Homespun Honolulu

Adding to our celebration of May Day all month, we are at the end of May but we’re still able to bring you just one more May Day program!

Ma’ema’e Elementary put together a very festive program that was very ethnically Hawaiian in nature — much more so than I expected. I guess what surprised me most was that I would have expected the country school to be stronger and lean even more that way.

The use of Hawaiian language was what made it so obvious. While we have seen a bigger push in recent years to preserve the language and the culture so that we don’t lose it, Ma’ema’e is part of the public school system which is not where I am accustomed to seeing this degree of cultural influence.

I wonder if the other public schools have put a stronger focus on the culture. Maybe I have been out of the loop for too long! Maybe it was just because it was a May Day program! Whatever the reason, it worked for me!

Although there were minor differences, some things were the same. The most obvious being the desire by the organizers to spread the Aloha around the world!

Flags of different countries lined the fence line around the field.

As is common to most of these types of events in Hawaii, it sprinkled most of the morning as everyone tried to get everything in place. Locals like to call this rain a blessing. It happens at weddings too!

This never stops anyone, including this young man blowing the conch shell at the start of the program!

You can see him pictured here as well with his class of what I believe was sixth graders. The interesting and important thing to note here is the focus and the involvement of the teachers. It was their program too and you could feel the pride of parents and educators alike.

I’m not sure how Ma’ema’e Elementary School managed it but they had quite a group of “celebrity” guests that day!

They had four politicians from their district and beyond! Senator Suzanne Oakland-Chun, Councilman Rod Tam, and Representative Corinne Ching were all there!

To add to their celebrity cast, Honolulu’s Mayor, Mufi Hannemann, was also in attendance.

We need to take note of the lei that Mr. Hannemann is wearing and also that of our next celebrity pictured below. Green and yellow are Ma’ema’e’s school colors and a teacher or other part of the staff, or maybe a parent, stepped in and made yarn leis! Didn’t we just talk about this?

This next celebrity is none other than Ms. Genoa Keawe, a living legend who has been performing and perpetuating Hawaiian music for over fifty years!

This multi-award winning performer was awarded the National Heritage Fellowship in 2000 which was presented in Washington, D.C. by the National Endowment for the Arts, and in 2001 she was a Hall of Fame honoree. She led everyone with the opening songs and played the ukulele as she sang.

It was very heart-warming to see all the volunteers pitch in to make the school’s program a success and an enjoyable venue for the spectators!

If I heard correctly, this dancer who performed the opening hula for the program was also a volunteer who helped with the students and their dances.

I didn’t catch her name but both she and her hula were lovely! The lei around her head is a haku lei. We haven’t mentioned the haku this month. The haku lei is a traditional Hawaiian head lei that is made of different kinds of flowers and ferns. The making of haku leis is yet another artistic endeavor and the haku is an adorning head dress that is much loved by the ladies.

After the introductions of all these guests, the singing of the opening songs and the opening hula, the keiki’s program was ready to begin.

The fourth graders opened the program telling everyone to “Feel Aloha.”

The kindergarten then performed their number labeled “Alu Like” on the program.

They were all in different colors and in different circles around the field.

They looked so happy and so festive in all their bright colors!

The first graders were dressed up as marine life and they did the “Hukilau Ball.” Here’s a starfish!

Here are the honu (sea turtle)!

The 2nd Graders let us know that “We’re All in This Together!”

So many things to take pictures of and so much culture to appreciate! To the right here is their Hawaiian Studies teacher whom I ran into in the hallway.

The school was very well run and the teachers and volunteers were very involved.

You might find yourself leaving there wanting to have a child just so they can send them to school there!

Seriously, a big “Mahalo!” to Ma’ema’e for a wonderful and enjoyable program and, appropriately, an educational experience!

Forbes billionaire, Barbara Cox Anthony, died this morning at the age of 84. According to the evening news, she had been ill for a while.

She was quite a lady. She was one of those people that had money but didn’t flaunt it or live ostentatiously. I knew she was on the Board of La Pietra: Hawaii School for Girls and that she had philanthropic interests but I had no idea that she was also a contributor to the Veterinary School at Colorado State University! That took her up a notch in my book!

