It’s Father’s Day weekend, so since I’m both a father and a grandfather, the kids/grandkids are taking me to bowl a couple of games and then eat the good food available at Aiea Bowl tomorrow.   I really enjoy such outings, but in the midst of the fun, I also reflect (not often enough) on fond memories of my own father Melvin, gone some seven years ago.  Above is a pic of dad from Father’s Day, 1965.  He had just returned from fishing and when he emerged from his shower, we surprised him with his favorite beverage (Primo) and a Father’s Day gift….a happy moment caught by a Kodak instamatic.  In memory of him and Father’s Day, I’m resending something I wrote for dad back in April 2011, before most of our active members ever joined our group.  I hope it honors both him and the special fathers in all our lives. Well, he’s left the building and gone on to new adventures, I’m sure.  He was one of a kind and had a winning smile that could light up the room.  My earliest memories of him are as a kind of Superman/Charles Atlas, able to carry me and five of my cousins; one on [...]

A few words about value.  Waaay back, in 1967 (over fifty years ago!) I was a young sophomore, spending my first year at venerable Saint Louis High School, located on the rugged slopes of Kalaepohaku Ridge in Honolulu.  I was quite happy attending public middle school, but my parents so valued the benefits of education that they were willing to spend the significant cost associated with private school as an investment in my future….a princely sum of $600 per school year back then.  Fast forward to 2018 and the annual cost of attending my old alma mater has risen to $16,400, an increase of about 27 times!  If only annual wages had risen that fast, haha.  Also in 1967, my parents made another important financial decision – they coughed up $550 to purchase…a brand-new color tv!  That old Motorola was almost as huge as a HI-FI stereo and dominated our living room.  We could roam the three channels, on which, certain programs were beginning to be broadcast in color.  Today, you can purchase any number of thin, Hi-Def, Smart-TVs (made in Asia) for under $200…roughly a third of our 1960’s Motorola (yes kids, “Hello Moto” still made televisions back then).  These intersecting lines of price inflation/deflation means that [...]

While I’m sitting here at home, waiting for a visit by a someone to service our refrigerator, thought I’d send out a short story about a couple of brand names that one finds on certain karate uniforms (gi’s) and belts.  No, don’t rush to look at the brand name on your karate stuff, haha.  Items from these brands typically cost more and are favored by many black belt karateka. The brand name that us old-timers are familiar with is Tokaido.  It was the brand that all of our sensei’s and sempai’s bought, so naturally, we made sure to buy this brand when we started training – despite the hefty price tag.  I guess that the creation of the Japan Karate Association (JKA) in 1949, coupled with the fact that one of its black belt members, Sugiura Motokuni established the Tokaido Company in 1958, resulted in each brand becoming closely associated with the other.  And, as the JKA became known as the premier karate organization world-wide, the Tokaido brand became equally famous for its quality – worn by hundreds of thousands of serious karateka.  Cost-wise, a Tokaido Shikon middle-weight uniform will run you about $229 plus shipping…about the cost of a suit [...]