Our latest Career Changers TV show features origami artist Won Park, whose specialty is folding dollar bills into unique pieces that are quite amazing. It takes intense focus, yet he must be relaxed at the same time... sort of like zen, which suits Won's low key persona. If you watch the segment, you'll see that we shot it at the Tea Farm Cafe in Puck's Alley, which Won himself suggested since he likes to hang out there with Tiffany, his girlfriend/business manager.

While I was waiting for Won, I got to talking to the young guy behind the counter. It turned out he was the owner. Ervin Gong, age 29, started an online biz about six years ago to offer a wide variety of teas from all over the world. There weren't many competitors at that time, he said, and he did well enough to put aside money to start his cafe in Manoa. He says the inspiration for that came from tea cafes in Beijing, where his family is from. It's a very relaxing environment -- heaven for tea lovers. There are dozens of small sample containers that you can open to smell the aromas of different teas he offers, hot or cold. You can also buy breakfast foods, sandwiches and delicious desserts.

Look closer at the photo above, and you'll see samples of Won's origami art. He leaves them as tips for Ervin. But they're also a selling tool. Patrons see the intricate dollar bill creations, then ask Ervin where they came from -- and how they can get in touch with Won to order custom-made origami pieces for themselves or to give as special gifts. It's a nice match for the two entrepreneurs, who have both found niches that fit them to a tea (pardon the pun). Here's the link to The Tea Farm Cafe site.

BTW, you can order Won's new book, "Dollar Origami by Won Park" on Amazon. The publisher actually contacted him and proposed the book idea, which is pretty rare since it's generally the other way around.

You can watch the Career Changers TV segment on OC16 (click here for daily viewing times) throughout the month of January, or view the low res version on the CCTV YouTube Channel.

The new January episode of Career Changers TV begins airing Thursday night at 8:30 pm on OC16. Since the Chinese Lunar New Year is on Jan. 23, we went with a Chinatown theme and shot our segment intros at the Maunakea Marketplace. We also filmed segments about the Chinatown Business & Community Association, and Whoa! Fat kitchen oil disposal product at the nearby Chinatown Cultural Plaza.

Our first feature segment is about a Korean-American origami artist named Won Park, who creates unique pieces out of dollar bills and foreign currency (on commission). What started out as a hobby became a full-time profession for him after publishers in New York began contacting him to do his dollar bill origami for book covers and magazine spreads. You can view the low res YouTube version by clicking here, but it looks much better on high def TV.

If you have children or are still a kid at heart, you'll like our piece on the Hawaii FIRST Lego League robotics convention that was held last month. What's cool is they also incorporate a science fair type element, which addresses a specific problem or challenge. As a result, the Punabots team has come up with two patent-pending inventions that have gotten serious attention from major companies. Here's the YouTube version.

To watch the program in glorious widescreen high definition television as the Almighty Producer intended, please visit www.CareerChangers.TV for daily viewing times. If you can't watch it tonight, no problem -- it will run all month long. Mahalo!

I stopped making New Year resolutions a long time ago. Instead, I start each day with a new to-do list and try my best to get stuff done, beginning with the easier tasks. The harder things -- big goals, long range projects -- are on a separate list that I keep nearby as a subconscious reminder of why I'm doing the less exciting, yet necessary work first.

While reading through emails and comments posted in response to my blogs the past year, I've noticed that many job-seekers and wannabe entrepreneurs seem to lack resolve. By that, I mean they want easy answers and quick fixes. For instance, recently a reader posted a comment on my Holiday Networking blog entry. She wrote that she had been networking for over a year and still had no job. I asked what her skills were and what kind of job was she searching for, since I couldn't offer advice without knowing more details. Never heard back from her.

