HAMLET'S SOLILOQUOY of SOLILOQUOYS:
To be, or not to be, that is the question -
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And by opposing end them. To die, to sleep,
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to: 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep;
To sleep, perchance to dream, ay, there's the rub:
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come,
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause, there's the respect
That makes calamity of so long life.
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
Th'oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,
The pangs of dispriz'd love, the law's delay,
The insolence of office, and the spurns
That patient merit of th'unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? Who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscovere'd country, from whose bourn
No traveller returns, puzzles the will,
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pitch and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry
And lose the name of action.


HAMLET: PRINCE OF DENMARK Act 3, scene 1, lines 55 to 87

2009: Uncle Dave & Uncle Kingi on the mic


2009: Matua Keke Rawiri - Rest in Love, Uncle.


2009: Me & the Maori gang during their tour in South Dakota


2009: Niko Ihimaera & the gang.


2009: Me & Niko @ Casino after performance. We used to dance the Polynesian Cultural Center's Night Show (along with various other groups) back while in college together @ BYUHawaii. Niko is the nephew of Native Maori novelist, Witi Ihimaera (author of WHALE RIDER).


2009: Uncle Dave working guitar magic during performance in Rapid City.


2009: Uncle Dave leads the singing.


2009: Uncle Kingi sneaks in a Maori 'pukana' mid-performance.


2009: Parata Niko Ihimaera in 'haka maori'.

Borrowed photo.


CAPE COD, MASSACHUSETTS, Fall 2009: with Judith on the 'Cape' at Mormon Feminist Conference & Retreat. Incidentally, Judith is the mother of actress & activist, Eliza Dushku.

Borrowed photos from my friend's blog (Siana, don't kill me for using your pix!--LOL!)

A perfectly ripe 'ULU, or breadfruit, plucked from the 'ulu tree! Never pluck a breafruit too early - you will miss its natural sweetness if you are impatient.


Knife slices through.


2 perfect 'ulu halves, ready to be split cut even further, quartering the original breadruit.


Skin all pieces.


Then de-core.


Cut quarters into halves before tossing them into a pot of boiling water. You the know the breadfruit is cooked when it turns a rich, bright yellow. Sticking a fork into the slices for billowy softness is also an indicator.






Usually, in the islands, we make our own coconut cream & milk (split the coconut with a machete or a smooth, strong stone; drink the watery juice; then we husk shave the thick, tough interior). We then take a clean, unused, 'kauaga' - or natural coconut husk filter (very fibrous) - to scoop up the coconut shreds. NEXT, we squeeze those shreds tightly, and immedately the juicy coconut cream leaks its white, cloudy richness into a bowl. We feed the dried, leftover coconut shreds to the free roaming property chickens. The coconut milk/cream fluid is left in a clean container until it is time to utilize. At this stage, we call this white liquidy goodness the 'pe'e pe'e' or 'miki'.

BUT! if you're pressed for time, and/or have no access to coconut trees (that are EVERYWHERE in the Pacific), good coconut cream/milk in a can will do.


Slice the onion - not too big, or too little!


Add salt.


Squeeze canned (or homemade) coconut milk/cream with salt and onions with clean, bare hand(s).


Pour mixed coconut milk/cream into pot of boiled breadfruit (after draininng water from breadfruit pot).


Boil, ensuring that the coconut milk/cream cover entire surface of each 'ulu. Don't over boil!


VOILA! an edible piece-de-resistance from my Native homeland, SAMOA in the Pacific.