Product reviews, favorites, workshop notes, program reviews, business reviews, people, restaurants. If Aunty has seen it, used it, tried it, or visited it, get Aunty’s scoop on it here!
Aunty must admit to being a Korean drama almost addict and has upgraded to being a Premium member (at $5 per month). The advantage of this is zero commercials and having access to some exclusive shows.
Some movies have been really good, and not all of them are Korean. The Chinese “Ocean Heaven” starring Jet Li was an excellent one about a father’s love for his autistic son. It can also be viewed on YouTube:
Some movies have Aunty’s favorite Korean actors and actresses but leave too many loose ends or have sub par storylines.
Miss Granny was a real winner about 2nd chances with a quirky lead actress, compelling relationships, and the complete 5 star package of being a really great movie.
To top off this weekend’s winners, Aunty would recommend “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”. It was rented for $1/week at our local library and starts off a bit haphazardly as the characters are introduced and ears adjust for British accents. The perfectly cast players and the bustle of India merge together splendidly, and Aunty has already put “The 2nd Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” on reserve at the library (after 100 others who have also requested it).
It has been a rather unproductive week for Aunty since not much has been accomplished. Kind of like stirring oatmeal. These movies were divergences that filled the space of taking it easy and allowing myself to waste time.
A waste of time, but one that engaged, entertained, and delighted. So much so, that Aunty actually stood up and clapped after each show ended.
Good friends Sharon and Rayna told us about Yakitori Glad, located left next to Pizza Hut on Kapahulu Avenue. EVERYTHING on the menu, including beer in small, medium, or large sizes is $3.90.
Ample parking was found in the small downsloping driveway lot behind on Palani Avenue with a small sign that said parking was free for Yakitori Glad if you let them know your parking stall number.
We were there early, before 6:00, and were asked if we had reservations (no), our parking stall # (3), and then seated against a counter that had no view, but it was okay since we were there to eat, and not for a view. Our server was a nice young man who brought us water and green tea.
Their large glossy 3 section menu card is quite extensive and overwhelming at first. Shio, Tare, Mene. whatever. We ordered, almost blindly.
Bacon wrapped mushroom sounded delicious – and it was! 2 mushrooms with bacon on a stick, and we got 2 juicy yummy sticks.
Aunty ordered kamameshi rice which had gobo (Aunty loves kamameshi rice) and was told that it would take 30 minutes to make. Hmmm. Gotta have it, and it actually came sooner, or it seemed like came sooner, in a neat little metal bowl on a stand with a wooden cover – so cute! We were already rather full so took most of it home (and it was just as delicious the next day after a zapping in the microwave oven).
We ordered a couple of orders of yakitori (chicken chunks on sticks) – one was Mune Glad-yaki, and another that was recommended by the server, but we were not impressed with either because the chicken was quite dry and rather tasteless, imo. It did not taste fresh and was probably pre-cooked. We were there very early, way before the crowd, so perhaps fresher sticks would have been served later, as the place got more packed and busy by the time we left.
The enoki mushrooms (we love mushrooms) came in a foil boat with ponzu sauce and was delicious though a little sparse.
We tried the tsukune okonomiyaki in shio flavor – that was tasty and more like a ground chicken patty with sauce, at the recommendation of the server when I commented that the chicken was a bit too dry for my taste. These were pretty good so next time we will order the chicken patties instead of the chicken yakitoris.
The Gyu-kushi wasabi yuzu beef sticks that we ordered sounded and looked delicious, and they were – but again, very dry. Aunty was hoping for something like gyutaku with ponzu sauce but this was not it. Maybe next time we’ll order pork instead.
mune glad-yaki, meh…
chicken skewer, forgot which one
enoki mushrooms, yum!
tsukune okonimiyaki
gyu-kushi (beef)
half eaten already, yum!
Aunty’s favorite was the ume ochazuke – nice deep bowl of rice with 3 soft big ume swimming in green tea. Yum! It was the best simple and most satisfying ochazuke, so it really made Aunty’s meal.
Lastly, we ordered their mochi ice cream, 2 green tea and 1 cherry blossom (tasted like cherry ice cream). Meh. It was okay but nothing to write home about.
Would Aunty go back to this place again? Yes, definitely – but with a better idea of what to order.
Here’s what Aunty would order the next time. Kamameshi rice (with the plan to take home most of it), ume ochazuke, bacon wrapped mushroom, shiitake nikuzume (mushroom with chicken patty), renkon nikuzume (lotus root stuffed with ground chicken). Maybe the buta-bara (pork), or chicken skin (kawa-shio), or a salad, or … Actually, going back is a must because there are a lot of things that we didn’t try that might be super delicious.
$3.90 sounds like a great price for entrees, but it can add up. It would help to try blindly first (like we did) and then figure out slowly what you really like. It was a small busy fun place with very nice servers, and good simple food that makes for a happy stomach.
If you do go, please let Aunty know what your favorite dish is, onegai shimasu (please)!
One of Aunty’s daughters loves to eat out. Ichiriki is her favorite lunch haunt because of their lunch deals. Most of the nabes (hot pots) are $12.
