><u>COOLNESS<o:p></o:p></u></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>Coolness </i></span><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;">is an amalgam of 2 words; obviously the word cool. The <i>–ness </i></span><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;">comes from a word I’ve seen several bloggers use; randomness. Basically, this is where all the cool and random things kind of end. When I mention cool, you’ll see a few pictures of concerts we’ve gone to and celebrities we’ve been able to meet. As for the random part: it’s sort of like trends. For example, when planking became <i>the</i></span><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> phenomenon, I used to think only bored people with too much time on their hands would do. Low and behold, when I first tried it, it ended up being such a random burst of nothing but lying flat that it somehow became fun. Hence <a href="http://rebranimated.blogspot.com/2011/09/officially-planker.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">PLANKING</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><u>G.O.A.L. GET OUT AND LIVE<o:p></o:p></u></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;">This is the anti-couch potato thread. I too, enjoy sleeping in and watching TV all day. However, I also enjoy experiencing new things. At one point in time, I was very closed minded on what I wanted to do. If I thought I wasn’t going to have fun, I wasn’t doing it. I’m glad to say that things have changed. I now enjoy doing new things. I’m finding myself looking through the newspaper, through brochures, pamphlets, etc to see what events are going on around me. For the most part, it’s those very events that I have the most fun because I chose to get off of my rump and have fun. I chose to G.O.A.L.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><u>GOOD DEED A DAY<o:p></o:p></u></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;">As I go on through my daily rituals, I’ve been finding that doing good deeds are a dying trait. I’ve been finding it rare for people to do something courteous without having some type of recuperation attached to it. That’s where this thread comes in. I love to have that gratifying feeling within me when I do a good deed. Whether it be holding a door open (which I do but choose not to write about), returning something to its owner, or donating something, it all counts. I’ve been blessed with the opportunities to do the mentioned deeds and I love the feeling that I get. Through these good deeds and this blog, I hope I’ll be able to inspire someone to do something good. I know I’m only throwing a pebble in a very big pond but hopefully together we’ll cause waves that would make Poseidon jealous.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><u>HOTEL LIFE<o:p></o:p></u></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Working at a hotel, you never really have a dull day. As each person is different, so too are the days. With my old blog, I’d use it to rant about all the “idiocy” I’d have to deal with on a day to day basis. As a blog grows, so does the blogger. This time around I wanted to try and showcase some of the recognition that I’m lucky enough to get by people who mention me. In a way, <i>hotel life </i></span><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;">is a sort of collection of notes and comments that remind me to continue to work hard.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><u>MOVIE GUIDE</u><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;">As I mentioned, I love movies. The best time of the year for movie buffs (which I like to consider myself) is the summertime. Basically, all this is, is a movie guide: for dudes, by dudes.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><u>RE:ME<o:p></o:p></u></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;">This thread is mainly me uncut. My goal here is to have these entries reflect me the best. Ideally, I don’t want it to be anywhere around the TMI zone but I still want it to have some gauge on who I am. Truthfully,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>my goal with RE:ME is to show all the fun things that a person can do with a alcohol free state of mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><u>THE LIST<o:p></o:p></u></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><a href="http://rebranimated.blogspot.com/search/label/THE%20LIST"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">My Bucket List</span></a>. Check it out. Tell me what you think. Any ideas?