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Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Skywatch Friday: Remembering Samoa Tsunami





http://skyley.blogspot.com/href="http://skyley.blogspot.com/">

Today, our winter is back, a drizzling grey sky. I woke up to read this strange news. How uncanny is that. My grandfather used to tell us, there are spirits, the unhappy ones, to be more direct, they are Ghosts.

The photo shows the most of the trees are still barren. Last year, these Samoan boys were raising funds for the Tsunami. They are wearing their lava-lava.

APIA - An earthquake was felt today in Samoa almost at the same hour the
tsunami struck a year ago.

With a magnitude of 5.5 it was significantly less than the the 8.8
earthquake which caused the tsunami that Samoa is commemorating today.

The event today which lasted mere seconds occurred at 08.49am local time
(7.49am NZT) while survivors of the tsunami from last year were
preparing for commemorative services to remember those who perished.

According to the Europe Centre of Seismology the epicentre of the 40km
deep quake was 201km from South Siumu, which is one of the areas that
was severely hit by the tsunami last year.

Fortunately it did not last long although some locals were unsettled by
the event.

Thousands of Samoans are today remembering the 149 residents and
tourists killed in last year's tsunami, with services beginning early
this morning. Another 34 people were killed in American Samoa and nine
in Tonga.
http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/world/8042647/quake-rocks-samoa-on-tsunami-anniversary/

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

ABC Wednesday/Thursday Theme Song: K





http://abcwednesdayround3.blogspot.com/
ABC Wednesday is hosted by Mrs. Denise Nesbitt


hootin--anni has a new meme.
IT'S ALL ABOUT MY NEW MEME THAT I HOPE SOME WILL FEEL LIKE JOINING IN ON THE CHALLENGE AND THE FUN [at least I hope the weekly challenge will be fun!]. It's loosely based on song lyrics [recorded songs since the beginning of time to today] and associating them with photos of yours...as I've done in the past...If you click on the link above, it'll take you to the Meme's Homepage for rules and buttons. There will be a Mr. Linky Widget for each individual week also. Do consider joining me sometime. Hope to see it flourish in time.
http://hootin--anni.blogspot.com/


Marion Sinclair wrote this Australian Icon and classic song, Kookaburra sits in the old Gum tree. She wrote it in 1934 for a girl guide music competition. Half a century ago, my teacher taught me to sing this song in Methodist school, Sibu. I was singing in rounds and had no idea why the king was singing in the tree, or up the tree.

Back then, there were no copyright infringement, and the song was sung by the girl guides and some schools like mine in Borneo to the mountains of America. I, LOL, when I heard about the legal spat that The Down Under men at work were sued by Larrikin that they stole their song.

I took these photos when I was in Brisbane, Australia. I was attracted by the laughing of the bird. I looked up the gum tree and saw the two kookaburras.


Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree
Merry, merry king of the bush is he
Laugh, Kookaburra! Laugh, Kookaburra!
Gay your life must be

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree
Eating all the gum drops he can see
Stop, Kookaburra! Stop, Kookaburra!
Leave some there for me

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree
Counting all the monkeys he can see
Stop, Kookaburra! Stop, Kookaburra!
That's not a monkey that's me

Kookaburra sits on a rusty nail
Gets a boo-boo in his tail
Cry, Kookaburra! Cry, kookaburra!
Oh how life can be


Monday, September 27, 2010

watery wednesday: Will I be rich?




http://waterywednesday.blogspot.com/
I used to sing," que que sera, what ever will be will be? The future's not ours to see, que que sera"

My future is not to live in a mansion with a private jetty and a boat. I did visit some one living there and had a glimpse of how people on the other side live.

mellow yellow Monday: Yellow chairs



http://mellowyellowmonday.blogspot.com/

For tired little legs of dog owners during the Dog's Big Day out, the organisers got these beautiful little chairs. Most of them are yellow.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

scenic sunday: Dog walk and fun day











href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-899-CzXQWItUfFyjSFOjxOGTEkQROWseDRIH7E7c9vaS4cU9uY0dAvNwmXzEF3utxzHVq1OPmL1XKT3YtWP1_Y3xCVsYQlOtJdAYWoaTaJ-tSZW375nF4eqFVAr-h783_IcGshSyI0Bu/s1600-h/scenic+sunday.jpg">
http://scenicsunday.blogspot.com/
Champ Wag 'n Walk 2010

