Kanu Hawaii, for example, is working with Common Cause Hawaii on Your Vision. Your Vote. - to get 1,000 young people to lead the charge in the 2010 elections by volunteering to work the polls, helping register voters, and voting themselves.

One of the coolest things I've seen was graffiti artist Estria Miyashiro (originally from Hawaii, now in Oakland, CA) who came home to express his support of Neil Abercrombie--and to encourage other artists to get involved in politics--by painting a mural.

He even let kids passing by try their hand at painting, as he taught them how to properly hold the spray cans and create even strokes.

During his time here, Estria also coordinated an event to bring awareness to local artists and encourage people to register to vote. Rep. Della Au Bellati dropped by to say hi, and Sen. Carol Fukunaga came by as she was filing her nomination papers (she even met some new, young constituents in the process!).

Sen. Fukunaga was so jazzed about the event, she came back with a pair of shoes to be graffiti-ed. Can you see the "Carol" on her shoe?

One of the artists tried his hand at a campaign Tshirt for Neenz....

...but non-partisan, non-political messages were popular, too.

But, I digress. Through social media, Estria encouraged people to help him paint, and finished the mural the other day.

Finishing touches.

A true artist always tags his work.

If you want to see the finished mural, you can drop by Neil Abercrombie headquarters during business hours.

Mahalo, Estria, for your work!

Are you registered to vote? According to Kanu Hawaii, when Hawaii became a state in 1959, voter turnout was 84% in the primary election – one of the highest in the U.S. By the 2008 primary, turnout was down to 37% – among the lowest in the country. Do your part to help elect the kind of leaders who will address our concerns.

For us, the audience, it's a chance to see the local media like we've never seen them before. For the last eight years, for example, Dan Cooke has dressed in drag as Governor Linda Lingle. Last year, a chorus line of TV news personalities sang & danced across the stage. This year's theme, in light of the massive layoffs, is "There's No Business like NO Business!" Some of the cast, in fact, have lost their jobs at least once in the last two years.

I was lucky to get a preview the other day when I sat in on the rehearsals--OK, partly because my niece Ahnya has been the director for the last several years! But lucky nonetheless! That's her on the left, making sure the guys hit their marks.

Local composer Roslyn Catracchia is the music director, and harnesses the media's singing talent. Here's my homeboy Ben Gutierrez belting out one of several numbers he has during the evening.

It's a pretty exciting show! They physically get into their roles and, as you can see, put their whole selves into it.

I don't know if I could fall back like this! Yow!

They pull every move possible on stage. It's a well-choreographed performance!

Artistic director Keoki Kerr, left, with my J-school classmate Gordon Pang, practicing a dialogue to segue into the next dance number.

You'll see a few PR people in there, too. Moani Wright-Van Alst is one of the cast who can tap dance and sing!

Anyway, after watching a little bit of rehearsal, I'm looking forward to another fantastic show! It was cool to see people that we know from different media outlets working together in a totally different environment. It was even cooler to see them taking directions from Ahnya.

Go see the show! You'll be laughing the whole time. They usually sell out, so they added a Saturday matinee. Also, it's a creative fundraiser for the Society of Professional Journalists’ Hawaii Chapter student internships and scholarships.Shows:

8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 13
3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 14
8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 14

Diamond Head Theatre
For more information, go to the SPJ site or the Gridiron Facebook page.

For tickets:
To charge tickets by phone, call (800) 745-3000 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Hawaiian Standard Time) Monday through Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Hawaiian Standard Time) Sunday.

TICKETS MAY ALSO BE PURCHASED AT:
Ticketmaster outlets: Blaisdell Arena box office, Sports Gear at Windward Mall and Walmart stores at the following locations:
 Keeaumoku St., Honolulu
 94-595 Kupuohi St., Waipahu
 95-550 Lanikuhana Ave., Mililani
 1131 Kuala St., Pearl City
 101 Pakaula St., Kahului, Maui,
 3-3300 Kuhio Hwy., Lihue, Kauai
 325 Makaala St., Hilo
 75-1015 Henry St., Kailua-Kona
Tickets are $60 for Super Good Seats (lowered from 2008’s $65) and $40 for Really Good Seats.
Fees charged by Ticketmaster are: $5 per ticket for $40/$60 tickets, $3 per order

Mahalo to Robbie Dingeman and my niece Ahnya Chang for letting me sneak in to your rehearsal!

