ISSUE 6

-

SUMMER

2015

“CULTURE AND YOU”

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VINA CRISTOBAL

Founding

Editor-in-Chief

PETER CHENG

Co-founder

JENNY ANNE

PALERACIO

Photographer

SAGE BATTAD

Intern

RACHEL KAMITA

Videographer

JONAH PASION

Photographer

REINALYN

MACARAEG

Intern

ASHLEY ONZUKA

Videographer

Writer

BRITTANY REIS

Photographer

MARK GALACGAC

Graphic

Designer

KAHEALANI

UHEHARA

Videographer

SHAWN SAITO

Photographer

ROSELLE JULIAN

Graphic

Designer

IG: @VEEXC_

IG: @CHENGMAN808 IG: @ELLIEKNOWSBEST IG: @JONAHPUSH IG: @ASHKIMIE IG: @REI.THEBESTNANAINTHEWORLD

IG: @RAELYNRB IG: @SHAWNSAITO IG: @R.ZZL

IG: @GBARIT IG: @ITSMEETASHAAA IG: @BRITTANY.REIS IG: @SHAKAHEA IG: @M.GHEE

RAELYN BATACAN

Marketing

Writer

IG: @LIVINTHE808IG: @WITHOUTYOUITSJUSTME

GIRLIEH

MAE BARIT

Marketing

CHELAN CRANE

Writer

TASHA MERO

Writer

IG: @CHELLANY

HNLFLOWSTAFF

JOIN THE FLOW FAM TODAY, GO TO HNLFLOW.COM FOR MORE DETAILS.

ELLISE KAKAZU

Writer

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SAGE BATTAD

Intern

REAL LIFE IN ART

FEATURING: JOHN KANESHIRO

ANVI CLOTHING

FEATURING: ANVI CLOTHING

18-21

22-27

28-31

TACOCATS

FEATURING: TACOCAT

HOME IS...FEATURING: KRISTIN RIVERA

CULTURE AND YOU

WINNER

32-35

#VISUALVISIONS

FEATURING: BRITTANY REIS

THE BLOG

FEATURING: ERIN SMITH AND MORE!

COMING SOON!

FEATURING: #STARTISTS

42-43

44-45

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TABLE OFCONTENTS

CREATING A SPARK

FEATURING: SANNA MYERS

GETTING TEKNICAL

FEATURING: TEKNIQLINGZ

6-11

12-17

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LETTER FROMTHE EDITOR

So. I graduated college.

The word “unreal” would

be the only term to de-

scribe my feelings and

all the occurrences that

has happened in the past

couple of months. Be-

cause, well, it IS un-

real. It’s unreal when

you can still clearly

remember your 8th grade

graduation and your high

school graduation. It's

unreal when your -academ-

ic experience flew by in

a second even though it

only took 16-plus years

to do so.

Perhaps I’m just in deni-

al that I am now a full-

fledged grown-up.

If you read our “Flow

Seniors” section last is-

sue, Peter and I went to

China and just returned.

An unforgettable experi-

ence, I must admit, but I

am glad to be back on the

island!

My initial inspiration

for Issue 6 - which was

not mentioned in the

video - came from a class

for my entrepreneurship

program at Chaminade. A

cultural consultant came

to speak to us about the

importance of culture and

how it plays a key role

in our lives.

Then it hit me.

Everyone is bound to a

culture. Artists are no

exception to the rule.

Whether it's the tradi-

tions they grew up with

or the lifestyle(s) they

embrace, artists are, in

one way or another, influ-

enced by culture.

Our featured creatives

showcase their own defi-

nition of 'culture' and

what it truly means to

be influenced by such a

concept.

We have to reflect on what

we define as culture in

order to figure out who we

really are. Even if it

may take a long time to

do so...the journey is

worth it in the end.

Best,

Vina Cristobal

Founding editor-in-chief,

HNL Flow

PHOTO: CATHERINE SERIOSA PHOTOGRAPHY

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V I D E O F R O M T H E E D I T O R

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Sanna Myers, the designer of Spark,

creates clothes that are

easy to wear, yet flatter-

ing. She draws inspiration

from her roots back in

Sweden as well as the is-

land life here in Hawaii.

