Archive for January, 2008

The other night we went over to The Fat Greek on Waialae Ave since we heard good reviews on it from our coworkers.  Turns out we really like Greek food, so this was a perfect opportunity to eat there!  And, we live pretty close to the restaurant, so it only took us about 5 minutes to get there.

The first thing I have to gripe about was the parking.  It’s awful…at the beginning.  The restaurant is located between City Mill and Saab on Waialae Ave.  The best way to park is to go down Waialae Ave towards Ewa side.  This way, you can make a right and get right into the parking lot…which can hold about 5 cars maximum.  What we DIDN’T know was that if it’s after 5pm, you can park at the City Mill parking lot and walk across the street.  We didn’t know that, but next time we’ll park there…it’s just more convenient than the crowded and impossibly hard to park area.

The restaurant is actually pretty nice.  It’s reminds me of Kakaako Kitchen at Ward.  Why?  It turns out people don’t actually serve you.  You just purchase the dish at the counter, then when your order is ready, your beeper will vibrate and you just go and pick up the dishes yourself.  They even have a fountain drink machine if you order soda.

I ended up ordering the gyro and my girlfriend got the falafels.  We also ordered babaganoush (sp?) for our appetizer.  The babaganoush was actually very tasty.  The eggplant was grounded up pretty well into a nice paste, and it tasty really good with their pita bread.  And let me tell you, this was probably the best pita bread I’ve ever had.  It was very soft on the inside and not overly cooked on the outside.  And the pita came out fresh and warm.  Can’t beat that!

My gyro was equally as delicious, with cuts of beef and lamb.  Their cucumber sauce in the gyro was reaaaaaaaally tasty too.  Not too overbearing, and just right.  I was able to taste the falafels as well, and they were really good.  What I was kind of disappointed with was the salad that came with the entrees.  It wasn’t really greek.  It was basically salad with onions and dressing.  Gone were the feta cheese and olives.  That’s what makes a Greek salad, and both those things were missing.

We also got dessert which was a raspberry pyramid chocolate cake.  It was very good, looked cool, and wasn’t too rich.  I kind of wished there was more raspberry since there was only a little layer in the center, but nevertheless, it was enjoyable.

Both my gyro and her falafel plates were $7, and the appetizer was $5.  The dessert was $4.50.  All in all, it was a pretty cheap dinner with tasty food.  Would I go back?  Definitely!

I’m gonna say right off the bat that this is a sponsored post. I was asked to review a site and it just so happened to fit into my world right now so I thought I would share it with the readers of Aloha Update.

With the line of work I’m in, and the fact that it’s located in Hawaii, I have to travel to the mainland a lot. So I’m in and out of a lot of hotel chains. One of the best I’ve found and recently joined their rewards program is the Marriott, especially the residence inns. Also being in the technical line of work, we have to travel to tech focused areas of the country, one such place, Silicon Valley.

For those who haven’t been to Silicon Valley, it’s littered with tech companies, up and down the coast. San Jose, San Francisco, Berkeley. All of which also have tons of fun things to do. This particular area of the country, and speaking of business, has a lot of vineyards and thus great wines for those business dinners.

But I digress. If you’re heading off to the area, you undoubtedly need a place to stay and one place, that without even going and staying a night, I can suggest, is the Newark Silicon Valley Hotel which is one of the Marriott Residence Inns. For the business traveler these hotels are the best places to stay and feel still like you’re at home.

This particular one is in great proximity to all the towns mentioned above as well as good proximity to wine tours, most likely the tech company you’re visiting, and countless other entertainment venues that cities of this calibre have to offer.

Check out the site if you’re heading to the center of the tech world.

I was driving along the H-1 at noon today when a police car zoomed the highway, blocking further passage at the Kapiolani exit. Although I tried to get a glimpse of the situation, I heard on the radio that the police were trying to clear an accident near downtown.

The westbound traffic on the H-1 was closed from noon-4:30 after a bizarre and tragic event near the Vineyard/Pali exit when a man wear hospital clothes was spotted throwing a 2-year-old child off the Vineyard overpass. The man then calmly walked away from the scene, not phased by what he had done. Witnesses followed the suspect, describing him to police. He was taken into custody soon afterwards.  The child fell 3o feet, was hit by at least one car, and died.

The precarious nature of the world is unfolding right before our eyes. Driving towards Kahala later this afternoon, traffic was backed up all the way to the Kalanianaole Highway. Tragedies such as this should not happen but do, and when they do they influence each and every one of us.

