Is it real or is it virtual? More importantly does it really matter? Some naysayers say it's a disappointment when potential buyers arrive to find an empty space but if the potential buyer knows it's virtually staged what is important is that interested buyers make an appointment to view the property not whether it's actually staged or not.
Virtually Staged: The Kitchen in a one bedroom condo at 909 Kapiolani, Honolulu Hawaii 96813, virtually staged by JDS Consulting.
The benefits of virtual staging can easily be appreciated by sellers who wish to make their relatively new investment properties stand out from other identical properties for sale in their building or development. Virtual staging costs a fraction of what one would spend on actual staging. When there is little to differentiate one property from the next in a new development, virtually staged properties get buyers attention and define the property as unique allowing buyers to easily picture themselves living in your property for sale.
JDS Consulting-Hawaii Home Staging and Decor Design. Providing Real Estate Merchandising services including: Home Staging, Interior Decor, Turn Key, Landscaping, Remodeling, & Open House Hosting. Diamond Head, Kahala, Waikiki, Kapahulu, Kailua, Makiki, Tantalus, Hawaii Kai, Manoa, Nu'uanu, Ala Moana, Waialua, Haleiwa, North Shore, Kapolei, Makaha, Honolulu.
I love Halloween and up to a few years ago it was a month long event in my life; full of parties, entertaining, and dressing up in costumes, you know the whole nine yards.
Unfortunately, as of late I just don't celebrate All Hallows Eve like I used too but, none the less, I would like to share my enthusiasm for the holiday with my online friends; offering some heart felt treats I hope you enjoy.
So please indulge me for a little while, find your inner child, suspend your sense of reality, and imagine yourself "Trick or Treating" deep in the Wallachian forests of Romania... Suddenly in the long dark shadows of the Carpathian Mountains you stumble upon my haunted castle... don't be afraid, I won't bite...hard.
So you Knock,Knock,Knock...Trick or Treat! (In a thick and flowing Romanian Accent I answer the castle door)
Ah... children of the night...To all my Friendly Fiends, some thoughtful treats for your candy bag that won't rot your teeth...
I know what your thinking... it's tantamount to getting socks for Christmas but believe me these treats will entertain your brain longer than the sugar high you will get from all the candy your going to eat anyway.
The first treat is a most excellent Booook... ok, now open your bag, didn't your parents teach you any manners...ah that's better...yes I know it's Halloween and candy isn't everything"
The Haunted House on the Market:
What do Haunted Houses, Witches, Necrophilia, and a Realtor have in common? You'll find them all in this fascinating novel "Lullaby"by Chuck Palahniuk, the author of "Fight Club". I enjoyed this creative, funny, and poignantly profound novel about the nature of love, power and how human beings confuse the two. The premise of the book is about a journalist who stumbles upon a book of children's bed time stories that has the power to kill. He meets a Realtor who specializes in haunted houses and some witches who have an agenda of their own.
The second treat is a Vat of Brains, ha ha ha ha... Don't say eeeww, again with the manners...no your not supposed to eat it, it's a brain teaser...it's food for thought...that's right brain food.
The Brain in the Vat:
With all the political and societal blah blah blah these days it unnerves me to see our country bickering like the Bikersons; blaming this person or that about the state of our society, Real Estate market, government, planet, etc. There are a multitude of political pundits, talking heads, media personalities, and bloggers all claiming to know the real "truth", trying to out shout one another with their particular perspective as being the one and only correct reality. All the while assailing any other perspective as corrupt, conspiratorial, unqualified, insane, or satanic.
Well that got my brain thinking...
Remember the old horror flicks where the mad scientist cuts open the top of a persons head and removes the brain and suspends it in a vat of life-sustaining liquid, and through electrodes connects it to a computer that provides electrical impulses identical to those the brain would normally receive. The computer would then send electrical input to the brain resulting in the brain sensing a virtual world full of sights, sounds, tastes, etc.
The disembodied brain would think that it had a body, arms, legs, eyes, and could move about in the computer generated environment without any ability to distinguish that in fact it was just a brain in a vat. Well it's not all science fiction. The brain in a vat is also a philosophical tool used in experiments of the mind to examine our collective ideas of knowledge, reality, and truth.
