It's officially da last day of da year....

I dunno about you but I think DIS is da bestest holiday of da whole year! Wen else can you pah-tay hard, blow shtuff up and not get busted? Did I mention you can be all kolohe li'dat and say stuff like, "no worries Babe, I clean 'em up..... next yea'!" 

I gotta admit, our hui has diminished some - either moved or get family - and we've had some wild New Year's in da past but da fellahs dat still around... they wat you call true friends!

It's kinda strange fo' us cause evah since I could remembah all da way back to high school dayz, we've always pah-tay'd with friends. Sure we were always at someone's house with a "host family" and we put in calls to da parents as da time got near, but wen da clock struck midnight da boys were always together blasting off da multiple and deafening 10,000+ strands.

Well, you kinda don't wanna be near us if there are fireworks involved cause we're pyro's.... well ok, jus' me. I don't make bombs or anything but I do like to see wat will/can blow up. I once threw a whole bunch of firecrackers, morning glories and some oddah stuff inside my friends mailbox to see if da mailbox would blow da lid off... nada... but next thing we knew we needed a water hose pronto!

We also raced bottle rockets down the streets (crossed our fingahs it wouldn't go undah any cars) and in da kolohe days used to shoot 'em off da car while driving as if we were in Desert Storm. And if by some miracle at da end of da night all da fireworks not pau, I just make a bonfire and light it up.

(Any of da above information posted in WWD! is strictly for amusement purposes only and will deny any wrongdoing while pleading da 5th). 

New Year's is unreal wen you think about it although it has lost some of it's luster with permit fees and now da econonomy - regardless, it's still fun if you're able to do it. Wat trips me out is how many "illegal" aerials are out there.

Where I live in Pearl City, it started from November a nightly show of illegals going off and as each night passed it grew and grew. Just da oddah night it must have been at least a five minute show with supah loud cherry bombs exploding and setting off car alarms left and right.

Come less than 24 hours from now, da "smell" in da air, da food, da drink, da friends and family..... can't ask fo' anything more right? Unless you asthmatic and need a filtered mask.... but how you going talk, eat and drink, I dunno.

Before you bust out your New Year's plan and mo'olelo's, how many of you make New Year Resolutions? How many of you stick to them? At least one?

As you know WWD! is not "normal" and we like to have fun (ok, poke fun) so let's try something new.... how's about New Year Breakers! Lurkahs, feel free to join in at anytime - it will be da New Year aftah all.

Here's a few - and keep 'em coming - but if I figgah right, we should be able to hit at least a thousand posts (one "Breaker" per post please) since New Year Resolutions nevah last long but at least you'll fulfill every single one of da Breakers!

• I promise dat I will not stop at one serving... maybe at two... well depends if it's buffet.
• I promise to go to da gym.... when I feel like it.
• I promise to be grumpy at least one time a week.
• I promise to post more often on Wassap Wit Dat!

Pah-tay hard, Pah-tay safe
All you drivahs, don't tempt fate
Drink tonight, drive you not
Arrive alive, leave awake

Enjoy da lights with smoke filled air
Da magic comes but once a year
Eat up, drink up - have a good time
I hope to see you in 2009

Whoa!

So who nevah have powah last Friday? Da whole island right?

Last week's Feel Good Friday blog "Black Friday II" had a double meaning no? Not dat I had anything to do with it. Did I bachi everybody or had a "vision"? As Uncle Rodney said, it was a Black OUT Friday.

Da Wife and I got home in our normal fashion and as I took da dogs out to do their business, noticed it was pretty gloomy - not dat it was any different from da weather we've already been having - buuuuut, there it was was.... a quick flash of light like from da flash from a camera.... 'den a slow, soft rumble.

Oh boy, goin' storm baby!

Da dogs taking their time and looking up everytime had flash as if they was taking picture and 'den "suck back in" wen they hea' da rumble. Ai-goo! Hurry up!

Then got louder and louder and den da BIG drops started coming down drop by drop. A few minutes aftah dat, a straight out downpour and I told Da Wife, "Babe, watevah you cookin', bettah be now cause we not goin' get electricity."

How did I know? I dunno but dat day jus' felt different.

