Get Rid of Jet Lag!

If you have ever done any long distance travel, it’s likely that you have suffered from jet lag at some point. The worse case I have had was when I travelled from Sydney, Australia, to Seattle, WA, via Hawaii, all in a 24 hour period. It literally took me 24 hours to recover, because I didn’t prepare and plan accordingly! I have just booked another long distance haul to Australia, and this time, I’m not taking any chances when it comes to jet lag. Here are my top three tips to help you recover quickly next time you travel:


1. Break Up Your Trip – If you are planning a long trip (i.e. to the other side of the globe), you may want to break it up with an overnight stay half way. Better yet, why not do a mini-vacation on the way to your destination?

2. While Travelling – Avoid or limit alcohol and caffeine and drink plenty of water – there is nothing worse than being drunk on a 12-hour flight.

3. Upon Arrival– Stick to the local time zone. If you arrive in the afternoon, get outside and enjoy the sun, and stay up as long as you can to adjust to the time zone. If you need to nap, make sure it’s only for an hour or two, otherwise you will be out of whack for a day or two.

When Does an Australian Become an American?

On my Facebook page over the weekend, an old friend from my high school days commented on how he thought I had become 'American'. Was this a compliment? I don't think so, but I will need to confirm. However, he got me thinking about my life since moving to the US and what has changed so drastically that someone would think I was becoming American. Here is my take on the main things that have changed since moving here almost three years ago (on August 19 it will be three years!!):

1. My mum is now called 'MOM'

2. I no longer wear jumpers; I wear sweaters

3. I don't go on holidays any more; I take vacations

4. I would never hang my laundry on the clothesline out the back of my house: 1. Because we don't have a clothesline and 2. that's what a dryer is for

5. I now about 20 pounds heavier (not kilograms) thanks to all the awful fast food on every corner, no matter which direction you look

6. I think President Obama is awesome

7. I say the word 'like' more than I care to admit

8. I have a strange Aussie/American accent; similar to Nicole Kidman in 'Bewitched'

9. Dallas Cowboys are my favorite football team (Canterbury Bulldogs? Who?)

10. 'Bold and the Beautiful' is the new 'Home and Away'

Despite all these changes, I wouldn't have it any other way. I love my new American way of life and all the opportunities it has brought my way. Here's to more strange words, hamburgers and living the American dream!

Record Breaking Weather in Seattle

You can imagine my delight to be living in Seattle when the hottest day on record EVER is recorded! That's right, Seattle sweltered yesterday, with temps up to 105 degrees in some local suburban areas. While I love the heat, its hard to enjoy it when you are not equipped to handle it. Seattle rarely gets above 90 degrees, and when it does its only for a day here or there. Fortunately, John purchased an air conditioner for our bedroom on the weekend so we are nice and cool, however the air conditioner is so loud it makes it hard to sleep! Oh well, you can't win them all. I rushed home yesterday to get our two cats out of the heat, only to find that they prefer it vs. the chilled bedroom. Squid was born in Hawaii, so maybe that's why!

Speaking of weather, my friend and colleague Linda mentioned yesterday that Hawaii is the only state in the US that has never reached 100 degrees. Go figure! The temperature in Hawaii is fairly consistent, and when I lived there, the high temp often hovered at the 90 degree mark, but never much higher. I wonder whether we may see this change as we experience the ongoing effects of global warming? Time will tell.

I Really Thought I Was In Hawaii

This past weekend in Seattle was amazing, weather wise. We wait a long time for the sun to come out and when it finally appears, it doesn't disappoint. Saturday was superb, so I headed outside as soon as I could to get as much vitamin D as my skin could absorb. With me I took:

Flip Flops

Coppertone Sunscreen

Sunglasses

Lemon Drop Cocktail (and it wasn't just one)

Novel: "Here Today, Gone to Maui", by Carol Snow

So, I sat in my backyard and soaked up the sun, and as I got into the book, I really thought I was in Hawaii (or maybe it was the Lemon Drops)! It was great to feel the sun on my skin, to smell the sunscreen, and to be so hot that I had to go inside and cool down - it's been a while since that has happened.

I am taking a few days off over the Memorial Day weekend, so I hope that mother nature is as kind to me as she was this weekend - all I need now is a new book!

Aloha Hawaiian Grill

I am always looking for tasty Hawaiian-style food in Seattle. On our way to the Mariner's baseball game a couple of weeks ago, we stopped at Aloha Hawaiian Grill in Kent for dinner. I had driven past many times before and never been in, and I am glad we finally decided to check it out. One of my pet hates is a lack of authenticity when referring to Hawaiian food, culture, etc. So I was pleasantly surprised when I walked in to hear soft Hawaiian music playing in the background, and the kid at the counter proudly displaying a tattoo of the Hawaiian Islands, nice!

