Beauty is in the Gloss of the Acrylic!

     Being part of the military (Yes. Spouses count too) I have had  to move every 3 years or so. 

     And as much as I love to visit new places and meet new people there are some things that I do NOT look forward to.

     Finding a good nail salon is (ugh) one of them!!

     I had been on the island of Oahu for 3-4 months scouring through social media trying to find a nail salon near me when I saw a Yelp review that caught my eye...

     I have been coming to Diamond Nails for almost a year and I LOVE it!!

     They are located on Salt Lake Boulevard at a reasonable distance from my house.

     As soon as I walked in they welcomed me in and asked what services I wanted. I met many of the nail technicians and they are all very nice.

     They all gave me a sense of family and that they had been working together for a long time...

     Steven, my main nail tech guy, is very warm and funny. He calls me his "very best friend". It's hilarious and there's a story behind it...

     One day, as he was doing my nails, we were discussing different techniques and how I wanted my nails shaped. He completely stopped and looked at me.

     He opened his mouth and said, "I do for you whatever you want...You're my very best friend!"

     I laughed so hard that tears came to my eyes and that has been my nickname ever since!

     Ahhh....the pedicure. I love getting them because I'm very conscious about how my feet look. I have been this way since college and I don't think I'll be changing any time soon...(lol)

     If you've ever gotten a pedicure you know how important that massage at the end is...

     I always close my eyes to get a better feel of what the person is doing and Steven is great at massaging my tired and sore feet. This is one of the things I look for when deciding on my salon of choice.

     Another good point is that Steven doesn't look at me crazy when I ask for different colors on my toes or strange polish patterns.

He just smiles and makes suggestions based on what I want and makes my toes look pretty! 

     I am a major klutz (I can dance...not walk). So, in order to counter that a bit I changed my acrylic needs (about 4 years ago) to colored acrylic. 

     It still looks like polish but it doesn't chip or fade...

     I had been looking specifically for a salon that had colored acrylics and in Hawaii its called Boogie Nights! 

     And Diamond Nails has this service!!!

     So if you're looking for a new salon or want to give mine a try Diamond Nails is the place to go!!!

Tell Steven that his "very best friend" sent you!! (HA!)

Seoul Searching in Hawaii!

     One of the best parts about being a parent is hanging out and getting to know your kids on a personal level.

     Yared, 16 years old, is my most stubborn and temperamental child. He is opinionated and has a clear definition of what he thinks is right and wrong... on the bright side you always know where you stand with him.

     Yared is always ready to learn new things and have big adventures. He is ambitious and he makes me laugh with his weirdness and puns (which we are both fond of).

"Goma Tei"

      Yared and I decided to stop and grab something to eat before we headed to the movie.

     After looking at some menus (YUM!) "Goma Tei" was what our tummies were rumbling for!

     We ordered the Gyoza to start off with but one side was a bit soggy and the meat kept falling out...(SMH)...

     Yared chose the Teriyaki Chicken Bowl, which was juicy and tender, and I picked the Tonkatsu and White Rice-which is a pork cutlet with a sweet sauce.

     We were seated quickly at the counter and the food arrived swiftly!

     I liked sitting at the counter because we had 2-3 waitresses checking up on us continuously through our meal and we never went without! (Happy Tummies!)

   After dinner we made our way to "Consolidated Theatres Kahala" to buy our tickets for "Seoul Searching"!

     We had never been to this theatre before and enjoyed the retro style and helpful staff.

     "Consolidated Theatres Kahala" made a smart decision in showcasing special movies that other theatres don't have access to and creating a cool niche market on Oahu!

"Consolidated Theatres Kahala"

        If you haven't guessed by now...(LOL)...I LOVE Asian Dramas!

     And as an avid KDrama watcher I love when stories are told in a way that reaches a wider audience!

     BananaMana Films created "Perfect Girl" (which is on VIKI) and Jetavana Entertainment created "DramaWorld" (also on VIKI) which have helped to bridge the gap beautifully between English speaking audiences and our love of Asian Dramas...

     Without exception I add another story to this wonderful phenomenon... "Seoul Searching"!

     This ensemble cast consist of Justin Chon ("DramaWorld"), Jessika Van, Teo Yoo, Esteban Ahn, Rosalina Leigh, Albert Kong, and In-Pyo Cha as Teacher Kim.

     This story is a bout a group of kids, who are Korean, but were not born in Korea. They participate in a summer program in the 1980s which promoted cultural understanding and reconnection to their roots.

     Of course things didn't quite happen the way the adults intended...

     Benson Lee, the Filmmaker, created this movie based on his own youthful experiences. It definitely stroke a cord with me and Yared.

     Benson had us crying one moment and then laughing hysterically the next! All the actors and actresses moved me throughout the movie... especially Sid... 

     "Seoul Searching" is an award winning film and premiered as an official selection at the Sundance Film Festival!

Wayne Brady LIVE @ the Hawaii Theatre Center!

     My Husband Joe and I have extremely similar senses of humor and once we get rolling you can hear us from a mile away (more me than him but you get the idea).

     So it was no great surprise (apparently not for Joe either even though it was supposed to be) that I got us tickets to see Wayne Brady this past Friday, July 1st.

     First thank you to Deep Promotions and Hawaii Theatre Center for bringing Wayne to us here on Oahu!

I know that Hawaii Theatre always has different events and after almost a year I was able to attend one! (YAY!)

     Hawaii Theatre Center has a Miyazakisan Film Festival starting this Friday, July 8th!

   

     I was sitting in the lobby and the doors to the theatre opened! I couldn't go in quite yet...

     I had forgotten money for the parking attendant and My Ookie graciously (?) went to the nearest ATM so that we wouldn't have to waste time after the show.

     We were finally in our seats awaiting the arrival of the funny one...Wayne Brady

     Hawaii Theatre Center is a grand ol gal of a theatre! She has personality and yet very intimate!

     There were a lot of couples around us and everyone's excitement grew and grew until the show started!

     If you're a fan of "Whose Line is it Anyway?" you missed out on a once in a lifetime experience because that's exactly how the show went!

     Hearing Wayne Brady sing "Sweet Tapeworm" to Prince's "Purple Rain" as the "Szeniths" to his show! Pure awesomeness!

     After we exited the theatre and were able to disappear from the herd we made our way to Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ for a late night dinner!

     This is my favorite Japanese restaurant in all of Oahu! Every time I come in I'm never rushed, always get great service, and yummy food! (YUM!)  

     Since it was late on a Friday night Gyu-Kaku was packed! 

     Our waiter Thomas was a delight but I don't think they told him that we had been seated so we had to wait a little longer than usual...but he apologized profusely and took our order quickly.

     I had told Thomas "no mayo" for my Fried Cheese Wontons...but he forgot... did I mention it was PACKED?

     Poor Thomas! Still, the salad was tangy and delicious, the meat we BBQ'ed was tender and juicy, and the rice...well...you see?

     Friday, July 1st, 2016 has been deemed Top 5 for best Sashily/Joe dates! (I counted the votes myself!)

       We laughed until it hurt (and were shushed by our neighbors) and ate till we burst (just ask Thomas!).

    Wayne Brady and Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ a perfectly matched evening...