Class room with a view at Manukau...

 

I've been really enjoying the recent change of scenery as I now teach at Manukau campus of MIT (Manukau Institute of Technology).

This happened as a result of the first floods that occurred earlier in the year and left our campus flooded out with a whole new reno' that has to happened.

As staff, we were first told that we would be back on campus in April but after extensive investigation with the assessors, I think that they realized that the extent of the damage was far reaching and we've been recently told that we won't be back on campus at least until September.

So whilst the big renovation is happening on campus, I get to drive into Manukau, often trying to beat the traffic on the motorway (highway/freeway) which is about 15 - 20 minutes from home on a good day but when the traffic is crazy, I either try to drive on the backroads or leave earlier before peak traffic hours.

It's been good as I get to check out the shopping centre mall, if I have time, or just cruise around to see the other local shopping or organizations out there. At night, the atmosphere is definitely different with lot of lights and seeing the city sprawl from the third floor at night is quite amazing.

Add to that, there's an underground train connection that one of my student is able to connect from out in West Auckland all the way to South Auckland and it only takes 30 - 40 mins. It would be a lot longer via car and especially in peak our traffic.

I'll be soaking it in for the time being and enjoying the ride to my new place of work engagement as hopefully my students will too, except that most like to zoom from the comfort of their homes. Here's another opportunity that comes out of the blue, that I'm so grateful and thankful for too. A sure blessing...

American Idol Winner 2023: Iam Tongi...

 

Congratulations to Iam Tongi who's the first Pasifika person to just won 'American Idol' this week in the United States.

I remember watching his first video when he auditioned and sang a song by James Blunt that I hadn't heard before but was so beautiful that it brought me to tears in thinking about losing my own father a couple of years ago.

But then to make it all the way through the heats and then to actually get to sing with James Blunt? Wow! What a blessing! and his journey, I think, brought a lot of hope for people in that he was still mourning the loss of his father of whom had shared his love of music with his son and that Iam carried on despite that difficulty.

It was amazing to watch his journey and listen to his very distinct tone in voice. He always came across as humble, down to earth and not at all contrived. So very much Pacific and also Tongan. It was even touching that he dedicated songs to his late dad and mom, and kept true to himself through his song choices.

Already, I'm told, his first released song is no. 1 on ITunes and wishing him all the best for his future. It was really touching to see who he also shed tears whilst singing with James Blunt (I sure did!) but James held his own as it was a song very close to his heart about his dad too. You just have to view the video that I did when wanting to see the origin song to see the love that James Blunt had for his dad.

For me it reminded me of the relationship that I had with my late dad and I think Iam's story resounded with so many in those special people that come into your life for such a time and then must leave when they've been called to their heavenly homes. 

I'm just so glad that I got to hear this song sung by both artists and that in mourning the loss through grieving the loss of special dads - many of us could relate and it brought us comfort and good memories in remembering that we then carry their baton to share that love for another generation...

Paint by No's a sure pick up...

Here's another example of the pre-printed paint by numbers canvas that I picked up as I simply love painting big bold flowers that can brighten up any room or hallway.

I have this hanging up at my mum's hallway with pictures on either side that just brightens up the whole space. It works wonders for an empty space that just needs something to make it stand out.

I also like the colour combination although I could have changed it as I'm not big on the colour orange but it did seem to merge well with the colour palette that was chosen.

I have a few more canvases that I've picked up to paint. The funny thing now is trying to figure out where to display them once I've finished them.

I have gifted a couple of these paintings that have been quite well received. Although I do think that for me as an artist it feels like I'm cheating somehow because I'm not coming up with the design or the colour palette or the composition but it sure does feel good when I finish a painting i.e. it certainly gives me a sense of satisfaction of having completed this neat task.

Perhaps if you haven't already, I'd highly recommend this to any who would like to give it a try and see where it takes you. You could end up with having one of these on your wall or you could end up giving it to some deserving person to brighten up their day...
 

Paint by no's and chillaxing...

This month I've been busy painting pre-printed canvases similar to paint by numbers that has been very relaxing and quite neat to do.

As an artist, sometimes one just wants to paint without having to care about the planning of each painting etc.

With these paintings, you can buy them at local chain stores and they come with canvases pre-printed, paint and brushes and some instructions.

I enjoyed painting these canvases because I didn't need to do any pre-planning as all had been done and all I needed to do was to match the paint to the right area for painting. It didn't take a lot of effort but just time set aside to relax or call it mental wellbeing time too.

The other neat thing is that you can change up the colours or add/delete things that you don't want to paint on the canvas. For example in the blue of the water, I decided that I didn't want to have blue and white stripes on the water and it worked out for me too.

I have more paintings that I've finished this month and I'll post some up with this particular three canvases blending in well with the background. I've received a couple of comments on the canvases which I think is neat being DIY (do it yourself) rather in forking out a lot of money for similar 3 set canvases that are often on sale.

