I have a confession: Christmas kind of stresses me out. I'm sure it does for you, too, but I get really worked up about trying to find the right gift for the right person. Many times, if I can't make the 12/24 deadline (which is often), I just punt and get a bunch of generic-yet-desirable-gifts for everyone.

Now I know why, at some point, my mother started throwing my generic-yet-desirable-gift into a brown paper bag with a red ribbon tying it shut, as she proclaimed unapologetically, "This is the Ethel Chang style of gift wrap. Merry Christmas." Indeed.

Well, maybe this year will be different. Thank goodness, I don't have the office Secret Santa to worry about; if I do participate, I sure hope I get myself something appropriate. I still need to get gifts for some people, so I ran around town trying to find things that might at least make me look like I tried. So today, before you head out to the mall, pick up a copy of the Honolulu Advertiser and turn to my quirky little gift guide in TGIF to help you with your shopping!

Here are some things that didn't make the gift guide due to lack of space:

One of the first things I found was these beach bags at Custo Barcelona at Ala Moana Center. I thought they were funky little placemats at first since they lie flat. But our salesman, Darius, pulled them out like so and voila! Beach bags. Not only are they cool to give and get, they slide easily into envelopes so you don't have to hassle with mailing them to people if you have to. $20 small and $30 large.

For the fashion diva: The Isabelt, which you can get at In My Closet (Pearlridge and Kahala Mall). These are like the clear plastic bra straps, but for holding up your pants. Nowadays people wear their tops untucked, so such a belt helps keep the profile underneath smooth. I bought this myself and it worked, but one caveat: it's so invisible that you might forget you have it on. After using the bathroom one night, I didn't re-buckle it, and the belt hung loosely from my belt loops. Fortunately, they're so invisible that no one noticed. I think. $17.95-19.95.

For the person who wants to look like they have a green thumb: A living vase, exclusively at Whole Foods. These are stylish ways to display and grow bromeliads, which require very little effort for upkeep.

Although they look a little pricey at first glance, note that the plants are carefully planted in an attractive design in sturdy, contemporary planters.

If you want to add that bit of feng shui to your health corner but couldn’t keep the plants alive long enough to reap the benefits, this may be the answer to a prosperous new year. $44.99 to 89.99.

There’s a big movement now to buy local, and Indigenous Soaps are a cool way to fit that bill. These soaps are made in Hawaii and use natural products, so the scents include sage, mama’o, and ‘aina, to name a few. Since they’re small and lightweight, they’re probably good for sending to your friends on the mainland and help them connect to the islands. $8.50 at Blue Hawaii Lifestyle, Ala Moana.

If you know someone who brings the party with them wherever they go, these Reef men’s slippers are perfect. They come in a wide range of strap width, styles, and colors to suit every style, but get this: The underside of each slipper has a beer bottle opener. If someone is so desperate for a bottle opener that they have to carry it with them at all times, perhaps they’re partying a little too much, but maybe they like being the MacGyver of the group. (I'm thinking that reader NKHEA might like this gift, yes?)

These slippers are available in women’s styles, but instead of a bottle opener, there is a drawer in the heel. These are great for hiding your keys when you go to the beach. The drawer also doubles as a surf wax scraper, but we’re told that no one really uses that. $50.50 for men; $46 for women; available at Pipe Dreams Ala Moana & Aloha Tower Marketplace.

One of the dangers of doing this story was that I really did end up buying things. Next door at Lady Footlocker, they're selling this thing called Fit Flops, which claims to tone your legs and make them less dimply. They're probably like the Susan Boyle of footwear--and make me look like Susan Boyle as a result--but once my legs are toned and less cottage cheese-y, I'll have the last laugh.

Finally, one item that didn't make TGIF or the online version: This back massager from The Pressure Positive Company (www.pressurepositive.com). My chiropractor, Steven Rawson, was showing me how this works both as a massager or a back scratcher, and doubles as a handy pair of nunchuks. He's going to kill me when he sees this blog!