The whole idea behind the brain in a vat concept is the notion that ALL perceived reality is potentially false and what we believe to be FACT is merely a figment of our imagination. In other words if our perceived existence is simply the exchange of electrical impulses from sensory organs to the brain and those impulses can be created without the use of sensory organs which is what happens when we dream, then how can we really know for certain of what the truth really is? Does the brain really have the ability to know for sure it's understanding of reality is in fact real? Can it effectively tell the difference between, reality, dreaming, or whether it's merely floating in a vat in a mad scientists laboratory? The answer is no it can't. Sorry Bill O'Rielly, Bu-aha-ha-ha? Think Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" or the film The Matrix.
One of my favorite movies of all time is Young Frankenstein by the comic genius Mel Brooks this is a topical out take from the film for your enjoyment.
The third Halloween treat is a ghastly ghost story from Hawai'i... it's based on a true story that I have embellished slightly for dramatic purposes... no I don't have any candy... yes I'm sure... if you don't keep quite I'll send you to my neigh-boo-r the Count...No he doesn't have any candy either you little junk food junkies, SILENCE before I turn you all into to toads... don't make me reach through the portcullis...
Lets Talk Ghost Story:
The story begins after midnight on a dark moonless night in Honolulu, May 19th 1959. An ambulance rushed it's way down sleepy Beretainia St. towards Queens' Medical Center, as a young woman, writhing from an apparent nervous break down lay strapped to the gurney in back. The paramedic, hunched over the patient, tapped the excess sedative from the hypodermic and pushed it adroitly into the frantic woman's arm as she struggled against the leather straps that securely bound her.
Babbling incoherently she arched her back as her head strained and convulsed from side to side; her dilated pupils made her eyes look like black coals, bottomless, full of terror. "She had no face!" She cackled, "she...no nothing...nothing there..." her voice trailed off and a few moments later the woman's overwrought neck and back relaxed and she lay motionless as the opiates pumped through her body, quieting the nervous system. Her eyes fluttering shut as her frantic heart began to find it's way back to it's normal beat. Her clenched jaw relaxed and fell slightly open, simultaneously her grip released what she had been holding in her bloodless fist since the paramedics first found her.
The crumpled ticket stub precipitated to the floor skirting under the gurney. The paramedic reached down and scooped it up. It was saturated with sweat but the blotted lettering was still legible, the paramedic un- crumpled the stub hoping to find a clue as to why the woman went off the deep end in the middle of a movie. During the frenetic call he neglected to see what was posted on the marquee, perhaps it was a horror film. They had found her in the woman's restroom on the floor; her arms pushing her knees tightly to her chest she was barely breathing, as white as a ghost.
Waiala'e Drive-In Theater 11:00pm, the stub read the rest was torn away. The theater manager said they had heard screams and a desperate pounding coming from the ladies restroom but the door was locked from the inside. When he finally returned with the key they found her alone, passed out. When she came to she gripped the managers hand and frightfully recounted the horror she experienced before lapsing into a catatonic state. "Some-ting bout' a wahine(woman) wid long red hair", the manger tentatively repeated to the ambulance driver as the paramedic pushed the gurney passed the two of them, "some wahine was already in the lua, standing at the mirror ya, combing her long red hair when dis' poor girl go to use the lua, the red hair wahine turn and look at her but she have no...the hum of the ambulance engine drowned out the managers words as the emergency lights flashed against the projection booth wall.
Speeding through the deserted streets cloaked in darkness the sirens wail reverberated into the quiet neighborhoods of downtown Honolulu as the black slope of Diamond Head and its imposing presence diminished slowly behind them. Scratching his head, the paramedic looked toward the driver who intently stared at him through the rearview mirror. The ambulance rambled through a red light and continued down the empty street.
"Mujina", the driver eventually blurted out nervously. The paramedic looked inquisitively at his partner, vaguely remembering stories from his youth told by the Kupuna about the ghostly Mujina but it was just folklore, tall tales to scare the Keiki. "My Tutu talk story ya..."the Ambulance pitched to the left as it turned right onto Punchbowl St.
"In Japan", he continued his eyes staring toward the port au chair at the hospital entrance."they call em' Noppera-bo, they look human but not quite... Shape shifters ya, look human but no face". The ambulance turned abruptly into the hospital drive, "No eyes, no nose, no mouth, ya... this girl got a real shock whatever she saw... scared her real good...almost to death ya bra. The paramedic finished buckeling the last strap on the straight jacket as the rear ambulance doors flew open. Two hulking orderlies grabbed the gurney as the retractable carriage clattered open and dropped errect to the pavement. The wheels, twirling, repositioned themselves in the the direction of the psychiatric ward, as the two hulks passed slowly through the empty hospital hallways.
