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A Special Tour of the Honolulu Zoo! |
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A while back I had the treat of a behind the scenes tour of the Honolulu Zoo with the Bytemarks gang. Bytemarks is a group of local nerds led by Bert Lum who meet for lunch once a month and take on adventures that most normal peeps don’t get to see. And we are definitely not “normal”  …Bytemarks members range from IT people, engineers, a librarian, me the token Realtor, photographers and mad scientists. The common ground is that we all share a love of technology. |
 Welcome to the Honolulu Zoo! |
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 Hot fence helps prevent jail breaks...
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Now we head to the new Elephant Enclosure, and got the chance to get in the area before the new tenants were moved in. A much nicer home than the old digs, the new hacienda features several swimming pools as well as expanded grounds. |
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 Can you spot the elephant? The new Elephant home features state of the art technology to control the big kids if they get into an Elephant Hissy Fit and become potentially dangerous. Essentially it is like the trash compactor from Star Wars that has panels to enclose and hold the elephant securely. The elephant is then turned over onto it’s side which calms it down enough so that attendants can administer whatever needs to be done to control the situation! |
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 Dr. Ben has Mr. Fox in Quarantine before he can meet his new girlfriend... The Fox's girlfriend, not Docs |
From there we moseyed over to the veterinarian clinic to meet up with Dr. Ben Okimoto. The new 7,000-square-foot clinic was dedicated in 2005 and is an up-to-date facility, complete with rooms for exams, X-rays, surgery and recovery. It allows medical staff to keep sick animals away from those in for routine examinations. It also serves as a morgue for autopsies as well as a quarantine area for new animals joining the Zoo from outside Hawaii. | ||
 In the Zoo Kitchen, everybody gets special food every day! We finished up our tour at the Kitchen. Not the Snack Bar Kitchen, this one is dedicated to preparing meals for all the animals every day. Special diets for everybody can include “Fuzzies”, which are depicted here with their own special walk in cooler. A tasty meal of Adult Mice, anyone?  Fuzzies are Fuzzalicious!
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| We all had a really great time and learned a lot of information from Tommy and Doctor Ben. We appreciate the Zootabulous Tour!
Aloha from Hawaii, |
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Tag-Archive for ◊ hawaii ◊
Not Home for the Holidays? Follow these security tips!
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Do you know what to do to protect your home from the bad guys? Even if you are not traveling this Holiday Season, here are some tips to make you home less attractive to thieves.
 Keep the baddies away fom your stuff!
Infographic courtesy of ProtectYourHome.com Check their great site out for more valuable info, and have a safe home! Aloha, Biz
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Asian Pacific Economic Conference snarls Honolulu Roadways
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| Road closures, rerouted traffic and restricted parking are going to plague Oahu until the Dog and Pony Show disbands on November 13th. And parks and beaches will also be closed, find out where and when here! Oh, and here too…I’ll keep y’all updated as to any thing else around town you might need to know. All of Oahu will be under lock down when Michell takes the First Wives Club on a tour of the Island…
APEC Hawaii Travel Lanes affected And try to figure this mess out: APEC Hawaii Recommended Travel Routes Parking? What parking? APEC Hawaii Parking Restricitions Wake me up when it’s over… |
Spooktacular stuff to do on Oahu! |
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| Yikes! It’s the end of October already. I have been experiencing serious writer’s block and remiss in keeping up on posting here… Or maybe I’ve just been lazy?
