Kawaii

  Happiness Is... Enjoying Little Things

Today you are You, that is truer than true.

There is no one alive who’s You’er than You. – Dr. Seuss

Kawaii (Japanese: かわいい or 可愛い, [kawaiꜜi]; 'cute' or 'adorable') is a Japanese cultural phenomenon which emphasizes cuteness, childlike innocence, charm, and simplicity.

As a child, I never liked dolls. In my senior years, however, I’ve discovered that I do have a soft spot for the mundane cuteness of little things. Growing old is mandatory, but aging is optional.

Welcome to my happy place of trinkets and stuffies! 

Hands down, Sanrio’s CINNAMOROLL, that lovable, fluffy white puppy with a tail resembling a cinnamon roll, is my favorite.

You make my heart smile.

Leftmost: Cinnamoroll keychain. Duke’s Lane, Waikiki

Left: Cinnamoroll pillow. Five Below, Columbus

For sure, Sanrio’s other iconic cuties follow suit. 

 

HELLO KITTY is a white cat with a red bow and no visible mouth (gifted by Favorite Grand/D from Japan).

 

Above right: Charming and sporty, POCHACCO is a cute little puppy loved by fans.

Top left: Mickey Mouse print-slippers, acrylic pouches, fan, Kuromi pouch. Daiso, Waikiki

Top right: Kuromi bag. Edmonton, Canada. KUROMI is a female rabbit white fur, a black jester hat with a pink skull design, a pink nose, and a devil tail.

Bottom left: Geisha doll umbrella (gifted by First Daughter). Japan

Bottom right: Cat canister. Kroger, Columbus

I'm not aging. I'm marinating.

Left to right: 

Labubu bag charm. LABUBU is a doll monster with sharp teeth, large ears and a scruffy appearance. Five Below: Columbus. 

Keroppi stuffie (hand-me-down from Fav Granddaughter). KEROPPI, a Japanese frog character, is typically dressed in a green or red-striped shirt. He has large eyes and a V-shaped mouth.

 Minion tee. Five Below, Columbus. MINION, a small, yellow, capsule shaped male creature with one or two eyes, is a character in the Despicable Me franchise.

Besties for the resties.

 Top left: DOG pencil holder. Dollar Tree: Columbus. LLAMA vase. Aldi’s, Columbus

Top right: LLAMA (gifted by Second Daughter). Peru

My desk is not just a location, but a state of mind.

 PANDA trash. Five Below, Columbus

There’s no place like bed, with cuteness overload by my side.

 At my age, I’ve earned the right to act like a child.

And this time, I’m not sharing toys.

Umm… Cuties, step aside. I'm making an exception for this borrowed adorable giant, furry BEAR.

Posing with Favorite Granddaughter’s prize in school fair. Punahou School, Honolulu

Until then, I’m back to my happy place. Tata!

Oh, Look! There's Emerald City!

Seattle Vacay and Wedding Celebration

May 23-27, 2026

Wikipedia describes Seattle as the Emerald City. I thought, just like Dorothy in Wizard of Oz, It's beautiful, isn't it? Just like I knew it would be.

Actually, it is – all vibrant green, dazzling in sceneries of lush vegetation and forested areas.

Here are picture highlights of our family celebration.

Why do ferries never get lost? They always follow the current.

Ferry ride to Bainbridge Island, a city and island in Kitsap County, Washington in Puget Sound

Taking a ferry is like a relationship: sometimes you just have to go with the flow.

Huge leaves of bigleaf maple trees dominate the scenery.

Tall, evergreen Douglas firs, basically the skyscrapers of the tree world, stand like sentinels in neighborhood. 

The amazing woodsy smell of red cedars assaults the senses along neighborhood trails.

Washington’s state flower, the rhododendron, in a rainbow of colors, including dark pink, white, lavender, red, blue, and even yellow, are loving the misty morning and gentle showers.

Reminded me of Bhutan whose national flower is also the rhododendron.

Top left and bottom: Sea-Tac B&B

Top right: Streamliner Diner

So it’s raining.

You’re not sugar.

You won’t melt. Enjoy it.

Save water. Drink cocktails.

Wedding celebration, Kiana Lodge, a short drive from the Seattle/Bainbridge Island ferry

Family: a little bit of crazy, a little bit of loud, and a whole lot of love

We dance like no one is watching, but I’m pretty sure everyone else is judging.

A Moment in Time... A Memory for Eternity

When I say ‘I do,’ I don’t mean the dishes.

Sisters-in-law: the perfect blend of love, laughter, and occasional eye-rolling

You couldn't build a family this cool if you had all the ice cubes in the world.

A wedding kiss is like fine wine; it gets better with age, but sometimes it just leaves you with a headache.

Our family tree has strong branches and louder group chats.

What’s a vacay without FOOD??!!

Oysters are the only food that can make you feel like a pirate and a gourmet at the same time.

Lechon: the only thing that can make a diet feel like punishment. If loving it is wrong, I don’t want to be right.

