The Left Lane
Bigtime baubles

Ala Moana Center, next to the California Pizza Kitchen.

Also on view will be a necklace featuring a rare 2-carat blue diamond. Karla Brom, owner of the Rainbow Collection, said jewels like these are seldom seen anywhere but in the most upscale private auctions in Europe.

Jake on the menu

Jake Shimabukuro, the 'ukulele-master, is a Thursday night addition to the menu at Alan Wong's Pineapple Room at the Ala Moana Liberty House.

Shimabukuro, a member of the group Colon, is a Na Hoku Hanohano Award-winning musician, with a dazzling strumming style that belies his youth (he's 24). He performs dinner music from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. every Thursday. Information: 945-8881.

Now that's the aloha spirit: A generous neighbor granted aging surf dog Paiko his very own parking permit for the beach near Diamond Head.

We've all heard of special parking permits for people who have trouble walking a long distance. Now there's a dog with his own parking permit.

Paiko, a mostly black Labrador, is almost 14 years old. He has hip dysplasia and arthritis, and while he enjoyed playing in the big waves in his younger days, he now prefers calmer waters. One such place is the beach beyond Diamond Head, where the waves are gentle and beachgoers are friendly. Because of his age and ailments, however, the walk from the limited street parking spaces to the beach is difficult, so Paiko's owner, Caroline Yacoe, drops him off at the sandy entrance, where he waits patiently while she looks for parking. A resident of the area witnessed this act and being a dog lover herself, graciously offered to let Paiko's owners park by her house, which is next to the beach, and has awarded the old canine his very own official parking permit.

Breast cancer advice

Those who learn that they have breast cancer have many questions: How to handle chemotherapy or other treatments. How to tell the children. How to cope with hair loss or other treatment side effects. They can log onto www.breastcancer.org. Periodically, live chats are held with experts. A transcript of last week's chat — "Facing Your Fears" — is on the site now.