Celebrating new journeys ahead...

It has been a very busy couple of weeks as I started a new job as a lecturer/tutor (same indigenous Māori tertiary organization) in now teaching a Post Graduate Diploma in "Kaitiakitanga" Bicultural Professional Supervision.

I also attended a book launch of a Pasifika poetry anthology as a contributor with one of my poems chosen to be in the collection. It was such an honour but also interesting as a self-published author, to be included.

As a celebration after the book launch, I went with my family and friends to a family restaurant just in the Auckland CBD and just across the road from the Sky Tower.

This is a pic of the Sky Tower after we had had our celebratory meal together in sharing jokes and laughter about our time together at the book launch.

It was the first time of many in an "urban" Pasifika "arty" scene. As our groups had mostly come dressed in Pasifika bright colours and most of the crowd didn't. It was fun too as my two older children did the whole hair and makeup on me and it was a neat treat! 

So we were dressed to the 9s but the small central exhibition space wasn't able to hold all of the visitors to the book launch so we spilled outside onto the pavement with many standing outside and couldn't hear the poetry readings.

As for me, I didn't have the privilege of reading at the book launch but was able to read my poem to my new class (two combined classes) and then later, they were able to write poems in group as lead by another lecturer and then read them to the class - absolutely brilliant!

I'm now traversing a new journey with my new students and it's a God-send! I feel that this topic is just what I needed in almost finishing my doctoral studies and moving into a space where I can assist others in Post Graduate studies. Thank you God!...

My Creative Type - The Dreamer...

 

Part of my Ph.D is using my creativity as an expression through my academic thesis.

As I thought that my creativity passed down through my great grandmother, Eleni, to my grandfather who was a creative jeweller (of sorts), to my mum, myself and now children would be quite an interesting perspective to write from.

What was interesting for me was in my endeavours to search for ideas, I came across this "My Creative Type" survey which asks some creative questions and ends with a profile from the way that the questions are answered.

My resulting profile was "The Dreamer" with a lot of information that spoke of my creativity through the keen eye of a "magical realist" which is very true for me. I'd highly recommend this survey or test for any wanting to know more about their creative personality traits.

Here's the link: https://mycreativetype.com/ and don't forget to share with others who might be interested to make considered decisions on how to hone in or reign out their creativity. Some of the questions were quite interesting but very important for creatives to not only discover but move on...

Whittaker's 70% Cocoa Samoa...

For all you discerning "Dark" chocolate lovers out there. You have to try out NZ's own Whittaker's Cocoa Lovers 70% Cocoa Samoa smooth dark chocolate currently out in stores now.

I'd definitely recommend it, if you're pregnant and needing some extra energy, as I went through dark chocolate cravings with all my children, through pregnancy, as well as special packets of Afghan biscuits that I don't see being sold in stores anymore.

They're supposed to be rich in a whole lot of minerals with benefits to your health i.e. check out the health benefits too on google. 

In Samoa, the cacao bean was introduced as it isn't native but grows well in the tropical climate in Samoa but we definitely enjoy drinking it unadulterated after roasting the beans and pounding the beans out then diluting with hot water with added milk and sugar to taste.

I'd also recently heard that there's going to be an increase in the cost of chocolates and chocolate based products with global warming ruining many crops on the continent of Africa so other sources are being sort such as Samoa for cacao beans whence chocolate is made.

Whittaker chocolates are sort out when going overseas too as when we were in Australia in Melbourne, last year, we were told that they were well rated by Australians more than the Cadbury chocolates brand that left NZ for Australian production (I think it's cheaper to produce there).

So if you're game, give it a go, you'll certainly enjoy it...

"The Convert" movie...

 

I hope you had a Happy Easter with your family. In the holy week that started with Palm Sunday then continued with Good Friday, resting on the Sabbath then Easter Sunday, I found it to be a good place of reflection and meditation too.

Then on Easter Monday, I was able to take my youngest to watch "The Convert" which is a very interesting movie set in Aotearoa, New Zealand in the 1830s.

It tells the story of a new minister leaving England to come to NZ to convert "the natives" to Christianity. During this time there were land wars, often called the musket wars or Maori land wars which were later called the NZ land wars.

Sadly enough, it was the new settlers especially businessmen who saw and opportunity and were bringing weapons from England to sell to Māori rivaling leaders and many Māori were killed during those pressing times.

I would highly recommend this movie to those interested in learning more about NZ's history and especially in wanting to see how Māori lived at that time in fortified pā or villages. 

