ASD Staff

Adopt a Pet

[{"text":"Meet Max, Maui Humane Society's Pet of the Week! ","type":"text"}]

"He's a 1-year-old pup with a big heart and an even bigger hope — to find [his] forever ‘ohana!" the nonprofit wrote. 

Max came to MHS in January with his sister, Daisy, after their previous family had to make the tough decision to surrender them. Though life at the shelter has been a big change, he is slowly discovering how exciting the world can be. 

He is "potty trained, super smart and gets along with other dogs." Max is "still a little shy, but with a patient and loving ʻohana, we know he’ll blossom," MHS said. 

Learn more about MHSʻ adoption process, adoption fees, off-island adoptions and more, 

MHS Max 1600 x 900

"She shows off her joy with the cutest honking and snorting sounds that are sure to melt your heart," says the Hawaiian Humane Society

MOI Pua 4 16 2025

Adopt-a-Pet April 16, 2025: Pua has "mesmerizing hazel eyes"

Judge is the sweetest pup you’ll ever meet, the Hawaiian Humane Society says of the 4-year-old Pit Bull Terrier mix.

MOI Judge 4 15 2025

Adopt-a-Pet April 15 2025: ʻJudge is waiting to give you all the affectionʻ

<title>Adopt-a-Pet April 16, 2025: Meet Max from Maui Humane Society</title>

According to Maui Humane Society, Max is "a 1-year-old pup with a big heart and an even bigger hope — to find [his] forever ‘ohana!"

Adopt-a-Pet April 16, 2025: Meet Max from Maui Humane Society

Meet Max, Maui Humane Society's Pet of the Week!  "He's a 1-year-old pup with a big heart and an even bigger hope — to find [his] forever ‘ohana!" the nonprofit wrote.  Max came to MHS in January with his sister, Daisy, after their previous family had to make the tough decision to surrender them. Though life at the shelter has been a big change, he is slowly discovering how exciting the world can be.  He is "potty trained, super smart and gets along with other dogs." Max is "still a little shy, but with a patient and loving ʻohana, we know he’ll blossom," MHS said.  Learn more about MHSʻ adoption process, adoption fees, off-island adoptions and more, here, or email adoptions@mauihumanesociety.org.

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

Chicken pot pie is one of my favorite comfort foods, but it’s rare to find this dish around Honolulu; I’ve only come across a few — notably at HI Pie Bakery + Café in Haleʻiwa, and at Merriman’s Honolulu. 

Now, there’s another option available — this time, at downtown Honolulu-based 

Known for its upscale interior and handcrafted libations, Podmore added several new dishes to its dinner menu about a month ago. The eatery changes up its menu frequently and is constantly running specials.

New cocktails ($18 each) are also available; the selection includes El Burro Azul, or a mezcal mule; Life’s a Peach, which is like a peach cosmopolitan; and Monkey See, Monkey Drink. The latter features a banana-infused and browned butter-washed Monkey Shoulder scotch.

We tried Life’s a Peach, which was a nice balance of refreshing and sweet.

The roasted pork buns aren’t new, but I highly recommend them as an appetizer. An order ($16) comes with two pieces of these soft buns, which come stuffed with crispy pork belly, apple sauce and pickled red onions. You’re sure to savor every bite, as the pork buns are savory with a slightly sweet aftertaste.

If you’re looking for something on the lighter side — but still flavorful — these scallops ($38) are ideal. Each order features five petite, succulent scallops, crispy kale, and a buttery mix of romaine, peas and truffle bechamel. The veggie-based side has a consistency that reminds me of risotto, and the indulgent truffle bechamel makes me forget that I’m eating mostly greens.

The chicken pot pie that’s currently on the menu is the newer rendition of the eatery’s former beef pot pie. Alas, I was so excited to try it that I forgot to take a photo once we broke into the crust. The golden-brown, perfectly crispy puff pastry encases a savory combo of leeks, mushrooms, peas and carrots. The chicken is tender, while the mushrooms boast the perfect chew.

The dish was just as delicious as I imagined it to be — so much so that I’m still thinking about it several days later.  

