I swear I'm melting in this heat!! I think I need to get to the beach this weekend. Hopefully I'll get to surf. Gordon Biersch was a sauna tonight. However, it was fun. It was great to see some good friends, family, and familiar faces. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all those people who support Ben and me at our gigs. Thank you!! Have a great weekend! Try to stay cool...
Last night I judged Hawaii Stars. Can I just say, I hate judging. I loved being on the show. It was fun socializing with Carol Kai, Kimo Kahoano, Sonya Mendez, Tony C. and the contestants. The thing that bummed me out was that they were all very talented! I almost felt like I had no business being there. I get so much anxiety judging people, especially because I carry the weight of knowing that I contributed to someone's discouragement. I really tried to be encouraging to the ones to whom I didn't give top scores. The bottom line is, I'm thankful to have been a part of the show especially in order to promote my upcoming CD.
Competitions are rough. Then again, as a competitor, you have to be willing to be criticized otherwise, why enter? That's what it's all about. I give people credit who do those things. Same goes for the pageants (and we all know what a nightmare those can be!). I just hope none of last nights contestants are too mad at me. However, some of the vibes after the show were a little unsettling. Then again, it could've been my own guilty conscience. Judging isn't an easy job! Now I have a lot more respect for Sonya and Tony. I know they receive some flack for their scoring and I'm hear to say, cut them a little slack Hawaii! Also, it's kind of cool that Hawaii has a say in who wins. Call in votes are worth 40% of the score. Having said that, don't forget to watch Hawaii Stars-Sundays on FOX. My show airs on August 10th.
Sorry, but Ben's sick so we won't be at Kincaids tonight. Poor thing. Please pray for him!
I had a great weekend, hope everyone else did too. First of all, the news on my CD started it off great. Friday night, Ben and I performed at Gordon Biersch. They're so good to us there. Saturday was Russell Tanoue's birthday bash. I've known Russell for 5 years and I've never been to any of his parties. He's so creative and really knows how to put together a great party. Kanoe and I sang in his New York style show. I sang "Fame" which I learned that day. I was kind of familiar with it since I loved the show in the 80's. Someone needs to throw a great 80's party, by the way. Maybe I should.
After that, I rushed over to Kincaids. It was a fun night. We had a great crowd. I thought about going back to Ocean Club, but went home instead. I'm such a homebody. Plus, my voice is tired from singing so much last week and I figured that being in the smoke and talking with everyone would make it even worse. I'm not supposed to have a day off until next Saturday. That's an 11 day stretch. Tonight I sang at a private party for the managers of Palomino at the Koolau Golf Club. Chai of Chai's Island Bistro catered the event and it was sooo...delicious. I'm supposed to sing at Hanohano tomorrow night, but got the night off due to my voice being so hoarse. I get a little down on myself when I'm like this, but then I remind myself that it's okay considering how much I work. Work is a good thing. I just keep praying for wisdom and good stewardship of my gift. I kept my phone off all day, stayed in bed until 12 and cuddled with my dog. It definitely helped not talking to anyone all day. I'm a little Portugee when it comes to talking. It's good to shut up sometimes.
The master is done!! I'm so happy! Hopefully the CD will be in stores and up for sale on this site in 3 weeks. All we need to do now is get the graphics squared up and then send it off to be pressed. Yippee!!
The Celebrate Freedom concert was great on the 3rd. A couple thousand people attended. Ben was great as usual. Larnelle Harris is amazing! It was a great kickoff for the 4th of July weekend. We're so blessed to live in this great country and to have the freedom we have.
Okay, so I wasn't going to write anything regarding this issue, but quite frankly, I just can't help myself. Instead of writing to the Honolulu Weekly, the Midweek, or the local news stations like some people, I might as well make use of this great weblog so I can be assured that the people I really want to read this, will.
Ever since my sister won Miss Hawaii, there have been rumors flying around about how the pageant was rigged. Funny, the same thing happened when she won her prelimenary, Miss Diamond Head. I keep telling her it's all a bunch of warped compliments.
I'll insert a link for you to read the article in Honolulu Weekly and you'll see why I've chosen not to publish a response myself. In my opinion, the people going to such lengths to contest the pageant have obviously never won a contest themselves. In my opinion, it merely sounds like a disgruntled stage mom trying to live vicariously through her daughter.
I hold nothing against the daughter. I feel incredibly sorry for her. What kind of parent teaches their child that if they don't get their way something's wrong with the world? NEWSFLASH-life aint fair! However, if it was, according to our standards, there would be no compassion, no gratefulness, and probably no love in the world. That's what life is all about. We all have the choice to allow heartbreaks and times of despair to make us BETTER or BITTER. I hope this girl opens herself to the lessons and growth she can experience through this circumstance. She's the perfect candidate for a powerful testimony someday. Look at Oprah Winfrey. Was her life fair?
I don't mean to sound like I'm lashing out too harshly. I'm a very protective older sister, but at the same time, I believe in setting examples for those around us. The example I get from these people, is the kind of parent I NEVER want to be. I pray that I'll never instill jealousy in my children, God willing that I have them. Our human nature does that for us enough.
May I also add, in my sister's defense, that just because someone works for Hawaiian Airlines doesn't mean they know everyone in the company. There are gate agents, customer service reps, mechanics, baggage service people, pilots, cleaners, refuelers, and of course, flight attendants. The judges that are being questioned happen to be a former Hawaiian Airlines employee and a marketing executive. What does that have to do with a furloughed flight attendant? It is also being questioned as to why her employment status wasn't disclosed. Duh...because she's unemployed!! Was she supposed to say that on statewide television?
It's all very juvenile. I'm trying not to sound juvenile myself, so I get the feeling I should conclude here. Madonna once said that if people aren't talking bad about you, you haven't "made it" yet. Like I said earlier-warped compliments. However, all of this is unfortunately no compliment to the contestant or her parents. Shame on them for putting their daughter through this.
www.honoluluweekly.com
Refer to the "Honolulu Diary."