Tag: coffee

Posted on in Personal

Waikiki Staycation

Olive + Oliver

These past few weeks have been a bit hectic in the office and at home so I asked my fiancé if he’d be opposed to getting some sun and alone time in busy Waikiki all weekend. Surprisingly, he was so excited, he booked a room at The Surfjack the next day!

We usually like to stay at The Laylow because of the nearby restaurants and luxe and trendy ambience, but he knew I was curious about the vintage vibe at The Surfjack. They have a nice restaurant called Mahina and Suns and live music every weekend. I dig it very much.

One of my fave things about The Surfjack is their coffee shop / boutique, Olive + Oliver. Coffee is below $5 and you get to choose a cup by a famous illustrator. The one pictured above is by Kim Sielbeck, a Honolulu-based artist.

View of the pool from our room on the second floor.

The Surfjack isn’t too far from most eateries, but you’ll have to either walk or borrow a bike. We decided to have breakfast at Bills Hawaii, an Australian restaurant best known for their ricotta pancakes.

The Full Aussie from Bills

Before we get into the ricotta pancakes, I wanted to mention the Full Aussie, which is a nice heap of protein and the best miso mushrooms I’ve had. Bills has a teensy bit of local flair, serving kimchee sausage as part of their signature Aussie breakfast.

Ricotta pancakes from Bills

Cue melty buttah action! The ricotta pancakes were served with this honey butter, which resembled sporty banana slices. I was confused at first, seeing banana at the bottom, I mistook the honey butter slice for banana and accidentally put it in my mouth! Kinda gross, but not?! I spit it out and spread the rest of the (untouched) butter across the cakes and we devoured every bite. Oh, if you show your local ID, kamaaina discount is 20%! Yassss…

Tsukemen from Bario

I wish I took photos at the beach, but I was too busy relaxing and frolicking with the fiancé to stop and take photos. It’s nothing you haven’t seen before, Waikiki beach was nice, but full of tourists (shocker). For lunch, we wanted to go someplace with a kamaaina discount…so we walked over to Yokocho, my fave spot for Japanese food. If you’re local, you get 15% off your order. We got the ramen and original tsukemen from Bario, because comfort food is a must after every beach day.

Book recommendation: In the Seat of a Stranger’s Car – bought this gem at Olive + Oliver.

This is how we ended our little staycation: with a book and a matcha latte with Olive + Oliver’s homemade honey syrup. Photos of myself sleeping with my mouth open on the pool lounge chair may surface later this week, but I don’t have any regrets about taking a little break from work and family obligations! I’d do it all over again.

Posted on in Uncategorized

My new job at Easter Seals Hawaii, a Chicago conference and a new life mission

IB EASTER1

I’m proud to say that I’m a new member of the development team at Easter Seals Hawaii! I never thought I would get back into public relations and marketing until my good friend Umma recommended that I apply for an open position. Upon my first week on the job, I was told that I would be flying to Chicago for a marketing and public relations conference at the Easter Seals headquarters. It was amazing and eye-opening. I’ve met some really altruistic and insanely intelligent marketing and PR managers that dedicate their lives to the beneficiaries of Easter Seals.

In addition to meeting fellow public relations and marketing managers and learning about the impact of having a news background (which I am very proud of), I was given a personal tour of the headquarters office in Willis Tower. I instantly became inspired by the quote that is embedded into the wall of the lobby. “Your life and mine shall be valued not by what we take…but by what we give,” said the founder of Easter Seals, Edgar Allen. This is something I’ll have to frame in my office to remind me of my mission in case any unnecessary stress arrives.

IB EASTER2

After the conference, I did some exploring on my own. It was my first time in Chicago and I had never seen snow until this Wednesday. Crazy, huh? Aside from freezing my tail off, it was nice to see what people in Chicago ate, wore and behaved. Based on my observations over the past three days, I can tell you a few things: Chicagoans love sandwiches, pizza, dark clothes and they always joke around. Although I wasn’t a deep-dish fanatic, I did enjoy the regular pizza and cafes on every corner. People in Chicago love their coffee, heck, if it were 30 degrees out, I’d love coffee that much too. I ran into every coffee shop on every corner just to warm up. This island girl can’t take the cold weather! Can you see my teeth chattering in the first photo?

