tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29147239438781054342024-03-13T13:42:38.846-07:00Samoa Aviator BlogAerosexual, fashion and island lifeEnarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03349119749327774946noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914723943878105434.post-12310366498852290342021-03-17T01:55:00.000-07:002021-03-17T01:55:36.287-07:00I have bloody time before the baby comes!WOW, I haven't touched this blog in...6 years has been a long time and have I done much in that time?<br />
<br />
Let's recap:<br />
<br />
1. Got married to Dr A.<br />
2. Left my comfortable job<br />
3. Started a business : <a href="https://www.facebook.com/peleproject/" target="_blank">Enara </a><br />
4. Became a fashion designer; not on purpose<br />
5.Founded Samoa's first annual fashion show<br />
6. Continued the business feeding 5 other families<br />
7. Handled more business<br />
8. Donated to the Children's hospital ward from the Samoa Sinnet Fashion Show<br />
9. Wanted to do more for Samoa Fashion<br />
10. Planned the 2nd Samoa Sinnet Fashion Show<br />
11. Approached to start Samoa's first modelling agency<br />
12. Decided to attend fashion school<br />
13. Carried out show<br />
14. Left Samoa and Dr A for fashion school<div>15: Came back to Samoa and decided to have our first baby</div><div>16: Graduated fashion school </div><div>17. Had the baby, smashed the house down and renovated </div><div>18. Dr A got his contract in NZ and so we all moved</div><div>19. COVID came đ and took over the world </div><div>20. The baby decided she wanted to go to school at 15 months old </div><div>21. Got bored playing housewife and decided to start a book project for Samoaâs children </div><div>22. Stared collecting books and aiming to send 1000 childrenâs books before June 2021 </div><div>23. Started Enara jewellery line to fund the book project and all its costs</div><div>24. Phew and now weâre here, Tauranga </div><div><br /></div><div><br />
<br />
Everything else in between are the gaps and sealed alleyways to where I am now. I keep telling myself that I have much to do and thank God for a husband and family who are extra supportive.</div>Enarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03349119749327774946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914723943878105434.post-92190549204111290792015-06-29T19:10:00.000-07:002015-06-29T19:25:28.757-07:00Ehhh..your grandmother was hot too!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vnAu77b7P6I/VZH6JhZAPnI/AAAAAAAAAnA/xofSiXBW0UI/s1600/image-0d4a2af3291bd7f0831a1112b7ab13bb07d0abccedfff77f634450b033622c01-V%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="316" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vnAu77b7P6I/VZH6JhZAPnI/AAAAAAAAAnA/xofSiXBW0UI/s640/image-0d4a2af3291bd7f0831a1112b7ab13bb07d0abccedfff77f634450b033622c01-V%255B1%255D.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My vision fulfilled</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #351c75;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #351c75;">When Dr A (fiancee) proposed 2 new years ago, I suggested a photo shoot of some sort. Of course being shy with a busy life style does not help matters much. Dr A strongly opposed the idea. Camera. Lights.Action. were better saved for the operating theater. His patients need him more than some photographer and a nagging fiancee. It was just a no fly zone.</span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #351c75;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #351c75;">He opposed even more when my imaginative script was explained to him. <i>"Why would we want to do that? The photographer wants to take a photo of you in your wedding dress! That is crazy!" </i> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #351c75;">My script was easy, he is a Dr and I'm a pilot. The two can work together, it will be a win-win situation. I wanted to include my red leather bag, his diamond and some aviators. Easy. The man did not see it this way. For all he knows, I'm a consultant of some sort and yes I used to fly planes but that does not necessarily mean jack. A pilot who is a highly paid driver (batman) versus a doctor who saves lives (superman) , we know who the superhuman is. Then again when it comes to war of wills, the woman should always have the last say? Ok, maybe not.</span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #351c75;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #351c75;">While Dr A was busy with his overseas training and saving lives, I was busy conjuring up the inner Director in me. JK (photographer) and I were discussing all sorts of plots and props for this photo shoot. He wanted aviators, white park chair and a wedding dress, I wanted my red leather bag and a plane. JK was very particular about what he wanted and I too was fixated on the red. </span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #351c75;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #351c75;">Samoa Faleolo International Airport will be undergoing major construction work over the next year, our runway will never look the same again. The terminal will look flasher than before I'm sure. Being an airport fanatic, my love for the air transport system has grown as big as my love for farming/sleeping. I don't think anyone has done an airport/hangar/engagement photo shoot in Samoa before thus I thought it a brilliant idea.</span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #351c75;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #351c75;">The poor doctor did not know what he was in for. I updated him continuously about the planning progress. He still did not see the point. At one stage I said "Well...I want to do it, one day we will be wrinkly and saggy! When I'm old and grey, when I'm a fat grandma, I want to point to those photos and say to my grandson "ehhhhhhhhhh your grandmother was hot too". </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #351c75;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #351c75;">Ok. enough said, we did it. The 5 am wakeup call was worth it. Smiling for the camera is hard work. JK and his brother were more excited about the planes than us. Thanks to a great team, we pulled it off. So, for anyone who is hesitant to do a creative photo shoot, just do it! You too can say "Ehhhh your grandmother was hot too!"</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8V_T2xqEWC4/VZHwTVt4e-I/AAAAAAAAAmQ/9tbmaeACrsE/s1600/Blues%2Bdress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8V_T2xqEWC4/VZHwTVt4e-I/AAAAAAAAAmQ/9tbmaeACrsE/s400/Blues%2Bdress.jpg" width="266" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">JK's pick of the day</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nvqho3gHK18/VZHwWMejqiI/AAAAAAAAAmY/xRTF54EnH6U/s1600/Red%2Band%2BBlue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><img border="0" height="382" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nvqho3gHK18/VZHwWMejqiI/AAAAAAAAAmY/xRTF54EnH6U/s400/Red%2Band%2BBlue.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75;">Dr A and I</span></td></tr>
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<br />Enarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03349119749327774946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914723943878105434.post-81726887401029014912015-03-09T12:54:00.003-07:002015-03-09T12:55:48.279-07:00My journey<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #351c75;"> As shared on Massey University's Alunmi Feature in 2011</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Hello,</span></div>
<span style="color: #674ea7;">
</span></div>
<span style="color: #674ea7;">
</span>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #674ea7;">I am a School of Aviation Management Graduate and I'd like to share <span class="il">my</span> story since graduation.</span>
<span style="color: #674ea7;"><br /></span>
</div>
</div>
<span style="color: #674ea7;">
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #674ea7;">I was a young 18 yr old aviation enthusiast when I
got selected into the Air Transport Pilot Program at Massey Aviation in
2002 and studied until the end of 2004 when I had to pull out of the
program due to a family tragedy. I took a year
off from Massey and returned to Samoa to help <span class="il">my</span> family.</span></div>
</div>
<span style="color: #674ea7;">
</span>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #674ea7;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #674ea7;"><br /></span>
</div>
</div>
<span style="color: #674ea7;">
</span>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #674ea7;">Upon <span class="il">my</span> return in 2006, I
changed majors to Aviation Management without knowing the roller coaster
ride this qualification will take me. I graduated in Nov 2008 with the
Bachelors of Aviation Management and about 100 flying hours from
the ATP Program. At the same time, Massey University launched <span class="il">my</span>
poetry book (the majority of which i wrote at Massey Palmerston North)
which they published at Massey titled 'Raw Edges' . The launch was held
in Palmerston North a few days before <span class="il">my</span> graduation.
Raw Edges was also launched in Samoan upon <span class="il">my</span>
return in December 2008, which was also presented to our Head of State
(King) 'Tuiatua Tupua Tamasese Efi' and commended by the Prime Minister
(Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi) and Deputy Prime Minister (Misa Telefoni
Retzlaff). see link below</span>
<span style="color: #674ea7;"><br /></span>
</div>
</div>
<span style="color: #674ea7;">
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #674ea7;"><a href="http://www.samoaobserver.ws/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1504:raw-poems-to-launch-late-december" target="_blank">http://www.samoaobserver.ws/<wbr></wbr>index.php?option=com_content&<wbr></wbr>view=article&id=1504:raw-<wbr></wbr>poems-to-launch-late-december</a></span></div>
</div>
<span style="color: #674ea7;">
</span>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #674ea7;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #674ea7;"><br /></span>
</div>
</div>
<span style="color: #674ea7;">
</span>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #674ea7;">I was initially employed as the Samoa Airport
Authority's first 'Research & Training Officer' responsible for
managing training programs and seeking training opportunities for its
200 employees, a year later I was to work for the Ministry
of Works, Transport & Infrastructure under the Civil Aviation
Division as their Aviation Licensing Officer responsible for the
issuance and monitoring of all air transport/aviation licenses including
pilots,engineers, airports, airlines, etc...Last year 2010,
I was awarded a full scholarship to study the Graduate Diploma in
Aviation at the Singapore Aviation Academy in partnership with the
National University of Singapore. I completed the Program in 11 weeks
and was award a 4.67GPA.
</span>
<span style="color: #674ea7;"><br /></span>
</div>
</div>
<span style="color: #674ea7;">
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #674ea7;">Early this year, I was up for a promotion and now
been made the first Aviation Principal Licensing & Certification
Officer overseeing and spearheading a big project which will see the
direct issuance of Samoa's first very own Commercial
/ATPL licenses since we have only been validating NZ and Australian
Licenses as well as Air Traffic Control and engineer licenses.</span>
<span style="color: #674ea7;"><br /></span>
</div>
</div>
<span style="color: #674ea7;">
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #674ea7;">At the same time, I have been awarded a FULL
Scholarship to take up the Masters Degree (MSc Air Transport Planning
& Management) in London, University of Westminster UK in October
this year. see link below <a href="http://www.westminster.ac.uk/about/news-and-events/news/2011/University-scholarships-top-4m-as-international-awards-are-announced" target="_blank">http://www.westminster.ac.uk/<wbr></wbr>about/news-and-events/news/<wbr></wbr>2011/University-scholarships-<wbr></wbr>top-4m-as-international-<wbr></wbr>awards-are-announced</a></span></div>
</div>
<span style="color: #674ea7;">
</span>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #674ea7;">and will be graduating with that in Oct 2012 (God willing).</span></div>
</div>
<span style="color: #674ea7;">
</span>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #674ea7;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #674ea7;"><br /></span>
</div>
</div>
<span style="color: #674ea7;">
</span>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #674ea7;">
</span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #674ea7;">The Bachelor of Aviation Management from Massey
University has helped me launch an exciting career and the aviation
industry has never ceases to amaze me. It is still dynamic,
inspirational and never boring! I'd like to thank all <span class="il">my</span> instructors,lecturers,
Wendy Wilson (i see she's no longer with the Aviation school) and anyone who has been of help to me during <span class="il">my</span> time at Massey. Upon the completion of <span class="il">my</span> Masters degree, I wish to study at Massey again, perhaps a PhD!!</span></div>
</div>
Enarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03349119749327774946noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914723943878105434.post-19447005277909982372015-03-02T16:26:00.001-08:002015-03-02T16:32:07.243-08:00Business Focus<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://cdn.guykawasaki.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Stocksy_txp38b1499fkFK000_Small_485368.jpg?28e74e" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Top 10 Ways to Capture Attention" border="0" src="http://cdn.guykawasaki.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Stocksy_txp38b1499fkFK000_Small_485368.jpg?28e74e" draggable="false" height="424" width="640" /></a></div>
<h2 class="entry-title" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Top 10 Ways to Capture Attention</span></h2>
<div class="post-content">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">You probably deal with attention issues every day. How do I get the
attention of new customers? How do I retain the attention of existing
clients? How do I captivate my boss or my upcoming date? Itâs a hard
problem to solve, especially since very few people understand how
attention fundamentally works. Writing my new book <a href="bit.ly:captivology"><i><span style="font-weight: normal !msorm;">Captivology: The Science of </span></i><i><span style="font-weight: normal !msorm;">Capturing Peopleâs Attention</span></i></a>,
I combed through more than a thousand research studies and interviewed
dozens of scientists, PhDs, business leaders, and luminaries to
understand why we pay attention to certain people and ideas and not
others. For my friend Guy Kawasaki, Iâve cherry-picked ten ways to capture
attention, based on my research. While they wonât make you a superstar,
they will help you capture more attention for your ideas:</span></div>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;"></span><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="color: #351c75;"><b> Give </b><b>people </b><b>a hot coffee. </b>Studies show
that we associate the physical sensation of warmth with interpersonal
feelings of warmth. In other words, if you give somebody a hot cup of
coffee or tea, they are more likely to have positive feelings towards
you.</span></li>
</ol>
<ol start="2">
<li><span style="color: #351c75;"><b> Put a red border around your profile picture. </b>Want to win at Tinder and online dating? One study found that just putting a thick red border around a personâs face increased <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCUQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.psych.rochester.edu%2Fpeople%2Felliot_andrew%2Fassets%2Fpdf%2FElliotNiesta_RomanticRed.2008.pdf&ei=HpLeVO2_IZCkyQSH14DoAg&usg=AFQjCNFoEg9lrCjULX62rRsCVPjFktILeQ&sig2=8LLzXLJ9UwPaG2g51zQyyg&bvm=bv.85970519,d.aWw">how attracted</a> a stranger found that person. Red is your friend in the dating world.</span></li>
</ol>
<ol start="3">
<li><span style="color: #351c75;"><b> Use contrasting colors for </b><b>â</b><b>Buyâ </b><b>buttons. </b>Amazon.com
is filled with orange and yellow âBuyâ buttons for a reason: they have
clear contrasts against the siteâs white and grey backgrounds which
means a higher click-through rate.</span></li>
</ol>
<ol start="4">
<li><span style="color: #351c75;"><b> Make what youâre offering scarce. </b>Our frame of reference
shifts when we think something is scarce. Gmail and Medium got tons of
attention by limiting who could join through controlled invite systems.
