ANZAC worthy causes...

 

This ANZAC Day (Australia New Zealand Army Corps) commemoration day, I wanted to support a worthy cause.

Last night, after taking my family out to an evening dinner at a local Vietnamese Restaurant, we went out for a drive to our local beachfront and got caught in so much traffic trying to go to various places.

It was a timely reminder to remember all of the fallen soldiers and their families who sacrificed their lives in want of a better future and a better world. It's so sad to reflect that there are still wars continuing in different parts of the world still today.

As in deference to this, many shops have chosen to open at 1pm today, in respect and also with Poppy's being sold to commemorate this time. For me, I wanted to consider donating to something that doesn't commemorate war although I have supported in years past.

Lest we forget, but also that there is so much for us to learn about not repeating mistakes such as this from the past...

Walking around the mountain...

Today I went for a walk around our local mountain with my three young-uns. It was a beautiful day that was cool enough to take a walk.

The neat thing was that there had been an upgrade on the tracks around the mountain and I hadn't been up there since the COVID-19 Pandemic.

It was great that I could take them all out for some lunch of sushi and donuts (as a dessert treat) during the second week of the school holidays. It was great to spend time together.

It was also neat to have guard rails installed in precarious parts with stairs to carefully guide people down the steeper slopes. This has been a neat addition to the upgrades as it feels a lot more safe for those taking the walk. I'd definitely encourage walkers to take the time to visit their local mountains with family...

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...

"Katūīvei" launch invitation

 

So thankful to have been invited to publish one of my poems in a contemporary Pasifika Poetry collection by Massey University Press called "Katūīvei" ready to be launched, in Auckland, next month.

It's such a blessing as I've been writing poetry and prose since high school and to be included in this Pasifika collection is an honour and a privilege as a self-published writer.

It's also neat to know that there are many other Pasifika contributors of whom were also invited to contribute to the collection such as my Mana Māngere writers' collective colleague Niuean poetry writer, Saulaina Sale. Who has been a prolific writer of poetry with over 100 sonnets (if my recollection serves me well).

I'm looking forward to taking my children with me as they've been keen supporters of my writing since the very beginning and they've been to many of my self-published book launches but to be able to go travel together to the launching of this book with a collective of other Pasifika writers will be an incredible honour.

The collection has been 2 years in the making of when I was first approached to add one of my poems to the collection. I think the book launch was supposed to be at the end of last year but for some reason the delay postponed the launch to this year which works out well for me too. With more to write about in a blog to come...

In memory of a special teacher Ms. Jones...

 

Today, I attended the funeral service of a dear teacher known affectionately, as Ms Jones, with my middle daughter accompanying me. 

She was fondly remembered as my history teacher in my last year at high school. Through her, I learned about the English history of the Kings and Queens of the 15th to the 16th centuries of England.

She was a passionate teacher and really cared about her students. I remember that she was the first feminist teacher that I had ever met and she was active in Teacher Union and advocacy circles. 

However, today I found out that she was also passionate about NZ pottery and hiking. From her example, I too decided to call myself Ms. Tau'au as a teacher when I first started teaching with other female teachers preferring to use Mrs. or Ms.

I attended my high school of Ngā Tapuwae College as being reported of as the first multicultural high school of it's kind in NZ. At the time, most of our teachers were European and at her funeral, I met with many of my past teachers of Maths, English, History and they all seemed to have kept in contact with each other.

There were a few students, like me, who had come to pay tribute and even the first infamous principal of the school was there. I think she's in her 90's and even the deputy principal was there of whom I would sometimes joke with but he was a good mentor and helped me to navigate some of the difficulties of being in a South Auckland high school at the time.

It's funny, but looking back I couldn't wait to finish high school and then to get on with my life in never knowing that I would eventually become a teacher. I had thought at the time that you had to be pretty smart to be a teacher. I now know that you just need to have completed tertiary educations and to care for students and that's a pretty good pre-requisite to becoming a teacher.

