Yesterday I finished reading Pauahi: The Kamehameha Legacy by George Hueu Sanford Kanahele , the free book I received from the Kamehameha schools as an incentive for completing one of their on-line courses. The book seems designed to reach out to the kids in the school system, to invoke in them a sense of pride in the woman who founded the Kamehameha Schools.
Bernice Pauahi Bishop was part of the Kamehameha Dynasty, and was offered the throne twice. Both times she turned it down. She married a haole, a man named Charles Bishop. Together they traveled, studied, and worked hard to make Hawai`i a better place. Upon her death, Pauahi had become the wealthiest woman in Hawai`i after inheriting thousands of acres from her parents and Princess Ruth. She was never able to have children herself, nor did adoption work out for her and Charles. Instead, she became the largest benefactor of Hawaiian eduction and cultural perpetuity ever.
The author does a lot of conjecturing on what Pauahi might have been thinking, or what her impressions of certain experiences and events probably were at the time. It's a quick read, one I did entirely on my bus commutes (which means certain passages I might not have fully comprehended/appreciated because of the noise/distractions). I think one of the truly beautiful things about Hawaiian culture is the constant effort to remind future generations of where things began, to instill gratitude. Whether it's a generous ali`i, a taro root, or the magnificent Sea it's always revered and respected.
See/Eat/Drink
On Friday night Dan & I made a trip to old neighborhood (Capitol Hill). Surprisingly, after living there for more than a decade, we don't find ourselves back very often. I think part of it is the parking, and part of it is just that we like our house so much.
We met up with our friends Jason & Jayson, who we hadn't seen in quite some time for dinner at one of their favorite new spots, Boom Noodle. The owners of the successful Blue C. Sushi restaurants are now venturing into noodle territory.
I began with a mojito and then munched on a chicken skewer that was very tender and well seasoned. For my entree I went with something very basic, beef yakisoba but later wished I had been more daring.
After dinner and another drink at the new-and-improved Cha Cha, we went to Annex Theatre to see our friend Spencer's play called S2. It imagined a bleak dystopia, a familiar setting for modern satires, where Corporation meets Government and people speak in robotic, repetitive phrases and a pre-occupation with sex seems to distance real human contact. The acting was quite impressive and the use of visual backdrops was innovative. We all agreed it could have been edited down a bit, but I know how hard it is to let stuff go in a script.
Post show, we went to yet another new Capitol Hill establishment called Grey Gallery & Lounge for another drink. There was a little living room-esque area upstairs that we crowded into, and caught up a bit before calling it a night.
Remember
After our crazy (for us) Friday night, we mostly stuck around the house for the rest of the weekend. Dan finished the patio (pictures to come!) and I planted some carrot seeds and re-potted the tomato plant. Veggies seem to be growing. We've also been using Crest White strips to brighten our smiles for the wedding, and I'm finding them challenging. The bottom ones tend to slip off and for some reason I can't swallow easily while they're in. I will persevere, though, since white teeth are tantamount to a healthy marriage.