This is a little late (surprise, surprise!), but I wanted to get this out anyway! So last week, our fellow blogger Alan Okami of Ka Leo O Kalihi and his family had their 15th Anniversary party at the Willows. (pictured here with me and Ed Sugimoto, who already blogged about it!)

Papa Okami with Alan's cousin/fellow blogger, Lori Okami.

It was kind of a mini-reunion for our blogger ohana!

The party was also like a "who's who" of local entertainers, young and old. Look who I saw! Remember TJ Maeshiro, who won Aloha Tower Marketplace's first ukulele contest? He's 17 now, and so big! I feel so old!

Check out some of the food:

Check out some of the entertainment! Soul Sisters were so talented!

And here's an all-star kanikapila group at the party!

Congratulations to the Okamis and especially to my bruddah Alan! Wishing you many more generations of success.

Last night, I was honored by the Public Relations Society of America-Hawaii Chapter (PRSA Hawaii)--more specifically, by Nathan Kam--with the President's Leadership Award. Unlike the Gregg Perry PR Person of the Year, which is awarded by a jury of one's peers, this one is given at the sole discretion of the president (which Nathan is).

The theme of the night was social media, and although many of us use it, not so many PR pros are super active on it. In fact, compared to our mainland counterparts, Hawaii lags far behind in social media activity. I could go into all the reasons why more PR people here won't get more involved in the use of social media or get others into it, but my--and Nathan's--hope is that they will.

With Conchita Malaqui of Waikiki Beach Walk

In a volatile economy, having the network created by social media is what saved me. I lost my job at the end of 2008, but because I had carved a niche through my overactive Twittering, I was able to pick up clients, like Pearlridge and Waikiki Beach Walk, who needed that service. We're looking ahead to the end of the year and the opportunities seem endless. So my question to my peers was, "If you lost your job tomorrow, is your personal brand and network strong enough to keep you working?"

Maybe. If they've embraced the technology and actually do some social things, the transition is easier. Even if they're not tech savvy, if they reach out to others to help them learn, that's social in itself. I can't say enough about how I've met so many wonderful people via social media that I wouldn't have met otherwise.

Anyway, this wasn't meant to be a sermon on social media, although I do wish more of our readers were also more into it. I'm grateful for the opportunities that this blog and my Twitter have brought me, and I'm so grateful to Nathan and PRSA for this once in a lifetime award. I'm truly honored.

Congratulations to the winners of the Koa Anvil program awards, too!

Dallas Nagata and Ed White met at a "tweet up," or a gathering of twitter users, last year. After a whirlwind romance, they got engaged. Now, don't get me wrong, the normal focus of social media is not to hook up. If you take technology out of the picture, you could say Dallas & Ed found each other by chance through mutual friends.

Other than that, their relationship has been all about social media. We watched their romance unfold on Twitter, Facebook, and Flickr. The invitation to their wedding was done on Twtvite. The wedding was livestreamed so that people around the world--mostly family & friends who couldn't make it--could be a part of the event. We all had our cameras and phones out so we could upload photos of the event in real time.

It was at Kakaako Waterfront Park, which was one of the reasons there was such a wide range of attire, from dressy to uber casual. (Left to right: Mark Mizuno, Gypsy Raven, Jennifer Lieu, Brad Tada, Jeff Kang, Erin Kinoshita)

They decided to make it a potluck, which was a cool way to show what our virtual friends eat from their neighborhoods. Or, in other cases, to show their home cooking/baking skills. On top of that, many of us were meeting for the first time. At least one guy met the couple for the first time, here!

Later that night, in keeping with the social media activity, Dallas & Ed showed up to "Shirtless Wednesdays." For those of you who don't know, DJ Charlie Criscola (@Charlieboy808, in the large cell) hosts a weekly internet livestream in which he mixes music from about 10 p.m. to midnight. It started when he came home one night to mix music, and since he was hot, took off his shirt. People who came to the livestream then followed suit (mostly guys). It's been a weekly internet tradition ever since.

