North Shore Thought - You Too, Can Be Great

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great."

~ Mark Twain ~

NorthShore Thought - Creativity

"Creativity makes you unique...uniqueness makes you
indispensable...indispensable people have no competition."

~ Jim Edwards ~
Internet Marketer / Entrepreneur

North Shore Thought - Potential

"More important than achieving your goals is pursuing your potential."

  ~ Mark Sanborn, Motivational Speaker ~

North Shore Thought - Dreams & Age

"Don't put an age limit on your dreams."

  ~ Dara Torres ~
     American Swimmer / 5-Time Olympian

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North Shore Thought - Wind & Sails

"We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails."

  ~ Bertha Calloway ~

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North Shore Thought - Accept

"When you accept yourself, the whole world accepts you."

  ~ Lao Tzu ~
     Ancient Chinese Philosopher

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North Shore Thought - Life

"Life is adventure, not predicament."

  ~ James Broughton, 1913-1999 ~
     American Poet, Filmmaker and Teacher

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North Shore Thought - Tomorrow

"You can't have a better tomorrow if you are thinking about
yesterday all the time."

  ~ Charles F. Kettering ~

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NorthShoreThought - First a Dream

"Nothing happens unless first a dream."

  ~ Carl Sandburg ~

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North Shore Thought - The Best Gifts

"Deep down inside we know
that the best gifts
don't come from catalogs
or shopping malls.

They don't come in brightly-colored packages
or fancy envelopes
and they're not sitting under a tree somewhere...
The best gifts come from the heart.

They come when we look at each other
REALLY look at each other
and say 'You mean a lot to me'
or 'I'm so glad you're a part of my life.'

A gift like that
will never go out of style
or be forgotten
or be returned for a different size.

A gift like that can change the world."

  ~ Ron Atchison ~

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North Shore Thought - If You Just Look

"If you just look at all that already exists in your life, all that you already have: unlimited air to breathe, ample lighting to see, music to hear, books to read, stars to dream by, trees to gaze at, floors to dance on, friends to cavort with, enemies to befriend, strangers to meet, woods to walk through, beaches to comb, rocks to scale, rains to cleanse you, rivers to float you, animals to comfort you, you do have to admit, there's more of it than you could ever, ever, ever spend."

(But try anyway)

  ~ Mike Dooley, a.k.a 'The Universe' ~
     Inspirational Speaker, Author and Friend

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Hawaii Home Business: A Great Option!

Yes, you can start your own island home business, even if you have no online marketing experience! Whether you live on Oahu, Maui, the Big Island or Kauai...or in Honolulu, Kailua, Kona, Hilo, Lahaina, Kaneohe or Haleiwa...you can be as successful as these entrepreneurs. Each one started with no internet marketing experience...and no "tech" knowledge...yet their popular web sites now rank in the top 1% to 3% of all internet searches:

• 17-year old Canadian student Nori Evoy now earns thousands of dollars each month as a result of an idea she got from a family vacation to the Caribbean island of Anguilla.
• Dentist John Burch of Mountain View, California found a way to attract thousands of potential patients & product customers after becoming frustrated with traditional newspaper ads and yellow page listings.
• Michelle Schill, an Alberta hair stylist, is now a very successful work-at-home mom who markets her hair styling tips globally to 1,500 website visitors daily.
• Jim Nelson of the U.S.A. turned his juggling hobby into a lucrative online product and information business.
• Scots Fiona McCardle & Jim Andrew transformed themselves from struggling knitwear designers to acclaimed rental agents for dream properties all over the world.
• Canadian Judd Burdon greatly expanded his limited seasonal asphalt business into a year-round consulting / sales activity, with hundreds of new clients...including the U.S. Army.
• Shaun Fawcett, a former government bureaucrat, now uses his administrative skills to create & publish writing-help ebooks, while earning a very handsome online income.

Here are several online success stories...see how these individuals changed their lives within a matter of months.

NorthShoreBlog

Kailua Rated #2 Top Travel Destination

Windward Oahu's Kailua was recently rated the number 2 top U.S. travel destination for 2007, according to data from the travel web site TripAdvisor. The results were based upon analysis of several criteria including online search activity and individual postings.

TripAdvisor's TravelCast listed the following Top 10 U.S. Travel Destinations for 2007:

1. Anna Maria, Florida.
2. Kailua, Oahu
3. Siesta Key, Florida
4. Macon, Georgia
5. Breckinridge, Colorado
6. Millinocket, Maine
7. Vail, Colorado
8. Bishop, California
9. Franklin, Tennessee
10. Eureka, California

NorthShoreBlog

North Shore Surf Reports & Forecasts

Get 7-day forecasts for Oahu's North Shore surfing hot spots.

Other info includes swell charts, wave buoys (at sea) and storm watch updates.

North Shore beach reports:

Pipeline
http://magicseaweed.com/Pipeline-Surf-Report/616/

Waimea Bay
http://magicseaweed.com/Waimea-Bay-Surf-Report/549/

Haleiwa
http://magicseaweed.com/Haleiwa-Surf-Report/660/

Sunset Beach
http://magicseaweed.com/Sunset-Beach-Surf-Report/657/

Ala Moana
http://magicseaweed.com/Ala-Moana-Surf-Report/661/

A great array of surf photos may also be viewed, including these:

Monthly Top Shots
http://magicseaweed.com/photoLab/topMonthlyPhotos.php


North Shore Blog

North Shore Thought - Happiness

"Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude."

