Monday, August 30, 2010

Gifts from Internet Friends

One of the reasons I'm so addicted to the Internet is that I get so many fun and informative "gifts" from friends online:

Many years ago we used to watch a game show called "People Art" on Hawaii's Japanese TV station KIKU every New Year's.  We enjoyed them so much we have a few on VHS tape (yes, that old).  To my knowledge they no longer broadcast the show on KIKU so I'd forgotten about it.  Recently Pennan Brae posted this video on Facebook while he was visiting Japan.



I recognized it immediately as the show I knew as "People Art" and that prompted me to email Dan Cronin, a friend in Japan, who led me to find more videos such as the "Top 15" skits below.  There are many more if you search YouTube using the actual name of the show, "Kasou Taishou".  Wouldn't it be great if the U.S. imported this idea in the same way they did those other silly Japanese game shows?  At least this one celebrates creativity rather than sadism (eg. "Wipe Out").  Enjoy! 



With all the hot weather we're having, beverage choice is a hot topic (pun intended). Also in my mailbox today was a forwarded email from Karen on Maui regarding water and Coke.  I did not confirm every statement below, but I'd guess the majority are proven facts.  (Let me know if you find out otherwise--especially about cleaning the Coke trucks--STICKY!)

I want to add that I'd just heard on the news a few days ago that a study found that test subjects who drank 2 cups of water before a meal lost 30% more weight than those who did not drink water before a meal.  Click here to read about this study in detail.

WATER


 #1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.. (Likely applies to half the world population)


 #2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is mistaken for hunger.

#3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as 3%.



#4. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study.

#5. Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.


#6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.

#7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.


#8.. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%., and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer. Are you drinking the amount of water you should drink every day?


COKE 


 #1. In many states the highway patrol carries two gallons of Coke in the trunk to remove blood from the highway after a car accident.

#2. You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of Coke and it will be gone in two days.


 #3. To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl and let the 'real thing' sit for one hour, then flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous china.


 #4. To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper with a rumpled-up piece of Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola.


 #5. To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: Pour a can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion.


#6. To loosen a rusted bolt: Apply a cloth soaked in Coca-Cola to the rusted bolt for several minutes.


#7. To bake a moist ham: Empty a can of Coca-Cola into the baking pan, wrap the ham in aluminum foil, and bake. Thirty minutes before ham is finished, remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mix with the Coke for a sumptuous brown gravy.


 #8. To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of Coke into the load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular cycle.. The Coca-Cola will help loosen grease stains. It will also clean road haze from your windshield.



FOR YOUR INFORMATION:

#1. The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid. It will dissolve a nail in about four days. Phosphoric acid also leaches calcium from bones and is a major contributor to the rising increase of osteoporosis.

 #2. To carry Coca-Cola syrup (the concentrate) the commercial trucks must use a hazardous Material place cards reserved for highly corrosive materials.

 #3. The distributors of Coke have been using it to clean engines of the trucks for about 20 years!
  


Most of the statements above weren't new to me and I still drink colas despite having been diagnosed with osteoporosis, but I limit myself to 1-2 a week.  I'm not worried about putting the soda companies out of business because they have wisely diversified and produce a multitude of beverage choices--including bottled WATER!
Incidentally, watermelon is a very healthly way of cooling off because it has powerful antioxidants and is anti-inflammatory, and when you first bite into a slice, I swear it's like jumping into a swimming pool! My motto this summer is "Who needs a swimming pool, I've got watermelon!" Well, the truth is I would love to have a swimming pool, but can only afford a watermelon. *LOL*
  

Speaking of saving money again, Costco has a good deal on antibacterial hand sanitizing gel:  $2.49 for a huge bottle (40 oz)!  I have a lot of small empty plastic bottles so I filled three of them up and now each of us has one for our purse/backpack/lunchbox.   Considering you'd pay about a dollar for one of those little bottles of hand sanitizer (about a half oz.), this $2.49 is an incredible bargain!

Consider yourself "gifted"! 

P.S.  Please, this is NOT an invitation to send me more forwarded emails!  *LOL*
  

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Pennan Brae's Co-star in Music Video

How many of you can say you appeared in a music video?  Well I can't, but I'll bet none of you had your keyboard appear in one (unless you're the musician, of course)!  I'd like to think our keyboard will become a star, but I suppose Vancouver's pop/rock singer-songwriter Pennan Brae is far more deserving.  And I'll admit that Kauai as a backdrop and the video babe both outshined our keyboard, but being the fourth star in the beautifully performed and produced video is pretty darned cool. 

