New Year's Eve celebrations in 2019...

For the last day of 2019, we'll be having a countdown at my parents' place in saying goodbye to the old year and hello to the new.

It's also a time for reflection on how things went in the last year in preparation for new things to happen for this new year.

I'm looking forward to 2020 as it's the start of a new decade with many things to look forward to.

For example the start of University for our eldest child in pre-law school and my youngest sister starting her Master's degree in Indigenous knowledge in having been their academic mentors over the years.

We are also looking forward to a year of graduations with my beloved's Masters graduation ceremony as well as my sister's Social work degree graduation and mine in the Certificate in Maori and Indigenous art programme.

In these last few hours of the old year of 2019, there's a lot to be thankful for and also considerations for the new year ahead. Tonight at church there is a New Year's Eve service that I've attended over the years but for tonight I'm looking forward to praying it in with my family with good wishes for you...

Prayer Breakfast week...

This morning I was blessed to attend our PIC (Pacific Islanders Presbyterian church) weekly prayer breakfast group that meets regularly on a Monday morning from 6 - 7.30am at the church.

It was a group that was pressed upon my heart to found some 20+ years ago and though numbers are small, the prayers are fervent as where there are two or more gathered, God is also there.

Over the years, it's been neat to see so many answered prayers and some prayers took many, many years before the answer was a "yes".

A couple of examples was a senior couple (both since passed away) who prayed for their children to come back to God in the sense of seeing them fellowshipping in church.

When the mum passed away they started to return to be with their aging father and when he passed away some of them continued with one even becoming an elder of the church and continuing his father's (parents') legacy.

Another was a prayer for Niuean women to be permitted to be elders of the church by their own Niuean EKLS (Ekalesia) or congregational group as they did not permit women to be elders due to their cultural structures. Those were overturned a couple of years ago and now women can become elders.

It's been a humbling experience in seeing so many seniors who joined the group pass away and then others step up and join in for a time of reading a bible passage, reflecting on the 'Our Daily Bread' reading and then praying together over the various prayer requests of the day.

In addition, this week there will be three groups meeting to dedicate time in prayer over the first week of the year with the Niuean, Cook Island and the English speaking Prayer breakfast groups praying on different days and times of the week. For the Prayer Breakfast group, it will be starting on Wednesday for the rest of the week.

It's a time that the groups get together to pray ahead and dedicate the year ahead for God's blessings. What will you be doing in preparation of 2020?...

Last days of 2019...

Buying new diaries for 2020 signals the last days of 2019 as we begin preparations for the new year's eve celebrations with family.

A habit I've acquired over the years has been to pick out two diaries. One for my daily appointments and another for my daily reflections and devotions.

And already I've started adding appointments for the new year with planning already underway but as they say 'you make the plans but God has the last say'.

I have given electronic or virtual diaries a go i.e. on my mobile phone but I've found that it doesn't quite capture the information that I want in the same way that a hard cover diary does.

Plus I'm able to carry important papers within to the various meetings that I go to. So, unfortunately, I'm not quite paperless as there are still important considerations that I make on paper.

What do you do as you undertake preparations for the new year? I know that I have a lot to be grateful for in this passing year as I look with anticipation forward to the coming year. All the best for your new year ahead as this old one passes to the next...

Happy Holidays...

I hope you had a neat Christmas day and Boxing day celebration and relaxation with family as I over these holidays with my parents, children and one of my brothers visiting from Australia.

It has also been a time of sadness with some of our families due to three funerals in our family during this time and our thoughts are with them too.

It's interesting that Boxing Days sales have now outstripped Christmas day sales as many people now flock to the shopping malls to pick up Boxing day bargains the day after Christmas and the sales now stretch through for a week.

To me, it seems like a massive sales gimmick to get shoppers to spend even more money but the crowds that are packing shopping mall carparks and full shopping malls tell the story that it's most appreciated after Christmas day close down.

I for one, am happy to just relax and enjoy the holidays without racing out the day after Christmas for more shopping frenzy. I think I'll leave that to those with hefty bank balances and who enjoy shopping till you drop, it's just one less thing I'd rather not do these holidays.

So happy holidays everyone and as they say "be kind to one another"...

Happy Christmas Eve with family...

Wishing you all a safe and Merry Christmas for 2019

I remember as a youngster looking forward to Christmas Eve on the night before Christmas when our family/s would get together to count in Christmas day or sing Christmas carols with the excitement of what might be under the Christmas tree for us.

And I see the same anticipation in our children, especially our youngest, in looking forward to what tomorrow might bring.

These important family traditions and times of making special memories with our children ensure that they know that they are loved, not so much for receiving presents but in being esteemed in our love for them during this special season.

In my formative years, I remember our Samoan Youth group (Mangere PIC Autalavou) would hire a large bus for Christmas Eve, for many years, and start at around about 6-7pm and we'd go Christmas caroling to many of our church families and wish them a Merry Christmas up until midnight.

