Best Accessory - Portable Purse Hangers

What: PURSE HANGERS

Why: Because Purses were meant to be hung…not thrown on the floor, slung over a chair, or sliding off a rounded chair back.

Price: $17-35

Where: The Wedding Café (LuxeLink, $35), dozens of contemporary designs; Paperie at the Kahala Mall (FindersKeyPurse, $17), 8 whimsical prints. Both models include velvet storage pouches

The way it works: These handy gadgets are circular in shape, approximately 2 inches in diameter. The center piece is weighted to withstand the weight most purses. A riveted arm unwinds around the center piece to form a “j” shaped loop to hang the purse strap.

Small enough to store in any purse and light enough to carry all day--
I don’t leave home without it!

Official product websites:

http://www.luxelink.com
http://www.finderskeypurse.com/

Last Call at Costco Hawaii - Spa Gift Certificates

Attention Spa-goers...

A little known Island Secret: Of all the Costco's in the nation, Hawai'i is the last to carry the remaining 12 SpaFinder Gift Certificates. Due to popular demand, these certificates have been flying like pancakes and were sold out in the mainland stores and Costco.com over the past 1-2 years.

The Inside Scoop: One Costco employee was kind enough to look into the company's computer system only to find that a) Costco will not be placing any future orders with SpaFinder and b) The final warehouse on the entire island to carry these certificates is Costco in Hawaii Kai.

Start your engines...!

Links: Spa, Island Secrets

Best Kept Beauty Secret - Shiseido in Hawaii

Shiseido's Camellia Club is a special rewards program limited to Shiseido counters in Hawai’i! Just collect stamps with every purchase and you're on your way to earning beauty gifts worth up to $230. To become a club member simply sign up at any participating Shiseido counter--there is no fee and no catches to enroll.

The way it works: For every $10 you spend, you are given one ink stamp on a rewards card. At the end of each year, a sales representative will calculate the number of stamps you collect. You will be rewarded a free full sized Shiseido product at the end of each cycle. Each stamp card begins on July 1^st of each year and ends on June 30^th of the following year.

Reward Gift. Depending on the number of stamps you collect, you will be given one of the following gifts:

20 stamps = White Lucent Brightening Cleansing Foam (worth $33)
40 stamps = White Lucent Brightening Massage Cream (worth $50)
60 stamps = Future Solution Eye and Lip Contour Cream (worth $125)
80 stamps = Future Solution Total Revitalizing Cream (worth $230)

Coupons. When you think things couldn’t get better, with each yearly enrollment you are given with a small booklet filled with coupons including opportunities for you to get free Shiseido Rewards stamps (e.g. 2 free stamps with a purchase of any facial product; 2 free stamps for participating in a complementary make up lesson), as well as discounts to local restaurants in Honolulu (e.g. buy one lunch entrée get one free at Ryan’s; 15% off your entrée at Kincaids.)

Double Stamps months. To entice you even more, there are special periods where every dollar that is spent is calculated as two dollars. This allows you to earn more stamps and fill your rewards card even fuller and faster!

Here’s the Inside Scoop: Upcoming Double Stamp days (at Macy's) will be held…

Mid-July 2008
3 days in September 2008
End of December 2008-Early January 2009

These are great periods to stock up Shiseido products to last you the whole year, and it is possible to fully complete the entire stamp rewards cards by taking advantage of the Double Days. Tourists too may find this a good motivation to stop by the Shiseido counter on their next visit to the islands.

I've been using Shiseido products for over 15 years and have found this to be one of the best kept beauty secrets about living in Hawaii.

Participating stores: Macy’s | Shirokiya | Nordstrom

A Good Glass of Morning (Soy) Milk

I was drinking a glass of soy milk this morning as I muddled through a bowl of hot oatmeal...And I wondered to myself, “How many soy beans does it take to make one glass of milk?”

…Actually I should be a bit more honest and confess that the first thought that really came to my mind was, “Why isn’t soy milk as snowy white as the milk from cows and goats?” It seems that each time I pour a glass of soy milk, I have to remind myself that soy milk is supposed to be an off-white color!

I only started to drink soy milk since moving to Hawai’i so I’m a newbie when it comes to this product. I’ve always enjoyed a tall glass of cold (cow’s) milk straight from the fridge to start off my day. I love the thick richness and creamy texture that comes with the first sip of this milk in the morning…and I love how drops of condensation speckle the glass after only a few minutes on the kitchen table…

Ahhhh...(sigh)...(smile)...

--[screetch]--

Okay, back to soy milk. I learned a couple things today about drinking soy milk:

- Soy milk will only stay fresh for 7-10 days after the carton is opened.
- Do not smell the milk to see if it is spoiled; rather check to see if you notice a slight change in color, a slightly bitter taste, or a change in thickness.
- Soy milk should never be frozen as the consistency will separate when defrosted

What I like about soy milk is its storability. I love purchasing the 24 pack at Costco and being able to store it in the pantry until I want to drink it. I also appreciate that is a good source of protein and contains 100% of our body’s needed amino acids. It isn't a perfect bean however. Soy milk is not a source of natural calcium, and while whole soy beans provide a good source of fiber, soy milk does not contain this.

