These are the kind of conversations we have in our household:

Me: So, do you want to see my new videolog?

Hubby: No.

Me: Ehhhh?

Hubby: Wait, let me get situated first. I’m getting my clothes ready for tomorrow. Do you think my life revolves around you?

Me: Yes.

Hubby: Okay. What was I thinking?

5 minutes later after watching the video…

Me: So… did you like it?

Hubby: Do I have a choice?

Me: Maaaaan!

Hubby: Nah, bebe, just kidding. That was the bomb diggity!

Champuru vlog #27 is forthcoming — as soon as the good folks at Revver review and processes my video.

DISCLAIMER: All the stuff in the background, that’s not trash — it’s packages upon packages of Christmas gifts yet to be distributed. Yours could be in that very pile!

BONUS FEATURE: For some insane reason, it took me 37 takes to get through this entire videolog. (I think it’s because Hubby was in the room and he was making me nervous.) He thought it was pretty funny and suggested that I create a blooper reel. So, at the end, I share a few outtakes from the making of this vlog just for fun.

I wrote of my wallet woes in the past. You may think that I am intent on making a grand entrance when I enter a room, but it’s not my vanity that sets off bells and whistles wherever I go: it’s my Coach wallet. This issue has caused me much consternation for many months, but the frequency at which we’ve been at the mall during this Christmas season has only exacerbated my frustration. This videolog entry is a tribute to the end of my wallet woes.

All of this is attributed to a random Twitter comment I made and the subsequent responses by Twitter pals kimonostereo and typezero3. Who ever said that Twitter isn’t useful? Twitter pals have saved my bacon on more than one occasion! Do you Twitter? If not, you should!

More Champuru Videos…

On the way home from the office today, moving westbound, traffic was even more sluggish than usual. A faint glimpse of smoke up ahead, near the Waipahu off-ramp, did not bode well for weary commuters. As I drew closer, the smoke appeared dense and black, billowing from a Nissan truck that was already engulfed in huge flames. The driver was out of his vehicle a good distance away from the inferno, standing in the middle of the second lane from the right, directing cars to the left. Fire fighters and police were not yet on the scene. Apparently, the blaze started only minutes before.

As expected, people drove by slowly, rubbernecking the entire way. I had a fleeting thought about whipping out my camera to take a photo (or video) of the spectacle, but quickly came to my senses. All I could think about was moving as far away from the burning vehicle as quickly as possible. All of those impressive car explosions I’ve see in the movies came to mind and thoughts of flying shrapnel and flaming truck parts caused me to step on my gas pedal just a little harder as I drove by.

Witnessing such spectacular display of automotive malfunction almost made me happy to fork out $1400 to repair my car this past Saturday. Keeping my car well-maintained (at least internally) is important, especially since driving in rush hour traffic can take its toll. Just don’t ask me how often I wash and wax my car. To my credit, I do try to get it to a car wash before the build up of grime starts affecting my gas mileage. Lucky for me, dirt isn’t flammable.

This was supposed to be Saturday night’s entry, but a killer migraine had me incapacitated and unable to update. *gasp!* So, here are a few pictures I snapped while Hubby and I were out and about Christmas shopping at Ward Warehouse.

This isn’t something you see everyday, an establishment that serves durian in Hawaii. It’s one of the only foods that Andrew Zimmern (from the “Bizarre Foods” TV show) can’t/won’t eat. It’s also banned from certain public places in Asia because of its uncanny ability to offend patrons with its strong, unsavory odor. I suppose it’s an acquired taste. Needless to say, I passed on that and opted for the more mainstream strawberry/banana smoothie. Boring, I know.

Another gem that I found at the same stand was this badly-written sign advertising bubble drinks. I’m not sure what “let me crazy” is supposed to mean. Engrish translations, anyone?

Ala Moana Shopping Center
bedecked in its Christmas attire

After dropping $1400 on a car repair bill, I wasn’t in a spendy mood this evening. However, we managed to get a few gifts for my co-workers. Looks like we’ll be hitting the mall again tomorrow. We’re about 3/4 done with our Christmas shopping. How are you doing with yours?

iPod Nutcracker display at the Apple Store

Two funny things happened this week:

1. While I was filming at Haleiwa Beach park, a surfer chick came up to me and asked, “excuse me… do you speak English?” I get that ALL the time. Do I look that bobora?

2. Hubby and I went to a small, locally-owned toy store this evening. A guy behind the counter manning the register said, “hi Donna” just as I walked in. I returned the greeting, but wasn’t sure who he was. For a split second, I thought it might have been someone who knew me from my blog. (It’s happened before.) Then, I realized that he looked familiar but I couldn’t remember his name or where I knew him from. When he finally relented and gave me his name, it finally clicked. He was my high school classmate, Steve. I hate it when people recognize/remember me right off the bat and all I can do is look at them with a blank stare. How embarrassing! I’m surprised that he recognized me, since I literally gained 30 lbs. since graduation.

We were awakened by the sounds of a violent storm outside. It was 3:00 am and soon after, the telltale beep of my UPS’s indicated that we had just lost power. Snuggled up with Hubby, we listened to the storm outside until we both fell asleep again. Wind and torrential rain pummeled the islands overnight, leaving debris, chaos, and widespread power outages in its wake.

It wasn’t until after 3:00 pm when our power was restored. Not that I’m complaining, since there are many locations that are still without electricity tonight. I give the good folks at HECO big time kudos, especially in times like these. They are definitely earning their money today.

So, will tomorrow be the calm after the storm? I hope so, since we’re scheduled to do some video shoots on the road tomorrow. Luckily, we don’t have to film any “talent”, just B-roll.

Well, back to editing.