Celebrating life in the passing of loved ones...

 Today, we said our last goodbyes to a beloved father, son, brother, cousin, nephew, friend who was my younger brother (adopted), as I am the youngest of four natural siblings with four adopted children to my parents, who are younger than me. 

He left behind two beautiful/handsome children, and I know that he was blessed in being a dad, although he had some personal struggles, for which he was able to get professional and cultural support from a Samoan Trust.

Now that the leadership mantle of my late father has been passed on with our chiefly title, I follow in his footsteps in supporting our family in funerals, celebrations, and family meetings with my mum as the matriarch of the family.

As one of the leaders in our family, I was very humbled to be asked by his children to lead the service, which also included leading two Samoan songs as a hymn, "Ou te tagi lo'u tama e..." and a traditional pese or song called "Mo'omo'oga", which is usually sung at Samoan funerals.

At the end of the service, we were able to gift the children with a Tongan-made siapo, or tapa cloth, as a parting gift of love from our family to theirs. I was also able to share our Gafa, or family history/genealogy, so that the audience could see the family roots from which he came, as part of our family.

This is the second sibling that our family has lost in less than a year, with an elder sister passing in December last year. It just reminds me that we have a short time on earth before we depart to the afterlife (depending on what you believe), but I'm grateful for the legacy of faith that my parents shared with me in knowing who, where and what to expect when that time times i.e. a matter of faith...

Coastal walks highly recommended..

 

Here's a photo of the local bridge that I cross (sometimes with my beloved) when I go for my regular 5km, one-hour walks. 

I love it especially when the sky is blue, as it is pictured here with a high tide and a gentle breeze gliding along with me during my walk.

I particularly like walking close to the mauga or mountain in the distance, and marvel at how it escaped being used for road construction (but that's another story).

On days like these, it's nice to walk at a fast pace and let my thoughts roam free. It's like a physical and spiritual release, allowing freedom from the pressures of the day and the planning to be loosened.

It's also a time to spend with God, to settle in and marvel at creation, as I sometimes catch sunsets, the waters at high tide, or the receding waters at low tide. Sometimes I see intergenerational families walking, couples, friends, lone rangers (like myself) or people walking their dogs.

I highly recommend it for those who have retired from running or jogging, like I did in my younger days, but still enjoy spending time in the sun and watching sunrises or sunsets. It's a peaceful feeling with energy that you can't find in an office, within closed walls, or at a mall....

Education - the key to access (success)...

  Here's a photo of me, captured by one of my students while I was working on my laptop during the noho (overnight stay) weekend with the whiteboard behind me. It's funny, as I had no idea about the photo and then found it in my Teams online class information.

I was reminded that it was the belief of my parents, and especially my father, that education was the key to access (which others might call success), and he encouraged me throughout my younger days to strive to reach my goals, and like my mum, was always cheering for me on the sidelines.

I will always be grateful to God for my parents and acknowledge that my path to success started with their aspirations for me. I now pass on that same encouragement to my children and also to my students that I have the privilege of teaching or sharing knowledge with.

I also share coaching, mentoring, and 'hacks' that I'm aware of, so they don't have to go the long way around, especially if they have had a lot of life experiences. When I think of where I started and where I am today, it certainly took a big leap of faith and a lot of conscientious studying...

Fave waiata (song) Celebrating Māori New Year...

 

This is currently my favourite song, a Māori waiata called "Mānawa maiea Matariki", which celebrates the rising of the cluster of stars known as Matariki, visible at this time of year in Aotearoa, New Zealand. It also signifies the celebration of the Māori New Year (which also coincides with the end of the financial year :)

I'd heard it on Mai FM before, as I now dial my car radio station between Samoan radio 1593 AM and Mai FM on 88.6 FM. However, last week, one of my students chose this waiata to share with the class at the beginning of our online class session, and it's stayed with me since then...

Visiting Kaitiakitanga in Action at Papatūānuku marae...

 

This weekend, I was able to take our two class cohorts on a trip to a local marae called 'Papatūānuku Kokiri Marae'.

It has been a great privilege to witness the development of this marae from its initial stages to the community hub it has become.

It demonstrated to our groups that it is one of the local marae that evidences 'kaitiakitanga' or guardianship of natural resources within the community and also serves it.

The name of the postgraduate programme I teach at is the 'Kaitiakitanga Postgraduate Diploma in Bicultural Professional Supervision', which I joined last year in my new role as a kaiako, or teacher/lecturer.

It was refreshing for those who were able to attend, as they had been so busy with their academic work that they needed to be out in the community to see it in action. As we toured the gardens, we passed through their garden-to-café greens, their food forest and the set up for their koha cafe which has been a real hit in the local community...