So if you haven't already tried it, like how I've also enjoyed colouring books for adults - just cause I want to colour in without having to think about it when wanting to just enjoy the finished product. It does wonders for my relaxation and mental wellbeing. 

If you haven't already, why don't you give it a try? you don't even have to be an artist to paint it. Just give yourself time to get used to holding a miniature paint brush and start painting whenever you have free time or just want time for yourself to chillax...
 

Trying to "calm down" with so much going on...

 

(Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to this music), however, it's great music to calm down when there's a sea of things to catch up on and do as well as deadlines to fulfil and a thesis to be written and planning for overseas trips in the next few months again.

My youngest and lil' sis introduced me to this song some months ago and I've been jamming to it at home, in the car, on my earphones etc. I just love Afro beats that I can dance to i.e. the faster the beater so that I can catch that often elusive 10K steps per day goal.

If you're having a crazy day then have a listen to this song and maybe kick your heels (or jandals) off and try moving to this beat. It beats fretting about things and worrying about things (as if worrying about it is gonna make it any better?). My advice to you is just dance to the beat and let the worries of the day take care of itself whilst you..."calm down..."

A very long Mother's day celebration...

 

This Mother's day was very special in sharing it with my mum and starting a whole day earlier as we thought to take my mum out to breakfast on Saturday when it wasn't so busy. We had a great time and then went out for some retain therapy and then some Fresh Strawberry ice cream.

The today on Mother's day we both got woken up very early, at 5.30am for breakfast in bed by my youngest and lil' sis. We then had my older two arrive with flowers and a second breakfast and also a visit to my mum by my nieces.

We then had a nice lunch and a church service with a lot to be grateful of in being able to spend this day with our mum. In the evening we decided to go take her out to the movies to watch the 3rd installment of 'The Guardians of the Galaxy'.

It was interesting to watch but I still enjoyed the first movie of the trilogy and won't give any spoiler alerts as it would probably pay to watch it for those who are die hard 'Guardians of the Galaxy' fans because then you can decide for yourself if the third installment was indeed worth the wait...

Pink Breakfast fundraiser for Breast Cancer Foundation...

 

Today, I was able to host a Pink Breakfast at our Samoan bilingual Early childhood centre to celebrate our upcoming Mother's Day and show appreciation to our teachers as well.

This is in association with the Breast Cancer Foundation that encourages the hosting of Pink breakfasts during the month of May.

For our breakfast we were able to sell: cupcakes, chocolate ricies treats and muffins with buttercream toppings, with ribbon leis as well.

When I signed up to host the breakfast, the Breast cancer Foundation sent a hosting pack with the bunting flags, signage, pink ribbons lapels that are free with a donation. We also sold files, pens, beads key rings and were able to raise just under $200 including donations.

It was a real privilege to be able to host events such as this although it does take some arranging and I thank my middle child for assisting with the cupcake recipe and baking as well as looking after the stall when I was out and about running my errands.

I definitely enjoy supporting a lot of worthy causes out there who are looking for volunteers who don't mind taking some time out of their busy days to support their efforts. I'm just so glad that there were interested people who were able to support the work of this important foundation...

First day teaching at MIT Manukau...

Today, was the first day that I taught my class at MIT (Manukau Institute of Technology) in Manukau at their new campus there. (See pic besides).

It is a fairly new campus and it was quite interesting to see the five levels which have an open space at floor level and then rooms including class rooms surrounding the four walls.

I like the space except that they have these new open classrooms where there might be three classes sharing a space and you can see everyone in the other classes (you can hear them too).

It's the new concept of open classes which they are promoting in primary and new builds in secondary schools as well. I personally don't agree with the concept and prefer the ability to be able to close walls albeit with sliding doors if it's more appropriate with the noise control.

Except for that, I enjoyed the new space and the challenge of having to walk from the shopping mall carpark, where it's free, to the complex. The walk helps to up my goal of 10K steps per day and gives me exercise between sitting sessions when teaching classes online through Zoom.

And then the rain started pouring and I walked to the shopping mall to do some banking and received an Auckland Emergency alert that there was flooding in parts of Auckland. I drove home to make sure that my family was safe, and they were but saw that some local schools had let their children out early and they were soaked in the rain in trying to get home. (Not a very wise choice).

I also then received an email that the campus that I had just been teaching at was closed due to flooding and that they had to close the campus down whilst they investigated it. As below the campus, there is an underground train terminal for people to connect with trains if they are wanting to visit other local areas...

 

Rainbow's End Twilight rides...

Things have been so busy with school starting again after ANZAC (Australia New Zealand Army Corp - an alliance) day that I haven't had a chance to blog about some of the neat things that have been happening around about with my family.

Last week, I shouted out my two youngest's to visit Rainbow's End for their Twilight rides. It's a local pleasure park with extreme rides and rides for children as well. It was a neat experience and one that I'd recommend but not for the faint hearted if you're wanting to go on the thrill seeker rides.

The twilight rides started at 4.30pm and finished at 8.30pm but the doors opened at 4pm so that everyone could get ready for surging into the park and choosing which line to wait in for their favourite rides.