The confit duck leg ($28) is a nice choice if you’re craving a heartier dish. It’s served with soft polenta, ratatouille and fresh herbs. The duck was flavorful without being overly gamey.

Another new dish is the lamb vindaloo curry ($27), served with mango chutney, steamed rice and housemade naan bread. This dish took the place of a tikka masala curry that used to be on the menu, but we’re told it definitely packs some heat.

During our visit, we also had the chance to try an off-menu dish that will soon be added to Podmore’s line-up. Once it’s on the menu, the roasted cauliflower ($14) — served with tikka masala spices and a yogurt sauce — is a must-have appetizer.  The tender cauliflower was perfectly cooked and complemented by a creamy, addictive yogurt sauce and just the right amount of spice to give the dish a slight kick without being overly hot.

Open 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Fridays, 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturdays, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Sundays, closed Mondays

Podmore scallops 041625

<title>Podmore has a new spring menu</title>

New dishes range from scallops to roasted cauliflower and a must-have chicken pot pie

Podmore has a new spring menu

Lopaka and Tanya Kapanui

Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya Kapanui

Hawaii History

Columnists

King David Kalākaua called Mānoa “the Valley of the Rainbow.” Surrounded by mountain ridges on three sides, rainfall is a frequent visitor. The sun, crawling across the sky, catches each falling drop at just the right angle, refracting the light into arcs of color that stretch like aloha across the sky. In this valley, while nature performs its quiet magic, Hawaiian history and the ancient art of Chinese feng shui intertwine, creating a contemporary harmony between the land and the spirits that inhabit it.

This cool, wide valley is just minutes from town and has become a highly desirable place to live. Hawaiian royalty had homes in Mānoa to escape the hustle and bustle of town. Most notably, Queen Ka‘ahumanu, King Kamehameha’s favorite wife, visited often and passed away in her home there at the age of 64.

In ancient times, Hawaiians believed that gods and supernatural beings inhabited the valley, and research shows that up to eight heiau (temples) once existed in Mānoa. The sites for heiau were chosen because of their spiritual energy, and Mānoa Valley offered the perfect setting for such wahi pana (sacred places).

In the mid-1800s, after most of the heiau had already been destroyed, a Feng Shui master came to Hawai‘i. Working to develop his craft, Mr. Lum Ching hiked the mountains and valleys of Honolulu using a luo pan, a type of Chinese feng shui compass. Coming upon Mānoa, he saw a knoll near the back of the valley and made his way there. Standing upon that grassy hill within the valley, he aimed the luo pan out toward the ocean and found that the direction pointed due south. Lum Ching then aimed the compass along the surrounding mountains and realized the energy was exactly what he was looking for. The qi, the energy that flowed into the valley, culminated at a point called shui. This happened to be right where Lum Ching was standing. In Chinese culture, the belief is that if an ancestor were to be buried at such an energy point, it would have lasting positive effects of prosperity on their descendants. 

Lum Ching brought his findings to the Chinese community, and 31 families worked together to pool their money. Saving nearly six months’ worth of wages, they founded the Lin Yee Chung Association to purchase the 27 acres of land that now forms the cemetery. Although the scenery of the valley had changed, the history and the spirituality remained.

What seems like a lifetime ago, when I’d only been working with Glen Grant for a few years, I was entrusted to host a group from an architectural firm on the old Ghost Hunters Bus Tour. We met at Glen’s bookstore, The Haunt, in Mo‘ili‘ili and headed out to our first stop, the Mānoa Chinese Cemetery, with permission, of course. Most of the 38 men and women were terrified, and it took a lot of encouragement to get them to board the bus. It took an equal amount of encouragement to convince them to get off the bus once we got to the cemetery.

I walked the group up the hill and stopped at a section below the huge banyan tree. On our left was the children’s section, where Glen once explained that children were placed here so they could keep each other company in the afterlife. Without warning and before I could even begin my storytelling, a wind appeared out of nowhere and tore through the cemetery, bending the skinny palm trees along the path. 