About ten minutes latah..... bzzztwwwzzt - Black Out.

Wassap Wit Dat!

It's not like nevah thunder and lightning before and it's already been raining fo' choke long time so wat makes it different now? Even HECO is trying fo' still find da answer.... I thought they said they "fixed" da problem aftah da 2006 earthquake? Hmmmm.....

Did I mention we still had to pack fo' da Kauai trip?

So we busted out da flashlights and real funny 'dis one. Terri's Grandpa gave me a "knick-knack" set fo' Christmas. He always gives some kine of gift dat he believes is "useful" and 'dis time he got 'em right! It was a self-powered LED flashlight dat you crank so no need batteries....

Yeah, dat's my panty dog below me "protecting" me.

Da Wife and I stared at each oddah in darkness and cracked up laughing! Needless to say, Da Wife boiled some watah - before da powah went out - and had instant saimin while I had kim chee (thank goodness I saved some fo' us), rice and vienna sausage. We ended up dining by flashlight and was kinda good fun.... at least fo' me.

We finished packing and just hoped dat da powah would come back on before we left - which it did at a little aftah 3am.

Wat did you do during da Black Out? You had food or had to "hunt"? Did you jus' do old school can of spam or sausage and leftovah rice? Or were you of those with a generator? One of our neighbors had one and da buggah was loud!

Wat can you do?

Happy Feel Good Friday!

So I've just heard on the radio and seen in advertisements that today is Black Friday II. As if we need another reason to shop... although that's a pretty darn good reason!

Before I go any further I gotta ask - and be honest cause not like we "know" each oddah eh -

Anybody got a lame a$$ gift? A gift you feverishly ripped opened wondering "wat da heck could dis be?", with gift in hand do a double-take as you rotate it and........... - say it with me -

WASSAP WIT DAT!

We all know it's the thought that counts but sometimes don't you wonder wat da heck is going through their minds? 

Hope everyone had a great Christmas and even a bettah time returning half da presents you got.

Fo' those shopping on Black Friday II, let us know wat kine deals you wen score or heard about cause you nevah know if one of us wanted it but nevah hear of it... especially me. 

And wat's a Feel Good Friday without da joke of da day - mahalos to sassy7 - ........

Grandma's letter. She is eighty-eight years old and still drives  her own car. She writes:

Dear Grand-daughter,

The other day I went up to our  local Christian book store and saw a 'Honk  if you love Jesus' bumper sticker. I was feeling particularly  sassy that day because I had just come from a thrilling choir  performance, followed by a thunderous prayer meeting, So, I  bought the sticker and put it on my bumper.

Boy, am I glad I did, what  an uplifting experience that followed. I was stopped at a red light at a  busy intersection, just lost in thought about the Lord and how good he  is, and I didn't notice that the light had changed. 

It is a good thing someone  else loves Jesus because if he hadn't honked, I'd never have noticed. I found that lots of people love Jesus!

While I was sitting  there, the guy behind started honking like crazy, and then he leaned out  of his window and screamed,

"For the love of God! Go! Go!  Go!.... Jesus Christ, GO!"

What an exuberant cheerleader he was for Jesus! Everyone started honking! I just leaned out my window  and started waving and smiling at all those loving people. I  even honked my horn a few times to share in the love!

There must have  been a man from Florida back there because I heard him yelling something  about a sunny beach. I saw another guy waving in a funny way with only his middle finger stuck up in the air. I asked my  young teenage grandson in the back seat what that meant. He said  it was probably a Hawaiian good luck sign or something.

Well, I have  never met anyone from Hawaii, so I leaned out the window and gave him the good luck sign  right back. My grandson burst out laughing.  Why even he was  enjoying this religious experience!!

A couple of the people were so  caught up in the joy of the moment that they got out of their  cars and started walking towards me. I bet they wanted to pray or ask  what church I attended, but this is when I noticed the light had  changed.

So, I waved at all my brothers and sisters grinning, and drove on through the intersection. I noticed that  I was the only car that got through the intersection before the light  changed again and felt kind of sad that I had to leave them after  all the love we had shared.