Slow rollouts and limiting access is often a powerful way to capture
attention.</span></li>
</ol>
<ol start="5">
<li><span style="color: #351c75;"><b> Give a gift at the most surprising time. </b>Our brains are
tuned to pay attention to surprises that violate our expectations. Next
time you give a gift, do something different such as wrapping it in
custom paper, giving it when people least expect it, or adding your own
unexpected flair. Make sure youâre doing something unique and creative!</span></li>
</ol>
<ol start="6">
<li><span style="color: #351c75;"><b> Provide a visual of any prize or reward you offer. </b>Multiple
studies show that we are motivated when we can see the reward we want to
achieve or see the prospective fruits of our labor. So donât just tell
your audience about a reward, show it to them!</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75;"><b>Harness experts. </b>Our attention is incredibly deferential to experts, and experts are consistently rated as the <a href="http://www.edelman.com/insights/intellectual-property/2015-edelman-trust-barometer/">top spokespeople</a> a company can utilize. So try using a credible expert in your industry to provide a recommendation or to speak in your favor.</span></li>
</ol>
<ol start="8">
<li><span style="color: #351c75;"><b> Harness the crowd. </b>We trust the wisdom of the crowdâwithout
that trust, sites like Yelp would have no users. The crowd also
gravitates towards places where it can participate and have a direct
impact (like <a href="http://landing.indiegogo.com/indiegogo-basics/">Indiegogo </a>and <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/">Kickstarter</a>).</span></li>
</ol>
<ol start="9">
<li><span style="color: #351c75;"><b> End with a cliffhanger. </b>We have a compulsion for completionâ
an innate, insatiable need for closureâbecause we are uncomfortable
with uncertainty. Donât be afraid to end your stories or campaigns with a
cliffhanger because your audience will want to come back for the
sequel! Remember how Steve Jobs ended his keynotes with âOne more
thingâ?</span></li>
</ol>
<ol start="10">
<li><span style="color: #351c75;"><b> Validate what makes your audience special</b>. We have an innate
need for validation from others and to feel like we belong. The
greatest projects, startups, and brands build lasting communities around
them. More than anything, let your audience know it is appreciated,
respected, and cherished.</span></li>
</ol>
<span style="color: #351c75;"> <i>This is a guest post by Ben Parr, the author of Captivology. (from Kawasaki website)</i></span><br />
<ol start="10">
</ol>
<span style="color: #351c75;">If you embrace these ten recommendations, youâll be sure to capture
more attention, and as anyone with real-world experience knows, you
canât do much until you have peopleâs attention.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;">Ben Parr is the co-founder of DominateFund, former Co-Editor of Mashable, and the author of <a href="bit.ly:captivology"><i>Captivology</i></a>.</span><br />
<div class="meta-info">
<div class="meta-info-wrapper">
<span style="color: #351c75;">By <span class="vcard"><span class="fn"><a href="http://guykawasaki.com/author/guy-kawasaki/" rel="author" title="Posts by Guy Kawasaki">Guy Kawasaki</a></span></span><span class="sep">|</span>March 2nd, 2015</span></div>
</div>
</div>
Enarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03349119749327774946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914723943878105434.post-58123099764416334622015-02-24T16:47:00.002-08:002015-02-24T16:50:21.911-08:00Some great advice : The One Crucial Trait All Incredibly Successful People Possess<h1 class="article-headline article-page-headline inc_editable_area" data-area-class="Archetype">
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Sharing this today..Do you?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span class="Authors inc_editable" data-content-id="70073" data-content-type="article" data-editor-class="AuthorListEditor" data-fieldname="authors" data-label="Author"><span style="color: #351c75;">Anyone can succeed without capital, without a business plan, without a marketing plan, and even without a great idea. But no one can succeed without one essential ingredient.</span><span style="color: #351c75;"> Think about the keys to business success: plenty of capital; a comprehensive business plan; a thorough market analysis; <a href="http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/the-8-qualities-of-remarkable-employees.html" style="font-style: inherit;">remarkable employees</a>.</span><span style="color: #351c75;"></span>
</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span class="Authors inc_editable" data-content-id="70073" data-content-type="article" data-editor-class="AuthorListEditor" data-fieldname="authors" data-label="Author"><span style="color: #351c75;">Each is definitely important. But there is one trait every successful entrepreneur possesses:</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span class="Authors inc_editable" data-content-id="70073" data-content-type="article" data-editor-class="AuthorListEditor" data-fieldname="authors" data-label="Author"><b><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-style: inherit;">Irrational optimism.</span></span></b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span class="Authors inc_editable" data-content-id="70073" data-content-type="article" data-editor-class="AuthorListEditor" data-fieldname="authors" data-label="Author"><b>
</b></span></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span class="Authors inc_editable" data-content-id="70073" data-content-type="article" data-editor-class="AuthorListEditor" data-fieldname="authors" data-label="Author"><span style="color: #351c75;">Why? To be successful you must embrace
belief, which means pushing aside all those self-doubts: Feeling you
aren't smart enough, dedicated enough, adaptable enough, or simply that,
in spite of your best intentions and best efforts, you won't succeed.</span><span style="color: #351c75;"> Often other people make it even harder to
maintain that belief. Family and friends tend to shoot multiple holes in
your ideas, not because they want to bring you down but because they
care about you and don't want to see you fail.</span>
</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span class="Authors inc_editable" data-content-id="70073" data-content-type="article" data-editor-class="AuthorListEditor" data-fieldname="authors" data-label="Author"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span class="Authors inc_editable" data-content-id="70073" data-content-type="article" data-editor-class="AuthorListEditor" data-fieldname="authors" data-label="Author"><span style="color: #351c75;">That's why people rarely say, "Hey, that's a
great idea. You should go for it!" Most people aren't wired that way.
Most people--myself definitely included--are a lot better at identifying
and listing potential problems. We like to play devil's advocate
because that makes us seem smart.</span><span style="color: #351c75;"> And that's why you need to be irrationally
optimistic: Not because the odds are stacked against success, but
because irrational optimism helps you succeed in ways capital, business
plans, and marketing savvy can't. Of course you can take irrational optimism too far--but then again, maybe you can't.</span><span style="color: #351c75;"> Think about sports, the ultimate zero-sum
game. Only one individual or one team can win, but great athletes still
go into every game believing <i>they</i> will win--because if they don't believe they can win, they've already lost.</span>
</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span class="Authors inc_editable" data-content-id="70073" data-content-type="article" data-editor-class="AuthorListEditor" data-fieldname="authors" data-label="Author"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span class="Authors inc_editable" data-content-id="70073" data-content-type="article" data-editor-class="AuthorListEditor" data-fieldname="authors" data-label="Author"><span style="color: #351c75;">Is complete self-belief irrational? Sure. Is
it also a requirement for high-level athletic success? Absolutely. Great
athletes push aside doubt and disbelief.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span class="Authors inc_editable" data-content-id="70073" data-content-type="article" data-editor-class="AuthorListEditor" data-fieldname="authors" data-label="Author"><span style="color: #351c75;">So do great entrepreneurs.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span class="Authors inc_editable" data-content-id="70073" data-content-type="article" data-editor-class="AuthorListEditor" data-fieldname="authors" data-label="Author"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span class="Authors inc_editable" data-content-id="70073" data-content-type="article" data-editor-class="AuthorListEditor" data-fieldname="authors" data-label="Author"><span style="color: #351c75;">If you listen to the naysayers you'll never
start a business, never expand, never work and struggle and
overcome--and never succeed. If you don't believe in yourself, however
irrationally, you will not succeed.</span><span style="color: #351c75;"> Although no amount of self-belief is enough to ensure success, the smallest bit of doubt can ruin your chances.</span>
</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span class="Authors inc_editable" data-content-id="70073" data-content-type="article" data-editor-class="AuthorListEditor" data-fieldname="authors" data-label="Author"><span style="color: #351c75;">In <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1yWDEye" style="font-style: inherit;">Bounce</a></i>, Matthew Syed quotes Arsenal manager <a href="http://www.arsenal.com/first-team/coaching-staff/ars-ne-wenger" style="font-style: inherit;">Arsene Wenger</a>, one of the most successful football (soccer) coaches in the English Premier League, on how athletes must approach competition:</span></span></span><br />
<blockquote>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span class="Authors inc_editable" data-content-id="70073" data-content-type="article" data-editor-class="AuthorListEditor" data-fieldname="authors" data-label="Author"><span style="color: #351c75;">To perform to your maximum you have to teach yourself to
believe with an intensity that goes way beyond logical justification. No
top performer has lacked this capacity for irrational optimism; no
sportsman has played to his potential without the ability to remove
doubt from his mind.</span></span></span></blockquote>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span class="Authors inc_editable" data-content-id="70073" data-content-type="article" data-editor-class="AuthorListEditor" data-fieldname="authors" data-label="Author"><span style="color: #351c75;">The same is true for entrepreneurs--and,
really, for everyone. Be smart, be logical, be rational and calculating,
and never stop trying to improve your skills. But most important, be
irrationally optimistic.</span> Belief in yourself will take you to places no external forces ever can.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span class="Authors inc_editable" data-content-id="70073" data-content-type="article" data-editor-class="AuthorListEditor" data-fieldname="authors" data-label="Author"><span style="color: #351c75;"></span><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span class="Authors inc_editable" data-content-id="70073" data-content-type="article" data-editor-class="AuthorListEditor" data-fieldname="authors" data-label="Author"><span style="color: #351c75;"> <span class="Authors inc_editable" data-content-id="70073" data-content-type="article" data-editor-class="AuthorListEditor" data-fieldname="authors" data-label="Author"><a href="http://www.inc.com/author/jeff-haden">By Jeff Haden</a></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span class="PubdateContent">Published on: Feb 10, 2015 on http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/the-one-crucial-trait-all-incredibly-successful-people-possess.html?cid=sf01002</span></span></div>
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Enarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03349119749327774946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914723943878105434.post-15132442025377503012015-02-18T16:12:00.002-08:002015-02-18T16:16:46.696-08:00Keep your love letters.<div style="text-align: justify;">
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</xml><![endif]--><a href="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTFZTcMQDNMDBvzcHSisDsErCus9OmWfx3m1_b8fMHMgyFrdlMc" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="irc_mut" height="266" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTFZTcMQDNMDBvzcHSisDsErCus9OmWfx3m1_b8fMHMgyFrdlMc" style="margin-top: 11px;" width="400" /></a><span style="color: #351c75;">At this age of technology and fast wagging tongues, our houses are overflowing with old (real) stuff that we used to love and now neglect. That old grandma-ish shoe box, the lace curtain which can be turned into a wedding dress <strike>(God forbid)</strike>, the seashell necklaces that line our walls, framing our photos and dozens of hard cover books that our children do not read anymore. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">I am as old fashioned as hard cover books and hand written letters. There is that old paper smell that makes the senses come alive. Earthy, ancient, old money scent. I used to love reading books more than sleeping. The faster I read, the more I learn. The hand written letters from mother dearest and siblings are priceless and I still have my love suitcase full of letters. The anticipation for a post office letter with stamps and all just warms the heart, especially when you are far away from home. When you open the mail box and a letter with your name on it stares back at you, it's a cause for celebration. It means, someone, somewhere is not only thinking of you but you are important enough for them to put those thoughts on paper!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">I've coveted hand written letters since I could hop on a plane by myself. I was 9 years old when I went on my first un-accompanied minor journey. An old past time was to go through mother dearest's ancient letters from her own grand mother. In those letters were stories of a time that is long gone, when flights between Samoa and New Zealand were few and far in between,
the letters which are dated and fragile. Paper might be meaningless but the
words describing of life in downtown Auckland in the 60s and just the
thought of this old lady slouching over the table as she wrote holds a very high sentimental value.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">In continuing tradition, mother dearest used to write me several letters a month throughout highschool and university life. They usually started with " Faafetai i le Atua ua tatou aulia mai lenei aso fou" (Thank you Lord for bringing us into this new day), followed by the usual lecture parents give their children when they leave the nest. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><i>"Try hard in school, say your prayers every morning, look after your younger siblings, set an example for other children, here is the money and here is a list of things to spend it on and lastly, be safe and make us proud".</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">She wrote to me until my third degree. I guess she figured I was old enough and that studying in London was not too big a deal like studying in Auckland, Australia or Singapore. I've received so many letters from people, even those I did not know well. These pieces of paper still hold meaning and were a comfort in times of loneliness and struggle. The writers are people that have
enriched my life with their encouragements. One common denominator in most of my letters is God and
my family's faith in me. In particular, I have an older sister whose
faith in my academic abilities is still unfounded. I've been a thorn in
her side since I laid eyes on her. It's probably that blind faith that
helped me achieve exceptionally well in school. At the end of one
letter she wrote:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><i>Try hard in school, I know you
can do it. I love you heaps. Your victory, your success is mine. So
go to the top of the world. Never forget to pray and never forget God is
there for you when you feel lonely </i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">In continuing the old tradition, I told my special friend at the time to send me hand written letters when I was away at <a href="http://www.westminster.ac.uk/" target="_blank">University of Westminster, London</a> . Emails are rather impersonal and can be easily deleted but a love letter is something one can cherish and reread. I know of many mothers who still write to their children regardless of technology. Please continue to write. If your child is anything like me, they might act tough on the surface when they board the plane back to university or college but when they are homesick, they will slowly unfold your letter and read it again. Letter writing not only improves your cursive writing, it also tells your mother/child how well you write, your sentence structure, your very thoughts. My mother is much nicer on paper as there is no volume although the words still hold much power. So continue to write and wait for a reply. Keep your letters close and love letters closer.</span></div>
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Enarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03349119749327774946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914723943878105434.post-4351778832688249002015-01-29T17:50:00.002-08:002015-01-29T18:24:11.332-08:00Let's sell our airport and that darn passenger!<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="color: #351c75;"></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><img alt="http://www.dennis.co.nz/images/samoan-money.jpg" class="decoded" src="http://www.dennis.co.nz/images/samoan-money.jpg" height="298" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75;">Image from Dennis.co.nz</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">There has been a feather ruffling debate whether Samoa is selling its airport to China. As I said to a friend earlier, for Samoa to sell its airport to the Chinese, one is willing to sell the door to her house! Imagine the consequences if we were to do that. Is this the way forward? For the doors (airports) to be
sold to the Chinese? Perhaps not, we must understand our air transport
and airport system well before we make any rash decisions. This blog is not to discuss whether we sell or not, we are not (not now). That thought should have been extinguished before it even developed into an inkling idea. What with every Pacific government depending on tourism and air transport, we'd be silly to even entertain the idea. The air transport system has been instrumental in pulling not just islands but economies together for decades and with the population numbers, cultural diversity such as ours, the region may not afford to sell their doors to anyone. Imagine Pacific airports changing their names to 'Tao' "Ching Mao" "Keng King do"! The gateways must remain in the hands of government or entities willing to facilitate the best interest of the people if we are to call our gateway our own. If it's not due to national pride then it should be about retaining complete sovereignty of a state over its own airspace, airport and legal obligations to its people. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">We
have already opened our doors to the Chinese so why not sell our gateway
too? But before we do that, letâs sell the road to our houses too
(runway). Many aviation studies depict that valuable assets for an airport is either human resources or airport facilities. I
believe there is one asset that might surpass the value of all these in
Samoaâs case. Letâs determine the most important factor in a thriving
airport. Our aeronautical revenue is still the biggest earner for our
airport with 70% of our revenue collected from landing fees and
departure tax. The trend for most successful airports is 50/50
aeronautical and non aeronautical. This means that without airlines flying to our airport, our airport will forever remain a liability. The accumulated losses for the airport will still
pile up until the second coming. For a small airport, we need airlines
to pay the bills. We need passengers to use our facilities. So I say,
sell our airport and if you are smart investor you will not invest your
money in a sinking boat. It might be a good looking boat but if it has
holes, it will still sink to the bottom of the ocean like Titanic. If
we must sell our airport, letâs sell Samoa as a destination first and do
it well. Weâve been rolling about with destination marketing and tourism
as our biggest GDP contributor so instead of jump starting drama about
selling off our gateway, letâs sell Samoa first. This will result to
more people wanting to reach our shores and more flights which
will have catalytic effect, making our airport some money. Lets not forget that
the airport is a second home to 250+ employees. You might not know that
because you rarely see the firefighters, air traffic controllers, works
and maintenance staff, all aviation security, corporate service,
cleaners and gardeners. Are we ready to sell our most valuable asset?
