About Aunty

Aunty is a new senior citizen and loving this phase of her life. Less responsibilities, less fear of being weird, able to do more of the things that I want to do! Older, yes, slower, yes, but life is even more wonderful in my golden years and I look forward to even goldener ones.

Compact SUV reviews- part 2

mazda32016 Mazda CX-5 (2017 not available yet)

Mazda of Honolulu is located on Ala Moana Boulevard where the go carts used to be for a short time.  A friendly young man waved as Aunty drove in to test drive a CX-5.  This was the instantly likeable Leo Kim, who was more than happy to let Aunty check out their vehicles and ask a lot of questions.  The first question was, “Does it have a power lift gate?”  Answer, “No.”  This was a bummer and at that very moment, Aunty decided that Mazda’s CX-5 was not for her.

However, because Leo seemed more than willing to help, Aunty asked if she could drive one, even if not planning to buy one.  “Sure!” Leo said, and went off to find the keys to the Grand Touring top of the line model.  We drove to the parking lot of Point Panic and even though Aunty just wanted to hop in the car and drive, Leo had to point out the key features of the vehicle.  The safety of the body, the 180º backup camera, the oncoming traffic warning, lane change assist, cargo space and hidden storage, engine stuff that only men understand, and about Mazda’s CX-5 being ranked tops in its class by somebody or other.  It was quite impressive, actually.

And then, Aunty got behind the wheel and was super impressed with how quiet the ride was, how good it smelled inside, and how well it handled and drove.  It was almost like a Lexus inside, though not quite as plush.  It was with sadness that Aunty drove back to the lot with Leo, because this vehicle did not have a power lift gate and was a teeny bit too big.  While saying our farewells, Aunty spied the zippy looking CX-3, the CX-5’s little brother.  Oooooh oooooh ooooooh, SO cute!  “Does it have a power lift gate?”  “No.”  Bummers.  Even so, Aunty told Leo that she wanted to return another day to test drive that little one.  “Sure!” said Leo.  Aunty did return a few weeks later, got to test drive the cute but too small CX-3 with Josh, and then got a little talking to by Wayne (that’s Josh, Aunty, Leo, and Wayne in the picture above).

Wayne insisted that Mazda was just about the best of the best and that the 2016 CX-5 is better looking than the 2017, etc., etc, etc.  Anywho, here is a review of it:

2017 Kia Sportage and glimpse at the Hyundai Tucson

The next stop of the day was Aloha Kia at the corner of Lagoon Drive and Nimitz Highway near the airport.  Why a Kia?  Because when Aunty asked Mazda’s Leo Kim what he thought about the Korean cars such as Kia and Hyundai, Leo said that he thought they were good cars, because he is Korean.  LOL, Aunty had to chuckle, so also had to check out at least one Korean made car.

The Sportage is just the right size with some very nice features.  The rear passenger seats can recline, lane change assist is available, and it DOES have a power lift gate!  There is a lot going on with the exterior design, it does have a very peppy look and the ride was quite alright.  The front sides of the car rose a bit like shoulder blades and were a bit of an irritant to Aunty – taking away some of the visibility while driving, but that might just be something to get used to.

Martin Kozlik was totally not pushy and easy to talk to.  He even gave Aunty a color brochure of the 2017 Sportage with nice glossy color pictures and specs and such.  It has a special braking system in case the car in front stops suddenly as well as rear cross-traffic alert, lane change assist, and rear and front park assist.  Quite nice, but it had a strong chemical smell (which will probably go away after a bit) and the head rest was irritating to Aunty because it pushed Aunty’s head forward.  Still, it had a power lift gate that automatically opens if standing behind the vehicle with the key in close proximity.  Cool!

What about Hyundais?  Martin said that they were a level above Kias, and the Tucson was the same size as the Sportage.  Hmmmm.  The Hyundai Tucson SUV was a nice looking classic compact SUV.  In fact, it looked very similiar to the Mazda CX-5, with the same or better features than the Kia Sportage.  This may be another one to look at.

2017 Ford Escape Titanium

Aunty used to really like European cars because they are beautiful and they smell good.  Like a million dollars.  They also cost a lot more and have a certain prestige of flaunting wealth.  Japanese cars are for smart practical people, and so are the new Korean cars, except for the high end ones such as Infiniti, Acura, Lexus.  And then there are the American cars, which used to be THE best when Aunty was growing up, and then they weren’t.  Maybe they deserved a chance, especially after Daniel Morisato over at Infiniti of Honolulu mentioned Ford’s leading technology and improvements.

