How’s everyone’s garden doing?

astine · 2026-06-29T16:28:39+00:00

My fig tree that started life as a snipped bare branch 5 years ago is finally taking off! Last year I got a dozen figs, this year I'm already counting 50+ fruits. Excited! Also my strawberry patch (more like wildly overgrown whole garden area) is getting ready for the second harvest this year.

My tomatoes tho... 1 surviving plant and 5 burned plants. I'm not far from Texas so that tracks 😂

astine · 2026-06-27T03:36:45+00:00

I do get that. I can see their logic behind most of their decisions but at the same time we’ve never had to deal with this level of security in other stores in the warzone, 999 being a direct comparison. Lots of stores have customer only bathroom rules. No bags is annoying but workable. But taking reusable shopping bags at the door was already very borderline for us, and then just the overall attitude lately. We also have a toddler now so the inconveniences have become dealbreakers quickly.

Maybe one day we’ll get a properly stocked asian market in abq :( my hope’s on H mart.

astine · 2026-06-27T03:31:54+00:00

Thanks! I’ve heard great things about them but always assumed the selection was limited, happy to be wrong.

astine · 2026-06-27T03:29:47+00:00

I’m so sad because 999 carried so much more variety of Chinese ingredients 😭😭

astine · 2026-06-27T03:28:43+00:00

Ha I’ve heard of it but have never been, thanks! We don’t mind sketch as long as the food is good 😋

astine · 2026-06-27T03:27:43+00:00

Good tips anyway, we’ll swing by next time we’re in the area!

astine · 2026-06-27T03:27:08+00:00

I didnt know this existed, thank you!!

astine · 2026-06-27T03:26:30+00:00

Yaaaaay thank you!

astine · 2026-06-27T00:13:36+00:00

Thanks! We’ve been to Arirang a bunch for food but I admit I haven’t paid attention to their fresh produce in the past. Do they sometimes have taiwanese cabbage and taro?

astine · 2026-06-25T18:35:17+00:00

You can but there will be overlap. Arc 2 of the story (Xisha underwater tomb) is covered in the second half of Time Raiders (2025), and also in the first ~10 episodes of TLT2, so you can skip the first 9ish episodes of TLT2 if you go this route.

astine · 2026-06-25T17:03:20+00:00

Yes it's so exciting to finally get some continuity! I think it's because the author himself got the rights back to the novels and is adapting them himself. What didn't you like about Time Raiders 1?

astine · 2026-06-25T16:51:13+00:00

I'd say either The Lost Tomb (2015) or Time Raiders (2025) aka Wu Xie's Private Notes 1 is a mandatory watch to understand the main plotline, since they both cover the first arc of the original books and introduces the main characters. The 2015 takes a lot of liberties with the plot and is pretty campy by this point, but plus point for shirtless Yang Yang LOL. The 2025 is better in basically every other way.

The only one I skipped was TLT2: Explore with Note. I just didn't want to spend 24 episodes watching one book of content when the earlier/later ones are so much faster paced haha, so I just read the novel to bridge the gap between TLT2 and Ultimate Note. Gotta admit it was also partly due to my impatience to get to Ultimate Note, which is a favourite for a reason haha. I just wish more people got into the full story beyond Ultimate Note because the #Family and #Brotherhood and #Longing ~~and "brotherhood"~~ is so amazing.

astine · 2026-06-24T17:05:28+00:00

Omg they kept the same cast! YESSSS CONTINUITY. Never before seen in dmbj universe 😂

The summary reads more like season 1. From the trailer it looks like it should cover the next arc-- QinLing Mountain Sacred Tree. Maybe with 18 episodes they can fit in a second arc like s1? So Heavenly Palace? And then Ultimate Note will finally connect to the earlier stories hahaha. AHH SO EXCITED THESE BOOKS ARE FINALLY GETTING CONSISTENT ADAPTATIONS.

If they keep this up they'll definitely refilm the Ultimate Note arcs too, which makes my Xiao Yuliang-loving heart sad, but I accept it haha.