First the runway, then the gateway (terminal). Perhaps not.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">The pacific air transport like most Pacific islands, is but a dot in the the aviation industry. Our total traffic numbers barely make a dent with some of the village airports in Asia. It consists mainly of small to medium sized fleets and its future might lie with more small to medium regional airlines. These airlines can be utilized to feed the thicker traffic routes from the major markets such as New Zealand, Australia and U.S. Instead of trying to fly outdated high maintenance cost aircraft, the smaller islands can do with more energy efficient and newer aircraft. For major players flying bigger aircraft into our airports, maintaining the right standard for a B777 or fully loaded B747-800 puts substantial amount of pressure on the meager existing facilities. The maintenance costs to small airports is rather high. The
operational costs alone to a small airport can cripple and bankrupt any
medium sized business. It runs in the millions and there are only a
few millions that our airport generates a year which is why itâs been in
the red zone for well over 30 years. Have you considered the cost of one rescue
fire truck? The cost of navigational aids and specialized training of
air traffic controllers to manage it? Have you considered the security
requirements and costs? How about the
electrical and technical side of things? Also donât forget the cost of
electricity that it takes to keep our runway lights running! Thatâs
already 80% of our total revenue per annum flowing towards expenses already. So
when someone claims that we are selling our airport, theyâd better be
well informed with accompanying costs of not only selling but running
an airport for 24 hours, 7 days a week. In saying that, we must still encourage bigger players to fly to our airports so we get the best deal for our people. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">The question remains : If our traffic numbers is not exponentially growing, do we really need a bigger airport? The simple answer is - yes, definitely we do..</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Why?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">The survival of the fittest remains true to this day. Faleolo International Airport has been in the headlines for failing to make profit, scrambling to be at a standard acceptable to the darn passenger and for accumulating huge financial losses since its establishment. Simply put, the airport needs to survive and make money just like any other Business body. A bigger terminal would mean more spaces for businesses to come to the airport. This will hopefully result to more tenants and some money for the airport to invest in other developments or spare change for maintenance/ operational costs as it is not a
cheap task. A bigger terminal means a higher chance for the airport to bank in more non-aeronautical revenues rather
than relying solely on landing fees and departure taxes. These two charges cannot keep on rising to infinity. So the airport
can be a place where people come to shop and spend quality time instead
of throwing their rubbish and scratching the advertisements. Some may argue that people do not go to the airports for recreational activities but this is the trend that is becoming more and more popular with other airports.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Do we need a more expensive airport? Perhaps not as we need one that functions like a well oiled machine. Any refurbishment or new terminal will still mean spending huge sums of money. This cannot be avoided. Airports are not regular businesses where if one fails then another can rise up and be more successful in a short period of time. The airport machine does not work like that. As an International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) member state, our
international obligations are no less easier or lighter than the
developed countries. When we became a party to the Convention, we are
audited against the same obligations and standards. This is what we do not understand most, the underlying costs of safety and security measurements. The passenger experience has become so dynamic and rather demanding that people are expecting more and more from airports. Behind the scenes are rescue fire, security, air traffic control, environmental and social costs that add up. Airports that were previously used as bus stops are now expected to cater to every need of the passenger. For instance, more if not most passengers expect free wifi/internet at any airport, there are also high expectations regarding amazing shopping experience, top notch facilities, eateries to cater to more people, duty free to offer luxury brands and car park facilities to look after their vehicles. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Have I missed anything? This is the steak of the passenger experience so to speak. Updating Fretbook (Facebook) status at every airport is a must these days, otherwise your 2000+ friends will not know if you've made it on time or if your husband finally bought that Louis Vuitton bag. You get the idea. Not only do passengers expect to be provided and cared for by airports, their travel experience should be seamless and effortless. The passenger travels in a bubble until a suitcase is lost or connecting flight missed, then all hell will break lose. Losing a luggage is not just that, the passenger sees this as a failure of the airport system even though there are several agencies responsible for getting the luggage from A to B. In most cases this does not even involve the airport. First and foremost, the passenger is responsible for check in and uplifting luggage, the airlines ensure the bag is actually on board with the passenger and when the destination is reached, the ground handler should bring the bag to the conveyor belt, customs, quarantine and so forth. To successfully reunite the passenger with his/her luggage means the end of this transaction. Sometimes the only role that an airport plays in this exchange is to provide the necessary facilities.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">This kerfuffle about two airlines marrying is not a new phenomena.
Monopolies have existed since the beginning of time, which is why
governments need to monitor ventures and partnerships to ensure
that it is in the best interest of the people rather than filling up
already overflowing pockets. Times are changing and perhaps government
might one day consider selling our airport but for now, we must first
understand how an airport runs before claiming otherwise. No
businessman in their right mind will invest millions on just
infrastructure alone unless they see profit falling from the sky.
Airport is big business if you have 10-20 airlines flying in and out
daily, if you have the numbers and bums on plane seats but if you have
only two or three airline servicing a consistent traffic route, it
doesnât hold much coins. Most airlines will tell you that. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Finally, let's be kinder to our airport facilities and if all else fails, there is nothing new under the sun! Sell or not sell, make use of the time while the airport remains ours.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Some useful reading: </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="display: block; font-family: Baskerville; font-size: small; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="display: block; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0.2em;"><span style="display: block;"><a href="http://www.icao.int/publications/pages/doc7300.aspx" target="_blank">All about ICAO</a></span><span style="display: block;"><a href="http://www.icao.int/Meetings/atconf6/Documents/WorkingPapers/ATConf.6.WP.088.2.en.pdf" target="_blank">Notes on aeronautical vs non-aeronautical revenue</a> </span></span></span></span>Enarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03349119749327774946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914723943878105434.post-80376904443572744622015-01-06T15:30:00.000-08:002015-01-06T16:17:45.965-08:00Bite me!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><img alt="Cracking open a coconut." class="pinImage" src="http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/15/e3/53/15e3532b4857fb033f7396d7e0563383.jpg" height="200" style="height: 750px; margin: 0px auto; padding: 40px 0px; width: 500px;" width="133" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75;">Photo: Pacific Love</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">If you know me well, well enough to laugh at my bad jokes, you would know that there are several things that I love more than life (almost).</span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;"> Historically correct ~ family, God, aviation, Areta. Ok, maybe not that focused, it's too early in the year to be serious. Apart from those four, I enjoy sleeping (no joke), reading (serious issue), Japanese food, the odd Oyster Bay vino (usually around November on the beach with crazy friends), planning long haul trips involving several flights and above all~ eating, did I mention the Japanese food? </span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;">My papa is a foodie like me. Food is his life, farming to produce fresh vegetables and beautiful juicy steak can do that to a man. He enjoys his steak, nothing says 'amazing' like a colossal piece of meat. Samoans are not known for holding back when it comes to food especially their meat. Sunday + food prolongs your life. Samoan mixed with Chinese blood makes it a bigger celebration. Immediately health freaks will shut their eyes and blow their ears at this post. Let's forget about the bad and focus on the yummcho factor here. If you are on your new year resolutions about losing 30kg to fit a certain dress, running 20 marathons, eating pa-auke (salads) for 12 months then this post is not for you. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;">There is a buzzling around the islands that is undeniably loud. There is a freshness that is absolutely inspiring and a promise that will awaken your taste buds. Samoa is almost ready to open its culinary doors to the world. We are on the verge of surprising ourselves with our own locally grown, locally produced food. A decade ago, from a local perspective, I can honestly say that the food offered at our restaurants was nothing to call home for if you were a tourist. It was not because the food was bad (maybe a little) but because our hospitality industry was trying too hard to imitate the Western food experience. Menus were filled with fries, burgers and deep fried garbage drowned in oil and gooey mayonnaise. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Ten years later, town is bustling with restaurants that are not afraid to experiment with new/local menus. Restaurants with returning residents who were educated in the arts of wielding a spatula and flipping the fluffy pancakes on a flat surface. Those who were willing to leave the comfort of their new found overseas exposure and saw the potential of our local market. This willingness is not limited to returning residents, our locally bred, weaned men and women who have been cooking in their kitchens since they came out of the delivery room are going back to school to earn their credentials, formally. I believe this mix of overseas experience and traditional local chefs will take the Samoan eating experience beyond tantalizing your taste buds. They will infect you with their love of food to return time and time again. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">A foodie is not afraid to indulge in different cuisine. I've often said that eating is one of the top pleasures in life. Eating with your hands is much more personal than using a fork and probably much safer in some cases. If you have dined with me, you'd often hear me say "man, this is the best cheesecake I've ever tasted", "aren't we blessed that there is so much food here", 'amuia tatou ia i Samoa'. Whether it be fine dining at Scalinis (lobster salmon ravioli is to die for), enjoying the Korean BBQ at Orator Hotel, inhaling the best poke on island at Amanaki Hotel, fresh fish and chips at Return to Paradise Resort, driving to Seabreeze Resort for spicy beef Thai salad, surviving on a hot cuppa from Home Cafe or having fried fish, pork buns, faausi at the local market with hot breadfruit, the fact is, Samoa is awake! Gone are the days when you had to second guess if the food is right in this place. Samoa has brought their home kitchens to the restaurants. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Let's not forget the amazing coffee that is now being served (deserves a whole other blog). I for one, appreciate the little pleasures in life and show love through food. There is something deeply satisfying about cutting into a richly marbled steak or diving into a neat stack of fa'apapa fai! You can tell, this blog will be an encyclopedia if I keep talking about food. So go out, be merry, have a koko Samoa at the local market and taste what is out there. The waist line will be richer for it! Whatever you do, take someone with you because food is so much better with great company. Next time, you are sitting there wondering if the eating experience in Samoa is worth it, the fish says "BITE ME".</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">I leave you now with a few websites that will help whet your appetite!</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><a href="http://polynesiankitchen.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Polynesian kitchen</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><a href="http://www.samoafood.com/" target="_blank">Samoan recipes</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><a href="http://www.samoafood.com/p/recipes.html" target="_blank">More recipes</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><a href="http://www.smartertravel.com/blogs/today-in-travel/the-10-best-foods-to-enjoy-in-samoa.html?id=15720263" target="_blank">Top 10 food to enjoy in Samoa, by Smarter Travel</a><a href="http://polynesiankitchen.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><br /></a></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75;">Polynesian Cook book by Robert Olive </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><img alt="Samoan meal" class="pinImage" src="http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/c8/f6/ee/c8f6ee304d9fd806157b390a79d7a07d.jpg" height="272" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75;">A Samoan meal by <a data-element-type="27" href="http://jamiefouss.smugmug.com/Travel/Samoa-PCV/i-hzSW326/A" rel="nofollow">Jamie Fouss</a></span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span id="goog_696978373"></span><span id="goog_696978374"></span></span>Enarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03349119749327774946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914723943878105434.post-42807633719241974602015-01-05T14:51:00.001-08:002015-01-05T14:52:34.556-08:00Gimme a sign!<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Today is a good looking Thursday. One that comes with flip-flops, cool Chanel sunglasses, Nitrogena sunscreen and a cooler of vino. The only thing missing from this picture is a white sandy beach and some acoustic music. This was the morning mentality until my well designed black top went through the Human Resource Department's newly painted door and came out blue! Oh the drama. While the poor officer's face went from a morning smile to an expression of horror, in slow motion, I knew something was wrong. She mouthed and pointed 'paint, paint'. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">I slowly closed the door and said out loudly (<strike>in a calm manner</strike>) "where's the bloody sign!". The poor officer immediately wrote not one but two 'wet paint' signs outside the door. Action. I went straight to my office, replaced my top with a scarf and washed out the paint. "<i>Shux they should have put out a sign! How would I know that the silly door was freshly painted". </i>Flashbacks of 'Bridal Wars' came to mind when Anne Hathaway painted Kate Hudson's hair blue. Another flashback of our last Leadership Study Tour came to mind, Samoa Tourism's presentation on some of the areas of tourism that continually needs improvement. One of them is proper signage. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"> Proper signage should not be limited to just the tourism industry. We need proper signage in all sectors. Different industries are slowly understanding the benefits of adequate and distinctive signs. Signage help find places, promote businesses and simply get the buy in for many destinations. Samoa is slowly connecting and understanding the importance of such. Too little signage and too much signage can be equally confusing. A balance must be struck between the needs of the individual, businesses, the environment and road safety (Warwickshire County Council, 2014) </span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;">As 2015 comes with great expectations so must we expect much from ourselves. Set yourself a few goals (<strike>no new year resolutions, they end with the empty motivational Oyster Bay),</strike> spend time with your loved ones, drink a glass of Fireball whiskey with your friends and hold on tight, 2015 will be roller coaster ride. Enjoy it, it will fly by without a warning sign. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">.</span><img alt="" class="spotlight" height="400" src="https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/10888785_834558716610456_4577064888519340447_n.jpg?oh=bb92e2750ee922762dc1d5b17ca882b4&oe=5535D422" width="400" /> <br />
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photo by Lars.Cronin</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75;">Etsy, 2014</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75;">(all remaining photos from dailyhaha.com)</span></td></tr>