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><u>TRAVELS<o:p></o:p></u></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;">This thread is pretty self explanatory. As a kid, I traveled a heck of a lot. The older I got, the less I traveled. Anabelle, Damien, and I have been to quite a few places but as I mentioned, I don’t want to post too many things about past experiences. And the way I see it, even if Maui is only an island, there’s still a ton of things we’re able to do here. So for the moment, we’re good. Besides, we’re good with the 24 hour getaways we try to do every so often.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I’m 100 posts deep with my blog and so far it’s been a great ride. From top to bottom, I’m extremely happy on how my blog is coming along. I had put in a counter a few months back to see how the traffic is and I’m seeing the number grow everyday. Hopefully my reader base will grow with each post and I’ll be able to get my first follower. And until then, I’ll continue to share all I can with you to live; a cooler life, a more enjoyable life, a more positive life. This is my life.. REANIMATED.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10.0pt;">** ANY QUESTIONS, IDEAS, COMMENTS ON ANYTHING, PLEASE LET ME KNOW. I’M AN OPEN BOOK **<o:p></o:p></span></div><!--EndFragment-->b.reANIMATEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987226839543079029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6615733609226916335.post-61115104348808523882011-10-28T03:36:00.000-07:002011-10-28T13:38:03.139-07:00INSPIRED - THE LAST LECTURE<div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;">One day some time ago, I was flipping through channels and I landed on Oprah. There was some guy that I’ve never heard of named Randy Pausch talking about something called “The Last Lecture”. For some reason, I chose not to change the channel and I sat there listening to him, captivated. A few days later I searched for it on youtube and listed it as my first Favorite.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;">Over the last few months I’ve watched that video several dozen times. I found it on my droid app as an mp3 and downloaded just about everything that I could find referencing “The Last Lecture”. I’ve tried to use his lessons as a type of barometer for my life and lifestyle which brings me to this post.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;">Two Christmases ago, I bought Damien an <a href="http://rebranimated.blogspot.com/2010/11/airsoft-with-damien.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">AIRSOFT GUN</span></a>. When he first got it, he'd beg on a weekly basis for me to go outside and play with him. I of course did and we'd have a blast. However, as time passed, we don't play too often and he hasn’t really touched his gun in awhile. A few weeks ago, he found the gun lying in the garage and chose to take it in back for a spin. Not long after, he brought the gun in the house and asked me if he could take it apart. I asked him, “What do you mean apart?” He said that he wanted to clean everything but also see if he’d be able to put everything back together. I instantly thought back to the lecture and referenced the part of letting your kids draw on the walls. I understand that Damien is taking apart a gun and not drawing on the walls but in essence the lessons are very similar. I told Damien he could and he began. As Damien started to take everything apart, I could see the little wheels in his head starting to spin. He got the cleaning part done but ran out of time and left the gun disassembled on the kitchen table. A few days later, my dad noticed the screws and asked why the gun was in shambles. I told him Damien wanted to do it and my dad told me that that was a bad idea and the gun is more than likely shot (Pun intended). I gave my dad a broad summary of The Last Lecture and explained to him that the gun is only a thing; how it’s only something of materialistic value. This past weekend as Damien and Anabelle came back; Damien was back on that table trying to reassemble everything. Again though, Damien ran out of time before we dropped him off at his grandparent’s house. I’m sure this weekend, if not next, with his determination, Damien will finish what he had started. Whether the gun works or not, I’m just glad that Damien had a chance to play engineer and mechanic. After all, it's just a thing.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">BE INSPIRED </span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, fantasy; font-size: 16px;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ncoSRKoU6GQ?fs=1" width="459"></iframe></span></span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 13px;">Thank you Randy Pausch for the lessons!