About a week ago, a friend of mine tweeted something that triggered a variety of thoughts and self-evaluation. She shared that she was at an event listening to the speaker who was promoting awareness and need to another country, but she couldn’t help but think about the need only a few blocks away.
The human race continues to rally triumphantly in the efforts to aid Haiti after a devastating earthquake. Last year, the Hawaii community organized fundraisers for the Phillipines after it too suffered an earthquake and after a tidal wave swept through American Samoa. These are all honorable and I’ve supported each of these causes, but I still can’t help but think about my Hawaii.
Almost a year ago, our entire household made a commitment to spend 10% of our grocery budget on locally grown and produced items. This simple commitment has expanded to a larger percentage of our budget and more importantly awareness of locally owned businesses. But, I am realizing that this may not be enough…for me. I want to make a bigger community to my Hawaii community, one that will give them priority, after all this is my home, these are my people, my immediate family.
Moving forward, I’d like to participate in organizing events for the local neighborhoods, businesses, and organizations. I’d like to infuse my energy into raising money for local charities and organizations that directly serve my Hawaii. With respect to public service, I am putting the needs of Hawaii…first.
Some people are called to serve globally, as for me, at this point in my life I am heeding the call of my heart, Hawaii.
The right to vote was something I learned from my Nanny, my maternal grandmother. She was very passionate about her right to vote and even more passionate about her freedom of speech. As far back as I can remember, many of our family dinner discussions were about local politics, government, and the issues facing each citizen. There weren’t many arguments, but passionate disagreements. As children, we were encouraged to get involved during the election season with the promise of being able to vote at the age of eighteen. We were also encouraged to read and learn more about the candidates, the issues, and our community. And, most importantly we were secure in our choices because there was an abundance of unconditional love in our family…still.
Today, I officially join the Abercrombie for Governor campaign team. Regardless of our agreement in political parties or stance on issues, one thing is certain that the State of Hawaii desires leadership. Over the past few years, I’ve gotten to talk with Neil and he has listened, offered support, and most importantly given me a commitment to lead. It’s his commitment to me, to my community, to my Hawaii — today — that encourages me to be a member of his campaign team.
My role on the team is, Social Media Director. Neil has been an active member of Twitter since 2007 and I am motivated by his open-mindedness and willingness to recognize the importance of reaching out to the community via different social media tools.
I am looking to build the AFG community even stronger than it is, so if you’re interested in learning more about using different social networking sites and harnessing the power of social media, let me know. If anything, get involved!
Today at 4:00 p.m. Hawaii time, 6:00 p.m. PST, my friend, Jim Turner, Founder of One by One Media, will be hosting the Haitian Assistance Relief Telethon (#HART) for 24-hours courtesy of WSRadio.com.
I am asking that each of my 1,553 friends on Facebook and 10,411 followers on Twitter donate whatever amount you can afford, but at least $1 using one of the donation What Gives!? widgets below. From my network, I’ve set a goal of $5,000 — together, we can reach this goal!
Listen and watch the show live and call in 1-888-327-0061. I’ll be on at 9:00 p.m. Hawaii time and I’d like to be able to say we’ve reached our goal together! Leave a comment below and I’ll thank you on-air!
Global Entrepeneurship Week: November 16 – 22, 2009
For one week, millions of young people around the world will join a growing movement of entrepreneurial people, to generate new ideas and seek better ways of doing things. Countries across six continents are coming together to celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week, an initiative to inspire young people to embrace innovation, imagination and creativity. To think big. To turn their ideas into reality. To make their mark.
On Wednesday, November 18, 2009 from 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. at ING Direct Cafe, I’ll be participating on the Young and Hip Entrepreneurs of Hawaii panel. With me will be Lorenz Sell of I Love of Photos and FindMeFit and Tiffany Tanaka of Fresh Cafe.
An entrepreneur for sure, I’m still trying to figure out if I’m young or hip enough for this panel, but if you have the time come down.
Part of being an entrepreneur is having a creative mind that is constantly churning out ideas. Call it curse or a blessing, I’d like to think it’s the latter. I wanted to share the current portfolio of web properties owned and managed by Pono Media.