The faceless ghost known as a Mujina or Noppera-bo has been spotted several times in places as far away as Hilo on the Big Island. Since the Waiala'e Drive-in Theater demolition in the 1980's the Noppera-bo has been spotted at the women's restroom in Macy's at the Kahala Mall, Zippy's Restaurant and other lua's located near the old Kahala cemetery. It is beleived that the malignant entities purpose is to frighten it's victims and will wait for the perfect opportunity to do so. So watch out ladies next time you go to the toilet you never know who might be waiting for you. Boo!
Is your curb appeal giving potential buyers the fright & flight syndrome? Is the situation in your yard, grave and bone chilling?
Why not fill it with Snakes*, Spiders*, and Monsters* and turn that ghoulish haunt of a yard into a tropical paradise!
Try adding some easy, low maintainence, tropical warmth with SNAKE plants, SPIDER Lily's, and MONSTERA deliciosa and really get buyers attention!
*SNAKE Plant, (Sanseveria trifasciata)
The Snake plant is so named because of the shape of its vertical growing, snake like leaves. Also known as mother-in-law's tongue because of it's pointy sharpness. In Japan it is known as Tiger's Tail and in Brazil it is commonly known as espada-de-são-jorge (sword-of-saint-george). A yellow-tipped variant is known as espada-de-santa-barbara (sword-of-saint-barbara). Rich in foklore this popular plant finds its origins in Zaire, Africa where the plant is used as a protective charm against evil or bewitchment. In China, it is used in Feng Shui as a houseplant because it is believed that the Eight Gods bestowed their eight virtues on those who grew them. These virtues include long life, prosperity, intelligence, beauty, art, poetry, health and strength. The Chinese often kept this plant potted in a pot adorned with dragons and phoenixes as the dragon attractive qualities of this plant is said to be magnetic. Even NASA has recognized the Snake Plant for it's air purification ability and to curb "Sick Building Syndrome."
The Snake plant is a low maintenance, super sturdy succulent that grows just about anywhere. Its leathery sword-shape leaves are often marbled with gray green and may be edged with yellow or white. Although snake plant grows best in medium or bright light it will tolerate low light levels too. Let the soil dry between watering's as over watering is common. It grows best in temperatures from 30 to 50 degrees Celsius.
Spider Lily is a tropical and subtropical species in the Tropical Hymenocallis category, and this bulbous perennial herb, blossoms all year long. Hymenocallis caribaea (Caribbean Spiderlily, Spider Lily, White Lily), produces bulbs, flowers, and remarkably giant sword like foliage.
Its long sword-shaped leaves are 40-70 cm long and up to 6 cm wide at its broadest. Smooth-textured and glossy, Spider Lily leaves are erect and somewhat curved at the top end. The sessile leaves are dark green and sometimes variegated red. These grow best in shade to part sun but will grow in full sun if watered regularly.
Spider Lily's blossom at night releasing a lovely aroma from dusk til dawn. Tropical Spider Lily's are much larger than their temperate, delicate, and Iris like cousins found on the mainland.
*MONSTERA, Split-leaf Philodendron (Monstera deliciosa also called Ceriman, Swiss Cheese Plant (or just Cheese Plant), Fruit Salad Plant, Monster fruit, Monsterio Delicio, Monstereo, Mexican Breadfruit, Locust and Wild Honey, Windowleaf and Delicious Monster)
This monstrous creeping vine native to tropical Central American rain-forests is a climbing relative of the philodendron from Mexico and Guatemala. It is popular yard plant here in Hawaii and in tropical and subtropical areas around the globe, growing well in partial sun but best in shade. If you have ever driven the Road to Hana or spent any time on the Windward sides of all the Hawaiian islands you will see this plant growing abundantly. The plant starts bearing fruit after three years and is a popular houseplant as well, however, it rarely fruits or blossoms indoors.
The large oval leaves are perforated with oblong holes and the plant produces a 9", dull, deep green, cone-like fruit which develops from a gigantic version of the philodendron like flower. The fruit is covered with hexagonal scales that dry out and separate as the fruit ripens very much like corn or maize, revealing the edible white pulp inside. It takes a little longer than a year to mature to an edible stage. Unripe fruit, if eaten causes mouth and throat irritation due to the high levels of oxalic acid. You may induce the fruit to ripen by picking it when the base has started to wrinkle and wrapping it in a bag for a few days. When unwrapped, the scales should have separated. Special note: This plant can be poisonous to pets due to the oxalic acid so if your cat likes to nibble on plants keep this one out of the house.