I bought some flowers for the occasion but upon arriving a little late at the funeral service (went around in circles twice trying to find the chapel at the Elderly village) we finally found the place and ended up sitting in the second row from the front as there were no chairs left for two to be seated together.

I then decided to talk with the funeral director about where to take the flowers. She gave me the option of giving it to the family or going with the coffin. I decided to place it on top of Ms. Jone's coffin and they left with her in the funeral car.

It was a bittersweet moment in reflecting about how she had touched many of our lives as students only to then be present at her funeral. I thank our mutual friend, Christine McGuirk, for inviting me to attend. It was a real honour and privilege to stand in honour of the many lives that she touched as a teacher. 

I was also glad that my child was able to witness the special time in meeting with some of my former teachers only to now be a teacher myself. It's amazing how people can touch lives and not even be aware that they have gifted so much...

Card making at the year's start...

 

I've just finished making up a bunch of cards which has been my most recent creative project as I find that I'm always using cards for various occasions.

I've given a bunch of cards away as gifts, and used them for bereavement donations from groups that I'm associated with.

Personalized birthday cards, special occasion cards like graduation, baby on the way, celebrations like weddings and anniversaries and the list goes on.

I'm so glad I've continued this as it's saved a whole heap of time and money scouring which cards would suit which occasion.

I've instead opted for generic cards that can be used for any occasion cards. They're fairly simple but have cute embellishments on them which adds a touch of drama, texture and it also looks like the artist knows what they're doing.

So if you're creatively inclined and want to make up some cards for yourself, you just need to buy blank sets of cards and matching envelopes they you look out for some creative papers, stickers, and glue to afix the artwork onto the card. Next thing you know, they're ready for distribution. All the best out there...

Uni City studies begin...

 

This week is another busy week with so much happening but got to drive my middle child to her first official day at AUT Auckland University of Technology in the start of her Uni studies. 

She took a gap year off last year to take a break and then has jumped in, boots and all, to start her study Uni journey. It's something that my parents passed on to me about the importance of education but also being mindful of the importance our cultural heritage.

So happy for her as there's a lot of opportunities and much learning to be had at Uni. It reminded me of my Uni days that I really enjoyed in the independence of working towards a goal in mind and then achieving it with lots of doors that opened for me.

Now it's back to bussing or driving into the city most days for my family. In fact, all three of my children are studying in town which will make for an eventful year for all of them. As for me, I'm still working close to home and studying extra-murally as to keep the home fires burning.

I'm always on the lookout for my children and for our mum with my younger sister. Am also keeping up with our home in Samoa and ensuring that our guardianship of the land and second home is secure, as promised to my late father...

Hula dance on Fridays...

 

Yesterday, I had the privilege of joining a group of staff or "game" women who wanted to learn or join in the after lunch 'Hula' group that just started on campus.

I had had lunch with my older two and asked if either wanted to accompany me and the eldest decided to after having been taught Samoan siva (dance) by relatives and Tongan dance at high school for the PolyFest.

For me, I'd joined a church dance group as a teenager and had already been taught some Samoan siva, Niuean and Cook Islands drum dance so it was great to get back into the "swing" of things again and to swing those hips through lifting those heels!

In fact, Hawaiian hula dance is very different to Cook Islands drum dance and Tahitian dance with the different techniques that they use to sway their hips to the drums or guitar music playing. This is always good to learn in order to know the differences.

Yesterday, we had so many women from different cultural backgrounds giving it a go and by the time we finished our hour long session, we were all buzzing and sweating (doesn't help with no air con). So it looks like this might be my Friday after lunch buzz for getting my steps up and for enjoying Pasifika dance with other wahine toa (brave women)...

Recruiting for Tikanga level 4 Fees free course for 2024...

 

It's that time of year again with recruiting for my Tikanga (level 4) class which is a 36 weeks (one academic year) class.