It only takes a small group to make a difference, to change the world and in the case of Blog Action Day it only took the passion of (2) people to inspire others. In 2007, Collis & Cyan Ta’eed founded, Blog Action Day and inspired 20,000 bloggers to write about the environment.
Today is the 3rd Annual Blog Action Day, and keeping with bringing attention to the environment, this year’s theme is about Climate Change.
Climate change is a change in the statistical distribution of weather over periods of time that range from decades to millions of years. It can be a change in the average weather or a change in the distribution of weather events around an average (for example, greater or fewer extreme weather events). Climate change may be limited to a specific region, or may occur across the whole Earth. — Wikipedia.
Being from Hawaii, I’d like to share resources that talk about Island Climate Change:
Today, October 15, 2009 is Blog Action Day, thousands strong bringing awareness to the environment — to climate change. The key word is action, and if your only action is reading more about climate and island climate change; then we’ve taken a step forward — together.
Traditionally in Hawaii, sports teams and organizations have sold everything from buckets of chili to car washes to raise money for uniforms, equipment, and travel expenses. I remember when my Father first started coaching at McKinley High School, the athletes would work in teams to cover the school grounds, picking up trash at the carnival and fairs. These days, fundraisers have gotten creative, but the basic needs still remain the same.
One of my good friends, Derek Higa has committed much of his free time to coaching the kids in the Makakilo, Ewa, and Kapolei neighborhoods. A father of three, he not only dedicates his time to his son’s team, but to all of the other teams.
I witnessed the admiration his players had for him during his Yakudoshi in 2008 as they greeted him with a paper banner and like a revved up football player, Coach Derek tore through it with gusto! The players then lined up to greet and hug their Coach, one at a time.
On Sunday, September 20, 2009 Coach Derek’s Pee Wee level football team is having a fundraiser at Rumours Nightclub in the Ala Moana Hotel. They’re raising money to travel to Molokai for a football game. The event will feature entertainment, pupus, door prizes, and let’s face it — a night out with friends and family for a good cause!
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Rumours Nightclub in the Ala Moana Hotel
5:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Pre-event tickets: $10
At the door: $15
If you can’t make it, here’s how you can help:
Share this post and invite your entire network.
Twitter the twtvite to all of your followers and ask them to Re-Tweet.
If you’re on Facebook, send a message to Kristin Benoza Higa to pre-order your tickets and/or make a donation or email me at neenz@faleafine.com. Mahalo to everyone for their support of the team and youth sports in Hawaii.
A few weeks ago I had a midnight rendezvous with my friends Melissa Chang and Ed Morita — I invited Lilinoe, but she declined reminding me that we were frolicking the streets of Honolulu at the hour most forty-somethings are drifting into REM. Our late night out required me to have (3) outfits, a smile, and an appetite. Armed with blue, black, and peach freshly pressed shirts; I hopped into the 2010 Toyota Prius and cruised on over to Alan Wong’s restaurant.
We were there for a photo shoot for a public service announcement for The Good Table — a movement to end Senior hunger. Honorary Chair Alan Wong and a 15-member committee have organized an event on Thursday, October 22, 2009 to benefit Lanakila Pacific’s Meals on Wheels Program.
Founded 70 years ago by the passion and generosity of Violet Kam, formerly known as the Lanakila Rehabilitation Center, their Meals on Wheels Program prepares and delivers more than 1,700 nutritional meals a day.
Lending my support to Lanakila Pacific is very personal for me, several years ago I spent many nights talking story with my late Aunty Ulu over coffee (or in my case, passion orange juice) while the medical staff worked with my late Uncle Gary after he suffered a stroke. Today, I’m giving back in many ways for my gratitude.
Or, the best ways to get involved is by reserving a table at one of the 50 participating restaurants on October 22, 2009.
Watch for it on Oceanic Time Warner Cable’s Food Network, Travel Channel, TLC, Golf and others beginning today through the next six weeks or check it out on YouTube.
[Disclosure: Servco Toyota Hawaii loaned me a 2010 Prius for one-month.]