Yesterday at about 5:45pm, a black Ford Explorer ran a stop sign at about 60mph and slammed into a white car on Maluniu Avenue.  When the woman stepped out the car, which had spun around since the impact was so great, a man came out of his Ford Explorer, ran to the woman, and punched her in the face.  He then went back to his car and grabbed a gun, came back to her, and started clubbing her with the gun.  A neighbor tried to help the woman out, but the suspect pointed the gun at him and told him to step back, to which the woman tried to run away again.  The suspect then chased after her, hit her in the stomach, and when the neighbor tried to help again, the suspect hit the neighbor in the back of the head with the gun.  She tried to crawl away, but the suspect repeatedly beat her on the head again, then got in his Explorer and drove away.  She was pronounced dead by the time she was in the hospital 15 minutes after the incident occurred.  (Source: Honolulu Advertiser).

What is going on.  The suspect is believed to be her ex-boyfriend whom they both had a child with together.  The man was 6 foot 2 and 340 pounds.  I’m sure she couldn’t do anything to defend herself, and with a gun, most people who wanted to help would be scared for their own lives.  This is jsut messed up.  I can’t believe someone would go as far as beating up their ex-girlfriend in such a vicious way.  Maybe he wasn’t trying to kill her, but you have to admit that he was out to hurt her, and real bad.  To take a metal object like the butt of a gun and repeatedly hit someone…I don’t think anyone will escape without injury.  And from a 340 lb man?

Domestic violence is just not necessary.  It angers me that people to this day still hit their supposed loved one.  Why resort to violence?  What will violence ever solve?  It will only cause more conflict, and you can be sure they aren’t going to love you back as much.  Some men think that violence will empower them, so that their wife or girlfriend will do whatever they say.  Really?  Those guys need to get punished just to know what it feels like.  OK, I know I said violence isn’t the answer, but I was getting ahead of myself.  Anyhow, bottomline is domestic violence isn’t the answer.  It’s wrong, it’s messed up, and it will solve nothing.

Panda Travel is giving all of you an incentive to donate canned foods to the Hawaii Food Bank.  What’s the incentive?  For starters, you can get travel discounts, Disney themed prizes (ie. collectibles, key chains, etc.), but the biggest prize is a chance to win a FREE trip to Los Angeles.  Yes, you read that right.  You could donate a $3 canned food item (hopefully more than just one), feel good that you are feeding the hungry and unfortunate, and you could be rewarded with a free flight to LA.

So where you do donate the canned goods?  Panda Travel is having a Disney Day with the Hawaii Food Bank drive from 10am to 1pm this Saturday at the Panda Travel parking lot.  During this time, Panda Travel will be giving out information for all Disney related information, including Disney World, Disney Land, Disney Cruises, etc.  They will be looking to help people book Disney trips and help them to make most of their time while on their Disney vacation.

It is a nice way to both promote business as well as giving back to the community.  And with the grand prize, there’s even more incentive to stop by.  So when will you find out if you are the winner?  The grand prize winner will be announced at 1pm that same day.  You could be that person, so I encourage you all to stop by!

Paul Akita, 38, worked as a surf instructor at Hawaiian Fire for two years.  He was a pilot for Alpine Air, delivering mail to the inter-islands, when his plan fell off the radar yesterday morning.  Some remains of his plane were recovered off the coast of Kauai near Lihue.

Search crews had a difficult time in yesterday’s winds trying to find Akita and, this afternoon, they’ve called off the search.

Again, it is tragedies such as this one that really bring the dragility of life in perspective,  I met Paul while surfing in Aina Haina a few months ago.  He was an avid surfer with a zest for life.  I wish his family and friends strength in this sad time.

Reading up on some of the news happening around our island, I came by a story reported by KGMB 9 news about a family from Punchbowl who traded in their van and bought two cars, only to find them breakdown just a few days later.  The victim purchased a 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipise and her mom bought what looks like to be a 1998 Nissan Altima.

The victim purchased their car from Deals on Wheels on Nimitz Hwy, which is a used car dealership right before Nimitz turns into H1.  She said that she has been paying a ton of towing fees, and her mechanic checked it out afterwards and told her it was going to cost her $3000 to fix.  She purchased the car for $10,000 after the trade-in.

The owner of the dealership said that he is not bound to help her out in anyway, but that he would send her car to his mechanic to check out and fix what he thinks is necessary.  The owner buys his cars from auctions and checks them out, but I’m assumming doesn’t do a thorough inspection of the vehicle.  In fact, when they opened the hood the car, the engine bay had some modifications for the 3 seconds it was on TV.  I quickly noticed a modified intake, but was not able to check what else was different.  People who modify their cars incorrectly oftentimes suffer the consequences of their car not working properly, and voiding their warranty at the same time.

The owner of the dealership did make a good point to bring your own mechanic to check out the car, but I feel that it is the duty of the dealership to make sure the car is in working condition and not to sell as is, unless you tell them what’s wrong with the car.  I understand the dealership wants to make money, but at the same time, the victim could have been involved in a severe accident due to a problem with a car.  It’s not just about making money, but selling someone something that is safe.

