Lucky Seven Lunch!

Today, I discovered a great deal for lunch in Waikiki. For just $7.77 you can enjoy a lunch buffet at Genius Lounge on Lewers Avenue. The buffet includes all you can fit onto a LARGE carry-out plate, drinks, soup and light desserts.

I had walked by Genius Lounge many times, but I had never noticed they had a lunch special before. I asked the staff and she said they just started last week. 

The atmosphere is very laid-back and you can choose a comfortable seat inside or out on the balcony. I was really impressed with the quantity and quality of food you can get for less than $8.00.

The lunch buffet starts at 12:00 and ends at 2:00, or whenever the food runs out.

I will definitely be coming here again!

Looking for some Aloha?

Don't miss the Aloha Festival block party tonight on Kalakaua Ave. Starting at 7:00 PM, you can enjoy live music, great local food and Hawaiian made goods.

Next Saturday, make sure to save a spot to watch the Floral Parade starting at 9:00 AM. You won't want to miss the beautiful horses and colorful floats.

ALOHA!

Look what Kayano did

Kayano, one of our returning students, decided it would be a good idea to jump out of an airplane from an altitude of 12,000 feet.

She is a brave woman; much braver than the person writing these lines. 

Kayano did a tandem jump, which means she was attached to an instructor the whole way down.

She got some amazing views of the island's north shore.

She clearly found this experience exhilarating.  What do you think? Would you jump out of an airplane?

Pizza Party!

Last Friday we had a pizza party and potluck to celebrate graduation. The school will feel very empty this week after so many students have left. We will miss them all.

To make up for the empty school, we all ate plenty of pizza, snacks, salad and cookies. I was stuffed!

Graduation is always sad, but pizza makes me happy so I don't know how to feel!

The Ukelele Festival is Here!

This Sunday, July 21st from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm you can listen to live ukelele music from around the world, eat delicious food, try a free ukelele lesson and enter to win one of many ukeleles! The festival is at Kapiolani Park in Waikiki. 

Jake Shimabukoro will perform at 3:00

Kapiolani park is the perfect setting to relax and listen to music. 





For a full schedule of the performances on Sunday click here:http://www.ukulelefestivalhawaii.org/en/oahu/program.htm

Everything is FREE! So don't miss out on this fun activity.

Red, White and Coo?

This pigeon really got into the holiday spirit!

How was everyone's Independence Day? Did you enjoy traditional American 4th of July activities like a BBQ or fireworks? We spent the day at the beach and then enjoyed music and fireworks at Ala Moana Shopping Center.

They have live music on the Sear's parking lot starting at 5:00 and amazing fireworks from 8:30. There are always many people and a great party atmosphere.

Baby Talk: Free Lesson!

Moms and Dads, now you can learn English with your Baby in Waikiki!

Baby Talk is a special class at Hawaii Palms English School for parents or caretakers of babies one year and younger.

Join us for a FREE one hour lesson Friday, July 12^th from 10:30-11:30*

Do you wish you could talk to other parents at the park about your kids? Do you worry that you can't explain a problem to your doctor? When you have a baby, the conversation naturally centers around your child. We will practice common phrases you can use with your baby everyday. We will also practice conversations you might use when playing at the park or at the doctor's office. By practicing these conversations in class, you will get the confidence to use them in the real word. The best part is that by using English on a regular basis around your baby, you will give them a head start on the language as well. If you use English with your child daily, it will become second nature for you both.

The class is one hour every Friday from 10:30 to 11:30 in the heart of Waikiki. You can enjoy shopping or the beach after class and practice your new English with other parents you meet.

If you have any questions or would like to join the FREE CLASS on Friday July 12^th, please email Sara @EnglishSchoolHawaii.com or call (808) 922-3535

*Please sign-up by July 10^th.

Freefalling

Are you a thrill seeker? Have you ever wanted to try skydiving? Now is your chance! This Saturday, June 29th, you can try skydiving at the North Shore for just $180. Jump out of an airplane at about 3,000 meters in the air and for 15 seconds fall at 120 miles per hour!

Does it sound too scary for you? Don't worry, it is a tandem jump which means a skydive instructor will be jumping with you.

Take the leap and sign-up at school by Thursday.

Summer is Here!

This Friday is the first day of summer. To celebrate, Tak is hosting an activity at Minato Japanese Restaurant.

You can take in the view from Tantalus and then enjoy a couple of drinks with your classmates.
Minato is a tasty restaurant just off King Street. They sell Japanese food and even have Sake Ice Cream, why don't you give it a try?






The cost is just $30 and includes transportation, two drinks, food and lots of fun! You can sign up at school.

Three Nights in The Belly of Tokyo

Javier visited Yusaku in Tokyo for 3 nights and they spent all of their time eating (and doing a little bit of work in between meals).

The perfect bowl of tan tan ramen topped with some delicious tonkatsu fried to perfection. High amount of calories = tons of flavor.

This was all gone faster than you can say, “Ground shrimp with fried noodles and an assortment of grilled chicken skewers.”