</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"> </span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: small;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: small;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: small;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;">For the full lecture, click </span><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">HERE</span></a></span><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div></span>b.reANIMATEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987226839543079029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6615733609226916335.post-70254433256872967812011-10-27T03:50:00.000-07:002011-10-27T03:56:28.996-07:0024 HOUR GETAWAY - WESTIN KOR<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 376.5pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;">Every so often, Anabelle and I like to get away from the rest of the world and do nothing but enjoy the company of one another. Well, I can’t really say “do nothing”. We actually like to do as much as we possibly can in whatever amount of time, together. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 376.5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 376.5pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaVDCJQZH_JTVbRvA87OIXNfI-kvOPL3Px8-lj4kgpOEogO9Oj2LHJYU6WhxcIzsBsF6Ex93wDQkdWfchWvbRc2sxhEZgPXmOPp48EpWU2o0m0SNNkInGqnLe1UGVLB8YeFy4-X5sf8J0Y/s1600/DSC00598.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaVDCJQZH_JTVbRvA87OIXNfI-kvOPL3Px8-lj4kgpOEogO9Oj2LHJYU6WhxcIzsBsF6Ex93wDQkdWfchWvbRc2sxhEZgPXmOPp48EpWU2o0m0SNNkInGqnLe1UGVLB8YeFy4-X5sf8J0Y/s320/DSC00598.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;">I wanted to do something special for Anabelle for her 29<sup>th</sup> birthday. We had an amazing dinner with a few of our loved one the night before but we definitely wanted our “us” time with Damien. We initially wanted to stay at the Sheraton Ka’anapali but they were unfortunately booked up. We instead decided to stay at the <a href="http://www.starwoodhotels.com/westin/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=1406"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 376.5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 376.5pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;">On our drive to the hotel, we picked up Damien and his friend Noah from their several hour long ping-pong-a-thon. It seems that whenever we try to plan any type of getaway, time is always of the essence. However, our day was moving along quite well. We were making good time so far and we were now on our way to the Westin KOR.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 376.5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 376.5pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;">As the boys and I were getting everything out of the car and giving it to valet, Anabelle got us checked in. We then made the (super) long journey from the desk to our room. It was a zigzagging maze of walkways, corridors, and elevators. On the upside, we got to see a lot of what the Westin had to offer us. Had our room been so close to the lobby, we wouldn’t have made the effort to really wander around. Once we found our room, Anabelle and I checked it out while both Damien and Noah changed into their swim clothes so they could attack the pool. The room was beautiful. From all the hotels that we’ve stayed at, the room at the Westin may vey well be one of the nicest if not the nicest we’ve stayed at. It was a one bedroom one bath condo with both an ocean view and garden view. The bathroom was equipped with both a hot tub jacuzzi and walk in shower. The décor was great; very welcoming but very modern. Both Anabelle and I were very impressed.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 376.5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 376.5pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;">We eventually got changed and headed down to the pool to meet up with Damien and Noah. There were two towers which meant there were two pools. Each tower and pool seemed to have its own demographic. The pool that belonged to our tower, the North tower, had a lazy pool which the older crowd congregated around. Obviously, that’s not the one that we were wanting. Anabelle and I made our way to the South tower where the waterslide and basketball hoop were. It took us forever before we were able to find the pool attendant stand so we could get towels. After jumping in and soaking myself, I made my way up the stairs and decided to give the slide a try. As you can see in the video, though the slide was rather a quickie, it was still fun. From there, Anabelle, Damien, Noah, and I swam over to the basketball setup and played HORSE; man, that was fun.