The deal with the always hungry daughter was, if Aunty found a parking and we didn’t have to wait for a table, lunch was on. We were in luck and seated on a sunken tatami mat table right away.
Their menu is a feast for the eyes, and Aunty ordered the Pork Chanko ($11.95). Hungry daughter wanted the Ribeye Shabu Shabu ($19.95) but the treating Aunty made her pick a cheaper lunch, so she settled for the Shortrib Combo ($11.95).
Next step is choosing the broth, and everything was appealing. Daughter ordered the Pirikari – spicy shoyu base, and Aunty ordered the Shio Pirikari – spicy salt base. Both were excellent. They weren’t too spicy, even if chili flakes were floating. They were lightly rich, delicate yet strong.
The cooking begins with scoops of ground chicken/pork tsukune which comes in a bamboo tube followed by the beautiful array of ingredients on the platter – onions, mushroom, meat, cabbage, tofu, aburage.
Pots are split for 2 people. As you can see, Aunty is much slower in putting the ingredients in the pot than hungry daughter.
It is do-it-yourself cooking, very easy and fun.
The soup stock was boiling hot and cooked everything quickly and to perfection. Somehow the server knew to come back at just the right time to turn the heat down.
We ordered ponzu sauce with the meal – for 50¢ each. Turns out to be the best 50¢ Aunty ever spent. The lemon shoyu base is accessorized with both white and red grated daikon (radish) and finely chopped green onion. (This picture shows the garnishes after Aunty mixed her sauce – sorry). It made a heavenly dipping sauce that was so delicious, Aunty couldn’t help slurping it up on the sly.
The rice was good rice, the meal was super satisfying. We didn’t want to stuff ourselves so we asked to take home our leftovers. Can’t figure out how they can separate the leftovers into the take out containers, but they did, and we had another mini meal at home the next day.
We went to the Piikoi location – 510 Piikoi Street across from the west end of Ala Moana Shopping Center. A place to go back to enjoy, moo ichido, moo ichido. Most onolicious, oishii to the max!
Uncle fought a battle against cancer and blockage from when he was first diagnosed in November of 2013 with stage IV appendiceal cancer after surgeons at Queen’s Hospital performed a right hemicolectomy. In the ensuing months, which turned into a year, Uncle was in and out of the hospital for various reasons.
We left Queen’s for the last time under the care of Hospice Hawaii. This is Aunty’s review.
In the beginning
The initial support and attention as we prepared to leave Queen’s Hospital was top notch. Dr. Liane Tokushige, the director of Hospice Hawaii, came to meet us and go over what could or could not be provided, with some wiggle room for options. She is a petite beautiful woman with MD qualifications in various fields. Very humble, very sweet, very caring.
We left the hospital the day after that with a specialist accompanying us to a waiting transport service, all arranged by Hospice Hawaii.
Any necessities such as a wheel chair, suction compressor, oxygen, walkers, hospital bed, etc. would be provided and set up at home.
Home at last
The first evening home was a big transition, figuring out a new IV system as well as learning about different drugs to provide Uncle comfort. We had visits from 2 nurses, one who did the “admission” procedure and later another nurse who dropped off more bags of saline for Uncle’s IV drip.
At this point in time, we were not giving up, and we continued with alternative means of getting nutrition into Uncle despite his blockage (which seemed to be clearing) as well as receiving natural treatments for his cancer.
Two days later, nurse Oma, came to check in on Uncle as well as see what else Uncle might be needing. Oma became Uncle’s case manager. She had a gentle touch and we were glad to have her on board.
A social worker, Mimi, came by to offer help if needed. Very soft spoken nice lady, easy to talk with, respectful of our hopeful beliefs. It was a busy beginning.
On call if needed
Hospice Hawaii has a 24/7 system. On the 4th night home, Uncle was in discomfort and having a hard time and we weren’t quite sure what to do. Send him to the hospital? Call 911? We called the Hospice Hawaii main line for advice.
The hospice on call nurse came to our home and told us to dose him with the pain and anxiety meds, which took a little while to kick in, but helped somewhat. We were informed that going to the ER or hospital would mean giving up all Hospice Hawaii services. The hospital would do emergency procedures, tests, and constant hustle and bustle versus dosing Uncle with hospice drugs at home to make him comfortable.
His dressing was changed, taking much longer than we were used to. Although this first on call nurse was very nice, he did not instill confidence in his abilities with us. We were used to the high professional and quality standards of the nurses at Queen’s Hospital. The main thing though, was that Uncle was in less pain now.
At the end
With each passing day, Uncle became weaker and weaker, and thankfully in less discomfort as time went on. His body was shutting down and after a week of being home, Uncle gently passed on, very peacefully, at home. We called the Hospice Hawaii hotline and a very capable and caring nurse came out to check Uncle’s vitals and call for his final arrangements.
To hospice or not to hospice?
On a prior discharge, Uncle went home on “home care”, which meant that we were still able to see doctors, have tests done, be on IV nutrition, aggressively seek treatment if desired.
When Uncle was discharged on hospice care, test, treatment, doctor visits, etc. were not covered. The goal and purpose of hospice was to provide comfort, period.