EK: You moved to Hawaii

from Sweden about five

years ago; how did that

inspire you to design?

SM: Well, I moved here to

work with the non-prof-

it in Wahiawa, Surfing The

Nations. So I did that

for two years and I just

kind of sewed on the side.

I studied fashion design

back in Sweden, so I had

that background. I always

pushed it out of my mind

‘cause I thought it would

be too hard to do. I’m not

very brave like that, to

do stuff on my own. So I

was like, “Oh, maybe I’ll

just find another job that

I will be happy with. I

don’t have to design.”

I did that and then I

met my husband. We moved

to North Shore after two

years and it is actual-

ly after I married him,

he really pushed me to do

something. I kept talking

about it. It’s all I

thought about. So he was

like, “You have to do it.”

And I was like, “No. I’m

scared.” So he gave me a

Squarespace subscription

for my birthday last year

and he was like, “Okay,

you have a website, now

put stuff on it.” I don’t

think I would have done it

without him, honestly.

EK: What is the story be-

hind the name Spark?

SM: The story behind the

name is actually when we

made our final collection

in fashion school. My

name back then was Sanna

Parker and so I was going

to do, S. Parker, S.Park.,

WORDS: ELLISE KAKAZU

PHOTOS: BRITTANY REIS

Spark can be described

in three words:

beautiful,

cool,

and effortless.

CR

EA

TIN

G

A S

PA

RK

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and then I was just like

Spark! So, now my last

name is Myers. “Smyers”

doesn’t really sound good,

so I was like I’ll keep

Spark. It’s short and

sweet.

EK: Did you always love

fashion or was it a pas-

sion that developed over

time?

SM: I think I always loved

it. When I was little, I

would go shopping with my

mom. I would always be

like, “ I like this, but

I don’t like it because

I would change this and I

would change that.” So I

always wanted to change

things and make things my

own.

EK: You studied fashion

design. Did you have a

definite style that you

wanted to create or were

you still figuring it out

while in school?

SM: I was still pret-

ty much figuring it out.

Well, I always liked clean

lines and kind of mini-

mal design, but my first

collection in Sweden was

completely black. It’s

very different from now.

Now, it’s mostly white.

EK: What was the most

valuable/favorite lesson

you learned when you stud-

ied fashion design?

SM: The pattern making

class was my favorite. It

is very mathematical and

it’s almost architectural.

You have to think in 3D

and I just think it’s su-

per exciting because you

get to make the solution

and see it come to terms.

I don’t consider myself a

math nerd, I don’t love

math at all, but I love

that aspect - thinking

3D. So I think that was

my favorite.

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EK: When do you work on

your designs, do you have

a set time of day or is it

when you feel inspired?

SM: I am so unorganized

right now. I just try to

make a schedule for my-

self, like in the morn-

ing I’ll do emails and

stuff. I am a night owl,

so I am most creative at

7:00 p.m. I get my ideas,

I’ll sketch it, then keep

working on it the next day

when I am awake.

EK: How often do you come

up with new designs and

styles?

SM: It’s just always pop-

ping in my head. I feel

like I don’t even think

about it sometimes. I’ll

constantly have designs

coming to me, but then I

have to categorize it.

Like, “Oh, I can’t add

this now cause I’m in this

collection.” So always

coming, but then I have to

organize.

[We also asked a few

questions about Sanna’s

personal style.]

EK: Who is your style

icon?

SM: Well, my wrap dress

is inspired by Diane Von

Furstenberg, she start-

ed the wrap dresses and

I think in general they

are so flattering. It is

flattering for any woman no

matter what your body type

is, so I like those wrap

dresses.

EK: What is your go-to

outfit?

SM: The beach gown is my

go-to. I wanted to make

clothes to stray from

jeans and a t-shirt, which

is my go-to and every-

body’s go-to. And I was

like, “What if I make

something equally simple,

but more flattering.” So

that was my thought and

now it is my go-to!

@WEARSPARK:

Favorite part of the

design process: pattern

making!

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EK: What is your favor-

ite fashion piece in your

closet?

