HB Life

No work and all play

THINGS WE LOVE

STAY At the Wynn Las Vegas Forget, for just a moment, your affinity for The Cal and try something new this year. From the casino to the restrooms, the Wynn is definitely among the most fabulous hotels in sin city. Wynnlasvegas.com

LISTEN To Corinne Bailey Rae. Her sultry, soulful melodies are the greatest thing to come out of England since Austin Powers.

CELEBRATE Chinese New Year. Feng Shui, martial arts, fortune readings, arts and entertainment will all be a part of this year’s festival at the Chinatown Cultural Plaza. Free, February 2 & 3 and 9 & 10, 10:00 a.m – 10:00 p.m.

VISIT Zillow.com. Whether you’re in the market for a condo or curious about how much your neighbor bought his house for, Zillow has got you covered. It not only provides data and valuations on every home in the country, but weaves the data over a nifty mapping feature.

EAT Have’a Corn Chips. They’re made in SoCal, but these chips have ‘local’ written all over them. Made with corn, soy bean oil, shoyu and a dash of lime, they’re simply ono.

-Jacy L. Youn

FASHION PLATE

photo courtesy of littlearth.com

Doing good may never have looked so good, or fun. The Fender Purse, offered by eco-fashion designer Littlearth, features two recycled state license plates shaped into a clam shell-like pouch. The purse’s 21-inch strap is made of recycled rubber, but the velvet-lined interior is all new material. According to Littlearth’s catalog, Hawaii’s rainbow-themed license plate is one of the company’s six most popular. The other five favorite state plates are those of New York, California, Florida, Texas and Wyoming.

At $130 a pop, being green isn’t cheap. On the other hand, neither registration nor safety check are required for purchase (www.littlearth.com).

-David K. Choo

OUT OF SIGHT . . . AND SOUND

Oakley has upped the ante when it comes to sunglasses, and the benefits can be heard loud and clear.

The THUMP PRO features the clarity of Oakley’s high-definition, impact-resistant lenses coupled with a digital music player and headphones built into the frame. The shades are water-resistant and fit snugly, ready for the rigors of an active lifestyle.

photo courtesy of Oakley

Despite lacking the flash and added features of a typical digital music player, the device supports virtually all types of audio files and holds up to 240 songs which can be played continuously for six hours of battery life.

And because the headphones are fully adjustable, the user is allowed to control their proximity to the ears, and can allow atmospheric noise—like that of an oncoming car—to be heard.

Who knows, at this rate, the next version of the sunglasses will do the exercising for us ($249-349, Oakley.com).

-Kyle Galdeira

SEAT-OF-THE-PANTS- FLYING

Ever wonder what the pitch of your airline seat is? Want to know why you should care? If so, you might want to pay a visit to seatguru.com, a comprehensive online guide to flying and sitting. The five-year-old Web site features nearly 300 airplane seat maps from more than 40 airlines. Not only are the maps color coded according to their desirability (green: good; yellow: be aware; white: standard and red: bad), but visitors can drag their mouses over their planes’ seating charts and get detailed seat-by-seat commentaries. In addition, with the click of a button, you can see how your seat sizes up against those on other airlines.

However, you can’t make or change your seat assignment through www.seatguru.com, and it won’t tell you where the mother with the screaming baby will be sitting. (www.seatguru.com)

-David K. Choo

DOWN UNDER WONDER

It’s considered the culinary, cultural and sports capital of Australia, home to more than 4,000 restaurants as well as the country’s largest museum, best symphony and first Olympic games. If you guessed Sydney, you’d be wrong by a mile; by about 600 miles, actually.

photo: Enzo Amato

Melbourne, with a population of 3.5 million, is Australia’s second-largest city (Sydney is first, with 4.2 million), but it’s first rate in just about everything else. Its mild weather averages from a high of 79 degrees in January and February to a low of 43 degrees in July and August.

The London-based Economist magazine was so impressed by the city that it named Melbourne the world’s most liveable city in 2002, 2004 and 2005. Last year, Melbourne was ranked second best behind Vancouver, Canada.

If you’re curious about experiencing life in the world’s best city, you can fly there from Honolulu non-stop now. Last month, Jetstar, the Quantas Group’s discount airline, began twice weekly service between Honolulu and Melbourne. (www.visitmelbourne.com and www.jetstar.com.au).

-David K. Choo

photo courtesy of Delta Airlines

KING AND QUEEN FOR A DAY

Your one or two trips a year don’t give you nearly enough miles to make you frequent flyer royalty. But if you fly Delta, for $25 you can purchase a one-visit pass to the Crown Room Clubs, the airlines’ exclusive airport lounges, which feature fully stocked bars, work stations, satellite TV, phone, fax and Wi-Fi access. Some Crown Room Clubs even sport PGA Tour putting greens equipped with top-of-the-line Nike putters and balls, so you can rule the golf course when you reach your destination. (www.delta.com).

-David K. Choo

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