The main feature is the royal grove, 30-thousand square feet of trees and some native plants, designed with cultural elements. The idea is to promote the center as much more than a place to shop. Even the name changed from royal hawaiian shopping center to Royal Hawaiian Center.

http://www.royalhawaiiancenter.com/

It might not seem like it when you're in Waikiki. There are lots of people walking on the streets, hanging out on the beach. But state numbers show visitors arrivals are down. A 17.3% drop in visitors this past August compared to last. Arrivals from the west coast plunged 24.2%, the largest drop on record. Statewide, tourism revenue is down $206.9 million for the month of August.

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20081020/GETPUBLISHED/810200314/1266/NEIGHBORHOODS01

awai'i's visitor arrivals plunged last month — again — with a 17.3 percent drop from last August, not counting cruise passengers.
The double-digit plummet and continuing decline in the state's No. 1 industry could fuel more worries about the economy.

The worst news came from a traditionally strong source of visitors — the U.S. West — which posted its biggest decline on record, down 24.2 percent, according to the August report by the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.

This is my final blog post here — but I'll be blogging for a new Web site called Nonstop Honolulu, which was created by a group of ex-Advertiser staffers who put together the now defunct Hawai'i brand of Metromix. (Read more about the new site here.)

While I'm excited to start a new chapter in my blogging career — if you could call it that — I'm sad to leave the place where I've been posting for more than four years.

Sure, it's not quite the same site after the merger between the Honolulu Star-Bulletin and The Honolulu Advertiser. But it's basically the same place with the same people.

It's been a great four years, full of interesting people, places and, of course, food. I've had the pleasure of meeting so many different readers (and lurkers), both online and IRL. I hope you continue to read my ramblings at the new site. Not much will change — but I'll likely be posting more videos and food photo galleries.

So thanks to everyone who's stopped by, posted comments, sent me e-mails or just casually glanced at my fuud photos. This isn't the end, rather a new beginning — or a continuation of sorts. And I'm excited for what's to come.

I hope you continue with me on my adventures — in relationships, at work, with food. I may have to buy pants with elastic waistbands.

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Starting Monday, Aug. 23, Cat will move her blog to a new site. Look for her there at www.nonstophonolulu.com/thedailydish.

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Follow Cat on Twitter @thedailydish or send her an e-mail at cat@thecatdish.com.

It's based on the popular Twitter of the same name — more than 1.5 million people follow it — where a 29-year-old posts the rants and ramblings of his 74-year-old dad.

Watch a preview of the new show

It made me think about the $#*! my dad has said to me over the years.

It's funny how much our parents influence us. I hear a lot of my dad — and my mom — in me when I'm talking, especially to my students. I think they're tired of hearing me say the same things my parents used to tell me growing up, like "You can't reason with unreasonable people" and "Nothing good happens after midnight."

Here are some of my favorites from "$#*! My Dad Says" (that could be printed here):

• "Don’t focus on the one guy who hates you. You don’t go to the park and set your picnic down next to the only pile of dog s**t."
• "No. Humans will die out. We're weak. Dinosaurs survived on rotten flesh. You got diarrhea last week from a Wendy's."
• "Stop trying so hard. He doesn't like you. Jesus, don't kiss an ass if it's in the process of s**tting on you."
• "I didn't say you were ugly. I said your girlfriend is better looking than you, and standing next to her, you look ugly."

Got any great $#*! your dad has said to you?

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Starting Monday, Aug. 23, Cat will move her blog to a new site. Look for her there at www.nonstophonolulu.com/thedailydish.

***

Follow Cat on Twitter @thedailydish or send her an e-mail at cat@thecatdish.com.

Answer: At the very least, you should get your money back for the work he did. He obviously didn't fix your watch if it's now broken. But it's really a case of his word against yours — and you don't have any proof that he damaged your watch. So you're probably out of luck on this one. But I would explain to the jeweler what happened and how sentimental this watch is and see what he says. He could be a jerk and say, "Too bad, so sad." In which case, write back and we'll expose him! (Kidding) But he might be empathetic. You can't replace the watch — but the watch wasn't going to last forever, either. Make peace with your dad's passing and remember him, not his watch. That's the best advice I can offer up.

Anyone had a similar experience? Or anyone got advice to dish?

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Starting Monday, Aug. 23, Cat will move her blog to a new site. Look for her there at www.nonstophonolulu.com/thedailydish.

