Several notes: No training on 24 June (this Sat)… Momilani Rec Center will be undergoing repainting. Also, on that day, about seven of your black belt/brown belt sempais and I will be attending a training seminar at the Japanese Chamber of Commerce (by University Ave and S King) taught by Sensei Nobuaki Kanazawa, current SKIF World Champion and son of the legendary Kancho Hirokazu Kanazawa, who first brought Shotokan to Hawaii from Japan in 1960. Kancho Kanazawa was my teachers’ teacher and now heads up the SKIF with an estimated 3 million members world-wide. It’s from 5:00-7:00 pm and you’re welcome to come and watch… the beautiful dojo there, is on the first floor. The following Sat (1 July), please join us for our periodic yard cleanup at Momilani Rec Center, beginning at 9:00 am. Three of us will use weedwhackers for our traditional corner area… for the rest of you, please bring a rake to help rake leaves throughout the large grassy areas. Some of the men from the Men’s Ministry will also help out and I believe we can finish in 60-90 mins, and maybe still have some time for a quick training. Finally, I always say that [...]

Wow, it’s hard to believe, but it’s already June and summer is truly here. There was a time, years ago, when I spent virtually every Saturday morning at the beach in Mokuleia, from around 5:30 am till around 09:00 am. For a few years there, I was really “hooked” on fishing. The kind I did is called “whipping”, which means I would use a plastic little curlytail on a tiny hook, and whip the rod back and forth, trying to make the lure appear to be a struggling little shrimp. I would spend several hours in this fashion, walking in the sand, casting, retrieving, and on ocassion, hooking up with a small papio or moana, or possibly a lai. It was great… I felt communion with Him, enjoying the beautiful world He created, feeling and hearing the gentle waves wash across my feet. The early morning sun felt great on my skin, and I would walk the equivalent of several miles on the sand. By 09:00 am, the heat differential between the air over the shore and the ocean would become great enough to start up the tradewinds, significantly reducing my chances of catching fish with my little rig and [...]

Well, today’s Memorial Day… most of us know it as a day off from work/school, a time to go to the beach or a picnic. Most of us also know it’s also a time to honor those who fell in battle during times of war, as well as to remember those who serve on foreign shores for our defense and protection at this very moment. Our country is engaged in a war at this time… a long, protracted effort against terrorism throughout various places on the globe. It is very fitting that we remember what these finely trained and dedicated men and women do, so that we may continue to enjoy the freedoms and normal lives we often take for granted. Hawaii has contributed its share of young heros, who participated in our nation’s battles and wars from the time the islands became a territory, over a hundred years ago. There were some who actually were soldiers during WWI (the memorial to which, is the unused, aging Natatorium in Waikiki). There were many who served in the famous 442 RCT/100 Bat during WWII…with the unheard of casualty rate of 314% over a 2 year period… 14,000 AJA’s were actually cycled [...]