SM: It has to be some-

thing passed down from my

grandma. I have so many

amazing, vintage dress-

es from my grandma. It

might be a vintage piece

that she bought for me

when she was visiting me

in Hawaii. It’s like a

fully sequined blouse in

all these amazing colors!

It is a few sizes too big

and I can’t take it in

cause it is all sequins,

but when I look at it, it

just makes me so happy.

I want to hang it on the

wall, it’s so pretty.

EK: What kind of girl

would be wearing Spark?

Describe the Spark Girl.

SM: I think it’s me.

I design things that I

think I would like and

my friends would like, so

maybe 20-35 years of age.

I don’t like when things

are classified like, “Oh,

this is your formal stuff

and this is your beach

stuff.” The stuff I wear,

I wear to the beach and

then wear it the next day

to a wedding. I don’t

care if the stuff is

wrinkly. I don’t like to

spend twenty minutes in

the morning coordinating

my outfit. I like a one-

stop shop. Put something

on and you’re done. I

like those outfits that

you don’t really have to

think.

[She then gushes about

her prized creation – a

simple beach gown.]

SM: I wear my beach gown

dress everyday ‘cause

it’s like a robe. I ei-

ther throw my morning

robe on or my beach gown.

It’s long, it has high

slits, and it’s a wrap

dress. I might as well

put on that instead of my

dressing robe, then I’m

done.

EK: Can we get an exclu-

sive, sneak preview of

some designs that will be

coming up in the future?

SM: My next collection is

very inspired by water. I

am going to try to print

my own fabric and have a

graphic designer work on

the print. The next col-

lection is really going

to be the more cohesive

collection, like this is

Spark. The first one, I

was still trying to figure

out, like “Oh! This is

good, this is good.” Kind

of scattered, but the

next one is really going

to be thought through.

S

R

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

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S P A

R K

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

@WEARSPARK

WEARSPARK.COM

PHOTO COURTESY @WEARSPARK’S INSTAGRAM

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TEKNIQSIN PERSERVINGTHE .PHILIPPINE .CULTURE.“Our dancing speaks volume in continuing the culture.”

WORDS: RAELYN BATACAN

PHOTOS: BRITTANY REIS

VIDEO: ASHLEY ONZUKA

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It’s moments where you

can watch the pride grow

on a grandmother’s face

on her 90th birthday as

she watches her grand-

children participate in

the traditional Fili-

pino folk dance of the

tinikling, that hit the

Tekniqlingz to heart and

motivate them to contin-

ue to preserve the Phil-

ippine culture through

dance.

Local-born Filipinos

grow up and fail to

learn their family’s

language; therefore,

we aspire to find oth-

er creative ways that

fit our personality to

express our culture.

Gabe Torno, founder of

the Tekniqlingz, started

dancing at a young age.

He’d attend dance class-

es and dancing with

groups in high school.

But it wasn’t until col-

lege that Gabe, as Pres-

ident of the Katipunan

Club at the University

of Hawai‘i at Manoa,

wanted to come up with

different activities to

get members involved and

created a dance group

dedicated to Philippine

dance.

“Being in the Tekniqlingz is about being able to have an opportunity to have a vehicle and preserve and promote the Fili-pino culture through dance.”

The tinikling originates

in the Visayas region in

the Philippines. Farmers

who wanted get rid of

the tikling birds used

bamboo sticks to try to

catch them. Like many

things during the col-

onization of the Phil-

ippines, the use of the

bamboo sticks as well as

the music became Span-

ish influenced and turned

into a dance that is now

recognized as the tradi-

tional folk dance of the

Philippines.

In Hawai‘i, there aren’t

many Filipino dance

groups that incorporate

traditional dance. As

students and members

of the Philippine Jr.

Chamber, Katipunan and

Timpuyog the Tekniqlingz

enjoy getting involved

in the community, con-

tribute to and connect

their relationship to

culture. Modernizing

their dances, they aim

to spark inspiration

among the youth that

has become respected by

their elders.

On February 9, 2008,

they held their first ti-

nikling workshop teach-

ing the dance to members

and prepared themselves

for their first perfor-

mance at the Honolulu

Festival in March and at

a Philippine conference

later in the semester.

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Another thing

that makes me

proud is ...