It does have a RP13 censorship due to the battle scenes and killings that were reenacted but I don't suppose that one can tell the story without showing these scenes in which many were killed during battle but especially Māori who originally had the highest population and are now at around 10% of the population...

"Pualena" beautiful cover by Josh Tatofi...

 Hope you're having a restful, well-deserved break with your family and friends this Easter Saturday. Today we managed to go to a local beach called Eastern Beach and we took some snacks, some beach chairs, and some smooth sounds on my gifted 'Wonder Boom' speaker. 

My lil' sis was the DJ and she had a great playlist that a young boy kept running past saying that he wanted to hear our music as we had our car parked up right next to the grass which was a couple of metres away from the sand and the ocean. 

So beautiful today in taking my mom out for a drive since it had been raining yesterday but today that sun was out and it beckoned me to take our family for a drive out and to just relax and enjoy the day together. 

Later we picked up some strawberry ice cream from our local Strawberry Farm then went and visited my late father's gravesite as a family with this special holiday in remembering the faith that he led us together as a family. Real special :)

One of the songs on my youngest's playlist was this song by Josh Tatofi which I understand is a cover of an earlier song. It was released a couple of years ago but it's the first that I've heard and I resonated with it as one of the names that I've been called as a child was Ela and sometimes called Elena by an Aunt who's passed. Just the right song to listen to at the beach too...

Congratulations to Samoa's Prime Minister with an Honorary Doctorate degree...

 

I big CONGRATULATIONS to Samoa's first female Prime Minister, Fiamē Naomi Mata'afa who today received her Honorary Doctoral degree in Law/s from NUS National University of Samoa. She is such a well-deserved candidate in having had to navigate some very murky waters since first becoming Prime Minister during the COVID-19 global pandemic.

I remember my late father following the election process and news from Samoa when he was well and it was so neat to know that she is now being honoured in this way too. As I do remember that the former Prime Minister before her also received one from a New Zealand university.

So now looking forward to Easter in remembrance of a special time in the Christian calender which is beyond Easter egss and hot cross buns but more about faith and hope in these interesting times. I'm so blessed for the faith that my parents brought me up in but also the values and principles that they taught me through fa'aSamoa that I now also hold dear too. 

All the best to you and your family this Easter time that it might be a time of rest and relaxation but also a reminder that there is a special reason for the season for when families come together that it all doesn't end when we die but that it is only the beginning....

Samoa's Motto: "E fa'avae e le Atua Samoa" which translates as God is the foundation of Samoa...

Canva templates on offer...

 

One of the websites that I've really enjoyed using is Canva. It's a versatile website that I use for presentations and using their graphics for many different projects. I'd highly recommend it for use and especially in that you're able to pay for the use of a variety of templates or use the free ones that they have on offer.

I recently received a certificate which is a new feature of the website for those users who like to try new things. It was quite a surprise to receive but it's a neat feature to encourage people to engage with their new ideas and different art forms.

I've even used the website for some of the graphics that I've used for this blog as well as for making up notices, posters, announcements, birthday animation cards etc. There's never been a time that I couldn't find anything there because there are so many templates to choose from. 

If you haven't given it a go, then why not give it a go over the Easter holiday break. You never know, you even might have it as your new go-to if you don't already have one. It's definitely something I'll be working with over the Easter break too on some upcoming projects...

Palm Sunday with Easter around the corner...

 

Yesterday, we celebrated Palm Sunday at our local church service with children walking around the church waving palm branches in their hands in reenacting Jesus' entry a week before Easter.

It feels as if the year has gone by real fast but perhaps that's because Easter is a week or so earlier with it being celebrated in March instead of the usual April.

I'm looking forward to the break time with Easter but also especially in spending time together with family for this special occasion away from work and school.

Although there's the commercial celebration of Easter by giving Easter eggs, chocolate bunnies, hot cross buns, etc. I'm just looking forward to a quiet time of reflection on the real reason for the season. In fact, looking forward to some downtime in writing and meditation...

PolyFest 2024 Samoan stage...

 

Last night, my family spent time watching replays of the PolyFest Samoan stage over the last two days that the Secondary school competitions were on. It was really interesting to watch from the perspective of studying measina (treasures) a Samoa.

It was even more interesting to watch with younger members of my family regarding their thoughts on the uniforms, the dancing, the music, and the formations. Congratulations to the overall winners of the Samoan stage who were from Avondale College, second were Manurewa High School, and third were student dancers from Papatoetoe High School.

What I really enjoyed watching was the encouragement that this present generation of students was learning from the dances that they were participating in. Although there were a lot of contemporary movements a lot of the dance were still rooted in the principles and values of fa'aSamoa and this was included also in the various marks that the Samoan judges anticipated.