So that's the start of my quest for this year's quirky gifts. What else can I get for the people in my life that will be unique? If you have any suggestions, post them here! Preferably stuff that will fit into a brown paper bag--I'll be employing the "Ethel Chang method of gift wrapping" this year.

On Friday, one of my favorite chefs, Chai Chaowasaree, celebrated the 10th anniversary of his Aloha Tower restaurant and the 20th anniversary of Singha Thai Cuisine. I always have mixed feelings going back to that property, but how could I resist? This was Chai!

He lined up a fabulous 16-course meal under the starts with plates created by all of the renowned chefs in town, including: Fred D'angelo, Hiroshi Fukui, Chef Mavro, Elmer Guzman, Keith Endo, Goran Streng, Russell Siu, and of course, his own restaurant chefs and Joy Saetung from Singha Thai.

Some of the dishes we had, including Kona abalone, rock shrimp dynamite, pan seared wild salmon with pickled Maui onion and yuzu butter sauce (on of our favorites! from 3660 on the Rise), and filet of beef tenderloin & crab oscars with bearnaise sauce.

It was hard to take pictures of a lot of the dishes because the light was so dim, so you'll have to take my word for it, they were all awsome!....and that is why I had to miss a get-together with some of the other Advertiser bloggers that same night.

The Brothers Cazimero were part of a star-studded line up of entertainment that night. They really know how to put on a show!

I sat with Mari Taketa of Metromix and Nadine Kam from the StarBulletin, which was great for dishing about so many things! Jason Kim (from Good to Grill in my last blog entry) came over to say hi...but I think he wanted to get more face time on my blog.

Thanks again, Chai, for a wonderful party and for a wonderful 10 years of awesome food! Wishing you many more years of success.

I'm a little late on this one--Good To Grill & Hawaiian Airlines is running a fundraiser to benefit the flood victims in the Philippines, which started yesterday. You & I missed the pork guisantes, but you can still enjoy Filipino food and help the cause!

Good to Grill Chef/Owner Almar Arcano created this event because of his special ties with both the Hawaiian & Filipino communities: He was born and raised in the Philippines and currently works very closely with the Filipino Chamber of Commerce to give back to organizations such as the Catholic Charities in his home country.

I got to try a few of the dishes this weekend as they were experimenting. Here's the pork adobo, which was pretty good--I liked that it wasn't overwhelming, and the pork was tender.

Morcon, a.k.a. Filipino meatloaf. They have meatloaf? The gravy is made by hand, not in a box.

And of course, Pinakbet with Chitcharon (sp?). It's chock full of veggies, especially okra (if you like that; I do). I'm using Jason Kim's photo because he captured most of it better, although I think my photo showed more of the glistening pork, which I know my readers like.

Here are the daily “Filipino Chalkboard Specials” for the week. When you purchase these for lunch or dinner, you'll receive one 10% E-Certificate coupon for your next flight to Manila on Hawaiian Airlines. All plates are $7.99 and the proceeds will benefit the flood victims.

Monday: Pancit Guisado
Tuesday: Chicken Long Rice
Wednesday: Paella
Thursday: Pork Adobo
Friday: Morcon (Filipino Meat Loaf)
Saturday: Pinakbet with Chitcharon
Sunday: Pancit Palabok

While there, you can also enter to win a round trip for two to Manila on Hawaiian Airlines. My friend Lori Joy Watanabe also wanted me to tell you that you are automatically entered to win when you use your Hawaiian Airlines(R) Visa(R) card and will get two miles for every dollar spent.

Here I am eating everything in front of me, as usual; I'm including a gratuitous pic of Jason eating because he wants more face time on Metromix. I don't think he knows that getting into my blog is better.

Just a quick reminder that this fundraiser is this week ONLY, so I hope you get over there to show your support!

Good to Grill
888 Kapahulu Avenue at Safeway Center
Phone: (808) 734-7345
Monday - Saturday 7am - 10pm
Sunday 7am - 9:30pm

I know a lot of you have been asking for some linkage on my Special Olympics Over The Edge adventure on Thursday. It's funny--my friends and I are involved in social media and use so much technology, but it was technology that slowed me down this weekend. Sorry this is so late.

