Apr 13, 2011

The Morning After: No pain, no gain

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BY LACY MATSUMOTO / lmatsumoto@staradvertiser.com

I’ve been interested in Doris Duke since I first heard her story at a Hare Krishna temple in Nuuanu. At the time, I was searching for guidance and had heard about the temple from an open-minded friend who suggested I visit an astrologist there. Sitting on the open lawn, the astrologist pulled some cards and after a long sigh and a “hmmm… ,” he told me that I have similar “houses” as Doris Duke. He explained the similarities in our lifestyles and offered elaborate tales of her fascinating life. Her rumored lifestyle, interest in exotic art, and success as a young businesswoman was alluring. Although I’m not sure which stories he told are fact or fiction, it’s obvious by her estate on Black Point that she was a very intriguing woman.

When Denise Nakano of the Honolulu Academy of Arts mentioned the “behind-the-scenes” tour of Shangri-La to the Art Collectors Group, I knew that I had to attend. The exclusive group is a small collection of art and culture enthusiasts who gather for educational events, including private a tours. (For more info, visit the Academy’s website here.)

We toured Duke’s private bedroom and boudoir, the Turkish Room, the open court, and onto the lawn, which hosted an amazing garden and entertainment room. As large as the home is, there are only two bedrooms but several rooms for entertaining. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take photos within the walls of the home.

[View our slideshow]

I really enjoyed learning about the elements of Islamic art, including geometry, floral and plant life representation, calligraphy, and the specific colors representing each region.

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Dmofboe

Terrific article! That shows what a well rounded individual you are.
http://www.honolulupulse.com Lacy Matsumoto

Thanks Mom =)
Melo

Alright Lacy!
Melo

Alright Lacy!
surreal

Very nice piece about Mokulua. I never knew it existed. Want to do the tour now. Thanks.
http://www.honolulupulse.com Lacy Matsumoto

I would disagree.. her philanthropic work as well as dedication to the collection of art took a lot of time and research. Success is a personal achievement, and I find what she has done very successful.
Luvties

Lacy I love you for being you. . . ;)
Haleiwaboy

Been to the tour and liked it very much.
Anonymous

Trump inherited his wealth and then went on to make great (and poor) business dealings. But really, the source of money has nothing to do with the issue of whether or not you’re a successful businessperson. You’re probably addressing the issue of “her wealth was due to her business success”… too bad no one said that.
droponu

Ummm…since they’re giving out blogs to everyone, can I have one too?
walrus

uhhhhh so what businesses did Doris Duke run? Not saying that Ms. Duke didn’t contribute in her own ways here. She did and that’s respected. Yet there’s a difference between being a business mogul and being a philanthropist. Oh, Semantics!
http://twitter.com/StarTGIF ElizabethKieszkowski

Love the pic of you and Neil!
truth

•Around 5.4 million deaths a year are caused by tobacco.
* Smoking is set to kill 6.5 million people in 2015 and 8.3 million humans in 2030, with the biggest rise in low-and middle-income countries.
* Every 6.5 seconds a current or former smoker dies, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
* An estimated 1.3 billion people are smokers worldwide (WHO)
•Over 443,000 Americans (over 18 percent of all deaths) die because of smoking each year. Secondhand smoke kills about 50,000 of them.
•1.2 million people in China die because of smoking each year. That’s 2,000 people a day.
•Tobacco use will kill 1 billion people in the 21st century if current smoking trends continue.
•33 percent to 50 percent of all smokers are killed by their habit.
* Smokers die on average 15 years sooner than nonsmokers.
Anonymous

You see that Lacy? This entry-level misogynist doesn’t “respect”/”agree” with your “definitions”.
Anonymous

Thats funny. They don’t give blogs to everyone, just the ones that look alluring.
duffman

Something has to keep the population down or the earth will be overcrowded. Smoking is like a deterent to weed out the weak so only the strong survive.
walrus

Ha. Your misuse of scare quotes is making me very scared! I don’t get where you’re seeing misogyny. The whole point is that there is a difference between being a successful businessperson and a lifetime philanthropist; Ms. Duke was the latter, not the former. Maybe you can go “look” up those “definitions” in a “dictionary”!
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_LCTZMIVQSEEMNBHJWLOL5YX73A Invictus

I’m gonna assume that comment was meant to be facetious, as it fails the laugh test for me. The world’s crude birth rate has always far outpaced its crude death rate, with tobacco related deaths accounting for only a tiny percentage of the CDR.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_LCTZMIVQSEEMNBHJWLOL5YX73A Invictus

Anyone can sign up for a blog. That does not imply that anyone would want to read yours, though.
droponu

Well, it’s obvious that they’re not based on writing ability…
Tropicalangel05

The company is called Expedia Local Expert Hawaii. I thought part of the responsibility of good journalists is to get their FACTS STRAIGHT?! How embarrassing for you.
walrus

Wow! Are you Lacy’s twin? It appears that way since you both have poor diction and don’t bother to do any research. Why don’t you take a break from being your grand ol’ plebeian self and actually google scare quotes. Here’s a hint: they aren’t supposed to LITERALLY scare you.
Anonymous

Great now you’re trying to accuse me of poor diction on the interweb. Well Magnum PI (how’d you figure out I was Lacy’s twin?), did you follow-up on my protip of investing in a thesaurus? You say “scare quotes is making me very scared”; redundant much?
walrus

Don’t feed the troll!
http://twitter.com/StarTGIF ElizabethKieszkowski

I had to come back again to look at the beautiful Arabic tile. Note to self: Tour Shangri-La again a.s.a.p.! (The Honolulu Academy of Arts, honoluluacademy.org, conducts tours. Take a virtual tour here: http://www.shangrilahawaii.org/Tour-The-Property/)