Hospice provided us with on call nurses, a case manager, support staff, and setting up the home with whatever (i.e. bed, walkers, oxygen, etc.) the patient needs. This was a great service and the biggest difference between hospice and home care was being able to call someone, at any time, for whatever reason.
“Home care”, which is a regular discharge from the hospital, provides the patient with whatever he needs, i.e. nutrition, follow up visits, and treatment for the ailments. The only option for professional help in Uncle’s case was once a week visits from a traveling nurse who drew blood for lab tests, took vitals, and changed Uncle’s dressings. It did not cover the costs of a hospital bed and other items of support unless the doctor prescribed them.
The best of both worlds, Supportive Hospice
To have the staff, meds, and equipment needs met by the Hawaii Hospice organization was great. Being able to also have lab tests, doctor treatments and therapies would be even better. This is supportive hospice.
Supportive hospice is a brand new program that is now covered by HMSA. It is not yet covered by the awesome HMAA (our health insurance plan), so we did not have this option. If we coulda, we woulda.
Aunty hopes you never have to go through the trials and heartache of your loved ones in or out of the hospital. However, if you do, Hospice Hawaii provides a transition bridge between the hospital and home. It is a great service. Mahalo to Hospice Hawaii.
Aunty was totally clueless about tweeting. It sounded like something new and irritating. However, Chad Lamothe opened up a Twitter account for Aunty when he redesigned the website. He set it up to do something that Aunty did not understand with her latest posts. It didn’t hurt or cost money, so, whatever!
Last night at the March HIMA meeting, Lane Muraoka of Big City Diner answered questions about tweeting and Twitter for his business. Aunty was NOT interested in Twitter because of ignorance, but went to the meeting anyway because the HIMA folks are great, and Aunty believes in supporting great causes. (Also, each time Aunty goes to a HIMA meeting, lightbulbs go off in Aunty’s head.)
Well, surprise, surprise! Another lightbulb went off after Lane’s presentation! Tweeting can be kinda awesome!
So, this morning, Aunty tweeted – one to Lane (@BCDlane) and one to Hawaiian Airlines. The result? Dunno…..yet. Maybe more traffic to Aunty’s website? Maybe access to the latest deals from those businesses?
If anything, it was making new connections, which could lead to more connections. It’s a way for Aunty to share her latest posts. It may be more work because of checking in, but it’s fun, like Facebook but less wordy and more control, and not irritating!
If you see a post that you like from Aunty, please tweet it by clicking on the little blue bird icon if you have a Twitter account. Don’t have a Twitter account? Ask somebody to help you set one up. You can ignore it, or you can connect with it.
For Aunty, this is a Star Trek moment in time, just before warp speed, entering into another dimension.
Mahalo to Lane Muraoka of Big City Diner and HIMA!
Back in November 2013, Aunty attended the first HIMA meeting, not really knowing what she was getting into. Aunty went just to support Randy Fujinaka’s new venture because Randy is such a good guy.
George Del Barrio and Thomas Trentz were the main speakers. Tom’s presentation was good – high tech power point slides and how to reach and utilize the internet to help market ourselves. Geebz’s (George Del Barrio) was much more informal and spontaneous, using social media as the springboard. Both were experts in their fields, and Aunty learned tons! The following month’s meeting featured Kristen Robinson – a powerhouse in social media marketing.
For $10, HIMA provides a nice meeting at the Manoa Library (lots of parking), food (!) and water, and dynamic experts on timely topics sharing their techniques and wisdom. After that first meeting, Aunty gladly signed up for her annual membership of $100 with HIMA. We even got door prizes, and Aunty met so many others in the room by networking and talking story.
On the first Tuesday of each and every month, we get treated to great speakers that can help ANYBODY who has a business or a need to get their needs out. These meetings are events that get the light bulbs popping on in our head. They help us find our genius, our roadmap, our growth.
Here is a link to the March 4th event, starring the owner of Big City Diner (yum!) and how he incorporates Twitter into his business model, as well as other business insights: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hawaii-internet-marketers-association-march-4th-event-with-lane-muraoka-tickets-10652681457
After years of thinking about it, Uncle decided that it was time for solar panels for our home. The timing was great – our electrical bill was edging up to $400/month, solar companies’ prices had come down and systems were much more efficient, needing less panels and less wall space for the controls.
After getting a few quotes from other companies, we settled on Alternate Energy. David Thompson was our point of contact, and he was excellent. Answered all of our questions with accuracy, gave options, filed all the necessary papers, arranged inspections and even gave us an anniversary discount. We signed papers at the end of December, and on the 1st week of January, our system was installed!
Our neighbor was amazed – he had signed up for his solar system months ago with another company and they still have yet to have it installed. Unfortunately he had already put down his deposit and signed a contract, so he has to continue to wait (and is still waiting for almost a year).
Alternate Energy is an electrical contracting company, and most of their business is from installing solar panel systems. The crew was impressive. Very polite, very attentive to details, very nice young men who took pride in their workmanship and the company they represented.
We were told that the grid for our area was already filled at 100%. That meant that we wouldn’t get the super savings in our electrical bill until Hawaiian Electric approved and accepted our system. We still opted for it. Watching our electrical meter go backwards was a real thrill and Uncle said that we would soon see savings on our bill.
