Creativity in teaching and learning...

 

One of the things that I did do on the weekend noho (Māori word for stay or overnight stay) with my class was to attend a workshop using clay and modeling clay.

I had a lot of fun but decided to just take it easy and make some cute artistic art i.e. the letter "H" and a music clef symbol, a small worm-like creature and a footprint.

It's a great idea by a colleague of mine who also teaches the same course i.e. two classes. Having creative activities is definitely relaxing and a great de-stressor as well.

Definitely something that I didn't have as an option in my degrees albeit undergraduate or post-graduate. But with our classes, it has been a welcome relief. Having creative activities offers problem-solving scenarios too and measurement, decision making and satisfaction of finishing or something creating something unexpected...

Kelly Tarlton's Sealife...

My Young-guns at Kelly Tartlon's

Yesterday, went with my young-guns to Kelly Tarlton's (like Sea-world underground) and had a good time looking around at the different exhibits.

The pic is taken at a replica of a replica of Scott's Hut as one of the first British expeditions to Antarctica. It was interesting to view as I hadn't been there since the elder two were very young.

It was interesting to also view the Emperor penguins but having watched a lot of different documentaries and movies about animals and birds in captivity, I couldn't help feeling sad for them especially in the small spaces that they occupied.

However, with the viewing of stingrays and varieties of fish swimming above us in the dome-shaped glass viewing areas, it was quite fun to watch as they swum above us.

 Afterwards, we had a look at the gift shop and I couldn't help buying souvenir turtle earrings, a cup and a souvenir for my youngest.

There were a lot of exhibitions to view but we did miss out on the virtual eye mask as there wasn't enough time before it was to close. All in all, highly recommended for children and those who are interested in viewing sea life up close and person...
 

An article reminding of celebrating 10 years as a Pasifika writer in 2025...

 

I had an interesting surprise this morning when I was searching for information and came across an article, written in 2015, when I first started self-publishing my books almost 10 years ago (I've attached on the left) and can be found on: https://www.usp.ac.fj/library/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2021/05/PaCfika_Sept_2015.pdf

It was found on an online article for an online and physical newsletter called "Pasifika Libraries" Vol. 11, No. 3 which was associated with USP University of the South Pacific and published in Fiji.

It's such a timely article to read as next year I will be celebrating my 10th anniversary of being a self-published author and will be re-launching some former titles that have been sold out for a time as a fresh updated version for new readers.

It was especially touching as it was an article about the plays that I had written that had been performed at various South Auckland High schools that I had been associated with at the time.

It's hard to believe where the journey has taken me of being a Pasifika albeit Samoan NZ female writer especially in that I never thought it could be possible when I was a creative writer at High school. With my books in libraries and universities around the world (earlier blogging articles) it has simply been a blessing and a humbling experience.

Now I'm teaching / lecturing and supporting other adult students to write their indigenous stories through essays, presentations and critical reflections using APA Referencing (7th edition) ha ha ha. Yes, formal writings in order to gain their Post-Graduate qualifications in Bicultural Professional Supervision at our local Wānanga or Māori Indigenous Educational Institute for Higher learning (similar to a Community College or University).

I'm also considering to start coaching and developing some online courses for those overseas who might be interested in being supported in goal setting and particularly in achieving those goals. Over the years I've mentored many students and family members into achieving goals and reaching their (often hidden) potential.

Looking forward to the celebration next year for 10 years of publishing and beyond...

Dreams can come true...

This weekend, I spent it with my class and we had the privilege of having one of my former students be a guest speaker to talk about her journey.

From her initial studies (of two years with me) in the Cert. in Indigenous Studies, in 2017, then in the following year with the Cert. in Tikanga i.e. Te Kunenga o te Ao Tikanga, both level 4 programmes.

She then continued her studies with two other important papers before continuing in her studies in the Applied Masters in Indigenous Studies, of which she completed successfully and is now working on her Ph.D. studies.

It's such a blessing to have witnessed her journey and to have been there at the beginning of her journey at Te Wananga o Aotearoa, was a real privilege. So when she spoke to my students it was a true inspiration that dreams can come true with a love for God, a good work ethic, love and respect for parents and family, and caring for others.

