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Miracle tree, for real

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We have moringa (kalamungay) trees growing everywhere in Hawaii. I had one that was so big that I cut it down to the ground over a year ago and it still produced stem shoots that I hacked off. And now I have another stem shoot working its way up and out. Filipinos use it in cooking and I have tried it in salads and soups but never really paid attention to it.

David Wong is the owner of Mountain View Farms in Waianae and pal Wandaful sent me a link to an interview that Anne Lee of the Star Advertiser’s Dining Out section did with him. Blew my socks off.

Imagine not using pesticides, herbicides or bringing in enhanced soil products to grow healthy vegetables by stimulating the natural microbiomes in the soil. I love his farm with his huge stumps of old moringa that produce useable shoots that are dried and encapsulated. I love how he takes care to produce oil from the seeds that can be used orally and/or topically. I am ordering a bottle for a dear friend who has cancer because it may work when conventional medicines will not. I will keep a bottle for myself because it may help my skin issues (dark sunspots, dry spots) and also arthritis in my hands. I will make a more concerted effort to incorporate the leaves into my diet. After all, it is free and nature’s gift to our well being.

As a side note, David was diagnosed with late stage lung cancer in 2014. Instead of doing the conventional cut/burn/poison treatments, he went to Korea instead. Diet was one of the key factors in him being cancer free to this day. He takes 2 capsules of moringa morning and evening, and a dropperful of the oil at night under his tongue.

I have tons of seeds from the poor hacked up never-say-die stump if anyone wants to start a plant. Moringa plants can grow super tall and now I am thinking to plant a row of them against my back fence to block out that terrible monster house apartment that totally took away my previously charming view with 120+ linear feet of roofline, windows, and walls.

I am knee deep in research to improve my soil using the Korean Natural Farming (KNF) protocols that David Wong adopted. I will be posting about that journey as time goes on. It starts with undercooked rice buried under leaves.

Wish me luck!

My new back view, thanks to a 2 story duplex a scant 5 feet from our fence. This monster extends out to double the length shown, blocking out the view of 3 existing homes.

2021 Bunka no Hi

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November 3 is a special day to Japanese because it was Emperor Meiji’s birthday (born in 1852) and then evolved into Culture Day. Here is a YouTube video that was put together by our local Japanese and Okinawan societies to celebrate this event during our dreary Covid times. It is rather long at 48 minutes but I loved every minute of it. Almost makes me want to join one of them but I shall resist.

Thanks to pal Ryuko for sharing this with me. And now, I share with you.

Baa, humbug

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I am sick as a dog and it is not fun at all this Halloween night. However I am discovering that I am a grinch about holidays and the preparation that goes into the “special days” such as cleaning, cooking, ordering food, etc.

Baa, humbug. Maybe it is because I am sick and tired. Hope that is it because now I have 2 little grandsons that want to have a fun grandma. We’ll see.

Post script: Took a Covid test today at the Blaisdell (very easy to do but you MUST register online to get a QR code first at testing.nomihealth.com. You get to choose a location nearest to you and even though you are early or late, it doesn’t matter much since lines are short and fast. In less than 1/2 hour I got my results for Covid. NEGATIVE. Phew! Makes me feel less Baaah, but I still don’t like the expectations and hoopla of celebrations.

Origami Musubi

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Three years ago, I did a post on making spam musubi – traditional style – mounds of rice formed into rectangle cuboids, cooked spam slices on top, and wrapped with slightly wide nori. It would be good but take at least 30 minutes from start to finish, not including the time it took to cook the rice. The minimum yield would be 5 spam musubis, to make it worth the time and effort.

After Jalna’s pal Jenny’s post of “Origami Onigiri” showing how to make spam musubi, I tried it and LOVED it! SO easy, so fast, and I can use whatever rice I still have in the pot instead of making a full batch of rice. Here are my step by steps:

  • Cut a slit halfway up sheet of nori
  • Toast nori for better taste
  • Rice on top with cut below
  • Loaded with innards
  • 1st fold up
  • 2nd fold up
  • Last fold and Ready to eat!
  • Tulip, my preferred “spam” alternate with Vietnamese pickles
  • Alternate fillings – tuna/mayo and takuan, yum!

I hope you give this a try when you are craving a spam (or alternative tuna/mayo) musubi and just want to make one or two. Super fast, super easy, and variations can be whatever you want. These “pockets” allow for messier fillings that behave.

Thanks Jennie and Jalna!

A simple practice to feel better

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Aunty subscribes to a LOT of newsletters and info. Everyday I have updates on ebay searches, financial gurus, Honolulu Star Advertiser headlines, recipes, and more. Most emails go to the junk box because they are junk. Good or important ones are in my inbox. Sometimes I get one that is really really good, and that is what I want to share with you today.

Sacred Science is by Nick Polizzi. He did a documentary on 10 very sick people traveling to the forests of Peru to experience ancient therapies for their various illnesses. Not all were successful, but most were. One of the participants had diabetes and could not stand the dark and primitive conditions they were in because he was afraid of possible snakes so he left early – and even so, his diabetes became normal again.

Nick has continued to learn more and share what he learns and his latest project is on making our bodies and minds whole and healthy – Energy Healing.

For a very limited time, we are given free access to 3 short lessons for the next 3 days as a preview to the complete video course. I am very glad that I took the time to access Day 1’s lesson. Very short, very hands on, very powerful just by shaking out our hands, tapping on specific points, and saying affirmations. I like tapping on specific points that correspond to specific body organs and their functions. This was just what I needed this morning and I feel better after this 9 minute video.

