Island Vintage Coffee with lemoncello fron Cheesecake Factory

WW II Elevator in one of Hawaii Hospitals

No need to find a huanted house for the thrill.

Chinese Lion Dance

Apple Ipad for Women

Seasame Street: Outdoor with Jason Mraz

Indian cafe buffet this Sunday

Anybody wants to try this ? Only has this Sunday

Burger King Breakfast

It is so nice to have a regular weekday off.  The first thing I did this morning was changing motor oil at Jiffy Lubes. Since there was 30 minutes wait, having breakfast at Burger King would be a good idea to kill time.  I remember the last time I had BK breakfast was 5 years ago!!  Sausage Egg and Cheese and a small cup of coffee was $5.07.  I guess it's around the same $ to McDonald's.  However the BK Joe coffee is very good, I like it better than Starbucks's or Mc's.

Mabo Tofu Yakisoba at Tai Sei

Tai Sei - House of Ramen

800 S. Beretania St.

536-2522

Mon-Sat 10:30AM - 10:30PM

Sunday 11:00AM - 9:30PM

Mashmallow Maniacs

Marshmallow Maniacs @ Yahoo! Video

Crazy Hours is Over

Finally, the crazy 12 hours/day shift is over.  I still have to go work on Sunday but got Monday off so I think it's fair enough.

Pentagon’s Social Network Becomes Hub for Haiti Relief

The system …(APAN)… is designed to be as simple as possible, and is as easy to use as a site like Facebook, says Ty Wooldridge of the U.S. Pacific Command in Hawaii. It uses file-sharing applications, wikis, blogs, and calendaring tools, among other things, to coordinate information and action among people, no matter where they are. Though there are obvious military implications to that kind of network, its first battlefield test is ongoing, on the ground in Haiti.

Read More http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/01/pentagons-social-network-becomes-hub-for-haiti-relief/#ixzz0dGx2abYQ

A-Alpha, B-Bravo, C-Charlie

Today, my co-worker was spelling out letter by letter on the phone.  Then when she hit "P" for "Papa", people around her couldn't stop laughing.  As most of us think that P is for Peter or Paul, P-Papa is also a correct phonetic for NATA phonetic alphabet.

NATO Phonetic Alphabet

Letter	phonetic letter
A	Alpha
B	Bravo
C	Charlie
D	Delta
E	Echo
F	Foxtrot
G	Golf
H	Hotel
I	India
J	Juliet
K	Kilo
L	Lima
M	Mike
N	November
O	Oscar
P	Papa
Q	Quebec
R	Romeo
S	Sierra
T	Tango
U	Uniform
V	Victor
W	Whiskey
X	X-ray
Y	Yankee
Z	Zulu

Western Union Phonetic Alphabet

Letter	phonetic letter
A	Adams
B	Boston
C	Chicago
D	Denver
E	Easy
F	Frank
G	George
H	Henry
I	Ida
J	John
K	King
L	Lincoln
M	Mary
N	New York
O	Ocean
P	Peter
Q	Queen
R	Roger
S	Sugar
T	Thomas
U	Union
V	Victor
W	William
X	X-ray
Y	Young
Z	Zero

10/19/2010 SunRise at 7:10 AM at Ford Island

Goodbye Agne's B.

Agne's B. Wallet is so beaten up after 6 years of bonding.  I finally let it go, thanks for all the memory.  Now I have the new one which got more sleeves to put all my plastic cards.

The Fourth Pirates of the Caribbean to be Shot on Kauai and Oahu

Walt Disney Pictures has decided to film "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" in Hawaii, Gov. Linda Lingle's office announced this morning.


The fourth installment in the action-adventure series will be shot on Kauai and Oahu this summer. It is scheduled for release in summer 2011.

Lingle's office said filming is expected to generate about $85 million in direct and indirect spending in the Islands and provide hundreds of jobs for residents.

"Pirates of the Caribbean" On Stranger Tides" will once again star Johnny Depp as Capt. Jack Sparrow.

The film is being produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Rob Marshall.

"We've always sought out the most extraordinary and exotic locations for the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' films and previously shot briefly on both Maui and Molokai for 'Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End,' " Bruckheimer said.