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Enarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03349119749327774946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914723943878105434.post-42679433161387380342014-11-19T14:41:00.000-08:002014-11-19T14:58:53.925-08:00Don't let anyone dull your sparkle!<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Yesterday as I was gathering leaves and rocks from the garden, my new housemate reminded me that our people do not lack creativity but they lack platforms from which to propel ideas and turn them into extraordinary works of art. In his case, his creativity has been padlocked, limited because no one wants to give him the space to dream and make it happen. Like me, he lives on another planet that is filled with dancing flowers, floating materials and mixed permanent paint. The world we escape to in the middle of the day, where we tap into our creative side. My housemate needed that desperately to be able to express himself not only as an individual but also an artist.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Our Wednesday project involved an over-size glass champagne vase, sea shells, spray paint, flowers, aqua crystals, palm tree leaves and white sand (sago). We were testing a few center pieces for an upcoming event. The aim was to create something authentic, hip, local and cost effective. An original piece that can be placed in the middle of a marble table and ignite some creativity. A center piece that can connect to the creative side of any onlooker. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Mr Pink as I will call my housemate, was open to all ideas. There we were, in the middle of our dining room, spray painting, cutting stems, shaping leaves, collecting thoughts to be put on display. Mr Pink talks more than me, surprisingly and that added to the busi-ness of the House of Elle. "<i>The problem with us (<strike>meaning them not us)</strike> is that we are scared to let other people create something better than our creation. Instead of encouraging other like-minded people to create, we tell them not to do it. It will cost and will not turn out the way we (<strike>they</strike>) want. These are the people that want to dull our sparkle</i>!" Mr Reef complained as we were working away. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><i>"Shux, my sparkle is already gone or misplaced as I haven't touched paint in the last three to four months. I haven't written or created in too long a time. I need to get this sparkle back</i>!" I mused. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">A few weeks ago, someone asked me to please write about food and wedding
planning (how to plan a wedding from the very beginning)! First step to wedding planning..get a groom?. Yes to food because I love to eat, not so sure about wedding
planning as of now, she has red hair, purple lipstick, a mismatch
outfit and just refuses to comply with any theme. In other words, the
wedding plan is somewhat cheeky and all over the place. I keep telling myself that I have another year or so to go and as long as we set the date, book the venue, buy the dress then everything else will fall in place (absolutely not). Planning is time-consuming and accompanies confusion, information overload, salesman syndrome but if done effectively, it will save the couple from paying money towards a one day event that some end up paying for dearly. There is no perfect way to plan unless you sit down and discuss what kind of wedding you want, whether you want an extravagant wedding, to impress the crowd or a backyard barbeque with close friends and family. I prefer the latter but being the favourite daughter (sorry sisters) the bbq stance will not work for mother dearest. If men were left in charge of the planning, things will happen faster and one just might end up with no tables and more alcohol. I can see where this wedding planning blog is going.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"> Anyway, as we were creating center pieces, the underlying theme was:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><b>Do not let anyone dull your creative sparkle. If you decide to do something, do not hesitate. Hesitation will only lead to confusion and safety. Get out of your comfort zone. Work with your budget, if there is no budget then work with the concept you have in mind. Do and then re-think and change things around. There are no rules to creativity.</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;">The end product was a beautiful vase full of things and a whole lot of laughter at how ridiculous we were.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;">It was good therapy and we have another Wednesday project lined up next week.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/30/40/60/304060980df994627b59d4d7781604c9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Beach wedding centerpieces turquoise stones. Love the turquoise and white together. Without the shell it would work for a landlocked reception" border="0" class="pinImage" src="http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/30/40/60/304060980df994627b59d4d7781604c9.jpg" height="320" style="margin-top: 0px; padding: 40px 0px;" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
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<a href="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/56/af/5d/56af5d5e28bea9af83bf7577a4d399ca.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Beach Theme Party / Wedding Decoration / Centerpiece" border="0" class="pinImage" src="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/56/af/5d/56af5d5e28bea9af83bf7577a4d399ca.jpg" height="320" style="margin-top: 0px; padding: 40px 0px;" width="238" /></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/3f/b7/02/3fb702cf58855b595d2399056db7ceea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="what if all the centerpieces aren't the same, and we just do random 'structures' similar to this that we find at thrift stores, etc. throughout the year?" border="0" class="pinImage" src="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/3f/b7/02/3fb702cf58855b595d2399056db7ceea.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo(s) source: pinterest.com</td></tr>
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Enarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03349119749327774946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914723943878105434.post-27806339799190509772014-06-12T20:57:00.001-07:002014-06-15T13:53:15.185-07:00Tiny Samoa and its vision<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">I was selected to be part of the Leadership Samoa Program 2014 intake with the objective to create a network
of emerging and future leaders of Samoa. My journey, along with 15 other promising members of the 2014 class has begun. I must say, it is challenging, interesting, multi-coloured and resonating. Our first session was about- what it is to be really be a leader. Is it a special characteristic that one possesses or can everyone be a leader? The answers were different, vibrant and mostly positive. Leaders are fearless in the face of opposition, they are compassionate as well as humble, loyal, loving and so forth. There are many attributes and processes involved in leading and there are many types of leadership. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">I have been a leader for as long as I can remember. In Sunday school, primary school, college, university, church, organizations and in the workplace I have held leadership positions. Most of the time I was placed there by a vote or a decision, under no fault of my own (<strike>I try and not get noticed when a vote is up</strike>). Maybe they liked my ponytails in primary school or my skinny legs in high school, no matter the reason, responsibility is no fun but it forces you to grow! Leaders have an aura around them that is sometimes unexplainable, I don't have this aura. To me, leadership is having a few or many believing in your vision and are willing to work with you to achieve it. Sometimes, the leading vision align with the vision of many so in achieving the main vision, the vision of many follows suit. This is but one part of leadership.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">One such visionary leader is our very own Prime Minister. When it was first announced that
our tiny island will host the first United Nations conference to be held in the Pacific Region, bringing 3,000
delegates to Apia on the first week of September. you can almost hear the
panic, heart flutters behind some of the concerns. <i>How much will it cost? How will we do it? Do we have enough rooms? Can we even do it? This government is mad! </i> Our Prime Minister raised his hand and said "Yes". He said that Samoa is committed to facilitating a successful outcome of the conference and will do everything to ensure the meeting is
enjoyable. He hopes those visiting will get to experience the world famous Samoan and
Pacific hospitality (Tuilaepa Lupesoliai Sailele Malielegaoi,2014)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Right now behind
the scenes, our people on the committees, sub-committees and all other
catalytic committees are scrambling around like ants to get things done,
sorted, signed off, approved and polished. We are pressed for time as
always as there is much to be done. There are only a few weeks left and
we must not despair. The key to pulling this off is co-operation,
communication and a lot of action towards the same direction. We may be
small and scattered, working in our own little corner but together we
are a thriving force. The ocean after all is made up of tiny drops of
water and when it speaks, we listen.<span class="bqQuoteLink"><a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/p/percyross147541.html" title="view quote"> </a></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span class="bqQuoteLink">"Many drops make a bucket, many buckets make a pond, many ponds make a lake, and many lakes make an ocean"</span></span>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"> ~Percy Ross</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">This conference will be showcasing our unity or lack thereof. Samoa might not have this chance again and so regardless of what we think, we should stand together with one accord to prepare ourselves. We will be exposed and the world will put us under the magnifying glass, will we not be proud Samoans when we pull it off? When we tell our children, yes we were part of that vision and for one week, the world saw Samoa.</span><span style="color: #351c75;"> Like other leaders before us, we too must stand out and take risks!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span class="bqQuoteLink">"Many drops make a bucket, many buckets make a pond, many ponds make a lake, and many lakes make an ocean"</span></span>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"> ~Percy Ross</span></div>
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Enarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03349119749327774946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914723943878105434.post-92091333168789160552014-05-04T16:35:00.002-07:002014-05-04T16:37:01.222-07:00JUST SMILE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Talofa and Welcome to Samoa with a smile!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">I was invited to the Samoa Tourism Sector Plan Draft Consultation Workshop last Thursday and Friday. The turn out was encouraging and the discussion highly relevant to the future of tourism.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">The Tourism Sector Vision: </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">"By 2019 Samoa will have a growing tourism sector, which engages our visitors and people and is recognized as the leading Pacific destination for sustainable tourism"</span></blockquote>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"> A realistic and attainable vision I say, if everyone works together to achieve it. The participants included members of the private, public and communal bodies. We all agreed on the main focal areas of the strategy consisting of the following:</span></div>
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<li><span style="color: #351c75;">Marketing and Research</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75;">Investment and Business Enabling Environment</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75;">Product Development</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75;">HRD and Training</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75;">Infrastructure and Access</span></li>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"> These are all equally important as they go hand in hand if we are to compete at a higher level with other more developed islands in the tourism arena. While there were many technical terms used, one area that was highlighted by most groups included the need for our educational systems to include tourism and hospitality subjects in school curriculum starting from the primary level. Due to the high importance of tourism to our <a href="http://www.investopedia.com/terms/g/gdp.asp" target="_blank">GDP</a>, it is crucial that we teach our children the value of tourism. Tourism contributes to more than 20 % of our GDP and plays a leading role in foreign exchange. It is a catalytic industry as it creates both direct and indirect employment for our people. Tourist spending give rise to 'government revenue, encourages entrepreneurial opportunities, helps promote, revive culture and branding' <a href="http://www.mcit.gov.ws/Portals/0/Publications/Policy/SDS%202012%20-%202016_English%20version.pdf" target="_blank">(SDS, 2012-2016).</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Moreover, there were points also raised about engaging with communities more in terms of tourism product promotion, enjoyment and partnership with many government agencies to improve the services and products offered to visitors. Village communities are the keepers of our historical and cultural sites, they set and monitor the costs to be paid by tourists for these sites and therefore should be kept in the loop regarding tourism affairs continuously.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">My favourite point of the day was the 'Samoa Smile Campaign'. Not the Digicel smile campaign but a whole of Samoa smile campaign including one and all. One lady suggested that Samoa is still the Pearl of the Pacific and therefore our faces should say the same. Whether we are working in hotels, restaurants, markets, gardens, schools or communities, whether we can engage with tourists on a professional or basic level, one must smile doing the work that we do. Samoa has come a long way and will continue to develop with the tides of change. What remains is the Fa'aSamoa hospitality, whether we understand English or not, smiling is just like music. It is a universal language understood by all, so just smile and stay true to who we are.</span></div>
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Enarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03349119749327774946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914723943878105434.post-76441235303302568552014-04-16T17:05:00.000-07:002014-04-16T17:05:50.632-07:00Bromeliad me!<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6996383.Priyansh_Shah"></a><br />
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The brain has been silent in the past few weeks but this week it was jump started by great sites. important one. Monday was a very exciting day at work. My team and I had the opportunity to visit a few green houses in Samoa. It was a day for shiny eyes, a nice change from the pink eye disease! (I I have been resilient thus far) There were soft pinks, peach, dramatic burnt orange, sweet lavender, gutsy black, earthy browns, royal velvet blue and misty white plants to covet. You can imagine the <i>'ooohs</i>' '<i>ahhhhs</i>' and '<i>wow wows'</i> from my team when we feasted our eyes on the beautiful plants. Interestingly, there were not many native plants under the green nets. Perhaps the native plants can grow easily, requiring less assistance from the growers unlike those that are imported. Imported plants require more attention and care so they can adapt and grow successfully.</div>
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One plant that is new to Samoa, taking up residence in all the green houses is the very flamboyant Bromeliad. If it was a person, I'd compare it to an unpredictable designer of futuristic things or creator of impracticable outfits that can never be worn with a normal face.</div>
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The <b>Bromeliaceae</b> (the <b>bromeliads</b>) are a family of <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Monocot">monocot</a> <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Flowering plant">flowering plants</a> of around 3,170 species originally from the <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Tropics">tropical</a> <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Americas">Americas</a>, with a few species found in the American <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Subtropics">subtropics</a> and in <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="West Africa">west Africa</a>. The most well known bromeliad is the
pineapple. The family contains a wide range of plants including some
very un-pineapple like members such as Spanish Moss (which is neither
Spanish nor a moss). In general they are inexpensive (not in Samoa), easy to grow, require very little
care, and reward the grower with brilliant, long lasting blooms and
ornamental foliage. They come in a wide range of sizes from tiny
miniatures to giants<a href="http://www.bsi.org/new/what-are-bromeliads/" target="_blank"> (Bromeliad Society International, 2014)</a>. Like Samoans, Bromeliads have learned the art of adaption which means they can grow in a number of different climates. </div>
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Within the last hundred years, bromeliads have become more widely
used as ornamental plants. Originally only found in royal botanical
gardens or the private greenhouses of wealthy Europeans, their
popularity has spread to the masses. Today bromeliads are more available
to the enthusiast than ever before. New species are still being
discovered and plant breeders are developing ever more stunning hybrids
to choose from<a href="http://www.bsi.org/new/what-are-bromeliads/" target="_blank">(Bromeliad Society International, 2014)</a><br />
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I have a few of these plants in my garden and I have to say both the leaves and flower compete for attention. A well painted plant that is great for pot plants or shaded gardens around the house. Similar to my other favourite plant, anthuriums, bromeliads enjoy mild sun shine and a lot of shade, depending on the species. </div>