I hope you give this a try, but please act fast before the freebie disappears. Here is the link: https://energyhealing.thesacredscience.com/video-day-1-int97_live/

Be well!

Dragons and Octopus

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I am a confessed Korean drama junkette BUT ever since I binge watched all the episodes and then the movie of Downton Abbey, Korean dramas have been topped and many of the offerings on Netflix do not thrill me like before. Have you watched Downton Abbey? The snobby Mary and the marvelous grandmother, Lady Violet and the plots, scenery, costumes, characters, time setting, etc. make it so deliciously memorable – and it got me spoiled.

So now I watch movies – mostly on Netflix – and they guiltily fill my evenings (actually waste my evenings). This week I found 2 that are outstanding and worth watching.

The first one is “Birth of the Dragon”. It is set in San Francisco with Bruce Lee in 1964 before he really got famous. He fought with a Shaolin kung fu master Wong Jack Man in an epic fight. I did not care for the actor who portrayed Bruce Lee – too smiley, cocky, and punk looking, but perhaps that is how he was in real life. I really liked Wong Jack Man and thought he was cute. Aunty Blossom is portrayed by “China’s Oprah Winfrey” Jin Xing. I google searched her because she looked like the Chinese girlfriend of the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’s ex-husband (see how I watch too much Netflix?). And it turns out that she is transgender. But I digress. The movie was well done and in English. It is based on a true story and fight. Not the typical Kung Fu movie with revenge and corny lines that Uncle used to love. Here is the trailer (isn’t the monk cute?)

The second really good movie that I watched on Netflix was “My Octopus Teacher”. I was surprised that I liked it so much. A movie about a man who finds an octopus in the kelp forest at sea? For real? Actually, it was for real, and SO well done. The photography is beautiful and the octopus stole the show. She was so smart and amazing. I don’t remember if the filmmaker named her but they had a relationship for over a year. I fell in love with that octopus without a name, and as a result, I don’t want to eat tako (octopus in Japanese) anymore. Here’s the trailer. Btw, the trailer doesn’t do it justice. The movie is awesomesauce.

Beef Barley Soup ala Jalna

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Pal Jalna makes my mouth water and my tastebuds go pitter patter. Her husband, son, nephew, and sister are such good cooks, and so is Jalna. This was one of her latest – Beef Barley soup – which I never had. Neither have my kids. It looked easy and I had everything but the barley (Times and Foodland didn’t have it). I found it at Whole Foods and got my beef shank cut at Foodland – 2 thick slabs with bone.

It seemed strange to cook meat and then add vegetables but NOT potato, but I did it because Jalna did it. Here is her recipe and the video that she watched:

Ingredients for four servings:


1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 pounds beef shank (2 thick slices), seasoned generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped fine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 cups chicken broth, plus more if needed
2/3 cup diced celery
2/3 cup diced carrots 
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 cup pearl or naked barley
salt to taste

Salt and pepper beef shank, brown on both sides in stew pot. Remove from pot. Deglaze pot with diced onion, stirring until translucent, then add chopped garlic. Add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste and stir until brownish. Add 4 – 5 cups of chicken broth, diced celery and carrots, bay leaf, and dried rosemary. Put beef shank back into pot, bring to boil, then down to simmer. Simmer for 3 hours.
Remove beef and bones (should fall apart) and set aside. Add 1/2 cup of barley and simmer until barley is cooked (about 45 minutes). Add beef back in to heat up on low for about 5 minutes.
Now enjoy!


So how was it? Winnahs!!! Really ono! Thanks Jalna!!

A favorite 60 year old – Ala Moana Shopping Center!

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A pal from high school sent this video link about the Ala Moana Shopping Center. We used to hang out there, with Liberty House being THE cream of the crop. Carol and Mary was also cream of the crop but they looked down on me – local girl who didn’t look rich. McInerneys was another snobby store and downstairs, Lynn’s had THE best pastrami sandwich on rye with dill pickles as well as delicious Chinese plate lunch choices like Panda’s of today.

I could spend all day there even though I only had $5 in my purse because I did a LOT of window shopping. The current owners are a Canadian company – Brookfield Properties. Over the years, Ala Moana Center has changed. Gone are the old stores that I liked (and didn’t like), but it is still an exciting place to shop and look.

Brookfield has plans to build 5 skyscrapers up to 400 feet high on the property, if they can. The current limit is 150 feet high. I will be watching this and hoping that they don’t get their way. We don’t need more high rises at million dollar price tags. Plant trees instead, please!

Who are you?

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Several posts ago I wrote about a statement I came across by Shelly Wilson. “I am a spiritual being having a human life experience.”

It is a really really hard concept to get because it feels like I am a human being that has spiritual insights, rather than vice versa. And being human really limits what I can do. It also boggles my mind and would take the biggest leap of faith to live as if I were a spiritual being and observe my human behavior and quirks as an experience rather than reality.

However, my friends and family know that I am weird and I subscribe to all kinds of financial, self improvement, health and well being sites. Some very conventional and useful, i.e. cooking with Nagi from recipetineats.com, some controversial, many blog sites of friends and friends of friends. Some are naturopathic, some are strange.

Today, I got an email from Nick Polizzi of Sacred Science about a video series called Inner Alchemy. As a teaser, we get 3 parts for free. The 1st part was the question, “Who Am I?” It is a short 7 minute video with Nick talking about that query. The assignment is to take a few minutes and write down our own answers.

I liked the exercise. Maybe you will too. And that’s my post for today.