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At the Katipunan Club’s

Spring Dramafest, they

made their first debut

appearance as they per-

formed the traditional

folk dance and incorpo-

rating modern and hip hop

dance moves and tech-

niques. Since then they

performed for countless

many parties, weddings,

anniversaries, festivals

and conferences in the

outer islands and on the

West Coast.

“Another thing that makes

me proud is being able to

connect with those dif-

ferent Filipino communi-

ties,” says Gabe. “Some-

times we get families or

clients who want to learn

the dance.”

The Tekniqlingz are con-

tinuing their goal of

sharing their culture

with others and expand-

ing their performances to

more Filipino festivals

around the nation.

To learn more about the

Tekniqlingz or how you

can get involved, visit

their website or con-

tact Gabe at tekniqlingz@

gmail.com.

TINYURL.COM/ND2EHBH

@TEKNIQLINGZ

TEKNIQLINGZ.COM

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Tacocat focuses on four

aspects: “food, flavor,

fun and meow.”

The local pop-up supports

Hawaii’s local farmers

by buying their locally

grown vegetables and us-

ing them in their tacos.

I happened to meet the

Tacocat team at its pop

up in KCC right after my

final exams and the ride

to KCC was worth it.

Tacocat Hawaii shared how

culture affects its per-

spective on business.

FUN FACT:

Tacocat is a palindrome;

it’s the same when read

forward and backward.

TACO

WORDS: REINALYN MACARAEG

PHOTOS: JONAH PASION

VIDEO: ASHLEY GUZMAN

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CATAfter a successful In-

diegogo campaign and a

launch party to cele-

brate, everything has

been working out with-

in the past couple of

months. They’ve been

invited to large events

such as Eat the Street

and Art + Flea and have

extended their pop-up to

both the Kapiolani Com-

munity College Farmers

Market and the Blaisdell

Center Farmers Market.

Kat Araujo, founder of

Tacocat, cherishes the

value of teamwork. “Do-

minican Americans are

very loving people,” she

says. That ideal makes

her feel like she

TACO

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is supported and encour-

aged to succeed.

Joseph “Joe” Lee, on the

other hand, brings his

Korean culture to the pop-

up by reflecting back on

recipes from his mother’s

kitchen.

They both believe that

they have different

strengths and weaknesses,

and yet they feel ap-

preciative towards these

differences. This also

reflects in the ingredients

that they chose for their

exceptionally made tacos.

So what makes their food

the way it is?

Their sauce, which Joe

made himself, is unique-

ly spicy and sweet and

they marinate their meat

and tofu. Now, a lot of

people who aren’t used

to having tofu in their

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household might try to

avoid that path, but it

does not taste like any

ordinary tofu. Joe said

that he would like to

see more people try the

tofu because it’s what he

grew up eating and it’s

healthy.

Although the pop-up is

gaining quick popularity,

this is only the begin-

ning. It is manageable,

and Kat and Joe enjoy the

“buzz around the neigh-

borhood” that Tacocat

creates. They also be-

lieve that by starting

small, they leave more

room for improvements and

new ideas.

So as they say, “Catch

us!”

FACEBOOK.COM/TACOCATHI

@TACOCAT

TACOCATHI.COM

Note:

On July 25, Tacocat

announced that they

will no longer be do-

ing their pop up, but

you can still contin-

ue to follow them on

social media!

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At 26 years old,

John Kaneshirois a local artist whose talent is

undeniable and has been recog-

nized by many. His work has been

showcased in art shows held at the

Tagami and Powell Fine Art Gallery

in Kaneohe.

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WORDS: ELLISE KAKAZU

PHOTOS: SHAWN SAITO

VIDEO: VINA CRISTOBAL

WITH SPECIAL PARTICIPATION

BY RACHEL KAMITA

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Drawing is something

that John does to fill up

his time, but the art-

work (one word) that

he creates is something

special. Some may look

at his work and instant-

ly think it is a photo-

graph, but if one looks

close enough, the details

and pencil strokes will

reveal its true magnifi-

cence.

John began drawing as a

young child. His father

was an art teacher, so

that artistic gene re-

sulted into one explana-

tion as to why John is so

good at what he does.