It began with a Craigslist ad I placed several months ago.  I had to renew it a couple of times without anyone inquiring about it.  As usual,  I suddenly got three different inquiries within a few weeks and thankfully Rob Osmond (aka Pennan Brae) ended up with "Cassie".   [Yes, you read correctly, years ago Jordan affectionately named the keyboard "Cassie."]   Rob needed a keyboard to use in his music video that could easily be carried to the various locations they'd planned to shoot in and as you can see in the video, was "expendable" since it was subjected to the elements and Kauai's great outdoors.  Hmmm, Cassie got to go places I've never been myself!

Anyway, take a look and enjoy the scenery, performance, and the beautiful song!  If you're in Vancouver, B.C. someday, you may be able to catch a performance.  Check out Pennan Brae's website: http://www.pennanbrae.com/

And if you're wondering what became of Cassie, well she was donated in good working order to a thrift store somewhere on the Westside, and hopefully went to yet another loving and talented musician. 

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Adult Summer Fun


I haven't posted for several weeks because I've been busy with "adult summer fun."  Like at the kids' summer fun programs I used to attend when I was in school, I did some arts & crafts work (which I sold at the Koloa Plantation Days), I danced (at bon dances), and socialized and played games (at two reunions).  I'm sure you're doing the summer fun thing too!

First of all, the Koloa Plantation Days parade and fair continues to improve each year.  For just a $2 admission, people enjoyed continuous entertainment from such performers as Amy Hanaiali'i, Frank DeLima, and Augie T.  Happily, the craft tent business was much better than last year, hopefully a good sign that the economy is recovering. 

There is no sign more clear that time is flying by than going to a bon dance.  It seems like just a month ago I was dancing at Waimea's Higashi Hongwanji bon dance and yet there we were again.  Kind of freaky, I must say.  I must apologize for Jordan's overly zealous videotaping the Iwakuni with her iPod.  I was blissfully unaware that she had climbed up the tower steps because I was in the "audience" on the opposite side of the tower.  And you thought bon dance singers didn't have paparazzi!

Hubby's Waimea High's Class of '67 had a weekend full of fun activities: a golf tournament, cookout, dinner, and Napali boat riding.  This class is lucky to have members who seem to enjoy planning frequent reunions--it seems like once every 1-2 years--even their planning meetings are fun!  For instance, this latest reunion wasn't for a particular decade or half-decade or even milestone birthday.  It was their 43rd year reunion. On the other hand, my own Kaimuki High class only has reunions every ten years.  A lot of gray hair and flab can happen in ten years, not to mention wrinkles.  Having more frequent reunions means you're more apt to recognize your classmates! 

The other reunion we went to was our Tachibana family reunion and I was able to enjoy it this time, since I was not in charge (Great job Joanne and team!).  It was held at the Tokai University, catered by Karen's Catering, who did an excellent job--yummm!

My contribution was to update the DVD slideshow I made for the first reunion five years ago.  "Update?  No problem!" Naturally it was more difficult and stressful than I'd anticipated, so I wanted to celebrate when I finished burning it on the third day.  Oops, as I watched it I found a couple of mistakes.  Ok, the second version was burning, now I could celebrate!  Uh oh, I see another mistake.  As you may have guessed, I didn't get to celebrate (or go to bed) until 3 a.m. after several more revisions.  A friend later told me I should make DVD's as a business and I said "Noooo thanks!!"  Then she said she once paid $500 for a graduation DVD for her son.  I think I'll reconsider.

Photo slideshows can be very boring, so I took a lesson from the Waimea '67 reunion and let the slideshow run quietly on the side while people arrived and socialized, and throughout the meal.  That way people who were interested could enjoy it while others talked story. 

We had a couple of fun games, introduced as "Have you seen the show 'Minute to Win It'?  Yeh?  Well this is nothing like that!"  *LOL*  I guess it was more like "Six Minutes to Win It''.  At any rate, we had fun and our team, which was the smallest,  excelled at using chopsticks to pick up M&M's and shooting cans with rubberbands, so we won first place!  Woohooo!

The best part about both reunions was listening to stories.  It amazes me how some people have such sharp memories of incidents of the past.  Unfortunately for us babyboomers with poor memories, there were no video cameras, camera phones, etc.  We did, however, have Kodak brownies then instamatics, and oh yeh, Polaroids!  I envy the young generation who'll have their personal and family histories well documented with video (eg. Jordan with her videotaping iPod).  On the other hand, there'll be hard evidence that you sucked at rubberband shooting.