I was especially touched as, like me, she looked after her older aged parents until their passing and it was a bittersweet sacrifice in spending time with them in their twilight years until they passed. Now she is working for an organization where she is able to support many others in her line of work. Yes, dreams can come true.

Josh Tatofi's latest Samoan release...

Just listened to Josh Tatofi's new release a couple of days ago called "Le Tu'una Oe". Really interesting as a Tongan artist living in Hawaii and singing a Samoan song. Gotta give it to him for singing this beautiful song.

It's a love song about a couple who are together but there's no commitment yet as one is asking (not sure if it's rhetorical) if they would turn their back or if the person is on the other's mind and wants to hug to keep the memory. It feels like the love is one-sided at this stage.

I found it interesting to hear his group sing the word "sogi" because it's an old Samoan word that you don't hear often. As it's similar to the Māori word "hogi" which is the touching or pressing of the noses which Māori still practice with their greetings (although sometimes people choose to hug instead).

I've also practiced it on many of the Marae or hui (meetings) that I've attended with Māori present but it's a cultural practice that Samoans no longer practice. Some people say that the word is equivalent to kiss but it isn't really.

 

Creative HQ...

 

Had another great day with Creative HQ coaches for my PD Profession Development at Parnell, Central Auckland. Again, it is a real privilege to be with inspired and aspiring people.

The business company has been around for about 20 years, I've been told and their very state of the arts type of information tech business with link and have partnerships with NZ government other innovative enterprises and then with the likes of people like us.

It's a really interesting space to be as I'm in a group of 17 of us who are looking at Innovate ways of problem solving a case-study type of setting.

I'm totally inspired and it's given me time and resources to journey together with other like-minded people. The only problem is that I've got a well-overdue thesis that's supposed to be handed in very soon and then this amazing opportunity came along.

It's just simply a blessing as it wasn't something that I was out looking for but they hand-picked a group of us to go through their amazing programme and wow! simply blessed! as it's given me time to consider what the future might look like in the things that I'm aiming for.

Just an incredible space to be in as we have one more major full-day professional development and will then continue on with the coaching. Later on, I'll be having a look at some of the AI Artificial Intelligence or large language models to utilize and considerations for a revamp of my Social media. 

So much to do but so little time...

A.R.T. sings Song on Radio with some Samoan lyrics...

I first heard this song on MaiFM (88.6 FM) a couple of months ago and thought to give it a shout-out as it's by a NZ (Pasifika) Girl Group called A.R.T. I don't know much about the group but I like their sound and harmonies.

Especially the Samoan lyrics too! it's great to hear my language belted out on a contemporary Māori Radio station which a lot of youth listen to but also normalizes other Pasifika languages as another indigenous language that's being spoken in Aotearoa, New Zealand.

I've also heard their other song W.T.F. (yes, you heard it right). I probably hasn't had much traction because of what the acronym stands for but I still like the harmonies. I just wish they could get a bigger budget to give them some stage presence as the video was shot in the recording studio.

All in all, a real fine effort and enjoying their sounds. I hope they continue to put out more music and neat music videos that will encourage and inspire other Pasifika musicians and singer/songwriters to give it a go as you never know what could happen if you put your dreams and goals into action!...

Treasure Island mini-golf...

Had a great afternoon at our local Treasure Island mini-golf with my three in taking out some time to spend with my youngest in starting back on the second half of the year at school tomorrow.

So the four of us took to the 18-hole mini-golf course that was spread around the Treasure Island golf course complete with a half-sunken ship, cave, etc. that took us up and down the course.

Funnily enough, I had bragging rights for the rest of the night with the least amount of swings. My team also won as we had paired up.

All in all, it was a neat evening and without a drop of rain that was threatening to fall throughout the cloudy evening. We all really enjoyed it and have decided to have another go at another mini-golf course.

Afterwards, we decided to go out to our local family restaurant to have a light meal and dessert to top off the night. I did take some time for the waitress to take our order but glad to have had some time together as a family...

 

Watching "A Quiet Place: Day One"...

