"Football anyone..?" 'Robert Bitos Gandia' (Spource)

Guest-blogger,Robert Bitos Gandia.
Robert is an avid cook (ono gandule rice) and always laughing!!
He works at Syngenta as a Research Associate.
Robert lives in Kekaha on Kauai's west-side and loves football!!

Football Anyone?

Two 90 year old men, Mike and Joe, have been friends all of their lives.

When it's clear that Joe is dying, Mike visits him every day. One day Mike says, "Joe, we both loved football all our lives, and we played football on Saturdays together for so many years. Please do me one favor, when you get to Heaven, somehow you must let me know if there's football there."
Joe looks up at Mike from his death bed," Mike, you've been my best friend for many years. If it's at all possible, I'll do this favor for you.
Shortly after that, Joe passes on.
At midnight a couple of nights later, Mike is awakened from a sound sleep by a blinding flash of white light and a voice calling out to him, "Mike--Mike."
"Who is it? asks Mike sitting up suddenly. "Who is it?"
"Mike--it's me, Joe."
"You're not Joe. Joe just died."
"I'm telling you, it's me, Joe," insists the voice."
"Joe! Where are you?"
"In heaven", replies Joe. "I have some really good news and a little bad news."
"Tell me the good news first," says Mike.
"The good news," Joe says," is that there's football in heaven. Better yet, all of our old friends who died before us are here, too. Better than that, we're all young again. Better still, it's always spring time and it never rains or snows. And best of all, we can play football all we want, and we never get tired."
That's fantastic," says Mike. "It's beyond my wildest dreams! So
what's the bad news?
"You're in the team for this Saturday's match !!!

Editors note;
The NFL divisional playoffs are this coming Sunday and the Superbowl is 2 weeks away. What better way for a football fan to  help enjoy this special time of year than with a joke about football by no other than one of the greatest football fans in America, Robert Bitos Gandia!

Hope you Enjoyed!

Sunrise Therapy...
Photo by James "Kimo" Rosen

"Hana Hou, (Encore) Shared From Facebook...

"Golf Anyone...?" Tammy Ann VanderWende (Live from Abu Dhabi-4)

Dakinetalk is excited to welcome our newest regular guest-blogger Tammy Ann VanderWende.

Tammy is a Kaua'i girl who recently moved to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emerites

 with her husband Tom, son Kyler and family dog Kealia.

Join Tammy on her adventures as she shares her experiences on life in the Middle East!

This is Blog #4 from Abu Dhabi...

Golf Anyone?

The HSBC Abu Dhabi Golf Championship is currently going on here in Abu Dhabi and there's not a better place than in my back yard! 

I can't believe it! Honestly, a year ago this tournament was on TV in my living room back in Paanau Village in Koloa, Kaua'i. I remember seeing these ladies in long red gowns and long black hair, they were standing on the tee 3 of them in a row and they had their heads bowed down and swung their hair back and forth to some Arabic music. I thought it was the oddest thing I ever saw in my life, I said to myself, what the in the hell is this? and why are they doing it on the golf course of all places? 

I was told it was a golf tournament in Abu Dhabi and of course I said Abu Dhabi?? Where  is that?  I kept watching  the golf tournament, when these men dressed in long white gowns with white head covers on, come out to present the trophy. Again I am thinking what kind of place is this Abu Dhabi? They dance weird and they dress weird!! They even had pretty flight attendants for Emirates airlines standing on the tee box looking ever so lovely with their scarves draped below their chin so neatly and standing like models on the tee box. I thought to myself in the moment, wow this must be a rich company or something the way they are dressed and presenting themselves!

Yes, I guess you know where I am going with this!! Can you believe it!! Exactly one year later, I am living here in Abu Dhabi! And even more ironic I am caddying in the Pro Am and volunteering my time at this tournament! The eccentric dresses that both men and women wear, happen to be the traditional normal wear for the Arabs and the Emirates who live here. 

I am having the time of my life here in Abu Dhabi! Yes, even on the golf course! I am used to watching the PGA Tour, but here at this tournament I get to watch a huge group of handsome European pros (not as handsome as my sweetheart husband!) walking in around in stylish  Nike, Puma, Boss, Titleist, Adams, Callaway, Taylormade etc, etc, brands. Sporting flashy Rolex watches and Sharp sunglasses adorning their chiseled looks. Each man walking around with their Caddy that is sporting an apron bearing the Pro name on it! 
Your wondering how did I get this cool set up? Well, I Googled the Golf Tournament event to read up on it and then I saw the word 'VOLUNTEERS.' I thought to myself, why not Tammy?

 You golf, go check it out! I signed up online, got an email letter  and here I am! When you check in they give you a nice white tournament logo golf shirt and a cap, also a lanyard with a pass on it to wear and a parking pass to hang from your mirror! I was feeling pretty spiffy at the fun perks!