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The reason why I love Rembrandt so

much is because of his contrast.

because of the amount of depth

that he has in his paintings.

Although John was always

in an artistic atmosphere,

he did not take it seri-

ously until his freshman

and sophomore year in high

school. He began partic-

ipating in art contests

and received awards for

his art. Since then, he’s

never stopped drawing in-

spirational and breathtak-

ing portraits.

The artist that inspires

John the most, however,

is Rembrandt. John ex-

plained, “The reason why I

love Rembrandt so much is

because of his contrast.

Everything leaves mystery

because of the amount of

depth that he has in his

paintings.”

On the topic of “leav-

ing mystery,” John does

not allow others to watch

him. “Every artist has

this complex. It is almost

like pressure. Whenever

I would ask my dad, ‘Dad,

I want you to draw me a

picture,’ he would actu-

ally go off to the side

and he wouldn’t allow me

to watch him draw. It’s

almost like there is this

artist complex of ‘you’re

watching people watch you

draw and there is so much

pressure to do the right

thing,’” he explained.

Another reason why he

does not draw in front of

others is because he feels

the viewer knowingly or

not knowingly wants it to

be a mystery. The viewer

wants to be wowed, as well

as the artist.

Drawing is a way to escape

the world, so sometimes

John will temporarily shut

the world out to work on

his art. It usually takes

six to eight hours for a

smaller drawing, but for

the larger pieces it can

take about 30 to 40 hours

to complete. Unfortunately,

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@FATJOHN808

PHOTO COURTESY @FATJOHN808’S INSTAGRAM

he does not think draw-

ing will be a part of his

life forever. He does have

other activities that he

enjoys doing.

John said, “I love ul-

timate Frisbee, running,

surfing, playing instru-

ments, and love working

with our church.”

Although he has a lot on

his plate, he’s contin-

ually “drawing” out his

next move.

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Trends come and go fairly

quickly in the fashion

industry, but ANVI Cloth-

ing is changing the game

by providing stylish sta-

ple pieces that will look

good all season long.

Aimee Imai, founder of

ANVI Clothing, offers

outfits that easily trans-

form from day to night.

She strives to accommo-

date women who crave com-

fort and those interested

in “forever pieces,” or

timeless designs.

She began planning ANVI

two years ago, in hopes

of bringing relaxed,

effortless chic into

women’s wardrobes. This

clothing line is a very

personal project, in that

ANVI, pronounced “on-

vee,” is derived from

the initials of her full

name: Aimee Nichole Vo-

gelgesang Imai.

Aimee says that she’s al-

ways wanted to launch her

own clothing line and is

excited to premier ANVI

Clothing within the next

couple of months. She

sees herself holding a

fashion show in the near

future as well as hosting

some giveaways.

“The road has been long

and windy, with a few

dead ends, but I’ve

learned a lot and I’m so

thankful for the jour-

ney that has led me to

today,” Aimee says.

“ANVI has been a labor of

love.”

AN

VI

WORDS : TASHA MERO

PHOTOS: ANVI CLOTHING

CL

OT

HIN

G

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Some of the items in the

ANVI collection include

tank tops, tunics, pants,

kimonos, dresses and

much more. Aimee says

that her favorite dress

in the collection is a

multi-functional one,

which can be worn back-

wards as well.

With everything being un-

der $100, Aimee is happy

to offer an affordable

clothing line. However,

Aimee is even more proud

of the fact that all of

her items are made here

in Hawaiʻi.

“I am so happy that I

have been able to ‘sup-

port local’ in terms of

production,” Aimee says.

“I am so proud and excit-

ed to be a part of the

growing fashion communi-

ty here in Hawaiʻi. We

have so much local talent

here; it’s incredible!”

Being that she loves to

travel the world, she

tries to mirror that

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very lifestyle into her

clothing line. Her designs

are inspired by coastal

life and her traveling

adventures, so she aims to

create a sense of luxury

and wanderlust into each

item.

Her clothing collection is

set to be released online

on her website sometime

before the end of the

year. Although Aimee would

love to open a storefront

one day, she likes the

idea of having her busi-

ness online and mobile.

Due to her adventurous

spirit, even she is unsure

of where she will end up

next.

