Thursday Theme Song: Bright eyes by the Westmere boys choir

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 http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifpast...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/



Mr. Darcy Norton with our own Mr. Nikora whom I had previously recorded his singing.
As the Zimbabwe proverb says:
"If you can walk you can dance, if you can talk, you can sing!"
Darcy Norton

It wasn't the Vienna boys choir, but then, you don't expect that high standard when you pay nothing for their singing. The boys from Westmere Primary School under the teacher Mr. Darcy came and sang for us.

What do you know, Bright eyes was once of my favourite.
http://youtu.be/MODq81_cDKI

Is it a kind of dream,
Floating out on the tide,
Following the river of death downstream?
Oh, is it a dream?

There's a fog along the horizon,
A strange glow in the sky,
And nobody seems to know where you go,
And what does it mean?
Oh, is it a dream?

Bright eyes,
Burning like fire.
Bright eyes,
How can you close and fail?
How can the light that burned so brightly
Suddenly burn so pale?
Bright eyes.

Is it a kind of shadow,
Reaching into the night,
Wandering over the hills unseen,
Or is it a dream?

There's a high wind in the trees,
A cold sound in the air,
And nobody ever knows when you go,
And where do you start,
Oh, into the dark.

Bright eyes,
burning like fire.
Bright eyes,
how can you close and fail?
How can the light that burned so brightly
Suddenly burn so pale?
Bright eyes.

Bright eyes,
burning like fire.
Bright eyes,
how can you close and fail?
How can the light that burned so brightly
Suddenly burn so pale?
Bright eyes.

Save the world: Factory farming birds nest

http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com/

Bird's nest soup is a delicacy[1] in Chinese cuisine. A few species of swift, the cave swifts, are renowned for building the saliva nests used to produce the unique texture of this soup.


Hong Kong and the United States are the largest importers of these nests.[4] In Hong Kong, a bowl of bird's nest soup would cost $30 USD to $100 USD.[2][4] A kilogram of white nest can cost up to $2,000 USD, and a kilogram of "red blood" nest can cost up to $10,000 USD.

When I was in Primary school, we were very proud of our Niah Caves in Sarawak, Borneo. Accordingly, it went back as far as some 20 to 16 million years ago during the Early Miocene. The cave is an important prehistorical site where human remains dating to 40,000 years have been found. It was also a source of income when collectors scale the cave using flimsy bamboo trellises to collect bird nest nest. My Dad's been there and he said that the stench was so bad that you don't want to go there, so I have never been.

At that time, my school was a two-storey building. Birds which we thought were swallows, it could be swifts used to make their nests at the eaves of the roof. They would bomb their shit on us. Every now and then, the old care taker used a long pole to rid the nest. The result was an awful mess of shit and dead nestlings. When we complained to him that he was killing the babies, he retorted, you complain of the shit landing on your head, and now you complain when I clean it up.

It was fine when the collectors are out of sight, out of mind in the remote jungle cave. But when it is just beside you, it is another story.

Since the 90s, some "brilliant" people decided to factory farm swift's nest. It is now done in a big way in a town in Indonesia. The locals don't like it, but the farmer's don't care. This had spread to the South East Asian region. Landlords find it more lucrative converting their buildings into factories.

Since the late 1990s,purpose-built nesting houses, usually reinforced concrete structures following the design of the SE Asian shop-house ("ruko") These nesting houses are normally found in urban areas near the sea, since the birds have a propensity to flock in such places. This has become an extraordinary industry, mainly based on a series of towns in the Indonesian Province of North Sumatra which have been completely transformed by the activity.

It has become an industry and investment. There are bird nest seminars to entice new investors promising a get rich quick investment. There are many that are built on existing shophouses.All they have to do is to knock down the internal walls.

From a first hand informant of some one who lives in a town there the town has many of these factories, it poses a health risk. "Swiftlets' natural environment is a cave which is airy and cool. The farmers install air conditioning and the water simply drain on to the road there there is no proper drainage. The whole town stenches from the shit and dead birds.

To attract the swiftlets, they develop a special CD and blare out the music with loudspeakers. When the swfts return in the evening and leave in the morning, they cause such a loud racket. The poor neighbours subjected to noise pollution and also the bird droppings move out, and they vacate the building to more farms.

Australia and New Zealand ban birds nest for fear of bird flu or avain flu. In deed for this reason, many people wonder if this is the cause.