Today I caddied in the Pro Am, the Pro for the group was  Thornbor Olesen a top European Pro, very friendly and an excellent player! Later on I was invited up to dine in the 2 story hospitality tent that sits on the left side of the 18th Green! 

Talk about buffet, all the fresh sushi, seafood, lamb, pasta, steak, you can eat with complimentary beverages! What a treat! Thank you Lord!

After lunch I headed to the Volunteer booth to exchange my golf shirt (too small, from eating too much great food here!) At this time after the many great volunteer opportunities being offered to me, the chief marshal asked me if I could manage a group of volunteers for the 18th Hole Hospitality tent, I asked what am I to do? Hold the 'QUIET' sign up while pros are on the 18th Green, to make sure  and keep the crowd quiet, while they are drinking and enjoying the tournament! I said, really? Oh The TITA  in Tammy can definitely help a group of volunteers do crowd control on being QUIET!!! SHHHhhhhh???!!!! NOT!!!
(A Tita in Hawaii is a woman who can hold her own and doesn't take any crap. It's a good thing to be a Tita)

None the less, I said I will do it! So tune in to the Sports Channels and watch the HSBC Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, LOOK for me in the crowd that is in the 2 story tent on the left side of the 18th Green!!!! I'll be having FUN keeping the drinkers and onlookers QUIET!!!! SSSSHHHHHHHHhhhhh!!!

Aloha!! Thanks for joining me here, now go tune in to the Golf Channel!!!
With each event that we encounter here in Abu Dhabi, it seems that the Lord has fun opening doors and shower us with so many neat Blessings! 

Hana Hou, (Encore) Kaua'i  Sunrise-Sunset Therapy 

By James "Kimo" Rosen
 (Live from Kaua'i Hawai'i) 

Nothing beats starting your day with a Sunrise... and ending with a Sunset...

Kaua'i Sunrise from the front door...

Kaua'i Sunset from the back door...

"What If you owe no one..?" 'Bettejo Dux' (Classic Wednesday)

Bettejo Dux has lived on the cosmic Garden Island of Kaua'i for over 40 years.

Bettejo is a regular opinion writer in the Garden Island news and is the author of the

famed novella, "The Scam."  Her latest fiction

 "Children of extinction" is now  released and available on Amazon!

www.bettejodux.com

www.amazon.com

What if you owe no one..?

What if the governments of the world wised up? What if all of them simply stated, a decree, “You are no longer in debt. You owe no one. Everything you have is yours. Your house, your car, you furniture, your appliances, your clothes. Even your horse.

We’re gonna start all over. Monopoly style. Every family on the planet will be given- or allowed- $10,000. Maximum.

Credit cards, interest? Down the drain. Ain’t no more. Keep the yen, the dollars, the pesos-the long colored paper stuff-in limited supply. Burn the rest-beats burning books-think of the lovely bonfires. Roast hot dogs, marshmallows, chestnuts, tomatoes. Warm the tootsies.

I’m not an economist-whadda I know-but I think everything would level out. Buy a cuppa coffee or a soda for a nickel? Rent for a three bedroom house, a hundred bucks a month? Water, electricity, twenty bucks? Executive salaries. A thousand a month? Too high? Lower it.

Idiots in corporations, big business and banks, wouldn't have to play the accounting game. They owe as much they own? That’s pretty stupid. Can’t you rich guys live on your income just as we-the peasants of the world-do?

You can keep your often atrocious living quarters and mansions. Check’em out. How is it possible to have such bad taste? You can float around in your enormous yachts, wear disgusting looking outfits, stick diamond and emeralds in every orifice known to man or woman, hop around in your jets and helicopters and limousines, as long as you feed your kids and animals.

Your dead and buried race horses can still have mile high mounds of flowers on their graves, and your barns be trimmed in silver and gold, but don’t forget to feed them. I haven’t a clue what you’ll do with that multi level race course, Happy Valley, in the heart of Hong Kong, other than let us peasants watch the show. Free. No betting allowed.

Guys, try to find and take a gander at a teNeues book, edited by Wolfgang Behnken called Luxury Equestrian Design. We must always remember what peasants we are. I love horses and I think they should be kept in luxury. I mean kept- like their women are kept- but don’t forget the horses. Tell me, would they care for them so much if there were no money in it?

The Racing & Society Chapter is a hoot and a holler.

Some of those women are decked out in elaborate and extraordinary tents. Do they keep clowns and elephants under there? The hats are darling!

F. Scott Fitzgerald, “The rich are different from us,” and Barbara Ward said, “If there were an insane asylum in the Solar System, it would be planet earth.”

I ask, “How is it the elite, who run the place, can always afford another war but can never afford to feed, house or educate us?”

I think a new deal-we’re gonna get there soon enough anyhow- is better than putting the planet up for foreclosure. Don’t you?

P.S.
 Sunrise therapy...
 "If the world is getting you down, watch the Sunrise!"
James Kimo Rosen

Hana Hou, (Encore) Shared From Facebook...

