Category Archives: Inspiration

Ars Gratia Artis

Posted on January 10, 2012 by Nico

Yesterday while biding my time before a board meeting I decided to stop by one of my favorite gallery-tiques (<–coined just now for gallery/boutiques) called hi (shortform for “human imagination”). Every First Friday, creative director and founder of hi, Rhandy Tambio … Continue reading →

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We are The Descendants

Posted on December 28, 2011 by Nico

I’m writing this personal assessment of Alexander Payne’s “The Descendants” knowing that I will evoke the same brand of local provincialism that I’ve eschewed upon my return home to Honolulu after a stint on the East Coast. In the summer … Continue reading →

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Young expatriates hold key to building a better Hawaii

Posted on December 18, 2011 by Nico

Below is an article graciously written by David Shapiro, a sharp journalist at the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.  This all came about because I emailed Mr. Shapiro to get his thoughts on the Brain Drain after having read one of his quips … Continue reading →

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[Epic Adventure] Chapter One: “I Believe”

Posted on September 21, 2010 by Nico

A good friend once used billiards to demonstrate the futility in trying to predict what will happen next in life: “If we can’t even mathematically pinpoint exactly which way the billiards will go then how could we possibly even know … Continue reading →

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All Hail the Storm King

Posted on September 15, 2010 by Nico

A sculpture garden spanning 500 landscaped acres? Yes, please. And now a visual recount of my serendipitous trip to Storm King… I have to go back to see the other 400 acres. Bookmark on DeliciousRecommend on FacebookTweet about itSubscribe to … Continue reading →

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Electric Zoo 2010: A Rave Dustbowl

Posted on September 13, 2010 by Nico

For two whole days, Electric Zoo shook Randall’s Island with music from the world’s best electronic artists. A veritable 1990s time-capsule, the event drew a crowd from all corners of the globe and all walks of life: an older set … Continue reading →

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Salif Keita @ Central Park Summerstage

Posted on June 21, 2010 by Nico

A descendant of the founder of the Mali Empire, Salif Keita should have never become a singer or griot as defined within the Malian caste system. Compounding the restrictions of his pedigree, Keita was born an albino-a bad omen in … Continue reading →

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Dalai Lama “Renaissance” Soundtrack

Posted on May 12, 2010 by Nico

There he was at the front of the Vector Arena in Auckland, New Zealand. A small figure draped in marigold and burnished cardamom colored swaths of fabric. He laughed a bit before putting on a visor to shade his eyes, … Continue reading →

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Small islands

Posted on May 9, 2010 by Nico

If you have friends from Hawaii, you may have heard them mention the “Coconut Wireless” or say “The island is really small.” These comments refer to the not-so-erroneous stereotype that all Hawaiians know each other. On Oahu, a patch of … Continue reading →

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globalfest 2010

Posted on February 2, 2010 by Nico

There’s no better way to lengthen the road of your mind or widen the prairies of your soul than by traveling, seeing the world, and melding with people unlike yourself. Yet many New Yorkers-myself included- are reinventing the ‘stay-cation’ since … Continue reading →

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