Aunty decided to stop in at Honolulu Ford on King and Dillingham after a quick lunch at Bob’s Barbeque (yum yum).  Somehow it felt patriotic.  Buy American brand, support an American industry, give it a test drive and then decide.

Stuart Alsup greeted Aunty and was very easy to work with.  After a short stroll looking at the demos on the lot, we got into a 2017 Ford Escape Titanium model that had the ability to park itself in parallel situations as well as backing into perpendicular parking stalls!  Pretty cool feature, and very foreign feeling.  Its best feature was a power lift gate – activated by waving my foot under the gate!  THAT was really nifty and Aunty was almost ready to sign up right then and there.

We took it out for a short test drive.  The ride height was nice and high, but not so high that getting in the vehicle was difficult.  It did not have a luxurious feel, no million dollar car smell, but it was adequate.  The control panel and interior were rather nice, and it felt like a solid safe car with more technological conveniences than I could remember.  The Titanium Sports Appearance package gave the vehicle a sort of macho, hip, bully vibe that Aunty liked, with black rims and nice partial leather/trim 2 tone seats that looked really nice.

The color that Aunty loved was called Magnetic, a dark dark grey metallic that looked like it belonged on a luxury car.  This color with the Titanium Sports Appearance package was pretty awesome looking, in Aunty’s opinion.

Stuart printed out a sheet with lease option pricing for 2 or 3 years.  The price looked pretty good, but the Titanium Sports model in the Magnetic color was away in their storage lot, and Aunty would wait until she could physically see and touch it before deciding.

Meanwhile, here is a review of the 2017 Ford Escape:

 

To be continued…..

Aunty’s compact SUV reviews, part 1

img_1539-jpgAunty has bought cars.  A lot of them, because for some reason or another, Aunty’s current vehicle becomes outdated or lacking, and then the search is on for another vehicle.

2 years ago, Aunty bought a Subaru XV Crosstrek from Jace Sadowski at Kaimuki Subaru.  It was just the right size, super cute and cool looking.  Also, it was a Subaru – known for its reliability and high resale value.  It was a smart decision, in Aunty’s opinion, the price was right, and Aunty liked how it looked – sporty, hip, young-ish.  Aunty has an antennae for good people, and Jace was a nice humble young man that really believed in the Subaru brand and went out of his way to make the deal happen.  Aunty got a Hybrid that isn’t really a hybrid (no longer available), with keyless entry and start (wonderful wonderful), roof racks thrown in, and leather upholstery.  It even answers incoming calls from the cell phone and has a nifty backup camera.

The service department across the street from the sales lot is terrific.  They do a great job, have easy scheduling, and are fast.

This 2014 Subaru XV Crosstrek has been a good car, with one missing element.  A power lift gate.  Maybe not a biggie to you, but it has been an issue with Aunty, who sometimes struggles to open the back when her hands are full, and then having to reach up and push down to close, resulting in a dirty hand if the car is dirty (usually).

So, another quest began.  Finding the perfect compact SUV with a power lift gate for a very picky Aunty.  It also has to be beautiful, classy or cute, in Aunty’s eyes.  Aunty used to be in love with the gorgeous Mercedes Benz GLK, but that flame was extinguished after she was slighted by her go-to salesperson who used to be nice to her, until he wasn’t.  That Mercedes GLK had almost everything except for Uncle’s approval.  He didn’t like Mercedes vehicles because of its mechanical faults and quirks.  He was a Toyota man, through and through.  The salesman’s slight and Uncle’s bias took the gorgeous Mercedes line out of the running, this time around.

Toyota RAV 4

This would make the most sense, except Aunty gets car sick riding in Toyotas.  Isn’t that weird?  Driving a Toyota doesn’t affect Aunty that way, but Aunty wanted something a little smaller and preferred the looks of the older RAV4, so didn’t test drive the newer ones.  Here is a video of the top 10 good reasons to get a 2016 RAV4, which DOES have a power lift gate!  Hmmm.  Maybe Aunty needs some rethinking.

Infiniti QX50 and QX30

danielThese are, in Aunty’s eyes, the most beautiful of them all.  Aunty met nice Daniel Morisato at the snazzy Infiniti showroom near the airport, but did not test drive either of these gorgeous vehicles.  Neither had a power lift gate, but they had that wonderful new luxury car smell and impeccable details that would have made Aunty feel like a driving queen.  Actually, the QX50 was a little too big, and the QX30 might have fit the bill, except for the lack of a power lift gate.

