I just got back from lunch in Chinatown so I thought I’d blog about it!

I think that Chinatown is one of Oahu's most exciting and mysterious neighborhoods. It’s a popular gathering place for kama’aina and for visitors located in downtown Honolulu. As a gateway to our Island of Oahu for many immigrants, Chinatown is a very colorful and eclectic blend of Southeast Asian cultures.

In 1852, Chinese immigrant laborers arrived in Hawaii to work on the emerging sugar cane plantations. After completing their labor contracts, many of the immigrants relocated to the Chinatown area of Honolulu and entered the business world. With its exotic mix of Asian culture and people, Chinatown at first gained a prety disreputable image as it was known for its saloons, debauchery, drugs and dens of ill repute.

Today, Chinatown’s former reputation has been toned down considerably. It’s now a lively and colorful community to explore – you should check it out!

Aloha ~

Ali

        

The going2oahu Travel Blog is nearly 3 years old so I guess I'm now what you would call a veteran blogger.

When I first started blogging, I used a generic blogging platform to publish my writings and I didn't get very many readers. Things kinda' took off when I decided to purchase a domain from a webhosting provider. That decision became the start of something BIG - the Going2Oahu Travel Blog that you are enjoying right now!

I relied mostly on individual websites for reviews since the Internet was the best resource in finding a provider that would meet my expectations. I went with a godaddy back then, but the provider I'm starting to follow now is called webhostinggeeks.com.

Their website allows me to check the top 10 webhosting providers and read customer reviews for each site - useful for making an informed decision for whatever product I want - very cool.

If you are planning to buy your own domain or start on an entirely new blog or website, I would suggest you start your search by visiting webhostinggeeks.com.

Aloha ~

Ali

        

So the song goes...

I don't like spiders and snakes
And that ain't what it takes to love me
You fool, you fool
I don't like spiders and snakes
And that ain't what it takes to love me
Like I wanna be loved by you

No, there are no snakes in Hawaii - none, nada, zip, zilch, period!

Well wait... technically, there are snakes in Hawaii but it's not really out of line to claim there are none. Hawaii does have one native snake species, the island blind snake, (or as I like to say ramphotyphlops braminus). They're usually mistaken for a worm though and are definitely not any kind of a major threat.

See, Hawaii has invested millions of dollars into fighting invasive species, including snakes which could cause havoc in the islands. Still, some snakes make it through the state's snake defense systems (SDS) - speople smuggling snakes into Hawaii as exotic pets for example. Not good at all.

Fortunately, no snake species has been able to gain a presence here. If you spot a snake in Hawaii, call 911 or 586-PEST (7378) right away. And if you brought one in, it may be surrendered without consequence under the state's amnesty program.

Aloha ~

Ali

        

My best friend Malena is finishing up her student teaching block and will soon be graduating from Ohio State!

Now Mal-mal (Malena) and I have been best buds since 5th grade and have done absolutely EVERYTHING together. I have tons of favorite memories... like the time we went paintballing at Hawaii All-Stars, the night she got her first kiss at Kapiolani, our weird and scary sleepover at Ala Moana Beach Park, and the time she bailed from the Oahu Ghost Tour because she had to pee! Haha – we have had some really good times.

Malena has always wanted to be an art teacher and I'm so proud of her accomplishing her dream. I love you little Mal-mal and I can’t wait to see you again!

My makuahine and I taking on the task of creating Malena's graduation invitations and we want them to be super special. We’ve used VistaPrint for this type of project before because we like how you can customize everything (art work, photographs, fonts, paper stock, etc.). We also like how you can proof everything online before placing your order with them.

Pretty slick, but we’re having some difficulty on the creative side so I’m hoping my readers can help out with some suggestions. Here’s what we’re looking at:

Since we’re having Malena’s graduation party at the family home in Waipahu, we’ll need to include specific directions to the residence. The directions are rather long, but we don’t want to take up a great deal of announcement space to include them. Is it appropriate to add an insert with directions?

Since Malena is an artist, we would LOVE to include one of her original creations on the front panel; however the announcement text will need to be over her artwork. Is this in bad taste to put text over her artwork?

And finally, since Malena is a native Hawaiian and a Rainbow Warrior at heart, do you have any suggestions on how we might lay out an Ohio State Buckeye logo that is complimented by a Hawaii Rainbow Warriors logo? I’d really like to do both!