One amazing characteristic of this plant is that the seedlings will grow in the direction of the darkest area of the yard until it encounters the base of a tree to attach to. Then it will climb towards the light which is generally high in the tree canopy.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Fill your yard with Snakes, Spiders, and Monsters to really get buyers attention with Tropical Curb Appeal!
JDS Consulting-Hawaii Home Staging and Decor Design. Providing Real Estate Merchandising services including: Home Staging, Interior Decor, Turn Key, Landscaping, Remodeling, & Open House Hosting. Diamond Head, Kahala, Waikiki, Kapahulu, Kailua, Makiki, Tantalus, Hawaii Kai, Manoa, Nu'uanu, Ala Moana, Waialua, Haleiwa, North Shore, Kapolei, Makaha, Honolulu.
Going turn key: Attracting vacation renters with your rental units. There are many factors that should be considered when determining to go turn key with your rental unit. As every property has it's own unique strengths and challenges it is best to consult with an experienced property manager before fully furnishing your rental unit as a vacation rental. This post examines from my personal experience some important issues to consider before adding everything from soup bowls to nutcrackers to your investment property. As a Real Estate Merchandiser working mainly in property management, I often see different types of rental units in various conditions. Everything from unfurnished long term to turn key short term vacation rentals and condotels. The former are typically a lot less time consuming and costly for the landlord and the latter can be a bit more involved both monetarily and effort wise but the return on your investment can be substantially faster if you know what you are doing.
In the investment Real Estate market the three golden rules of real estate apply: Location, Price, Condition. If you intend to make money from a turn key investment property the location should obviously be somewhere that people want to live and recreate and resort destinations can make great investment locales. However, there are pitfalls to buying in areas that are JUST resort destinations, mainly that the market value can be highly volatile in an investor only market. You also want a market that has a substantial permanent population that's not going to put their property on the market and move because of difficult financial times. Investors usually don't live in their investment properties and are the first to put their properties on the market in difficult times; the same with second home owners, if everyone is an investor or second home owner in a particular area, property values can plummet quickly when times get tough.
This property was initially offered as a partly furnished 1 bedroom condo for rent in Waikiki. Looking to create a faster return on the investment the property owner considered going turn key. In order to keep costs down it was suggested that the owner purchase furniture and accessories from hotel furniture resale outlets, and organizations like Good Will and Salvation Army. Utilizing personal items no longer needed at home can also save one money when turning a property into a desirable turn key rental. When outfitting a turn key unit, durability and condition are important. If you want to attract higher rents you need higher quality materials, knowing who your target market is is essential in determining what you need to buy and how much you you will need to spend. In the top photos the layout was awkward and the furniture too mismatched. By simply rearranging the furniture, adding some art, and a different sofa the room became more accomodating and comfortable; details potential renters notice and appreciate.
JDS Consulting provides experienced property management and Real Estate consultants to help property owners determine what their target market is and how to allocate money effectively. Some properties no matter how they are furnished or well kept will command only so much rent. Spending money on expensive amenities that renters aren't looking to pay higher rents for can price you too high in the rental market and reduce your return dramatically.Merchandising the property is equally important, as well. Layout, functionality, and appropriate aesthetic helps create a hotel feel that vacation renters are looking for.
Price is very important. You need to be able to put enough money down on the property to see an immediate return on your investment. In other words the rent you intend to receive should cover the mortgage and then some. Rental income can fluctuate right along with real estate prices and you need to be prepared to cover the mortgage in times when renters are scarce and hard to come by. Case in point right after 9/11 tourism tanked in Hawaii creating a desperate shortage of potential renters and vacationers in high density investment markets like Waikiki. Many investors were leveraged to such a degree that any drop in rental income meant they couldn't pay the mortgage; this in turn created a sell off and consequently the Real Estate Market went to pot. Those investors that had enough equity to sweat out the lower rents were able to survive the down turn and were well positioned when the market eventually recovered. In consequence to the investor bailout,however, first time home buyers took advantage of the price drop and a larger percentage of permanent residents moved into Waikiki, stabilizing a once highly volatile market.