Now I’m more inclined to purchase a used car from a reputable dealership, ones that do thorough inspections, or even certifying the car which comes with a warranty that is given to a new car.  This ensures that the car is most likely safe, and also guarantees that problems will be fixed if a problem does arise.  Yes, you are more than likely to pay more for that vehicle, but I think safety and less headaches is worth the money.

While I was watching local news the night before I left, I was able to catch a story on an ex Maryknoll girl’s volleyball coach who sexually assaulted an intermediate student volleyball player.  This wasn’t the first time this happened too, as the suspect, who is 28 years old, has also been suspected of sexually assaulting the same student in November of 2007.  The second incident happened on January 2nd.

At first, I just thought how this just couldn’t be good, because the girl is 13 years old.  But then the story continued, and how in the November incident, the girl was sexually assaulted at the girl’s parents’ home.  And for it to happen again in January, I started to think it was consensual, and when things didn’t go right, she decided to press charges.  Yes, if he did sexually assault a 13 year old girl, he’s wrong.  I also think it’s wrong if it was consensual.  But if it was consensual, it was also the girl’s fault as well.  The girl told her parents after the second incident, which could have been the time things started to go sour.  Then again, everything I’m saying is speculation, and it’s just that.  But think about it.  It starts to make sense.

The suspect’s lawyer issued a statement saying that the suspect had no previous problems with the law, and being tha tthis is his first, to keep an open mind and not immediately say that he is guilty.

This is just a sad case no matter how you cut it. 

For all your hardcore MMA fans, and even those of you who are just getting into MMA, make sure you watch the UFC this Saturday where Hilo’s own BJ Penn will be fighting for the UFC Lightweight Championship Belt against Joe Stevenson.  The fight will be live from Newcastle England, so if you want to catch this fight, you will have to wake up in the morning since it will play live in Hawaii at 10am.

I am probably one of the biggest BJ Penn fans out there, and this title match has me pumped up.  If you just compare records, it definitely looks like BJ is at a disadvantage with a record of 12-4-1 (win-loss-draw), whereas Joe is coming in with an impressive 33-7-0.  BUT, what you must know is the quality of opposition BJ has fought against.  GSP, Matt Hughes, Lyoto Machida, Renzo Gracie, Jens Pulver, and Matt Serra, just to name a few.  Joe hasn’t been fighting easy opponents either, but BJ has always been fighting people in the top tier.

The only way I can see Joe win this one is if he can take BJ down, hold him down, and ground and pound his way to an uneventful decision.  There is no possibly way Joe will outstrike BJ, since you saw BJ outstrike GSP, and quite frankly, manhandled him that first round (just look at GSP’s face after the fight).  It might be a jiu-jitsu clinic when it hits the ground, and Joe will have Marc Laimon in his corner.  But come on, BJ’s defining skill is jiu-jitsu.  I can’t see anybody in the UFC period submitting him.  Period.

Then again, BJ can also lose due to his cardio.  He has been notorious for coming in without training hard and running out of gas quickly, mostly relying on his tremendous skill to pull off a victory.  That was especially seen when he was in the 170lb weight division.  Now he has to train to bring his weight down to 155, which will definitely keep him in shape.  Not only that, but I just feel that he is on a different level now ever since beating Jens Pulver a few months back.  He seems more hungry, more willing to train, and will do whatever it takes to win.

Finally, Hilo’s finest is back.  I guarantee the title will be brought back to Hawaii, and will stay here for as long as BJ is in the UFC.

I am currently writing this article from Utah, since I’ve been sent on a business trip.  But the night before my flight out, my girlfriend and I decided to get some dinner.  I wanted something light and healthy, so we went over to I Love Country Cafe next to the Ala Moana Center, in the complex with Blockbuster and Taiyo Noodles.

We both ordered their mini plates, which was termed “demi” at their restaurant.  While waiting for our food, we noticed that people were getting PILES of food, which had to be the regular size.  We also noticed that the demi sized takeout plates weren’t too big, but this was good, since I was about to take a flight out and didn’t want to be too full.  I ended up ordering the furikake crusted mahi with brown rice and stir fried vegetables.  My girlfriend got their special which was a grilled crusted ahi with a balsamic tomato glaze, along with the brown rice and vegetables.  We waited for almost 10 minutes, which was the only gripe, but at the same time, the restaurant was packed, so it wasn’t too bad.  But the other times I visited this place, the service always tended to be slightly on the slower end.

By the time we took our food home, we were ready to eat.  We were super surprised to find that the demi was pretty huge in portion.  I guess that explains why the takeout felt kind of on the heavier side.  We both got two pieces of fish, which were pretty large in portion.  At any other plate lunch place, this would easily be a regular sized lunch plate.  Both dishes tasted light, but did not skimp on flavor.  The brown rice was nice and soft, as opposed to some other places which would cook them too long making the rice more on the crunchy side.

What did this cost us?  They were $6.95 each.  Now I know where I’m going when I’m hungry and in the mood for something tasty, healthy, large portioned, and with a reasonable price.