Over the past few years, there has been a growing interest in learning more about tikanga (Māori protocols and traditions) and how it affects our daily lives.

Since taking the courses from Tikanga level 4 - 6, I've found from personal experience that it gave me more confidence and understanding of my own fa'aSamoa practices as a female matai (of chiefly status).

It helped me in the considerations that I had to take into account for my late father's funeral and memorial stone (one year commemoration) both in NZ and in 
Samoa. As I was the most engaged in my parents' lives both in NZ and Samoa, of all my siblings and a matai of over 20 years, I took it as a privilege to be able to support them in fulfilling their dreams of a second home in Samoa and in whatever they needed.

In fact, one of my greatest fears, growing up, was not being able to do justice for my parents' and especially my father's tribute. My studies in the course gave me the confidence to think through the protocols and traditions, especially in Samoa, and how to mitigate all the various pathways.

In this course that I teach, we look at life protocols and traditions from a te ao Māori (Māori worldview) lens and then for each individual student the question is asked about how that translates into your own lifestyle.

I'd highly recommend it for any who are wanting to explore their cultural identities and learn more about protocols and traditions in our post-modern lifestyles through a Māori lens i.e. I've had Pasifika, Fijian Indian, Indian, Kurdish, urban Māori, European etc. join my class to not only learn about Māori worldviews but also about their own experiences and others within the class.

I've found it to be an amazing but also challenging experience in delving in deep to understand cultural paradigms, why they exist and how the might be helpful going forward. If any are interested in enrolling into the class please DM (direct message) me or email through: helen.tauau-filisi@twoa.ac.nz and all the best for the new year ahead...

The passing of a Pasifika peoples' champion...

 

Today, I was shocked to hear of the passing of Fa'a`nānā Efeso Collins who was a NZ Samoan list MP (Member of Parliament) who had just delivered his maiden speech upon entering parliament only days ago. He had been at a charity event when he collapsed and was unable to be revived.

It was so sad to hear about this news, as he was a rising star of the Pasifika albeit SamoaNZ community who advocated long and hard for Pasifika peoples and those not in the upper echelons of NZ society. It is indeed a sad loss to our community and my heart goes out to his wife and daughters and family of whom he dearly loved.

My memories of Efeso (as I knew him then) go way back to when I first started teaching English in 1990, at a high school in Otara where he lived. It was his final year at high school and my first year in teacher. I may have written about this before but upon learning that I had a Master's degree, I remember that he told me that he too was going to get a Masters degree when he finished school and he did.

I remember meeting with him at a students' budget dinner, once at Auckland Uni, where I had just started my first doctorate degree around 1997. He was then the first Pasifika (Samoan) President of the Student Union that had been mainly headed by Europeans. It was there that he started making his mark with interest in politics.

When I first became a panel member for the Pasifika panel for Auckland Council for one term (3 years), around 2015, I met Efeso again but this time he was an Auckland Councillor who had won his seat alongside Alf Filipino who is a stalwart of South Auckland local government. Having Pasifika representation at this level was so important for voicing the needs of the Pasifika population.

Probably the last time I met with Efeso was a couple of years at an Pasifika ECE Early Childhood Education function where he was the guest speaker and delivered his speech with many jokes. I went up to him later and had a brief discussion. I told him that I had voted for him as a mayoral candidate but I didn't think that Auckland or NZ was ready yet for a person of colour.

I last remember seeing him sometime last year, at a round about in Papatoetoe, as he contested the Papatoetoe/Manukau seat but didn't win it. I tooted my car horn and he was surprised to see me showing my support of him.

Efeso came from humble roots and demonstrated to many that it was possible for a Pasifika person to succeed with a hard work ethic and humility that wasn't afraid to voice his opinions in support of the most vulnerable.