"Hawaii provides an amazing range of both land and seascapes and we're delighted to return for 'On Stranger Tides.' "

12 Hours Support Haiti Earthquake Relief

Today was the longest day in my life.  I had to sit replying emails and talking on the phone for 12 hours by myself.  And the worst part!! It was my whole Sunday which I could have spent to finish Heros Season 4!!

Indian Cafe Roach Truck

Indian Food empire is now expanding from legitimate restaurant to roach trucks (even to little carts).  I just saw the Indian Cafe truck operated in the Don Quixote parking lot.  I might stop by this weekend to try the spicy eggplants again.

NASA Space Shuttle Price Cut

NASA just slashed the price of the space shuttle from $42,000,000 to $28,800.000.  Pretty good deal if you were Bill Gates.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5gbvF6Yz_frq7aG8mvqx11MxbmotQ

Navy Exchange Sells Goldilocks Cakes

No need to bring back Goldilocks from CA now.  There is a third party retail store in NEX selling Goldilocks cakes.  But I don't see Ube cake though...

Indian Cafe Chicken Curry

Indian Cafe Express located in NEX food court.  This is the first time that I got a stomachache first spicy food.  When they ask you what kind of vegetables you want..  you might want to think twice before choosing Spicy Eggplants.  Although I think Spicy Eggplants is very very good (tasted even better than the curry), but burning my tongue and spending time in a toilet should be avoided

Siam Garden Very Authentic Thai

Siam Garden - Thai restaurant, located next to BestBuy, offers varieties authentic Thai dishes.  It is one of my favorite Thai restaurants in Hawaii.  The photo shows Kuy Tuew Reae (direct word to word translation - Noodle Boat) and Rad Nah (Chow Fun).

New Cheap Eat Place Around The Airport

$5.50 Fried garlic chicken

The Battleship USS Missouri BB-63

Updated 1/8/2009: Today the Mighty MO was towed outside the harbor to shoot the movie "The Battleship"

On the way back from lunch, stood by my office's parking lot. I could see the Mighty MO or USS Missouri return from the dry dock to its home memorial spot in Pearl Harbor.

Spectacular Sunrise at 7:15 AM from Ford Island

USS Missouri enters the Memorial Dock

Behind USS Missouri BB-63

Kamikaze Trail

USS Missouri (BB-63)

Class: Iowa-class battleship
Length: 887 feet
Height: 209 feet from keel to mast
Beam: 108 feet
Weight: 58,000 tons (full load); 45,000 tons (unloaded)
Speed: In excess of 30 knots (35 mph)

Some History

Iowa-class battleships were designed for speed and firepower. Four Iowa-class battleships were built during World War II including the USS Missouri, the keel of which was laid on Jan. 6, 1941, at Brooklyn Navy Yard. Her armament included the main battery of nine 16 inch guns and twenty 5 inch anti-aircraft guns. There were 5 mounts on each side with two guns in each. (When she was modernized in the 1980's four of the mounts were removed and were replaced by Tomahawk missile launchers, so there are only 12 of them now.)

The Missouri was launched on Jan. 29, 1944, and commissioned on June 11, 1944. She was assigned to the Pacific Third Fleet and steamed into Pearl Harbor on Christmas Eve, 1944.

The USS Missouri was part of the force that carried out bombing raids over Tokyo and provided firepower in the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. During the war’s final month, the “Mighty Mo” served as Admiral William “Bull” Halsey’s flagship for the Pacific Third Fleet.

The Missouri secured its place in history as the site of Japan’s unconditional surrender to the Allied Forces on Sept. 2, 1945, ending World War II. The ceremony for the signing of the Formal Instrument of Surrender was conducted by Supreme Allied Commander, General Douglas A. MacArthur.

But her story does not end there. The Mighty Mo’s main battery firepower became a legend in Korea, with her nine 16 inch guns hurling 1,800-pound shells as heavy as Volkswagens over 23 miles in defense of U.S. land forces.

In 1955, the Missouri was decommissioned and mothballed at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. But in 1986, the USS Missouri was recommissioned after undergoing an extensive modernization and refurbishment. In 1991, the Mighty Mo was deployed to the Persian Gulf where it fired its 16-inch guns and launched Tomahawk missiles against Iraqi positions during Operation Desert Storm.

The Missouri’s final operational mission occurred on Dec. 7, 1991, when the battleship led a contingent of ships into Pearl Harbor as part of the commemoration to mark the 50th anniversary of the attack that thrust America into World War II.