Barbara Cox Anthony was a lady with a life story. Maybe we’ll hear more about it on the Biography Channel someday!

Statesman.com reports it like this:

Anthony died Monday at 84 after a long illness. She died in her sleep at her home in Honolulu, with her son and daughter by her side.

“She could run with the foxes or bay with the hounds,” said her son, Jim Kennedy. He described his mother as a fun-loving and sassy woman who was as comfortable dining with her ranch hands as with the Duke of Edinburgh, a woman of deep generosity who was dedicated to the environment and who loved animals and her grandchildren to distraction.

Until her death, Anthony served on the board of directors of Cox Enterprises. She also was chairman of the corporation that publishes the Dayton (Ohio) Daily News.

It’s a great article with a wealth of information about her family, her life and her fun-loving personality!

Aloha, Barbara, this is a loss to us indeed!

Just in time for Memorial Day. It certainly took long enough. Why was the maile being so elusive? At the last minute I thought about Flower Fair — a little floral shop at the top of Fort Street next to Hawaii Pacific University. I pass it at least three or four times a week. Sometimes I stop in just to breathe the fragrances there.

I stepped in the door of their shop the other day and there it was! Hanging right there on the refrigerator doors. Waiting… for me. I’m sure it was waiting for the person that ordered it, but I’m going to say it was waiting for my camera so I could share it with you. The lei was not the only thing to greet me. I was also greeted with warmth and a normal welcoming atmosphere, in spite of the fact that they were very busy filling orders that morning.

I couldn’t help but think about this little song written by Norman Kane in 1963 and later recorded by Karen Keawehawai’i. I wonder what Karen is doing now. I haven’t heard about her in a while. I guess I’ve got to go find out!

A maile lei for your hair
Has a special meaning
It’s a sweet aloha
Made with love and care

The mountains kissed with the dew
Near the ridge of heaven
I have made this maile
Maile lei for you

Maile, fashioned by the sun
Beauty, just for you my lovely one
A maile lei for your hair
Is a crown of glory
It’s the sweetest story
Of my love for you

I tried to get one of them to model it for me to get it away from the glare of the glass, but, they were camera shy. So, in the interest of getting it away from the glass doors to prevent the glare, one of the curators took it and said, “Here, I’ll hold it for you.” That was beyond the call and so appreciated! Talk about a difference in attitude! This little shop was so full of aloha and so willing to share!

I asked about a recent comment that was made to me about the scent of the maile coming from the Cook Islands as being stronger than that of those coming from the Hawaiian Islands. The curators reply was simple. He said, “They’re full of it!” I was informed that the only reason the florists order from the Cook Islands is that the ones from the neighboring Hawaiian Islands are “ballahead.” That’s short for bald or, in this case, very few leaves.

Maile is a vine and the production of leaves on those vines is directly correlated to the weather conditions. To make a beauty like the one you see pictured here would take three or four strands of maile if the leaves were sparse.

The scent of maile, to me, could be likened to that of sandalwood sprinkled with sugar. Our beauty here is entwined with pikake which takes the fragrance level up to intoxicating!

Mahalo to Flower Fair for the aloha and the welcome mat laid down by your personality! If it’s raining or you’re having a bad day, I suggest you duck in here… with your checkbook!

Flower Fair
1188 Fort Street Mall #100
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
808-531-3248

We already talked about the many things that were used to make leis, but modern times have brought even more options. Crafters have designed, and continue to design, ways to make flower leis out of yarn!

Yarn leis became popular about three or four years ago and everyone went gang busters making them and flooding the market! It’s a great stress reliever and it’s rewarding to see something attractive appear in a rather short time span.

If you visit this link on Honolulu’s Craigslist you will see some leis made with the intent of using them for graduations. Leis are made for graduations using the school’s colors.