That tradition has since stopped to make way for new family activities but I remember those special memories of spreading joy and love in our communities as well as having a special time with my church family and enjoying our time together.

Enjoy your Christmas Eve and the real reason for the season in the birth of baby Jesus who gave peace on earth and goodwill toward all people as we join in on celebrating this festive season together with our families...

MERRY CHRISTMAS to one and all...

Tau'au-Filisi Family's Merry Christmas card

This Christmas we're spending with our family, three generations under one roof with grandparents, parents and our children enjoying this festive season together.

However, what has been sad this year has sadly been the number of loved ones who have passed before Christmas and the sadness that they will be feeling with the absence of loved ones.

This particular Christmas card pictures us with my beloved sitting as Santa Claus in a shopping mall that we thought we'd surprise him by arriving to take a photo with him.

It's funny because growing up, as with my beloved, we weren't brought up believing in Father Christmas or the Easter bunny, the tooth fairy, Jack Frost etc. as our parents were from Samoa and such things weren't taught to us until we got to school.

So it was very interesting to visit and then watch the wonderment in some of the children's faces in believing that they were meeting the 'real Santa'. What's even more neat was that we got to take a picture with him as a souvenir for his first time as Santa.

And so HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS to one and all this season. God bless...

Thank God it's Friday...

One of the owlets with a Samoan tattoo theme

I'm so glad that today is the last official day of work for 2019 with holidays beginning for the next three weeks whilst contemplating what 2020 will bring or rather what needs to be started for 2020.

It's a week after our youngest finally finished school for the year and whilst busy with her end of year events at her school, I spied this owlet sculpture displayed in the school office and administration building and did a bit of research as to the neat art that it features.

I found out that it was one of the 60 owlet (90cm) sculptures that was a part of the 2018 'Big Hoot' arts event whereby 47 larger owls (1.65cm)  and the 60 owlets were painted up by emerging and established artists around Auckland for exhibiting then auctioned to raise funds for the Child Cancer Foundation.

Mesui Moala, a sports and design tutor, assisted a group of the school's senior students in late November 2017 to design the owl over a number of weeks and this was the finished product. The art piece features traditional patterns or designs from Tongan, Samoan, Indian and Maori cultures.

The school would have purchased the beautiful owl from the auction and it is proudly displayed next to the front door entrance. It's neat in that it is set right at the front as if to greet visitors and its quite striking with its beautiful designs.

This is inspiring to in contemplating my next art projects over the holiday break and to begin preparations after Christmas to begin painting up our next book after some R & R (rest and relaxation).

Let the holiday festivities begin!...

Remembering loved ones this Christmas...

I am mindful that there are some families who are mourning for the loss of loved ones this Christmas and the last thing that they are interested in is listening to Christmas cheer and laughter.

In my own family, we have two funerals this weekend with the loss of an Uncle and a first cousin both with beautiful families who will be missing them this close to Christmas.

In Samoa, I am aware of the 75+ families of those (especially the young) who died through the measles epidemic in Samoa.

This Christmas will be a difficult time for many families in experiencing the loss of so many little ones in their untimely deaths.

In times like these, it is important to be mindful of their needs and to allow them space to mourn and grieve during this festive season.

And in a sense remembering that it is a space that we never quite feel comfortable to talk about and yet it is the only appointment that we will all experience at some time, so that if at all possible, it is important to take the time to speak about it with loved ones where possible.

So please give some thought to those around us who might want to take some time out, or who need to be alone or may not want to spread Christmas cheer all around as we all mourn and express our experience of grief in many different ways.

Our love and prayers go out to all our grieving families. May God's quiet presence and and ever-abiding love bring comfort and solace in this difficult time. And may His rainbow remind us of the days we did get to spend together rather than those that are lost. God's blessings be with you all...

Crafting ribbon braided leis...

Ribbon braided lei blues designs

This weekend I was also busy making up some ribbon braided leis that I had learnt to do a couple of years ago and then forgot only to go back onto YouTube to be reminded on how to make them again for our student writers.

I think the neat thing about it is that it can be quickly made up and is easy to pass on to teach our younger family members.

I've particularly noticed how Tongan mothers and family members have taken the braiding of ribbons into leis with lollies to another level by the intricate designs of their braided ribbon leis that incorporate the lollies or in many cases, foil-wrapped chocolates.

You only have to check out 'Pinterest' to see the various designs and at the various graduation and prizegiving events that I've visited this year to see how resourceful and artistic their creations are. The recipients proudly display them and many pics are taken with family and friends.

In fact, I'll be checking out how to make some over the holidays as a project of mine to learn as I have a few graduations to look forward to attending next year...

Frozen II movie of Indigenous Sami narratives...