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Some of the common species of bromeliads include <b>Earth Star, Urn Plant, Scarlet Star,Flaming Sword, Blushing Bromeliad, Pink Quill <a href="http://www.bromeliads.info/common-bromeliad-house-plants/" target="_blank">(Booth, 2006)</a>. </b>We had a great time visiting the green houses. The day ended too soon with a brilliant sunburn and we were still discussing the gardens two days after. Since Easter is upon us, this visit reminded me that the end result is not necessarily the best reward. Think of the hard work that goes into creating and tending to all these gardens. Robert Louis Stevenson said âDon't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.â
While so many of us are out smelling the flowers, we do hope more people are planting some. If we don't plant, we'll have nothing but grass. As much as we'd like to find out the purpose for most things, I'd like to think that plants exist for our enjoyment. Happy Easter everyone.<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/854076.Robert_Louis_Stevenson"><br /></a>Enarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03349119749327774946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914723943878105434.post-17637112393032929622014-02-24T17:02:00.004-08:002014-02-24T17:51:08.224-08:00Roadworks<div style="text-align: justify;">
I enjoyed the lovely drive to the airport this morning. There were less potholes the size of my house and now that the rainy season is slowly creeping out, Aleisa road will look better after maintenance. This is a well traveled road as it connects people from the west to their livelihood (jobs and schools). Two epiphanies slapped me in the face while I was enjoying my new paved road. One, the road is nice and smooth isn't it? Which means my poor shock absorbers will suffer less each day. Two, while enjoying this little luxury and smiling like a dork at passerbys/drivers, it is enjoyed at what price? Luxuries are not free except for the air and sunshine so which side of my pocket will the cost of this road come from? </div>
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Before I start spelling out the negatives and the superlatives, today on Fretbook <strike>(Facebook)</strike>, the following quote was splashed out in capital letters</div>
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"By 2025 THERE WILL BE NO POOR COUNTRIES" ~Bill Gates, Philanthropist </blockquote>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CVl6-It5ywE/UwZoMUW1DDI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/rwJDZ614SZQ/s1600/Bill+Gate%27s+prediction.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CVl6-It5ywE/UwZoMUW1DDI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/rwJDZ614SZQ/s1600/Bill+Gate's+prediction.jpg" height="334" width="640" /></a><br />
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The question is: HOW? And how does this Bill Gate quote relate to my new paved road?<br />
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The simple answer is, I don't know how this will be achieved as I have yet to read the full article. I can say that currently there are no poor countries, it is the people within those countries that are poor but the countries themselves are not poor. Not really. Governments are not poor. They have their peoples' wealth at their fingertips; resources, man power and so forth. They have been entrusted with the people's best interests by the people with the belief that they are the best candidates to bear these responsibilities. <br />
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The Samoa Observer has been publishing many requests for help by families who cannot provide for themselves over the last few weeks. People with families who cannot cater for themselves financially, those seeking help for a few resources, some asking the public to help build their houses so they can have more space to house growing families. Poverty is a reality in Samoa, is it really? Poverty : the quality or state of being poor or indigent; want or scarcity of
means of subsistence; indigence; need; any deficiency of elements or
resources that are needed or desired, or that constitute richness; as,
poverty of soil; poverty of the blood; poverty of idea. Agree, we have people who are in stressful financial situations but who isn't in these times? Some of those asking for help look able. They are able to work and find means to help themselves. If we look at Samoa, no one is truly poor in terms of land, family and love. Financially, we might be poor and if we are to compare ourselves to our neighbours, Samoa is better off. Samoa today is a much changed Samoa compared to twenty years ago. </div>
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I remember the old market near the police station and the rubbish in town littering the streets by the non-existent side walks. I remember the big waterholes inside the market and the seawall that was not there, where one can stare at the fish mixing with rubbish all day. We are not stationary, we are moving forward. The infrastructure and knowledge are both advancing. The roads are better. We have clean running water and electricity (yes these are problematic at times). We have internet and computers. We have school systems in place. We have a new hospital to care for our sick. We have graduates that will build or tear down Samoa. We are hundreds of complaints to hurl at government when all these systems break down or muck up but we are not the same Samoa as we were.</div>
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Cases of people dying from malnutrition are rare in Samoa and almost unheard of. However, Fiji child malnutrition is expected to increase to epidemic proportions. A
2004 report by the Food and Nutrition Committee indicated that over 40%
of Fiji's children are malnourished. The situation is rather acute in
more disadvantaged areas, particularly in squatter settlements where
around 104,000 people currently reside (<a href="http://www.nourishfijichildren.com/theproblem.php" target="_blank">Nourish Fiji Children Project, 2014</a>). Our poor health and sanitation are the consequences of our negligence or prioritizing other things and overlooking these. What we eat and do determine the kind of lifestyle that we live. There are lists of contributing factors leading to poor health (physical poverty) and they all start with us. Our soils are rich and our lands are plentiful. They are enough to sustain us if we choose to lean on them like our ancestors did before us. </div>
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We don't know how sweet we have it until we go to other third world countries. Yes, the cost of living is rising but are there countries in the world with a constant living cost? That is the price one must pay for development. We complain about the roads, the government fixes them but at what price? The government coffers are not always full and it's the people that put those people in power. If we do not like something- change it, improve it, work on it diligently until it is better. Not sit around road corners begging for money, writing to Observer to publish cell phone numbers in the hope that some good samaritan will save us from ourselves. <br />
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We have enough negative stories to fill our beds and heads. I, for one am a great believer in hard work. When one works, one has control over their finances and other aspects of life. We are not poor of soil or blood or ideas. We are a people that toil on and believe in a God that gives hope. We want luxuries and so we must be prepared to pay a certain price to enjoy that luxury.. to an extent. Like roads that need improvement/maintenance continuously, so are the days of our lives. </div>
Enarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03349119749327774946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914723943878105434.post-57456844238754563732014-02-10T17:24:00.000-08:002014-02-11T12:13:30.866-08:00Looking for a job?<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">When you are looking for a job, there is a lot of preparation in order to ready yourself for the interview. At times, you begin to doubt yourself. <i>Have I prepared enough? Did I go through the check list? Will the interviewers ask hard or easy questions?Am I wearing the appropriate outfit? Do I have the right look for the job? Will they like me?</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Preparation for a job not only tests your character, intelligence but also your physical appearance.<i> </i>Let's face it, interviewers are well aware of interviewing procedures and the first thing they do is look at you when you enter the room, from head to toe. They will mentally note your looks, then pick your brain. For those students who will be graduating soon <strike>(yes you Donna),</strike> securing a job does not start at the interview room, it starts well before that. University is the grooming gateway to job searching. At my first graduation dinner, the Vice Chancellor shook my hand and asked what useful lessons I learned during my time at uni. My reply was 'nothing' with a smile. He replied with a laugh and a 'you are so right'. We understood the jest although there was a seriousness to the reply. There exists an overload of information at university which we can memorize until our brains fall to pieces but it is what we do with that information that will make the difference in the workforce.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Good universities teach us about available information and application but great universities teach us to reach beyond what they teach us. To be creative and stretch the boundaries incorporated within that information. Great universities acknowledge the room for failure and put systems in place to counteract it. Most of what we learn at university will not be directly used in the workforce in some industries but the foundations are highly instrumental. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">On the other hand, we have people that did not attended university experiencing the same or similar dimensional success. Those are the people who take more risks because they were not taught by the book. They are less fearful about failing, I've noticed this with entrepreneurial friends who skipped university classes for start up businesses. âI am a firm believer in the reality that no one ever succeeds at
everything â at least on the first try â and that the only
real failure is one that you learned nothing from,â ~Cindy Padnos.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">I had a professor that applied for jobs continuously throughout his contract with the university. I asked him if he was unhappy with his job and wanted a change. 'Oh no I'm satisfied with my job, I just want to make sure my interviewing skills are updated and also have the satisfaction to turn down jobs when I get an offer!' This was firstly a humorous way of updating interviewing skills and also a more personal satisfaction from turning down job offers if he received them.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;">The interviewing process can be stressful but when you get that dream job, you will feel accomplished. For others who find jobs for the sake of finding a job they will have to work up or down to the employers' expectations. Those who are at their dream jobs will find it hard to leave or find something else while those who are just working for the sake of it will find it hard to stay. I have been to interviews where the panel asked very absurd questions that had nothing to do with the vacancy advertised.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Questions such as </span><br />
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<li><span style="color: #351c75;">'If you were to marry someone who would you choose? (irrelevant and highly personal) My comeback? 'When you go home today, please kneel beside your bed and ask God who it will be and then you can tell me, because I don't know)</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75;"> If you don't get this job what would you do? (Look for another job?)</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75;">What is your 5 year strategy? (to do what? have a baby and look after my parents?)</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75;">If you can be anyone in the world, who would it be? (someone with a job?)</span></li>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">There are no particular rules to be excellent at interviews. The few I remember from my Human Resources paper and Organizational Behaviour mentor is that </span></div>
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<li><span style="color: #351c75;">One must exude confidence when you walk into the room regardless of how you nervous you feel</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75;">Look the panel/interviewers in the eye and smile (this may be different depending on culture, some cultures regard this as a rude gesture and defying authority)</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75;">Take your time to answer questions and don't rush it</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75;"> Be prepared and expect varying questions</span></li>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Other useful ways to prepare include reading and understanding exactly what the vacancy is all about, also read up on some history/background of the organization holding the interview. Moreover, be flexible for out of the blue questions. Lastly and not the least, it also doesn't hurt to pray a little asking for guidance and confirmation of where your feet should go. Good luck to all those who are searching for a job or sitting in interviews soon!</span><br />
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Enarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03349119749327774946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914723943878105434.post-86283052684513204332014-02-02T17:38:00.006-08:002014-02-02T18:42:44.566-08:00When I die<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">When a loved one dies, there is much sorrow and grief expressed in numerous ways. Death is natural and yet there is something unfair about it. Certainly, many will live perpetually if given the chance, immortality has been romanticized by vampire movies so much, some think it can actually happen <strike>(sappy Twilight sagas that are so slow, one can power nap, wake up and the two characters will still be staring at each other for a good 20 minutes, zzz)</strike>. Everyone dies, eventually. It matters how we spent our time on Earth, how many lives we interconnected with, those who we've helped, influenced or encouraged. How we live matters. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Samoa woke up to two deaths today. One of a prominent business man and one of a great leader. I am sure their loved ones are seeking comfort in each other as well as in the memories of those who have passed. Their lives will be missing a father, an uncle, grand father, son, nephew and so forth. I sympathize with those who know these two men, along with their colleagues and understudies. To those who are left behind, this verse might be for you</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">"The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind him in other men, the conviction and the will to carry on"~</span>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><b>Walter Lippman</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">I have worked with that great leader, he was a man of conviction and to some extent he inspired others as the task of great leaders is not to shine the limelight on themselves but to elicit leadership in others. Samoa may not mourn as the world mourned for the great Mandela however, it does not belittle the achievements of both men nor overshadows their influence on others. I have a familiar relationship with death as one dear grandfather passed away not too long ago. Time does not heal all wounds, time does not make the grief lighter, time does indeed remind us of how loved we were by that one person. Time has a way of reminding us how we used to be, how we felt when that one person touched our lives, how one must go on living without them here. It is a bittersweet sentiment; they will be dearly missed and at the same time we have them in our memories.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">I had an interesting conversation with my 86 year old, lively grandfather some time ago. We talked about life in general and the hardships one faces at old age. We talked about the things he used to do effortlessly only a few years ago that cannot be done so easily now. The conversation then traveled down the road where my other grandfather lies now. Death. I asked him what he thought about the finality of death, no more, full stop part of life. He acknowledged that it was a natural cycle and he is ready at all times to go. He had one very interesting request that I've never heard before.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">He didn't care much about where he would be buried (his children will take care of that part). He was not entirely bothered about the people who will attend or those who will be giving eulogies. He did not have any special song requests. He requested for a simple tea or lunch for the family when he dies and he specially request for a pair of white silk pajamas!! </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">" I don't want to be buried in a suit, I'm not getting married</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"> I don't want to be buried naked, this is not a party (chuckle)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"> I want a pair of white silk pajamas, I'm sleeping eternally and will go to be with my God. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">That's what I want when I die"</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Trust my sharp grandfather to have such a request!It does make sense on a few levels. No need for a fancy suit as there are no marriages in heaven (some might rebut this) and nudity is a no no. A pair of white silk pajamas will be best if one goes to heaven (eternal sleep). We will all one day be lingering at the mouth of Death valley, I wonder what absurd request we will have. On a more serious note, for those of us left behind.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><i>âLet