When one wears

ANVI, I want them

to feel like they

are on vacation,”

explains Aimee.

“Or that it makes

them picture

their next big

adventure.”

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@ANVICLOTHING

ANVICLOTHING.COM

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CULTURE & YOU CONTEST WINNER

HOME IS…

WORDS + PHOTOS: KRISTIN RIVERA

“

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THE MUSIC STARTS PLAYING,

I HAVE ABOUT FIVE TO SEVEN SECONDS TO MAKE IT.

FIND YOUR SPOT.

HURRY,

BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE.

READY?

IT’S SHOWTIME.

AND THE LIGHTS GO ON...

BLACKOUT.

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a conscious sense of re-

spect for others, myself

included.

Not here to talk aimless-

ly about my life story,

but rather, share with

you, my home.

Dance became my home. As

did the stage. As well

as the studio I dance for

and the people that grew

to be friends, and even-

tually, family.

When I came back to the

island from my first year

of college in the summer

of 2010, I began dancing

at a studio that offered

hip hop classes. Need-

less to say, I didn’t know

anyone. More often than

not, I kept my distance

from people. Not because I

necessarily wanted to, but

I was pretty shy.

What I did focus on was

the actual dancing, pick-

ing up choreography, and

trying to execute my moves

as clean as possible.

That’s the thing about

dance, there’s constant-

ly room for improvement.

The more time spent within

that studio space, the

more willing I became to

talk to others that danced

too. I participated in the

studio’s annual dance con-

certs and even auditioned

a number of times to be a

part of their senior com-

peting crew. Three times

to be exact. The fourth

time, I finally made the

cut.

September makes two years

from when I initially got

accepted in to the crew.

My confidence has taken a

lot of turns, gone through

its ups and down, but

Over the years, since my

move here in 1999, the

experiences that have come

to pass changed my per-

spective on this idea of

what “home” is. As a kid,

when the word “home” came

to mind, I thought of a

structure in which a fam-

ily resides in on a daily

basis. A single place to,

at the end of each day, be

welcomed by loving family,

bathe, eat, and sleep. You

know, the usual.

But what else is home now?

Time has taught me that

home acquires different

meanings within various

contexts, especially liv-

ing here on O’ahu. People

have shown me the impor-

tance of space and the

boundaries that keep those

spaces intact. The cul-

ture that encompasses the

person I am, has given me

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@KRISTINHS4L

ultimately has reached a

good place.

Dance is my home be-

cause it has become my

lifestyle. A lifestyle

that put an emphasis on

valuing the relation-

ships I’ve built with

people and growing within

the spaces that contain

lasting memories, stern

discipline, and a mutual

drive to fight together

as a team. The stage is

also home to me due to

the simple fact that it’s

the platform from which

I can express myself with

my crew members. Wheth-

er members have come

and gone, taken a break

and come back, or left

completely, every sin-

gle one of them, in some

aspect, has helped me to

be better, as a danc-

er and a person. And the

studio, the epitome of

sweat, tears, and late

night rehearsals, is home

base. Where, despite win-

ning or losing, whether

relevant to dance or not,

I can come home to. The

one place I’m welcome to

leave negativity, doubt,

and fear outside the

door.

As with every home, for

whatever reason, one

leaves. I’m not entirely

sure how much longer I’ll

be dancing at my studio,

but I know it won’t be

permanent. The signifi-

cance of the space and

the relationships I’ve

maintained because of it

will stay by my side no

matter where I go. Bigger

aspirations await, and

the desire to see beyond

my current view compels

me to move forward in

hopes to reach them. But

this home will remain

as my foundation, the

roots that have tested my

strengths and weaknesses

over and over again. And

like every home, should

I choose to come back, I

know will be there.

The music gradually

fades, as the applause

from the crowd gets loud-

er. The curtains close,

and everyone gathers,

cheering in excitement.

“BRING IT IN!” shouts our

director. “Hype on 3.

1-2-3-HYPE!”

Whatever is meant for me

in the long run, I will

always remember this mo-

ment and how at home it

made me feel.