I shared last month that I was fortunate enough to participate in the Toyota Hawaii’s 2010 Toyota Prius Experience. And, as luck would have it I was chosen to enjoy the luxury of driving the vehicle for a month. There were no expressed obligations directed to me from the company, however it is in my nature and profession to share the experiences and thoughts From the Mind of NEENZ.
I had organized a Twitter meet up or tweet up to allow for potential customers to experience the Prius without any pressure to make an immediate decision. A group of about seven of us gathered with bento lunches at Kaka’ako Park and talked all things Prius, geek, and how lucky we are to live in Hawaii.
The auto-parallel parking feature was a hit, and I truly think there will be some sold vehicles as a result of the tweet up. The svelt silver Prius V that we used in our normal daily commutes gave us 10-days of on-the-go without gassing up and most importantly we averaged 58 miles per gallon without applying any hybrid techniques.
We’re currently using the vehicle delegated to our month long fortune, and we’ve aptly named her, Juicy. I’m not an expert in automobiles, therefore I wouldn’t be able to provide technical information. But, I’ve come up with a concept to share our experience with Juicy through pictures. So, here’s our first:
Juicy with Lilinoe, Chelsea, and Jayden at the soccer park.
Earlier this month I shared that I had been invited to participate in the 2010 Toyota Prius Experience at Servco Hawaii. It was a first for me, both with Toyota and Hybrid vehicles. After a brief introduction to the new features, we were able to observe (and I actually tested out) the über cool auto-parallel parking ability of the Prius. This feature alone could seal many new car purchases.
From there we were provided a test drive challenge to see who could score the highest mile per gallon. The round trip route was from Servco Toyota in Mapunapuna to Zippy’s parking lot at Pearlridge. As with any vehicle, the higher the miles per gallon the better, but the Prius is a Hybrid and Hybrid techniques would prove useful. Unfortunately, I had no hybrid skills, however I realized that my casual, no rush approach to driving would prove useful.
I scored a 64.9 which was the second best in my group and the third overall.
I thoroughly enjoyed my Toyota Prius experience, however it didn’t end there. Upon returning from my trip to Silicon Valley I was notified that I had won an opportunity to use the 2010 Prius for the month of August! Many people, most potential buyers, had a lot of questions about the Prius — so, pack your bento lunch and let’s all gather in the parking lot of Kaka’ako Park on Sunday, August 9, 2009 from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. to experience the 2010 Toyota Prius together.
On March 7, 2009 Hawaii Congressman Neil Abercrombie announced his candidacy for Governor in 2010 via Twitter. A member of Twitter since November 2007, the Congressman and his team have been using social media tools such as Ustream and Utterli since the last election season. I have the fortune of continuing to be involved with the team.
One of the fresh campaign strategies used to reach the voters of Hawaii was Dinner 2.0. It’s the evolution of the living room coffee hour. Using the tool of livestreaming, the online audience can observer the conversation and contribute via live chat.
I am very excited to announce the first Dinner 2.0 of the Hawaii Elections 2010 season this Saturday, June 27, 2009 from 5 p.m. – 6 p.m. Kamehameha alumni, actress, and political organizer Kelly Hu will be there to talk about how she worked with Congressman Abercrombie on President Obama’s campaign and more!
Inalienable rights of man: “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” — The United States Declaration of Independence
It’s been more than 72-hours since we landed at Hickam Airforce base in the C-2 Greyhound and I’m still feeling out my emotions — there are so many! My experience as a Distinguished Visitor of the U.S. Navy embark program via theU.S. Pacific Fleet onboard the USS Ronald Reagan can be summed up in one word — awesome. And, not the casual too often used sense of the word, but in it’s true defnition of a state of amazement and wonderment.
One of the obvious reason for my state of amazement and wonderment were the landing and take off on the USS Ronald Reagan. I was able to (barely) keep my balance as the aircrafts catapulted and snagged landings only steps away from my oh so fragile body! Below is a video montage of what I witnessed, except the first catapult that literally shook my body that I can only describe as the Holy Ghost himself entering my being!