Sunday 26th September
Windsor Reserve, Devonport, Auckland
Official Charity of the Champ Wag 'n Walk for 2010 is Paw JusticeEDUCATION- ADVOCACY- POSITIVE ACTION

www.pawjustice.co.nz

Paw Justice is an organization that was formed to help deal with the problems of animal abuse and neglect, which has grown at an alarming rate which is stretching the resources of all animal welfare agencies. We have taken upon ourselves to fight for your animal's rights. We love and appreciate the work that is done by all animal shelters but even they could not forsee the rapid increase in animal abuse within our society.

This is why Paw Justice was created, as we believe that there is no excuse for this shocking behavior.
Paw justice is for YOUR pet, this is YOUR campaign to give YOUR pet a voice.
Champ Puppy Reunion
This year for the first time we will have a designated area for you to reconnect with your puppy siblings. It's as easy as choosing a meeting time for your group, setting up an event or joining someone else's on Facebook.

I was at Windsor Reserve in Devonport today and saw the preparation for tomorrow. Looks that it is a very big thing, and the logistics of it all is overwhelming. I asked a couple of workers what the occasion was for and one of them gave me a brochure.

Dogs get a free bowl and free food when they enter.

However, on behalf of all the cats, I want to say," What about me? Isn't paw Justice for me too?" LOL.

Click on this link for tonight (Sunday's news.)
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/thousands-turn-biggest-dog-walk-00-40-video-3801523/video

weekend reflection: Television New Zealand



Here is where I get to watch all the CSI, Masterchef, Amazing Race, Survivor and all the shows that come from overseas. This is located next to the Auckland sky city.

http://newtowndailyphoto.blogspot.com/

Friday, September 24, 2010

skywatch Friday: Winter sun




http://skyley.blogspot.com/href="http://skyley.blogspot.com/">

In the mountains of Tongariro, the sky was clear at the early winter. The air is crisp and unpolluted.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Thursday Theme Song: Winter Song







hootin--anni has a new meme.
IT'S ALL ABOUT MY NEW MEME THAT I HOPE SOME WILL FEEL LIKE JOINING IN ON THE CHALLENGE AND THE FUN [at least I hope the weekly challenge will be fun!]. It's loosely based on song lyrics [recorded songs since the beginning of time to today] and associating them with photos of yours...as I've done in the past...If you click on the link above, it'll take you to the Meme's Homepage for rules and buttons. There will be a Mr. Linky Widget for each individual week also. Do consider joining me sometime. Hope to see it flourish in time.
http://hootin--anni.blogspot.com/
Severe snow, wind and rain is expected to continue to batter parts of the country. MetService said a bitterly cold southwest flow was expected to spread over the lower South Island with snow lowering to near sea level later today.

Southlanders already dealing with the effects of the weekend's storm were being urged to prepare for more snow and rain over the next two days.

My choice for this week: Dedicated to the New Zealanders living in Southland who are experiencing a chill wind of minus five degrees C.

Winter song
It's a cold, cold feeling
On a real lazy wind
That blows all the way trough you
And the autumn begins

How it cuts like a sabre
How it chills to the bone
You've got cold feet and fingers
And you're thinking of home

If I put my arms around you
Turn you in from the storm
From your autumn through winter
Darling I'll keep you warm

My overcoat's empty
Deep, wide and long
I got room for you darling
till your winter, till your winter has gone

Artist(Band):Chris Rea

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

ABC Wednesday: Letter J

Japanese Udon noodles are my son's favourite. Once we went to one of the most expensive Japanese Restaurant in the Shangrila hotel in Singapore. The udon noodles he ordered wasn't like his mum's udon noodles and he told the poor waitress that he didn't like it. The manager came to apologise and gave him a complimentary bowl. He ate it but still insisted that it wasn't like his mum's. Should I laugh and feel honored?
These photos are uncooked udon, because his mum is keeping her recipe a secret. LOL. Actually I cook it so often that I didn't think of taking a photo.