Depending on the preference of the maker, or the preference of the person who may have placed an order for one, the materials may vary. This red and yellow lei was made with red and yellow grosgrain ribbon and four or more different kinds of yarn. The red and yellow are the colors of Hawaiian royalty and the lei was made with this in mind.

The ones you will see pictured here are my doing. Many of the yarn lei designs have continued to evolve and some of them look very much like real flowers until you get close enough to see that they are not.

The beauty of them is that they don’t wilt and die. The drawback is, of course, they have no scent. These leis are used by many people on Aloha Fridays with their aloha wear or to attend special functions or dinners.

There are many reasons for selecting different colors and their impact on each individual will vary as well, as you can see here.

I just have a passion for clear, vibrant colors and shy away from muted tones. There are exceptions to this of course — the most obvious one being when the aim is for the natural look of green foliage.

With the above photo we are introduced to the idea of using embellishments or additional decorative items that may be added to the leis. For the most part I have kept to the Hawaiiana theme in this department.

It’s not terribly common for lei makers to decorate their leis, especially when the leis are intended as a source of income.

It’s just a habit I picked up for no apparent reason and it’s important to me to be sure that any decorations added are as attractive as the leis they adorn.

Again, this is my preference and it can be as simple or as busy as the wearer wants.

In addition to the adornments. I also feel that if you are going to make something as a gift, it should be nicely put together with the idea that it will last for many years to come.

Many of the leis seen around town for sale are, for my taste, too thin, too light and of little substance. At the same time, however, they are affordable. Since the majority of leis that I have made have been gifts, it is important to me that they last a very long time.

Consequently, they are substantially thicker than most and substantially heavier as well. The problem for the lei maker in cases like this is the cost of the yarn! The yarn is not cheap and the amount necessary to create this heft is quite significant.

Okay, so I’m picky about some stuff. There’s not much I can do about it I’m afraid.

A few weeks back I was walking home and a familiar sound caught my attention. That sound… I know that sound… dragons! Somewhere there was a Chinese dragon dance going on! I kept following the beat of the drums and finally found it!

Nothing gets my attention like the sound of those drums and nothing warms my heart like the sight of the dragons, lions, whatever you want to call them. I will also point out that there are very few things that make me reach for my wallet and start to pull out dollar bills, but this is one of them!

After enjoying these darling creatures performing for this crowd of people, I finally asked someone, “What’s the occasion?” I was then informed that it was the grand opening.

Getting a grip on myself and figuring out that I have just stepped into a bloggable occurrence, I proceeded to figure out just where it was that those Chinese drums had led me. I then decided to take pictures of more than just the entertainment.

“Obviously you must have received an invitation,” someone said to me.
“Uh, no, I’m here because the sound of the dragon drums brought me here.”

Kim Taylor Reece has opened a gallery in downtown Honolulu! Most people, myself included, are very familiar with Mr. Reece’s artistic photography. From time to time you will walk right into it. Much of it has become part of the city’s decor.

To his credit, Kim has devoted many years to absorbing and perfecting the knowledge of his subject matter. He has developed one art form that displays another! His talent only enhances the beauty of the cultural treasure that is the Hawaiian art of the hula.

Few people can argue about the artistic achievement in this gentleman’s photography.

Much of his work, as I see it anyway, is derived from his fascination with Hawaii’s beauty and culture, and his obvious admiration of the female body.

It is truly an event for an artist to have a new gallery of their work open to the public! I was just lucky enough to fall right into the middle of the excitement!

He looks very happy here and he is not the only one. Everyone there was enjoying themselves. Although this was not really my realm, it was an interesting study in human behavior to be sure.

While this was not an atmosphere welcome to shopping that evening, I did manage to go back a few days later.

While I was doing a little research on Mr. Reece I stumbled on to this print. As I admired it I decided I had to have it!

I am no art expert, but I know what I like. This one tugged at my heart strings, probably because of 9-11, so I had to go back and I had to find out if they had any copies lying around. They had to bring one in, but it was worth the wait.

I love this print! It’s me on the inside! I’m going to have my husband take this to be framed for me so I can hang it right next to my computer… he just doesn’t know it yet!