If you were watching the live feed, you know that I had a cel phone strapped to my back, streaming live video. Now...this was our first time trying this, so I had no idea what would come out! Also, we didn't know that my body heat would cause the phone to eventually shut off, which then interrupted the feed. We're sorry! We're sorry! Sheesh, we were just experimenting.

So for those of you who wanted to see what it was like, here's how it looked:

No one could take a photo of ME, so I took pictures of Nanea Kalani from Pacific Business News as she went Over The Edge before me. I tell everyone that the scariest part of this whole ordeal is really just getting your leg over that scaffolding at the top of the building.

The first part involves walking down the wall just a few feet, then the wall disappears and you're dangling.

...and there's the view. Don't look down!

Here's a photo of me going Over the Edge, as taken from the ground by Derek Young (@thestuffguy).

My dangling descent. To be honest, it was really fast and at the end, I thought I could have gone faster. Maybe I'll have to try it again next year!

And here's the video as seen from the back of my head! Thanks again to Derek; Russ Sumida (@Parkrat) has also uploaded a recording of the live stream to HawaiiIRL as well. Thanks, guys!

Kudos to Special Olympics Hawaii for putting this event together. About 100 people went Over The Edge of Waikiki on Friday and all the money raised went to this very worthy cause. If this event comes to your city, I highly recommend it!

Gah! This blog is late because I don't have internet service at home. Yes, I guess it's time I pulled together my pennies and bought some. Ah, the life of a freelancer.

So...some of you have been reading and asked about what we did. Now, keep in mind, I was only there from Friday to Saturday, and the others stayed the whole weekend. I didn't get to do as much, but remember, I've been to Molokai before--including staying in Kalaupapa! I don't have to do the same things every time I go!

We did visit Kanemitsu Bakery, but I didn't get to go on the midnight bread run because I left before they did it (Saturday night). I ended up buying some yummy lavosh, though.

There's a store downtown that sells bottled water by the gallon and encourages recycling of the bottles. They're hoping to open a branch here in Ewa!

Kaeo works for Akaku.org on Maui, a cable access station. There's a satellite office in Molokai, so he paid a surprise visit and was able to provide troubleshooting and tech support!

On Saturdays, there is a farmer's market in Kaunakakai. They sell fresh fruits and veggies, as well as some art and clothing.

One very creative artist takes gourds and fallen coconuts and paints them into whimsical characters. Even locals love this stuff!

Artist Linda Johnston paints scenes from Molokai and prints them onto shirts & cards. Her latest creation is a painting of the kupuna who play music, kanikapila-style, at the Hotel Molokai from about 4 p.m. I don't know if they play there every day, but on Friday, I could hear them joyfully banging out "It's Aloha Friday" at the bar!

We took a drive up to Kalaupapa lookout. I've stayed at Kalaupapa before, so it was nice to see it from a different perspective--especially now that Father Damien is officially a saint.

As we drove past the coffee plantation, we saw this coffee picking machine driving up the road. Shuchi (@autkast) was thrilled! She jumped out to take a picture of the guy, and he even paused to make it easier for her.

Speaking of the coffee plantation! Just as Hotel Molokai is the place to be for live local music every Friday night, the coffee company is the place to be for live jazz every Saturday night. And it's free! BYOB and you're set for a relaxing evening. There's not a lot of food there, so you may want to eat first or bring some food, as well.

And that was IT....my whirlwind unplugged weekend on Molokai! There's a lot more to do there of course--hike to Kalaupapa, hike up Halawa, visit the salt farm, check out the Zagat-rated Molokai Pizza, and more. There just wasn't enough time to do it all. I hope to go back; after all, it's good to unplug once in a while!

Big Mahalo to Amber Watt, Michael Drew, and the Hotel Molokai for their awesome hospitality!!