But since it’s nearing Halloween in Honolulu, I’m going to fill you in on some scary treats that are happening around the Island this time of year. Back in the ‘90’s I went on a “Honolulu Ghost Walk” hosted by Glen Grant, a local master of the Hawaiian myths and legends surrounding Oahu’s spookiest places. My personal experience was very creepy; Chinatown under a full moon is scary enough without hearing tales of murder and mayhem as you stroll through the streets. |
 Vampire Bagel is watching you... |
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 Pumpkin Pics Courtesy of Aloun Farms
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More keiki friendly is the Aloun Farms Pumpkin Patch in Kapolei where kids of all ages can tour the pumpkin patch and pick out their own Great Pumpkin to take home and carve into a jack ‘o lantern!  BLEH! I don't want to leave the farm! |
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| If you want to take the kids trick or treating, all the major malls on Oahu are hosting events on Halloween. Check out Kahala Mall, Ala Moana Center, Pearlridge, and Windward Mall for spooktacular trick or treating! Raising the Scary O’ Meter up a notch requires visiting the Dole Plantation Haunted Maze which helps raise money for some of the local schools, as well as raising goosebumps… Redlining the Scary O’ Meter in my book is the Haunted Lagoon at the Polynesian Cultural Center. Hop on a frightening canoe ride and see the Laie Lady. The first time I did it was scarier than me looking in the mirror first thing in the morning… and that is truly terrifying! And speaking of looking terrifying the morning after the night before, there are plenty of adult parties going on around town as well. Pretty much every bar in Waikiki has some sort of costume contest, and the people watching is as much fun as it gets! Check it out here for more info.
Aloha,
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You don’t have to be a Boy Scout to Be Prepared… |
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| It’s that time of year in Hawaii; time to make sure you have a Hurricane Survival Kit. Of course this is assuming you are in an area where you won’t have to evacuate and can stay put. We’ll talk about putting together a “Bug Out Bag” in another post.
This batch of goodies is a great way to not only be prepared for a major catastrophe, but also helps during those longer than expected power outages. |
 Why do they name us after women? Does this wind make my butt look big? |
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 I don't know what it is, but it's got Bacon. So all is well!
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AC-DC Converter Portable Television and Radio |
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| Corded Phone This is one of those things you really need. And I do pay for a landline, even though I use my cell 99.999% of the time. But cells go down in big storms, and I want my family to know I’m ok. Cash Rechargeable Fan Coffee Maker Portable DVD Player No DVD Player? Aloha,
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If you are a Hawaii Homeowner facing foreclosure you must read this! |
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| If you are a homeowner in Hawaii, you need to be aware of recent changes in the process here.
This is an overview of the law from the Honolulu Board of Realtors. Please get an lawyer if you are going to go through this process, and make sure he or she is familiar with the new law. |
 Getting off at this exit? Read the new Hawaii Law. |
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The Tax Man Cometh! |
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| Non Hawaii Resident US Citizens and Foreign Investors purchasing Real Estate in Hawaii must be aware that there are State and Federal Taxes due upon the their selling the property.
I’m not a lawyer or Tax Consultant and I did not sleep at a Holiday Inn last night. This is just a general overview for your information, do seek out the services of your tax professional for more information! |
 It's a taxing situation for your Real Estate! |
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Tips to make your moving day easier.Not painless, just easier! |
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| I don’t know anybody that likes to move. Except for perhaps Moving Companies…
Organizing, weeding out stuff, packing it & moving it are some of my least favorite things. So I’ve put together some tips gleaned from my many moving disasters and some successes. Learn form me, Grasshopper!
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 A totally moving experience |
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 Coffee Break already?
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 Remember the Pets don't like to move , either!
 We likez da new place!
Well, that’s it in a nutshell, or should I say moving box… stressful, frustrating and more expensive than you thought; moving is not fun. I made a checklist you can download here to help you keep on track. But grit your teeth, get uber organized and “Git ‘er done”. Once you’re finished it is a great relief to be in your new place. Go out and explore your new neighborhood. Treat yourself to some chocolate. And you will forget all about it. Until your next move. Aloha,
UPDATE 7/24/11 I moved to a new place on June 30th. Did everything like I said in my article. Except for one little teeny thing. Remember that part about Labeling the Boxes? You need to be specific, especially on those last minute boxes that you will be throwing stuff in as the moving van is ready to pull out of the driveway. I labeled a box “Kitchen”. Thinking it was just extra kitch stuff, I left the box unopened at the new place for a couple of weeks. Ever know what a Rubbermaid Container full of cheese smells like after it has been sitting in 89 degree heat in Hawaii, closed up for weeks? I do now! So be VERY specific…and fear the Box O’ Cheese! |
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