Aloha for Yumiko and Yumiko for Aloha

Yesterday, Hawaii Palms was witness to an extraordinary outpouring of love and support. Students, teachers, neighbors, and friendly strangers came to the school to eat, drink, laugh, and support our fundraiser for Yumiko, who strongly battles against a stubborn brain tumor.

Teachers, staff members, and students made curry, nikujaga, tonjiru, onigiri, chili, muffins, macaroons, cookies, cake, quiche... others made art, donated clothes and scented soap bars, and everyone contributed hugely to a genuine feeling of aloha.

Yumiko's mom spent the day with us, too. Her curry fed a lot of visitors and her warmth gave us an abundance of joy.

It was a beautiful event, organized to lend a hand to a beautiful person. And it was so amazing to see how everyone who took part in it did so with so much love and sincerity that the school became brighter than usual; more welcoming and heartwarming than usual; and the atmosphere that everyone helped to create was as radiant as the smile we're all looking forward to seeing at school again.








Big thank you to everyone who came and showed their support and helped make yesterday Hawaii Palms' finest moment.

One Question, Four Answers

Today we talked about movies. We walked around the school and asked four people this question: What's the last movie you saw? Their answers were as good as their smiles




KAYOKO - watched About Time last Saturday

About a young guy who travels through time in order to change his past so he can have a better future. Even though a light romantic comedy, I liked it because of the message it gave me: We are all time travelers; time is precious, and the choices you make determine your future.

CRISTIN - watched Antonia two nights ago

An interesting Brazilian film about four women in a rap group that use music to help them overcome dramatic obstacles in life. The style of the movie was fascinating - it almost felt like a documentary. Although I really enjoyed the soundtrack and the feel of it, I'm not sure it's a movie I can recommend you watch.

TAK-SAN - watched Monsters University last summer

I went to Ward Theater with a group of about 20 kids to watch this movie. The movie was interesting, and I was really impressed by how much work went into creating all the different characters.

NAGISA - watched Finding Nemo many years ago

It's an animated movie about a fish that escapes its fish tank in order to look for his family. In his search, he meets a lot of different sea creatures that help him on his journey. I liked this movie because it encouraged me to travel abroad in search of my own experiences.

Rio and Kei's Excellent Adventure

Last Saturday, Rio and Kei had the most excellent adventure. They left Waikiki early in the morning and went to the swap meet at Aloha Stadium for a bit of shopping. Kei bought an awesome ipod case; Rio got herself some handmade bracelets. They negotiated with the vendors and got some great deals.

Shopping made the fantastic duo a little hungry, so after the swap meet they headed up to Haleiwa for some garlic shrimp. They decided to check out Macky's shrimp truck right outside of town. What did Rio think of the food? Two Hawaiian thumbs up!

With bellies full and spirits high, the dynamic pair decided they needed some relaxation time at the beach. So off they went in search of sun, sand, salty water, and turtles. They had the most outstanding time.

Before heading back to Waikiki, the spirited twosome stopped at a famous bakery in Waialua (North Shore) to sample some local baked sweets. They got some corn bread and donuts that were highly pleasant. The bakery had a good variety of treats from which to choose, and the fantastic pair wished they could have stayed there all day and sample all the goodies.

What a fun time they had. The only thing missing form this most excellent adventure was some shave ice from Matsumoto. Next time, girls; next time.

Trick or Treat!

Halloween at Hawaii Palms. Candy, costumes, laughter, fun.

    Javier the dirty hippie              Leopard print Debbie               Freeze! Kayoko the cop

      Sponge Bob Power                     Spanish Pumpkin                          Disco Mama Queen

       Dr. Chicken Head                          Sexy skeletons                   Rima the zombie bride

      The devil wears a miniskirt                Sergeant Rio                               Happy Halloween!

The Eleventh Month

School activities for the month of November. Check them out! 

Some Ordinary Roses

Last Friday morning on her way to work, Kayoko walked through the Sheraton Waikiki, found a rocking chair, took a seat, and smiled. She smiled because she could feel how much her perspective had changed since moving to Hawaii. She smiled at the thought of rainbows, clouds, birds chirping; she smiled at the reality of everyday life in Hawaii.

Sitting in that rocking chair smiling at he beach, Kayoko suddenly had a feeling of being on vacation. So she sat here, rocking back and forth, enjoying the peaceful moment.

Kayoko sat there for about 10 minutes. She then rocked to her feet, fully energized, ready for another exciting day at Hawaii Palms.

Kayoko reminds us to take a moment to smell the roses. So go ahead and find your rocking chair, smile at your thoughts, and value the seemingly ordinary things that make you happy.

And have a wonderful weekend!

One Question, Four Answers

We wanted to know what people at Hawaii Palms thought about the food in Hawaii, so we asked them the following question: What's the best thing you've eaten in Hawaii? These were their answers:

Debbie, accommodations expert:

Maui Mike's Chicken in Wahiawa. The chicken is so fresh and juicy, it reminds me of chicken from The Philippines. And their honey mustard sauce in incredible!

Rima, yellow mellow class student:

Poke from my host mother. She made spicy ahi poke and I love spicy food.

Alfonso, all the way from Spain:

I went to Gyugaku last week with classmates. Korean BBQ was my favorite.  We had kalbi and beef tongue.

Yukie, 2-year student and Hawaii resident:

Nabe from Sweet Home Cafe. The atmosphere there is great, and you can select the ingredients from the fridge and create your own nabe, or hot pot dish.

How about you? What's the best thing you've eaten in Hawaii?