Next year our youngest is considering joining a group as this year, the particular group that she wanted to join did not have a group due to unforeseen reasons but she's looking forward to next year in participating in one of the groups in this prestigious largest in the world competition...

49th PolyFest and Pacific writers...

 

This year boasts the 49th year of the PolyFest (abbreviated from Polynesian Festival). It's the largest Polynesian Festival of it's kind around the world.

I remember in its earlier years when it was hosted in schools but now it's gotten so big that they've even allowed live streaming so that more people can watch the competitions.

This year, I've given it a miss as I have so much work to get through, this weekend, but the 4-day festival (originally only one day) that has been drawing crowds from around.

My youngest is watching her friends perform on the different stages i.e. Cook Islands, Samoan, Tongan, Fijian etc. with so much variety of items in the competition and non-comp' stages to watch. Going to the festival can be a mission with trying to find carparking near the local site but the food stalls is another reason why so many people enjoy watching the performances and eating so many varieties of Pacific foods and other delicacies.

Instead, I'll be working on some writing, this weekend, and was pleasantly surprised to see my name mentioned in the catalogue of Canterbury University's Pacific Literature Library website. For me, as a self-published Samoan writer, it's an honour to be included and credited as a Pacific author alongside other amazing Pacific writers as listed.

It's something that I know that as a growing teen in South Auckland, I'm chuffed to see in that it validates the many experiences that I've written about and in not going through the usual publishing routes that many have taken. It's a blessing and an honour and looking forward to adding many more books to the list...

Special birthday for our youngest teen...

 

This week we celebrated the 13th birthday of our youngest with a small party at a local restaurant with family and she even got to take the day off from school which is something special that we give an option to have on this special day.

Becoming a teenager isn't quite a big deal in some families but as she has two older siblings, it was quite a special day for her and her grandma and the rest of the family. We're blessed to have her in now being a teenager rather than a "tween".

She was able to enjoy her special day and I took her out to do some special things that she wanted to do that we would otherwise not have time to do. It also gave me time to be with her to discuss her thoughts and it was very special for all of us too.

Sometimes we've even gone overseas to enjoy special birthdays, especially those that are significant as a way of enjoying the special day and having a holiday vacation. Nothing quite beats taking time off from busy days and chillaxing...

New Opportunities through patience...

 

Had a special celebration with my family as have been confirmed with a new opportunity to work with Post Graduate (level 8) students at our Wānanga (Indigenous Māori) tertiary institute.

It comes after starting my current level 4 Tikanga (Māori customs & protocols) class into their first week. I had hinted with the announcement that I would be leaving the class but would be starting them on their journey (which is a little inconvenient for them but still a privilege to make a start).

My eldest wanted to celebrate with this lovely chocolate layered with strawberries cake from our favourite "Cheesecake Shop". It has certainly been a blessing to share this news with them as I'd been working on finishing my thesis and knew that it was time to make a change.

I'd been wanting to work in the Post Grad' sector for some time but first put my family's needs at the forefront and especially my children's education in ensuring that they were well situated before endeavouring to complete mine. 

It's now been very assuring to see my elder two now settled in their University studies and my youngest settling into her first year in high school. I know that I'm way behind my career goal schedule but I wouldn't change a thing in putting their needs first.

So, for me, patience is definitely a virtue in being given this new opportunity to spread my wings and encourage other in their academic journeys to fly high. It's a gift that my parents shared with me that I now share with my children and others now in their academic journeys to not be gatekeepers but to break open opportunities for success...

Neat song to dance/step walk to...

 

I finally found the video on YouTube (I don't own the rights for the song) for this neat song that I'd been listening to on the car radio from our local Māori radio station 88.6 FM that you can turn up loud, download, stream, or dance and step to the beat. Great for line dancing too!

This was after I'd taken my usual one-hour Saturday morning walk around the neighbourhood block and met, with a quick "good morning" salutation, with quite a few other people doing the same thing early in the morning. 

Then I went shopping at a local mall to pick up supplies for next week as we're planning for the birthday celebration of our youngest member who becomes a bonafide teenager on Monday. We haven't quite decided on what exactly to do but we're looking forward to it.

So now that I've got this song, I'll have it on repeat and with the volume up real loud whilst doing my chores, stepping to the beat, and trying not to be distracted whilst finalizing my study chapters. I've finally downloaded "Grammarly" to now tidy up all the grammatical mistakes and spelling errors.

So here we go, down the final leg of the race and stepping to this beat...