Now, I'm not saying I could have gotten her a job. But I have helped others make connections and land new positions after they told me more about their experience and background. The difference is they showed a willingness to follow through, even if it was just answering a couple of simple questions from me. I've also gotten emails from people who say they have a great idea for an invention or new service, and want me to give them advice on how to launch their biz or get their product into the marketplace. Yet when I ask them for more info -- an elevator pitch, fact sheet, whatever -- they either tell me they don't have anything they can send me, or don't want to divulge any details because they're afraid I might steal their idea. Sheesh.

The reality is if you can't sell yourself or your idea in less than a couple of well thought-out sentences, chances are you're not going to get your foot in the door of the places you want to be. Moreover, if you don't have special skills or experience in the field you wish to be working in, then you have to go out and get those skills somehow. Maybe that means going back to college or doing an unpaid internship. It means tapping into your personal and professional network -- btw, networking isn't just for people who are currently looking for work. You should be making friends and useful contacts throughout your life. The earlier, the better. Why do you think so many Ivy League and business school grads wind up in high places? The same holds true for film school. You can learn the basics anywhere, but in college you can make lifelong connections based on mutual professional interests.

However, you also have to be in the right place at the right time. Yesterday I got a call from a guy who read my blog and was coming to Hawaii from Australia. He wanted to meet with me to see about jobs in our TV and film industry here. Only one problem... actually, a few. He's originally from Switzerland and speaks with a heavy French accent. Secondly, he has virtually no experience in film or television. As I told him, I respect his pluck in seeking out contacts like myself. But even if he was willing to start at the very bottom and work for free, Hawaii is not the best place to try and make it in American movies or television. You really have to be in L.A., where the action is. The bigger problem though was he didn't have a clearly defined goal. When I asked what his skills were or what he wanted to do, his response was so vague that I could not see myself spending more time talking to him since it would be pointless. Merely wanting to do something isn't the same as having the resolve to do whatever it takes to make it happen.

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On a more positive note, I'd like to share a Sanskrit proverb that is in the very front of my "Twenty-Four Hours a Day" AA book, which I read religiously even though I've been sober for over 23 years now. That's part of my resolve: to never forget the simple things I must do each day to keep sober, and why sobriety is my top priority. I have reread the daily passages year after year because the advice has served me well. Find your own source of inspiration, then stick with it.

Look to this day,

For it is life,

The very life of life.

In its brief course lie all

The realities and verities of existence,

The bliss of growth,

The splendor of action,

The glory of power --

For yesterday is but a dream,

And tomorrow is only a vision,

But today, well lived,

Makes every yesterday a dream of happiness

And every tomorrow a vision of hope.

Look well, therefore, to this day.

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Our new January episode of Career Changers TV premieres Thursday night on OC 16 at 8:30 pm. We have some really good stories, so check it out! For other daily viewing times, please visit www.CareerChangers.TV. You can also watch low-res versions of segments on the CCTV YouTube Channel by clicking here. Mahalo!

Used to be that for many companies, the holidays were a time to call on clients and thank them for their biz or throw parties to impress prospects. It also gave people a chance to catch up with business contacts, and put out feelers for other career opportunities or job openings. For years, I've been sending Hawaii Christmas cards to Hollywood connections, just to remind them I'm still writing screenplays (usually with a note about what I'm currently working on to see if they'll nibble).

With so many people out of work or looking to make a career change, what surprises me is how few actually take advantage of the holiday season to do some networking. It seems like fewer and fewer people send out Christmas cards, while company parties have become a thing of the past. Sure, I understand the need to cut expenses and avoid lawsuits resulting from inebriated employees doing inappropriate things. But I still think it's nice when companies arrange little get-togethers or mixers for workers and clients to share positive feelings at least once a year.

I also look forward to getting short handwritten notes from friends who send cards. Frankly, the Facebook postings aren't really very personal and tell me more about what that person wants others to think of them, than what they actually think about things or how they're doing. And if that person has time to post mostly trivial stuff on Facebook, yet "doesn't have time" to send cards or write notes to friends, what does that say about them or your relationship?