He certainly will be missed in the legacy that he left in his family, friends, and the many communities that he found himself in. It was truly an honour to have been there right at the start to see him as a young Christian SamoaNZ man grow and challenge the heart of Auckland as a peoples' champion.

He journey here on earth has ended but long may his legacy live to encourage other young and bold Samoan and Pasifika men and women that the world is your oyster if you work with integrity towards achieving your goals. Gone but not forgotten. Ia manuia lou malaga Fa'anānā Efeso. God's blessings be with you...

Highly recommended "Next Goal Wins"...

 

Got the chance to finally watch the movie "Next Goal Wins" directed by NZ's critically acclaimed Director Taika Waititi. It's a movie that I've been anticipating to watch since last year but in all the busyness of the end of the year, I wasn't able to watch it until returning back from Samoa.

I wanted to take my children to watch it with me so we finally pooled our schedule and found some time during the holiday to watch it together and it was definitely worth the wait. In fact, I'd definitely highly recommend it as a family movie to watch together despite some of the stereotypes that it does portray.

After the movie we went to catch a bite to eat at the local Denny's and got to debrief about the movie and it got positive results from all four of us. Especially in its portrayal of American Samoa although I must say that there were scenes that didn't quite match the location i.e. some of those scenes looked like they were shot in Oahu, Hawaii (one of the airport scenes) and possibly NZ with some of the grassy soccer field scenes? ha ha - just too much green grass for Samoa with the trees in the background.

We were particularly happy with the positive positioning of fafafine i.e. Samoa's third gender which we thought was well portrayed but also sensitive in the sense of some of the difficulties that they face and try to overcome within the various worlds.

I'd definitely watch it again, and would like to thank Taika Waititi for bringing this story of American Samoa to the light. It is an underdog story but it also shows some of the sacrifices that individuals living on a small island make when wanting to play on an international field.

I'm so glad that I was able to take my family a few years ago to visit American Samoa in that they were able to see the differences with Upolu/Savaii or Samoa as it is now known. The American accent was one of the first differences that they became aware of and then the use of the American dollar although they are only a territory.

Hopefully, it's a movie that can encourage more of our diaspora (living outside of the motherland) Samoans to visit Samoa and/or American Samoa to see where their ancestors came from and to hear and see the Samoan language and culture in action. Much like this movie portrays...

Waitangi Holiday 2024....

 

It was neat to wake up to a beautiful day in commemoration of our National Waitangi Day holiday as commemorated every 6th of February since the signing of our founding document of the Treaty of Waitangi or Te Tiriti o Waitangi in 1840.

It was neat to see that Google in its daily search engine graphic added its own illustration in celebration of this special day.

Last night, on a national news channel I watched as many converged onto Waitangi, a place that I had taken my children to on various occasions. It holds special significance to many but it is also a contentious place for some.

At present, in New Zealand, there is some controversial legislation that is being crafted by politicians, who are currently in power, that questions the principles of the founding document and look to rewrite them in some fashion, however, there are many who do not agree with any changes and this is being scrutinized at the moment.

The renaming of government departments in taking away their Māori name on signage etc. was also a contentious topic of this present government which seeks to do away with the indigenous language on government departmental signs and replace them with English only signs. 

A movement that makes no sense when these signs have been already established for over a decade and disestablishing them would only mean wasting funds that could have been used elsewhere. However, the deeper contention is that it displays racist agendas and rhetoric of recognizing only 1:3 of NZ's official languages i.e. English and not Māori.

There's an even more deeper sinister understanding in having read the book "Caste The Origins of Our Discontents" by Isabel Wilkerson (2020) which concurs that such acts are really of a caste system wanting to ensure that their worldviews are entrenched in legislation that favours them and takes little account of the indigenous peoples of the nation.

It's going to be interesting, going forward, as there were many protests and debate by tanga whenua (indigenous peoples as Māori) at Waitangi even before the day had begun. It reminds me that we have come a long way but there's still a long way to go in our national race relations...