The QX30 has some really good reviews by car buffs and might be worth another look in the future.  Pricey, but not as much as the Audi or Mercedes, and ranked higher for its features and performance.  Interestingly enough, Daniel used to work at a Ford dealership and suggested looking at the Ford Escape because of its advanced technology and improvements.   Hmmmmm.  That vehicle wasn’t even on Aunty’s list.

 

Audi Q3

One of Aunty’s pals raved about his Audi Q5, which was a very nice SUV that he loved more than any other vehicle he owned because of its comfort and features.  So, Aunty went over to the old Audi lot near the airport (since moved to Ward and Kapiolani) and test drove both the Q5 and the Q3, with 2 adult daughters in tow.  Because the Q3 was a smaller SUV (perfect size for Aunty), it seemed to have more power and was somehow more comfortable for the back seat daughters, or so they said.  It was nice looking, not as luxurious as I expected, but still, very nice, very quiet, and smooth driving.  For a bunch of dollars more, a power lift gate option was available!  It would have been Aunty’s next car except for a very irritating back up camera/audio/navigation display that looked like an ipad permanently fixed and protruding above the dash.  Very irritating.  Boohoo, boohoo.  This was a pretty one that had to be let go.

 

To be continued in a few days ………

Aunty met Kini Zamora!

kiniBecause Aunty doesn’t have tv service, she hasn’t watched Project Runway, even though her friends have raved about it and insisted that she get with it.

Meanwhile, the Hawaii Stitchery and Fibre Arts Guild that Aunty used to belong to (it was our once a month opportunity to dress up) had Kini Zamora as the guest speaker/artist on January 4, 2017.  That was last night, and Aunty and friends went to a packed room of Kini admirers.

Who is Kini Zamora?  He was a semi-finalist in season 14 of Project Runway and the fashionista favorite, born and raised in Hawaii, learned to sew from his aunty who learned from her father (a seamster), then went on to attend Honolulu Community College’s fashion design program.  After graduating and working here and there, he went to the prestigious New York Fashion Institute, scrimping, saving and working his way through the school program.

He applied to be a contestant on Project Runway 6 times before he was finally given the fateful acceptance to be a part of the show.  Very soon after,  a whirlwind 6 weeks of creating, filming, bonding with fellow contestants and challenges ensued, and he just missed the top spot by a few hairs of opinion.

Rather than joining top design companies or working in the big fashion cities, Kini decided to bring his knowledge and reputation back to Hawaii, to revive Hawaii’s style and place of distinction as a source of fashion, and to be home.  He gives much of his time to local causes and has opened a co-op place of creativity with up and coming designers as well as designing and printing his own line of fabric, upscale fashion collections, and custom design work.

On top of all that, Kini Zamora is SUCH a wonderful, humble, for real nice young man.  So real.

Now Aunty needs to go searching for YouTube videos of Project Runway and see what Kini did and join his many fans in applauding him, for he represented Hawaii with aloha and genius, and he continues to shine from Waianae to Kaimuki, and beyond.

Looking forward to 2017

snoopy-happy-new-yearLani Kwon, a life coach that Aunty had the pleasure of listening to, sent Aunty an email with a link to an insightful article, entitled “Let go or be dragged into 2017”.

Based on numerology, the numbers 2, 0, 1, 6 add up to 9 – which is a very fiery, emotional, intense number that also signifies the end of cycles with sudden shocks, dramatic endings, and tying up loose ends. Which will lead us into 2017.

These numbers 2, 0, 1, 7 add up to 1 – which is beginning again. Time to re-energize, clean up, move forwards. The article mentioned the Mari Kondo way of tidying (post coming, for sure in 2017!) which Aunty has been in the process of doing, and it has been transforming the living spaces in our home.

Aunty really is looking forward to 2017. It will be a good time for us all, and so, HAPPY NEW YEAR my friends, family and readers!

Aunty da auto detailer

steel-woolOne rainy night, Aunty was driving to a company party dinner, and it was really difficult to see through the windshield even with the wipers going full blast.  The windshield de-fogger option on the AC was used, which didn’t do much because it was not the inside of the glass, but the outside that seemed to have an irregular haze on it that made driving at night a bit dangerous.

While at the dinner, Aunty mentioned it to Winfield in conversation, and he suggested using steel wool on the glass.

Really?  Doesn’t that sound scratchy and potentially damaging?  So Aunty google-searched, and sure enough, some of the professional auto detailers out there mentioned using finest grade steel wool, dry (important to use dry) on glass windshields and windows to clean off and clear up glass.

By now, Aunty figured out that it was the car wash wax that had left residue on her windshield, got out a pad of 0000 steel wool and started buffing off wax and grit on the front windshield.  It didn’t take long and soon the glass felt smooth and slippery.  The steel wool pad seemed to have gathered some wax on it after the easy job was over.  As an additional precaution, Aunty also wiped down the rubber wiper blades in case they also had wax on it.

