Shopkeepers

What are your main hobbies, interests?  Why do you enjoy them?
Reading and crafting, though I don’t do much of the latter as a hobby these days.  Reading because it provides me with an escape into someone else’s world.  Crafting because it gives me some quiet time to think and figure things out on my own.  Patchwork quilting is something I want to take up next.

Name your favorite TV shows.
Not much of a regular TV viewer these days but during idle times, I’ll flip to Food Network.  I like “The Best Thing I Ever Ate.”  Once in a while, I’ll watch an entire Japanese drama series online over the course of one weekend.  Sometimes I’ll look for video clips of old variety shows featuring my current favorite Japanese boy band, Arashi:  “VS Arashi,” “Himitsu no Arashi-chan,” and “Arashi no Shukudai-kun” for a quick laugh.  Jeremy recently got me hooked on “Glee” so I suppose that’s my new & only favorite.  I watch that show collectively in spurts too.

What movie can you watch over and over again?
“Bridget Jones Diary” but I’ll overdo it and have to leave it alone for years at a time, so maybe that’s not the right answer.  I like comedies where little thinking is involved; I just want to be entertained. Heavy preference on movies where lead characters have accents - British ones.  When I was in high school, favorite movie was “Clerks.”

If you could memorize any book cover to cover, what would it be?
The Kodansha Kanji Dictionary.

What's your favorite smell?
The yeasty smell of baking bread.  Freshly brewed coffee.

What's your favorite cereal?
LIFE cereal, Cheerios.  I’ve always liked really boring and plain cereal since I was kid.

What type of music do you listen to?  Name same of your favorite artists or bands.
I favored heavy metal and hard rock as a tween and absolutely loved Metallica & Guns N’Roses while growing up.  Though my tastes have mellowed a bit since, if I had to pick a favorite genre it’s still Rock.  I also grew up listening to Japanese music so I cultivated a fondness for “visual kei” type bands like X-Japan and the somewhat off-key singing of Johnny’s Jimusho idol groups like SMAP & Arashi.  These days, my playlist includes the Japanese and American hip-hop recommendations my brother makes and some of Jeremy’s coffeehouse or AI selections.  I favor Broadway musicals and opera while on the computer, working towards a deadline.

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
This is a quote from my Noelani Elementary School 6th Grade Cookbook (1991)—“craft store owner.”  Nothing spectacular, really.  Can’t pinpoint anything specific from that time but I knew I always wanted to be involved in some form of the arts.

If you could choose to be any animal, what would it be and why?
Elephant.  There’s something solid and wise about elephants, they exude a quiet kind of strength without ever having to flaunt it.  It’s like you know they’re strong enough to stomp all over you but it’s weird that they can rein all that power in and appear kind, gentle, and nurturing at the same time.  As an animal, they seem to strike a neat balance between being an authoritative individual and an affectionate member within a family unit.

If you could be an animated superhero, which would you be and why?
Superman.  He’s a classic and I admire his integrity.

If you could start your own restaurant, what would it be?
A Belgian fries and beer bar.  Pomme Frites—yay!  It’s a simple idea that can be personalized in so many ways:  fried potatoes (simple part) and many, many sauces (the customization).  Plus, I really love condiments!  The paper cones they’re usually served in are super cute too.  I think Jeremy might feel the same way because we’ve talked about it before.  For him, it would be minus the beer though (so unfortunate).

Name three "guilty pleasures."
“Twilight” series.  Horoscope forecasts.  Can’t think of a third.

What is a little known fact about you?
I’m obsessive about keeping new books looking new.  I will alter the way I hold a book so I don’t crease its spine and have replaced full books with bent corners and even magazines that come through the mail if they looked worn or damaged.  My mom and a couple of close friends already know this and refuse to borrow items from me.

Please provide a brief description of your educational background:
Noelani Elementary School (Manoa).  Robert Louis Stevenson Intermediate School (Makiki).  President Theodore Roosevelt High School (Makiki).  University of Hawaii – School of Architecture.