At a restaurant in Shibuya, this anchovy and crab brain dipping sauce highlighted an amazing meal

Some friendly people they met recommended they try “the best miso ramen in all of Japan”. Javier and Yusaku ordered it extra spicy.

Indian curry, tandoori chicken, and mango lassi in Japan? Yes, please!     

On their second night, Yusaku organized a Hawaii Palms English School reunion. Many of Javier’s former students gathered at a Hawaiian restaurant in Tokyo for some food, drinks, laughs, and a great time.

This tamagoyaki would have gotten “two thumbs up” had Javier’s left hand not been busy holding up the dish.

How can you be in Tokyo and not eat sushi? Some of the finest and freshest sushi they’ve ever had was at Tsukiji Market on their final morning in Tokyo; definitely THE BEST sea urchin (uni) Javier or Yusaku have ever eaten: it had no seaweed around the rice and was topped with a little bit of salt; incredibly delicious!

                                                   

Wanna free class?

Aloha! Do you want a free elective ticket? All you have to do is record a short video about life in Hawaii, a fun activity here on the islands, or any other Hawaii experience. Just email your video to info@englishschoolhawaii.com. We will post it to our Facebook page and you will get one free elective ticket!

You can use your elective to join one of our many afternoon or evening elective classes.

So what are you waiting for?!? Break out your camera and start filming!

Chocolate Lava Cake

Did you know you can make delicious Chocolate Lava Cake in the microwave? It is really simple and it takes just a few minutes.  It is called lava cake because of the melted chocolate in the middle that looks like lava.

Follow the recipe below to make your own. All you need is a few simple ingredients and a microwave!

Chocolate Lava Cake

Materials:

Mixing bowl

Small microwave-safe bowl or cup

Measuring spoons

Butter or parchment paper for lining the bowl

Fork

Microwave

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon flour

1 tablespoon powdered sugar

2 teaspoon cocoa powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

pinch of salt

2 teaspoon oil

3 tablespoons milk

1-2 pieces of chocolate

Instructions:

1) Mix together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Make sure there are no lumps.

2) Add the oil and stir.

3) Add the milk, one teaspoon at a time and stir.

4) Line a microwave safe cup or bowl with parchment paper or grease it with butter.

5) Pour your batter into the cup.

6) Push the piece of chocolate in the middle of the batter. Make sure it is completely covered.

7) Cook in the microwave on high for 1 minute.

8) Remove it from the microwave and let it cool for 1 minute.

9) Gently take the cake out of the cup and put it on a plate.

10) Top it with ice cream, whip cream or powdered sugar and enjoy!

Lava Cake with whipped cream and coffee

Happy Memorial Day!

Memorial Day at Ala Moana Park

Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died during military service. It typically marks the start of summer vacation season and Labor Day marks its end.

Many people visit cemeteries and memorials, particularly to honor those who have died in military service. Many volunteers place an American flag on each grave in national cemeteries. 

Every year on Memorial Day, more than 40,000 residents of Hawaii and visitors gather at Ala Moana Beach Park to honor loved ones. This year’s ceremony will start at 6 p.m. The event will include music and a ceremonial lighting of the Light of Harmony, leading up to the floating of lanterns onto the Pacific Ocean.

Free Registration

This month get your registration for FREE when you register for any evening class. That is a $100 value for FREE!

We look forward to seeing you soon.

Rip Slyme

This weekend was very busy in Waikiki. There was the Filipino parade and festival on Saturday and on Sunday there was an ekiden and music festival. And ekiden is a relay race popular in Japan. Lately it has become more popular in Hawaii as well.

This weekend's race was sponsored by a music company. After the race there was a big concert at Sunset Beach in Waikiki. Two famous Japanese bands performed, Rip Slyme and Aqua Timez. It was amazing to listen to a live concert while watching the sunset over the ocean.

Guacamole

Last night we made guacamole, a dip made from avocados. Making guacamole is very easy and fun. You can make with many different vegetables and spices. We made ours with onion, Thai chili peppers, lime, salt and cucumbers. Some people like to add jalapeno peppers or even mayonnaise!

First we cut up all our vegetables and mixed them with the salt and lime juice.

How do you cut this?

We mashed the avocado and added it to the other vegetables.

Last, but not least, we ate the guacamole with our home-made potato chips.

Very ono! 

Lei Day

May 1st is called May Day in the United States and is a celebration of spring. In Hawaii, they have a special event on May Day called Lei Day. It is an event at Kapiolani Park. You can view gorgeous Leis, learn how to make your own lei, eat tasty local food and enjoy listening live music.

The festival is from 9:30 to 5:30 and is free.

Last year we had a lot of fun looking at the leis and learning how to make our own lei bracelets. I really recommend that you join this year!

Spam Jam

Last night was the annual (once a year) Spam Jam festival in Waikiki. People from all over come to Waikiki to watch live performances and eat Spam.

Local restaurants had special Spam menus and you could buy Spam t-shirts, bags and other goods. There were even free samples of Teriyaki Spam.

My favorite things at the festival were the Tahitian dancer performance and the Hula Cake. The Hula Cake doesn't have any Spam in it, but it was delicious!

I hope you can all come to the Spam Jam festival next year.