Oddly, I could see everything happening: the leaves and loose grass blowing about, dirt swirling around in tiny tornadoes. However, I couldn’t hear or feel any of it. It seemed like I was in an invisible capsule. After several seconds, the feeling was gone. The wind stopped, and I looked around to find that all 38 architects were gone.

When I boarded the bus at the bottom of the hill, I asked the group leader what had happened. He said that the second the wind kicked up, they all ran immediately back to the bus. We continued the tour, but by the end of the night, the wind and the cemetery were all the group could talk about.

The following morning, I phoned my elder cousin, Keone, to tell him about my experience and ask what it might have been. 

“That was the night marchers,” he told me. “Last night, the moon phase was Kāne. They march through that part of the cemetery, you know.”

“How come I wasn’t killed?” I asked. “I had no time to strip naked and lay face down.”

“That feeling you had of being encapsulated? You must have had ‘ohana in that procession because it sounds like they surrounded you and saved you,” he replied.

“What about the people on the tour?” I suddenly remembered that nothing happened to them.

[{"text":"Keone laughed and replied, “They did the smart thing. They ran.”","type":"text"}]

Manoa Chinese Cemetery

<title>Hawaiian History Meets Feng Shui</title>

Looking into the eerie energies surrounding the Mānoa Chinese Cemetery.

Hawaiian History Meets Feng Shui

Christian Shimabuku Headshot

Christian Shimabuku

Sports

As a local fan favorite for the University of Hawai‘i men's volleyball team, Keoni Thiim was living out a dream. 

[{"text":"Just not his dream. ","type":"text"}]

Thiim, a 2019 Kalani High School graduate, played three seasons for the Rainbow Warriors, winning a national championship as a redshirt freshman in 2022. His role on the team as a serving specialist was the same for three consecutive years, until an ACL injury to star player Spyros Chakas prompted Thiim to start 14 matches at outside hitter to end the 2024 season. 

The Rainbow Warriors went 23-7 in 2024 and missed the NCAA Tournament after losing Chakas. With one year of eligibility remaining, Thiim decided to enter the transfer portal and ultimately decided to finish his collegiate career at BYU.

“I had a dream. I fell in love with volleyball, had a dream, and at the end of the day after my third year, knowing that (2025) was my last year, I knew where I was. I wasn't really going to be able to achieve it for myself," Thiim told Aloha State Daily in a recent interview. "So, for my last year, I decided to take a risk and chase that dream and somewhere where I feel like I could achieve it, so that’s why I ended up parting ways.

“It definitely had to do with just playing and feeling confident and doing what I do, because I work so hard to be the best version of myself as a volleyball player and I want to show it. I don't want to be a ‘what if’ at the end of my career, I want to go find out for myself If I am really, (as good as) the potential I think have. So that's pretty much it.”

Following his portal announcement, Thiim had a tell-all appearance on Out of System, a volleyball podcast hosted by former UH players Joe and Gage Worsley, as well as Punahou alumnus and volleyball Olympian Micah Ma‘a. The episode made the rounds on social media before it was deleted.

“It was basically the reasons why I was leaving," Thiim recalled when asked about the contents of the podcast episode. "Obviously, it was so fresh and so new, and everyone's emotions are pretty high, so I think people just took parts of it out of context, in terms of why I was leaving, so they deleted it. We ended up just taking it down, kind of making sure we didn't get any more random answers and assumptions and stuff like that.”

BYU is a school that checked all the boxes for Thiim. His grandfather, former Hawai‘i men's head coach Mike Wilton, served as an assistant for both BYU volleyball teams and lives nearby. Thiim is also close to his uncles, Aaron and Mike Wilton Jr., both of whom he can relate to. Aaron played collegiately for UH, while Mike Jr. played for BYU. 

Thiim has started all eight of BYU's matches in 2025, leading the 6-2 Cougars with 125 kills. On top of being the team's go-to player offensively, he has continued to entertain from the service line with 18 aces. 