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Follow Cat on Twitter @thedailydish or send her an e-mail at cat@thecatdish.com.

My friends all know that this isn't an uncommon phrase to come out of my mouth (especially at the dog park). But one of the dog owners there jerked her head back, smiled and said, "I haven't heard that since Charlie Brown!"

That started a conversation about words, phrases and other slang we don't use anymore, like "wicked," "scram," "phat" and "def."

I've discovered, through self-reflection and feedback from people who have to stand there and listen to me talk, that I tend to use outdated words. Some faves include "heavy," "nifty," "keen" and frolic."

I'm fascinated with words and how we use them. On the New York Times' site, there was a little story about the paper's use of the word "hipster," which was published more than 250 times in the past year.

Turns out it's an old word, dating back to the '40s and means the same thing as "hepcat": One who is exceptionally aware of or interested in the latest trends and tastes, especially a devotee of modern jazz.

(Even the term "daddy" to mean a young woman's boyfriend or lover — particularly a rich one — dates back to the '20s.)

So I came up with a list of old words and phrases we don't use much anymore:

• Heebie jeebies
• Applesauce or horsefeathers (means the same thing)
• Bee's knees or cat's meow (means the same thing)
• Bird (in reference to a woman)
• Jiggy
• Fresh or fly (cool)
• Hoochie
• Ice (diamonds)
• Dunzo (made popular by MTV's "Laguna Beach" but never caught on)
• Hammajang (messed up)
• Tantaran (to show off)
• Broke da mouth (taste good)

Got any more to share?

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Starting Monday, Aug. 23, Cat will move her blog to a new site. Look for her there at www.nonstophonolulu.com/thedailydish.

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Follow Cat on Twitter @thedailydish or send her an e-mail at cat@thecatdish.com.

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Earlier this month pop icon Madonna and her daughter, Lourdes, unveiled their new clothing line — Material Girl — aimed at girls.

While the launch lured Madonna fans and fashionistas of all ages, some wonder if this new line is feeding the trend of girls dressing a bit too old for their age.

As the writer of New York Magazine put it, when describing the new line: "Older women are dressing younger" and "young girls are dressing older," (but) "no one knows quite what to wear."

But Salon calls out the trend for what it is: girls dressing like strippers.

"The phenomenon of adolescent girls trying to look like adults is hardly a new one, and the results of said attempts have always been smashingly awkward. Such is adolescence. But Morris suggests that today's young girl/older woman "role reversal can present particular confusion." And, apparently, kids aren't the only ones confused by it."

See an interview with Madonna about her new line.

You've seen it: girls not even in high school wearing tight — we call them "skinny" — jeans and cut-off tops, sometimes with bras we (women) know are a bit too full for their age. The classic example is when Britney Spears, still a teenager, performed in a fetching school-girl outfit in her first video, "... Baby One More Time."

Watch the video here

I don't remember dressing provocatively when I was younger — heck, I don't even do that now! — and actually dealt more with negative body issues than flaunting what I didn't think I had to begin with.

And maybe I'm getting older — yes, I said it — and I'm looking at these young girls with the filter my parents had when they saw me get ready to go out.

So what do you think: girls dressing too provocatively? Or are we just being too close-minded about today's fashion?

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Follow Cat on Twitter @thedailydish or send her an e-mail at cat@thecatdish.com.

Not because I want to pay my respects to the spirits of family members who have passed away or because I like to dress in a yukata and dance around the yagura.

I go for the food.

The bon dance at Jikoen Hongwangi Buddhist Temple in July is always well-attended.

The summer o-bon festivals in Hawai'i are known for their food — and folks know which temples serve up the best grinds, from teri beef sticks to yakisoba to andagi.

Two of my favorites are the bon dances at Jikoen Hongwanji Buddhist Temple on School Street in Kalihi (July 23 and 24) and Koganji Temple in Manoa (Aug. 6 and 7).

Here's what we ate at both:

At Jikoen, there were these plates of food, with kalbi ribs (cut up in bite-size pieces), rice, corn on the cob and, of course, sweet potato haupia squares.

Like many temples, Jikeon served buttered corn. It was OK, but I should have ordered it with furikake.

We tried the Okinawan baked manju, which was drier than we had hoped.

The surprise hit was the kandaba jushi soup — an Okinawan gumbo, as it were — with Portuguese sausage, sweet potato leaves and rice. It was spicy and flavorful.

Of course, the bon dance wouldn't be complete with andagi. And this temple boasted some of the best.