Aloha Liberty and Lady Liberty… how could I have ever found a better statement than this?!?

Kim Taylor Reece Gallery
1142 Bethel Street
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813

On Friday, May 11th, I was finally able to catch a May Day program!

Leihoku Elementary on the leeward side of Oahu (or on the Waianae Coast as we like to call it) provided a great venue to share this tradition.

I had been looking for a reason to snag one of these programs and when I was talking to an old girlfriend that I have been separated from for many years and found out she has four children… “when is their May Day? On the 11th? Really?”

Waianae is outside Honolulu proper to be sure, but, it’s still home and it still falls under the City and County of Honolulu’s radar. Besides, Leihoku’s theme says it all — “Aloha Around the World! ”

Every May Day program has a Royal Court and this one gets up near the start of the program to dance for the crowd that is lined along the fences and seated in beach chairs or just on the grass surrounding the school’s field.

Every Court needs a king and queen! In the background here is the king of the May Day Court and below is a picture of the May Day queen as she dances along with her court.

In keeping with their theme the different grade levels performed different ethnic dances. There were Japanese dances, Chinese dances, and others that I couldn’t keep up with as I moved around the crowd looking for the best vantage point.

There is something going the whole time and it’s easier to just sit and watch and not annoy the other spectators. But, I enjoyed watching the behavior of people in the crowd almost as much as watching the keiki perform!

I had forgotten how we always used to lean against and hang on each other. There was a lot of physical contact like that. It just came naturally — without a second thought. I liked being reminded of that.

The 6th graders performed a traditional Samoan number. On the left here is one of my dear friend’s four darling children.

This is Paula Ann dressed in her clothes to join her 6th-grade class in their performance.

The rest of her class does a wonderful job and, for the most part, seemed to enjoy it very much!

The interesting thing about this performance is to note the different skin tones. This is so Hawaii and so part of what makes us who and what we are.  It is our youth who teach us that race is irrelevant and has no place in our culture; a culture long ago affectionately and appropriately referred to as the melting pot of the Pacific.     

One of my personal favorites of the Polynesian dances is Tahitian. Here the 5th graders perform traditional Tahitian dance. I love the costumes and the feathers!

These kids are having a great time! So many smiles and you know they had to practice a lot before this day came along!

The use of flowers and feathers is truly something to behold.  All of the colors and the smiles that go along with it certainly create a wonderful atmosphere!

The fourth graders wrapped things up with a more modern number. I needed to get some of the words to completely understand it but I think the message was that we all make up the world and we all make the world go ’round.  Something like that.  The message was there.

I was lucky for this performance and I was able to get in closer. Conveniently, this is Paige, another one of the four children my friend has been blessed with.   

The king dancing with his queen below is wearing a maili lei. I will get a better, closer picture of the maili lei for another post soon. I promise.

Closer to the end of the program, the Royal Court got up once again and danced to the melody of “Maui Waltz” — one of my favorites of the local love songs with a haunting melody.  So pretty and very moving. The kids did a great job!

There’s something about growing up on the leeward side. The air is better and somehow healthier. It’s the country. But, like the rest of the island, its population continues to increase.

The leis given to our May Day stars by their other two siblings, BJ and Tiffany, are candy and cracked seed leis. My darling friend whom I haven’t seen for over 22 years has four wonderful babies! What better reason could I have to visit the old home town than to watch a May Day program and have the chance to admire the progeny of a beloved friend at the same time?

The kids, especially the oldest one, Tiffany, reminded me so much of their mother and the first time I met her nearly thirty years ago. Their father was there with them but at this point I still have not seen their mother. I finally connected with her and another mutual girlfriend later that afternoon. We tried to catch up. So much to share! We’re women — we need more time!

Putin was the driving force behind the reunification of the Russian Orthodox Church in Russia (the Moscow Patrirchate) and the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR). For nearly a hundred years an ugly rift has existed between them because communism reared its ugly head in Russia in the early 20th century. On Thursday, May 17th, the Feast day of the Ascension, this separation was ended.