Condition will be a determining factor in how much rent you can get along with whether it's turn key, furnished, or vacant. In addition to location the condition of a rental property will help retrieve your initial investment faster if it is well maintained, furnished and clean especially in resort areas like Waikiki. There are several target markets to be found in a typical resort destination. The first and most lucrative is the vacationer. If your rental unit has an ocean view and is available to rent on a short term basis, a month or less at a time, you will mostly likely be able to command a considerable amount of rent from your tenants anywhere from $1000 to $20,000 a month or week depending on the number of bedrooms, amenities location, condition and view. Of course a $20,000 a week property will cost you several millions to buy but thats a great return on a 10 million dollar investment. Even if you have a $500,000 dollar property that's a couple blocks from the beach with no view to speak of you can make a decent return if it's priced right and is habitable, but the nicer it is the easier it is to rent and the more rent you can collect.
Is going turn key with a rental unit a good idea?
JDS Consulting-Hawaii Home Staging and Decor Design. Providing Real Estate Merchandising services including: Home Staging, Interior Decor, Turn Key, Landscaping, Remodeling, & Open House Hosting. Diamond Head, Kahala, Waikiki, Kapahulu, Kailua, Makiki, Tantalus, Hawaii Kai, Manoa, Nu'uanu, Ala Moana, Waialua, Haleiwa, North Shore, Kapolei, Makaha, Honolulu.
'Awa or Kava(pronounced aahvaah) is a sacred plant in the Hawaiian and Polynesian cultures and has many uses from the spiritual to the medicinal. It is more commonly known today as an intoxicating beverage but it's uses are found in ceremonial traditions both religious and community based across Polynesia. 'Awa has several medicinal uses including the treatment of: colds, headaches, respiratory diseases such as asthma, diabetes, rheumatism and it is commonly used as a muscle relaxant or sedative, often in conjunction with Lomi Lomi or Hawaiian massage.
An `awa drink, good for migraines or pre menstrual discomfort may be prepared for personal use by chewing a few small pieces of clean root until a thumb size cud is formed. Once you have produced three of these cuds, mash them in a bowl with fresh water. Strain the liquid through cheese cloth to remove the fibrous elements and if you prefer add cane juice or honey as a sweeter as 'awa is the Hawaiian word for bitter.
In the traditional Hawaiian preparation, the `awa may be mixed with water or with coconut milk and is sometimes warmed in a special calabash called a kanoa, over hot stones. After straining it is consumed when it has cooled.
'Awa is often served as a beverage of thanksgiving and is gulped not sipped with some left in the cup that is poured onto the ground with a prayer. E hanai `awa a ikaika ka makani. Offering `awa and prayers to one's ancestors strengthens their spirit presence so that they may be of help to you and your Ohana or family.
Pacific Islands Kava Festival, UH Mānoa Campus, Saturday, October 3 The Kava Festival, also known in Hawai'i as the 'Awa Festival, features many aspects of 'awa as central to culture for Hawai'i and the Pacific Islands. The festival celebrates 'awa as an important and fundamental aspect of Hawaiian culture and a treasure for Hawai'i's people and the world.
Live local music from Hawai'i's hottest music groups, educational and cultural booths, 'awa sampling, 'awa plants, 'apu making workshop, preparation demos, pa'i'ai/poi pounding, food booths, and Hawai'i's 'awa serving bars and cafes will also be serving the public. In addition, a traditional Hawaiian kapu 'awa ceremony will be performed honoring VIPs who have made contributions in culture, education and science.
Inspired by Active Rain Staffer Mike Judge's blog post challenge to ask him anything, I thought I would do the same; as my blog is titled Questions for Kimo, I think it would be apropos. So while I patiently wait for Mike to answer my Active Rain question posed to him I thought I would field a few from those who might be interested in learning more about my beautiful home, Hawaii.
JDS Consulting-Hawaii Home Staging and Decor Design. Providing Real Estate Merchandising services including: Home Staging, Interior Decor, Turn Key, Landscaping, Remodeling, & Open House Hosting. Diamond Head, Kahala, Waikiki, Kapahulu, Kailua, Makiki, Tantalus, Hawaii Kai, Manoa, Nu'uanu, Ala Moana, Waialua, Haleiwa, North Shore, Kapolei, Makaha, Honolulu.
Those of you who don't live as close to the equator as I do might be lamenting the end of summer's balmy days and the grasp of fall's chilly nights. Nothing motivates the mind quite like a good read when curling up in the snugness of ones boudoir preparing for that long winter's nap. Even in Hawaii the rainy days of winter can dampen the spirit but here is a book list to help keep the circulation flowing.
