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Tuesday, February 28, 2012

ABC Wed: Letter G,






The students from Diocesan school for girls to help us build our pizza oven.




This is not a photo shop, I haven't learnt how to do it.

A Sunday outing this afternoon at my favourite Western Springs park got me all excited. Do count, how many goslings there are. I counted 17 or 18. Ka Pai aka good job, Goosey Lucy and Daddy Gander.

In a previous post,http://ann-mythoughtsandphotos.blogspot.com/2009/09/goslings-in-western-springs.html I mentioned there were aunties, and indeed, there was an adult goose tagging along mummy and daddy. They swam a whole stretch of over one hundred meters each way like a fleet of naval boats.

I invite you all to come to New Zealand to witness this marvelous sight.



Sea Gulls are bossy birds. They squawk very loudly, and they monopolise big and best spaces. Once I was at Potters park. The weather was very hot. All the pigoens were outside in the field, the sea gulls were in the rotunda shielded from the hot sun.





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Monday, February 27, 2012

Making your pizza in school.





We are very lucky to have the students from Diocesan school for girls to help us build our pizza oven. Under the instruction of Ron Sperber of earthwhile.co.nz, they and our senior students built what I dub as a traditional oven using traditional material. They use dirt, sand and wood chips and lots of leg grease.

I will post more on this. I spoke with Ron briefly and he told me he is involved with http:http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif//earthwhile.co.nz/composting_kids-dvd/ which fits nicely with my Save the world theme.

http://annsnowchin.blogspot.co.nz/2012/02/ruby-redrednesday-making-pizza-in.html

http://annkschin.blogspot.co.nz/2012/02/pizza-making-in-school-3.html



http://mellowyellowmonday.blogspot.com/




http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com/

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Save the World/Thursday Theme Song: We shall not be moved.

Oliver's like a tree by the water, we shall not be moved.

When I was growing up in Borneo, the Government was very strict, any one deemed to be protesting would be thrown to jail aka eating curry rice. So when the first time I had a chance to protest, I went. I was in Windsor, Ontario in Canada in the mid 1970s.

It was a student led protest against the University of Windsor's decision to increase the fees of international students. My lecturer of International Economics led the protest and we went round the university, into the lecture halls, singing We shall not be moved. My friends told me that I was crazy to join the protest. There were spies everywhere and when I returned to Borneo, I will be hauled to Hotel "Hilton Sibu" and made to eat curry rice.

Oliver, the protestor.














It seems things have changed, people are not afraid to protest. Today, my artist friend Oliver Wong was in a 15,000 strong protest march in Kuantan, Malaysia for anti-Lynas rally.




Oliver, his wife, and his friends were rallying to oppose the construction of a rare earth refinery nearby, which they fear will pose radioactive risks.





The rally - dubbed Himpunan Hijau 2.0 (Green Gathering 2.0) - gathered people from all over the country at the Kuantan Municipal Council field.

http://www.isarawak.com.my/v2010/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1304%3A15000-swarm-kuantan-for-anti-lynas-rally&catid=34%3Anews&Itemid=53


http://annkschin.blogspot.co.nz/2012/01/save-world-artist-oliver-wong-dancing.html



Oliver, when I knew him as a university student in 1978 in Auckland New Zealand

http://ollieartgallery.blogspot.com/


We shall not, we shall not be moved
We shall not, we shall not be moved
Just like a tree that's standing by the water
We shall not be moved

We Shall Not Be Moved" is a traditional American folk song whose lyrics probably stretch back to the slave era, although there is no indication of when the song was written or who wrote it. It is a spiritual song that was adapted by the activists of the 1930s, with lyrics changed to "We Shall Not Be Moved," similarly to how "We Shall Overcome" took on the collective voice in protest rather than its original singular voice.


http://youtu.be/M_LtPSlWwxA




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



http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com/

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Photohunt: Loud



A Seagull squawking very LOUD protecting the Omaha bird santuary as he perches at the warning sign.





This week's topic is LOUD


http://whistlestopphotohunt.blogspot.co.nz/

Friday, February 24, 2012

Plunket and me.





I’ve signed up as an online collector for Plunket's 2012 Appeal.