I’m looking forward to reading your suggestions!

Aloha ~

Ali

        

With the tourist season heating back up, I thought I'd blog about my favorite dance club on Oahu, the Pipeline Cafe.

Pipeline Cafe is a super popular 18 and over dance club in downtown Honolulu that also hosts several concerts each month. If you are looking for a large, attractive, younger type crowd (a crowd that includes ME), then Pipeline is definitely the right dance club for you. Pipeline Cafe is open Monday through Saturday but it is closed on Sundays for private parties only.

BTW, Pipeline Cafe is also the largest 18 and older night club on Oahu. Friday nights are my favorites (Foreplay Fridaze) and are hosted by 102.7.

Aloha ~

Ali

        

The nightclub scene in Waikiki and Honolulu is every bit as hot as the sun-drenched beaches during the day. Dance clubs are much more laid-back than those in big cities like New York; dress is casual (though sandals, tank tops, and athletic clothing are a no-no) and the best time to show up is after midnight.

Getting lots of play right now is a new singer named Nyce Billy. He's a hip hop artist that was discovered by Felippe “Yo!” Santos and immediately signed to the Everything to Gain Entertainment record label. Nyce Billy took 1st place at the Faces in the Crowds Music Showcase in 2008 and his career has really taken off.

My favorite tune is called “Pour on the Floor” and it can really pack a dance floor! His songs have terific grooves that you can’t help but dance to.

If you want to check out his songs then go to his MySpace page.

        

The ampitheatre seats more than 2,400 people and the surrounding lawn area can handle another 6,000. The tropical climate of Hawaii makes the Waikiki Shell a perfect setting for a memorable afternoon or evening concert.

One of my favorite singers, Sheryl Crow, will be there on April 24th!!

Aloha ~

Ali

        

Would you like to win an all expense paid trip to Hawaii?

Do you have a cell phone?

You can win free trips, iPhones, message bundles, and all kinds of other free cool prizes by sending text messages from your cell phone to the smsnia.com website. Using the exact same method that radio stations use on their "lucky caller" contests, SMSnia.com rewards "lucky texters" with some amazing prizes and lots of fun!

You can join smsnia.com very quickly by setting up an account on their website.

Once you have completed the registration process, you'll be able to enter any of their sweepstakes offerings by sending a text message to and then replying to their confirmation text message that you agree with their terms of service.

Before you start playing, you'll need to browse the various categories and then select the sweepstakes that you want to go for (i.e. cars, home electronics, travel, computers, game consoles, household items, and many more). By clicking on the sweepstakes detail link for the sweepstakes that you choose, you'll be briefed on the three steps describing how to proceed. From there, you can start playing by writing a text message and pressing SEND.

Be the lucky person that you are, and you just might win a trip to Hawaii!

Good luck!

Aloha ~

Ali

        

My cell phone contract with AT&T Wireless is up and I'm seriously considering a switch to Sprint.

Sprint phones have come a long long way and that Blackberry 8830 is looking super sweet at $199.99 right now. They also have a nice selection of free phones to choose from so I'm a little torn on whether to go for a sweet freebie like the Sanyo Katana LX or to go ahead and take the deal on the Blackberry. All I know is that I have to choose quickly because the "1 Day Free Bonus Sale" ends at midnight today.

What would you do?

Aloha ~

Ali

        

Wow!

As you can tell by today's multiple posts, I'm now getting caught up on things and have some extra time for blogging, chatting, surfing, and SHOPPING!!

I just made a purchase online that was so amazingly good that I had to share it. Sears is having a clearance sale online and they're taking 75% - 80% of their original prices on lots of fall and winter clothing. It's usually not that big of a deal, but today I found the cutest Satin Avalon dress in fuchsia that I'm going to wear to a spring cocktail party next week. It was originally $78 and I bought it for $17.99!

The catalog description says, "this sweet dress mixes sultry satin with a deep, shiny jewel finish. The pin tucked waistline finishes the gown in a pleated style with barely-there spaghetti straps." It looks super sexy to me and my boyfriend is going to love it.

Isn't it adorable??

Here's a screen shot from the website where I bought it. You can view the dress in detail from it's description page on the Sears website. You can even move your cursor over different parts of the dress to get a detailed closeup.

Very cool!

Aloha ~

Ali