What sets Shop Toast apart from other graphic companies?
I’d like to think that our architectural background sets us apart from other graphic design companies because working with a three-dimensional frame of mind has influenced the way we apply our design knowledge.  The activity of building is about making connections and you always have to be mindful of how one small piece is fitting into the larger whole.  In architecture, you also build for people.  Though the scale is often vastly different, in graphic arts we take the same thoughts of connecting pieces and human relations, and design a collateral suite with the end user firmly in mind.  Our background has shaped the way we go about defining an objective in the initial programming process down to the final execution of commissioned pieces.  Essentially, both professions require that you exercise problem solving skills with some artistic flair.

We also experiment a lot, designing and making packaging, stationery, and accessories which we sell in our small retail showroom under the branded name, SHOP TOAST.  We’ve gained a fair amount of manufacturing experience going through the process of product research and development, accounting for offshore or local labor and material sources, and also doing a lot of labor work ourselves.  It’s quite fun to be a shopkeeper!  Customers come in—they smile, they rave, sometimes they ask questions on points you never even thought of, they request different items—instant feedback is a fabulous thing!  It allows us to continually improve our goods and services.

What are your main hobbies, interests?  Why do you enjoy them?
I really enjoy playing tennis and hiking.  I love being outdoors, even if I don’t get out much.

Name your favorite TV shows.
Glee, Vampire Diaries, Modern Family, How I Met Your Mother, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs...pretty much anything playing on the USA Network. When did they get such good shows? HGTV House Hunters, Storage Wars, anything on the Food Network or Cooking Channel. Can you tell I watch a lot of TV?

What movie can you watch over and over again?
The new Star Trek movie, and pretty much any Pixar film. I'll waste a whole day if there's Pixar marathon on TV. Oh, and any Harry Potter movie. Same about the marathon. :)

If you could memorize any book cover to cover, what would it be?
Dictionary, so I’d know the spelling and definition of every word.

What's your favorite smell?
New car smell.

What's your favorite cereal?
Corn pops!  It used to be Berry Berry Kix, but they stopped making it.

What type of music do you listen to?  Name same of your favorite artists or bands.
Mostly coffeehouse / Bay area music, like Imogen Heap, John Mayer, Rachael Yamagata, Sara Bareilles, MoZella, and Brandi Carlile. Been loving Sia and Adele lately.

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Sock maker…to get rid of the irritating seam by the toes.

If you could choose to be any animal, what would it be and why?
Some endangered bird, so I can fly around without worrying about being shot.  Are bald eagles still on the endangered species list?  Oh wait, I’m not eating bugs.  They eat fish, right?

If you could be an animated superhero, which would you be and why?
Flash.  Imagine all the things you could get done if you could move that fast?!  Plus I wouldn’t need to drive, so I’d avoid traffic and parking!

What's the one sound that drives you crazy?
The high pitch noise that comes out of a TV set when it’s on but nothing is playing.  It’s like a RHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE sound.

If you could start your own restaurant, what would it be?
I’d bring down a Pommes Frites from New York!  I want to help Americans get more obese, one french fry at a time. Though, the new wave of food trucks has gotten my attention too. Did you see that new fried musubi truck? Who would've thought to do that?

If you could make a fictional character come to life, who would it be?
Harry Potter.  Then I’d hold him hostage and sell tickets for everyone to see him.  Imagine how much money we could make!  Wait, I’d have to take away his wand first.

Name three "guilty pleasures."
Chili Burritos from Zippy’s, Kelly Clarkson, and McDonald’s French Fries

What is a little known fact about you?
I hate mushrooms. Can’t stand them. Hello?! It's fungus! Would you eat moldy bread? LOL

Please provide a brief description of your educational background:
Ma’ema’e Elementary. Kawananakoa Intermediate.  Roosevelt High School.  UH-Manoa, School of Architecture.  Public schooling all the way! 

What sets toast apart from other event design companies?
Michelle and I are what set this company apart.  No one else thinks like us (meant in a good way), and when we put our minds together, I’d like to think that we come up with some really fantastic out-of-the-box creative ideas.  Plus, we suffer from mild OCD and control freak issues, so you know that whatever you get from us has a really high quality.