Sure enough, our following month’s bill was about half of normal, and then, the next month’s bill was only $27!!! Can we hear a KA-CHING?!! We will also get Federal and State tax credits, so even more KA-CHING!
Compact, efficient controls!
Uncle gets all the credit for this great idea. He made so many calls, checked out several reviews, asked for recommendations, and really did choose the best system and the best company for our needs. He wanted just the right number of panels – not too many and not too few. It is a 5.72kW Residential Photovoltaic System. We have 22 Mitsubishi panels with Solar Edge inverters that can be diagnosed on our own computers, with 100% efficiency. This system is such an improvement over the older systems and panels. We have a 25 year warranty on the panels, and 10 years parts and labor warranty from Alternate Energy. Our cost before tax credits was $24,616.10. Half down (using our Hawaiian Airlines mileage VISA) and half upon completion was a bit of a sting, but it made too much sense to go for it, and we did.
Spend now to save for the long term is a very good decision. Kudos to Uncle the Wise, and David Thompson of Alternate Energy!
David can be reached at (808) 554-5191 or via email at david@alternateenergyhawaii.com. Please tell him that Aunty sent you – we get referral income too!
In November, we sold a property in Las Vegas that had appreciated in price by 70%, resulting in a gain of $90,000. Pretty sweet!
After a quick consult with our CPA, our long term capital gains tax that we would have to pay would be $18,000. Enter into the picture, the strategy of a 1031 exchange, which allows investors to defer the tax on gains by purchasing something else of equal or greater value.
For this, we contacted Julie Tumbaga of OREXCO Hawaii. She was a guest speaker at a HIREI event, and not only was she knowledgeable and sharp, she was also beautiful and funny. She was an authority in the field of 1031 exchanges, easy to talk to, so Aunty contacted her, signed a few papers, and we were ready to rock.
Aunty did not get to work directly with Julie. Instead, a very nice gal named Tasha was the main contact, with occasional communications with William. They were very helpful and it seemed as though the 1031 exchange process would be easy peasy.
Sell, but let OREXCO know before it closes!
The first part of the exchange process for us was the sale of the Las Vegas property. Our listing realtor made sure that all of our contracts specified that the sale would be a 1031 exchange, and it was duly noted and recorded thus on our settlement statement. The sale of the Las Vegas property took a bit longer than anticipated, and when it was recorded and closed, communications to OREXCO were great, and our 1031 exchange file was now official. Escrow now held our funds.
Identify, or else….!
Next was to identify up to 3 properties that we intended to use toward the exchange. This had to be done within 45 days of the sale, period.
Aunty must admit to having very bad habits, one of the worst being procrastination. Another is not opening up attachments or asking enough questions if something is not understood.
Over a month had gone by before contacting OREXCO, and before Aunty realized it, the 45 day deadline was looming. Panic!!!
OREXCO knows what to do for 1031 exchanges. They are probably the best company in town for this. However, they don’t know what Aunty doesn’t know, and that was a bit of a problem.
One of the key forms to have is the “Identification Notice (Three Property Rule)”, early on. Aunty did not know that this form needed to be filled out and sent to OREXCO until a few days before the 45 day deadline. It was sent in response to Aunty’s email regarding several offers being submitted via our Vegas realtor for properties, and asking if I needed to send OREXCO the copies, addresses, offers. The response was a very cheery “There is no need to copy me on the offers. You will need to formally identify the possible replacement properties by your 45th day, which is 1/10/13. I have attached your identification notice for your convenience. Have a great day!”
Aunty mistakenly thought that just submitting offers that specified “subject to 1031 exchange” was sufficient, and did not open the attachment that was attached for Aunty’s convenience until a few days before the deadline. Duh! Aunty needs to learn to read better. Not making this deadline will render the exchange as failed, and your money in escrow will stay there for 6 months!
One day before the 45th day deadline, Aunty sent in a list of 3 properties which we had put in offers. An email from the OREXCO corporate office confirmed receipt almost immediately.
After a quick check on the status of those offer with Aunty’s realtor in Vegas, those 3 were nixed because they were already in contract with other buyers, and 3 more possible properties were found, and offers written. On the day of the 45th day deadline, a new list of 3 identified properties was emailed to OREXCO, with a note on the form “Please revoke any and all previous identification notices.”
What a relief!?
Or was it? Aunty did not receive an email from the OREXCO corporate office like before, but thought that could be the fact that they were already closed for the weekend.
Panic again – did they, or did they not get the updated list? Yikes!!
Several emails and a call back from Tasha gave instant relief – yes, the new list was received by the deadline, and the 1031 exchange was still valid and good to go!
Go, Martin, Go!
This gave Aunty’s top notch Vegas real estate agent the green light, and within 2 days of writing offers on the 3 newly identified properties, 2 responded with counter offers.
Martin went to see both properties to give us a better picture of the properties than those on the MLS. Both were pretty nifty from his description, and after some thinking, a counter to the counter of the larger of the 2 was made, and almost immediately accepted!!!