Keeping me in the statement of amazement was our own landing and catapult — really words cannot express the experience, so I’ll just quote the certificate that was presented to me for surviving completing the embark mission:
“…this Honorary Naval Aviator experienced deceleration from 105 to 0 mph in two seconds and accelaration from 0 to 128 mph in three seconds,…”
But, the most awesome knowledge that I gained during my experience were through the conversations and interactions with the brave men and women deployed on the USS Ronald Reagan, the US Pacific Fleet and the entire US Pacific Command. Their dedication and commitment of serving in the United States Navy is admirable, and as I drove home at the end of my day all I could do was cry. Cry for their allegiance to the United States, cry for their families that miss them, cry for our country and the world, cry for my freedom, cry for my life, liberty and my blessed right to pursue happiness.
“…do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign, and domestic; that I will bear truth faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to the regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.” — The Oath of Enlistment
I’ve included a few pictures of my experience below, and have uploaded the rest to Flickr. My fellow embark buddy, Ryan Ozawa posted a video of our complete experience.
The U.S. Navy DV Embark Program is a once in a lifetime experience, and I have recommended the following individuals to the outreach program to share in the same experience:
Through building my professional network, I have gained a personal friend — Melanie Kosaka, creator and founder of culinary website, Share Your Table. The team effort of Melanie, and local blogger, writer, and everyone’s favorite pushy Chinee broad Melissa Chang; I have been discovering my inner foodie. It’s obvious that I love to eat, but being a foodie is also about appreciating the process and creativity involved in before plating (and eventually devouring).
Share Your Table recently hosted, “Think Global, Live Local“ at the Whole Foods in Kahala Mall Center that focused on educating the local community in living an organic and sustainable lifestyle through grower appearances and demos by some of Hawaii’s most famous chefs.
SYT issued a challenge to all of Hawaii residents to spend 10% of their budget on locally produced products. To better understand some facts behind this challenge, SYT produced “Why Eat Local” video. After watching it, it inspired both Lilinoe and I to commit to this challenge.
Beginning today we have commited to spending 10% of our budget on locally grown and produced items for the next 90-days and then evaluate our experience. To accomplish these things, we are using the following resources:
Kanu Hawaii — Making an individual commitment for the betterment of the community.
All the top Green News — A collection of sites and blogs reporting all of the top green news.
And, the biggest resource is you our community, what are you suggestions to helping us achieve this goal? Are you too willing to make this commitment in your town?
From the Coast Guard to the Army and especially well represented in the Marines, both my maternal and paternal relatives have served in the United States military. I lived in Jacksonville, North Carolina when my father was stationed at Camp Lejeune until he eventually retired after being stationed at Kaneohe Marine Corps Base. One of the highest honors bestowed upon our family was the naming of a street on KMC Base in honor of my Uncle Sgt. Sisifo Faleafine who died during combat in the Vietnam War and earned two purple hearts and a bronze star. Faleafine Place is in the Pa Honua subdivision.
The DVs have been informed that we will know 24 – 48 hours before our exact time of embarkation. We will fly to and from the U.S. Pacific Fleet’sUSS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier on a C-2 Greyhound. According to Wikipedia, the C-2 is a twin-engine cargo aircraft that can carry more than 25 passengers and crew members and a payload of 10,000 lbs. I don’t know much about planes, but knowing that it can carry a payload of 10K somehow makes this big Polynesian feel comfortable.
I am appreciative to Bill Doughty, Chief of Internal Information, Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet Public Affairs and LTJG Theresa Donnelly, USN, Community Relations Director, Public Affairs (NOOPA), Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet for providing me this once in a lifetime opportunity.
As 2009 rolled in, one of the conferences I had hoped to attend is SOBCon09: Biz School for Bloggers and today I am proud to announce that air, room, and conference has been paid in full! This will be my first visit to Chicago, however any tourist activities will have to be done on another trip – this one is all business for me.
About a week ago, a friend of mine tweeted something that triggered a variety of thoughts and self-evaluation. She shared that she was at an event listening to the speaker who was promoting awareness and need to another country, but she couldn’t help but think about the need only a few blocks away.
Share Your Table recently hosted, “