In 1992, the Missouri was decommissioned for the second time. In 1995, it was removed from the Navy’s ship registry, clearing the way for the battleship to be donated by the Navy for preservation as a memorial museum.

In August 1996, the Navy selected the non-profit USS Missouri Memorial Association as caretaker for the battleship and Pearl Harbor as its permanent home. On May 4, 1998, the Navy made it official, transferring the Mighty Mo’s care to the association.

Some Interesting Facts

Designing the Missouri took 175 tons of blueprint paper. The ship was built in three years and required over 3 million man-days to complete the job.

For comparison’s sake, the Missouri is 279 feet longer and 11 feet wider than the USS Arizona. The Mighty Mo is also 5 feet longer and 18 feet wider than the RMS Titanic.

Just how big is the Missouri? If you could stand the ship on end, it would be 332 feet taller than the Washington Monument.

The nine 16-inch guns are the Mighty Mo’s trademark feature. Each gun barrel is to approximately 67 feet long, weighs an incredible 116 tons, and can fire a 2,700-pound shell 23 miles in 50 seconds — with pinpoint accuracy.

The Missouri was the last U.S. battleship to be launched and the last to be decommissioned. She was also the most formidable. In addition to her massive firepower capabilities, she possessed thick steel armor plating that protected the hull (13.5 inches), the gun turrets (17 inches in front; 13 inches on the sides), the citadel (17 inches), and the conning tower sides (17.3 inches).

Iron Eggs is Not So Iron

My friend brought back a souvenir from Taiwan.  The package looks cute and the black balls look like those mochi balls in pearl tea drink.  It turns out that those strange looking black balls are Quail Eggs!  So it's the same deal as Chinese style Onsen-Egg but using Quail Eggs and they probably were boiled in the Chinese 5 Spices soup for years.

The cooked egg white (egg black) texture is very rubbery until you bite to the center part - the egg yolk.

Quail Eggs (Tit Dan)

Aren't they look like Mochi balls in Pearl tea?

The black part is super chewy, but the yellow part is delicious

BlackRa1n Saves me $20/Month

Got a spare Iphone that I want to give it to my dad.  With the current AT&T phone plan, my dad (actually me) would have had to pay $20 a month for the data plan otherwise the phone won't be activated with my dad's SIM card.  It left me no choice but jailbreak it.  The procedure to jailbreak and unlock the phone is relatively simple.  The only problem I encountered was getting the message "Different SIM Card Detected" and it won't let you logon to the phone.  The problem was resolved by pulling the SIM Card out and did a manufacturer restore.  Losing data wasn't a big deal to me in this case.  The following is a step by step jailbreak for my own record (Do this only if after jailbreak and unlocked the phone but still got the SIM card message and you are willing to lose the data):

1. Restore the phone to manufacturer's firmware. (Update to 3.1.2 firmware first)
       1.1 Connect the phone to Itunes (someone recommended using the cheap Iphone USB cable or a USB hub to disable some enhanced Iphone features that works with MacBook)
       1.2 Turn off the Iphone
       1.3 Press and hold On/Off button and the Start button until the Apple logo comes up
       1.4 Press and hold the Start button until Itunes goes into the Recovery mode and prompt you to restore to the manufacturer's settings.
       1.5 Follow the ITune's instructions
2. Install BlackRa1n.  Just search on Google for a copy and follow the instruction by the software.  Make sure you choose Cydia package in the installation.
3. If you have 2G then use BootNeuter to unlock the phone.  For 3G/3Gs, use RedSn0w.
4. Insert your SIM.

To KimChee Lovers

Good news for KimChee lovers. Hawaii BestBuy offers quite a few selections on sophisticated KimChee refrigerators. If your or your wife's family eats Kim-Chee every meal, you definitely need to get one of these. They only cost a few thousands $$$$ and their size is bigger than my home frig that feeds the whole family.

GAR 2010 In-Training T-Shirt

FRONT

BACK

2010 Great Aloha Run In-Training T-Shirt: If you sign up for the next GAR before around November, In-Training T-Shirt is your for free.

First Time of 2010 hitting the beach

Happy 2010!!!

Waikiki Fireworks on 1/1/2010 12:00 AM. Pix by Jackson