Woohoo!
This identified property was put into escrow with the same title company that handled the sale of the first property, and scheduled to close within 2 weeks. It was smooth sailing after that, and we closed on the new property, funds went to the right people, paperwork was filed by the experts, and it is all good to go!
Recommended
If you plan to do a 1031 exchange, use Julie Tumbaga’s OREXCO Hawaii. For $900 (plus $250 upon closing), we bought peace of mind because of the expertise of Julie’s company. Plus, we didn’t have to pay any tax on our capital gain – how cool is that!!! In the next few years, if the value of this new property goes up, we’ll probably do another 1031 exchange, and OREXCO will be our go-to intermediary, without a second thought.
Happy New Year! Aunty wants to start the year blogging with some self improvement, and the ability to persuade is a good tool in anyone’s belt. Here’s a book report from Aunty:
The other day, Aunty was sitting next to Uncle and telling him about one of her very interesting revelations (Aunty gets revelations quite often). In Aunty’s telling of it, Uncle looked at this watch. Aunty got ticked off and stopped in mid sentence. You see, to Aunty, that action meant that he wasn’t really listening, and that he was bored.
Uncle, being a nice guy, begged me to continue, but the moment of me wanting to share a revelation with him was lost in the cloud of being insulted (in Aunty’s own mind.)
Who was at fault? To hear Uncle apologize it would seems as if he were. However, after a time of reflection, I do believe the fault was my own – my spoken word bored him, and probably would not engage anyone else who had the misfortune of listening to my dissertations.
Aunty can write easier than speak, especially with spell check and thesaurus tools on the computer. Writing is non invasive. It is the other person’s choice to read, versus the spoken word is invasive. Anyone in earshot will hear the words, whether they want to or not.
So, it is now one of Aunty’s goals to become a better speaker – one that can hold and capture an audience rather than bore or irritate them. That means a whole lot of training, learning, and practicing.
Here is a TED video by Julian Treasure on how to speak so others listen:
One way to practice is to join a local Toastmasters Club – one item on Aunty’s to do list. Aunty’s favorite way to learn is on the internet, searching for ideas and resources. During a search for a great speaking guide, Aunty found a book, “Resonate, present visual stories that transform audiences” by Nancy Duarte. Wow! Just the title had me hooked – Aunty can transform audiences!?
[First off, the author has made it easy for a skim reader like Aunty. She highlights gold nuggets of information for skimmers with bold text, references with green, items of deserved emphasis with orange. The book is filled with outstanding speeches of famous people that she used as examples of excellence. She has a website: www.duarte.com, a goldmine of information.
Turns out, this book is more about presentations in front of an audience – more of a communication goal that is oriented to persuasion. This could work – more of a jump into a bonfire than a flame, but Aunty is game!]
Here is a TED talk that Nancy did in 2010:
Here is Aunty’s book report:
To resonate, you must tune your message to your audience’s minds, needs, wants, rather than expect them to tune into you just because you are speaking. It will take work on your part, with an ebb and flow of content, emotion, and delivery. Make it about your audience. If your ideas stand out, they will be noticed. Stories are the most powerful delivery tool for information. [Einstein once said, if you want your child to be creative, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more creative, read them more fairy tales.]
Blending information with stories creates a perfect world for a presentation. Stories have 3 parts: a situation, a complication or conflict, and then a resolution. A great presentation should have a clear beginning, middle, and end. The first plot point in an incident that captures people’s attention with intrigue and interest is called a turning point. In a presentation, this turning point may be an idea, or a solution to a problem, or some kind of conflict or imbalance perceived by your audience that your presentation resolves. You can also create imbalance by juxtaposing what is with what could be.
The contour or form of a great presentation:
The Beginning paints a picture of the audience’s reality – this is the what is. The beginning comes before the first turning point. It is historical and the present, often including a problem that the audience has in common. Create a common bond with the audience. That can be short and should not take up more than 10% of the presentation. Then, create a call to adventure, putting forth a memorable big idea that conveys what could be.
The Middle is the contrast, that first turning point of the call to adventure, and will be made up of various types of contrasts of dilemma and resolution, dilemma and resolution. The middle is continuous back and forth between what is and what could be. This alternating between the two, the present and the possibility pushes and pulls the audience to feel as if events are constantly unfolding, and they will be engaged and interested, wanting to learn how to resolve the imbalance in their lives or achieve what they want. It is very important to know your audience so that you can understand your similar or opposing views. Content that is oppositional to their belief is stimulating. Familiar content is comforting. The call to action gives your audience tasks that they can perform, depending on what type* of person they are – a doer, supplier, influencer, or innovator. All are important, all can be reached if you provide each type with at least one action that they would be comfortable in performing.
The End of the presentation is concluded with the resolution, a vivid description of the new feeling of bliss that is created when what could be is achieved or reached, and a willingness to be transformed. Let the audience know what the finish line will look like, ending it on a higher plane of enthusiasm with everyone understanding their future rewards.
It is important that the audience leaves the presentation committed to taking action, that they make a decision to cross the threshold. T.S. Eliot said “What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.”