"The code word is fallen..." 'Obama Da Dog' (Source)

Obama Da Dog  was born and raised on the island of Kaua'i.
She can be seen around Kapa'a  town 
with her best friend, James "Kimo" Rosen.

The code word is fallen

An old priest got sick of everyone in his parish confessing adultery. During one Sunday's sermon he told them, "If one more person confesses to adultery, I'll quit!"

Since everyone liked him, they decided to use a code word: "fallen."
From then on, anyone who had committed adultery said they had "fallen."
This satisfied the old priest and the parishioners, and everything was fine for years, until finally the old priest passed away at the ripe old age of 93.

Shortly after the new young priest settled in, he paid a call on the mayor.

The priest was quite concerned. "You have to do something about the sidewalks in this town, Mayor. You can't believe how many people come into the confessional talking about having fallen!"

The mayor started to laugh, realizing that no one had explained their code word to the new priest.
But before the mayor could explain, the priest shook his finger at the mayor and said, "I don't know why you're laughing; your wife fell three times last week!"

Hana Hou, (Encore) Shared from Facebook...

"Blah, blah, blah, blah,. blah..." 'Kimo's world #52'

James “Kimo” Rosen is a retired professional photographer living in Kapa'a with his best friend Obama Da Dog, Rosen also blogs as a hobby...

My friend Bev Brody gave me this hat for Obama Da Dog. 
I promised her I would take a photo of 
Obama Da Dog with the Obama hat.

Kimo's world #52

Blah, blah, blah, blah,. blah

I am writing this blog to exemplify and show that every blog and opinion column that appear in newspapers and other periodicals around the world are all basically the same.

The gist of all blogs including mine goes like this;
Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah blah.  

This doesn't mean I do not enjoy blogging,  even if it's just to say, blah, blah,. blah, blah ,blah.

In closing I would like to say, you guessed it!

Blah, blah, blah, blah,. blah.

I think you guessed the moral of this story.  ;-)

Sunrise Therapy---Day 33; (Live from Kaua'i Hawai'i) 

Nothing beats starting your day with a Sunrise...

 Hana Hou, (Encore) Shared From Facebook...

"Housebound in Buffalo..." 'Judith Whitehead' (Inspiration Sunday)

Judith Whitehead lives in Amherst New York( A suburb of Buffalo, N.Y.)
 and has worked in the ophthalmology field of medicine for over 30 years.

Housebound in Buffalo

This weekend Buffalonian's  are once again housebound.

 We just received a blast of sub zero weather and snow with high winds that have caused all schools etc to close. It has been a brutal snowy winter - even being  bundled up affords only brief comfort running from the car to house or work.  

I have already booked my spring flights to escape to the warm sun. It seems to make the winter go along faster if I see some light at the end of the winter tunnel.  

Hawaiians, don't take for granted the paradise you live in and send some sunny thoughts our way

Hana Hou, (Encore) Sunrise photo's by James 'Kimo" Rosen

Sunrise Therapy---Day 32; (Live from Kaua'i Hawai'i) ---Sabbath Sunrise---
The best Sunrise is always on the Sabbath!

One thing that never gets old is watching the world awaken with a SUNRISE!

"A Brand New Porsche..." 'Chester "Unc" Lau' (Source)

Dakinetalks favorite Uncle (Chester Lau)

"Unc"  is really passionate about creating a national Caregivers day.

Any help , support or ideas would be greatly appreciated...

'Unc' currently resides on the Hawai'ian Island of Oahu. 
He is a retired cinematographer,
 and  enjoys giving the politicians a bad time...

A Brand New Porsche

A fifteen year-old boy came home with a Porsche and his parents began to scream, "Where did you get that car?!?!"
He calmly told them, "I bought it today."

"With what money?" demanded his parents. "We know what a Porsche costs."

"Well," said the boy, "this one cost me fifteen dollars."
His parents began to yell even louder. "Who would sell a car like that for fifteen dollars?" they said.

"It was the lady up the street," said the boy." I don't know her name... they just moved in. She saw me ride past on my bike and asked me if I wanted to buy a Porsche for fifteen dollars."

"Oh, no!," moaned the mother, "She must be a child abuser! Who knows what she will do next? John, you go right up there and see what's going on."

So, the boy's father walked up the street to the house where the lady lived and found her out in the yard calmly planting petunias! He introduced himself as the father of the boy to whom she had sold a Porsche for fifteen dollars and demanded to know why she did it.

"Well," she said, "this morning I got a phone call from my husband. I thought he was on a business trip, but it seems he has run off to Hawaii with his secretary and doesn't intend to come back. He asked me to sell his new Porsche and send him the money. So I did."

 A note to Unc from Jack Lord star of the original Hawaii Five-O,
where "Unc" worked as a cinematographer

Sunrise Therapy Day 31; 
"The ultimate way to start the day, with a Sunrise!"

Hana Hou, (Encore) Shared From Facebook...