Playing Favorites, List 1

 

Here are my favorites: 

Playing Favorites is a powerfully eye-opening self-exploratory exercise. "Playing" it was thought-provoking and clarifying.

"Getting to Know You, Getting to Know All About You..."
~ Rodger & Hammerstein from The King and I

Perhaps you'll come up with your favorites.The person you'll get to know might surprise you.

"Enjoy every moment, every breath 
of those whose lives are intertwined with yours,
for you or they may not be here tomorrow."

Favorite gifts in life: 
*  hugs & kisses
*  my kith, kin & dog-kids
*  my spirituality
*  books, learning, and education  
*  honeymoons, family trips & weekends away

Favorite kin:   
DH (aka Dear Husband, Dear Heart)
*  Joan, Sandy & Dean (siblings)
*  Wayne, Sue, Samara, Jonathan, Alana S (Family)
*  Aunty Chick & Uncle Ted
*  Grandmother Satsuma, Grandfather I
Dog-kids: Happy & Laki (aka Hau`oli & Laki); O & Freddy B
Hawai`i - California `Ohana: 2001

Favorite kith:   
*  Jillary & Ron
Poonz & K
Cia & Doni
*  Wayne & Lynn
Grad school buds: Cliff, Mike, Ann & Ed

Favorite spiritual mentors: 
Mohandas Gandhi
Albert Einstein
Albert Schweitzer
Mary Kawena Pukui
The Peace Pilgrim

Favorite spiritual aspirations:   
*  Unconditional love
*  Oneness
*  Thy Will, Not Mine
*  Magnanimity
*  Compassion

Favorite living inspirations: 
Oprah Winfrey
Colin Powell
Dean Kamen, founder of DEKA
Jimmy Carter
*  Firemen, Police Officers, Rescue Workers and passengers who thwarted the terrorists, NYC, September, 11, 2001

Favorite kinds of people:   
*  down-to-earth, unpretentious, real
*  creative, imaginative, adventuresome
*  responsible, high integrity, salt-of-the-earth
*  fun-loving, non-demanding, easygoing
positive-thinking, sensitive, compassionate

Favorite self-affirmations:   
*  (I am) Happy, Healthy, One with God
I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.
Thy Will, not mine (song)

Be still, and know that I am God. (poem)
The Lord's Prayer
Live, Laugh, Love (healing humor)
Life is short.  Make it sweet.
All is well.
Above all else, do no harm.
Eat, drink and be merry.

Favorite mottos  
Do Right
In God We Trust
Be Prepared
Go for Broke! (site)

Light, Life, Love

Favorite endearments:  
*  DH (Dear Husband; Dear Heart)
*  Honey Bunny
*  Pumpkin Pie
*  Sweet Pea
*  My Little Rosebud

"I will bring to you love, never sadness, 
Laughter and joy, never tears. 
I will bring to you moments of gladness 
And happiness through the years."

Favorite colors: 
royal purple
robin's egg blue & sky blue
fuzzy wuzzy brown
cranberry*  
forest green

Favorite stores:
*  Amazon.com
Barnes & Noble
Borders
half.com
*  Edelweiss Bookstore

Favorite simple pleasures:   
*  baths by candlelight and soft classical / Hawaiian music
*  hugs, cuddles, snuggles, foot massages
*  just hanging out with DH and the dog-kids
*  soft, baggy clothes
*  teddy bears

Favorite outdoor activities: 
*  taking an evening or morning stroll
*  hiking
*  biking
*  gardening
*  stargazing

Favorite indoor activities:
*  reading
*  writing
*  listening to classical or Hawaiian music
*  ballroom dancing
*  surfing the Net

Favorite games:  
Etymologic!
Literati
Scrabble
Boggle
Cranium


"May your life be filled with joy,
may your world be filled with love."

Favorite sights:  
*  DH's smile and his kind, crinkly eyes
*  O's adorable puppy face
*  long view down the lake to the dam
*  flower gardens under blue skies 
*  sunrises, sunsets, silver mornings

Favorite scents: 
*  DH
*  sheets & towels washed in Ivory soap, then sun-dried
*  freshly baked bread
*  plumeria
*  new books

Favorite sounds 
*  DH, playing his guitar
*  happy, contented dog sighs
*  the quiet of snow falling 
*  gently lapping waves
*  DH's hearty laugh

Favorite tastes: 
*  DH's scrumptious kisses
*  DH's homemade spaghetti sauce
char siu
Hawaiian `alaea (red sea salt)
Valrhona bittersweet chocolate

Favorite kinesthetics: 
*  inviting warmth of our bed
*  comfortable shoes
*  silky, cool satin; soft, warm flannel; pure cotton
*  stiffly starched, smoothly ironed pillowcases
*  clean dog fur


"I asked God for all things that I might enjoy life. 
And God said "No." 
He said I gave you life, that you may enjoy all things."