*Four distinct types and profiles of people:
Doers – instigate activities, the worker bees. They recruit and motivate other doers to complete important activities.
Suppliers – get resources. These are the ones with financial, human, or material resources. They have the means to get you what you need to move forward.
Influencers – the ones who can change perceptions of others. These people can sway individuals and groups, mobilizing them to adopt your ideas.
Innovators – idea generators. These are the ones that think outside the box for new ways to modify and spread your idea. They create strategies, new ways of thinking, products that are new.
The Sparkline
The author has a line tool that she calls a sparkline. It consists of the Beginning, and then a series of stories or details about what is followed by what could be with sparkles and star moments sprinkled in. Towards the end of the presentation are contrasting emotion and delivery, and then the call to action that defines what your audience CAN do, followed by the End that paints a vivid picture of the potential reward.
An example of a presentation with all the components of a perfect presentation that leads to the transformation of audiences is Benjamin Zander in his 2008 TED talk. Go to TED.com, search for Benjamin Zander, and enjoy. Chopin anyone?
Get to know your audience
Instead of the old school way of imagining your audience in their pajamas to get over your fear of speaking in front of them, imagine them as a line of individuals waiting to have a face-to-face conversation with you. The audience must be your focus – it is about them, not about you.
Do research on your audience, the more you know who they are, the better you can structure what you say to connect and move them. Figure out what your audience cares about and link it to your idea. Give them something that they didn’t know before, create common ground. Success is having your idea be understood and accepted as a great idea by them.
The Big Idea
Determine what your key message is. This is your goal – it needs to be a complete sentence so it is easily articulated and can be repeated. The message is your Big Idea. It must convey what is at stake (what is compared to what could be), and it must be specific, not a generalization such as “be happy.”
Once you have the Big Idea, identify where your audience is at right now, to where you want to move the audience to. Changing beliefs means changing actions. If they can shift their beliefs to be able to accept your ideas as a viable path, then guide them toward the actions that can get them unstuck from their former beliefs in order to have a reward that is worthwhile for themselves, their sphere of influence, and perhaps even the world.
Every audience will persist in a state of rest unless compelled to change. It is your job to compel them. To do this, you must first assess, and then deliver what they want.
Assess and deliver by meeting the heroes
Look upon the audience as a room full of heroes. Figure out what they care about and link it to your idea. Be mindful of how you fit in their lives in order to guide them and bolster their confidence in you.
Figure out what your audience cares about and create a link between that and your Big Idea. They need to leave your presentation knowing something that they didn’t know before – the aha moments are powerful, and YOU gave it to them! If you have any common ground with them, use it to make a better connection.
The journey of the Big Idea
First off you must define the destination that you want your audience propelled to. Map it out and be prepared for resistance. When resistance is harnessed properly, it can create forward progress towards acceptance of the one key message you want to communicate – the Big Idea.
The 3 components of a Big Idea:
A Big Idea must be your point of view, not a generalization.
A Big Idea must convey a sense of urgency and importance.
A Big Idea must be a complete sentence that you can articulate.
Use the 2 emotions of pleasure and pain to make your point by raising the likelihood of pain and lowering the likelihood of pleasure if they reject the Big Idea or vice versa, raising the likelihood of pleasure and lowering the likelihood of pain if they accept the Big Idea.
Map out the journey that you want for your audience, moving them from inaction to action, from stuck to unstuck. You are asking them to change. Acknowledge them for it by acknowledging the risk, sacrifice, or their fears. Contemplate all the ways that your audience may resist and address them, at the same time assuring them that the Big Idea is a good one.
The benefits of the Big Idea should appeal to their basic needs such as security, savings, winnings, recognition, improving relationships, achieving goals, or their full potential. Some may refuse or resist the call to action. They need to feel that they are in good capable hands – your hands. They also need to feel that taking action is worth the risk, because of what the reward or payoff will be. [Jeff Olson, says, “the price of neglect is far higher than the price of discipline.]
Create Meaningful Content
Use sticky notes to jot down ideas, facts, stories, projects, possibilities, etc. – anything that supports your presentation. Collect ideas from a multitude of sources, create ideas, and write them down everything that you can.
Have a balance between logical, emotional and ethical appeal.
Think about the issues of opposing points of view for this may give you more ideas for your presentation.
Most great presentations use personal stories. Draw on your past experiences with people in your life, places you have been, or things that can enhance your points. The best stories follow a standard flow – description, problem or conflict, solution. When you can turn your own data base of stored memories and images into stories, you are transforming information that is charged emotionally and makes it more digestible and believable, as well as enjoyable to the audience.
Edit, and edit some more.
Keep in mind the Big Idea. Filter in order to make it clear, not overwhelming your audience with too much information no matter how relevant you might think it is. Slash and delete so you end up with the best stuff in a smaller format. It is easier to digest for your audience.
Structure your content
Presentations need to feel organized. Structures help to hold everything together. The most widely used structures are outlines, or a logic tree – giving viewers a snapshot of looking at the whole and not only the parts.
Order your information from the Big Idea or problem to what it is now to what it can become. When you create interaction with emotional responses (i.e. laughter, sympathy) and alternate it with analytical content, your audience will feel and be affected. Avoid reading from the screen – you want human connections, not route readings.