This is Honolulu. What does this have to do with us? Well, tonight there will be no vespers at the Russian Orthodox parish, and tomorrow we will only have a lay service. Where’s the priest of the Russian Orthodox Community of Hawaii? In Russia, of course! This is an historical event that clergy from all over the world, if at all possible, would and did make every effort to attend.

Time Magazine reports the story as follows:

Putin’s Reunited Russian Church
by Yuri Zarakhovich/Moscow

The Russian Orthodox Church was torn in two by revolution and regicide, by the enmity between communism and capitalism, nearly a century of fulmination and hatred. That all formally ended on Thursday in Moscow. Thousands of the Russian Orthodox faithful — including several hundred who flew in from New York — lined up under heavy rain to get into the Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior. There, they witnessed the restoration of the “Canonical Communion and Reunification” of the Moscow-based Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), which claims more than 70 million adherents, and the U.S.-based Russian Orthodox Church Abroad (ROCOR), which is believed to be 1.5 million strong. Many among the clergy and laity wept at the end of the 86 year-old schism brought about by the 1917 Bolshevik revolution, and the ensuing murder of the dethroned Tsar and the forced emigration of hundred thousands Russians defeated in Civil war.

This story of course goes on to talk about how Putin has only political reasons for this, but just to watch a man of this political stature cross himself in an Orthodox manner is something to behold! To view the entire service you can go here. Thank you to Reader Nectarios for that link.

Political Science major, Zachary Williams, on his blog at otium cum dignitate does a much better job of painting a background for this article than I can. Much of Zachary’s feelings mirror my own. There were many people in favor of this reunification and many people against it. I can see both sides since they both have very good cases for their positions.

Zachary can correct me if I’m wrong but I think that, for most Americans, being Orthodox is not about ethnicity — it’s all about the truth of Faith and the Church’s preservation and adherence to that Faith. Anyway, I digress. This is just another historic moment that Honolulu has some, albeit very small, amount of participation in, or is impacted by, the events of world history.

Guess what’s open?!? I’m sending this plumeria from my favorite tree to Chevron. Flowers bloom and open while we’re not looking. Isn’t it pretty? Yesterday morning I ran into another beautiful site to behold…

Even service stations can open overnight! Congratulations are in order for Mr. Lance Goya and a sigh of relief can be heard from the neighborhood!

Finally! There it is, gang! My Chevron is open! Okay, so we’re not gonna get excited about the price of gas, but it sure is nice to see something on that darn sign besides a blue tarp!

There’s even gas coming out of the pumps too!

Obviously I’m not the only one who was waiting. This is the first morning that the station was open and people are already there, bright and early, getting gas! The station is staffed and buzzing with activity, and… one very important thing here… the little fridge is stocked with soda!

Looking at the pictures, I am obviously not the only one feeling that the opening of this station was a good thing. Alright, so the flowers are from well wishers but the station needed that!

Open those doors and the world will send you flowers! Okay, so I only gave one cyber plumeria but the sentiment is still there! After all my ranting and the continued monitoring of that abandoned street corner, I can now return to a sense of normalcy. In addition, 7-11 can return to business as usual and I can now relax when my gas warning light comes on! Pretty much. Hopefully. If I’m at home when it happens.

Soda, flowers and candy — what more could a service station want? Oh yeah, gas. There’s some of that too! Oh, and staff. I wonder if I can get one of those shirts. My only regret is that I missed getting a shot of that big blue and silver tanker delivering the gas! Darn it!

Mahalo, Chevron! I don’t know how you finally managed it (or why it took so long), but you got my station open! It’s too late for my safety check but since I’ve recently been watching all the power washing and lights on into the night over there, anticipation has kept me from putting very much gas in the car.

Hooray! Now I can fill ‘er up!

May Day (May 1st) was always the day that we would celebrate with May Day programs and flower leis!

Somehow over the years things have changed. People have started scheduling May Day programs throughout the month instead of just on the 1st. When I say people I am referring mainly to the schools. It is the student performances that make up the May Day programs. Some hotels and entertainers may have a program or two, but the keiki (children) are the ones who attract the crowds. We’ll get to cover some of that this month too.