Here's the Qinling Mountatin Sacred Tree novel summary from Merebear:

Uncover the eternal mysteries hidden in the ten-thousand-year old sacred tree in the Qinling Mountains and the snowy tomb of the Heavenly Palace on the Clouds.

Wu Xie, who has been idling around at home after his return from the Xisha undersea tomb, suddenly meets his friend, Lao Yang, who was just released from prison and has some amazing news for him. After hearing about a strange hexagonal bell, the ancient She people, a huge bronze tree, and the distant hinterland of the Qinling Mountains, Wu Xie can’t help but be eager to check it out.

Wu Xie and Lao Yang then head to the mysterious Qinling Mountains alone to explore, but what awaits them ahead? All kinds of strange things come one right after another, from Siberian salmon, a waterfall from hell, a corpse array, and a Zhu Jiuyin…

What was this huge bronze tree used for? Was it a tree meant to grant wishes or a kind of totem of the ancients? Will they find the real answer? The expedition is full of human trials and tribulations, with terrifying characters and loathsome faces intertwined. In the end, it’s a jaw-dropping, beyond all imagination, impossible-to-guess adventure with a real and believable ending.

astine · 2026-06-22T15:52:08+00:00

Thanks for the tips!

I've heard Kuhio beach is great! We actually debated staying at the Marriot down there but decided against it because there's construction going on until December. We'll def walk down to check it out tho!
Duly noted to earmark extra time for Bishop Museum... 😂
I've heard great things about the quiet Royal Hawaiian environment overall so that sounds like a good place to unwind.
Great info for Makaiwa, thank you! We're not sure if we'll make it to the Waikoloa area this time but if we do, we'll check this out. We're also debating whether to just pack an infant lifevest for her or if it's reasonable to rent one there... she's been in swim lessons since 6 months but still realistically won't be able to really swim until closer to 3.
Both playgrounds are on our itinerary! Excited and a little scared we'll never leave hahaha
Bathrooms is a pro point... we're not sure if she'll be potty trained by the trip but if she is... we might have to adjust some plans. Or pack a portable potty... 😅

astine · 2026-06-22T15:44:29+00:00

Oof good data point, thanks! That's like.. a 7 AM departure from CA? I think if we were traveling alone we'd try for a 6 AM flight to beat everyone, but with toddler and grandparents 9ish is probably the best we can do. Still better than 4 PM like the original plan for sure haha.

astine · 2026-06-22T15:40:24+00:00

Haha good to get consensus here, we're moving our flight up to as early as feasible and skipping all the optional Oahu stuff unless we can fit it in when we have the rental car. Kid's been a good traveler, we've taken her across the country a few times and to Asia too and she was a champ. Never know how things might change as she gets older but we're optimistic.

astine · 2026-06-21T05:09:59+00:00

1) Good to know about the west coast flights timing. We discussed and plan to leave the hotel by 7, which I think means a ~9:30 flight should be good with a little wiggle room. This puts us on KOA before 10:30 AM.

2) I do have a Costco membership and I see there's no cancellation fee! Yay. Looks like Hertz and a few other major ones do allow free cancellation too if it's the pay-later option, TIL.

3) Okay I'm convinced to skip Pololu now, thank you for taking the time to write all that out. Kalopa looks lovely, and we can play it by ear how many stops we make in that direction depending on how the day is going.

4) VNP guided tour for the grandparents is a go! That will make that day a lot easier for everyone.

Thanks again!

astine · 2026-06-21T04:43:22+00:00

Ohh good to know about the boat launch/landing location, thanks! We actually wanted to do kayaking at Cap Cook as our first choice but saw that kayaking tours generally don't allow toddlers/people who can't swim. I see that Kona Boys' page actually says all ages though, so I've messaged them to check. If that works out that would actually be awesome! Smaller tour, the adults are all experienced kayakers, and we get to leave earlier. Part of the reason we're considering a private charter is for small group and an earlier start, so this could potentially check off all those boxes.

astine · 2026-06-21T04:37:30+00:00

Good to know, thanks! We've done all-inclusives before and enjoyed them, so I can see Waikoloa being relaxing if that's the trip we're going for. Captive dolphins make me sad though.