For Home Stagers and Real Estate Merchandisers color selection is Primo and Pantone is the science behind color forecasting and selection; this book offers a glimpse at the power of merchandising in a paint can and how a little color can go a long way. Although much of the book surrounds print and marketing design the same principles can be applied to interiors.
When it comes to design trends in home staging, "Green" design is at the forefront of fashion but what does that mean exactly. This book offers designers an introduction to what it means to be Green and how to achieve it in your design work. Whether it's identifying and incorporating renewable resource products or effectively recycling the "old" into "new" this inspirational work makes being green a little easier.
Green Design: Creative Sustainable Designs for the Twenty-First Century
The future will be designed by a woman. Zaha Hadid is so ahead of her time she blows Star Trek off the stellar map with her AMAZING architectural work. In a field dominated by men Ms. Hadid was the first woman ever to receive the prestigious Pritzker Prize for Architecture in 2004, which if you didn't know is the the equivalent of an Oscar and Nobel Prize rolled into one. Born in 1950 in Baghdad, Iraq Ms. Hadid received a degree in mathematics before attending the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London. With astounding projects being produced all over the world Ms.Hadid will take your breath away as she transports you into the future with her design work.
Before western contact mental illness was virtually unheard of in Hawaii. There are several accounting factors for this including: a culture that was very open, accepting, loving, nurturing, and more apt to respect ability and natural talent over discriminating views toward gender or sexual preference. However, the primary reason for the astounding mental stability of the native Hawaiian population is the tradition known as Ho'oponopono; the literal translation of which means "to make right".
In ancient Hawaii there were three distinct classes: the Ali'ior chiefly class of nobles and royalty; the Maka'ainana, the commoners; and theKahunawhich was a broad selection of professional specialists that included master crafts-persons, healers, herbalists, hula dancers, agricultural geneticists, net makers, canoe builders, architects, interior designers, doctors, genealogists, navigators, soothsayers, priests, psychiatrists, kapa cloth makers, feather workers, and the list goes on. Over many centuries a multitude of specialized professions developed as the needs of the community dictated. These highly skilled and knowledgeable professionals formed hui's or guilds so that they could transfer their knowledge and skills to only the most qualified students who would, in some cases, be hand picked during childhood.
In ancient Hawaiian society children were closely observed virtually from birth by the Kahuna and their interests and abilities were duly noted. Those children, who displayed particular talent or precosiousness in any of the various diciplines would be introduced to rudimentary instruction. If the child excelled he would be enrolled into that particular field and would spend many years learning the many aspects involved in his or her trade. Only the most skilled and accomplished students would graduate and receive a master accreditation. These master Kahuna were the ones that were bestowed with the Huna or secret of the trade which allowed them their miraculous abilities. Missionary ignorance and influence resulted in laws being passed that made some Kahuna practices illegal and it wasn't until the mid 1970's that laws condemning the Kahuna were lifted completely from the law books.
One such Kahuna designation was the Kahuna La'au Lapa'au or the psychiatric and homeopathic specialist. The knowledge of the Kahuna La'au Lapa'au embodied the spiritual, as well as, a well source of information garnered from a millennium of observation. Hawaiian psychiatric understanding was very similar to Carl Jung's but superior in many ways due to the extensive "clinical" research passed down over the centuries and the virtual absence of mental diseases in Hawaii. Ho'oponopono or the process of "making things right" is an astounding psychiatric marvel that relies on a profound community based interaction with the afflicted and not drugs as is popular today. The root of mental illness was addressed as a community issue and required the full participation of the patients family and community. It required the entire community's participation in what might be considered an intervention of intense scrutiny that necessitated every-ones personal accountability, not only the patient's. The intervention would last some times for days at a time were no one could leave until the disease was dispelled; Aloha was the foundation for this healing.
To find out more about this fascinating aspect of Hawaiian homeopathic healing please join us -
This Ho'oponopono workshop will feature the Hawaiian practice of healing, balance and stress release as it was updated and taught by Kahuna La'au Lapa'au Morrnah Nalamaku Simeona. This is presented as a community service which means there are no fees.*
Please feel free to pass this on to those you think might enjoy or benefit from this special gift passed on by Auntie Morrnah.