"It's exactly what I asked for," Thiim said. "I can never really complain or make excuses about anything. They trust me and I'm trusting them and we're just figuring out a way to click on the court as a team. The coaches trust me, I trust my coaches. I trust my teammates. I know that at the end of the season, we'll be playing our best volleyball, so I'm really happy.”

This week, No. 5 BYU hosts No. 4 Hawai‘i for a pair of matches on Friday and Saturday, the first time the two teams have met since the Rainbow Warriors swept the Cougars in the 2021 national championship match. First serve for both matches is set for 4 p.m. HST, and both contests will be televised on BYUtv. 

Playing his former team is a moment Thiim says he's been thinking about ever since he was alerted of the matchup not long after getting settled on BYU's campus. 

"I've been thinking about that one. At the end of the day, things didn't end super clean, I'd say," Thiim said. "But at the end of the day, I do love so many of the guys on that team. It's definitely going to be like a reunion. My mentality going into that game, kind of still deciding. I could take the revenge route and play my heart out and really just be fueled about how things went there. But there's also a part of me that wants to keep it cordial and play my best volleyball with my teammates and trust what I got, trust what my teammates got and kind of just play a good, mature, super good game. We'll see how things pan out for the next couple of days, but I'm still up in the air.”

When members of the University of Hawai‘i men's volleyball program were asked about going up against Thiim, players said the goal is to keep the focus on the storied rivalry between UH and BYU rather than a player like Thiim. 

“As much as I love that kid, and as much as he was a great person, great leader in this community, this game is about Hawai‘i vs. BYU, not about Hawai‘i vs. Keoni," middle blocker Kurt Nusterer said. "I'm worried that if we make it about that. … There's five other players on that team that can do a lot of damage. We really got to be focused on everyone and not get distracted by that. It'll be nice to see him.”

While the cameras and recorders were rolling in Tuesday’s media availability at the Stan Sheriff Center, Hawai‘i head coach Charlie Wade was asked twice about going up against Thiim.

“Hawai‘i and BYU have a long rivalry together in a lot of different sports. I think everybody embraces that opportunity to go up there and compete. It's a fun environment. Last time we played them was for the (2021) national championship, which went our way. We're pretty happy about that. So, yeah, looking forward to the matchup," Wade said in his first answer.

When asked again about going up against a player of Thiim's caliber, Wade offered: “Obviously, Keoni’s got a big serve and we’ve certainly seen a lot of a lot of that here. They got some pretty volatile arms that can kind of wreck the game. They get going, they get hot from the service line, they can take over. Everybody plays better at home. They’re certainly no different. They're a top five team for a reason for sure.”

Despite the history between the two programs, Thiim has played enough meaningful matches to know that the most valuable volleyball is played in May at the NCAA Tournament.

"Playing our best volleyball at the end of April and beginning of May, that's going to be the biggest priority," Thiim said. "I think being OK with ups and downs right now, figuring things out is going to be more valuable than breaking our backs trying to win every game with high RPI and focusing on that. I think focusing on the improvement of our team, game to game and day by day in practice, is what's going to be the most important to get our best results when it matters."

Thiim has inquired and learned about a potential professional volleyball career overseas, but he's currently leaning towards playing domestically with AVP Beach Volleyball once his college career is done. 

Thiim, who has more than 150,000 followers on TikTok and over 40,000 followers on Instagram, understands he has a fanbase that's invested in his volleyball career, with BYU as the latest stop in his journey. 

"They're all going to tell you can't do it, but you gotta believe in yourself first. If you don't believe in yourself first, you're not going to make it," Thiim said. "You got to be confident in yourself. Believe in yourself. People are going to doubt you. You can let them doubt you, or you can take your own path and be who you want to be."

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Government & Politics

Sports

Business & Tourism

Real Estate

Food & Dining

Entertainment

Arts & Culture

Aloha Spirit

Hawaii History

Opinion

Daily Features

Adopt-a-Pet April 16, 2025: Meet Max from Maui Humane Society

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Adopt-a-Pet April 16, 2025: Meet Max from Maui Humane Society

In case you missed it

Authors

ASD Staff

More in Adopt a Pet

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