Favorite clothes: 
Cloud Nine pajamas
*  black cashmere turtle neck sweater
*  white Oxford shirt & cranberry travel vest
the indispensable "little black dress"
*  soft, baggy purple sweatshirt

Favorite shoes: 
*  Nike high-top sneakers
*  no shoes (bare feet or socks only)
black suede shoes
sandals
*  Cloud Nine booties

Favorite jewelry: 
*  wedding ring from DH, 1974
*  plumeria earrings from DH, 2002
Claddagh ring from furkids (& DH) for Mother's Day, 1989
*  jade turtle (family `aumakua) pendant from Keala & Maleka `Ōhi`a, 7/2001, family reunion, Las Vegas, NV
Ming's phoenix gold ring from my mother-in-law,  1980's

Favorite lei: 
maile
plumeria
Ni`ihau shell lei from my kith, Jillary
haku with ferns and flowers
ti & kukui leaves

Favorite catalogs:   
TravelSmith
L.L. Bean
Plow & Hearth
Jackson & Perkins
Harry and David

"Nothing is worth more than this day." 
~Goethe

Favorite animals 
*  dogs 
dolphins
*  birds
*  turtles
*  rabbits
  - Oolong the Rabbit
  - Oolong's human writes in English

In the past, my life has been blessed by and shared with six dogs, a cat, a goat, chickens, parakeets, a canary, rescued wild birds, fishes, a turtle, pigs, piglets, cows, calves, a bull, a kinkajou, white lab rats, a rabbit, and a lamb -- a real bah, bah black sheep.

Favorite dogs:   
Happy & Lucky; O & Freddy B (our dog-kids, past and present)
*  Masa (Aunty Chick's & Uncle Ted's)
*  Ipo, BigDog & Hana (Joan's, Mitch's and Alana K's dogs)
*  Otis, Buster & Oscar (Big Bear neighbors' dogs)
LassieMurray (aka Maui) on TV show, Mad About You
*   Yuki, Honey, Shiro, Dixie, Wesak (dogs of our childhoods)

Favorite birds  
bluebirds
sparrows
robins
chickadees
`i`iwi

 

"Live each day as if this were your last;
garden as if you will live forever."

Favorite flowers:  
wisteria
pink rosebuds
plumeria
freesia
sweetpea


Favorite trees  
pine:  firs, cedars, spruces
*  Japanese red maple
*  guava
*  bamboo
crape myrtle

Favorite plants: 
*  ferns
bleeding hearts
maile
*  rosemary
*  willows

" A recent study on heart disease showed that when you eliminate age as a variable, the number one predictor of heart disease is not diet or exercise, and has nothing to do with smoking or any of the traditional risk factors... it is joyless striving! "

Favorite aspects of work: 
helping, serving and caring for others on a one-on-one basis
*  easing distress and/or pain; lifting spirits
*  camaraderie and friendships
*  opportunity to live out my spiritual aspirations
*  making a positive difference

 

"Take your favorite food and as you eat it, imagine that, for whatever reason, this is the last time you will ever taste it. Knowing that this experience will be lost forever,  squeeze as much enjoyment out of the experience as possible."


Favorite meals: 
*  breakfast
*  brunch

Favorite cuisines:   
*  Italian
*  Japanese
*  Hawaiian
*  Korean
*  Thai

Favorite foods:  
*  finger foods (see next list)
*  DH's Italian sausage spaghetti
*  fresh salads, Sue's potato salad
Mom's Hawai`i-style salad & laulau
*  anything cooked, baked or prepared by Joan

Favorite finger foods:  
sushi
pupu
dim sum
tapas
musubi / onigiri

Favorite sushi:  
*  mirugai (giant clam - geoduck)
*  natto (fermented soybeans, an acquired taste)
*  spicy tuna roll
*  sake (salmon) 
*  unagi  (eel)

Favorite cheap eats: 
Hawaiian mixed plate lunch
In-N-Out burger with slices of raw onion
Japanese bento
Arby's roast beef with horsey sauce
Vietnamese pho

Favorite comfort food:  
*  ice cream
*  BBQ potato chips
*  corned beef hash and eggs
*  DH's homecooking
Campbell's vegetable soup

Favorite fruits: 
*  Bosc pears (with Gorgonzola cheese)
*  chilled papaya 
*  ice-cold mango
*  raisins
*  apricots

Favorite vegetables: 
*  sweet corn
*  broccoli
*  onions
*  potatoes
*  soybeans

Favorite staples: 
poi
potatoes
Chinese mein (noodles)
pasta
rice

Favorite soups: 
hearty tomato & gazpacho
french onion
cioppino
saimin & won ton mein
Portuguese bean soup

Favorite main dishes: 
*  cioppino with abalone, lobster, crab, clams
veal saltimbocca
*  Aunty Chick's pork ribs
*  meat loaf
char siu

Favorite condiments: 
*  Del Monte catsup
*  bleu cheese dressing
*  ajitsuke nori (seasoned seaweed)
*  kosher dill pickles
wasabi