 I'm a bit of a movie buff and enjoy watching various genre of movies and as it's the last week of the holidays, I asked my youngest what movie she would like to watch with me and she suggested for us to watch "A Quiet Place: Day One".

Now, I've watched the first two movies in the "A Quiet Place" franchise and found it very interesting especially with Emily Blunt as the main actress and the family dynamics in having a character, who is deaf, in the movie.

It's not my usual genre of movie but the general story has elements of suspense and quite a thriller as well. I found in parts that the movie theatre patrons were painfully quiet as many enacted the expectations of keeping quiet whilst the enemy monster was lurking around in corners like the movie.

For this particular movie, it was interesting in viewing African actress Lupita Ngony'o play the main character in a mainstream franchise. She did it particularly well and her Joseph Quinn who played the supporting actor made it an interesting dynamic portraying feelings of fear, anxiety and having panic attacks.

I'd definitely recommend this movie if you're interested in suspense, aliens and thriller qualities. It's not a movie that I would particularly choose to watch for myself, but it did bring about some interesting and endearing qualities of a 'family-like' relationship in caring for each other i.e. the family of humanity against an alien threat. Definitely food for thought again...

Book Fair Frenzy...

It's been a while since I visited a Book Fair but last week my two eldest daughters picked me up and we went to a book Fair that was sponsored by the local Rotary club.

It was interesting to visit but because it was on the 4th day of the Fair, by the time we got to it, a lot of the newer books had already been sold.

When I spoke to one of the coordinators, she said it had been packed in the first couple of days but people were still coming to visit even days after it had opened.

I still prefer to read physical books as opposed to e-books although it has been good to be able to read in bed with an e-book without the lights on but it's just not the same.

I saw a lot of the books that I had read and a lot of books that had fan bases but I chose not to buy them as I still have a lot of books at home. 

Although I did think that I probably had enough books to attend a book fair of my own! and so I ended up only buying one book which was more for sentimental value as a book from the "Chicken Soup" series that I enjoyed reading back in my 30s.

It's probably a good fundraiser too that I thought I would have liked to have organized for a school or Early Childhood centre to clear people's garages and homes from books that they didn't want or need and give it a second life with another family and then just gift the remaining to a second-hand bookshop (although there aren't a lot of those around either). But food for thought...

 

Kirk Franklin's "Love Theory" this Sunday...

 

I listened to Kirk Franklin's song "Love Theory" the other day and thought about how inspiring and encouraging it was to listen to. It also reminded me of how sometimes we get so caught up in the worries and sometimes mundane things in life that we forget to look around us and marvel at the complexities and beauty of nature.

I also think that dance and music have been gifted to us to lift our spirits in times such as the video depicts and I'm so glad that we have inspirational leaders in gospel music who are able to lift our spirits out of the mundaneness with songs such as these.

So whilst listening to this song, why not get up and have a little dance with a little joy in reminding yourself that there is a time of stillness in church but also a time to get up and enjoy the music and life that's been gifted to us.

I hope that this song can be inspirational to your life today and be reminded not to stay in life's mundaneness or misery but to rise up and be thankful that we have another day to add to our lives and to make it count for those around us and especially for us too... Enjoy...

Symbolism Vision board second half 2024...

 

This past week, I decided to make a Vision board with images that are symbolic of some of the goals that I have till the end of the year.

I'd read about how powerfully focusing they can be as inspirational and also reminds through physical presence to see.

What's so neat about it is that I added it to a corkboard so that I can always change it if need be. Plus I used push pins to change it up.

I'm thinking about changing it up monthly and adding or switching it up as is appropriate. Probably something that's really neat for those who like visual clarity which is something that I enjoy to do as well.

So why not give it a go. The pics can be symbolic of the goals that you want to accomplish and you can source your materials from magazines or photos etc. In fact, anything that appeals to you that resonates with your goals, dreams etc. can be used...

Inside Out 2 movie review...

It was a blessing going on a family movie night last night with my children to watch "Inside Out 2". Interestingly enough, it was the eldest who had been anticipating it so we went along to see what it was all about.