not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my
Fatherâs house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you
that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place
for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am
you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.â</i><b>John 14:1-4</b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">There is room in heaven for all of us.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #353535;"><span style="color: #351c75;"> We just need to accept the gift of salvation.</span></span></div>
Enarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03349119749327774946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914723943878105434.post-27158066013233679302014-01-16T18:14:00.003-08:002014-01-16T18:51:47.127-08:00Live in an ocean not a bubble!<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">The race is on again, working, making a living, striving for a better year than the last. It is good to be back at work, amongst peers, under a cement roof with good weather outside. It's time to put on a potful of coffee, bury our heads in words and do some work. Why do I have a vision of Moses leading God's people out of Egypt, freeing them from Pharaoh, staff in hand pointing towards the heavens roaring "Let us go out of this miserable place to the promised land!" </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">If I was a slave at that time and a life of bondage and servitude was familiar ground, I would not be pondering what I would do with my freedom once the order was given. I'd gather all my meager belongings and run for it! There were no bags or treasured ornaments to bring, if there were, Egypt can take them, run first and think later! Just grab what you have in case Pharaoh changed his mind and start running for the promised land. This is somewhat where we are right now. The year is just beginning, there are no solid plans, run and think at the same time.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">If you follow Samoa Observer and other news forum(s), the world did not stop and enjoy the holidays like the rest of us. No, the world went on being the world, the new year did not bring a sizable bubble big enough to conceal and fix its problems. 2014 did not bring the cream cheese for an instant sugar fix or a magic wand to magically make our street problems disappear. Politics and shameful tactics still exist, our cost of living is still high (unreachable) on a minimum wage, we still have beggars hassling us on the streets and people killing each other. The world remains the world, we just have to endure and persevere in it.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jOCXa4mx3g0/UtiO-iz8cfI/AAAAAAAAAVE/jrIw2if6U8Q/s1600/bubble.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jOCXa4mx3g0/UtiO-iz8cfI/AAAAAAAAAVE/jrIw2if6U8Q/s1600/bubble.jpg" height="548" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From www.newscientist.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Don't live in a bubble, live in an ocean. As people of the sea, we know the fish swims, lives, plays, make friends, works, survives, endures in the ocean all its life and yet still needs to be salted after/before it's cooked. A perfect example that we may live in the world among evil and beauty but we do not have to be saturated in it. We do not have to conform to the ways of this world. </span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="color: blue;">"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what <i>is</i> that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God" Romans 12:2</span><span class="p"></span><br /><span class="p"></span></span></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">If the world was all good then we will not experience a sense of longing for something better. There will be no challenge to live rightly because it is it easier to do evil than to do good. It is safer to turn a blind eye when someone needs help, in some cases deaf ears! We've read about abuse for far too long with no silver lining and children roaming the streets without education, closing our eyes and hoping that maybe '<i>this year</i>' will be different. That some Hercules/Samson/David will rise up to say 'STOP' and end the misery. Tough luck, if we, the living do the same thing day in, day out, nothing will change. This is insanity as defined by Albert Einstein "<span class="st">doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results" (some are not so sure Einstein said this while his bombs were exploding in the garage)</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span class="st">Samoa does not suffer from warrior deficiency syndromes including the vocals and the opinionated. We lack the do-ers, people of action, those who keep quiet and toil away. Those who genuinely mean to do good, period. Perhaps this year we will have more of those, we will face and drown in great things and not wallow in the muddy waters of yesterday. First let us begin with ourselves, begin with the i with a dot on top and then the 'you' and 'we'. Let us encourage, edify and motivate each other while the race is just beginning. We have a whole year ahead of us, so fight the good fight and do not despair, keep swimming in salted waters!</span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8bvlx00vM0o/UtiR5SKrzNI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/V_AexlEtcoM/s1600/Fish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8bvlx00vM0o/UtiR5SKrzNI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/V_AexlEtcoM/s1600/Fish.jpg" height="476" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From nationalgeographic<span style="color: #351c75;"><span class="st"><wbr></wbr></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>Enarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03349119749327774946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914723943878105434.post-34852458081071031562014-01-06T15:11:00.001-08:002014-01-12T12:15:42.773-08:00And then there was a proposal...<br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Seven days into 2014 already, back at work again with a list as long as the great wall of China (all in my head). There are work goals, project objectives, personal decrees among the thistles to be obtained this year. My new year was indeed a new year, I was proposed to in an astounding manner as the man was on both knees with a rock (diamond) worthy of a resounding "YES"! Too much excitement for one week and planning a wedding is not easy depending on the kind of wedding one wants. The question that comes to mind is- <b><i>What does a Samoan wedding REALLY look like?</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DJVD_dyELcA/UsnZVARbyWI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/yLKNdBDklQ8/s1600/$_57.JPG23.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DJVD_dyELcA/UsnZVARbyWI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/yLKNdBDklQ8/s1600/$_57.JPG23.JPG" height="283" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KArJOq41zyU/Ussl94WeysI/AAAAAAAAAUo/o0FjIuJYkx4/s1600/Michael+Hill.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KArJOq41zyU/Ussl94WeysI/AAAAAAAAAUo/o0FjIuJYkx4/s1600/Michael+Hill.bmp" height="178" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PO7QH_3pzro/UsnZUV48XMI/AAAAAAAAAUE/zZk0xdETcFQ/s1600/$(KGrHqVHJFQFEMT0KB+2BRiRP1QS5w~~60_57.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PO7QH_3pzro/UsnZUV48XMI/AAAAAAAAAUE/zZk0xdETcFQ/s1600/$(KGrHqVHJFQFEMT0KB+2BRiRP1QS5w~~60_57.JPG" height="276" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">My parents' love story is rather different from mine and have many amusing corners. One recollection from a relative of this included my father kidnapping mother dearest with "we are getting married today" in his levis jeans and hippie hair. He then continued driving to my grandparents' house to inform them that they were getting married and if they wanted to come, mass was to be held later in the afternoon. There were no invitations, no wedding bells, no wedding party and certainly no string band! I am sure one thing was present----drama!Today, with all the fluff and drama surrounding Samoan weddings, this would have been ideal for me but I have a feeling that mother dearest will not be amused by the elopement!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Again, what does a Samoan wedding really look like? No, it certainly does not look like <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/siones-wedding/" target="_blank">Sione's wedding</a> (rotten tomatoes). With the tides of inevitable change, most of the weddings nowadays are westernized. I haven't been to a wedding where the bridal party is adorned with siapo, fine mats or partake in the old exchange of measina and extravagant gifts. In a well written <span dir="ltr"> historical collection by </span><span dir="ltr"><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/Tamaitai%20Samoa:%20Their%20St%20%20By%20Peggy%20Fairbairn-Dunlop" target="_blank">Peggy Fairbairn-Dunlop</a>, S</span><span dir="ltr"></span><span dir="ltr">osefina-Josie, Phineas-Ioane tells of her own very traditional wedding to Momoisea with <a href="http://books.google.ws/books?id=W_4om9czZGMC&pg=PA90&dq=traditional+samoan+wedding&hl=en&sa=X&ei=iyrLUpeJC5DroASIv4GQCQ&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=traditional%20samoan%20wedding&f=false" target="_blank">1000 fine mats given by the village of Saanapu in exchange of marriage goods</a>. Her sisters wove her ie tu, ie avaga, fala lauie and pupugi siapo while the village received money with a laulautasi (a presentation of gift items ranging from handcrafts and toiletries to clothing goods). This is unheard of these days, one thousand fine mats!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span dir="ltr"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span dir="ltr">I am not one of those girls who has recurrent dreams of what her wedding day will look like or the dress that's supposed to cover the whole church floor <strike>(a little extreme)</strike>. I do not envision a wedding party/bridal party with 30 bridesmaids and seven flower girls <strike>(too much)</strike>. I have more dreams of flying a Boeing dream liner or painting my mother's white wall with splashes of nothingness. A marriage will start AFTER the wedding and the wedding day is certainly not the climax of the relationship, it shall be the stepping stone to marriage. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span dir="ltr">The personal ambitions that I would want for my own wedding:</span></span></div>
<ol>
<li><span style="color: #351c75;"><span dir="ltr"> God to be present at the wedding and throughout the marriage</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75;"><span dir="ltr">A small intimate wedding (small meaning 80 guests max)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75;"><span dir="ltr"> Have some colour besides white (turquoise nails/blue hair pins/red shoes?)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75;"><span dir="ltr"> Ban ALL cell phones and Fretbook status/updates/blurry photos/locations/followers </span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75;"><span dir="ltr">Did i mention NO cell phones?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75;"><span dir="ltr">A proper registry to avoid ending up with 20 dozens of the same Chinese made dishes and matching tea towels.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75;"><span dir="ltr">For mother dearest to be seated and not run around chasing things or people </span></span></li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span dir="ltr">In the end it matters</span><span dir="ltr"> whom you marry not the look or cost of the wedding (whether it's Samoan or multicultural). The union of two souls will impact both spiritually, emotionally, physically, mentally and relationally. I and Him should go into this marriage with both eyes open so there is no misunderstanding or compromise after.</span> </span></div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">"The effects are far reaching, long lasting, and either wonderful or
difficult. True, there are no perfect men out there. But there are great
ones. And itâs better to be single for life than to marry someone who
will make your life a burden. Singleness can be great. Marriage to the
wrong person is a nightmare....
Donât be so desperate to get married that your marriage is a grief. If
youâre not married, donât put yourself in that situation. Donât marry
someone whose leadership you canât follow. Donât marry someone who is
not seeking to love you as Christ loved the church. Marry someone who
knows and demonstrates the love of Christ" <a href="http://thechristianpundit.org/2012/08/15/it/" target="_blank"><br /></a></span></div>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><a href="http://thechristianpundit.org/2012/08/15/it/" target="_blank"><span dir="ltr">The Christian Pundit, 2012)</span></a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span dir="ltr"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span dir="ltr"><span style="color: #351c75;">So, with the whole year to enjoy, one must truly seek out what they truly need in order to be challenged. Sometimes, the greatest outcomes are achieved with the smallest steps.</span></span></div>
Enarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03349119749327774946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914723943878105434.post-66365938696784950262013-12-29T20:54:00.000-08:002013-12-29T20:57:00.412-08:00Welcome to your new life!<span style="color: #351c75;">"Every beginning is a consequence - every beginning ends something' ~ Paul Valery</span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o-ra5A0GTg0/UsDqrKDF4AI/AAAAAAAAATw/Nm6kszvuUTs/s1600/Planting_Seeds_by_mzdinolatino.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o-ra5A0GTg0/UsDqrKDF4AI/AAAAAAAAATw/Nm6kszvuUTs/s1600/Planting_Seeds_by_mzdinolatino.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><a href="http://www.naioth.com/daily-devotional/a-time-to-garden" target="_blank">New beginning (Naioth.com)</a></span> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">As we say goodbye to 2013 and all its joys, tears and consequences, we usher in the new light of 2014. The new year. A brand new page, unstained with iniquity, unwritten, unplanned, unspoiled. It is another chance for us to improve on the things while we still can, to maintain good friendships that have motivated and inspired us, to hope for wonderful things to come, to surround ourselves with people and thoughts that truly matter. </span></div>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">2013 was a great teacher, I started projects that I've only dreamed about. I took risks that seemed a bit far fetched and I have learned much from the roller coaster that is or was 2013. New year resolutions should be a thing of the past, how many people actually follow their list? By the time February rolls around the corner, people forget what they planned to do amongst the busy-ness and in time they move on to fill their lists with other goals. It's good to have goals and plans, it's also good to not be fixated on one horizon. Flexibility allows us certain freedoms and insights to our culture so that our youthfulness doesn't leave too soon. "Youth is the natural time for revolt, experiment and for generous idealism that is eager for action" (H.E.Stearns) but it shouldn't stop there.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">All our
institutional life combines for the common purpose of teaching us what we ought to be, how we ought to behave, how one should watch themselves when interacting with others. Our education spearheads our success and there are certain interconnected paths and consequences in life that institutions do not have solutions for. One of those is how to envision the future and at the same time deal with the past, the past year, the past week, the past relationship, the past tense. Thankfully, we are made to be breakable in order to learn. I, myself struggled to understand the past, how unforgiving it can be especially for those who have been through the slavery of the past. It's one thing to advise someone to 'move on' and quite another for it to be evident in daily routines.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Yes, we read beautiful quotes on how we learn from our mistakes and how the past should be left alone but it doesn't matter if the whole sky of books fall on you, dealing with the past and its consequences is a task, a daily battle for some, a thief waiting to sneak into the chambers of your heart to strike when you are at your most vulnerable. There is this treasure box called 'memory' that is the enemy sometimes. The past is extremely dangerous when we allow it to rear its ugly head in the 'now'. Thankfully it doesn't really matter what other people judge your past to be. It's the other great reason why we have a God who is not limited by people's opinions.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Paul wrote that he was not perfect or already perfected but one thing he could do was to press on, forgetting those things which are behind (past) and reaching forward to those things which are ahead (future)<span style="font-weight: normal;">Philippians 3:13. He knew that the Philippians were imperfect and were in the business of condemning themselves daily but he also knew that God is greater than the human heart. This is still applicable to us today. We are imperfect and that's acceptable. It is within those imperfections that we find lessons, joy over our weaknesses and self-humbling experiences. There is much to be said about the past, however there is more to be written about the future. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">We should be thankful that we are given a new chapter, to dream, make peace, strive for perfection (we do try though never obtained) start living more vigorously and diligently. To shine in the places where there is no light, to succeed when the world tells us 'no', to soar above our problems and make the past look like a dead mosquito on the wall. We are responsible for OUR own future as this coming 2014 in another year will be the new past, so make the most of it. Live like you really mean it! Actively choose to forget the past if it does not help your development. You cannot embrace the future unless you release the past. The past is significant and we may never fully erase it from memory, there might be horrible happenings in the past but there are also great memories there. Those are the memories we want to hold on to, to retell our own children, the excitement of the journey and the relief at a destination. Dreams might be illustrations from the book your soul is writing about you but d</span>on't just