Hawaiian food has its share of weird and interesting concoctions. So, I decided to get the garlic shrimp with rice and mac salad. The shrimp were so delicious - they actually gave Giovanni's Shrimp Truck a run for their money! And mac salad, well its hard to get that wrong - it was just as I remembered it. John had katsu chicken - and there was so much chicken that he was unable to finish it all, which is most unusual!

The food was great, at an affordable price. If you like Hawaiian food, why not visit Aloha Hawaiian Grill in Kent or Puyallup. Check out their menu on the website so you can pick your favorite item before you get there. They also do catering too. Thanks to thenyoudiscover.com for the photo of the storefront in Kent!

Natalani - Out of Action

If you had been wondering why my blog posts were becoming few and far between - the reason is - a dog bite. That's right, I was bitten on the hand by a very large yet surprisingly cute dog last Wednesday, putting me out of action for almost a week. Good news is I am well on the way to recovery and I am back to blogging as of tomorrow!

Another Bump In The Road

Just when I thought things were getting better, things took at my work took another crazy turn yesterday. It makes it really hard to focus and just get things done, and with that being my dominant personality trait, it poses many challenges for me. But, the good news is with the changes at my work brings new opportunities for me, including more personal time for me to focus on my blog and the quality of my work. So the saying goes, "When one door closes, another door opens". I guess its true, I just wasn't expecting it to be today. Continue to read as I try to brace the challenges ahead!

Disappointing Seattle Travel Show

I had mentioned late last week that I was heading to the Seattle Travel Show over the weekend. Well I did go, but kinda wish I hadn't wasted my Saturday morning. I have been to many travel shows in my time and this one was very ordinary. Let me tell you why:

1. Exhibitors were very limited, covering Hawaii, Washington State, The Caribbean, and a few others. Not a great selection.
2. When I arrived to pick up my FOC ticket, no-one had any idea what I was talking about and it took me nearly 15 minutes to get into the actual show
3. Most of the exhibitors I spoke with were not interested in hearing anything that I had to say. When I mentioned to one exhibitor that I had a blog about Hawaii, he said, "So does that mean you are a travel agent?" No, sir, that means I have a BLOG.
4. Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to do any networking. All the Hawaiian exhibitors were just handing out packages of paper, and no-one was friendly. I do have some good resources that I can use, but I was hoping to make a few connections.
5. If I had paid $8 to go into that show, I would have asked for my money back.

Overall, a disappointing event, and its back to the drawing board for me for Hawaii networking opportunities - the Seattle Travel Show just didn't cut it.

NKOTB - A Night To Remember

This post has nothing to do with Hawaii; however I wanted to share my experience with you as I had the night of my life on Saturday night when I attended the New Kids on the Block concert at the Tacoma Dome, in Seattle. I had been waiting for this night for over 6 months, as I had purchased the tickets in May and was counting down the number of sleeps till the big event. NKOTB were a big part of my childhood/adolescent years, and I hate to think about how many hours I spent dreaming about how one day Joey McIntyre would finally know who I was and would whisk me away to the land of New Kids. Sadly that didn’t happen, however I got as close as I could with the tickets I had at the concert on Saturday. We had great seats, and to my surprise, there was a second stage right in the center of the floor where the New Kids performed 3 songs – right in front of where we were sitting!! My heart fell through the floor when they were performing literally a few feet in front of me, I couldn't believe it!

The concert itself was truly awesome. The two supporting acts were rockin’; both Lady GaGa and Natasha Bedingfield did a great job of getting everyone pumped for the New Kids. I was on my feet for over 3 hours, jumping up and down and screaming like a teenager. And yes, I am experiencing severe difficulty with talking today in case you were wondering....

The New Kids performed a great selection of their old and new hits, my favorites being “Please Don’t Go Girl” “Summertime” and “Click Click Click”. Their dance moves dated back to the ‘80’s, which was so funny but they did such a good job of pulling it off. The performance itself was both moving and inspiring. Towards the end of the show, they did a slideshow of people in their lives that have passed away, and I was touched to see they had included Heath Ledger, who passed away in January of this year. Danny Wood’s mother also passed away 9 years ago to breast cancer, so it was awesome to see that they were raising funds for breast cancer research at the concert. One thing I noticed about these guys was that they were so normal – it was obvious that they were so excited to be performing together, and that they felt blessed to get this opportunity again – who would have thought that they would bring the house down after 15 years apart!

I was lucky enough to have my thoughts about the concert included in an article in the Seattle Times last week (thanks Marian Liu!) – This is the first time in a long time that I have been so passionate about something, so I wanted to share it with you – if you haven’t listened to New Kids in the last 15 years, their new album is worth a listen – you can get it at Amazon. Thanks also to my husband who I dragged along to the show, who was ‘violated’ by a number of women while waiting for a beer to drown his sorrows!