A few days later, while driving home in the evening, it began to rain.  Goody!  Aunty turned on the wipers, and swish swish swish, they squeegeed the glass clean and clear, giving Aunty such a nice sense of accomplishment as her own auto detailer.

Next up is waxing the car by hand instead of taking the easy way out at McKinley Car Wash.

Hmmmm.  It has been awhile.  Aunty needs to think about that.

Mai’s Beauty is Aunty’s top stylist

3-girlsOur youngest daughter Rosie used to go to a hair stylist that she thought was the best, but we were never impressed.  One day she decided to cut her hair to shoulder length.  It was so bad, she went to her boyfriend’s barber/stylist, Mai at Mai’s Beauty & Barber to get it fixed.  For less than half the price, Mai styled her butchered bad cut into something really cute and flattering.  Each time she went to Mai, she looked better and better.

Our oldest daughter Malia wanted to see Mai, and so we both went to check her out.  Surprisingly, Mai is not busy, or we were very lucky.  We got back to back appointments the next day.  The shop is just off the busy corner of Kapahulu and Campbell Avenues in a rather dinky old building across the street from Zippy’s.  Phone number 808-734-0344.

We were warmly greeted by Mai and Mary, and instantly, the rather bleak old place was pleasantly transformed into a nice neighborhood shop like a diamond in the rough.

For $35 (plus a nice tip), Malia’s long scraggly hair was washed, cut, and styled into a sophisticated, easy care hairdo that she just loves.  She looks younger and her good features pop out.  Amazing what a good hair cut can do for a woman.

Mai made sure that she understood what I wanted (VERY important), gave a few suggestions, one of which was to cut bangs to look younger.  Aunty cannot handle bangs because they get in the way so Mai respected that preference and, after a nice shampoo, began to expertly cut and style Aunty’s hair – to perfection, exactly just right.  What a joy, what a find!  An undiscovered treasure with reasonable prices!

One of the items on Aunty’s want list at a nursing home would be to have someone wash her hair, so Aunty asked Mai if she would do shampoos on a weekly basis, without styling, and what the price would be.  “$10”, she said, and so Aunty is now planning on treating herself to that luxury soon and often.  Mary could do the shampooing and when a trim is needed, Mai would be Aunty’s stylist. (update:  Mary is no longer there.)

As we left, Mai gave us hugs and beneficial wishes.  Such a nice lady.  So glad that she was also one of the best hair stylists that Aunty has ever had, because we will definitely see her again and again.

Aunty’s best turkey day = no cook, just buy

the-deliveryThis year, Aunty was at a loss because the terrific cooking daughter of the family was living on the Mainland and not coming back.  Aunty had never cooked a bird bigger than a chicken and had always relied on someone else expertly cooking the turkey – so lucky, so happy, so spoiled, but now…

What to do this year?  Attempt to cook a huge bird that is very easy to mess up, drop, ruin?  Or try the Zippy’s turkey meal with all the fixings?  Aunty’s non-cooking sister Mimi was all for buying and even offered to pay, when youngest daughter came to the rescue.  She had won a Lanakila turkey dinner package – just in the nick of time, before the Zippy’s order was called in!

Pickup up was at 8:00 am on Thanksgiving Day.  The winner daughter said that it was bustling with volunteers delivering meals to the elderly and is now thinking about becoming a volunteer herself next year.

The turkey was huge, still warm, and absolutely beautiful.  Golden brown and savory.  Number one son carved it perfectly after watching YouTube videos online.  The entire bird was moist and delicious!  Aunty’s favorite part was the wing tip – which usually looks good but is too hard and tough to eat.  Lanakila’s wing tips were edible and SO onolicious, like eating chewy crispy chicken skin without the grease.

Box #1 had the warm stuff – gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes and buns.  Box #2 had the cold stuff – cranberry sauce, salad, pumpkin pie.  All were excellent, except for the buns (Aunty isn’t a bun person).

Aunty Mimi brought garlic eggplant from Wah Kun Chinese restaurant and Uncle Bob brought his fantastic seared ahi and his unreal fabulous poke.  Nephew Danny brought his homemade mac and cheese that got gobbled up.  Aunty made her traditional mochi rice stuffing and Grannie’s Crispy Skin Chicken.

lunch-spread

The only things missing were the traditional pan of sweet yam with marshmallow and a couple of favorite family members.  Regardless, we had a wonderful feast and lots of leftover takeouts.  Thanks to our youngest daughter’s good luck win, Lanakila’s Thanksgiving Meal was introduced to us and will become a new tradition for Aunty’s stress free, no cook easy turkey day.  And that is a very good thing.