I enjoyed the rides that I chose such as the Log fume (floating in a log), the bumper boats (but not the smell of petrol), the Dodgems, the Stratofear (not the extreme setting), the Goldrush ride, the Fear fall (takes you up high on and then drops you down fast!) and just generally having a good time with my youngin's.

I let them go on all the extreme rides such as the Corkscrew Roller coaster, the Invader, the Stratofear (on the extreme setting that takes one right up until your sitting upside down on the ride, the Power Surge that also has you hanging upside down.

Afterwards, we went to the local Denny's family Restaurant and had dinner with dessert. It was good to relax after an adrenalin filled evening with a well deserved meal after the rush about in trying to get to all the rides before it closed down...

Last week of Easter holidays before school starts again...

 For the last week of our school holidays, I took my youngest with a couple of her cousins i.e. one from Samoa and another originally from Brisbane to view the above movie at the last session. It was interesting to see their reactions to the movie and even moreso for me as I was so tired from a busy day that I saw the beginning and then woke up at the end and missed a lot of the movie.

I wish I could say more about what I thought about the movie but as I didn't get to see it in it's entireity, it wouldn't be a complete review so will leave it to say that the beginning and the ending of the movie was quite interesting to watch :)

It was also quite an interesting group of actors with both English and American actors which made for an interesting interaction. Also the special effects were quite interesting too but I'll leave that for you to watch and consider...

Red, White and Brass (Movie - Tongan)...

 

Back from Samoa and have just finished watching the movie "Red, White and Brass" with my youngest and we both thoroughly enjoyed it. The movie is based on a true story about a Wellington Tongan church community wanting to watch the 2011 Rugby World cup match between Tonga and France.

One of the congregation (the minister's son) decide to start a Tongan brass band as a way of getting the team members and church community to watch the game live. It takes some effort but after some major hurdles to climb they do overcome it. You'll have to watch the rest of it to find out how.

There were many things to enjoy about the movie. Easily the funny jokes and banter between cousins and Tongan youth. The different representations of Tongan people, the Tongan minister's wife, the discussion about one Tongan who can't speak the language or dress at the beginning of the movie but by the end it's a different story.

I think it's really important to get behind movies such as this with an indigenous narrative set in a contemporary context whereby indigenous values are discussed and depicted in such a way that it's real and authentic. Moreso than the Disney version of different cultures.

I'd highly recommend this feel good movie for families and especially for young Pasifika and non-Pasifika people to watch. It showcases what communities can fulfil together when given a goal or a task to accomplish and like the movie says, there's no 'i' in band :)...

Returned to Paradise, Lefaga, Samoa...

A big FAAFETAI TELE to my Aunt at 'Return to Paradise Resort & Spa' for a complementary overnight stay with dinner and breakfast for my small family group.

I would highly recommend this resort as one of the only large resorts that Samoan owned but also the genuine hospitality, conservation consciousness, foods and entertainment that only an authentic resort, such as this, can offer to weary overseas tourists and locals who have experienced inauthentic places who don't take that extra care for the environment and especially their local staff.

It was a real blessing as my own family own a 'time-share' with Wyndham South Pacific (resorts company) and we've travelled all over NZ, Australia and Fiji and had holidays at various resorts that have been memory making for our family but quite different it what it offers to customers.

This, however, would be the very first time that I've stayed at a resort in Samoa (not counting the overnight B&B - bed and breakfast places). As we've always stayed in villages and with family. Now that we have our own house, it's been neat to have a place to call home and rest weary feet after a long day's journey or years.

I've been so busy meeting family, visiting schools and donating books etc. that I haven't had the time to blog and take time out. I count it a blessing that now COVID restrictions have been lessened and we are now able to travel overseas to visit relatives and loved ones.

I do, however, miss my late father as he passed away during the COVID-19 restrictions in 2021 and would have loved to have travelled back to Samoa one last time but alas, it was not to be but we have a memorial stone here at our home to mark the incredible journey of a man who was blessed by God to fulfill so much in his lifetime.

I'm still slowly working on his memoirs, or rather my memories of him. This time in Samoa, I've enjoyed the shorter stay with so much to do and also thankful for the memories from the past and the joy of today as well as looking with intent for what Samoa holds for future generations...
 

Book Donations to Nelson Memorial library in Apia...

 

Today, I visited the Nelson Memorial Library in Apia with my brother George from Sydney and his wife, Cam, my sister-in-law.

The pic shows one of the librarian representatives posing with the books that we donated to the library for processing.

We went to have a look at the library and to donate some books as it's something that I wanted to do since before COVID hit nations globally. It was good to see that some of my books that had been donated previously were still in circulation.

It was neat to reflect on the memories of having studied in the library back in 1989 when I spent time in Samoa with my Grandma and family whilst completing fieldwork there for my first Masters degree through Auckland University.

I hope that readers of the books will be able to enjoy and benefit, in some way, from these books as I know how difficult it is sometimes to find books that relate to yourself as a person with an indigenous identity...