I heard about this, and in one of my traveled, I saw many concrete buildings with little windows. My guide told me that those were factory farms.

I have never bought Birds nest, and will never buy them. The image of little nestling dropped on the ground of my primary school is forever etched in my brain.

My world Tuesday: Chicken feet

http://showyourworld.blogspot.com/

My late grandpa used to say, everything can be eaten except the legs of the table.

The Chinese are reputed to eat everything so there is no waste. Here my nephew in Australia says" I love eating my favourite yum cha, chicken feet,"
Love Thomas

Chicken feet has a lot of cartilage and is good for your skin.

Sunday Stills: Weeds and grasses

Sunday Stills, the next challenge: Weeds and Grasses
Posted in Sunday Stills Challenge of the Week with tags Sunday Stills on May 22, 2011 by Ed

This will make ya go outside and maybe get a bit dirty. Note the challenge is for weeds and grasses, not garden variety flowers, if the weed has some color then all the better. If you look closely grasses come in all shapes and sizes. So get out and into some high grass and see what ya can come up with..:-))

http://sundaystills.wordpress.com/

Thanks Ed,

In the summer, I like to go on hikes, and these wild plants attracted me.

Breaking Free 28 May 2011

The talented leader of the Fijian team, Amelia Gavidi

Mrs. Williams and her friends, I told her she was very beautiful, and it turned out she is part Chinese.

Olwyn Dickson, the MC and past President. The lighting wasn't very good. Sorry Olwyn.

Another photo of Mrs. Williams and her friend.

The Hosanna Churches led by Seira Sola.

The Fijian team brought us many items of song, dance and drama.

Me with my new friend, Amelia. Bula Amelia, I think the solo drama you wrote and presented were great.

Inside the Northcote Baptist church. Just as the Mt Albert Baptist Church is thinking about rebuilding, I couldn't help by look around. The auditorium was nice, the ladies bathroom was really great. Perhaps, my church planning team should go and pay Northcote a visit.
I attended The Auckland Baptist Women's ministries "In Step with the Spirit...Breaking Free today. It was held at the Northcote Baptist church.

It was endearing to hear the President of the baptist Union and Missionary Society Lyn Campbell talk about the New Normal, and how the earthquake in Church has impacted us.
We have the various cultural groups in New Zealand presenting items of song, dances and talks. I enjoyed the Fijian Baptist Women's Ministry team especially the talented Amelia Gavidi who presented a powerful interpretation of the word poverty.

I want to thank Olwyn Dickson who invited me to talk. Many women came up to tell me my message impacted them. I made many new friends, and the dinner was delicious.

Friday shootout: Spin - Drop - Rest,

http://mytownshootout.blogspot.com/

http://mytownmrlinky.blogspot.com/
2nd Scavenger Hunt - Spin ~ Drop ~ Rest - by J9
Our second FMTSO Scavenger Hunt for May 27, Spin - Drop - Rest, was suggested by J9.
In her words:

This is a scavenger hunt for images or items, or people or places in
your town that represent the actions of Spin, Drop, and Rest. Because
there really are no rules, you can pretty much interpret this however
you would like. Do you have a drop roller coaster in your town? How
about giving a new car a spin? What about rest? We know at least one
personality thinking of rest rooms (Bagman), but what do people in
your town do to rest? How about rain drops? Whirling Dervishes?
Spinning Laundry? Mattress Stores? Let's see what we can all come up
with, and have fun!


The rotary clothes dryer.

It has four sets of lines and is similar to an umbrella. A more sophisticated one has a winding mechanism which can make the lines higher or lower depending if you have items like sheets. When the wind blows, your laundry goes round and round like a merry-go-round.

In a recent high profile child abuse and murder case, the poor kid was hung up on the wire, and spun round and round. Wiremu Curtis, 19, and his brother Michael, 22, face life sentences for the murder of Nia Glassie.

This dryer is a common sight in Australia and New Zealand.

If you like to read Merry go rounds and funny stories of my child hood, go here, http://annkschin.blogspot.com/2011/04/outdoor-wednesday-playgrounds.html

outdoor Wednesday: Planting days

http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com


My friend Ngarimu Blair, Heritage & Resource Manager of NGATI WHATUA O ORAKEI CORPORATE LTD Has invited come to Bastion Point to plant trees and to return BASTION POINT BACK TO NGAHERE (FOREST)
Bastion Point’s original state was a lush forest of dense native bush. He wants to make Bastion Point available for everyone in
the community to enjoy.
This is a Ngati Whatua project founded on customary values and principles.
Proudly supported by the Orakei Reserves Board.
For more details, go to Facebook:‘ko te Pukaki community planting day’

Ngarimu drove round his land one day, and shared his passion.