The couple then requested Elvis' "Falling in Love With You" for their first dance, which they did on camera for us. Fun!

Everything about this event was a great way to show the community that social media can build. Although it starts online, it transfers to real life. People who say they don't have time or don't want to learn about using it are, in my opinion, missing out on the richness that any kind of social interaction--online or not--can provide. Like any social situation, you need to exercise common sense, but once you learn how (like reading this blog!), you can really broaden your horizons.

Congrats Dallas & Ed! Wishing you many years of happiness. See you online.

It's basically Taiwanese shabu-shabu: You order from one of several kinds of broth, like a spicy soup, curry, or even a healthy herb. Then you go to the fridge and pull out plates of the ingredients you want to put in it. There's veggies, meats, noodles, and seafood.

There are also over a dozen dipping sauces to enhance the ingredients, which you can mix and match to your liking.

So some twitter friends invited me to their "family dinner" there the other night, and I was like, "Are you crazy?! The wait is about an hour long! And it's so expensive!" The last time I went there, I was with only one or two other people, and the price per person was quite steep.

Well, I showed up, and there were 14 people! It helped to ease the wait, even with it raining. Plus, Sweet Home Cafe enforces a time limit on diners.

They wasted no time grabbing all the ingredients they like and got right down to cooking. Here's Kristopher Schlund with aburage in the healthy herb soup.

I forgot that Sweet Home is BYOB! Phillip Han poured sake for everyone, even the staff (who did a kampai with us).

Michael Sorenson ordered beef tongue, which is sliced paper thin.

At the end, like in robata sushi bars, they count up the plates and charge you according to color. We sure ate a lot! But the price per person for four broths and all of those ingredients only came out to $15 per person.

Dessert is complimentary at Sweet Home Cafe if you order a meal. The bowl is created according to the size of your party, so two or three of these bowls landed on our table! It's full of shave ice, two kinds of tapioca, fruits, syrup, condensed milk, and mango flan (sometimes it's coffee flan). This is perfect after a big meal!

At the end, I was pretty jazzed that I went. DJ Doc Rock said, "This is why it is hard to explain to people why we wait so long for a table every week to eat here when there are other places that take reservations...I think to myself, 'Damn, they really need more true friends'--as the wait is not that long when in good company. It even seems to make the food better as well. Thanks for joining our family dinner."

I'm not even the type of person who likes soup, so Doc was right. It didn't even matter what we had for dinner, because the company was so good! Sometimes, friends make great family.

Sweet Home Cafe
2334 S King St
Honolulu, HI 96826
(808) 947-3707

Well, Julie Yoneyama came to pick me up! Nancy Daniels of Outrigger Hotels & Resorts was on hand and was able to come along, and Dania Katz of Edible Hawaiian Islands Magazine met us at Star Noodle. Julie & Dania had met before, but it was the first time for the rest of us!

Star Noodle is located up the hill from Lahaina Cannery Mall. It's owned by the same people who own Old Lahaina Luau, so the luau caters through this restaurant facility.

Some of the geniuses in the front kitchen, making the magic happen. The restaurant uses as much local products as possible in their dishes, like Maui beef and Waipoli greens.

Julie with their executive chef, Craig Masuda. I asked him how he got the inspiration for the dishes at Star Noodle, since they are international dishes with local flair. He smiled and just chalked it up to a lot of research and travel, as well as R&D. "Everyone loves noodles," he said. He's even experimented with sweet potato and taro noodles, which haven't turned out well...yet. But Craig is sure they will someday.

Pohole salad: Hana fiddlehead ferns, Maui onions, kombu, tomatoes and dried shrimp. This is a very unique salad, full of interesting textures and flavors in every bite. I don't know how they figured out this combination for a salad, but it works!

The pickle jar: pickled seasonal vegetables and ogo. This isn't too tart, so it's easy to eat. I just love this old-fashioned presentation, like a nod to the old plantation days!

