Adventure with friends and Kuru Kuru Sushi!

Saturday, February 26, 2011: I went out with my two friends, Nate and Gena, after not seeing/hanging out with each other (especially Gena) in FOREVER!! First stop, FOOD!! Under Gena's suggestion, we went to Kuru Kuru Sushi in Aiea, and it was DELICIOUS! Aside from this time, I've only been to Kuru Kuru one other time with my family. Hands down, sooooooooo much better than Genki Sushi. The only downside would be the wait to get in because it's always packed and there is ALWAYS a waiting list! I ate so many of my favorites, including the always-popular, tuna or maguro (pictures). Everyone automatically gets hot green tea (ocha) and water and whatever they want from the rotating sushi line. Best lunch/early dinner in a loooong time! :D

Afterwards, with our happy tummies, we decided to head down to Fun Pix Purikura in Downtown Honolulu. This has got to be one of the coolest places to come and take purikura pictures with your friends :D, despite the fact that it really is nothing more than a room filled with about 6 or 7 different purikura machines, each with its own drawing station where you can edit/decorate/draw on your pictures. And then, of course, after purikura, we headed back to Ala Moana (where we parked) and ate dessert at Dairy Queen and shopped at my all-time favorite store, Shirokiya!! :D A very fun day/night indeed :D Big thank you to Nate and Gena for making it so fun. Definitely a must-do again, soon!!

P.S. Purikura pictures coming soon!! :D

Second blog!

I decided to create a more open and personal blog for me and my friends and family. Its not here on Blogger though. Instead, I decided to try a new website and create the blog there. Reason for the second blog? Recently, it seems like everyone around me has had tons to say but they're too afraid to open up, for what reason, I don't know. So, I decided to make this blog as kind of like a free-write/online journal for everyone. Post poems, favorite quotes, stories...anything that pops into your mind. Be as creative as you want and express yourself in ways you never could before :)
Here's the link: http://dream-a-dream2011.tumblr.com/

Please go and visit, comment if you want, and just let me hear what you have to say :)

Red Velvet Cupcakes! :D

Okay so, as requested by a few people, this one is all about my deliciously-delicious RED VELVET CUPCAKES!
It all started last, last weekend when my aunty and I went to the market. We had baked some blueberry muffins a few days before and, because they were so yummy and all gone, we decided to buy another box of muffin mix and bake some more. Then, aunty came up with a fantastic idea; why not bake cupcakes instead? Better yet, why not bake RED VELVET cupcakes? Best idea ever!!!
We bought the mix, we bought the color...time to put it all together! But wait, red velvet cupcakes usually have a slight chocolate taste to them (depending on the person baking them). What can I put in to give my cupcakes that slight chocolate taste? Lucky thing I work at a chocolate store ;) LIGHTBULB!! I had some GODIVA Milk Chocolate Cocoa powder in my refrigerator. Just a few tabelspoons of that = PERFECT! A very successful recipe indeed; especially for something that was originally supposed to be muffins but turned into wonderful cupcakes that everyone was able to enjoy...once, twice, even three or four times :D

MY FAVORITE THINGS!! 2010 Edition

Alright sooo, 2010 is almost over so I thought I'd copy Oprah and tell everyone what my absolute FAVORITE things are from this year.
1. Red velvet ice cream from Baskin Robin's (limited edition but sooo yummy!)
2. Honeydew melon gelatin parfait from Zippy's
3. Fantasia/Fantasia 2000 2-Disc DVD set
4. Hello Kitty head purse from Razor Concepts
5. White chocolate mocha frappucino with java chip from Starbucks
6. WILD SCARLET body butter from Victoria's Secret
7. Super Smash Bros. BRAWL
8. Strawberry Cheesecake dessert chocolate from Godiva
9. Mushroom swiss angus burger from McDonald's
10. Sephora Beauty Insider reward's card
11. Mabo-tofu udon (has to be udon, NOT ramen) from Genki Ramen
12. Yakiniku
13. Shirokiya, second floor food section ("so much selection!"-little brother, Camren)
14. Sephora
15. Strapya.com
16. eBay (just became an online shopper this year!)
17. Anpan and Nemu from Nemu*Nemu
18. PINK Hello Kitty watch
19. Nintendo DS
20. Mahjongg Dimensions on Facebook
21. Plants vs. Zombies from Popcap Games.com
22. Despicable Me movie
23. Tangled movie
24. Toy Story 3 movie
25. Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland movie