Plunket’s Appeal raises vital funds for a wide variety of services , such as parenting education courses, car seat safety schemes, education in schools, toy libraries and many other valuable resources and programmes.

In the 80s, I was a young mum 3 times. I had no family in New Zealand. Plunket was family to me. Plunket's care was epitomised when I was sick when I was pregnant with Andrew and after he had died. I could never repay what Plunket did for me. I tried by collecting door to door, I tried by writing about Plunket. I wrote in detail about Plunket's help in my book and in my other posts.

Diary of a bereaved Mother http://annkitsuetchin.blogspot.co.nz/

http://ann-mythoughtsandphotos.blogspot.co.nz/2010/11/christmas-in-rocket-park-2010-and.html

http://annkschin.blogspot.co.nz/2009/06/plunket-society.html
These services rely on community support to keep going. Your support will assist Plunket to give every New Zealand child the best start in life.

Please consider making a small donation, every dollar counts. Thank you for your support!


This year they're trying something a bit different: an online version of the traditional street collection. Please click on this link:



http://appealcollector.plunket.org.nz/collect/annchinplunketappeal
ann Chin

weekend reflection: shopping mall








http:http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif//weekendreflection.blogspot.com

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

ABC Wed: F for First Anniversary of the Christchurch Earthquake., Thursday Theme Song

Today is the FIRST anniversary of the Earth quake in Christchurch New Zealand. It is on the lips of many, "Where were you on FEBRUARY 22, 2011?"



At 12.51, a terrible earthquake struck our second biggest city. Many buildings FELL, 185 people died, people had FEELINGS of FRUSTRATION.


We wore red and black, Christchurch/Canterbury's colours to show we suffer as a FAMILY. The children in school had to give a gold coin donations for Christchurch Relief FUND The school was a sea of red and black.





I went with my adopted /KAI mum to see the ruins. WE went with my adopted sisters King, Lynn and Peng.







Last August, one week end, I visited friends, and Jenny drove me out to the fringes where the public was allowed it go. It was somber.
Christchurch was a beautiful garden city. Very English and you may be forgiven if you thought you were in England. I first went there in 1978 when my brother Charles and Sis in law Karen took me there. We went punting in the Avon river. You can't do it any more.
Listen to Bruce Springsteen's song.
http://annsnowchin.blogspot.com/2011/08/thursday-theme-song-my-city-of-ruin.html


This post is for all the Canterbians. I am a bereaved mum, and I feel for all the mums whose arms are empty. The people are strong and resilient. they have hope for the FUTURE. FRIENDSHIP were forged and people helped and care for one another. People gave FOOD from the whole country. FIREMAN helped to douse FIRE. People say we will be FINE, we will not be defeated.










http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sO-ds1-9yPw

I went to the earthquake ravaged city of Christchurch one weekend in August last year, and saw the rubbles. My heart bled to see these historical building turned to ruins. 185 people died in the earthquake on 22 Feb 2011.
Bruce Springsteen's My City of Ruin was adopted by the people of Christchurch as their anthemn.

History

The song was written in November 2000, for an Asbury Park, New Jersey Christmas show benefit to help promote the revitalization of the city. Once a popular resort destination in the late 1800s and early 1900s, Asbury Park had succumbed to significant amounts of blight for a variety of reasons, including the ill-effects of the Great Depression, the opening of the Garden State Parkway, and race riots.

The song first starts describing the current state of Asbury Park, the deterioration, and the absence of people in the area.

There's a blood red circle
On the cold dark ground
And the rain is falling down
The church doors blown open
I can hear the organ's song
But the congregations gone
Throughout the song, Springsteen continues to describe the city using images such as men loitering on a street corner and buildings with boarded up windows. The song ends, however, on a hopeful and optimistic note by powerfully imploring the city to "rise up" from the decay.


