I’ve really been thinking lately about heading home for my career.  Up until the last few months, the plan was to spend some years in the mainland where cost of living is a little better and job opportunities more plentiful, but I’ve really felt the pull of the islands over the last few months.

It’s unfortunate for many, that the job situation does look so grim in the islands.  Those who have jobs probably thank God each day for the opportunities they’ve been given….I know I would. 

Despite the rise of unemployment and hence the decrease in job opportunity, I’m still hopeful.  I wonder what it will take for the economy in the islands to come back to an upswing.  Also, anyone know of any marketing or advertising jobs open in the islands?

I just got an iPhone.

That should be enough for you to understand that I have spent hours on playing on it and finding new apps and such.

Well I think that it’s fair to say that I’ve found my two favorite apps.

The first us the wordpress app, because that means I can blog from my phone, like I’m doing now, with ease.

The second us an app called “Hawaiian rainbow”. For anyone who’s read my previous posts will know that I love Hawaiian music. Well the app basically streams Hawaiian music right to my phone.

Oh how wonderful. An app that allows me to be heard. And an app that allows me to chill out to local sounds!

The crazy thing is that I do that with lots of people.  Even if they’re not local…usually locals are the best response.  She must have been having a bad day.

Anyways, I love connecting with other locals online as well.  I began following someone on twitter yesterday (it was in relation to advertising and I wasn’t even looking for other hawaiian tweeters), and I posted something about Hawaii.  She sent me a private message telling me that she was from Hawaii as well.

Don’t ask me why, but it’s a satisfying feeling to know that you’re connected to one more local out there, and there are other “locals” in the same boat as I am.

If you’re a local, or even if you’re not, I’d love to get to know you better.  Leave me a comment, drop me a line at the email address listed on my contact page, find me on twitter, or look me up on facebook.  Either way, I’d love to connect.  Aloha!

In 2007, UNICEF, along with advertising agency Droga5 launched the TAP Project, an effort to bring clean drinking water to children all over the world. The concept was so simple: pay one dollar for something that you would normally get for free, a glass of tap water.

This simple idea was wildly successful and is now being launched nationwide. During world water week, March 22-29, participating restaurants around the nation will ask their patrons to donate one dollar for the glass of tap water they are served.

I am part of the advertising agency of record for the TAP Project in Utah. In individual cities, local agencies are being asked to implement the TAP Project with local insights and local feelings. It has been such a fun project to work on, and I’m getting so excited for World Water Week. Here’s a little look at what UTAH TAP looks like:

I won’t take credit for the art work, it was done by various artists in Utah and art directors in the BYU Ad Lab. The TV spots are beautiful, I’m having problems uploading them at the moment, but they can all be viewed at www.blog.morriscreate.com.

I’ve really looked at this project as a way to spread “aloha” to children all over the world. Isn’t “aloha” about spreading love to the people around you? Whether it be in the way you interact, the way you lend a hand, or simply helping someone to feel important, welcome and cherished…that’s what “aloha” means to me.

I feel so lucky to have been able to be a part of the TAP Project here in Utah. We’re hoping that our work will helps save hundreds if not thousands of lives of children around the world, and help them feel the “aloha” from all of us here.

The great thing about the TAP Project, is that everyone can be involved. Sometimes I feel that we leave humanitarian work to those who call themselves “humanitarians” because they have the time, the money, the resources and the connections to make a difference. We all have a dollar, so we all can make a difference.

Now it’s your turn. Log on to www.tapproject.org to find a participating restaurant near you, eat out, donate, and save a life.

Saving a life…what a great expression of “aloha”!

Even though she’s not local by birth, there are some things that makes me think that she could have been born in the islands.  Here’s the top 5:

1.  She loves potato salad with mayonaisse.

2. She knows how to make lau lau.

3. She understands pidgeon.

4. She loves Ekolu.

5. She’s right at home when she’s in the islands.

She’s always been curious about the island culture, and has embraced it whole heartedly.  Since finding out that we were going to have a son, she’s benn thinking about the things that we need to teach our son, and the traditions we have to establish to help Kaniela to understand his culture.

She’d give anything for us to get back to the islands.  I actually think she schemes to get us back more than I do!

It was hard at times to not adjust to that pace in my everyday life.  I will admit that I walked quite a bit faster, but that was more out of self-defense and avoidance of being caught in a stampede.  For the most part however, I think I did pretty well.

My key…my iPod shuffle full of Hawaiian music.  Due to my upbringing, I was a very big fan of the Makaha Sons, Brother’s Caz, and Ho’okena style of Hawaiian music.  When I needed to wind down, and I was up close and personal with the armpits of the people next to me on the subway, I could simply put on my head phones, close my eyes, and I would be on a white sandy beach, or the windward side, or in Ulupalakua, or Hana, or whatever part of the islands that was being painted through song.

Not only were the songs soothing, but the memories they invoked were so poignant.  I would remember car rides and kanikapila sessions with my dad.  I could see my sister and cousins dancing Hula to the many songs on my playlist.  I could picture the areas that were spoken of, and I was reminded of home.

Ask my wife…anytime I’m in a bad mood, she’s knows what kind of music to put on to cheer me up.

The other thing I find amazing, is how unique our local music scene is.  Where I currently live in Utah, there are choke (many) local bands.  They’re all very talented, but mostly only seen on the local music scenes at concerts and through the minimal promotion of their CDs.  I’m used to FM 100, and 93.5 KPOA promoting local artists such as Derek Sebastian, Desmond Yap, 3 Plus, Ekolu, Ikaika Brown, and 10 Feet (just to name a few).  Local bands were more celebrities than many national artists were to me.  I hope to be able to teach my son an appreciation of Hawaiian music just as my father did for me.

It was funny, I could name dozens of local bands and the songs they sang when I came to Utah in 2001.  That year I was sitting in a freshmen english class and the teacher was going to play a song from some band called U2.  My first thought, “Oh, they must be a local band.”  Little did I know.

I grew up in Pukalani, on the slopes of Haleakala on the island of Maui.  My mother is Japanese and my father is German, Hawaiian, Tahitian.  One of these days, I’ll let you know how both their families ended up in the islands.

I grew up where majority of the world wants to vacation.  The ocean was my playground and the sunshine was my best friend.  I always tell people that someone had to live there so they could vacation there…I gladly sacrificed when those lots were cast.

Growing up in the islands was a dream.  Unless you’ve spent significant time there, you can’t fully comprehend the richness and diversity of culture and people that are packed onto a little island.

I’m now living in Utah, finishing school and beginning a family.  Life is very different here.  I often reminisce with my brothers, friends, people who’ve vacationed in Hawaii about what a wonderful place it is.

I’ve now been away from the islands for about eight years.  With the birth of my first son, I realized that I need to evaluate something.  How do I help my son appreciate the culture of a place that he does not live in?

That’s the purpose of my blog: a documentation of how I try to teach my son (and probably future children) how to understand and appreciate the culture of the islands.  It’ll include stories from home, stories from my family’s life, and hopefuly lots of input from all of you.  Please feel free to “talk story” with me as I write and post about the life of this “Hawaiian Wunder”.

Mahalo and Aloha.