I was running late, the cars were moving at a snail pace. In fact they were not moving at all. I was sitting at the bridge wondering if there was an accident. When I eventually got to the end of the bridge some sixty minutes later, I see this technician fiddling with the traffic control signal. I pitied him because it was a cold morning and a gale was blowing. He must be feeling the vibes of the motorists hot under the collar and cursing him for the JAM.

http://abcwednesdayround3.blogspot.com/
ABC Wednesday is hosted by Mrs. Denise Nesbitt

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Watery Wednesday: Penang




http://waterywednesday.blogspot.com/

From the snowy Southland of New Zealand, and the hail storms of Auckland, I dedicate this post to http://rainfield61.blogspot.com/ of sunny Penang. "The Pearl of the East aka "The Pearl of the Orient", "东方花园". I love visiting the Botanical Gardens and didn't mind the humidity and the heat.

Monday, September 20, 2010

yellow mellow Monday: Yellow in the snow



http://mellowyellowmonday.blogspot.com/

My kids asked why I wear my yellow ski pants. I told them, Once upon a time, some one very smart told me if you wear yellow and you get lost, the rescuers can find you easily. That's why I bought my yellow pants.

For this week, my theme will be dedicated to the snow in Southland.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

scenic sunday: snow storm.



href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-899-CzXQWItUfFyjSFOjxOGTEkQROWseDRIH7E7c9vaS4cU9uY0dAvNwmXzEF3utxzHVq1OPmL1XKT3YtWP1_Y3xCVsYQlOtJdAYWoaTaJ-tSZW375nF4eqFVAr-h783_IcGshSyI0Bu/s1600-h/scenic+sunday.jpg">
http://scenicsunday.blogspot.com/

The weather beast brought a dumping of snow. While those on the ski fields enjoy the snow, parts of Southland were declared a civil emergency.

Heavy snowfall has caused the roof of Invercargill's stadium to collapse.

Stadium Southland, which houses an indoor cycling velodrome, lost its roof and suffered significant damage this morning.

The Fire Service was called to the scene at about 11.30am and the building evacuated.

Stadium manager Nigel Skelt told TV3 it was a sad day for Invercargill.

"The building is an iconic one and we have lost it."

He said a group of young tennis players in the building - which is only 10 years old - were lucky not to have been killed or injured.

Southland Civil Defence group controller Neil Cruickshank said the stadium had suffered major damage to the roof and the structural integrity of the building had been compromised.

Weatherwatch.co.nz's Philip Duncan says a bitterly cold wind-flow is causing heavy snowfall and some people have said it's the heaviest they've seen in decades.

Friday, September 17, 2010

weekend reflection:Pet




http://newtowndailyphoto.blogspot.com/
In Australia, my brother in law found this lorikeet on the roadside and it was being attacked by other birds. He rescued it and brought it home. We think that it had been a pet as it is very tame. Here it sits on Olivia's head.

Skywatch Friday: Weather beast




http://skyley.blogspot.com/href="http://skyley.blogspot.com/">

I was driving to dinner when the sky flashed and cracked, and pelted us with hail. I was wondering if I should turn around and head home.

New Zealanders are being advised to batten down the hatches and stay away from the beaches as a huge storm bears down on the country.

The wild weather is expected to bring extreme conditions over the next 48 hours, including gale force winds, heavy rain and bitterly cold temperatures.

The same weather system is already causing major problems in Tasmania with thousands of homes left without power as strong winds, snow and surf batter the state.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that Tasmanians were experiencing their coldest day in decades.

Philip Duncan, forecaster for WeatherWatch.co.nz, said the weather was the result of one of the largest storms on the planet, the size of Australia and the centre of which was churning away about 1000km south of New Zealand.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Thursday Theme Song: Batman



THE LYRICS:

To the Batmobile,
let's go!
Atomic batteries to power,
turbines to speed
Roger, ready to move out
Batman!, Batman!, Batman!, Batman! Batman,Batman,Batman! Batman,Batman,Batman!
Duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh BATMAN!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qP-NglUeZU&feature=related

When I was young, I never liked the Super Hero Comics that my big brother borrowed, with the exception of Superman. Now, my students like them and come to school in their costumes. So recently, I made myself to watch Spiderman so I can relate to them and sing along.

Actually this batman song has been imprinted in my head. Twenty years ago, my second daughter was two and couldn't talk, but she was singing ma ma ma ma ma Batman.




http://hootin--anni.blogspot.com/