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, fantasy; font-size: 16px;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3EHpWnbGyNQ?fs=1" width="480"></iframe></span></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 376.5pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;">After a few hours in the pool, Anabelle ordered some food which was very much needed. We snacked on tortilla chips with salsa and furikake french fries. We were all so hungry almost each drop of furikake and every crumb of tortilla chips were consumed. It’s exactly what we needed. Moments later, we realized that the sun was about to drop and we needed to get the boys to their drop off points; Noah got picked up by his mom and Damien got picked up by his grandparents. Anabelle and I were now officially alone. And that meant one thing, relaxation.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 376.5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 376.5pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcsdZ1wZY3GluSJ3GtP0r54WOK9viCgfR6hpu3QXwp802c4fRmog1vjWHrZy7sEeN4diu7DBMtYwhNtWG3FN0FUuMQTqAJ0Xom_RWgXHSY-izdGgUils_cPfEbZ4iqBRSG-sxvEWP1YGaL/s1600/DSC00574.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcsdZ1wZY3GluSJ3GtP0r54WOK9viCgfR6hpu3QXwp802c4fRmog1vjWHrZy7sEeN4diu7DBMtYwhNtWG3FN0FUuMQTqAJ0Xom_RWgXHSY-izdGgUils_cPfEbZ4iqBRSG-sxvEWP1YGaL/s320/DSC00574.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;">Anabelle and I then got ready for a night on the town. We didn’t know where we were going to go or what we were about to do but we wanted to capitalize. We left the hotel around 8:30 Saturday night and were full aware that most restaurants close shop at 9. There were a few spots that we could have gone but we opted to wait for 10 p.m. so we could hit Maui’s best sushi spot, Sansei’s. At 10 o’clock, Sansei’s offers 50% of everything except alcohol. It was a win-win situation for all parties. We decided to kill some time at the Lahaina Gateway Center, Footlocker, Afterthoughts, and Barnes and Noble to be exact. Without knowing it, we killed 90 minutes with absolutely no problem. From there, we were Kapalua bound.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 376.5pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 376.5pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB6LQ3Y_8UBMWAuTl3x5Nyl7fXqDPL70EbFNXInGrhsZQmuv_5lRmXtPfAOSM70lsu6suphhJt9YU3W0Lqu1JUgwNJdhoeIlei5PkkgkpYyzXoEahDohZGBWYEVq82JRSUPWEE-6MAvl8_/s1600/DSC00584.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB6LQ3Y_8UBMWAuTl3x5Nyl7fXqDPL70EbFNXInGrhsZQmuv_5lRmXtPfAOSM70lsu6suphhJt9YU3W0Lqu1JUgwNJdhoeIlei5PkkgkpYyzXoEahDohZGBWYEVq82JRSUPWEE-6MAvl8_/s320/DSC00584.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;">Arriving at Sansei’s was great. When we first got there, there were only about 15 people there. Normally, the Sansei’s in Kihei is flooded with people and you see more than 15 people waiting just to get a table. So that was definitely a nice change. I seen my boy there and gave him the pound as the doorman pretended he was checking our IDs. Once we got seated, the server quickly got our drinks for us. I stuck with my trademarked Diet Pepsi as Anabelle went for a lava flow, which she loved I might add. Once we decided on what to get, we gave our order. It literally took us a few minutes before each and every one of our dishes was on our table before us. Anabelle was seriously on cloud 9. She was in heaven being drowned in plate after plate of sushi at her disposal. I was in heaven just seeing her smile ear to ear. I love seeing her happy. In an instant, she went from being giddy with pure joy to being giddy with pure joy, with a mouthful of California Roll in her mouth. She was officially in her zone. There wasn’t anything I could really do but sit back and watch the plates of sushi dwindle down to a mere smearing of sauces on the plate. I can almost mean it, from that point on, it almost became a blur. The food was just that good. As we were eating, there were several karaoke singers to entertain us and they were all good. As our bellies began to bulge, we decided to put in one last order to go and use it for breakfast before we paid the bill and headed out. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 376.5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 376.5pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;">I decided to be the driver back to the hotel so I greased my belly and the bottom of the steering wheel and slid into position. As we made our way back to the hotel, Anabelle and I recapped our amazing day and wobbled our way back to the room. We were both so pooped with everything that we both called it a night and went right to bed.</span><br />
