First of all, KCC has come along way from when I attended classes in rickety old military barracks. The structures all match, the green space is expansive, the xeriscape gardens are alive with wildlife great and small. Every time I go to KCC I hear and sometimes see a shama thrush. Gorgeous song!

Back to the science fair! Many readers know I'm a proud parent of a Niu Valley Middle School student. I also have a Koko Head Elementary School student. I know how fortunate I am to have my two girls enrolled in such fine schools, with administrations that are excited about igniting bright young minds.

Niu Valley truly represented at this first science fair that is expected to continue forever! The middle school students presented dozens of experiments and displays that touched on a variety of questions many of us ponder.

Does your cell phone ring in the microwave? YES!

Is there a way to raise your senses? YES!

What is the theory behind musical learners?

Gov. Lingle with Sophie & Julia

My daughter and her partner Julia, under the guidance of their science teacher Scott Brown, presented a display on Pangea, the theory of plate tectonics, and how the continents seem to fit into each other like some magical, mystical and ancient jigsaw puzzle. At the school level, I credit one of the judges who asked the girls about the earthquake in Haiti that had just happened. He told the girls to find out what happened there. The girls acted on the advice and were well armed when it came to the regional competition at KCC.

According to their teacher, both girls are well spoken and tend to like to out talk the other when it comes to explaining the points of  theory. They not only know their material, but they exude confidence when talking to adults. Of course they do!

I'd be writing this blog entry no matter what. The science students from the region who participated were in grades 6th, 7th and 8th, and were a fun and positive bunch. They cheered each other on, they generously gave shout outs to their young colleagues who rose to the top.

Niu definitely represented at the fair. Sophie and Julia won the display division and will be moving on to the state level in April. Mr. Brown, their teacher, coach, referee and roadie, will help them hone their presentation for the states.  In fact, several students from Niu will be there.

Niu Valley winners with Mr. Scott Brown

Governor Linda Lingle presented the awards after she gave a speech about how it won't be the football stars who win games that will move Hawaii into the future, "It will be you, our scientists." She's right.

Nerdy smart kids are the coolest kids in school. Really. Check 'em in 20 years.

I'll be back in a few days. Mahalo for reading and for your suggestions.

Unless my home-town favorite Philadelphia Eagles football team is in a Super Bowl, then I watch for the commercials and the half-time show. I guess it's like buying a magazine for the articles, LOL.

It's probably the case in every neighborhood in Hawaii, where we all live pretty much in each other's armpits, that about 87 percent of the people are watching the same sporting event on TV. You can tell when UH football is on and when someone scores a touchdown or scoops an interception. If your skylights are open, you can hear who cheers for who, who is really disappointed, and whose team just won!

But if you want to get out of the hale and aren't going to a party, how about checking out East Oahu establishments for some HDTV NFL thrills?

There are some fine spots to watch the Super Bowl in East Oahu. Therapy Bar & Grill and Kona Brewing at Koko Marina Shopping Center instantly come to mind. So does Cha Cha Cha Salsaria and The Shack over at Hawaii Kai Shopping Center. That new place at Hawaii Kai Towne Center, Maile's Thai Cuisine, has an awesome TV hanging above the bar. Stuffed chicken wing dance? Who knows? Even Costco Hawaii Kai might be a few fans deep in the electronics ghetto.

But don't rule out a less than obvious option: 24 Hour Fitness anyone? I find that 24HF Hawaii Kai, especially on the weekends, is SportsTV central. Lots of guys, lots of sweat, and four TVs brewing with sports and the funniest commercials on the air. Instead of grinding on gumbo or chomping on chili, you can watch and burn a ton of calories while the Super Bowl -- and I'll bet money on this -- will be on every TV hanging in 24-Hour Fitness Hawaii Kai.

I'll let you in on a little secret: ESPN gets a little tedious and seems to repeat its cycle way too fast, but when it's college sports, you can bet every wahine in 24HF Hawaii Kai has her eyeballs trained on a TV. What a great cover for breaking a sweat.

I used to get really ticked when some guy would change the TV station from Headline News or CNN for sports, but, I'm over it. During the week, when the butt-crack-of-dawn folks are there from 3-5 in the morning, we sometimes break our news routine to watch professional tennis at Wimbledon or le Tour de France. I draw the line at wrestling and dirt bike riding. Extreme Sports? Wince!

Whatever you do on Super Bowl Sunday, have a blast, be or designate a driver, and...who's playing again?

Here's what Tashira had to say:

"Hawaiian Telcom Yellow Pages has kicked off "Think Yellow Go Green," the annual telephone directory recycling program on Oahu. Outdated telephone directories can be recycled every weekend until Feb. 14, 2010. Drop off locations and times are detailed below. "

OK. Here's what I'm wondering. You know those phonebooks that just got dropped off? I don't know about you, but I don't want them. And I don't want them in the future either. Can I bring them to be recycled or will I be forced to keep them because they aren't "outdated?" And how can I get off the list for getting phone books in the future?
 