Long weekend brunch at "Percy's"...

 

Having a great long Waitangi weekend (although Monday's not really counted because it's a normal day) but some are taking Monday off and extending the weekend to return back to work/school on Wednesday.

I started the weekend with a neat brunch with a good work colleague at a newer local restaurant called "Percy" which seems to be a purpose built restaurant right in the middle of a light industry zone.

So that the clientele were quite mixed with tradies, in their high vis' uniforms, who were dropping in for a quick bite to eat or take away. There were business people in their suits and ties. Mom's and couples with babies etc. It was quite an interesting place to be at and looking forward to taking my children out there too.

The scene outside was beautiful with a man-made lake surrounding the perimeter of the restaurant at one corner with some taking a scenic tour around the grounds after their meal. I quite liked the different ambience of the place with hardy outdoor furniture for those wanting to eat outside of the main restaurant.

Inside there were booth like seats with thick coordinated cushions, places for singles to eat and tables for groups and couples. I also liked a place for working individually on laptop compatible workspaces which makes this place pretty special.

All in all, a nice start to the long weekend even if it isn't really as long for some...

Ice Skating in Summer...

 

Had a great long weekend (Auckland's Anniversary) and it started with trip with my three children to an Ice skating ring in the middle of summer!

It's fair to say that I was the bag watcher, book reader and enjoyed the lunch there with a hot dog combo that I'd not had in a long time.

It was neat to see them enjoying themselves as our youngest to getting ready to start her first year in high school at an inner city all girls school.

It'll definitely be a first for us as I have preferred co-ed schools which is a snap shot of the world around us. Funnily enough when I was at Uni, some peers assumed that I had attended a girls school like this one but it wasn't in my parents' wish list.

However, our youngest wanted to explore her options which lead her to starting tomorrow with a powhiri (Māori welcome ceremony) at the school for each new student and their whānau (family). So we'll be up early to get there with limited carparking and to wish her well in her new journey.

Therefore, the ice-skating was a way to break the ice before attending a new unfamiliar school and sharing good times with her Uni-bound elder siblings. Now with all of them based in Auckland city and out of our familiar suburbs.

A new year with new journeys. Wishing her well for 2024 and also all who read this blog. As I believe that the best is yet to come with my studies still continuing and hopefully ending by mid year. Definitely, never a dull moment...

Happy Birthday to our middle child...

 

It was a great yesterday to have a birthday party for our middle child although it wasn't great day for a beach party with the constant rain. 

We instead opted to have a party at home complete with BBQ and then she was able to go with family and friends to a Kareoke bar for an evening of singing and dancing.

Here's her 19th birthday cake from our fave local cake shop which is the "Cheesecake shop". It was a chocolate torte with chocolate icing and great with ice cream too.

I'm also looking forward to her first year at Uni in having taken a gap year last year. Although she did do a course at MIT Manukau Institute of Technology but it wasn't really what she was really interested in doing.

Now she'll be able to get the full Uni experience with more confidence and understanding in having had other experiences instead of going straight to Uni.

It's definitely something that I encourage with my family members in encouraging the idea of lifelong learning and reading or watching movies that help us to understand the ways that other people live or think.

Looking forward to an encouraging year for her with so much to look forward to and to learn. The world is her oyster as I start teaching again for a new year with new students. I'll be encouraging and wishing the same for them as well...

Happy Birthday to my lil' artist sis Maria...

 

This is a shout out to my lil' artist sis, Maria, who had her birthday this week. It's a little belated as I've been busy returning to work and juggling my usual hectic schedule but it was great to take time out with family to celebrate her birthday at a local family restaurant which made it real special with no dishes afterwards to clear.

I also wanted to showcase a real special art piece/s that she not only made for me but she also designed for four other women in my family including my mom and daughters.

In each of the pics that she made for us, she artisticly narrated symbols of what each of us meant for her and also wrote a letter that explained each of the symbols which was pretty special.