It's been really interesting since teaching in the Indigenous research space for the past few years and in researching my doctoral work in indigenous studies these past couple of years in noticing a definite shift of focus in accepting (sometimes very reluctantly) of indigenous cultures and their knowledge as being equally credible and often far-reaching in being more sustainable to our natural environments.

Yesterday, I took our youngest to watch 'Frozen II', a movie that she had been wanting to watch having enjoyed Frozen I. Since school had finished and she had done well in prizegiving as well as positive comments on her school report, I thought to out her out on a treat in which she also received a Frozen II handbag before watching the movie.

We both enjoyed the movie and it was very interesting to later research the story behind the movie which is about the indigenous Sami people of northern Scandinavia. What was more interesting for me was the inclusion of a narrative about how colonial cultures often blame indigenous cultures for starting wars and this is apparent in the movie.

Without spoiling the movie, it does take a turn from the first movie and doesn't have the iconic songs as the first that are as memorable but it does tell an interesting story and takes the movie watcher on an interesting journey.

I'd highly recommend the movie, this summer, for families and especially if you've little ones who enjoyed the first movie. The relationship between the sisters is strong and the ending might not be quite what you had imagined...

Launching 'Navigating Journeys' by Mana Mangere writers' collective...

Mana Mangere writers and guests at our 'Navigating Journeys' book launch

Yesterday we celebrated launching our latest 'Mana Mangere writers' collective' book "Navigating Journeys". It's the third collection so far and we were very proud to showcase the talents of our community writers both youth and our seniors.

It was held at our local Mangere Town centre library of which also happens to be the venue that we regularly meet at for our bi-monthly meetings and where I grew up and regularly visited as a student growing up in Mangere.

The neat thing about the book launch was that we got to meet the families of some of the writers and then listen to writers reading out their poetry or short stories. I especially liked listening to the youth as there were many stories written from the heart about their life experiences and the seeing the world through their eyes.

I would like to especially thank the staff at the Mangere Town centre library for providing the support and making it happen. To Lemauga Lydia Sosene, the chairperson of our Mangere-Otahuhu local board, who has supported our writers' group right from the start with her plea for us to "amplify" it next year and invite the community to our next book launch, a much-appreciated thanks!

To all the writers, I hope they enjoy their break over the Christmas and holiday break and we look forward to coming together in Feb 1st for our first meeting to start looking at what we will be working on in the coming months.

And an especially big thanks to God who makes miracles such as these things happen, as when I see the smiles on the young writer's faces with the support of their families, I know we're going in the right direction and you never know what can become of something that God blesses in time to come...

'The Greatest story ever told' production...

Last night, our family went to view Life church's Christmas Production called 'The Greatest Story ever told'. It was a fantastic performance at the City campus auditorium playing to a full house.

I particularly loved listening to the Christmas carols and the digital sets together with the theatre like setting made for an engaging performance by all actors, singers, and dancers. The performance included an aerial dancer, a dancer dancing with an adult length hoop, a balloon drop and much more.

I would highly recommend this family-friendly show with all its artistry to any who have the opportunity to view it this Christmas (although I did hear that it was sold out) but they may add other days which they have already done.

It definitely gets me into the Christmas spirit and also reminds us of what the true story of Christmas is really about...

Secret Garden Thai Restaurant with staff from my old school...

Last night I had a nice dinner at 'The Secret garden' restaurant in Otahuhu with staff from my former primary school where I am in my first year of serving again as a board of trustees member.

One of the community services that I've been involved with over the past two decades has been as a Board member of local schools in Mangere where my family members attend. It's my second stint as I was a board member at my old school as the first was when I was in my twenties when my youngest brother attended and now with our youngest is attending there (at the request of my dad) and I got elected for another term, a few months ago, to serve my community.

Again, it's a privilege to be able to share what knowledge I have in supporting the education of our young ones in schools in wanting them to get the best out of the resourcing that is provided from the Ministry of Education for them.

Over the years, I've been a board of trustees member of many schools in the area and have seen the good, the bad and the ugly but it's really about ensuring that the children have the best educational experiences that can be offered to them at their schools.

In having been a former high school teacher, Dean, Library manager, School Production Producer etc. in the state school system, I was able to see from first-hand experience what could be available for children and although curriculums change over the years, there's still the expectation of families and the state that the best care is given to children in these formative years of their education.

I'm especially interested in supporting low Decile (Ministry of Education ranking of school according to the socio-economic status of local parents) schools in wanting to support children in their education and have been in some confrontational situations whereby senior managers are asked some pressing questions which sometimes are not appreciated but need to be asked.

Suffice to say that it's sometimes what needs to be done but it's also nice to step into a school where staff get on well and there are some neat stories about the positive support that good teachers can give to needing students.

All in all a neat evening and thinking to bring my family for a night out. Maybe at next year's graduation...