I promised we would talk about leis this month and I have not forgotten! The leis you see throughout this post are from the one place that I know I can always get full pictures without any problem — Honolulu International Airport. Friends, family, dignitaries, anyone who is either coming to or going away from the islands needs a lei! So, the airport is always well stocked.

The custom of giving leis may have come to us via the the early Polynesian travelers who sailed from Tahiti to Hawaii on canoes. Flowers were not the only thing used to make leis. Looking at the pictures we have here, there are kukui nuts, tea leaves, ferns and flowers. Back then they may have used any of these things or they may have used shells, seeds or feathers.

As time goes by, the lei crafters become more creative. They intertwine the flowers with tea leaves and with other flowers to give some contrast to the color and style of the lei. In some extreme cases they have started to use spray paint to enhance the overall impact of the leis. The shock factor works well when someone is in a hurry and wants to make a statement with their gift of aloha!

In modern times we continue to take these things a step further. Sure we make leis out of the aforementioned items, but we also make leis out of seeds, candy and money! Graduates are very appreciative of leis made out of money. Graduation is another busy time of year for the lei stands. That is what is given to graduates — leis, money, or both. The easy way around that is to make a lei out of the money!

Leis quickly became symbolic of Hawaii. They are a Hawaiian tradition and they are intrinsically woven into the culture here. They are beautiful, they smell good and they represent a profound, unspoken feeling between the giver and the receiver. The smell of carnations mixed with the beautiful scent of tuberose brings tears to my eyes. I always associate those scents with the airport and the memory of people leaving. We see them off at the airport with hugs, kisses and sweet-smelling flowers. Then we cry as only the fragrance lingers after their departure.  Of course there are those times when we may be breathing a sigh of relief too!

Anyone can wear a lei. Anyone can give a lei. They are a display of affection and should never be refused. It is also considered rude to remove a lei you’ve been given while in the presence of the one that has given it to you. Out of all the leis, perhaps the most fragrant, noble, significant, and even sacred gift would be that of the maile lei. It is not pictured in any of these pictures. Why? Because it is kept in the refrigerators until a buyer comes and drops at least $35 on the table to buy one.

Maile leis are not flower leis, they are leaves on a vine. They are so fragrant and regal that even today they are worn by grooms at weddings or by those chosen to portray royalty in pageants or other forms of entertainment. They are often entwined with flowers like pikake. I’ll get you a picture. I promise! I only wish I could provide the scent. Hmmm… that’s Apple’s next job — to make an ipod that can download fragrances!  Yeah, that’ll happen.  I gotta think about this dilemma.

It was fascinating to watch the uphill climb of the numbers for my blog. All of it, okay most of it, was just because I participated. Out of 893 participants only a handful decided to share the list and provide links for people to follow. I just watched.

After thinking about it, I decided I wanted to do something a little different. I just watched and waited for the dust to settle. (That’s another way of saying there has been little activity around here because I have been sick, but we won’t talk about that part.)

After the dust settled, I wanted to do something different for the people that actually took the time to share the love. These are the people that try to be a part of the blogosphere ohana (ohana is the Hawaiian word for family).

I thought it would be nice to just add a little bit more than just their address. So, here are all the darlings that shared link love with me and the other 892 entrants! Ready? Set? GO VISIT! Please?

Glen Johnson describes his blog as the “Musings of one man trying to dissect the black community.” Glen’s blog is just that but, that’s not all. It is a collection of different things that make up a nice comfortable and informational read!

Joe, the Happy Burro, captions his site as “intelligent facts. brilliant ideas.” He himself specializes in performance management, corporate strategy and employee engagement. Guess what? He does just that and takes it quite seriously, thank you very much!

Perfection Consulting tells us to never settle for anything less than perfect. Their introduction shares with us that they are “a business planning and marketing agency that utilizes innovative, out-of-the-box ideas to grow your business!” They also have a presence on MySpace which lends a little more credibility and less negativity to MySpace than I have had in recent months!