Sometimes, you just need to embrace your inner pig. Happiness can be crispy and delicious.

Life is too short for cold food; let’s heat things up with hot pots.

Shinya Shokudo, a modern and upscale izakaya in downtown Seattle

Come for the food. Stay for the fam. 

Filipino food: where every meal is a fiesta, every dish is a reason to celebrate, and where your idea of a balanced diet is a plate of rice in each hand (Cheating! as my Fav Brother-in-Law says).

Seafood City, leading Filipino supermarket in North America, offering Filipino groceries, and freshly-prepared meals

All fed up, as my Favorite Niece would say. Time to go home.

Sigh… vacay over.

It’s been amazing!

It isn’t how much time you spend somewhere that makes it memorable. 

It’s how you spend your time. – David Brenner

Goodbye, 8th Grade!

Our Favorite Granddaughter has graduated 8^th grade. 

She survived without a GPS for her emotions. Like a butterfly, she has emerged from a cocoon, full of homework and awkward ups, downs, and maybe some screaming.

She has certainly gone a long way, from being a curly-haired, bedimpled baby…

To a lovely princess.

Growing up alongside an older brother…

My brother is a strange creature. He's my brother, which means he's stuck with me forever, like a booger you can’t pick.

Yikes!

Can I trade him with someone else?

Being chummy with an adorable pit bull terrier…

Surrounded by sometimes goofy-costumed family…

And by friends who are just as important as grades—unless it’s a pop quiz.

For sure, school has been pivotal. 

And after eight long years, middle school’s completed...

Where the secret to surviving any class is to always carry a snack.

School was tough, but mission accomplished.

Now, time to celebrate!

First with a He Aloha Kuu One Hanau May Day.

In a couple’s dance, Favorite Grand/D did a surprise ending by carrying her 135-pound partner.

Then the Kapuana Choral Festival where the vibrant voices of more than 300 students from grades 6–8 filled Dillingham Hall with song and dance.

Her favorite song? I Sing Because I’m Happy.

 

Leftmost: Cheesing hard, jamming during bass player’s solo

Left: After concert with friend

Indeed, she came, she saw, she passed…

With honors!

On May 27, Favorite Grand/D will be inducted into the National Junior Honor Society at Punahou during the 8th Grade Awards Assembly.

Per the NJHS Punahou School Chapter Advisor, membership was based upon the following criteria:

Academic excellence that demands the mastery of subject material, an ability to explore concepts, techniques and problems independently, a genuine interest in learning, consistently superior effort, a 3.5 grade point average or better by the end of the third quarter of the 8th grade year, and excellence in character and citizenship.

Additionally, honorees will have performed a total of at least 20 hours of community service during their 7th and 8th grade years.

Cards sent to nursing home residents for community service

Dear Favorite Granddaughter, you make us very proud!

Now what? 

Next stop: high school and a whole new level of chaos. 

One step closer to adulthood.

Goodbye, homework.

Hello, summer!

My Beau

  Happiness Is... Enjoying Little Things

Gerbils: proof that good things come in small, furry packages. - Anonymous

Beau Bean was Fav Grand/D’s until, somehow, he got adopted by G a couple of years ago. When I told him so, he just ran in circles—guess he was okay with it.

When you’re daydreaming and someone makes eye contact with you

He has luxurious soft sand-shade fur, white underbelly, long and narrow back feet, and a tail that’s half his body’s length.

Favorite time of day? Hands down, it’s chow-time.

He’s like a tiny furry ninja—silent, swift, and always plotting his next snack…

…whether it’s a juicy blueberry (left) or Panda Express rice - huh? wha’??!!...

… or a Queen of Greens Lavish Leaf lettuce (right).

Is a vegetarian permitted to eat animal crackers?

Actually, he also loves Brioche and sour dough bread, Chuy’s chips, Fortune cookie, and banana strings. If he had a diet plan, it would be called All You Can Chew.

I’ve always wondered, though, why he snubs regular gerbil food. I suppose, he thinks meal is just a four-letter word for snack.

Yup, like all rodents, Beau is a dedicated chewer – of toilet paper roll with a few sheets left on, cardboard of all kinds, and brown wrapping paper.

A natural burrower, this little critter keeps busy creating tunnels in his bedding.

My house isn’t messy. It’s just a live-in art installation.

He is a delight to watch when he moves into and decorates a new hideaway (empty square tissue box, in this instance).

Or even when he stands on his back feet with his front paws in the air, angling to get a better view or a better sniff of anything that catches his interest. 

A brave tiny critter, too! He stands up to larger felines who have expressed an interest on him being lunch.

Stand down, Minnie – he doesn’t give a crap of what you think!

Photo: I.T.V. Columbus

Left: Christmas With Beau. Cage bedecked with holiday décor. Right: A Many-Colored Dream House (internet pic only)

Beau thinks he’s a dog.

He fetches my heart every time.

Let me tell you, having him has been a wheel-y good time!