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</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 376.5pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;">The following day was pretty uneventful. After packing up and loading up the car, we decided to take a few more pictures to remember this little getaway. I think we were both emanating the scent of “Check out” because the housekeepers were right there waiting for us to leave; it wasn’t even check out time yet. Anabelle took a quick minute to check us out at the front desk and we made our way back to civilization.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 376.5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 376.5pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;">Man, oh man this was a great getaway. I really feel that we capitalized on almost everything that the Westin KOR had to offer. For the things we didn’t get a chance to do, it only gives us something to look forward to the next time we go there. Great hotel. Great stay. Great times. Great memories. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 376.5pt;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaBD-Abxon_LlpMmJ9KDdeSFugh_FUKHzxJlt17ZeMgpwBx-9UFQm_jPaW46bT0V7W1ftlMjV4vaCw8kFOJd6U2DKA850Hj-os42lBvqCtUYJFpP4UpXRi2NyY0Wqc3osiI3ZfccYyi1T8/s1600/DSC00599.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaBD-Abxon_LlpMmJ9KDdeSFugh_FUKHzxJlt17ZeMgpwBx-9UFQm_jPaW46bT0V7W1ftlMjV4vaCw8kFOJd6U2DKA850Hj-os42lBvqCtUYJFpP4UpXRi2NyY0Wqc3osiI3ZfccYyi1T8/s400/DSC00599.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
</div>b.reANIMATEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987226839543079029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6615733609226916335.post-28893790864299842102011-10-13T23:35:00.001-07:002011-10-13T23:35:30.750-07:00GOOD DEED - PAYPHONE<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10pt;">Anabelle and I were hungry one Sunday afternoon so we decided to pick up food. As I got out of our car, this guy had asked me if he could borrow my phone. Because I don’t get the best reception where we were, I didn’t bring it. I told the guy “Sorry, I left it at home”. It surprised me that he didn’t give me any type of stare down like I was lying to him; he was totally cool about it. After I ordered I sat down and noticed him pacing outside looking for someone who’d let him use their phone. About 5 minutes later as I was walking out I saw that he was still in need of a phone. I heard and felt the loose change in my pocket jingling. So I asked him if he wanted some quarters for the payphone. He was so appreciative that he shook my hand and all he wanted to do was call for a ride home. Because of this, our breakfast ended up being that much better.</span></div>b.reANIMATEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987226839543079029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6615733609226916335.post-62034721561863793432011-10-12T22:25:00.000-07:002011-10-12T22:33:27.334-07:00HAPPY BIRTHDAY DINNER AT UMALU<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10pt;">HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GIRL IN THE WORLD</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMs0iwvmmPL6gzFKuQtOzzScgTdK_XxFcbtYgPSScbNDMDN9Q7_SwEu0rtJJofPPq452eKEqDquglS4G7KFmK0gems3QNh6RACmYAgOFkTQ63dqNaQd84keC03Hfng5AhyRXhnq24hpxIe/s1600/DSC00478.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10pt;">There is no bigger holiday to me than the birthdays of both Anabelle and Damien. Personally, their birthdays are more precious to me than my own. On September 15, it was the first day of the last year Anabelle will be in her twenties.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL6V2zY7jfZp8SSwq4vZFNua2CNu3yHh0PAaW_4pk5quKDlCZFHiCqua1i1RwBMSpaY0PTDOw8Uv3xlgnZZtLIcfPPjiOzDIRAI5Q2Sen44uQ0ivf6o2ir8Tmba3miuLzdU7LJlwNtUSWQ/s1600/DSC00436.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; height: 175px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; width: 201px;"><img border="0" height="150" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL6V2zY7jfZp8SSwq4vZFNua2CNu3yHh0PAaW_4pk5quKDlCZFHiCqua1i1RwBMSpaY0PTDOw8Uv3xlgnZZtLIcfPPjiOzDIRAI5Q2Sen44uQ0ivf6o2ir8Tmba3miuLzdU7LJlwNtUSWQ/s200/DSC00436.JPG" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10pt;">Since meeting Anabelle 9 ½ years ago, I always tried to make her birthday feel as special as possible. During the first few years, we always went big. As time went on, we always kept it special but realized that as long as we’re together as a family, it’s always a good birthday. Prior to us making any arrangements, we were invited to dinner by a great family friend, Barb and Dave Williams. They are among the kindest and warm hearted people we know and we absolutely love them. Dave, whose birthday is a day after Anabelle’s, wanted to eat at one of his favorite spots, Umalu, at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa.</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXK_X8N8mlHXJiW2eHRkZcQTPNfXw6sf6f0Ud517tcOOJgYz4eG_eu_p6YHaaQOFxgGYkFcBtROoZK7xEdybDevCennEZjy70p4A2TndZDClNHUwi11JUzTwJEolZL2vvsltEXj8AtT0gD/s1600/DSC00440.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXK_X8N8mlHXJiW2eHRkZcQTPNfXw6sf6f0Ud517tcOOJgYz4eG_eu_p6YHaaQOFxgGYkFcBtROoZK7xEdybDevCennEZjy70p4A2TndZDClNHUwi11JUzTwJEolZL2vvsltEXj8AtT0gD/s320/DSC00440.JPG" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10pt;">As with all Hyatt properties, this one too was wonderful. We had celebrated a few of Anabelle and Damien’s birthdays there so we were pretty familiar with where we were going. Umalu is an open aired <place w:st="on"><city w:st="on">oceanside</city></place> restaurant with an amazing view and equally good live music. Umalu has a great feel to it; enough action and commotion going on around you but not overwhelming at all. The bar that they have seems to be the must go to spot because the entire time we were there, all the chairs seemed to be taken.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10pt;">As soon as we met up with everyone and got seated, Barb popped open a bottle of champagne and the fun began. Anabelle and I only see Barb and Dave no more than 3 times a year so we always have a lot to catch up on. After chatting up a storm for about 10-15 minutes, the server approached to take our order but no one other than Dave had bothered to look at the menu. Eventually we ordered, and shortly after our appetizers came. We had furikake french fries and shredded chicken nachos; both of which were super good. As we munched on the appetizers, a few of the dancers from the Drums of the Pacific Luau (also at the Hyatt) came through and gave us a brief performance. Our great conversations were carrying on as the champagne bottle was emptying and our entrees arrived. Anabelle chose to get the fish tacos which both Barb and Dave swore by; and she was on cloud 9 from the get go. I had heard that Umalu is known for their pizzas so I chose to go with their sausage and herbed pizza. Though I’m not that big a fan of thin crusts, this one was on point and it tasted great. Unfortunately, because Anabelle and I hogged the nachos and fries, we both didn’t get a chance to finish our meals and we had to take it home. Even with everything going on, I really enjoyed watching my dad eating something different from his norm. After we all finished our meals, Dave and Anabelle opened their gifts. Dave had gotten a few shirts and Anabelle had gotten a scented candle with some other trinkets; kind of like a make-your-own-ambience type of thing. They both loved it and Anabelle is already making use of it as we speak. After all the gifts were open, the server had brought a cake out and we all sang happy birthday.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10pt;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh12lhV23MgeQpl06fN8QQ8nciaKdsLa5YoEhMlXdlKetDbanjyLlC8gW3I5GiH1nh9YqAsmzRwPZLZ5SXRN3pml1ov3PsMoE5-u5aHJO0VINV8fRx7916LULUMtzkhqREcik9__z9rKyyW/s1600/DSC00490.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh12lhV23MgeQpl06fN8QQ8nciaKdsLa5YoEhMlXdlKetDbanjyLlC8gW3I5GiH1nh9YqAsmzRwPZLZ5SXRN3pml1ov3PsMoE5-u5aHJO0VINV8fRx7916LULUMtzkhqREcik9__z9rKyyW/s400/DSC00490.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 11pt;">EVERYONE</span></div><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10pt;">Without knowing it, we were at Umalu for almost 4 hours before we called it a night. Heck, at the rate we were going, we’d still be talking today, and this post is almost a month late. But we had an amazing time with even more amazing people. Hopefully, we’ll all be able to do this again sometime soon.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqwYUWXS6gHFhaSM21zr_HM-eRylpctLDy1fR4Ox0TT6YUqjVDDibL0ee8SOI-v3roGBPbiNeFLL2k95sDCj5h3BF2DFBiSrj_maMV7wBUzR0P919gVUHf-GfS9k4hMzpo9sg2D1LFkSP0/s1600/DSC00438.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqwYUWXS6gHFhaSM21zr_HM-eRylpctLDy1fR4Ox0TT6YUqjVDDibL0ee8SOI-v3roGBPbiNeFLL2k95sDCj5h3BF2DFBiSrj_maMV7wBUzR0P919gVUHf-GfS9k4hMzpo9sg2D1LFkSP0/s400/DSC00438.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10pt;">HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVE & ANABELLE</span></div>b.reANIMATEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987226839543079029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6615733609226916335.post-26209034814359969422011-10-12T03:30:00.001-07:002011-10-12T03:30:39.967-07:00MILESTONE<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 36.0pt;">31 MONTHS</span></div><!