This workshop is not affiliated with McKinley High School so please direct any inquiries directly to Kumu Ramsay Taum via email or phone, 394-5557. Space is limited. The room tends be very cool so a sweater or light jacket is recommended.
A Day of Feng Shui - without the furniture being rearranged!
Feng Shui, to many Westerners, is as unknown as the place of it's origin; China if you didn't know. More importantly it is an aspect of a philosophy on living a happy fulfilling existence regardless of circumstance. You may understand Feng Shui to be something akin to Home Staging or interior decorating but it is much much more than just that. In China, Feng Shui is a component of a major religion Taoism but you need not be religious to appreciate and or practice it's tenants but it is a spiritual path, none the less. In fact it's principles can be successfully incorporated into all religions that believe a universal energy or spirit is in and apart of all things. Taoism or the Tao means "The Path" and it's adherents recognize that how we think of the world creates our world, that the less resistance you have to change the happier you will be. For those of you who live on Oahu and are interested in finding out more about this uplifting and simplifying philosophy please join Alice Inoue in an in-depth introduction to Feng Shui-
Feng Shui with Alice Inoue This is an all-day workshop designed to give you the tools you need to bring multiple levels of your life into balance. Using the core principles of Feng Shui, Alice will share information on how to recreate your life by bringing the energies around you and within you into balance.With all that is going on in our lives and in the world today, it is more important than ever to center ourselves. In this workshop, we will take Feng Shui to new levels:
� BODY: You are never separate from your environment. No matter where you live or work, your environment has a great impact on how you feel and on your energy output. Learn easy-to-implement Feng Shui tools to create an environment that supports you rather than drains you.
� MIND: Our minds are constantly "on," with over 60,000 thoughts a day. Interestingly, 95 percent of our thoughts are the same as those from the day before, and 80 percent of these habitual thoughts are negative. Learn how our surroundings impact our thoughts, and how we can shift ourselves toward greater control of our thoughts. Find out where our fears come from and how we can take charge and quiet the inner critic.
� HEART: Our hearts have an electromagnetic field 5,000 times more powerful than our brain, yet over time we shut down our hearts, losing the most powerful energetic influencer of all. Learn heart-opening tips to implement in your environment, as well as how to gently reconnect to your inner voice, which holds the answers to your journey.
� SPIRIT: When life experiences are challenging, we feel separated from our Spirit, the all-knowing part of our Selves. If we live our lives solely from our mental and emotional bodies and fail to understand the spiritual perspective of our life's journey, life is more difficult to navigate. Open up to a new understanding of your Spirit and how it can guide you. Join Alice for a day of awakenings and magic, as she offers multiple keys to shift your life from deep within. The day will be a mixture of lectures, slides, discussion, meditations and exercises. Let's Feng Shui our lives on all levels together!
Sunday, Sep 27th 10 am to 5 pm Macy 's Special Events Room Ala Moana Center $125 advance | $140 at the door
Whether designing a property for sale or for personal purposes, the essential design process is the same. Understanding the architectural interplay with decor will help create a room that leaves a positive impression on the potential buyer or design client instead of leaving them befuddled or worse, disappointed.
In this this virtual bedroom design we were merchandising the property to function as a second home and or rental. With that in mind the room was to be used by the teenage daughter of our clients when used as a second home and a second bedroom in case of a rental. We were designing for both personal taste and general merchandising at the same time which means finding the intersecting elements of what might otherwise be a contradictory trajectory, or in other words a project going no where.
The daughters favorite color is blue, so we immediately incorporated a soft denim which would compliment the khaki colored buildings dominating the view from the room. Since the view is a major focal point the windows design is very noticeable, especially the rather odd looking crank windows on the left. Inorder to minimilize the look of the crank windows we chose a modern rectangular motif for the space which was repeated throughout the bedroom and apartment.
We selected gender neutral accents so that the room would appeal to as many persons as possible considering the parameters of the project, with the photo art of bamboo complimenting the vertical architectural elements both indoors and out. The plumeria blossom pillow could easily be removed to neutralize the personal preferences even further.
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many uses from the spiritual to the medicinal. It is more commonly known today as an intoxicating beverage but it's uses are found in ceremonial traditions both religious and community based across Polynesia. 'Awa has several medicinal uses including the treatment of: colds, headaches, respiratory diseases such as asthma, diabetes, rheumatism and it is commonly used as a muscle relaxant or sedative, often in conjunction with Lomi Lomi or Hawaiian massage. 
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