Some of the symbols that she has on mine include: Moana which is my fave Disney movie of all time, the peacock on top is symbolic of the tatoo on the hand of my late dad who was very important in my life, the paint brushes are of me enjoying painting and the tropical frangipani flowers are also a favourite of me and my mom.

She also added the central cross which is important for me as a Christian woman in my faith journey and the eagle for which she sees me as a leader in my family now with my late dad's passing the leadership onto me. The beautiful tropical sunset is another fave that I have and the compass of being able to support many in their life's journey as a teacher.

It's such a beautiful reminder to me of the artistic skills that she has as an incredible artist and I'm hoping to do more collaborative projects with her in illustrating more books as she's completed a few book covers for me in the past.

Here's wishing a Happy Birthday to my lil' sis', Maria, and wishing her the very best for a future that lies ahead. I know that her artistic skills are a gift and a talent that we have been blessed to have been privileged to receive these special personal artistic and symbolic narratives...

"Wish" Disney's latest animated movie...

 Got to watch the movie "Wish" with my two elder children who had wanted to watch the latest Disney animated movie. I got there a bit late as I had ordered 3 bubble tea flavours that took a little longer than I anticipated but the taste was worth the delay.

I hadn't been quite sure what to expect as I had watched the official movie trailer and couldn't quite make out the storyline but I did find it interesting that it wasn't a movie that I could easily anticipate. The cast of characters were quite diverse from the onset and the main character I think was portrayed as African American by her hair.

No spoiler alerts except to say that it was a little different from the storylines that I have been accustomed to with Disney productions and perhaps that's why it hasn't featured as strongly as other previous movies like "Encanto", "Frozen" and "Moana" with songs that perhaps aren't as memorable too.

The protagonist character reminded me of a male "Maleficient" from the "Snow White" movie but didn't quite play out as well but again I must say that it was a very different ending which plays out differently from what we're accustomed to.

So I'll leave it there. A great time to spend with loved ones but not a movie that I could highly recommend except to say that it may not be quite what you would expect but sometimes that's a good thing as my entourage enjoyed it a lot...

Great to be back in NZ...

 

It's great to be back in NZ and received the seminal book called "Caste The origins of Our Discontents" by Isabel Wilkerson (2020). I had ordered it online before leaving for Samoa as I wanted to read it before anticipating the watching of the movie which I think it hitting NZ theatres soon early this year.

It's a very difficult read for me and I find myself putting it down and walking away for sometime to let it all sink in. It definitely has changed the way that I see historical accounts of the world as I once understood it. I'm also taking my time with reading this work as it's hard hitting and challenges me in ways that have to consider deeply as a teacher.

In anticipation of watching Isabel Wilkerson's book turned into a movie, I am so glad that they were able to acquire our NZ's, Maori artist Stan Walker, to sing such a haunting song that I think sums up the beauty and horror of the subjects that she speaks about in her book.

No spoiler alerts yet, as I think one needs to take the time to read it. It reads like a dissertation (Ph.D. non-fictional work) yet accessible for many. However, it is definitely not an easy read, in fact my eldest gave me a thick almost 400 page Post-grad romance novel that I was able to finish in around 24 hours as a way of light hearted reading as opposed to the heavy topics that Wilkerson's book deals with.

From my own perspective, it's hard to fathom the atrocities that have happened over the ages and the apparent evil that some cultures and peoples have lived through as both oppressors and victims. Her book was the Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and highly recommended by many critics, writers, celebrities etc.

I'm currently about a third of the way through the book and I'm not rushing it. I think one needs to ponder on much of what she has said. I think it also makes me reconsider what I'll be teaching and will be taking my children to watch the movie when it comes out. I'll be interested to know the angle that the movie will take in telling her stories...

Back from Samoa 2024...

 

Back from Samoa and finally got over the jetlag of having a night flight over to NZ and arriving in the early morning.