dream, wake up because reality is so much better if you take your dreams
and breathe life into them. You will surprise yourself and even learn a thing or two.</span></div>
Enarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03349119749327774946noreply@blogger.com0Samoa-13.759029 -172.104629-14.746072 -173.3955225 -12.771986 -170.81373549999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914723943878105434.post-23290364753474387142013-12-17T13:29:00.000-08:002013-12-17T15:42:50.363-08:00The real meaning of christmas dear reader<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-n0DnsM24o-E/UrDB6sB3WEI/AAAAAAAAATY/-p-bl0mT0Qo/s1600/Gift.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-n0DnsM24o-E/UrDB6sB3WEI/AAAAAAAAATY/-p-bl0mT0Qo/s1600/Gift.jpg" height="320" width="314" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo from Seattle Church of Christ</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">It's that time of the year, holidays when people reflect on the past year, eat, drink and be merry in preparations for the new year. It is also the time when people indulge in too much alcohol resulting to fights, disorderly behaviour and accidents. While it's a cause for great celebrations, it is also a time when we have to be extremely cautious. I have witnessed two car crashes in the last two weeks that were so severe, the cars had no way of recovery, completely written off. One was a drunken driver, the other was a show off who was speeding and crashed/ fell in a ditch in broad daylight! Thankfully, no member of the public or passengers was involved or hurt in the makings of these un-accidents. The only people that sustained wounds were the careless drivers themselves and their poor cars.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"> Christmas is a time of giving in remembrance of the greatest gift bestowed upon mankind. The real reason for Christmas is Jesus Christ. In the middle of all the fire works, big bang theory, diamonds and ruby giving, we have to remember the reason for Christmas! We should be thankful to God for the greatest gift. In addition, it is through this gift that we have received salvation through grace. Where would be if God was indeed a man? If he was human, half of us will be gone by now, zapped, killed off with a wand each time we disobey, step out of line, misbehave and doing all those humanly things that we do. I remember one reader who approached me to make the point that I have not talked on this blog about my beliefs, my Christianity and why i am not writing devotionals like i should. In my head I unsheathed my fiapoto claws with the retort </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">"<i>My blog is mine alone and you can't tell me what to write! The title of this blog is 'Samoa Aviator' not 'Holier than thou' blog'. </i>It is not 'MY' Christianity, it is the lifestyle that we live as believers. It's not me me me. Christian means-CHRIST that lives in me, the I-A-N in the end, is I am nothing. In a whole phrase, this means <b>without Christ I am nothing</b>. At least this is my understanding of what it is to be christian. Being a christian is not to point the finger at others as 'they' or that we are better than them. I've come across people who think and proclaim themselves as Christians but on the first note of doing something they don't view as christian behaviour, hell, fire and brimstone will fall down on your head. They will also use one verse from the Bible to justify this passing of judgement. Let us not fall into the seat of judgement, let God be the judge. Proper judgement is used to discern what is good and bad, not WHO is good or bad, this proper judgement is according to God's measure, not man's. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">As a christian, if we are to judge anything or anyone, we ought to judge ourselves. We ought to search our hearts and minds if indeed we are living as Christ taught. To love one another as we love ourselves and to love God with all our being. Are we really trying? Do we live as we are commanded and not based on our perceptions on how we ought to live. What standards are we living by? We cannot know the mind of God and Christmas is the illustration of his ultimate love for us. In his limitless power, glory and might, he became one of us and dwelt among us. Now, we don't have a visible representation of him but as a believer we have faith in him and reading the scriptures to guide, correct, teach and sustain us.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">I love what <a href="http://www.christianpost.com/news/john-piper-salvation-not-a-decision-66530/" target="_blank">John Piper</a> says about faith:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;"></span><b><span style="color: #38761d;">Believing in Jesus is a soul coming to Jesus to be satisfied in all
that he is. That is my definition of faith on the basis of John 6:35. </span></b><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">Faith is âSeeing and savoring Jesus, being satisfied with all
that God is for us in Jesus, and trusting Jesus,â and that those three
things are âequivalent realities.â</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">But those realities should also
be apparent in our actions, </span><br />
<b><span style="color: #38761d;">When you treasure God in your soul, "you outwardly are set free from the
slavery of sins, which people can start to see, and you are set free
for the sacrifices of love, which people can see. So the root of your
salvation glorifies God privately, and the fruit of your salvation
glorifies God publicly."</span></b><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;">I don't have to write in this
blog of how christian I am. After all, actions speak louder than
words. I can preach about the love and all the other amazing
characteristics of God but if I don't SHOW that through my life, to the people around me, I will
be wasting my time giving lip service. I will be just another hypocrite
joining the masses. As for devotionals, devotion is a personal time
you spend with your God. You don't have to follow writings to be
devotional! It can range from five minutes of praying to a whole day of
meditating on the word of God. For me, devotional is a personal,
habitual must if we are to be living in Christ. This is where God
reveals himself to each person.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">At church, we stand with our fellow believers saying "AMEN" to God but devotional(s) is where you write your personal story with him. We may not be able to reveal in church our innermost secrets/ longings or shortcomings. You can do this via devotionals, here is where you are free to express these to our Creator. It may not be words at all, a song, a poem, a line!It really depends on your spirit and it's condition. So my reader, this address is for you. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">I am a christian and I do not have the answers to everything, only God has and that's okay. It's okay to not know everything, that will exhaust the human brain! It's okay to not be perfect, only God is, that will mean we are Gods, demi-Gods, Goddesses if we were perfect. Oh how boring and colour deprived the world would be if we were perfect!How un challenging and distasteful, that will mean we don't need God, there is no salvation because we can save ourselves. Fortunately we can't. In the true spirit of christmas, do something worthy. Even if you are not a christian, there is someone somewhere who needs a hand. Be safe and try to look through Christ's eyes if we can't use our own.</span></div>
Enarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03349119749327774946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914723943878105434.post-9130724889345518692013-12-12T17:56:00.002-08:002013-12-12T18:36:13.848-08:00Loved by Art<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OqVbSeGycMw/Uqpyd8bLp9I/AAAAAAAAATI/854M73jeV7g/s1600/1170779_578519945543635_957408504_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OqVbSeGycMw/Uqpyd8bLp9I/AAAAAAAAATI/854M73jeV7g/s1600/1170779_578519945543635_957408504_n.jpg" height="320" width="241" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OKwj-Jz4PdQ/UqpoWk9UmvI/AAAAAAAAAS4/NZ2jnU5QgFE/s1600/1233417_578484705547159_644491814_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OKwj-Jz4PdQ/UqpoWk9UmvI/AAAAAAAAAS4/NZ2jnU5QgFE/s1600/1233417_578484705547159_644491814_n.jpg" height="400" width="210" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75;">My sister Elizabeth (Lisa) <a href="https://www.facebook.com/extravagantpaintings?ref=hl" target="_blank">EWEST ART</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">I've always thought of myself as a future academic since I was playing in the sandbox at Sogi kindergarten. I wanted to study and study. In Primary school, I needed to top my class because I was told to. In college, I had to top because receiving a prize at the end was rewarding. Yes, I am competitive, I'm a little smart and still a student of life. There is greatness all around and within us because we are God's masterpieces. A few months ago, I founded <a href="http://enidwesterlund.blogspot.com/p/creative-page.html" target="_blank">Pele Project </a>after I fell
out of bed and hit my head on the creative side! Now I dream of
patterns, circles, colour combos running around my head. When I sit
in a room full of academics, CEOs, head of government departments in a
meeting, at a conference, in a general discussion, when the discussion gets a big repetitive my brain will switch to the artsy side. I will think dancing colours and lines and no I am not high! I was
waiting for it to go away, to leave me be but it simply won't. I was expected to be</span><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="color: #351c75;">be a civil engineer like my father</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75;">a farmer like my civil engineer-turned farmer father</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75;">entrepreneur like mother dearest</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75;">a writer because I'm good at it?</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75;">an aviator, a pilot because I flew planes as a student pilot for two years </span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75;">to make something of myself in the aviation world because that's where my passion lies</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75;">not to meddle in the arts because it's not in my genes, my genes are
pre-dominantly Science-Biology, Physics, Maths --no chemistry</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75;">to work at a desk and fumble with papers all my life</span></li>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">This creative fall has given a girl some bizarre and crazy ideas. One of them is to sit in the front row at a fashion show while models of all shapes and sizes (<strike>no anorexic models</strike>) walk that cat walk with big island smiles on their faces! I read that models are not allowed to smile! For crying out loud, most people don't look at the models, they are just hangers? so why would any one be bothered if they smile or not.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;">If you look at nature, the colours are infinite which depicts the artistic mind of God. The universe is bursting at the seams with art. The very fabric of the human race is made up of a myriad of colours. Most things that are magnified a hundred, thousand times have colour. I believe there are colours in nature that we have not yet discovered or named. Have you seen the ocean depth videos from Discovery Channel? Don't you wish you can touch all those fish? The plants and different species that live in the ocean are amazing.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Art is in our environment, our culture, our siva (dances), our people. This is where artists draw their inspiration from.There is no limit to art and there is no fence or cage to keep it locked. There are copycats, there are criminals, there are people with no original thought and lack the ability to think and create on their own. There are greedy people in this world and we can't avoid that. We all coexist. Have you counted the colours of starfish? Have you seen the different colours of the ocean? Yes yes, much for than fifty shades of grey! Have you felt the petals of frangipanis, bougainvillea, mosooi and their numerous forms?</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;">Something truly amazing happens when you put paint on paper. Something within us comes to life. We cannot help but create beautiful artistic masterpieces because this is a gift from our Creator. God put colour on this Earth so that people will enjoy them, so a conversation will start between Him and us. He painted the earth and us so intricately, patiently, softly, marvelously thus we are so 'fearfully and wonderfully made'. We forget at times that art is not just in paintings. Art is in movement or action, a spoken word, written word, art is everywhere. âThe great hall was shimmering in light, sun streaming from the open
windows, and ablaze with colour, the walls decorated with embroidered
hangings in rich shades of gold and crimson. New rushes had been strewn
about, fragrant with lavender, sweet woodruff, and balm... the air
was... perfumed with honeysuckle and violet, their seductive scents
luring in from the gardens butterflies as blue as the summer sky.â
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<span style="color: #351c75;">~<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/24655.Sharon_Kay_Penman">Sharon Kay Penman</a>,
<i>
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/6417943">Devil's Brood</a></i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Last week I was invited to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SamoaArtsCouncil" target="_blank">Samoa Arts Council's</a> Fashion and Art Show at Sinalei Reef Resort. It was a great night showcasing the arts. There was dancing, fashion,speeches, collaborations, networking and glorious food! I wish more people were there and I wish more Samoans took interest in studying, participating, preserving our OWN art instead of complaining when non-Samoans do. Unless we take ownership of our own art and give it the pedestal it deserves, others will keep copying, exploiting, selling, cheapening our art. We are proud when we hear of our tatau (tattoo) being discussed in international circles and we are proud of our Manu Samoa wearing tattooed jerseys on the field, we are proud to wear lavalavas for summer in New Zealand and Australia yet how little we know about the history! I for one know very little about the arts but I'm learning everyday. I don't know where most of our artwork/siva/designs/movements are from. There is room to learn, there is time to accumulate knowledge, there is time to wake up and take ownership of what's ours. Are those forms of art truly ours? They must have originated from somewhere and we may never know. I know all things start from the Creator so I can confidently say that art originated from the creator of the Universe!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span class="entity _586o" data-fulltext="'Culture for Sale; a Postcolonial VÜlkerschau' A lecture by Shigeyuki Kihara | Free event" data-group="all" data-icon="null" data-select="group" data-si="true" data-text="'Culture for Sale; a Postcolonial VÜlkerschau' A lecture by Shigeyuki Kihara | Free event" data-type="ent:event" data-uid="223945737729904">How else can we explain the wonder, the mystery, the beauty of art?</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;">âI found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way - things I had no words for.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;">Georgia O'Keeffeâ
</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;">â
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/140943.Georgia_O_Keeffe">Georgia O'Keeffe</a></span></div>
Enarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03349119749327774946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914723943878105434.post-88228786525915142862013-12-09T14:40:00.001-08:002013-12-09T14:40:45.742-08:00Pacific Skies<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75;">Participants for 59th ASPA General session (Photo by Leata Alaimoana)</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Last week was a stimulating week, definitely to the aviation senses! I participated in the <b>59th ASPA GENERAL SESSION, </b>5-6 December, 2013 at the Tanoa Tusitala Hotel, Apia Samoa. Association of South Pacific Airlines <a href="http://www.aspa.aero/Members.html" target="_blank">(ASPA)</a> was established at the
directive of the South Pacific Civil Aviation Council which met in Apia
on 22-23 June, 1978. The first meeting of regional airlines, held in
Suva on 7-8 March 1979 formally agreed to launch the Association of
South Pacific Airlines (ASPA). The inaugural meeting of ASPA took place
in Suva on 30-31 May 1979, when the Articles of Association were
adopted. ASPA is a trade association, representing the interests of
member airlines, and is operated on a not-for-profit basis.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">The main theme of this session was 'Business First, Safety Always'. There were important topics presented and discussed at the two day session. ASPA Secretary-General, George Faktaufon said the theme for this yearâs meeting is Business First,
Safety Alwaysâshifting the focus to the bottom line of any business
which is making money.
âThe reason we have this theme this year is that we have always been
safety driven and dealing with someone elseâs needs while our own needs,
to make money, have been neglected,â he said.
