Our Scrumptious Dinner In Hawaii

HUNGER FOR FOOD.... After the 3-4 hours of hiking, ascending and descending or the other way round, we were so hungry!  Snacks in the car took place while driving back to town, almost a two hours drive before reaching the restaurant which I could not recall the name but the food there was just fantastic!

We made reservations through the phone beforehand so that we could have a table by the time we reached the place.  Quick, quick... please just order any food... I could eat almost anything without any fuss!

We ordered three main meals..... 

Poke again, yes!

Must not leave Hawaii without eating them.... 

Fish Tacos!

Sprinkled with some sweet mayo and mango slices...

Love them so much!

Grilled Salmon... comes with 2 servings...

Brown rice and wild ferns aka paku pakis!

I am surprised they have these ferns over there too!

The food was really fantastic....
not because we were super hungry....

maybe partly....

They were great in fact!

We bought the gift card from Costco... 

Paid $70 for a $100 card...

We even have balance to take home a packet of crispy pork belly... 

So all in all, we paid $70 for a $100 dinner!

p/s:  once I get the name of this restaurant, I will put it up later.... hehehe...

Making A More Welcoming Dental Office

 The location where you make the home of your business is more than just where you do your work. It’s also the face of the brand, where you can build a lasting reputation, and where you introduce your clients to both your team and your services. There are some businesses, such as a dental practice, that require you to build trust a little more quickly and deeply. As such, here are some ways to ensure yours is as welcoming as can be.

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Invest in comfy furniture

If you want your patients to feel cared for and like they matter, then you should invest in making sure that their time is not unpleasant. It might seem like a relatively small part of your business, but patients will often spend at least a good ten minutes waiting to be seen and usually more. For that reason, look at stores like Urban Hyve where you can purchase high-quality furniture to give them a more relaxing place to rest themselves. This way, they’re less likely to be cranky or on edge when it comes time to head into the office.

Model the reception area effectively

You want your reception area to communicate friendliness, openness, and positive vibes. As such, if it is feeling out of touch, then it doesn’t make your business look modern, current, and attentive to detail. Working with teams like Medifit to give your reception area a proper fit-out can help make it a much more welcome part of the business. You want to make sure that the front desk and any amenities are very accessible, too, so consider that the layout doesn’t block these important spaces.

Give a welcome tour

It’s not just about the office and how it looks or feels. It’s also about how well you can help people feel at ease there. If you’re welcoming new patients, you can work on building a good reputation with them immediately by helping them get used to their surroundings. Offering a tour of the office so that they can see the waiting area, any restrooms, amenities, and the dentists’ office can help them acclimate to it and feel a little more catered to. This is especially true for child patients, of course.

Invest in your patients’ comfort

Beyond making sure that they’re comfortable and able to access what they need, you can go a little further and make sure that you cater to your patient’s needs. For one, since they’re likely to be waiting in the reception area for some time, providing free wi-fi is effectively a must, nowadays. However, you can go a little further and offer a snack bar or a hot drink station for them to grab a cup of tea or coffee to help them feel more at ease. Just be careful of where you position any hot drinks stations if there are children around.

A dental office can be an intimidating place to be for the first time, especially for children. Follow the tips above to help ease them into their environment so you can work better with them.

My Most Thrilling And Adventurous Hike At Kilauea Iki Crater

 NEVER EXPECTED.... When my daughter-in-law suggested going hiking and seeing the volcano crater, I was not prepared to have the longest and the most dangerous walk I have ever experienced in my whole life..... 

As I mentioned before, I did not know what to expect from this Kona trip, I just tagged along, expecting to have a relaxing time in the resort and eating to my heart's content.  That was what I was prepared to... LOL... however on that day, I was stretched to the fullest of my stamina, hiking up and down a volcanic mountain and walking across the crater which has exploded just two years back.  If I have known this earlier, I would say... "hey, you guys go ahead, I will wait for you all in the car.... " 

On this adventurous day, I experienced going through a lube, a pathway created by the volcanic eruption, it was like a cave... dark and moist inside and we need to switch on our handphone to go through.. isn't that adventurous?  Reminds me of the Famous Five from the Enid Blyton books except this cave is created by the volcano.

So what volcano did I walk through?  That much I only found out after we finished the thrilling hike... it is called Kilauea Iki Crater.... 

2-3 hours of walking.... 

it is like going up and down a 40 storey building as it says here...

but of course, without ascending and descending the rocks... 

that is the frightening part....

Initially started with just a light and easy walk up to see this crater.... 

I thought... hey, that was easy.... 

took a few pictures and away we drove away.... 

Then we joined in the hiking into the mountains...

Seniors were in front of me....

Aanother reassurance... if they can do it, so can I....

But halfway through, they detour ....

And.....

.... after an hour of descending hike, we were on flatland...

This is the hole left by the volcano....

And we had to walk through the crater which has some parts still steaming out smoke...

Isn't that frightening?