This pic was one of the last taken at the beach outside our home. My youngest found little spring waters that many villages and families have developed into fresh water pools.

It was something that my late father had wanted to develop for our family so it is definitely something that we're looking in to develop for the future.

It was a little sad to leave our second home but neat to be back with our family with upcoming birthdays to plan and also school and Uni to get ready for in the next month. It was also great to be there with my elder brother and sister-in-law.

Already looking forward to our next trip overseas in May and many more adventures to come...

"Love bears" series painting in Samoa...

 

This particular trip to Samoa has been eventful with so much happening in our "neck of the woods" at Niuapapa, in the village of Fasitoo-uta.

I did, however, manage to find an old painting that I had painted but then left behind in Samoa before the COVID-19 international lockdowns. I've since placed it on our wall between two louvre windows with a neat lei.

Tomorrow it's my elder brother's significant birthday as he had travelled here together with my sister-in-law and we have a few special surprises for him with a birthday cake, birthday meals i.e. breakfast /  lunch / dinner, and presents as a day of celebration. We're also looking forward to seeing if he'll take some time out of his busy schedule to celebrate as he's been busy with his painting and maintenance work.

Because he lives in Sydney, Australia, this is probably one of the first birthdays that we have spent together as a family celebrating his birthday in a long time and we want to make it special for him, although he doesn't want any fuss etc.

In Samoa, there's so much variety of foods for him but his absolute favourites we've decided to include such as oka (fresh raw fish in coconut cream), some pisupo (corned beef from NZ), and some tasty additions that we're going to pick up from Pinati's which is a favourite Samoa food restaurant in Apia. Unfortunately, there's no KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) which is another one of his favourite (as was our late dad's as well).

We plan to spend it at our home, next to the ocean, as my dearest brother decided to bring his maintenance handy man tools and paint to Samoa to spruce up the family house and he's definitely made a wonder of a difference with his painting and maintenance work on the house.

We've managed to fix some leaks in the bathrooms and kitchen, interior painting with some exterior painting planned. Some tiling needing to be sorted with exterior grills on windows. Security is an important part of the plan as with living overseas, it can definitely be a problem.

Bringing back the u'a tree to our home in Samoa...

 

One of the neat things upon our return to Samoa was seeing the broadleaf paper mulberry tree for making siapo or tapa cloth now growing in our front garden. We had planted it last July when we were last here having found it in an outer village (July 2023 blogpost).

There were three plants that we planted and we took a couple to the neighbours to plant for safe keeping. However, when we returned our neighbour's plant did not survive in having been mowed along with the other vegetation that her family member unwittingly removed.

Ours, on the other hand, is an amazing feat as I had never seen it before and to now have it growing in our garden is a blessing. This is quite special as I've been working on a couple of books to launch fairly soon having had a break in 2023 from self-publishing and instead concentrating on my doctoral studies.

One of the books is based on an ancient story that tells of the origins of the siapo with the u'a or the paper mulberry tree. It's an interesting story because it talks of the relationship between the u'a and another creeper vine or plant called the silato or Samoan nettle.

The u'a plant is almost not grown in many of the villages as fewer people make siapo in Samoa and therefore do not plant them. When I went looking for a plant, I had to go to a family who were selling them locally to ask if they knew of anyone who had plants and was directed to a family who lived inland (or uta) to find such a plant. The family were very accommodating and let me take photos and some baby plants to take root. I also took the details of the kind lady to add to the credits of the book.

Wow! this is so amazing for me to be able to bring the u'a tree back to our family home in the village of Fasito'o-uta and to now look for more plants to grow that are associated with the original authentic painting of the Samoan siapo...

"Return to Paradise Resort & Spa" Lefaga legacy...

 

One of our fave places to visit when in Samoa is our Aunty & Uncles (with co-owners) "Return to Paradise Resort and Spa" in Lefaga.