Make sure you order sparkling jasmine tea at Star Noodle. It's lightly carbonated jasmine tea, with a gorgeous floral flavor. It matches anything you order, even if you don't order anything else!

Star Noodle Ramen: This is their signature broth, made from the bones of the kalua pig from the Old Lahaina Luau. You'll definitely never get this anywhere else! The broth is super rich, super hearty, and super strong; one food critic described it as "very piggy." It's not for everyone, but if you love pork flavor, this is definitely a must-try. I'll bet this is great hangover food.

Dania loves the garlic noodles! These are noodles sauteed in garlic, then tossed with garlic, and topped with more garlic. These aren't like Thanh Long--they are more local-style--but they're very tasty. Note that most of the noodles here are hand-made in an old-fashioned machine by a girl named Lori (we actually met Lori!), so they're slightly chewy but have a softness that only fresh noodles can produce.

Julie's favorite dish is the pressed pork buns, served like Peking duck with hoisin sauce but with shiitake mushrooms and cucumber. It's like eating a deluxe Chinese bun in snack-sized bites, with a few more flavors to tease the palate.

Today's special: Maui beef garlic steak with Waipoli greens. I've only had Big Island beef, so this was a treat! Maui beef is melt-in-your-mouth tender with just enough fat to give it flavor and texture. The Waipoli greens have a slightly bitter bite and are a great contrast against the manly steak.

Vietnamese crepe (aka Banh xeo) filled with pork and shrimp, accompanied by greens. This isn't like other banh xeo I've had, where the crepe is soft and pliable. Here, the egg is mixed with coconut milk and fried till crispy. The crunchiness lends a new dimension to this dish, which is good even without the crunch!

I saw "Fried Soup" on the menu and was curious. Julie explained that there was a popular noodle dish at an old restaurant called "Dried Soup," so they emulated that recipe and changed the name. I'm still not sure where the soup is in this, but it's comprised of fat chow fun noodles fried up with bean sprouts and pork. I love chow fun, so this was great! It reminded me of the char kway teow in Southeast Asia.

These aren't your momma's brussels sprouts! Chef grills them so that the sugars come out to give them some smoky sweetness, then serves them up with bacon and a kim chee dipping sauce. "Can you tell the inspiration behind this dish?" Julie asked. Kalua pig and cabbage! We finished this dish quickly.

But wait, there's more! Star Noodle makes their own ice cream, again using mostly local ingredients. Sometimes they make starfruit ice cream, and I hear their Saloon Pilot flavor is to die for. Today, we had (from front to back) Li Hing, Green Apple, and Banana ice creams. The Li Hing isn't too strong; if you close your eyes, you can barely tell what it is, but you know it's good. The Green Apple was made with artificial flavor, but it just popped! It was one of our favorites. And the Banana was so flavorful, it was like biting into the fruit itself.

Star Noodle serves mini-malasadas with chocolate and butterscotch caramel dipping sauces (background) with chopped peanuts. These were great like this, but then we tried spreading the green apple ice cream with the caramel on it. Or the banana ice cream with the chocolate on it. It was sinful!

Star Noodle has only been open since February, so it's still pretty new. I'm so glad I had twitter friends on Maui, or I never would have discovered it! The prices are great, too. If you go, try to go with a group so you can try more things, as we did. Mahalo, Julie and Dania, for helping me find this....and thanks for a wonderful lunch with wonderful company!

Star Noodle
286 Kupuohi St; top of Lahaina Business Park
Lahaina, HI, 96761
Phone: 808-667-5400

The theme was "Wine Idol," where various sommeliers and vintners presented wines to three judges and were ceremonially roasted. The highlight of the event for many was Michael Jordan--most people don't know that he's a Kalani boy, since only the last sentence of his extensive bio mentions his Hawaii roots--who busted out an entire presentation in pidgin. "Dis bugga was dry! Wen suck all da moisture from my mout!"