Anyhow, if you're looking for work or new job opps, this is the time to reach out and call someone or send them a personal email/card/letter to tell them you're having a rough time. Even if they can't help you at the moment, it might lead to something down the road should that person hear about an opening somewhere. More importantly, it's a good excuse to get together with old friends IRL -- in real life -- instead of skimming through their Tweets and FB wall posts.

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You can still catch our December episode of Career Changers TV until next Thursday (click here for daily viewing times on OC16). One of the segments is about Argosy University's commencement ceremony last month at the Hawaii Convention Center. For those who aren't familiar with the school, you'd be surprised at how fast they have grown in the past three years... and there's an inspirational story within the segment about a former meth addict, who has turned her life around. For the low resolution YouTube video version of that segment, click here.

While we were shooting that piece, I had some words of advice for graduates based on my own ill-advised attempt to emulate a commencement tradition: do NOT toss your cap in the air at the end of the ceremony. Those things have sharp corners and are potentially lethal. I tossed my hat high in the air -- and it came down hard and fast, hitting a young woman in the face right behind me. Nearly took her eye out. She was angry, and I felt like a fool. Bad move.

Speaking of caps and gowns, the Argosy commencement program included interesting background on the symbolism of colors and designs used. Did you know the sleeves of bachelor's and master's gowns are differently shaped? Or that the doctoral hood attached to the gown identifies the wearer's academic heritage? Here's the Wikipedia link for more info on that.

Not addressed in the piece is the question of what to wear under the gown. When I graduated from grade school, the boys wore blue gowns and the girls wore white. All the guys in my class wore dark pants -- except me. I had white slacks on, so when you look at the group photo, it was easy to pick me out by my white pant legs.

Have a safe and Happy New Years!

This is actually a rerun of a column I wrote for the old Star-Bulletin that appeared in their print edition on Christmas Day in 2008. An earlier version had been entered in the old Advertiser Christmas story contest, but wasn't among the finalists... so I reworked it and think it's one of my better pieces. Of all the things I've written over the years, this one best sums up the story of my life and why I feel so grateful to be here still. Mele Kalikimaka!

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A Wrong Turn Leads to the Right Place

By Rich Figel

Like many people, my wife and I collect Christmas ornaments as souvenirs from places we’ve traveled to. My favorite is a delicate piece from Venice made of green, white and red glass shaped into candles. It’s missing one candle though. That’s why it holds special meaning for me.

In recovery, we’re taught to live in the present because we can’t undo the past. I try not to dwell on the wrong turns I made. But I can’t minimize the wreckage alcohol and drugs caused in my life either. My flame could have been snuffed out by two drunk driving accidents I had when I was a reporter in New Jersey, fresh out of college. I was lucky. No one was injured by my reckless disregard for others. Instead of giving up drinking, however, I gave up driving and moved to New York.

All of that was a distant memory when Isabel and I took our first trip to Italy in the summer of 1999. This was a reward of sorts for living sober. To make the most of it, we studied guidebooks, listened to Italian language tapes in the car and carefully planned our itinerary months in advance. Nothing was left to chance — or so we thought.

After nearly 24 hours of flying economy class and long layovers in Newark and London, we arrived in Venice. Our luggage did not. Wearing smelly clothes, we checked into our hotel on the Lido, a small island across the lagoon. International movie stars flock here for the annual Venice film festival. But when we opened the door to our room, my wife’s face dropped. It looked dingy and rundown, nothing like the charming photographs on the website. The trip of a lifetime was off to a disappointing start.

Things began to look better the next morning. The hotel’s breakfast room had a a glorious view of San Marco, where the Doge’s Palace and the Basilica are located. We hopped on the vaporetto, an unglamorous water bus, and as we cruised down the Grand Canal, I became oblivious to the stifling heat and the B.O. of tourists crowded around us. I only saw the fading grandeur of this dream of a city.