Easy Easy Costco Burritos

on-plateThis was a recipe link from Amy Lynn Andrews, a blogger that I follow because she gives good website advice.  She also shares good tips, and this recipe was super EASY!

Easy is important, because Aunty does NOT cook very well, and is the take-out queen of plate lunches and zip meals.  However, fresh and hot is better for the family, so if you have good easy recipes to share, please DO share with Aunty.

Truth to tell, the kids liked it but Aunty didn’t really like this brand of burritos because it was too “fat” in size and there wasn’t enough sauce in the pan.  Perhaps if I only used 6 burritos instead of packing in the 8 burritos, or used a “skinnier” burrito or a cheese enchilada instead, Aunty might have loved it.  Btw, Aunty’s absolute favorite Mexican dish is from Azteca in Kaimuki Town – their Verde Cheese Enchilada plate.  Yum yum.  Yum yum!

1 package of 8 frozen organic Bean & Cheese Burritos from Costco (important step – defrost in the refrigerator the day before!  very important step, trust Aunty….)

2 cups enchilada sauce (more or less to taste) more is bettah!

2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend

2 cups sour cream

Place burritos in bottom of baking pan
Pour enchilada sauce over the top
Sprinkle cheese on top of burritos
Bake in 350 degree oven for 45 min or until done to your likeness. Dollop with Sour Cream.  Enjoy!

Construction notice:  Aunty will be getting a facelift soon, by the good folks over at OneWaveDesigns.com because of some irritating little glitches that WordPress has, and their techie types speak their own lingo about c-panel stuff and widgets, apps, etc.  Aunty cannot handle and lately, Aunty’s ticker tape stopped functioning, and then a warning at the top of Aunty’s website was really frustrating, so time to bite the bullet, pay the piper, and get a new and better look with support! 

Viva Aloha Las Vegas!

Aunty and Olaf in Vegas

Aunty and Olaf in Vegas

Aunty just returned from a 5 day trip to Vegas. Unpacking suitcases is both fun and a bother, though this time it was easy because ALL of the packed clothes were used, and thus needing to be washed, the only store visited was Trader Joes, and one suitcase was dedicated to supplies, tools, and projects from the fabulous Clay Carnival that Donna Kato puts on year after year.

Aunty’s packing post was helpful just before leaving on the trip, though a blow up seat cushion was missing and Aunty’s butt was not as comfortable during the semi-long flight that landed around midnight.  One little Lorazepam pill that first night worked wonders, and when the 6:30 am hotel wake up call rang, Aunty was up, feeling well rested, and ready to hit the classrooms.

A bunch of us went to see the Michael Jackson ONE show at the Mandalay Bay Hotel.  Since it was the late show at 9:30 pm, we first ate at the hotel’s Citizens Kitchen & Bar for dinner, and BAM! it was the best food that we all had during the entire trip!  Everything we ate there – fish and chips, mahimahi tacos, chicken wings – were cooked perfectly, seasoned perfectly, and devoured even though the servings were very generous.  This restaurant gets Aunty’s 5 stars, really, truly.

The Michael Jackson ONE show was absolutely fantastic.  We had center stage 2nd row seats, very close to the stage and the performance.  They were great seats because we could see all the details of muscle, wrinkles (some of the performers were older than expected), hands, emotion, and props.  Actually, all seats are good, with different perspectives.  A seat farther from the stage would give a broader view as some of the characters were zoomed in from the ceiling onto the stage, and the light show could be seen in entirety.  Aunty doesn’t want to spoil any expectations so will not go into more detail, but it was SO well done, it couldn’t have been better.  One of the biggest surprises to Aunty was when some flying caped things turned out to be Chinese acrobats!  It is a gotta go see show, especially if you like Michael’s music and memory.  You can even buy his lighted glove in the souvenir store for $30, which Aunty did, wistfully and happily.

Donna’s polymer Clay Carnival was 4 FULL days of instructors and projects, ideas and inspiration.  This event has sparked Aunty’s creativity drive, so Aunty will soon be in her workroom cranking out polymer clay beads, swirls, and whatever else comes cranking out.  That means less Korean drama watching, but perhaps, that is a good thing.

As always, for this homing pigeon Aunty, the highlight of the trip is coming home and getting back into old routines.  Old routines that now have a little bit of an urgency and appreciation for what we have.  This was a good trip, visiting the light fantastic, walking on the edge, and landing on familiar ground.