~ Denis Waitley ~
Motivational Speaker

North Shore Blog

Shark Sightings Double Along North Shore

Shark sightings and encounters along Oahu's North Shore beaches have reached a three-year high -- with six months still remaining in 2006. The current total is more than double that of 2005.

Increased numbers of sharks have been reported by surfers and swimmers at Waimea Bay and other big-surf beaches. In separate attacks, a North Shore surfer and spearfisher were recently bitten.

Shark expert Randy Honebrink, of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, believes the number of shark sightings is related to stepped-up news coverage about sharks. He said, "...the more you look for them, the more you see them."

Honebrink also doubts that two North Shore tour companies are responsible for the increased number of sharks. One company, Haleiwa-based Hawaii Shark Encounters, enables snorklers to watch sharks three miles off shore, in 500 feet of water. Put in a steel cage, snorklers are soon surrounded by an array of sharks -- mostly Galapogos and Sandbar species -- after bait is tossed in the water. Tucson, AZ resident Sylvia Thompson recently took the tour and found it simply fascinating. She said there was never any sense of danger, and the sharks were non-aggressive.

Honebrink also indicated that he expects shark sightings to return to normal levels before long, since these things tend to go in cycles.

More...

~ NorthShoreBlog ~

North Shore Thought - Cherish Each Hour

"Cherish each hour of this day for it can never return."

~ Og Mandino ~

www.NorthShoreBlog.com

Boomers Want Adventure Travel

Adventure trips and cruise ships rank at the top of Baby Boomer travel plans according to several recent surveys.

As such, some cruise ships are now equipped with surfboard pools, rock-climbing walls, basketball courts, boxing rings, fitness centers...even ice rinks. And, of course, wireless phone and computer connections are standard elements.

Baby Boomers view travel quite differently than did their parents. A study conducted by the Association of Travel Marketing Executives provided the following Boomer marketing tips for the travel industry:

• Travel is considered a necessity, not a luxury. Boomers were involved in 268.9 million trips in 2003, more than any other group. This encompassed 43 percent of all domestic travel. A child also accompanied one-third of these travelers.
• Instant Gratification is preferred. Boomers want more things to do, with less time spent traveling from place to place. Therefore, internet access and connectivity are essential.
• Comforts are a plus. A wide array of trendy choices are appreciated, and may even be expected.
• Activity, flexibility and fun are key elements for Boomers. Educational travel is okay, if it is not packed with lectures.

Preferred travel includes adventure without great risk.

More...

www.NorthShoreBlog.com

Kailua: "A Lot Better Than Malibu"

Commenting on Oahu's quiet and beautiful beach town of Kailua, Coldwell Banker Pacific's Vice President Mary Beddow recently said:

"I think Kailua is a lot better than Malibu (CA)...they just have the movie stars."

Situated on the southeast shore of Oahu (Windward Oahu), Kailua's real estate market is one of the hottest in Hawaii. Median home prices have quickly skyrocked to $885,000. In addition to its beach proximity, the easy commute from Kailua to downtown Honolulu is a major selling point.

Indeed, several years ago, Malibu's Mayor Ken Kearsley predicted such a bright future for little Kailua. Beddow now praises him for his forward thinking.

The Honolulu Star-Bulletin recently published a letter from another astute thinker, real estate investor Gary Castner of Los Angeles, CA. In that correspondence, Gary discussed his strategy to buy Kailua real estate in 2000. That single-family home has now appreciated approximately 200%.

Spike in Hawaii housing prices was predictable, will continue

I bought my home in Kailua in 2000, anticipating that this was going to happen. It took four trips to find something reasonable.

Three major factors are all coming together at the same time here in Hawaii. First, interest rates dropped from 8.5 percent to a record low of 5 percent, and people ultimately buy on monthly payments, not on price. Two, the baby boomers are using this as an opportunity to get out of the rat race in mainland cites, either by refinancing or selling their homes that they live in. Three, the economy in Hawaii has corrected, and then some.

All three of these impending and foreseeable circumstances led me to fly to Hawaii four times from 1998 to 2000, to purchase a home on Oahu, and on the Big Island as my future retirement home. This is just the beginning. There are 75 million baby boomers ready to retire, and looking to leave places like Los Angeles and other cities that have demographic problems with infrastructure, housing costs, traffic, etc.

I love Hawaii and everything about it. The challenges are there, to be sure. We just have to remember who we are and help each other whenever possible.

The Legislature also has to perform and think "outside the box," and that is a really tough thing to do. I give them a lot of credit for their efforts so far! Aloha.

Gary Castner
Los Angeles
http://www.retiretohawaii.com/

www.NorthShoreBlog.com

Huntington Beach, CA is "Surf City USA" ?!??

Yup...believe it or not!

After a long battle with rival California surfing town Santa Cruz, Huntington Beach, CA has been officially designated "Surf City USA" by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

It's doubtful that many North Shore inhabitants agree with that decision. They might have rather seen the title bestowed upon Honolulu...given its relative proximity to legendary surfing spots like Waimea Bay, Pipeline and Sunset Beach.

Read more here...

www.NorthShoreBlog.com

Oahu Surf Forecast

The National Weather Service's daily Hawaiian Surf Forecast can be found here...

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