Crocheting family room rugs...

 

Here's another rug that I managed to finish for my eldest's room, and I've asked others in my family if they would like one and to also give me a colour preference (in the hope that I have it on hand).

This probably took me around 2 - 3 days as I had other things to do as well, but it was a neat way to indulge in creativity as I began to plan things whilst crocheting.

I also bought a crochet bag online with the words 'Crocheting is my therapy, ' which I thought was totally hilarious, as I've been crocheting all these years and never thought to have a dedicated crochet bag.

You can't tell from the pic, but the aqua coloured wool as flecks of green so that up close it has this beautifully glittery presence, that's if you like glitter.

And now I've started a pink room rug for my middle child and it has red flecks in the wool which again goes off a nice vibe too. I'll always to be thankful to my mum for teaching me as once you learn a skill like this, it's hard to forget and it comes in handy for a personalised gift for that special someone...

Weber Bro's circus entertainment...

This weekend, our eldest shouted us out to watch the Weber Bro's Circus. It was interesting to note that on the advertisement, they were in their 7th generation of being circus entertainers.

The last time I watched a circus was a couple of years ago in Samoa before I was told that it had disbanded. I found it quite a foreign concept, but it still worked well in Samoa.

Upon watching the show, there were many different acts that I found interesting. There were, of course, no animals, and it was only people who displayed their talents as such:

• 2 clown-like (comedy relief)
• A human cannonball
• Professional bubble blowing
• a contortionist etc.

It was interesting to note that there wasn't a juggler, high-wire or trapeze artist and there was a woman who appeared to be the circus leader. The tent was also one of the largest that I had seen and at the end of the evening we had a ball!...

Artistic expressions in Educational office spaces...

This is the back wall behind my desk at our Postgraduate office. It has my yearly calendar with all of our 8 weekends noho (or overnight stays) with students.

It also has artwork by my lil' sis' that was a graphic historical depiction of important events and people in my life (discussed in an earlier blog).

I also have some of my own artworks, including the three small paintings from the "Love, Faith & Hope" series, which feature tapa motifs.

I have the dates for Pasifika Language Weeks for the year, as well as a Māori lunar calendar that I was given as an example to share with my students. All in all, it's something I've long done in the various education offices I've had in the past, featuring a wall full of colourful artwork and planning in educational environments that often champion knowledge over the fine arts.

However, I don't have a problem expressing my artistic self in these spaces, as it's part of who I am, and I am not intimidated by the often sterile-looking offices that are minimalist in their design and depictions. That must be my artistic side always wanting to have an outlet to express...
 

Crocheting for another generation...

 

It's the last week of the holidays, and I had the chance to teach my middle child how to crochet a warm bathroom rug.

This was my effort to demonstrate what the finished product would look like, as I had initially thought to use the wool to finish a blanket I was working on, but then decided on this rug instead.

Crocheting was something that I was taught at a young age by my artistic mum, who also happened to be a great cook.

What was also neat was that after I had taught the basic stitch to my child, my mum then showed her how to take it to the next level with an additional stitch. Now that's intergenerational knowledge sharing right there, and I know that special memories were shared in that moment.

I also remember, at a young age, teaching my step-grandmother, who was visiting from Samoa, to crochet. She later visited the USA in California and gathered a large amount of yarn, which she then took to Samoa to create bedspreads, chair covers, and numerous other items. I was proud of that, too...

"How to train your dragon" movie view...

 

It's the end of the first week of the school holidays (and Uni or tertiary institutions), and I went to see "How to Train My Dragon" with two of my children yesterday. It was a good watch, and interesting to see a New Zealander featured as well.

The amusing thing was that my family agreed that Toothless, one of the dragons, bears a resemblance to our cat, complete with the eyeliner that our cat seems to have around its eyes, except it's natural. In fact, we can't help but notice how dark it is.

No spoiler alerts here, as we all enjoyed it and would highly recommend it for family viewing. We also enjoyed how it wasn't just able-bodied people like the majority of movies, but that it normalised those with missing limbs, etc...

Darude's "Sandstorm" still making waves...

 

I came across this Synthony by the Auckland Symphony Orchestra from a couple of years ago and enjoyed this rendition at the Auckland Town Hall where I first graduated those many years ago. I first remember hearing Darude's (a Finnish DJ) electronic music hit "Sandstorm" back in 2000 when it was first released as a popular dance song.

If you check out the popularity of the song, it has been used at many events all around the world, as a rallying call at sports games, as background music for social media memes, for entrances of sports figures to their game fights etc. Enjoy...