âWe can be safe as part of our business but if we cannot make money,
then we will not have a business to run. We will try to change the focus
to making money with safety being an important part of that process.â </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">IATA presented a paper on the aviation and environment challenges and opportunities. This was the first presentation about the role of the industry in addressing environmental issues such as gas emissions, carbon footprints and ways for airlines to look at some practical solutions. Then the state of the South Pacific industry was examined. So far, our small and medium airlines are doing well regardless of the limited resources that we have. Boeing of course came in with a positive outlook, everything is on the rise including South Pacific airlines looking to order new fleet,replacing old and dying aircraft. This also means there will be increasing upgrades to our current fleet as time goes by. Great for passengers and perhaps not so good for airlines as aircraft cost millions. Several companies presented new technology that could be an advantage to airlines in the future such as ticketing systems and distribution models. Other presentations included those of air traffic services and the vision of uniting the whole South Pacific flight regions. This may look and sound brilliant however, there must be an incredible amount of dialogue as each island has sovereignty over their own airspace. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Our South Pacific aviation industry is not independent, it heavily relies on other service providers for its continuous survival. What I took away from this session is that no matter how expensive our aircraft is, how brilliant the customer service may be but if we do not put 'bums on plane seats' our airline business remains risky. <b>In addition, before we focus on controlling operations and adopting fancy safety management systems that will cost us time and money, we must know our standards first because we cannot improve on what we don't know.</b> Our quality assurance systems are never 100% full proof, they are unreliable as we do not have consistent auditing results. Much work has to be done and this will not be done overnight. We have to keep cooperating as small islands and learn in order to improve and keep our aviation industry afloat. We may be small and isolated but together we are the South Pacific. Together, we work for our people and this in itself should be a catapulting motivator to do better, to hope for the best.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">"When once you have tasted flight, you
will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward,
for there you have been, and there you will always long
to return." ~ Unknown</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>Enarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03349119749327774946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914723943878105434.post-8225848164352682922013-12-03T18:34:00.004-08:002013-12-03T18:34:40.125-08:00GOOD HEARTS<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dhrAJerly5k/Up6Ud8CX_tI/AAAAAAAAASU/_blAYe412_o/s1600/Doctor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dhrAJerly5k/Up6Ud8CX_tI/AAAAAAAAASU/_blAYe412_o/s1600/Doctor.jpg" height="320" width="285" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Adokablesundies.com</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"> Today, I woke up feeling a bit better from last night. No, there was no hangover or panda eyes, just an appreciation for life and most importantly health, recovering well from a nasty flu bug that's been binging everyone on the nose. I went to see the optometrist on Monday and my eyes are healthy, except that my left eye is slightly weaker than my right and my new specs will be adjusted accordingly. While waiting for the optometrist to arrive, I sat in front of her office thinking how fortunate I am, to know about the health services offered at the Hospital including the <a href="http://www.samoaobserver.ws/other/aid-n-support/6972-pacific-eye-institute-outreach-in-samoa" target="_blank">Samoa Vision Services </a>and also the means to get there. I have been in the hospital when the Emergency/Out Patient Unit with so many people waiting, babies crying, old men twitching nervously waiting for their daughters and very sick people complaining about the Health Services. Doctors receive the most complaints about how 'slow' and 'uncaring' they are towards their patients. I have heard patients' complaints each time. I have heard people tell the doctor what they need because for some reason, the doctor was not smart enough to know their symptoms and appropriate medication? Is the service slow? Yes, sometimes. Are they uncaring? I think not. Sure, health professionals take their time seeing patients and the outpatient probably receives more visits than any other section of the hospital on any given day. They also receive the most complaints because of the number of beds available. I have heard some rather absurd, funny stories while waiting in the same section. Samoans love to exaggerate and are great storytellers. One woman told me that she was dying and that she could hardly breath. From what I could see, she was experiencing an allergic reaction to something she consumed or was close to. With my Form 6 Biology class knowledge, I asked her several questions <strike>(playing the doctor)</strike>, if she had eaten something she's never had before and if she was allergic to certain foods. The poor woman did not know what 'allergic' meant and claimed she had eaten octopus in coconut cream. Bingo! Soon after, it was her turn to see the doctor and I was right, allergic reaction to octopus, she was not dying.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"> November/December are thanksgiving months. This is the time of year we reflect on the last ten months expressing thankful prayers for God's protection and guidance in bringing us thus far. For adding each new day to our lives despite the trials we go through and days where we just do not want to get out of bed, we are still here, air in and out of lungs, we are thankful. Today, I thank God for my health and even though I have been feeling under the weather these past few days, I am still here. I thank him for professionals such as doctors, optometrists, nutritionists, nurses and other health professionals that work in Samoa. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Looking after peoples' health is not an easy job. <span lang="EN-US">I have five close friends who are doctors
in different fields and I will never envy them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Their job is hard, trying, challenging,sad and mostly rewarding.</span> I have sat at dinner tables with them discussing the pressures of work. I have listened to the horror stories about teenagers giving birth, patients' families telling them off, older nurses embarrassing them in front of patients and many dates we've missed due to their busy work schedules. I have seen the toll that medicine life has taken on them. These are the same friends I've had since primary school days, one I knew since I was 3. I have one friend who was just ready to quit and change professions because of the pressures that our people exert on them. They graduated young, only 23/24 and thrown into the Samoan arena without a life jacket. They had to find their way and learning procedures fast including several defense mechanisms when people complain to them, about them and so forth. All these confirm that I should never be a doctor. First, I do not have the patience and I don't have the stomach to cut people up. The only time I would want to be a doctor is when a close friend or family member is in pain.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"> Doctors are some of the most hard working people. They can work anywhere from 8 to 24 hours depending on the number of staff available. If you are a student contemplating on being the cool doctor like the twitchy, old and limping guy in 'House', earning thousands of dollars, owning a <span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">brand new car/house after working for 3 years in Samoa, I promise you now that you will be sorely disappointed.<span style="mso-list: Ignore;"> Then again, if you ask most doctors, they don't 'do it for the money'. They do it for our people because we do not have a choice or the monetary power to attract first class medical professionals from overseas to look after our hospital all year round. In addition, if you are a doctor you will be </span></span><span lang="EN-US">peed on, puked on,sworn at and at some point you will have all sorts of bodily fluids sprayed across your face. Let his blog be an encouragement and also an informative note to our people.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span lang="EN-US">Samoans are people of courage and are very proud but somehow these attributes rarely drift to our health genes. Most people wait until they think they are dying before going to the hospital. Sometimes, they leave little infections long enough to develop into cancerous and elephant sized problems and by then it's too late. Understandably, there are many contributing factors such as poor diet, lack of exercise, bad habits that lead to poor health. There are preventive measures we can take to be better at looking after ourselves. We are hospitable people, we break out the fine china, the brand new sheets/towels when we have visitors while we use the broken dishes and the beat up towels with holes for our own use. Why do we do these to ourselves? Why do we save the best for others? Today we should start using our brand new things for ourselves and our family. Today we should look after ourselves better. Today, we should be more patient with our doctors and health professionals just like they are with us. Today, we should encourage those who have good hearts, healthy brains, who want to be health professionals in the future to do so. People will always find something to complain about whether it's at the hospital or restaurant. Today, we should be thankful that God exists and he is in control of everything regardless of what our mere opinions or lack thereof of him. Take care of our bodies, it's the only place we have to live in and no wonder the bible says it's a temple. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">I leave you now with this beautiful quote</span>;</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">'T<span>he thousand mysteries around us would not trouble but interest us, if only we had cheerful, healthy hearts.</span><br /> ~~Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche~~</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong></strong></span></span></h3>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong><span></span></strong></span><span class="bqQuoteLink"><a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/d/dalailama108821.html" title="view quote"></a></span><a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/philosophy.html#zopFHZEoRYJ1HJOX.99"></a></span>Enarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03349119749327774946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914723943878105434.post-57633921902252926962013-12-02T19:34:00.004-08:002013-12-02T19:36:56.170-08:00Where are the turtles?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #351c75;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3kpRs4lBAGk/Up1GJ5ZAEjI/AAAAAAAAAR0/rjPkSl-iWjs/s1600/Turtles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3kpRs4lBAGk/Up1GJ5ZAEjI/AAAAAAAAAR0/rjPkSl-iWjs/s1600/Turtles.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="background-color: white;">Photo by: gardenofeden</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="background-color: white;">While the world is lamenting about sports and the consistent disappointed resulting from men kicking a lopsided ball around, yes I feel your pain and I lament along with you, there are many more urgent matters that need our attention. Matters that are very close to home and those that can very well affect the health of rugby in the future.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="background-color: white;">Last week on Friday, while I was sitting in the MNRE conference room, listening to brilliant lawyers explaining the foundation to the 'Trade in endangered species Bill 2013". I reminisced about my younger days at St Mary's Savalalo, the delight of seeing a real life turtle for the first time. This consultation provided an overview of a new Bill aiming to protect and conserve Samoa's endangered fauna and flora. They also provided an overview of the Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="background-color: white;">There are many things to fear in this world and more so for the unknown. One of them is not having trees or animals around, we need them as much as they need us. When was the last time you saw a mother turtle giving birth in/on the sands of our beaches? I vaguely remember such a sight when I was a child, walking along the beach at Mulivai Safata. Have you seen a flying fox sucking on fruits high up in the tree? I did in front of my grandma's house, hanging from her soursop tree and also many times at the market, feeding on fruits as some people kept them as pets. Have you seen dolphins in family groups guiding the ferry to Savaii? I did happily many times on the way to the big island before the nausea settled in. Have you had the pleasure of collecting so many sand dollars you didn't have enough space for them in your pockets/buckets? I have when we used to go to the beach on Sunday, before there were sea walls and resorts. Have you seen hundreds of fish swimming, playing around and beneath you before they go off and do other fishy things? I have at the back of the old Savalalo market where the fish market is currently located. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="background-color: white;">These are rarely experienced by our young people these days. They have to go on their expensive phones to download an app that look like fish swimming and turtles flying in all their glory. Some of our native birds, animals and plant species are either endangered, vulnerable, critically endangered and nearing extinction. This is not specific to Samoa, it's a global experience. With greed and money comes more greed and money. People ignore that small voice in their heads when it comes to poaching, exploiting, shipping, killing and selling anything and everything in exchange for a few dollars for a few beers.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="background-color: white;">The first creature that came to mind during this discussion was the gentle, slow moving, quiet turtle. We also have the manumea and the Samoan flying fox (Pteropus samoensis). The pe'a is a
CITES-listed species that is endangered by subsistence hunting and by
commercial hunting for markets in the western Pacific (Brautigam and
Elmqvist 1990). Other species include Samoan wood rail (Pareudiastes
pacificus) that are endangered, exploited and probably close to extinction. The Australian gray duck (Anas supercilliosia),
purple swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio samoensis), many-colored
fruit-dove (Ptilinopus perousii perousii), Samoan ground-dove
(Gallicolumba stairi stairi), maâo (Gymnomyza samoensis), and island
thrush (Turdus poliocephalus samoensis) are all endangered or threatened
(Merlin and Juvik 1983). </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="background-color: white;">Some of these species are endangered due to </span></span><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habitat_loss" title="Habitat loss">habitat loss</a> and commercial hunting. While this has nothing to do with rugby, it has everything to do with health. If we keep turning a blind eye, soon enough, more of the species that live among us will die off expanding the </span></span><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://worldwildlife.org/species/directory?direction=asc&sort=extinction_status" target="_blank">List of endagenered, and critically endagnered species and contracting the life experiences list. </a></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="background-color: white;">The next generation will keep downloading applications to know what a flying fox looks like. The MNRE Bill has included words such as 'endangered, threatened, exploited species'. One can apply for an export or import permit with conditions. There are provisions to ensure the safety and protection of species coming to and going out of Samoa. Like all other Bills, Acts, Regulations, it may look excellent on paper but if the implementation falls short of being implemented then MNRE's hard work and brilliant minds will go to waste. Truthfully, I saw two very large turtle shells being sold on the side of the street on my way back from the airport the week before. We may hope for the best and draft a great legislation with nice words used by academics but if we fail to deliver this to our own people, more turtle shells and bat brains will be lining the street. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="background-color: white;">Next time we buy handicrafts, ask where they are from...think twice whether we are willing to be participants in killing off our own endangered, native species. We need them as much as they need us. It will be a sad day when we take our children to Aquatic centres and they are empty, no turtles, sharks, dolphins, star fish or any of those squishy, fishy sometimes slimy creatures to enjoy. If we are heartbroken, losing sleep, appetite and the will to watch rugby tv anymore because of our Manu Samoa then we should definitely lose something over ignoring the world around us.</span></span></div>
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<b>Each species on our planet plays a role in the healthy functioning of natural ecosystems, on which humans depend. - William H. Schlesinger .</b></div>
Enarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03349119749327774946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914723943878105434.post-63021087004212334832013-11-26T16:56:00.000-08:002013-11-27T11:16:55.721-08:00Germany comes to Samoa<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">On a bright, full-house, pro-grandpa funeral Sunday, we just finished church and were getting ready to partake in the biggest meal of the week, when a car pulled up in front of our house. Out came a tall strawberry blonde woman, another blond man and my relative Rudy.Nauer. They chatted lightly with some of my uncles and aunts that were outside.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Usually, when we have visitors, they either come for the farm or a talk with my papa. I ran upstairs to change into toonai gear and grabbed a pen and paper. During this time I overheard the relatives talking about our German family, how they came to Samoa, my grandpa Norman who had just been laid to rest and sleeping in the ground. Quickly, I grabbed my camera because if my ears weren't fooling me, this was an opportunity not to be missed. I had real-life German cousins coming to find us!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">I came outside and introduced myself. This was the first time I introduced myself as my great-grand mothers child, usually we say our parents' names. Kathrin Stalder, my third cousin was new to Samoa, who just happened to be on a family finding odyssey with her husband and had written out our family tree on a piece of paper. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">They were warm and excited. My first question was : How did you find us? What made you get off your couch and come all the way to Samoa? She found us through the TV thank you note, that we sent out to thank all those who attended grandpa's funeral. When they heard 'Nauer' on TV, they quickly switched on and went to find the Nauers. They found Rudy and then Rudy brought them to us. I chuckled to myself and thought </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">'<i>This grandfather of mine is some kind of funny, he dies and then gets his family to come ask about him</i>'. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">It was a walk down memory lane, talking about him and his brothers, his late mother Louisa.Pereira.Nauer to his niece and nephew from Germany. Kathrin decided that it was her mission to find her family in Samoa and saw the need to establish a bond with us because we came from Nauers and we still have a lot of family back in Germany that want to know us.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Like any inquisitive person, I wanted to know if they were indeed family. Kathrin's grandmother is my grandfather's first cousin. Our great-grand parents were siblings. She has family who are also named Adolf, Louisa,Hermine, Conrad,all good old traditional German names that go way back into our family history. We were all excited as my cousin Richard tried to do the same when he was playing rugby in the UK. On his big Euro trip, he went to Germany, swam in the river and tried to find his Nauer side, too bad there was no thank you note on the TV to guide him to them. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">I was sad to discover that the girls were sent back to Germany because of the war and the boys stayed behind (Samoa) to preserve the family name? I don't know, whether their parents were wise in sending back the girls, I'm not sure. We had family that were in concentration camps and died during the holocaust. The greatgrand uncles that were send out married women from different nationalities and alas, we are all fruit salads!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Family is not just an important thing in the Samoan culture, they are everything. Whatever we do and wherever we are, if anyone in our family comes across a mishap or tragedy, there is an unbreakable bond that makes our eyes water. There is an invisible rope that tightens around our hearts at the thought of them. When they are excited, we laugh alongside them, when they cry we lament with them. </span></div>
<div id="r1PostCPBlock" style="background-color: white; border: medium none; left: -99999px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span class="bqQuoteLink"><a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/l/laotzu132303.html" title="view quote">In
dwelling, live close to the ground. In thinking, keep to the simple. In
conflict, be fair and generous. In governing, don't try to control. In
work, do what you enjoy. In family life, be completely present.</a></span></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span class="bodybold"><a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/l/lao_tzu.html" title="view author">Lao Tzu</a></span>
<br />Read more at <a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/family_life.html#qlUqf3gxZxRu7j5b.99">http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/family_life.html#qlUqf3gxZxRu7j5b.99</a></span></div>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div id="r1PostCPBlock" style="background-color: white; border: medium none; left: -99999px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span class="bqQuoteLink"><a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/l/laotzu132303.html" title="view quote">In
dwelling, live close to the ground. In thinking, keep to the simple. In
conflict, be fair and generous. In governing, don't try to control. In
work, do what you enjoy. In family life, be completely present.</a></span></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span class="bodybold"><a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/l/lao_tzu.html" title="view author">Lao Tzu</a></span>
<br />Read more at <a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/family_life.html#qlUqf3gxZxRu7j5b.99">http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/family_life.html#qlUqf3gxZxRu7j5b.99</a></span></div>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KCQ9477192Q/UpO5Nhi5nrI/AAAAAAAAARQ/11MAgkJZmxg/s1600/IMG_0758.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="251" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KCQ9477192Q/UpO5Nhi5nrI/AAAAAAAAARQ/11MAgkJZmxg/s320/IMG_0758.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75;">From left-right: Peter, <b class="_36"><a data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/hovercard.php?id=1121157822&extragetparams=%7B%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/kathrin.stalder.5" id="js_88">Kathrin Stalder (cousin), Conrad,Donna, Maria, Rosita,Cassandra , Richard, Enid (me), Rudy Nauer.</a></b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XH7aj0AxYi0/UpUrlPnwK6I/AAAAAAAAARk/V99kTewm4O8/s1600/IMG_0756.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XH7aj0AxYi0/UpUrlPnwK6I/AAAAAAAAARk/V99kTewm4O8/s1600/IMG_0756.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75;">My family tree on paper</span></td></tr>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> Thank you Kathrin for coming to seek us out, we do hope we will have a great family get together in Germany in the near future. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">In dwelling, live close to the ground. In thinking, keep to
the simple. In conflict, be fair and generous. In governing, don't try to
control. In work, do what you enjoy. In family life, be completely present.</span></span></div>
<span style="color: #351c75;">
</span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Lao Tzu</span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Enarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03349119749327774946noreply@blogger.com0