I mustered up some courage.... in the middle of the crater.... 

And off again we walked across.... to don't-know-where...

I just walked on and on...

it seems like an endless walk to me...

Cracks along the way....

I dare not even looked in..... 

Ending the walk on flat surface, we had to ascend these rocky parts...

And there I was.... huffing and puffing...

There was no turning back... 

we just had to go up and up... 

Now thinking back, I wonder how I made it through....

Thank God for His Protection....

My most thrilling hike at the age of 60+.....

A Lazy Saturday Afternoon

The week has not been pleasant so far. I needed some time off to take my mind away from a couple of things that just kept popping into my head randomly throughout the day. The thoughts were just frustrating, tiring, and taking away my energy. Well, I needed a distraction. I fired up my computer, and started browsing randomly; keeping up with posts my friends shared and reading their discussions in the comments section. I try to join in when I could, but I just didn’t want to think of a reply on most of them.

Ah, this is just not going well. I’m just too lazy to interact with these people. I need something else.

I moved away and opened a new page to search for random things. I thought about what could be interesting to read about. “Maybe something about printing”, I mused aloud to myself. I could start a small project with some research maybe. That will surely make today much more productive.

Well, the research tool up a little bit of time. I read about the printing press, which prints using some metal letter types arranged accordingly to create a page. This doesn’t look like a viable small project, but I certainly am interested to experience the difficulty of arranging the letters on a page piece by piece. Next, I read about mimeograph printing. Now this one is much more interesting. This is essentially some sort of screen printing, but the stencil is not just cut out. It is actually made with a metal stylus that creates hundreds, even thousands of tiny holes on the stencil paper. A higher density of holes means a darker area on the printed material. The materials for this project don’t look expensive, and the equipment is small enough to keep in a small box on a bookshelf.

Hmm, but do I have anything I want to try printing? Business cards maybe? Or perhaps playing cards?

I tried to think a little bit. For a start, perhaps playing cards would be much better. Designs can be as simple as possible, and I can make the Jack, Queen and King cards just a single colour. Then, I’ll have a set of cards I printed on my own for some Solitaire sessions. Great!! I ordered some of the materials I need, and then started a game of solitaire in the browser.

It's been a while since I played here. It is a site I visit occasionally to fix my Solitaire itch. Well, most important of all, it’s convenient for me. I spent close to an hour trying to arrange deck after deck of cards into its individual suits. I am by no means an expert here. I had to retry most of the time, but I still completed a game or two. While it certainly is quite fun, I needed to start playing something else.

Well, there is only one answer. Time to draw some pretty pictures on the nonogram. It’s the perfect game to release the frustrations from being unlucky in Solitaire. There is ONE goal, and ONE solution to the puzzle. Plus, they are not too difficult. Just need to count a lot. As I count grid after grid of cells to colour, it started getting dark outside.

An ‘okay’ day, I guess. Time for some food.

A Day Tour Through Waipio Valley, Hawaii

TOURING DAY AT HILO...  or did I mistaken the name for another.... 

Started our day trip at around 10am and stopped at a flea market to walk around and ended up buying two Hawaiian papayas for $5.  Small, short and rounded...  that was how they looked like.... and we saw some rambutans being sold too.  We asked the seller and he couldn't tell us the name of the fruit... LOL.. and we told him that they are rambutans and we were from Malaysia, that was how we know.  He was amazed and he told us that his friend gave him some seeds to grow in Hawaii... this friend must be a Malaysian... LOL... 

Walking around the market.... nothing much really except for the local food and fruits.... 

Then we drove further to another part of the town... 

Kamehameha The Great, the first ruler in the kingdom of Hawaii...

Walked a few minutes down the slope ...

Where the tourists are.... 

To catch some scenic pictures...

Beautiful scenery from where we stood....

And we could go down to the beach if we wanted...

That would be another half hour walk..

But no, we did not walk down.... 

Too hot and too far to walk...

We had another place to cover anyway..... 

So let's just take a picture to mark my presence!

Four Purchases That Will Make Your Life Easier With A Newborn

 Are you preparing to bring your beautiful new baby home from the hospital for the first time? If so, then you need to make sure that you are getting the right purchases from day one. The best decisions here are going to make your life far easier and help you deal with some of the issues that new parents can encounter. Here are some of the key possibilities. 

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Moses Basket

First, you should make sure that you are getting a moses basket for your little one. This will provide you with the perfect option to ensure that your new baby can get a great nap regardless of where they are. A moses basket is convenient because they are small enough to fit into any room and can be divided into two parts so you’ll be able to carry them where you need it to go. They are also quite budget friendly too and you can depend on this before you move your baby into a cot or crib. You can get these from fantastic sellers like Foryourlittleone. 

Baby Monitor

Your life is going to be far easier if you do have a decent quality baby monitor. The right baby monitor will mean that you won’t have to worry about issues with not hearing your child at night or worrying that they are not okay when you are out of the room. It’s true that you will develop fantastic hearing for listening to your child’s cries after you give birth. But, it’s still worth investing in some of the best tech here to give you a little extra helping hand. 