Now, keep in mind that these are only a few of my 2010 favorites. I've got a lot of favorite things in my life but I couldn't possibly fit all of them in one blog ;D so, until next time, I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Childhood/Simplicity/Pure Happiness vs. Depression/Stress/Anger

Alright so, we're taking a break from the usual Pikachou blog to focus on something that I've been thinking about a lot lately.
I'm not sure if this is the same for everyone but, for me, I remember how easily happiness used to happen. The feeling of being excited when holidays would come around, being curious about everything I saw/touched/heard, just feeling happy all (and/or most of the time) and not having to worry about too much. More then ever now, I miss being a little girl and sometimes, it even makes me sad to think that, that particular sort of happiness can never happen again because, as an adult, it wouldn't be "grown-up" enough to act like a kid. However, luckily for me, there are certain things that do remind me so much of my wonderful childhood and, it makes me feel a little better about being an adult and not so sad about having to grow up; just knowing that these things still exist and aren't going anywhere warms my heart and makes me smile.
Kelci's Happiness List:
-Christmas: the happiest time of the year; despite how busy everyone may be, everyone is happy when we're all together and that everyone is enjoying thier Christmas together. My favorite holiday.
-Disneyland: truly, the happiest place on Earth. Whether it be because of the memorable characters, the magical stories, or just the happy atmosphere that surrounds the entire park, Disneyland has always played a significant role in my life and is the best place in the world.
-Thanksgiving: being able to spend time with family and friends, being thankful for everything we've been blessed with, and getting to eat the best food in the world, prepared with love by the people I love the most.
-Scents: REAL Christmas trees, cinnamon, freshly baked cookies: the scents that marks the start of the holidays for me.

And the list continues but, as of right now, this is what I've been thinking/looking forward to the most.
*sigh* I don't know, I just want it to be the time of year when everyone is happy and enjoying themselves. No more stress, anger, unnecessary tension....all of those unwanted things just bring everything else down with it and, life just isn't enjoyable anymore. Everyone has already got enough to deal with when it comes to things that we can't control (death, illness, finances, etc.), don't add to it. Be the better person and help make people's lives less stressful.
"The most beautiful thing you can do is have a beautiful heart. It doesn't matter how beautiful the outside is, if there's nothing shining out from it, it really doesn't matter. That's what a beautiful person is, you feel their warmth all around you. The true beauty lies within the smile you give to people, not just the beautiful lipstick color you have on. Remember: you're more beautiful than you know, more talented than you think, and more loved than you can imagine." ---Kandee Johnson; Youtube make-up artists, my personal inspiraton.

03: Cake Couture Cupcakes

I'M BAAAAACK!! And I apologize for not posting in so long; especially the birthday blog :( Lately, I've been swamped with way too many things to do but, I will still try to post something new every now and again :)
Anyway, for today's entry, I'd like to focus on a place that I actually tried a while ago but, it was so good, it never quite left my mind. So without further ado...

Topic: Cake Couture Cupcakes
Location: Aina Haina Shopping Center Courtyard
820 West Hind Drive #112
Honolulu, HI 96821

My aunty first introduced me to this little cupcake shop when we were just cruising around, killing time. Cupcake Couture is located in downtown Honolulu and features freshly baked cupcakes daily, with a variety of flavors that change everyday. I swear, when I first tried it, those were the best cupcakes I've ever tasted. Its the kind of thing that, when you eat it, you feel as if you have to savor each bite and actually break down each and every flavor in each cupcake.

Cupcake Couture was also featured in Honolulu Magazine's Best of Honolulu contest for Best Cupcakes in 2008.

Even though I've only been there once, I'd really like to go again and try all of their other flavors. Their menu http://cakecouture.com/images/menu.gif features 14 everyday flavors along with some special flavors that aren't made on a daily basis. The special flavor that I was able to try was a chocolate cherry cupcake; moist chocolate cake with a cherry buttercream frosting....SO YUMMY!!

Alright well, that's about all I've got for this entry. Until next time!
-Pikachou

PAMELA HARADA's star on Stand Up To Cancer