Z Pizza | Honolulu, Hawaii

It has been months since my last date night post. We lost our babysitters for a few weeks and battled various illnesses after that. When we finally had the chance to go out, I was craving some pizza, so we went to check out Z Pizza in Ward Center. We were really impressed with the taste and texture; we can't wait to go back and try the other options on the menu.

Z Pizza
1200 Ala Moana Blvd
Honolulu HI, 96814
(808) 596-0066
Website
Follow on Twitter

The lighting in the restaurant is very... orange. I had to adjust the color balance on every picture. When we first got there, there were no seats, so we sat in the waiting area until something opened up.


There aren't many places to sit inside and the few seats available outside looked vulnerable to rain. Luckily, a couple left just as our order was ready. Not-so-luckily, it was next to a table of excessively loud diners :\


We ordered the Pear and Gorgonzola Rustica. The gorgonzola is on the mild side, which is good for me as I'm not a huge fan of overly pungent cheese. What really made this dish was the addition of fresh thyme. It contrasted nicely with the warmer flavors of the pear and cheeses.


I also ordered a slice of Italian with pesto, mozzarella, ham, artichoke heart, tomato, and black olive. It was really tasty. In fact, it was so tasty that I devoured the whole thing before I remembered to snap a pic. I was forced to take this one of the display on our way out.

It Gets Better...

Seldom do I write about controversial social issues in this blog, but this tweet by Ryan Ozawa (@hawaii) really drew me in to the "It Gets Better Project". After watching the Pixar employee video, I found myself clicking on clip after clip (I posted a few of the notable ones below, but you can see all the videos here).
As a parent, it is my sincerest prayer that my son will grow up in a world that knows no hate; a place where we treat each other like human beings and embrace our differences, instead of ostracizing the ones who don't conform. The sad reality is quite the opposite: bigotry and intolerance prevail. What can I possibly do that will make a difference? I have made a personal commitment to instill in my son the values of acceptance and compassion. I can only hope that as he matures, he will see beyond an individual's skin color, social status, sexual preference or religious views and accept people for who they are. I say this because (not in spite) of the fact that I am a Christian. I believe the God I serve loves you just as much as He does me and He has a plan and a purpose for each and every one of us.

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: The Beatles are now on iTunes!

Yeah... that didn't really wow me either. You know what would have been really cool? If Apple came out and said they were collaborating with Nintendo to deliver an integrated entertainment platform. I have long thought the two organizations could benefit from such a partnership. I'm thinking of a system that combined the best features of the Apple TV and Wii with a highly intuitive interface, perhaps making use of the accelerometer in the iPhone or iPod touch. Imagine, for example, two players going head-to-head in Mario Kart, one on a TV and the other on an iPad! It could happen, right?

The @HealthPass Tweetup

DISCLAIMER: I am currently employed by a subsidiary of the Hawaii Medical Service Association, but these thoughts are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer or its parent company.

HealthPass (@HealthPass) is a benefit for most of HMSA's commercial plan members (click here to find out more). This past Wednesday, we hosted our first tweetup in conjunction with our 20th anniversary celebration. Though it did not have the glitz and glamor of the Nonstop Honolulu (@nonstophonolulu) launch, it definitely had a charm of its own. More importantly, there was a genuine sense of community prevailing in the room that night. Everyone understood that whether you have HMSA coverage or not, we share an important commonality: we all call Hawaii our home. It became apparent to me that the best way to keep HMSA members healthy, is to keep all of Hawaii healthy. It's an ambitious goal, but one that must be met if we are to have any hope of controlling the skyrocketing cost of health care. These changes will not happen in one day and certainly not in a single tweetup, but the conversations that evoke change have already started to take place. For example, after Renee (@surfchik4jesus) sent this tweet about her results, an entire conversation about diabetes ensued on Twitter. The next day, Sara Kata (@sarakata) blogged about "The Cholesterol Ninja" on Posterous. It was followed a day later by Rick Nakama's (@ricknakama) Bangga Bangga "Really Spicy Poke Bowl" post. The common thread? A heightened awareness of their health status brought on by information gleaned at the tweetup.

If you weren't able to attend the event, be sure to check out Ricky Li's (@rickyli99) gallery on Facebook. He took some great pics and really captured the essence of the evening.

Neenz Faleafine (@NEENZ) and her kids exploring the salt content in various foods.


Tweeps Ryan Ozawa (@hawaii), Garry (@funhiguy), Dan Seto (@danseto) and Joannie Pan (@trulyjoannies) learning functional exercises from Rodney, a health educator.


Melissa Chang (@melissa808), Don Aweau (@aweau), Jeff Kang (@jeffkang) and Linda (@alohagadgetgal) catching up with Noe Mediola (@noe808) and Neenz.

The World Needs More Bettys

Betty is a lady who worked in my department until her retirement last year. She is one of the most thoughtful, selfless people I have ever met. Betty knew everyone's birthday and made sure we celebrated each one in a big way, often preparing most of the food by herself. She always remembered that my favorite candy bars are Snickers and I would every so often find one on my desk "just because." Although she no longer works at the company, Betty sometimes drops off some goodies (like the chocolate covered Oreos pictured below). This world would be a better place if we were all a little more like Betty.