The Koganji Temple in Manoa is so picturesque, it's hard to make it past the view to get to the food.

But this bon dance is well known for its food booths and country market. It was packed before the dance even started.

The country market had everything from homemade cupcakes to fried chichi mochi (that didn't have much taste).

This was the (advertised) beef stew and spare ribs combination plate. The spare ribs were OK, but the stew was much better. More flavor and very comforting, especially when it started to rain.

The big draw here was the grilled corn. I don't think the line ever went down.

The corn came with the same teriyaki sauce used on the burgers. It was tasty, but my corn was a bit mealy.

So dish your bon dance favorites and tell us what to expect at this weekend's events at the Pearl City Buddhist Temple and the Soto Mission of Aiea-Taiheji!

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Follow Cat on Twitter @thedailydish or send her an e-mail at cat@thecatdish.com.

And now Steven Slater, 39, is a media sensation. (Read more at MSNBC.)

Watch the Associated Press video

Less than a week after his meltdown — one that, let's face it, we all wanted to do at some time in our working careers — his Facebook page amassed more than 171,000 fans.

And these fans are raising money to help Slater, who had to post $2,500 bail to get out of jail Tuesday night, to help him with future legal expenses, reported the New York Daily News.

He's considered by many a working-man's hero, someone who did what we all wish we could to irate or annoying customers: tell them exactly how we feel, then walk off the job. (The best part was he grabbed a beer before deplaning. We all had to cheer about that.)

Or was he just being an irresponsible employee, one who couldn't control his temper and remain professional? Sure, we've all been provoked at work — for those of you who worked in retail or restaurants, you know what I'm talking about — but we're supposed to stay cool. It's hard but too bad — that's part of your job.

So I'm throwing it out there: you cheering Slater on — or do you think he's getting too much attention for bad behavior?

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Follow Cat on Twitter @thedailydish or send her an e-mail at cat@thecatdish.com.

Answer: Well, there's no right or wrong in this. It's a matter of what's comfortable and what's not, what's appropriate and what's not.

I wouldn't say I'm friends with my exes. But for the most part, we're all on friendly terms. I've run into my exes at the beach, at the bank, at Rainbow Drive-In — and we can still talk and laugh. But it's nothing serious or scandalous.

What you're talking about is much more complicated. This is a situation where the two are actually friends in the sense that they have a real relationship. They talk, they hang out — that's hard. I don't know if I would be strong enough to deal with it, to be honest. But if they're just friends — and it's true — then you shouldn't have anything to worry about.

But we all bring our own past experiences — ie: baggage — into every relationship. If you've been cheated on — like me — or lied to — like me, too — then I can see why you're worried or paranoid. But you can't blame him for mistakes your exes have made. Meaning, if he's telling you the truth about his platonic friendship with his ex, then you have to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Anyone else?

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Follow Cat on Twitter @thedailydish or send her an e-mail at cat@thecatdish.com.

I can't imagine what the daughter of a former president would want that she doesn't already have. A $10 million Zeppelin? A $73,000 electric motorcycle? A five-foot-long sustainable chandelier made from cut and sanded plastic soda bottles for $12,000?

Ivanka Trump registered for a $1,300 silver bowl from Tiffany & Co., a $500 sterling silver picture frame and a silver vegetable spoon — spoon! — for $290.

Playmate and reality TV star Kendra Wilkinson asked for a $700 air purifier or a $60 towel warmer.

And not-sure-why-she's-famous Heidi Montag registered for a Christofle Galea sterling silver serving fork. Price: $538.

I've actually never understood the whole gift registry thing. It seems weird to me that you're telling people what to buy you. That's presumptuous, no?

But on the other hand, it's great for the guest who has no idea what to get the newlyweds. The gift registry can be that social savior. You won't be the guy who buys the couple something completely inappropriate or tacky.

And I can see why couples dig it. You won't have to worry about getting seven blenders, 16 waffle irons and dozens of bath towels in different colors.

Still, I'm not sold on the whole gift registry thing.

What happens, say, if everything on the list is out of your price range? Or the gift suggestions are, well, strange — like video game consoles or a baseball bat signed by Pete Rose? What then?

Maybe if the gift registry was used responsibly and not as a wish list for materialistic gain, I'd be on board. But for now, surprise me.

Or better yet, just give me cash. (smile)

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Follow Cat on Twitter @thedailydish or send her an e-mail at cat@thecatdish.com.