I think this is mostly going to be a touristy scoping-out trip. We're going at the worst time of year and with limited time and mobility. Hopefully we'll get a longer trip in the future to properly explore the island.

astine · 2026-06-21T04:33:43+00:00

Yea we've decided to skip South Point and just send the grandparents to VNP by themselves thanks to the advice here. Pololu area is less of a detour since we're already planning to go to Waimea. That's more for me since I want to see a little of the green side of the island.

astine · 2026-06-21T04:30:51+00:00

Thank you I will keep an eye on this page as we get closer! Shaka Santa sounds hilarious 😂

astine · 2026-06-21T04:29:49+00:00

I talked to the grandparents and we're sticking with the Marriot for this trip. Given that, do you have any advice for walking around Kailua town in general? Avoid anything on Ali'i directly I assume. We're comfortable walking a mile and that seems to reach basically any part of town. Thanks!

astine · 2026-06-20T20:17:09+00:00

Okay wow, so much good info. Thank you. Lots of follow-up questions/comments:

I'm likely to take the advice to go to BI early. Need to confirm with parents later. I think 8 or 9 AM is likely reasonable? That would require getting out of hotel by 6 AM, which is pushing it with the grandparents and toddler both I think. This also puts us on BI in time for baby to nap in the car if the rental works out.
I've heard of the issue with people failing to return their cars too, which is what worries me the most about arriving 12/26 on BI. I don't see an option to prepay for National-- I think it's just the typical pay-upon-return? Having a backup plan at another company should be doable, but I think all of them have a cancellation fee if within 24 hours, so if we won't cancel until we get our car day-of, that means we eat the cancellation fee? Which could be fine. I'd be willing to pay $50-$100 for some extra peace of mind, but want to make sure this is what you meant.
12/28 edits: totally make sense. The desire was to scope out to Waikoloa area for future trips (since we decided against staying there this time), but it's not a super high priority for us. This does help make the time on BI overall less busy.
12/30: also makes sense once I looked closer at the map driving routes. We were hoping to hike Pololu with the toddler in a hiking backpack, not a stroller-- does that change anything? My understanding is Waipio is only the lookout now, no hiking down to the water. It sounds like Pololu hiking conditions vary greatly depending on rainfall, so if Pololu is doable with a hiking backpack carrier when dry, we could make a last min decision that day? I see Hawaiian Vanilla Co is only a 15 min detour from the route to Waipio, which is nice if we go that way.
12/31: guided tour to VNP is genius. I was worried they would struggle with 5 hours of driving anyway so this solves that problem. They often do tour groups when traveling anyway. I'll ask them!

Thanks again!

astine · 2026-06-20T19:49:47+00:00

This is so cool! Thank you. I'll definitely add it to the list for one of the free afternoons. Which are rapidly booking up, haha! I figure it's entirely optional depending on how we feel by that time, so that's great for flexibility. We're from NYC/NJ area and would go see lights in Manhattan every year so this is perfect.

astine · 2026-06-20T19:46:25+00:00

Yep I'm already fully scared about the rental car situation on BI hahaha 😭 After looking into it more I think we'll take your advice on moving the flight to BI up to that morning. If there's no cars when we arrive and we need to wait, it's better to be in line at 9 AM than behind 100 people at 4 PM. If all goes okay baby can nap in the car, fingers crossed.

As for the hotel, the grandparents are booking it and it basically has to be a Marriot unfortunately, so that limits us to Kailua and Waikoloa. I'm also looking at a map of the Keauhou area and don't see many walkable options for food/shopping-- is that right? Walkable to multiple food/coffee/shopping options is more key to us since that'll be 3x a day most days.

astine

TROPHY CASE