Chuck Furuya even attended, since he was part of the team coordinating the lunch by D.K. Kodama following the workshop. He gave some pretty informative answers during the event, too! One thing that laymen like me need to remember, there's a lot of hijinks that goes on during the presentations, but that's to keep it lively. Make no mistake, you do learn a lot in these workshops, and the wine industry people know how to make learning fun.

After the workshop (and more hobnobbing with the vintners), we went next door to experience "DK's Secrets," where DK and his team presented an interactive cooking demo with many local ingredients.

New wave Hawaiian Ono sashimi with spicy cilantro-ginger oil. Fabulous!

Kona cold sous vide lobster "farm to table" salad with Waipoli hydroponic greens, Big Island hearts of palm, citrus gelee, sherry shallot vinaigrette (on fried won ton chips). This was so rich and refreshing!

Asian spice crusted Meyer natural angus New York steak with a potato & Hamakua alii mushroom & spinach potato risotto, and a Ho Farms tomato umeboshi lomi. This was pretty peppery, but the risotto mellowed it out.

Upcountry fresh fruit & sweet sticky rice nigiri sushi. This wasn't what it sounded like (as you can see), but it was still good. It was supposed to be coconut milk-infused sweet sticky rice topped with seasonal fresh fruits, wrapped with mamenori strips and served with coconut cream and caramel dipping sauces. The spoons were topped with puff rice (aka Toong Mai).

Our favorite wine was the Penfolds Grandfather Old Liqueur Tawny Shiraz/Mourvedre. I went around to the untouched glasses after to drink the rest of them, it was so good!

After a nice post-lunch nap, we were ready to go! The big Seafood Festival that ends the Kapalua Wine Festival is so good, it's popular with Maui locals as well.

There were about 12-15 food stations, each offering two creative dishes. Each of the chefs were making innovative items to vie for an annual award. If you want to eat some of the best that these chefs' imaginations have to offer, this is the place to be. I'm just going to show you some of my highlights:

My fave: Merriman's corn custard with onaga, potatoes, and bacon. It was like a custardized (is that even a word?) corn chowder, in an egg bowl. I had two and would have gone back for thirds, but they ran out!

Capische? made a fabulous salmon krudo with tomato sorbet. This was salty, sweet, tart, and...cold! Really wonderful--I would have eaten more, but by the time I got to it, I was full.

Bev Gannon's crab cannoli. Candy Suiso & I must have eaten four of these last year.

Kai Sushi's hamachi tartare with a toasted won ton chip. The hamachi needed salt, but once you bit into the chip, everything balanced out.

I can't remember who made this fish on garlic/pesto toasts, but it was delish!

Croissant bread pudding. Genius!

Salted caramel mini-cheesecakes. This was so rich! I'm glad it was only a mini.

And of course, the finale to the Kapalua Wine Festival wouldn't be complete without hundreds (yes, hundreds) of wines! Tip: If you buy a four-day pass, take notes on all the wines you try during the events, especially the wine tour. Many of the wines show up at the Seafood Festival, so you can pair the foods with your favorites. (By the way, if you work for Southern Wine & Spirits and read this blog, please contact me.)

I must say, last year was fun, but this year was a little more fun on different levels! I made a lot of new Maui friends, especially Pat & Karen Saka, the couple on the right. They introduced themselves at the welcome reception and were super nice to hang out with at the festival. It was also nice to meet David Hao and Stephanie Im (on the left) of Lick My Spoon, who must be reveling in this, their first trip to Hawaii.

I also want to give a big shout out to Elizabeth Ferrer, who made this adventure possible.

You can check out my Facebook and Twitpic stream to see some of the other photos and people!

I hope I make it back next year...but if I do, I hope I see you! It's always more fun with more people!

One last blog entry, coming tomorrow: My lunch at Star Noodle.

The day started at 11 a.m. with a workshop called "Heal the World With Pinot," in which several winemakers showcased their wines and explained the science behind the art of creating--and drinking--wine.

It was quite technical till they got to Gary Pisoni, who had already enjoyed a good amount of Pinot. (His wine, by the way, is really good.) In Kapalua wine festival tradition, his friends burst into song while he did his version of the hula.

