the haunted works of edwin ushiro

when we met * since time only meant . . .

a few weeks ago, i stumbled upon a collection of artwork in an online gallery and instantly felt a connection to the small kid time escapades and plantation town backdrops of one artist who i just knew had to be from hawaii.

it turns out that edwin ushiro, the la-based artist behind the canvas, is a local boy who grew up on maui and left for the mainland to study illustration at pasadena's art center college of design. after graduation, he joined the ranks of kama'aina working behind the scenes in hollywood (storyboard artist, visual effects consultant) while continuing to use a mix of mediums to recreate scenes evocative of many an island childhood.

art always becomes a bit more intriguing when you discover the maker's perspective and edwin's work is a yet another reminder that looks can be deceiving if the viewer doesn't go beyond the first glance. a few clicks around his website revealed that just below the surface of these seemingly idyllic paintings lay the spooky worlds whispered about around campfires and sleepovers. those same obake stories that chill(ed) many of us to the bone sparked edwin's fascination with the paranormal which have become the inspiration behind many of his pieces.

when everything really mattered

edwin's fan base has grown after only a few appearances at galleries around los angeles and his newest work will make its debut at his solo exhibit, while tides guide you back home, at project:gallery in culver city this weekend.

red dots seem to be a familiar sight when edwin's art hits the market, however his work seems to have somehow slipped under the radar of the hawaii art scene. hopefully, that will be remedied soon but until then a few clicks will allow you to take a peek here - buy prints here - and order wallpaper here (all the way from spain so beware the exchange rate).

so/cal readers are invited to stop by project:gallery and join edwin at the opening reception saturday evening. hope to see you there!

• when: sat, jul 12th - 7p to 10p
• where: 8545 washington blvd, culver city
• show dates: sat, jul 12th - sat, aug, 9th

p.s. stay in the loop via edwin's blog.

ship to hawaii

frequent online shoppers know that shipping to the islands can be a frustrating experience from jacked up shipping rates to pad a company's bottom line to the exclusion of one million potential customers by some mainland businesses who simply refuse to ship to hawaii. shopping local is, of course, the best way to go but that's not always possible so when you simply must hit the internet click over to ship to hawaii which just may become your favorite online buddy.

an annual membership fee (from $20 for the average jane & joe to $150 for a big business) combined with an additional shipping fee gets you access to the company's california warehouse which will receive your order, bundle it up with the goodies of other savvy kama'aina, and dispatches all the packages via air freight to hawaii twice a week (ocean freight is also available for heavier items).

patience is a must and, while door to door delivery is available to the neighbor islands, oahu residents will have to drop by the courier office near the airport to pick up their package.

an online shipping calculator lets you estimate the potential cost savings so if a business offers reasonable s/h this is not always the ideal way to go, however ship to hawaii does open up the tantalizing prospect of all those free shipping offers that are typically restricted to the 48 states.

learn what inspired this brilliant idea over at midweek and remember to read all the fine print before you sign up.

{via smart magazine}

p.s. outrageous shipping charges are not the exclusive domain of the mainland to hawaii route and has been known to afflict orders going in the opposite direction across the pacific (ex: a recent order cost $2 to ship from hi to ca but the company charged me $8 - yikes!) so here's a little unsolicited advice to hi biz owners - get a scale (it is a business expense, after all), sign up for click-n-ship postage, stock up on flat rate boxes from usps, and make a note that packages under 13 ounces can be sent via first class mail.

studies show that i am not the only one who has abandoned many a shopping cart after being presented with excessive s/h fees at checkout. in fact, you may be surprised to learn that 6 out of 10 shoppers ditch their cart prior to completing their purchase. the number one reason? high shipping rates.

so you think you can dance

sorry to disappoint but this is not a dance off challenge from me to you. consider this a little reader alert that hawaii will be well represented on this season's so you think you can dance, aka my guilty pleasure show of summertime. much to my delight, my cousins & i will spend another summer sending dance critiques and
contestant picks back and forth across the pacific until the winner is crowned and, happily, we now have a local contender to cheer on!

[a vicarious sytycd-related thrill came compliments of one cousin who had a close encounter with contemporary choreographer mia michaels while visiting las vegas last year. the sighting at mandalay bay excited her so much that, as the story goes, my cousin shrieked "MIA MICHAELS!!!" loudly enough to startle la michaels who promptly gave her a quick wave to acknowledge this exuberant expression of fan girl love before dashing off to safety. fortunately, that one simple act satisfied my cousin enough to extinguish her devious plan to infiltrate the auditions, take the stage, and "dance" for the world.]

anyhoo, the hawaii voting block will certainly be out in full force dialing & texting away to support oahu boy mark kanemura who was already a favorite (before his sister revealed the hawaii connection on social wahines) after pulling off a hilarious interpretation of queen's "bohemian rhapsody" during his audition.

the top 20 start dancing their little hearts out tonight so tune in and go mark!

go 'bows*

[*june jones may have rebranded the football team a few years ago, but they will always be the rainbows to me]

even if the islands are a plane ride away, you can still cheer on hawaii's team at the sugar bowl by clicking over to the uh rainbowtique. wrap yourself and/or your favorite uh fan in warrior threads and show your island pride wherever you may be.

and, if you missed the game last night, take a peek at the highlight reel here and here.

happy hearts mochi

chocolate haupia

it seems there is a new mochi lady in town. the original mochi lady whipped up gourmet versions of the japanese confection in her little cottage that had folks lining outside her door in the wee hours of the morning. luckily for customers, her secrets have now been passed on from the master mochi maker to her apprentice, the new proprietress of happy hearts mochi.

as evidenced by the photos, each piece is made by hand to create sweet delights like chocolate haupia, peanut butter, hazelnut coffee haupia, and strawberry when in season. it is mochi which has been elevated to a little luxury treat and reminds me of the artistry found in the glass cases of a patisserie or chocolatier.

bento sampler haupia

happy hearts mochi is available by advance order (minimum 2 days notice) and in numerous configurations to satisfy your guests be it for a family potluck, office party, or wedding. and, since it has been proven to be especially popular during new year's and other holidays, make sure to mark october 1st on your calendar to guarantee your holiday order is in the books.

take a peek at the rest of the ground rules and the ever important price list before placing an order for your next celebration.