I must confess that I hadn't watched the first one as I had caught bits 'n pieces when the kids were watching it but I really wasn't interested but when we made plans to go watch the second installment, I thought that it would be important for me to watch the first so that I could have a better understanding of the first.

I only got through half of it after watching it on "Disney+" before we had to head out to the movies. I found it interesting and thought they must have had to discuss the concepts through with psychologists etc. to make sure that they got it right.

However, upon watching the second movie, I must say that I thought that it was a bit OTT (over the top) with all the things happening with the main character and when I expressed that "I didn't get it" with my children they just laughed and said that it was all about puberty! (It's been decades since I went through for me :)

I then realised that I'd watched the older two go through puberty with varying results and was still going through it with the youngest so it was very interesting to listen to their perspectives of the movie. I'm just glad to not have to go through it myself as it was an interesting time, and dare I say, with more to come with my youngest teen...

Random Acts of Kindness...

 

Spirit works in mysterious ways. (Crayon with dye)  

Yesterday, I had the privilege of picking up my daughter after school from the local bus stop which is just outside our local town centre.

When I was waiting for her to approach the car, I saw a young mother holding a young child on her hip and with other children surrounding her and following after her.

My daughter arrived into the car and we acknowledged each other but my eyes followed the young mum with 7 children that I counted with varying heights and ages.

As I pulled out of the parking lot, I followed her to the entrance of the shopping centre and she entered with her entourage. I then parked the car and thought to pick up a treat for my youngest as it was the last day of the term and she was entering the holidays for two weeks plus I hadn't started cooking yet.

I kept thinking about this mum and how difficult it must be to take care of seven children but upon walking into the shopping centre area, I had already lost site of her. I decided to go look for her as I had already purposed to put aside some monies for a church annual membership and decided to instead gift some of it to this mother.

I finally found her in line at the local fish and chip shop with the children all seated waiting for her to return. I then too fell in the same line (thinking to buy the same for my child) and then thought to ask her a question when she returned to the table with a tray of food. 

I thought she might think I'm weird, so I first excused myself and asked if these were all her children. She replied that the younger two of them were hers and the others were her sister's children. I then gave her a $ gift which she wouldn't take but I insisted and placed in her hand. I then said that I knew what it meant to be a mother and quickly left. I heard her reply 'thank you' as I acknowledged but she couldn't see me.

I clean forgot about the encounter as I returned to my daughter in the car with a treat and then returned home to continue with my studies. I'm not writing this to extol my virtues but more as a reminded to any who are interested to consider doing a random act of kindness.

It reminded me of my late father whom I watched when he gave $ gifts to complete strangers when they were celebrating a birthday and he walked and acknowledged the importance of the occasion. It wasn't so much the monetary value but the fact that someone was 'seen' and acknowledged with love by a complete stranger who asked for nothing in return except to have been a small part of that joy.

A possible challenge for any out there as I felt compelled (by the Spirit) to reach out to this mother not knowing what the circumstances were for her and the children in having compassion and even feeling a bit stupid for thinking that she might think that I was stalking her. 

However, the infinite joy and power that I felt in being able to gift her and the children to see that families were valued and especially with the high cost of living and economic climate. It's important to reach out and share what we can (for those who can) and to walk away expecting nothing in return...

Kirk Franklin - African American gospel artist...

 I came across Kirk Franklin and his inspiring gospel music that came through one of my Social media feeds. If you haven't heard of him then you were very similar to me in that he has an interesting soulful, R & B, Hip-hop fusion of African American Black gospel music.

It was really interesting to read up on him as he also has scored lots of attention in racking up so many gospel music awards in the US. I don't think we have anyone in NZ that equates to his up tempo style of music that incorporates dance as well.

You just have to watch him move, in dance, and you'll see what I mean. His dancing style reminds me of a cross between the late Michael Jackson, Prince, and James Brown who were all fantastic dancers and signature singers in their own right.

Why not check out this video clip which is an oldie but a goodie in the sense that this kicked off what was to become a living legend in the Black American gospel charts. However, his music purports to bring people together of diverse peoples and also point them to a living God!...