After the workshop, the festival had a wine "tour," where we went to four different places around the property to try wines and talk to the winemakers. I found a new favorite Argentinian wine!

When the wine tour was done, we rushed back to the ballroom to a "Zins and cheese" workshop. This was a collection of outstanding cheeses and red zinfandels that would match. My new fave is that orange cheese in the top left, a salty Dutch cheese.

Making trouble in the classroom: I sat behind John Heckathorn and my neighbor, Derek Paiva.

After sticking around to socialize with twitter people, we were left with just 30 minutes to get ready for a tour of the herb garden outside the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua's Banyan Tree restaurant.

Did you know that Kapalua resort is into sustainability, eating local, and eating organic? Chef Marc, who is now also a farmer, explains why they decided to grow their own herb garden.

After the tour, we ran up to the pool to say hi to Christa Wittmier at her Liquid Luxury party. We had a drink, then rushed back to the restaurant for dinner. You see, we were invited to the Banyan Tree to partake of a special wine dinner featuring food paired with selections from Neal Winery. Mark Neal himself is here with Chef Ryan Urig, who created the meal.

To start: This is abalone with brussels sprouts, lamb bacon, and dates.

Watermelon salad with fresh horseradish, lychee, sprouts, and popcorn. The round disk was a fragile bubble filled with watermelon juice.

Crispy moi on English pea risotto.

The lobster was just right! Not too heavy!

Foie gras on grilled ahi with a rhubarb cherry sauce.

Grilled lamb loin with lentil dahl and raita. This was so delish! I ate this first, then took a bite of my neighbor's wagyu beef. The beef paled in comparison!

Carrot cake cupcake with an ice cream that tastes like whipped cream...only it's not. I don't think I gave anyone else a chance to eat the ice cream!

But wait, there's more! Summer berry consomme with Surfing Goat Cheese sorbet and white balsamic foam. Very nice!

Chocolate tasting: Dark fudge cake, milk chocolate molten cake, white chocolate-vanilla sorbet.

At that point, we had seconds of the Neal Family, Wykoff Vineyard cabernet. This was definitely a stellar wine, and we were spoiled for anything else after that!

By the time we finished, it was 10 p.m. That's right, we had been drinking for 11 hours. That's what the Kapalua Wine & Food Festival is all about!

We sure did a lot today! I keep forgetting what a gorgeous place Kapalua is, and every time I've come back, it leaves a huge impression on me. We started the day taking a quick tour of some of the property at the Kapalua Club & Residences. The buildings are finished, and the landscaping has filled in since last year.

Lookit this pool! It's actually a series of pools and jacuzzis, cascading from the top. There are various nooks so you can have your own area with your family.

The Kapalua Resort walks the talk when it comes to eating local, organic, and sustainable. They have their own garden for the chefs to use, but they even made this little herb garden for guests to cook with!

Switching gears, right after that, I had lunch with some Maui twitter friends (blog to come on Tuesday). Switching gears yet again, I ran in from lunch to a seminar on the "Cab Franc perspective." We tasted nine--count them, nine--different Cab Franc wines and were briefed on everything from the land, the vines, the grape blends, and the people who make them, from the people who make them.

The wine festival kicks off to the masses with the "Grand Tasting," an event that boasts more than 200 different wines and a fantastic selection of food created by local chefs (and incorporating local ingredents).

Upcountry Farms' Makawao corn & shrimp risotto.

Maui Cattle Company's teriyaki New York steak salad, local baby spinach and wasabi vinaigrette. This meat was like buttah! I didn't need to use a knife, but if I did, it would have cut through the meat .... like buttah!

Haiku Tomato Stand's kalua pork & wonton crunch with sambal tomato Pico de Gallo. This was really tasty!

Maui Gold pineapple caramel cake with Kula lavender & coconut sorbet.

The wine festival is about the people, too! I got to meet sommelier Michael Jordan (who happens to be a Kalani boy) and winemaker Gary Pisoni. Of course, there were a lot of twitter people there tonight, but I'll show them to you in the next couple of blogs, I'm sure.

Well, it's late and I've had a lot of wine. There's so much more to have tomorrow!