Come on rise up!
Come on rise up!
''Rise up

The song took on an entirely new meaning soon after the September 11 attacks, offering a message of hope and rising from the ruins. The most famous live performance of the song came on September 21, 2001 during the America: A Tribute to Heroes national telethon. With only a guitar and a harmonica, Springsteen opened the program, introducing the number as "a prayer for our fallen brothers and sisters" and modifying a few phrases in the song. He was joined on stage by Patti Scialfa, Steven Van Zandt, Soozie Tyrell, Lisa Lowell and Clarence Clemons. It was included as the first track on the subsequent album released of the telethon performances.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/My-City-of-Ruins/106097969421778?ref=ts

http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
http://thursdaythemesong.blogspot.co.nz/
http://hootin--anni.blogspot.com/




httphttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.com/

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Mellow yello/ save the world: Cherry Picker



A macho builder high up a cherry picker using his staple gun. I stood below him for a long time feeling conscious of myself. No construction worker whistled at me. I think these days, workers are told not to.




http://mellowyellowmonday.blogspot.com/




http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com/

Changing people's attitude is one aspect of changing the world. At one stage, women couldn't walk past a construction site without being subjected to wolf whistling. Wolf-whistling at women is harassment!

I remember when I was young, construction workers used to call out,

Ah Moi Chantek, Kahwin Ah Pek.. This in Malay means, Pretty girl, marry me, (The old man). Me and my girl friends were very embarrassed. This is pretty tame, some make obscene remarks.

My fellow blogger Ginny tells me that it is not PC to do it.

In 2008, one of Bristol city's leading construction firms, George Wimpey, banned its workers from wolf-whistling. The firm claimed that the comic trill, made up of two rising and descending notes in portamento, was "out of place in the 21st century".

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Saturday PhotoHunt Themes: Point









I am playing with words this week. I live in Point Chevelier.

Point Chevalier is a suburb and peninsula in the west of the city of Auckland in the north of New Zealand. It is located five kilometres to the west of the city centre on the southern shore of the Waitemata Harbour. It is a Point because it is located at the tip of a triangular peninsula, which extends north into the harbour for 1800 metres. So when you travel on my Road, Point Chevalier Road, you reach the sea, which makes it a good location, so we don't get a lot of traffic.



http://whistlestopphotohunt.blogspot.co.nz/

Friday, February 17, 2012

Weekend reflection: Word Verification





TexWisGirl http://run-a-roundranch.blogspot.co.nz/2012/02/word-verification-woes.html, my fellow blogger brought me to the attention that blogger has changed the verification to one that is almost impossible to decipher and repeat. I need my glasses and strain my eyes, and often many errors in my many tries.

I agree with TexWisGirl, I do about 2 blog posts a day, and I make it a point to always comment on my fellow bloggers who comment my posts and also on some new bloggers. I have a full time job, and I am a writer. Blogging is relaxing and fun to learn from fellow bloggers. It is a stress reliever. However, it is no longer interesting if fellow bloggers stop commenting another and frustrating if you have trouble get the verification right.

I believe in the adage, "If it ain't broken, don't change it."

Now, I will have to read it up, how to stop having verification.

When I first started blogging, I didn't have verification. Then I started having spams, so I put it on. Most of the spams stopped, but some still slipped in. Recently, blogger Henry told me he couldn't comment on my blog, I tried to find out how to delete the verification, it wasn't easy. I shall have to look harder.

I could stop anonymous comments, but this would be a last resort, because I do get some genuine anonymous comments.

Do you feel passionate on this like me? TexWisGirl is happy to let us copy the below statement and her badge.

If any of you faithful Bloggers want to spread this message, feel free to copy and re-post any or all of my ranting or link back to this post. THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP AND FOR MAKING WORD VERIFICATION NON-EXISTENT!!! Keep spreading the blogger love without spy code frustration!TexWisGirl

I have since removed my verification. This is how to do it. Betsy and DawnTreader showed me how to do it. Thanks.

Go to your dashboard, click on settings, click on Comments, and scroll down to where is says: "Show Word Verification for Comment"----There's a YES and NO… Click on NO…. Save your change…. That should do it.















http:http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif//weekendreflection.blogspot.com

Monday, February 13, 2012

ABC Wednesday: Letter E for Exercise








http://www.sportauckland.org.nz/ came to school in the form of beautiful Stphenie Cynningham to teach the children to exercise. Wish I was young again.

Stephenie tells me that you need 3 years of university to be in her job.

Many of you would have read about me boasting about my quarter Marathon running some 7 years ago. I promised my running partner who is now in America that I will take it up again. I am happy to report to her that I have been jogging. Got a secret agenda, but can't tell you if I will succeed.










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