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#VISUALVISIONS WORDS + PHOTOS: BRITTANY REIS

I remember when I was

asked the question

“Why?” Why am I still going after

my dreams and goals after

I was told by many people

that I was not passion-

ate? Why am I still going

after it when I had gotten

kicked out of my photogra-

phy class because my pro-

fessor had said, “Britta-

ny, you are not passionate

and will get absolutely

nowhere”? Why am I still

going?

Why am I still going, af-

ter working over time at

my job to save up enough

money for camera gear

instead of having it hand-

ed to me? I dropped out

of college so, Why am I

still going after watching

things fall apart around

me? Why am I still going,

If I don’t shoot for a

day, I get anxiety. It’s

like this massive hand

just squeezing your heart

and not letting go. I beat

my self up a lot. No one

really sees it because

it’s “just instagram”, but

I look at my photographs

and always feel like “Yo,

I could have done better.”

Which fuels the fire that

eventually makes me want

to go out and shoot again.

Go in my room and plan

everything out for my next

shoot. It’s more intense

then just sitting on a bed

with my laptop but I won’t

get into detail. So why

am I passionate? Why am I

still going?

Look, I’m 20 years old

with a ton of ambitions.

I could be raving every-

day and taking a ton of

drugs to fuel my creative

process but I have enough

passion in me to keep me

alive and going, as well

as the many smiles, hugs

and friendships that I

have made through out

this journey. Seeing the

release of pain through

the falling tears from the

eyes of others and through

the eyes of myself - it’s

a beautiful process. With

that, I have nothing to

prove to anyone.

Why am I still going?

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It slowly consumed her. Turning her into something

that many had become afraid of. No one understood

what is was but she. I mean, she was the only person

that could also save her soul from being turned cold.

She began to see her skin glisten with hope, glisten

with love. She was transforming into something, many

had become afraid of. Herself.

@BRITTANY.REIS

@BRITTANY.REIS BRITTANYREIS.WORK

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Eat The Street has given

us another Friday night

full of delicious food

and the theme was Phil-

ippines! Both locals

and tourists gathered

in Kaka’ako and I went

ahead and asked what they

thought of their food and

like how Eat the Street

wanted it, it was “sarap

sarap” (delicious)!

THE BLOGHNLFLOW.WORDPRESS.COM

WRITTEN BY: REINALYN MACARAEG

PHOTO: JENNY PALERACIO

Read more

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HNLFLOW.COM

ERIN

Upon boarding Philippine

Airlines flight 107 to

Manila, I could not even

imagine what I was about

to encounter. I’d had

envisioned a trip to my

parents’ birthplace as be-

ing full of awkward family

get-togethers, underde-

Kailua artist Erin Smith

released her first al-

bum, “American Boy,” on

June 11 at the Republik.

It had a wide range of

audiences, from children

to adults. Everyone was

having fun and cheering

for Erin. Her songs were

amazing and she had a

very interesting session.

They sang, not only songs

from her album, but also

a cover of Paramore’s

“Ain’t it Fun” with her

students. It isn’t hard

to see that she is very

loved, even by her stu-

dents. She hopes that the

lessons that she learned

in life will be conveyed

properly through her lyr-

ics. Her songs are avail-

able on ITunes and are

played regularly on 101.9

(so make sure to request

them!).

veloped living areas,

and constant usage of the

Ilokano language – which

I had not yet come to

understand. I thought I’d

be lost in an unfamiliar

world, longing to return

home.

PHOTOS + WORDS: ATHENA ABADILLA

WORDS: REINA MACARAEG

VIDEO: ASHLEY GUZMAN

Read more

SMITH

CULTURE + YOUHONORARY MENTION

Read more

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OUR READERS!

THANK YOU ,

Hogan Entrepreneurs Program Chaminade University of HonoluluUniversity of HawaiiHawaii Pacific UniversityMoanalua High SchoolFamily and friends of HNL FlowAthena AbadillaVisions HawaiiHonolulu PeekabooStreet Grindz

SparkTekniqlingzJohn KaneshiroTacocatANVI ClothingArt + Flea

Flow Fam

Kristin Rivera

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Saturday Aug 8

Summer Edition

4pm - 8 pm801 South Street

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Next IssueI S S U E 7

#STARTISTS

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