When using slides, present one message or idea per slide. Keep it simple. Use cartoons or pictures that represent words. A solid structured presentation will cause ideas to flow logically and helps the audience see and feel the Big Idea along with you.
Give them something to remember
You want to give them something that is significant, that they will be talking about or thinking about for a long time. Five types of significant moments come from:
memorable dramatizations – Steve Jobs, when introducing the MacBook Air, pulled it out from a manila envelope
repeatable sound bites – imitate a famous phrase, a rally call, a crisp message that people will want to repeat to others
evocative visuals – something that moves the audience
emotive storytelling – share from your own personal experience or feelings
shocking statistics – show a graph, chart, comparison that give the viewer a sense of urgency.
Improve
Give a positive first impression.
Speak in the language and manner that will reach your target audience.
Keep it short – a prime example of this was Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, which lasted only 2 minutes and consisted of just 278 words.
Move away from presenting from slides or use slides just to help your audience recall your message.
Create the right balance of emotion, facts, credibility. Too much or too little of any of these components may leave the audience feeling manipulated.
Practice in front of critics and listen to their feedback.
No matter what the subject matter, practice and practice again to make it perfect.
Changing the World is hard
Creating begins with an idea that can change the world. Change will bring about challenges and resistance. Sometimes you must put your reputation and popularity on the line in order to advance what you believe in. Don’t give up.
Your idea becomes alive when it is adopted by another person, then another, then another until it becomes a groundswell of believers in support. Presentations can be the vehicle to communicate your vision and get support. If your message is done well and moves your audience to action, using the social medium phenomenon of YouTube, Facebook, and others will get your message repeated and possibly viewed by millions.
Be the real you, be transparent. To do this, be honest, be unique, and don’t compromise.
Believe in yourself and your ideas, and others will follow.
Closing
We all have ideas that are potent. If it is a great idea that can change the world for the better, go for it. Communicate your idea in the best way that you can. Gather, prepare, learn from prime examples, write, rewrite, get feedback, and then send your message out to the audience. Change the world!
Aunty’s note: This book took Aunty over 6 months to finish, perhaps because it was just not in Aunty’s sphere of comfort. Aunty’s mind would wonder during chapters. However, if you are in a job or occupation that requires public speaking, this book is an excellent source to help get your point across and into your audience. Next step for Aunty – pick a goal, work on the presentation, and go present it to Uncle. If done well enough, Uncle will say “YES!”
Uncle washes Aunty’s car every once in a while. Sometimes because he is in the mood to wash cars, and sometimes because he is trying to make nice to Aunty.
Most of the time it is very much appreciated, but once in a while, when my gas tank is low and the car (the one Aunty got the Rich Dad way) is dirty with sand on the floor and the dashboard is dusty, Aunty plans a trip to McKinley Car Wash for a fill up and car wash, at 1139 Kapiolani Boulevard.
The Yoshikawa family have owned and operated this service since 1946 – that’s a LONG time! Aunty was thrilled to have her picture taken with owner Yukio Yoshikawa and his son Max recently.
Aunty is really impressed with this business and the people in this business.
Matthew Kelepolo used to be my go-to man and I would make sure that I was in his lane to fill up because he always had a good story to tell – his life story. Born and raised on the Big Island, he was one of over a dozen children. Married to the same women and having a number of kids himself, he looked like he could slice, dice, and dismember enemies without effort. His neck sported tattoos that added to his formidable look, but as soon as he opened his mouth and started talking in his slightly high, very raspy voice, he was a sweetheart. No shoyu, no salt, no alcohol, no drugs, gives thanks to God, and on and on he would recite his history as he deftly filled up gas, checked the engine fluid levels, brushed tires and rims and scribbled the service code on windshields with a flourish.
On the rare occasions that I didn’t see Matthew working, I would go to the line that his kid brother Willie was in charge of. Where’s Matthew? would be answered politely with an aside about Matthew always talking to the ladies.
Long lines
The only time I didn’t have to wait for gas and a wash when when it was drizzling. The wait is almost always long because McKinley Car Wash is so popular. The reason that they are so popular is because of their great service, and the quality of the car wash process.
After your car is filled with gas and marked, drive forward to the vacuum garage. You will be given a little yellow slip of paper.
Two guys with huge vacuum hoses attack the dirt, sand, and whatever else lingers on the vehicle’s upholstery, rug, car mats as you pull up into that section and wait outside of your car until they are done. What a difference clean spanked car mats make!
Get back in your car and wait some more to take your turn to swing into the mechanical car wash structure. Get out of your car when you are almost at the tracks with car gear in park so that someone else can maneuver your car into perfect alignment with the car wash tracks as it enters into the soapy water spray and wash.
Orchids, orchids, beautiful orchids
After exiting your car, a pathway leads you to an entry door to the store and cashier. Immediately you notice and smell beautiful potted orchids lined up parallel to a huge glass window through which you can view your car getting washed by jets of water, air, and soap.
Such beautiful orchids! Each time different ones, all grown and nurtured by Mr. Yoshikawa himself!