So I slowed the car down, leaned out the  window and gave them all the Hawaiian good luck sign  one last time as I drove away. Praise the Lord for such  wonderful folks!!

Will write again soon,

Love,  Grandma 

 

SHOUT OUT: Mahalos to Uncle Rodney & Paula, NKHEA & IKHEA, opso, Ocean Lover, M & Masako, Coconut Willy, island girl in NC for all da goodies!

And btw, fo' those who picked up kim chee I guess you guys no can read cause I said no bring nothing! Da kim chee is from Da Wife and I jus' saying mahalos.... and fo' anybody dat was hungry.

If I fo'got anybody I'm eternally sorry (you should know by know my memory not too good).

Howzit howzit!

One more day and since I'm probably not going to post tomorrow just wanted to wish all da WWD! hui - Lurkahs included - a very Mele Kalikimaka!

I hope this season has "refreshed" your soul even if it was only for a month!

Now us suckahs dat ran out of vacation are here at work.... who else is out there? Drop a line to let us know who's in da hale!

Anyone going to da game? I have to admit I going be da only pupule person wearing a UH shirt and a Notre Dame hat... no can help - they BOTH my teams! I guess I going win either way eh? I really wish I could have gone to the game but a couple of my friends work till the afternoon and you know wat happened to my oddah friend. Das' why we going get a bowl game pah-tay my house and pah-tay all night!

And no, I nevah fo'get... Vegas recap coming up and mahalos fo' all those who posted some great suggestions fo' da quick Kauai getaway this weekend! Kinda getting worried cause supposed to rain this weekend and dat's not good. Oh yeah, still gotta book hotel rooms.

Wishing all who read and post on WWD!, your families, braddahs, sistahs, uncles, aunties, cousins, nephews, nieces, whoevah, watevah, wea-evah......

MELE KALIKIMAKA!

You hear it all the time but you never think it'll happen to you. 

You may have a daily routine, favorite parking spot, the same route to work - even walking to the car you have a sequence of pulling your keys out at the car, before the car or ten feet away from the car. You do all these things without thinking about it but know it can happen at any time.

What am I talking about?

Crime.

Just in the past week a very good friend of mine's was on the news and it wasn't a happy story. In broad daylight as she was putting the shopping cart away (husband putting baby in the car seat) at Toys R Us and a punk on a moped tried to steal her purse.

Yeah. The same stories you heared about in Waikiki and Waikele.

I for one would never have thought that would happen to someone I know let alone a crime like that. I'm just grateful that she's ok besides a few cuts and bruises from being dragged a bit.

I know some of you are thinking why didn't she let it go. Well besides the fact that it's her purse, I don't think anyone has the reaction to let go. It's natural human instinct to "hang on" when something is being pulled away from you or to protect yourself when feeling threatened.

It's a shame that society is "taught to give up" and the criminals prey on it. Sure things can be replaced but why should it be? You busted your okole to earn it and you damn right didn't work hard to just "give it away".

It would be different if a weapon was shown but still, these criminals are just getting more and more brave not only reserving criminal activity for night.

Then last week one of my best friend's mother got mugged. Yeah, you heard right. A mother got mugged.

WASSAP WIT DAT!

In an area not frequent of crime, she was mugged and assaulted as she was walking to her bus stop in Moanalua Valley on her way to work. These hoodlums took off with just one of her bags - idiots took her clothes bag - and now she has to deal with the aftermath of a separated shoulder, cut lip along with cuts and bruises.

In both of these crimes, the victim's not only have to deal with the physical injuries but psychological as well. My friend is still shaken up and I'm sure my friend's mother must be going through a tough time as well. How can you feel safe after an ordeal like that?

To make matter's worse, my best friend's pretty brand new car got banged in the parking lot at Foodland and the punk drove off. Thanks to witness' that saw the incident and reported it with the license plate.... but I bet that driver didn't have insurance.

Then last Friday, another one of my best friends found out at the end of his shift that it would be his last shift - his employer, Hyatt, let him go. Did I mention his relationship ended a month before too?

Boy, while we can't protect everyone from everything, please be safe especially during these hard times and hopefully you'll never "meet" any of these punks.