Okay, not really. I just thought it was ironic with all this talk about my rock star aspirations that I got a chance to jam with my very own virtual Rock Band at Mahealani’s place.

I’m terrible at games like Dance Dance Revolution, which is based on a similar concept, with the descending colors that indicate what/where to step/fret/strum/hit. My first couple of tries on the drum set were absolutely atrocious, but once I got the timing and let myself relax, it was much better and I actually had a lot of fun with it. The guitar was a little easier, but I found the drumming more entertaining — and a little truer to playing the actual instrument. Only one gripe, I wish they had cymbals positioned like a real drum set. The cymbal was positioned on the same level as the other drums, which was a little weird.

If I had this game at home, I could see myself playing it for hours on end, playing and replaying a song until I scored 100%. I’m obsessive-compulsive like that. That’s how I used to practice my guitar, literally for hours, going over a problematic section or riff in the song — over and over and over until I could play it proficiently. Luckily, we don’t own any game consoles, else I’d be at Wal-mart at this very moment picking up the Rock Band game package.

Kamu is scary-good at playing the guitar on both Rock Band and Guitar Hero III. Just before we left, he was dueling with the devil on Guitar Hero III on the Wii. And, I think he was winning!

Thanks for making me a rock star for the night, folks! (Check out the video below.) Good fun!

Day 24 of 30

The funeral for Shari’s father was this afternoon. There was a huge turnout and the chapel was packed, with latecomers even lining the back wall. I helped collect and record the condolence gifts, handwriting ~140 names and addresses into book #2 — and that was only half of the attendees, since Shari’s cousin recorded the other half in book #1. Shari’s dad was loved in the community and the large attendance certainly reflected that.

Shari’s brother is my classmate, with Shari trailing a year behind us. Because of this, many of our classmates attended the funeral to pay their respects. Friends of ours (not classmates) came as well and since the dining hall was full, we all ended up standing outside shooting the breeze and enjoying the tasty funeral fare from Ige’s. (I have to admit that I actually really like Japanese-style “funeral food:” sushi, nishime, namasu, macaroni salad, fried noodles, mochiko chicken, teriyaki beef, shoyu pork, and andagi.)

Despite the sad circumstances, funerals often serve as times of reunion for friends and family that you don’t routinely see. Funerals also remind us that life is short and we should make time to see those friends and family more often.

Autumn is officially upon us and Renee of Happy Hearts Mochi has rolled out a special, limited edition flavor for October: Pumpkin Haupia Mochi!

One of the perks of being the Happy Hearts Mochi webmaster and photographer is being able to sample the delectable treats after I’m done photographing them! And, sample I did! The pumpkin and haupia go extremely well together and the mochi ties it all together nicely into a delightful package of yummy goodness. It’s too bad it’s a seasonal offering, because I could eat this any time of year!

Do check out her website at happyheartsmochi.com and don’t miss the opportunity to try this unique flavor before it’s gone!

Click to watch the videolog

Rissho Kosei Kai is definitely one of my favorite bon dances of the season — and not just because our music/dance group (Ukwanshin) takes the lead on the Okinawan numbers! They also have the best selection of food of any other bon dance I’ve attended — bar none. Check out the vlog and see why the champuru bon dance posse looks forward to RKK each year. (RT: 3 min 32 sec)

By the way… I’m working on a longer version of this vlog for the benefit of the bon dance posse. Nearly done, but I need to head to bed now — especially since I have to wake up early to get my second Ganirelix injection from the Hubs before he leaves for work. For now, enjoy the condensed version!

Hubs, Shari and I decided to join our church at the 4th of July celebration and fireworks show at Sills Field in Schofield Barracks today. We had a nice time relaxing, eating and watching the fireworks show at the end of the evening. I will have a vlog entry to share, but not tonight since tomorrow is a work day for me. It’s already 45 minutes past my bedtime. Boo.

In the meantime, here are a couple of photos from the day… (and a bunch more on Flickr)

The obligatory Shari and Donna shot

Playing with my remote

Saturday night means time for obon for the champuru bon dance posse. This week, the posse attended the Honpa Hongwanji bon dance on Pali Highway in Honolulu. Although Honpa Hongwanji is one of the bigger, more popular sites, this was the first time I visited their bon dance. Rod was kind enough to provide some reconnaissance for us in terms of parking instructions and general information about the bon dance. As a bonafide non-townie, I was not familiar with the area, so thankfully Rod was very detailed in his explanation of where to park and how to get across Pali Highway (without getting killed by speeding cars) via the underground tunnel. Despite arriving extremely early, the YBA lot was already full, but we were able to find parking along the street in the residential area, testing my mad parallel parking skillz (not).

Some random thoughts about Honpa Hongwanji’s bon dance:

* The “Bon boutique” had antique kimono and hapi coats for sale for awesome prices. Ryan S. was able to score a nice black hapi coat for $5. (There was a small tear in it, but for $5, I’m sure he can stand to do a little hand stitching to repair it.)

* Also for sale were homemade jams/jellies and the well-known Hongwanji cookbooks. As any old school local mom will tell you, the Hongwanji cookbooks are the best for local-style recipes!

* The selection of food at Honpa was excellent! Just to name a few: curry bowl, BBQ stick, hot dog, fried noodles, andagi, chilled cantaloupe and watermelon, and my favorite corn on the cob!

* Crowded, but not overly so. There was still room in the bon dance circle to move without feeling claustrophobic.

* Learned a new version of the Fukushima Ondo tonight with the towel! (By the way, if you intend to do the Japanese dances, it’s a good idea to buy — or bring — a towel.)

* Yes, they feature Okinawan dancing — but only one set.

* Overall: Love it!

Here are some scenes from the bon dance…

Honpa Hongawanji (Honolulu, Hawaii)

Thanks for the info on the bon dance, Rod! You da man!

Dad and Shari display Honpa Hongwanji’s bon dance towel

I was glad that Ryan S. was able to join us!

Shari and me, donning our hapi coats

One thing that I have learned from Shari is that you can’t take life too seriously. When things don’t work out the way you planned, work with what you have and make your own enjoyment. Today was no exception.

Here’s our fun-filled vlog entry, which, simply in the making of it, made the day a much better one.

Hope you enjoy watching as much as we enjoyed making it.