IB EASTER3

This photo pretty much sums up my experience. I took a head cold and a new life mission as souvenirs and I’m full of ideas for my new job. Now preparing for takeoff…here we go!

Posted on in Uncategorized

A new year indeed

IB Floral Pants

The new year has been pretty mellow so far. I’m taking it slow, observing any changes in luck…like a ninja…waiting for some kind of excitement to strike!

IB Ozoni Soup

No excitement yesterday either. My grandmother and I welcomed the new year with some traditional Japanese ozoni soup. My uncle makes it with lots of mizuna (mustard greens), clams, taro, shiitake mushrooms and mochi.

Posted on in Uncategorized

#INSTALIFE Election Day, The Tea Farm & Thrifty Thursdays

My friend Timka took me to The Tea Farm Café yesterday. It’s a cute little place right off of King Street in Moiliili. The owner, hidden behind the curtain on the left is being interviewed by a Japanese magazine writer for a feature article. The shelves in the back are full with little canisters of every flavor of tea that the café has to offer. The bookcase on the right acts as a trading library. I’m absolutely smitten with this cute, peaceful café. In addition to hot/iced teas, they also offer, salads, sandwiches and ice cream in the shape of little hearts.

I was eavesdropping in on the interview taking place on the left. From what I gather, the owner studied accounting at the University of Hawai’i and felt limited to certain jobs with his field of study. So he started a tea café…and through trial and error, he came up with scrumptious tea flavors and a business concept that would separate himself from the other local and commercial coffee shops.

On a separate note, I’ve decided to start a weekly #hashtag on Instagram. It’s called #ThriftyThursday! I got tired of #ThrowbackThursday so I decided to show off some of my thrifty finds. For #ThriftyThursday, I wore a thick gold chain I got off of eBay for $1.20, a top from Ross bought for $4.99 and my jeans from TJ Maxx ($8.90). If you didn’t catch it, I am very boastful of finding cute clothes and accessories for less than $10.

Moving backwards, here’s what I wore on Election Day! Red, white and blue. I’m a bit cheesy when it comes to important days/holidays. Hehe. I work a Mossimo dress from Target ($20), Rocket Dog boots ($45) from Famous Footwear & necklaces I’ve acquired of the last few years.

Posted on in Uncategorized

A 15-minute break from reality

Whew! Isn’t this a relaxing site? Well, it’s probably not the most gorgeous view of Hawaii but it’s a nice change from the daily grind downtown. I’ve been working seven days a week for the past two months and although I wouldn’t trade my current jobs for the world, (unless it’s for Travel Channel), it’s nice to take a breather once in a while. It’s a bit humid and calm here in Hawaii Kai. This is the backside of Island Brew Coffeehouse, one of my favorite cafés on the island.

I’ve taken it upon myself to set some selfish goals before 2012 is over. Only now have I realized that it is the fourth day of November and I’ve been on autopilot for a while (working, cleaning my house, working, saving money, working…and oh, working). I make it a point to take some time to treat myself to some of life’s luxuries. So here are some snapshots of the little ways I try to keep sane and reward myself for working hard.

This is my mini-haul from Forever21. I spent a total of $36 dollars on two shirts, an Amour necklace and shoes. Luckily there was a 21% discount promo code. I’m constantly on the lookout for deals.

I finally got to catch up with my younger cousin Momo this past week. We went to Panya Bistro at Ala Moana. They’re known for their Laksa and salads. Even their salads fill you up with tiger shrimp and tofu. They also have the best ume martinis and Japanese cheesecake on the island.

Lastly, in my small circle of best friends, it is imperative that we celebrate each other’s birthdays with a bang. It was Healani and Janel’s birthdays during the past two weeks and I was excited to get out for a bit. Hanging with my girls is always therapeutic and fun. P.S. those are Jan’s sexy legs.

As for the rest of my selfish goals, I’m aiming to finish that design project that I’ve started, start promoting my t-shirt line (seriously) and getting that massage I’ve been needing all year. I’m still trying to figure out the rest.

 

Posted on in Uncategorized

#INSTALIFE coffee, hikes & lychee


@islandbohemian