Travis Eneix has a blog that is, in true blog fashion, an eclectic collection of thoughts and ideas about all kinds of things. His entry phrase to his blog says, “The following things are of interest to me, and perhaps to some of you as well.” His marker in Technorati tags him as talking about… well, a little of everything!

Darren Rowse himself needs little help from the likes of someone like me but, he shared (more than once) and he made it possible for all of us to begin with, so, I need to show Problogger.net the same gratitude as the others. Uh, and then some! Darren is a highly-respected role model for other bloggers. He has been there, done that and he’s not afraid to share. I have not seen bad press about him but he seems to think that there is some. I haven’t been around the blogosphere long enough to know. Yo, Darren, don’t want to believe your own press? My advice to you (me giving you advice, don’t you love it?!?) is to believe the complimentary stuff and forget the rest. To hell with ’em! When you feel “grumpy” check the balance in your bank account and get over it! Oh, and thanks for sharing and teaching!

Quais Waseeq describes himself as a marketing student and a casual blogger. Quais shares some of my sentiments and frustrations. His entry into the Top 5 writing project about the top five muscle cars has some nice pictures. His name is pronounced like kais, not kwais — he wanted us to know! I did think it would be pronounced like kwais so now I know better. Thanks Quais for sharing the links!

Keith at Techie Buzz urges his readers to “know your technology head on.” I like his writing and he’s got some interesting stuff to chat about on his blog!

Plus6.com… a personal finance blog also took the time to share the links with the world. This is a finance blogger who is young (biologically) but has a lot to say! A good place to visit and check out the links on this blog too!

Liz the juice fairy at juicefairy.com has a selection of fun looking posts on her blog. I love the header on her site with the strawberry dipped in chocolate. It’s a girly place but it’s cute nonetheless!

Tom at Runningmonkeys has a definite place in my heart! I used to be an avid runner, stopped for about 20 years and took up smoking. I quit smoking three years ago and started running again. As usual, life gets in the way and I don’t have the distance I used to, but, I still love it! Hey Tom, I’m attempting a half marathon next month. Any advice for the out of condition runner? This is a must visit for runners!

Madhur Kapoor has a Technology Gaming blog. This nice young man makes a very good point. He talks about how he has to stay up late (like until 3 am or so) because there aren’t enough hours during the day to do what he wants to do! I can relate!

Okay, I’m hopeless on this one. I don’t understand the language. Sorry, Wissen belastet! But, I’m including you anyway! Thank you for posting the list.

Marco Richter at FitForFreedom blogs about achieving financial freedom. Now there’s something that we all need! Marco shared the list with the world too!

Kyle at KylesCove shares technology information with us on his blog. There are different topics so there’s sure to be something for every visitor!

Little Jester at Jestertunes also shared the list of participants. This is a cute site based mostly on music-related topics. Love the name, love the cute graphics and love the colors! Nice.

At Tech Lemming you can probably find out all about the latest techie gadget. I can’t even figure out what the names of those gadgets mean! Ya gotta love the people keeping up with technology!

Origin at Mostly Photography says that, “Photography is about Life, The Universe, and Everything.” This photographer talks us through the photographic art on his site. I like that. I think you will too!

At My Life With IT we’ve got us another IT expert! This is a lot of techie people in one writing project! They all approach it from different angles which is interesting. This one takes the human approach!

Rehuel at Blogging Notes is one of those people who like to share link love. This blog is made up of a variety of “Notes” but it remains cohesive somehow. The current focus for Rehuel is tourism. Something that Honolulu is very familiar with!

At aczafra.com, there’s personality in the “voice.” Anything Webby “from a librarian’s point of view” has gotta be good! It’s an interesting mix to be sure!

So, out of 893 entries in Darren’s contest only twenty saw fit to share the list with the world. Hmmm… well, the list was long, I will give the others that, hey, I’m not among the twenty, but… that’s all?

Anyway, I feel these guys deserve what little pathetic nudge I can send their way! Thanks for sharing guys! Love ya!