Tashira continues:

"If you lined up last year's total recycled directories, end to end, it would stretch the total distrance from Honolulu to Maui! Hawaiian Telcom Yellow Pages wants to exceed last year's total of 90 tons to ensure all outdated directories are recycled into usable goods.
 
"The neat thing about this project is that Hawaiian Telcom Yellow Pages has partnered with to make the result a lasting impression on Oahu. All recycled directories will be processed at Island Shell, a local recycling plant, and converted into environmentally safe products including materials for vehicle oil change kits, mulch and wall insulation products which will then be sold and used locally. Think Yellow Go Green will ensure its mission is supported on each island from start to finish.
 
"This program only runs through Feb. 14. We'd appreciate any help you can provide to spread the word about the Think Yellow Go Green recycling program.

 
Mahalo,
Tashira
 
Oahu Think Yellow, Go Green Recycling Program Schedule:
Dates:
Friday, Jan. 22-Sunday, Jan. 24
Friday, Jan. 29-Sunday, Jan. 31
Friday, Feb. 5-Sunday, Feb. 7
Friday, Feb. 12-Sunday, Feb. 14
 
Times:
10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
 
Drop off locations:
Ward Centers
Windward Mall
Waikele Premium Outlets
Kahala Mall
 
Mahalo, Tashira!

On January 6, 2010, Niu Valley Middle School Vice Principal Kelly Bart called parents to inform them that two bus routes, the Kuliouou Valley route and the Mariner’s Ridge route, were to be canceled immediately. The school was not informed of the decision so proper notification to parents could not be made. Bart called this a "regrettable action, which was poorly executed by the DOE."

In a notice on the school Web site, Bart said he contacted the Student Transportation Section (STS) of the DOE to inform them that the lack of bus service and the lack of a timely notice adversely affected families. He said he made it clear to STS that there is no public bus service to those areas, and that the lack of notification left parents scrambling to get their kids to and from school. The routes were temporarily reinstated.

Parents should note that all student transportation routes will be terminated by March 1, 2010, because of a lack of funding. Consider enrolling your child in an after school program, or enlisting families and friends who can scoop them up at school.

We don't need more kids skateboarding in the bike lane or rappelling the tall wall while waiting for theBus to ship them to your neighborhood shopping center. Where else do kids go?

But if you've got 10 inches or more of hair to spare, consider making an appointment for January 17, 2010, at J Salon & Spa at Koko Marina Center. For your hair donation, you get a fabulous haircut in return, and the fantastic feeling that a child suffering from long-term hair loss will have the shelter of some lovely locks.

The Locks of Love organization provides prosthetic hairpieces to children, ages 6 to 18, every 18 months for a total of up to eight hairpieces. Each hairpiece requires from five to 10 ponytails and takes about four to six months to manufacture.

J Salon & Spa stylist Haecha Brehm measures Lijun Bolger's hair.

Recently, Lijun Bolger, who is a facialist and threading expert at J Salon & Spa, arranged for colorist/stylist Haecha Brehm to cut off her hair for Locks of Love.

We all know that our hair provides a source of comfort. It is our security blanket. Even little kids bust out in tears when it's time for haircuts. Some men creatively swirl thin, long strands atop their heads when really all they have to do is polish and be proud of all that kissable real estate.

But for those of our family and friends who experience hair loss because of an extended illness, it's not even something they want to kid around about. They are going through the most painful experience of their lives. They return for treatments and endure the consequences so that they might cling to the hope of being cured.

It is the hardest thing ever to comfort a loved one who is dealing with a life-threatening malady. We can send a card or flowers, we can bring them poi, we can pray with them, we can sit by their side and listen. Consider, though, making a donation to someone you don't know, may never meet, but who desperately desires what it is you have to give.

Jilung Bolger is pleased with her new hairstyle.

Get a fantastic haircut at J Salon & Spa on January 17, 2010, by calling 388-8747. Don't you leave your hair behind anyway? Donors should arrive at the salon with clean, dry hair, which must be at least 10 inches long and neither dyed nor permed. The first 50 hair donors will receive Locks of Love bears.

Get over it. Really. Get. Over. It.

Secretly, as you write your letters to the editor about how inconvenient it is that POTUS is in the house two blocks away, and you cannot surf at the break by the house he is staying in, you are bragging. You tingle at the prospect of complaining about the leader of the free world blowing your surfing session. Waah. Waah. Waah.

Last night, President Obama and his wife Michelle ate at Alan Wong's restaurant on King Street. I ate there once. But I sure wish I was there last night! I wish I could look a few tables over and see Barry and Michelle relaxed, digging into the Pac-Rim cuisine and each other. Catch a glimpse, pass a smile, raise a glass.