Venice on foot is a different matter. The guidebooks are useful as long as you stay close to the major tourist sites. Venture into the heart of the city, and you soon discover that streets often go by two names, smaller canals and bridges don’t correspond with maps, and many passageways are dead ends. We got completely lost, which can be fun if you’re in the right frame of mind. But we were like those couples on “The Amazing Race” TV show, who blame each other for every mishap. When we returned to the hotel and saw our luggage had been delivered, I thought we had turned the corner.

Wrong again. The next day was even hotter. Shorts and bare shoulders are forbidden in Italy’s centuries-old churches, so we had to dress appropriately and sweat it out in line with hundreds of others who were waiting to get into St. Mark’s Basilica. You’ve probably seen pictures of it: the Byzantine domes in the background while lovers embrace amid flocks of pigeons. Since we were quarreling, the grubby birds were merely a nuisance to us. We came to see the church treasures — not for romance.

A group of German tourists were ahead of us. They seemed to know where they were going, so I followed them. Awed by the marble geometric designs under our feet and the ornate ceilings above, I missed the entrance sign for the museum where the church relics are displayed. Before we knew it, Isabel and I were back outside the Basilica. Despite my pleas of ignorance, a guard told us we had to stand in line again if we wanted to reenter.

Screw it, I said. We decided to move on to a less famous church. According to our map, Santi Giovanni was a short walk from there. But I made a wrong turn somewhere. What should have been a 10-minute stroll became another frustrating excursion that stretched into an hour of wandering around in a steamy maze.

Finally, we found Santi Giovanni. It is huge. Inside, the soaring vaulted arches resembled the bow of a gigantic wooden ship turned upside down. The stained glass windows and altars were works of art. Yet it felt strangely empty to me. We walked over to another section that was like a small chapel. As we were leaving, a priest walked past us with a beatific smile on his face.

Back in the main area we saw the German tourists again, standing in the center of the church. The men had cameras around their necks and their heads were bowed. They stood in a circle, holding hands, and began to sing a hymn in perfect harmony. Their voices filled the church. It was the most beautiful sound I have ever heard.

Tears streamed down my face. Perhaps it was their devotion, or the acoustics … or maybe it was the collective effects of being weary and flustered, but the church that seemed cold and dead to me was brought to life by their singing. I looked at Isabel and she was crying too. Neither of us is religious, but I felt blessed to be there with her. Had we not gotten lost and taken so many wrong turns, we would not have been here to witness this moment. I held my wife’s hand and listened in rapt wonder.

When the men finished, they simply smiled at each other — the same smile I saw on the priest’s face as he walked past us. Then the Germans quietly left and we never saw them again.

That was in 1999. Two years later, after the devastation of 9/11, we went through the ritual of decorating our Christmas tree. It was a somber time. Isabel’s business, which depended on tourists visiting Hawaii, was struggling. I worried about the future, and stopped writing. What was the point? Nothing made sense.

A couple of days later, the tree toppled over. It was a mess. The strands of lights were tangled and twisted. Ornaments were strewn about. A glass candle from the Venice piece had broken off. Isabel was at work, so I asked a neighbor to help me stand the tree back up. I restrung the lights and was able to glue together some of the broken ornaments, but the glass candle wouldn’t hold. I couldn’t fix that one.

While I was washing my hands and thinking to myself that the tree didn’t look quite as nice as it did before, I heard a commercial on TV. It said it was all right to grieve for the victims of the 9/11 attacks, but the best way to respond to terrorism is to live.

I broke down and cried. There I was, fretting and cursing earlier because our tree fell over and some ornaments broke. It was nothing compared to what happened three months before. I thought about the church in Venice, and how lost I felt at different times in my life. I can’t say if it was chance or fate that I survived the car wrecks and alcoholism, to wind up here with Isabel in Hawaii. I can only wonder, and be grateful for what I have.

So each year when I unwrap that ornament, I remember how fragile life is. I think about the missing candle, and it puts everything in perspective.

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Thanks for reading. For daily viewing times of Career Changers TV, please visit our website. You can also watch videos from past and present episodes on the CCTV YouTube Channel. Mahalo for watching!