And so while I still don’t know how many soy beans it takes to produce one glass of milk, I do wonder about other questions like: Why does soy milk remain luke warm no matter how long it’s been in the refrigerator? Who thought to drink the milk from a bean? Who even knew the bean could be processed into milk? I also wonder how many people prefer soy milk to the milk of goats and cows? And how cooking and baking with soy milk compares to using cow or goat milk?

I’d love to hear your own thoughts to musings on Soy Milk!

Places in Honolulu to purchase Soy Milk:

- Umeke Market and Natural Foods | www.umekemarket.com
- Down to Earth Natural Foods | www.downtoearth.org
- Kokua Market Natural Foods Cooperative | www.kokua.coop
- Wholefoods Market (coming) | www.wholefoodsmarket.com
- Costco Warehouse | www.costco.com
- Most major supermarkets

The Important Role of Photojournalists

I saw a captivating photograph in the newspaper today.

It was an image that led me to reflect upon the political condition of our world. As I loosely flipped through the pages of the local paper, my eyes became struck by a photograph I found appealing in technical artistry. It captured my attention long enough to pause and read the caption above it--"Palestinians Protest Israeli Barrier."

The photograph itself lures the viewer to gaze upon a sprawling green-leafed olive tree encircled by clouds of tear gas. The gas clouds frame the subject of four Palestinian protesters gasping for air as they aide one another under the cover of the tree. The viewer's eye is then drawn to the photo's top right corner where a hint of blue sky laced with delicate cloud-strands pierces through, a sign of possible hope and optimism amidst trying circumstances.

In symbolic and literal ways, the image of the men, the trees, the tear gas and blue skies captures the tension between pain and peace, struggle and freedom, and desperation and hope that plague and mark our human condition. These tensions are at once inescapable, at times harrowing, and yet ever beautiful.

In my musings for today I was reminded of the important role that photojournalists play in our society. Photojournalists capture life as it happens. Their role is to present slices of life just as it is--in it's raw, uncensored, and unfiltered state. It is no secret that global turbulence, war, and mass destruction abound right outside our nation's home front. Today's photo (Kevin Frayer, Associated Press) reflects the reality of this condition while beautifully capturing the heart of the human spirit and its desire for peace and justice, and the determination to remain resilient amidst national and political obstacles and barriers.

Photographs are more than secondary sources of information--a tool to accentuate a written story or a marketing device to sell a particular magazine or newspaper edition. In today's visually oriented culture, photographic images are the story. As the authors of these stories, photojournalists play a vital role in bringing global realities into the spaces of our personal lives and homes (this is particularly true in first world nations, and especially among a generation that gathers news media from the internet, cell phones, print media, and other alternative sources). If it's true that a photograph speaks a thousand words, then it is the person behind the photograph whom we need to thank for providing us the medium and space in which to speak, and a place to listen to its impressing sounds.


[Today's musing is dedicated to photojournalists across the world who risk their lives to provide us a window in which to see the world...The world at both its best and worst.]

Epic's David Hoffman Shares his Culinary Secrets

I love a good place to eat...and more over trying to replicate the dishes that I enjoy. What a better way to do this than to watch the restaurant chefs themselves execute their culinary best.

Forget staying home to watch The Food Network and head out to the Ala Moana shopping center on Saturday, June 14 to join Epic restaurant's Executive Chef David Hoffman in a mid-day cooking demonstration. At 12 noon Hoffman will be tantalizing us with his St. Louis style Plum Szechwan Ribs, Prosciutto wrapped Jumbo Scallops, and other Euro-Asian delights.

Epic is a popular contemporary restaurant serving New American cuisine in the revitalized Chinatown district. (1131 Nuuanu Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96817; 808-587-7877)

When: June 14, 2008 12 noon | Where: Ala Moana Center Demonstration Kitchen, Level 4. | Free Admission

What Not To Wear – Clinton Kelly Tips off Petites

I don’t watch a lot of television but when I want a good laugh, I turn the channel to TLC’s “What Not To Wear,” a half hour program dedicated to showcasing people who are stopped on the streets and lured into undergoing a fashion make-over. The catch? The person must be willing to discard their entire closet of clothes in exchange for a generous shopping allowance and wardrobe coaching from the show’s fashion experts.

Luckily for Hawai'i, “What Not To Wear’s” very own host, Clinton Kelly will be sharing his fashion tips and no-no’s for the island's Petites—a sizable yet often overlooked fashion group.

As a 5'1" petite myself, I know how hard it is to find such specialized fashion advice. And who better to learn from than Clinton Kelly himself.

Admission is free and open to the public. Clinton will also be autographing his new book, “Dress Your Best,” which comes as a free gift with a $100 purchase in the Macy’s Petites department. In addition, there will be a drawing for a $500 shopping spree with Clinton himself. Who knows, maybe you too can have your own private “What Not To Wear” session...without the televised embarrassment!

When: Saturday, June 7, 2008 at 1pm | Where: The Ala Moana Center at Macy’s | RSVP at 808.945.6427 or macyseventshi@macys.com