Baby Swing 

Babies can be difficult sleepers through the first few months. It can be difficult to get your baby to go to sleep at the best of times and they can be quite temperamental. That’s why you should definitely think about investing in a baby swing. With a baby swing you’ll have the perfect device to ensure that you can relax your baby the right way. Hopefully, this means that they will fall asleep right next to you with you needing to put in too much effort. That’s important because through the first few months, you’ll probably feel rather exhausted overall. 

Changing Table 

You don’t have to invest in a full sized changing table but it does help. The best changing tables come with a range of different compartments to store everything from wipes to diapers and everything in between. It will also stop you bending down to change your baby. This can be a nightmare, particularly if you didn’t have an easy ride through your pregnancy. Some changing tables also come with extra features such as having a bath included which is incredibly useful for any new parent. 

We hope this helps you understand some of the key purchases that you should consider before you bring your little one home from the hospital for the first time. These choices could make your life far easier and ensure that you don’t struggle with issues over the first few months that could easily be avoided. 

Fine Dining At Canoe House, Mauna Lani, Kona

ONCE A LIFETIME OR SHOULD I SAY YOLO? 

Yes, we only live once and we should enjoy to the fullest... within our means, of course!  LOL...And that was what we did. 

On this special evening, my son booked a reservation at Canoe House in Mauna Lani, Auberge Resorts for dinner.  I did not know what to expect except that he told me that it was a fine dining open air restaurant overlooking the sea.  

When we reached, I felt that I was home in Penang, very similar except for the beautiful sunset and cooling wind... and of course the food is different too.  The three of us ordered a 5 course set, not knowing what to expect except the best... LOL.... It cost $95 per pax and I think it is really worth trying.  As I mentioned earlier... YOLO... You Only Live Once!  LOL..... 

When we entered the resort, we felt that we were being "stared upon"...

Yes, no kids, no babies in sight... nor Asians too!

Some were looking at our baby in the pram, cooing to him.... 

Oh I guess this hotel is not for kids...

I asked my son... "did we come to the right place?"

We had our dinner here....

here.... 

Looks like our Malaysian beaches right?

the sun was going to set....

lower and lower.....

So beautiful....

Catching closer glimpse of the sunset....

The love birds went to capture these before the food arrives....

And soon it was nearly gone...

First course....

I finished to the last drop or piece.... LOL...

Second course.... 

Third....

Fourth one...

And dessert as the 5th course..... 

And this was complimentary cos of wedding anniversary.... 

Don't forget to mention during the reservation!

LOL...

Yes, our life time experience...
or should I say, that is my once-in-a-lifetime experience.....

LOL.....

Managing Your Pandemic Manpower Woes

The pandemic has changed a lot of how we run our businesses and, above all else, it has impacted how we manage our workforce. It has led to a lot of businesses having trouble in finding their feet and keeping operations going or even keeping their employees. But there are some solutions that may be worth looking into. Here are just a few of them.

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Investing in remote working

It’s a strategy that a lot of businesses have already had to do. You might not be able to turn your entire workforce into a remote working team, but there are software suites like https://hive.com/product/ that can make it a lot easier to have much more of the work behind your business done from remote locations. Whatever roles can be done from the home, you should at least make sure you have a plan to allow them to flexibly do so, so that if you do have to close your doors in the future or scale back your in-office workforce, you have options to keep their productivity in play.

Be flexible with your manpower

If you are unable to sustain a secured position for your workers, then you might have to be open to making not only their work-life more flexible, but to make your entire approach to labor more flexible, as well. For instance, you might be able to work more cost-effectively with freelancers for certain types of labor. The more specialized the labor they provide, of course, the more likely that they are able to find a permanent place of employment, so it’s not a decision that can be made across the board.

Covering the costs of keeping them

A lot of businesses have had to let employees go as they could not justify the cost of keeping them, whether it’s due to a loss of business or simply because they cannot keep that number of workers at all times. However, if your business has had a decline in gross receipts or been suspended by the state, then sites like https://tri-merit.com/erc/ could show that you are entitled to the employee retention credit. This is a benefit specifically made to help companies keep hold of their employees.

Know when you have to cut back

Unfortunately, there will be a time that keeping on your team can start to affect your budget more than you are able to handle. It’s up to your budgeting skills to find what ways you can to accommodate them if you are losing business, but if you cannot, then your employees are a lot easier to replace than your assets such as property and machinery, so you may have to let some go. The unfortunate reality is that businesses can bounce back for reduced manpower more easily than they can from, for instance, reduced manufacturing capacity.

The tips above can’t solve all manpower woes your business might be facing as a result of the pandemic. There are some challenges that you might not be able to overcome without thinking about reducing your labor. That decision should be prepared for, but not used as your first resort.