Favorite flavors:   
*  anything spicy 
*  red pepper flakes, Tabasco, Sriracha 
cinnamon 
*  cherry
*  peppermint 

Favorite drinks: 
*  I love water!   
grape soda
Ocean Spray cran-grape juice
carrot-apple-lemon, freshly juiced
Welch's Purple 100% grape juice

Favorite spirits:
*  Merlot
Delicato 2000 California Shiraz
Miller Lite
Bloody Mary
coffee drinks

Favorite breakfast items: 
steel-cut oatmeal with raisins and brown sugar
cinnamon rolls
corned beef hash and over easy eggs
blueberry anything
Just Right cereal

Favorite delectable desserts:
*  Coco's pumpkin pie a la mode
warm bread pudding with whiskey sauce
Dobash chocolate cake
Maraschino cherry cake
Cherries Jubilee

Favorite ice cream:
"I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!"
*  Disneyland's Fantasia
(cherry, banana, pistachio)
*  Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia
*  Baskin & Robbins Pistachio Almond
*  Baskin & Robbins Jamoca Almond Fudge
*  Baskin & Robbins Rum Raisin

Favorite treats: 
*  chocolate-covered raisins
Altoids
shave ice
oatmeal raisin cookies
prune mui

Favorite Jelly Belly flavors: 
grape jelly
green apple
very cherry
pink grapefruit
watermelon

Favorite restaurants:
Ristorante al vero "Girarrosto Toscano"
 Via Campania 29, Rome, Italy
*  Cafe de `Oro, Capri, Italy 
Sam Choy's Diamond Head Restaurant, Kapahulu, HI
Commander's Palace, New Orleans, LA
JW's (French),  Anaheim, CA
*  Aroma's Italian Restaurant,  Buena Park, CA
Roy's, Nāpili, Maui, HI
Mama's Fish House, Paia, Maui, HI
*  Sushi Ichiban, Big Bear, CA,  909-866-6413

Favorite recipe sites:   
*   22 News
`Ono Recipes
Epicurious
Food TV
Sam Choy
Cook's Thesaurus

"When in New York City, 
live each day as if it were your last. 
Because you just might get run over by a cab."


Favorite places: 
home, bathtub, ultra-comfy bed  
*  mountains, forests, lakes
*  bookstores, libraries
Blue Grotto, Island of Capri, Italy
Hapuna Beach, Hawai`i

Favorite inspiring places: 
*  Eye of the God, CA 
Yosemite National Park
Beck Chapel, Indiana University, Bloomington
*  Sacred kukui grove of Lanikaula, Pu`u o Hoku Ranch, Molokai (legend
*  Waipi`o Valley, HI


Favorite villages:
Portofino, Italy
Big Bear, CA
Jackson Hole, WY
*  Ketchikan, AK
Sturbridge, MA

Favorite towns: 
Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA
Mendocino, CA
Stockbridge, MA
Bloomington, IN
Hilo, HI

Favorite US cities:
New York City, NY  
New Orleans, LA  
Honolulu, HI   
San Francisco, CA  
Disneyland Resorts, CA, The Happiest Place on Earth

Favorite international cities :
Florence, Italy
Barcelona, Spain
Paris, France
Copenhagen, Denmark
Kyoto, Japan

Favorite islands : 
*  Islet in an ancient fishpond, Kapoho, HI
Moloka`i, HI
Capri, Italy
Coconut Island, Hilo, HI
Guernsey, Channel Islands, UK

 

Aloha Tip of the Month
Live each day as if it were your last.
Tell those close to you that you love them, 
enjoy the beauty around you anew, 
and perform a "Random Act of Aloha" for a stranger
 -- offer to take a picture for a group of visitors,
throw away someone else's carelessly left trash, 
give up your seat in the bus to someone who could use it, 
and don't forget to smile... 
it will brighten someone's day. 

 

Favorite holidays: 
Thanksgiving Day
*  Mother's Day
*  Christmas
*  Valentine's
*  May Day in Hawai`i
*  New Year's in Hawai`i

Favorite seasons:  
*  Summer in the mountains
*  Winter in Hawai`i
*  Spring in Italy
*  Fall in New England

Favorite toys:  
computer
lap harp
*  teddy bears
*  CDs & videotapes
*  bicycles - mountain & street

Favorite kissers:
*  DH
Davey Jones
*  Freddy B
*  O
 

Go to:  Favorites 2

 Work like you don't need the money; 
dance like no one is watching; 
sing like no one is listening; 
love like you've never been hurt; 
and live every day as if it were your last.



"Life is a Gift."

Go about your days in joy, with love,

Author Unknown

P.S.  If you would like to share a portion of yourself  with words, in response to this journal entry, you may do it here.  


 "The only gift is a portion of thyself..."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

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This web journal was created on a September Morn, 
September 29, 2001
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September Morn © 2001