--EndFragment-->b.reANIMATEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987226839543079029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6615733609226916335.post-25990917158405545702011-10-11T22:36:00.000-07:002011-10-11T22:48:16.004-07:00GOOD DEED - PETCO<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; font-size: 10pt;">Anabelle, Damien, and I went to the pet store to pick up some food for our dog Chuy. As we’re checking out, Anabelle asked if I wanted to get a bag of goodies for Chuy since it’s only $1. I knew that Chuy would destroy them in no time flat so I said no. Luckily, the cashier mentioned that we can also pay the dollar and donate it to the Maui Humane Society. Thinking that was an absolutely brilliant idea, I picked one that’s aimed more towards cats because I don’t think they’re as loved as dogs are. We decided to get a bag or two from now on and donate it whenever we get anything for Chuy. Good job <a href="http://www.petco.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Petco</span></a>.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFb8IXKs4A9JkZHMsR08ZgEbGVgobkqQEvKzFfB2pbMvET1mNGi61Mkl8eEtjf6Mf8rKtpjizJGSxxVk4Ds2uW8amrkicYrRWiOlAY4jw5nlUTV8Plu0aUAUxkJzKadCMsNgmeyujXEgFJ/s1600/DSC00661.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFb8IXKs4A9JkZHMsR08ZgEbGVgobkqQEvKzFfB2pbMvET1mNGi61Mkl8eEtjf6Mf8rKtpjizJGSxxVk4Ds2uW8amrkicYrRWiOlAY4jw5nlUTV8Plu0aUAUxkJzKadCMsNgmeyujXEgFJ/s640/DSC00661.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">ANIMALS NEED LOVING TOO</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div>b.reANIMATEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987226839543079029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6615733609226916335.post-48655365736069569312011-10-08T05:43:00.000-07:002011-10-08T05:58:00.803-07:0070. RIDE A ZIPLINE (2nd TIME)<div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;">When we woke up in the morning, our initial plans were to take Damien over to this Teen Expo, walk around, and catch the b-boy battle, then head out. The day didn’t exactly go to plan. And that was a good thing.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;">When we got there, we did a quick survey and headed over to the ping pong tent. Damien, for quite some time, has fallen in love with the sport (?) of ping pong. After meeting with some of the other ping pong players and the tent coordinator, we walked around and checked out the other tents. Since Anabelle had worked for 2 years with Maui High School on their Project Grad, she was hitting up tent after tent for their literature. In the midst of tent hopping, there was a guy decked out in a harness passing out coupons for the Maui Tropical Plantation Zipline.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;">Intrigued, I wandered over to him and asked him what he was passing out. He said that because of the Teen Expo, the Tropical Zipline was offering a special for expo-goers at $25 for 2 lines. I took the ad to Anabelle and asked her if she wanted to go. Realistically, it was way too good of a price to pass up. After paying, we walked back and asked Damien if he wanted to go. With some peer pressure from his friends, he said okay. We again walked back and decided to check out the lines. Since we already experienced the <a href="http://rebranimated.blogspot.com/2010/11/70-ride-zipline.html">Haleakala Zipline</a>, the 2 Tropical Zipline lines were a lot shorter and didn’t seem as adrenaline pumping. Even with that taken into consideration, we were still pretty excited.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKbbKbbs9EjsgnPgrvg3hyphenhyphenzlPkPGzwkuAHl_Ni-w4QnW8SmLyQIvRlZbGLQuYO8yeMP1i7V3o3_adz8nECtYTgCLE6xcxMJCm1Ox7AVJubj3y89LHWGpSO43yYmtpjX0QNchJgH1r4GJAZ/s1600/309854_10150299128783036_702498035_8262230_1890411880_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKbbKbbs9EjsgnPgrvg3hyphenhyphenzlPkPGzwkuAHl_Ni-w4QnW8SmLyQIvRlZbGLQuYO8yeMP1i7V3o3_adz8nECtYTgCLE6xcxMJCm1Ox7AVJubj3y89LHWGpSO43yYmtpjX0QNchJgH1r4GJAZ/s320/309854_10150299128783036_702498035_8262230_1890411880_n.jpg" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;">We were given a quick rundown on the course and got strapped and harnessed up. Damien, Anabelle, and I were paired with 3 other parties and a lone lady who seemed to be conquering some type of fear. As we walked towards the zipline platform, we were given some quick tidbits about the vegetation there. The guides were great. They incorporated humor with their lessons and told a few jokes. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;">As we walked up the first platform, they hooked us onto the cables that ran throughout our first takeoff. Safety was their primary concern and you could definitely tell. After we initially got hooked on, no matter where we moved to, we couldn’t get there without first being unhooked and hooked back up to another line. Within a few minutes, the zipping began. As it should be, the idea of ziplining quickly became a race of who can get across first. We were going in 2’s so Anabelle and our lone visitor went first. Silently, I was rooting hard for Anabelle to get across first. From the get go, Anabelle took the lead and held onto it. Damien and I were up next and the trash talking immediately began. I knew that because I had about 100lbs on Damien, odds are that I was going to win; though I didn’t want to celebrate early. Once the guide gave us the green light, Damien and I took off and it was a sprint. About ¾ of the way down, I noticed that Damien was losing steam. Unfortunately, he didn’t make it to the other side and had to be fished out by another guide. I on the other hand tried to take video of our race and had no idea where the end of the line was. Then all of a sudden, I felt my come to a halt as my momentum shot me as high as the zipline chord was. Evidently, there are guides at the bottom that use a rope to stop the riders. However, I was coming in with so much speed that I almost sent the guide flying. There were 3 boys that were with our group that were in awe at how crazy I was coming in. That first jump was great.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, fantasy; font-size: 16px;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/wtZTHhnJtnw?fs=1" width="480"></iframe></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;">Shortly after we all took our first plunge, we got hooked up to the second line and getting ready to go. Because Damien and I went last on the first line, we went in reverse order; so now we were first. Also, because Damien was semi-embarrassed about getting stuck the first time, he wanted to make every effort for that not to happen again. Again, when the guide gave us the green light, Damien sat down in his harness while I made the mistake of jumping off. As we were going down, Damien had a marginal lead on me but I felt my weight would help me speed down. Majority of the second line was over the Maui Tropical Plantation lagoon where there are ducks and fish that guests can feed. Also, for those that are interested, you can take a small canoe and paddle around the lagoon. There were many families below us and many of them were oohing and aahing as we zipped over them. I could hear several kids in the wake, “Mom, can I do that?” As this was happening, I could see Damien’s lead diminishing. I really thought I had a chance but the end of the line was coming up. I tried straightening out to get aerodynamic and hope that would be enough. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Actually, it was a photo finish. It’s really hard to say who took the second round but we had fun nonetheless. Anabelle and her partner came in not long after with Anabelle luckily winning their face off. She was smiling ear to ear; and she didn’t even look at it as a race. Call me competitive.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, fantasy; font-size: 16px;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/TiQegykRsNQ?fs=1" width="480"></iframe></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;">As our zipline came to a close, we unstrapped ourselves and immediately started talking about the experience. We had so much fun. At first, we both Anabelle and I were a bit apprehensive because both lines were a lot shorter and lower than the lines that zipped over in Haleakala. Regardless, we had nothing but fun and are definitely happy we chose to do the line. I now recommend it at work to those that want to experience ziplining but afraid of heights. I’m glad we went and if you choose to give it a whirl, I’m sure you will too.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji4_w6LPRzdtM2NMcjJwiennV_EnCSW-6HPh92BJXIxXMhECRfHVU_sDsZrnzg193SOElYlJzJpkFFS_LC9pXYAQGmHqcsM6N-cvAUQWiroi8Tg9omEhmUk_QfC95OFRjFCpst4GebLcja/s1600/309854_10150299128773036_702498035_8262229_1970599415_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji4_w6LPRzdtM2NMcjJwiennV_EnCSW-6HPh92BJXIxXMhECRfHVU_sDsZrnzg193SOElYlJzJpkFFS_LC9pXYAQGmHqcsM6N-cvAUQWiroi8Tg9omEhmUk_QfC95OFRjFCpst4GebLcja/s400/309854_10150299128773036_702498035_8262229_1970599415_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div>b.reANIMATEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987226839543079029noreply@blogger.com0