Would I run into Michelle in the bathroom and tell her about my two daughters, ages 8 & 10, and how it is so much fun to have two girls, but it's not easy either, so does she have any tips on how to keep the bickering and battling at a minimum? Probably wouldn't get the chance. According to complainers we have to give them a wide berth, sit in our idled cars as the motorcade cruises by, keep our distance while security in suits and Raybans constantly assess surroundings.

Guess who I voted for? Is it because he ate a shave ice from KokoNuts in Koko Marina Shopping Center more than a year ago? Is it because I've got an awesome shot of him body surfing at Sandy Beach? Is it because he had an incredible mother or an even more incredible grandmother? Is it because I value his heritage, his island-style approach, his diplomacy, his abilities?

Yes. So for those of you who are complaining about the inconvenience of an Obama passing, I wish I had that opportunity, I wish I could change it into an amazing encounter worth writing about, sharing with the world.

I am one of four out-laws who have married a Bender. Every other winter break, the family gathers in Hawaii. Two of my sisters-in-law come with their mainland families to hang loose in the islands. Three Benders went to Kalani, two Benders went to Kaiser, all Benders went to Niu Valley Intermediate and to Koko Head Elementary. Now my girls are on the same track.

This is not a visit year, so I'll miss the fun of gathering as a member of the out-laws, me and the three dudes who married Bender daughters (Until now, the sisters-in-law had no idea that the guys and I formed the secret out-law society. Me and the guys -- what a kick!). However, there will be no shortage of fun with the two sisters who live in Hawaii, my mother- and father-in-law, as we gather for the holidays, taking turns hosting parties with lots of food and bubbly!

One thing we can always count on is my sister-in-law Susan Bender, the original shopping ninja. With her husband Bob Hooper as her copilot, Susan, an attorney, is a natural thrift-shop sleuth. So when we need something like a replacement glass pitcher for our old Oster blender, she's calling us from the thrift store with potential purchases lined up. When my girls were younger, she'd scour the racks for gorgeous, nearly new baby clothes that she'd buy for pennies on the dollar, take them home to wash and press, and then bring them over to me, the harried, exhausted mom.

The Shopping Ninjas

There was a time when I could shop with the best of them. I no longer have the patience. But Susan persists until she has acquired and bargained for the ultimate designer handbag, leather jacket or bracelet studded with precious stones. She can talk down a salesman to a fraction of the asking price and leave them smiling as she's sashaying her way out the door. When I go into such places I cannot bring myself to scan the racks. Bob and Susan's secret? Baby wipes stashed in the car for a quick cleanup.

When it's time to open presents, the exciting part is opening the gifts from Susan and Bob. Most of the time it isn't what you had in mind and not what you expected, but for some odd reason, perfect. How do they do that, year after year?

I have a very good connection with my sister-in-law Susan. I am lucky to have someone who has taken such an interest in being the big sister to me and a loving auntie to my girls. My other in-laws and out-laws are no slouches when it comes to their love and generosity. But all would agree, I'm sure, that Susan and Bob are in a class unto themselves!

It's the day when East Oahu residents get to sleep in, play hooky from praisin' the Lord, and venture as far as the end of the driveway to pick up their fat Honolulu Advertiser to savor with a cup of coffee from one of those new-fangled machines that start with the letter K.

OK?

Honestly. Stressing over the Honolulu Marathon, usually held on the second Sunday in December every year, has become as traditional as the holidays themselves. What's the point? Get your tummy in a bundle of knots and send your blood pressure soaring. Consider it a day off from the rat race, shop online if you must, do some yard work, lounge at the condo pool. Or better yet, hang out in your front yard with a hose and offer to give those crazy runners and walkers a spray or a drink of water.

Imagine the dread the majority of the participants are going through in anticipation of what is probably the longest and hardest event of their lives! You cannot compare being holed up in your house to the rising at the butt-crack of dawn in the chill of a December morning to take the millions of steps required for a marathon. Remember? The first guy who ever did it dropped dead when he was done?

Some things you can do while stuck at home: actually open that cookbook that shows you how to cook for a month and stock up the freezer and fridge with instameals! Clean the hot spot or the junk drawer. Actually write out your holiday cards this year! Wash the car, wash the dog, scrub the tub. As if there isn't something around the house that couldn't use some elbow grease!

Surrender to cabin fever and go out to dinner if you must. By then, even the chattering walkers from Japan will be beyond your driveway.

And yes, I know that the big hit under everyone's tree this year is going to be that K-cup Keurig Coffee maker. Get one at Costco, Amazon.com or Macy's. If you get it by Saturday, you can fool around with it on Sunday, just so you know how it works in time for gift giving.