Before reaching the cashier’s counter, the pleasant air conditioned mini store is stocked full of snacks, greeting cards, car accessories and drinks. Hand your yellow paper slip to the cashier and then pay for your gas and carwash service, then out the door to watch as the cars come out of the automated wash.
First class service
As soon as your sparkling wet car is pulled into an open spot (sometimes it is amazing how many cars they fit), at least 5 men start attacking your car with towels by wiping, cleaning, inside and out, getting everywhere that they can get to. Towards the end of the wiping that lasts longer than the car wash itself, a single man continues to wipe, to catch any remaining drops and wipe detailing your dash board, console, interior panels.
These men are formidable looking – not the kind of people you want to meet in a dark or lighted alley. Tattoos, scars, and the hard life are evident on their faces and bodies. Despite how they look, they take their job and your vehicle seriously and do a spotless wonderful job of making sure your car is as close to brand new as it can be. With a whistle and a wave of the towel, they let you know that your car is clean and ready for you to drive off.
Aunty usually puts a tip in the tip box just outside of the store door since those tips are evenly distributed to all the hard workers at the end of the day.
Surprise bonus
A bonus that is not advertised is a free car wash after 10. For this, you do not need a card that is punched or keeping track of it to remind them. They automatically track it in their system based on your license plate. If you get a new car, let the cashier know your old license plate number and they will update your records so you can accrue points without a break.
More than just a car wash
A car wash with 8 gallons costs less than just a car wash – $9.25 vs $11.25. Liquid polish wash through the automation is available, as well as hand wax for more. Conditioning and detailing are also available if wanted – ask when you pull in. They even do safety checks – though most people just want a sparkling clean car.
For Aunty it gets a bit tricky since the combination of having a dirty car and needing to fill up the gas tank along with having available time to wait in line is rare. Because of that, drizzly days work out best – no line, zip in, zip out, with a clean car and a full tank of gas.
To their credit
The Yoshikawas really deserve a lot of respect and credit for delivering this kind of top notch service, and instilling the quality of achievement and pride to their employees. Sometimes, they themselves are in the front line putting in gas, checking fluid levels in engines, and swabbing tires!
A few years ago, another car wash/service company opened up on Kapiolani Boulevard, RIGHT next to them. Business may have dropped for a little while, but since then, cars line up for however long they have to wait instead of going to the neighboring competition. The reason is – top quality at a fair price.
Miss Granny was a real winner about 2nd chances with a quirky lead actress, compelling relationships, and the complete 5 star package of being a really great movie.
To top off this weekend’s winners, Aunty would recommend “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”. It was rented for $1/week at our local library and starts off a bit haphazardly as the characters are introduced and ears adjust for British accents. The perfectly cast players and the bustle of India merge together splendidly, and Aunty has already put “The 2nd Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” on reserve at the library (after 100 others who have also requested it).
Good friends Sharon and Rayna told us about 
Bacon wrapped mushroom sounded delicious – and it was! 2 mushrooms with bacon on a stick, and we got 2 juicy yummy sticks.
Aunty ordered kamameshi rice which had gobo (Aunty loves kamameshi rice) and was told that it would take 30 minutes to make. Hmmm. Gotta have it, and it actually came sooner, or it seemed like came sooner, in a neat little metal bowl on a stand with a wooden cover – so cute! We were already rather full so took most of it home (and it was just as delicious the next day after a zapping in the microwave oven).
Lastly, we ordered their mochi ice cream, 2 green tea and 1 cherry blossom (tasted like cherry ice cream). Meh. It was okay but nothing to write home about.
Uncle fought a battle against cancer and blockage from when he was first diagnosed in November of 2013 with stage IV appendiceal cancer after surgeons at Queen’s Hospital performed a right hemicolectomy. In the ensuing months, which turned into a year, Uncle was in and out of the hospital for various reasons.
George Del Barrio
The other day, Aunty was sitting next to Uncle and telling him about one of her very interesting revelations (Aunty gets revelations quite often). In Aunty’s telling of it, Uncle looked at this watch. Aunty got ticked off and stopped in mid sentence. You see, to Aunty, that action meant that he wasn’t really listening, and that he was bored.
Blending information with stories creates a perfect world for a presentation. Stories have 3 parts: a situation, a complication or conflict, and then a resolution. A great presentation should have a clear beginning, middle, and end. The first plot point in an incident that captures people’s attention with intrigue and interest is called a turning point. In a presentation, this turning point may be an idea, or a solution to a problem, or some kind of conflict or imbalance perceived by your audience that your presentation resolves. You can also create imbalance by juxtaposing what is with what could be.
It is important that the audience leaves the presentation committed to taking action, that they make a decision to cross the threshold. T.S. Eliot said “What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.”
The Sparkline
Assess and deliver by meeting the heroes
Structure your content
Uncle washes Aunty’s car every once in a while. Sometimes because he is in the mood to wash cars, and sometimes because he is trying to make nice to Aunty.
The Yoshikawa family have owned and operated this service since 1946 – that’s a LONG time! Aunty was thrilled to have her picture taken with owner Yukio Yoshikawa and his son Max recently.
Long lines
First class service