It's about a 35 - 45 minute drive from where we live, depending on the weather and traffic and it's a nice place to relax and chill at.

We were invited, last night, by my Aunty Afamasaga Ramona, guardian, matriarch and co-owner of the resort, to have a pre-birthday celebration there for our brother's 60th birthday. It was so neat to relax there after attending my first extended Tauau family meeting.

We had a lovely buffet dinner that included yummy fried fish, curry, salads, chow mein, rice, fried chicken etc.  with desserts that were neat and included fruit salads and chocolate mousse in 'shot' glasses with brownies etc.

Afterwards, we were entertained by the resident band of male staff who also doubled as musicians, singers and dancers. Their harmonies were spectacular and we sang along to their renditions of a lot of different English covers and Samoan songs too.

The dancing was also spectacular with their Samoan slap dances, freestyles and bringing up unsuspecting guests to the dance floor. At the end of the evening the entertainment was complete with a taualuga or traditional Samoan dance by a female with everyone dancing and celebrating behind her.

All in all, we had an enjoyable evening and then we drove back to our Fasitoo-uta home with lots of laughs and glad to retire into the evening. It's definitely a resort that I would recommend for the weary traveller wanting a chillaxing time and even for destination weddings or family reunions of which I hope we will be having 2024/2025.

For more information, please check out their informative website on: https://returntoparadiseresort.com ...

Measina alignment in thesis with conservation agencies in Samoa...

This pic is taken at the ocean rockwall at Apia where I was lounging with my family under the Tamaligi tree with its beautiful red/orange flowers. My mom gave me the Samoan name and will later check up on the English name and whether it's a native. It's quite an iconic tree here and features in many villages very similar to NZ's Xmas tree which is the pohutukawa tree.

I also went to join the Samoa Conservation Society at the Maritime NUS (National University of Samoa) campus but told it was closed until Monday whilst on holiday so I'll be back to check it out as I see that they've been doing some very good work in supporting environmental and cultural conversation of much of Samoa's measina which is just down my thesis alley.

I'm also looking at various groups, individuals and NGO (non-government organizations) to align my thesis to, to acknowledge the good work that is already out there in the various committee efforts in conserving the natural and cultural environment. As in my thesis, I've seen that much has already been lost and such organisations play and important role in trying to stem the tide and share in the awareness of what can be done to curb such events.

Yes, although holidaying in Samoa, there's still a lot of work to do in my thesis but also in looking after our communal property. It's been good to have my elder brother, George, and his wife over to support in the maintenance of my late dad's dream. I now say that it's about keeping his vision alive for future generations and my generation being guardians over the land for safekeeping in our village of Fasito'o-uta. Same conservation ideas on a smaller scale in my family...

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2024 from SAMOA...

 Wow! Happy New Year from Samoa (Ia manuia le tausaga fou!) So much has happened since I stopped work last year for holiday season and had a great Christmas i.e. one of the most relaxing and enjoyable Christmases in a long time since my dad's passing.

Then quickly got packed up and ready for our last trip of the year back to our second home sweet home of Samoa. The weather's been pretty rainy off and on as this is the usual rainy season but have definitely been blessed to be back for a fourth time this year.

So much has happened since we first arrived back after the COVID-19 lockdown and now everything's back to normal except there's more awareness of coughs and colds leading to the dreaded virus and it's various variants that are still out there in the communities.

I'm always drawn back to the vibrant aqua blue azure hues of the ocean in living next to the Pacific ocean in our village of Fasito'o-uta and the swaying coconut trees and tropical flora. It's been great to see that many of the plants that we planted in our garden have grown and looking promising for the future but more on that in future posts.

Suffice to say that I'm also looking forward to meeting up with my elder brother, George and his lovely wife, who are holidaying here. I'll be picking them up from the local airport which is only a 15 minute drive down the road from their 3.15am flight. He's celebrating a significant birthday so will see what we have in store for him on his special day...