domesticity

I love the design of these index chopping boards from MoMA. The four color-coded boards are designed to prevent foodborne illness from cross-contamination when preparing raw meat, vegetables, poultry, and seafood. The boards also come with a plastic filing unit for easy storage. Clever and stylish!

My week in review...

Buying...

A privacy filter for my laptop screen so that the people in the aisle next to me on the airplane can’t see what I am viewing on my laptop. That way I can pretend to be a secret agent spy!

Eating...

Li hing mui shave ice topped with condensed milk from Waiola Shave Ice II in Kapahulu. Nothing is better on a hot day to cool you off!

Reading...

Picked up a copy of Coastal Living magazine at the airport newspaper stand to flip through on the plane and maybe get some decorating inspiration for our home.

Watching...

Juno and Jumper on the Hawaiian Airlines digEplayer on the flight back to Seattle.

I can’t believe it is already our last night in Honolulu before we head back to Seattle tomorrow afternoon. This vacation was especially fun because we were able to stay in the recently constructed condominium in downtown Honolulu instead of out on the Windward side. It was definitely convenient and we had the most amazing views of Diamond Head from the floor to ceiling windows. I am already planning (plotting!) our next visit home!

We’re back in Honolulu and I miss my parents already. I wish we could have spent more time on the Big Island... actually I wish we had more time on this vacation home!

Spent some time running errands today and picking up more goodies to take back to Seattle. One of the places we love to frequent is Don Quijote. The store aisles are always packed to the hilt with products ranging from groceries to electronics. I can always find everything I need and more in their Kaheka location.

I also made sure to stop by Hakubundo while I was in the area to browse the Japanese craft books. I had planned to visit their downtown location, but I think it may have closed!

Image courtesy of donki.com.

We visited the 'Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaii and viewed Mauna Kea: Between Earth and Sky and Dawn of the Space Age in the full-dome planetarium. The center is located on a nine-acre campus above the University of Hawaii at Hilo and offers exhibits and daily shows exploring the connections between Hawaiian cultural traditions and the science of astronomy. The Dawn of the Space Age was especially interesting and fun to watch as it is the the first three-dimensional stereo planetarium presentation in the world. You can watch a trailer of the presentation here.

Hopped a plane headed for the Big Island this morning to visit my parents for a couple of days. The last time we were on the Big Island, the coqui frogs hadn’t yet invaded the land near my parents’ home, but this time you could really hear them as you tried to drift off to sleep. It sounded like we were deep in some tropical jungle!

I met one of my friends for lunch today at the television station where we used to work togther. She still works there and it gave me a chance to see some of my old coworkers and catch up with them.

We then headed over to Ala Moana Center for lunch at the new Nordstrom Cafe to share a blue cheese and pear salad and margherita pizza. I have to come back to try the kalua pork and lomi tomato pizza. Yum! After lunch, we spent another hour or so shopping and talking story. We email each other at least once a week, but it is always so much nicer to be able to get together in person!

Image courtesy of alamoana.com

My week in review...

Buying...

Hula Girl Coffee in Vanilla Macadamia Nut and Chocolate Macadamia Nut flavors to take back to Seattle as omiyage.

Eating...

Zippy’s Chili with rice, cheese, and onions. I have to eat this at least once when I come home to Hawaii. The frozen version that they sell in the stores on the mainland is just not the same. Image courtesy of zippys.com.

Reading...

The Honolulu Advertiser in hard copy format rather than online, which is usually how I read this newspaper. I wish it was more economical to have this newspaper delivered to me daily in Seattle.

Watching...

Vintage episodes of Soko ga Shiritai on KIKU-TV. My husband loves this show. I wonder if anyone sells DVDs of past episodes? I would love to have DVDs of this show to watch back in Seattle.

I stopped by Ala Moana Center to wander around the mall’s ongoing expansion project. I didn’t venture into the recently opened Nordstorm since I am planning to meet a friend for lunch at the Nordstorm Cafe on Monday, but I did get a chance to check out many of the other new retail stores. I also visited Ward Centers. I can’t believe how much has changed since the last time I was home!

Image courtesy of alamoana.com

After being away for over a year (the longest stretch yet!), we flew into Hawaii this afternoon. This morning when we left Seattle, it was a cold and gray 40 degrees, we are now basking in the sunshine. It’s good to be home!