Paki Paki.

Save the world, my world Tuesday: Save the rain water

http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com/


http://showyourworld.blogspot.com/
In Auckland, we have a lot of rain. My elderly neighbor collects the rain water to water his plants. Good on him. It is OK in New Zealand as we don't have many mosquitoes.

In Malaysia and Singapore where dengue fever is rampant, he would not be allowed to do it. I suppose it will be fine if he covers the watr with a fine mosquito netting.

Sunday stills: In the sky

http://sundaystills.wordpress.com/

The husband went to Papua New Guinea on work assignment. Was I jealous when he told me about his helicopter rides.

FSO/Macro Flowers/join-my-photo-challenge-flowers

http://mytownshootout.blogspot.com/
http://mytownmrlinky.blogspot.com/



http://mytownshootout.blogspot.com/
http://mytownmrlinky.blogspot.com/

Our theme for May 20 is Flowers in your town. I feel this will be a cheery and very colorful theme.

"Flowers are the sweetest things God ever made, and forgot to put a soul into." ~Henry Beecher, Life Thoughts, 1858

"Flowers... are a proud assertion that a ray of beauty outvalues all the utilities of the world." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1844

"Flowers have an expression of countenance as much as men or animals. Some seem to smile; some have a sad expression; some are pensive and diffident; others again are plain, honest and upright, like the broad-faced sunflower and the hollyhock." ~Henry Ward Beecher, Star Papers: A Discourse of Flowers

I like what Henry Ward Beecher had to say about flowers. Think about it, do they have expressions? Do they emit a feeling? Challenge for our shooters for this theme .....
show us a flower expression
show us a flower thought
show us a flower feeling
show us a flower attitude
show us a flower mood
show us a flower emotion


Macro Flower Saturday
http://blueberrycraftandhobbytime.blogspot.com/p/join-my-photo-challenge-flowers-on.html
This plant reminds me of my late Grandfather who told me that in China, it is known an embroidered flower ball, "SIAW CHOW FA". In Chinese movies, a girl will throw her flower ball to a group of admirers, the lucky chap who catches the ball will wed her. Woe to her, if a nasty obnoxious man catches the ball.

It is fictitious, because it never happens this way. There were match making sessions.

I was lucky to live in houses that have hydrangea hedges. In the first house, the hedge was at the main road at Mt Eden Road, I used to cut them and take it to church during my turn to do the flowers. Often, little old women would stop their cars and help themselves with branches of flowers. I didn't have the heart to shout at them. After all, God gave me those flowers. In fact, later I learnt that they were doing me a favour. Hydrangea likes to be pruned and the next season, they would grow better.

At this present house, I pruned it only once. That is why the flowers are not so beautiful. A friend said that if I leave tin cans at the roots, the rust would change it colour to a dark red hue. I thought of "Hawaii" where James Michener had written about this either for the pineapple gardens or sugar cane farms. It's been so long ago. I have forgotten.

Then when I told this to my florist friend, W. he says it is better with the pale coloured ones. So I stopped putting cans. It blew my mind when I saw the completely white ones at my friend M.'s kitchen. It could be used as bridal bouquet. May be next time, I should pour beach instead. LOL

My hydrangea hedge is getting shorter and thinner. I have a new elderly neighbour and he is trimmer happy. The hedge is on my side of the boundary, but he uses his garden shears, and trims both sides of the hedge. When we asked him, he said , he didn't want burglars hiding. So to make peace, I left him to his trimming.

outdoor wed/thursday theme song: Dragon Boat

http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com



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 http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifpast...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/

Row Row Row, row your boat.

This was among the first songs I learned as a year one student.


http://youtu.be/YB31YummgAI

My World Tuesday: mushrooms

http://showyourworld.blogspot.com/
Mushrooms on a tree stump during a walk in autumn at Oakley Creek.

Sunday Stills: Looking high, Looking low

Sunday Stills, the next challenge: Looking High, Looking Low
Posted in Sunday Stills Challenge of the Week, the next challenge with tags Sunday Stills on May 8, 2011 by Ed
So we kinda did this just about a year ago, the object of this challenge is to either get low and shoot up at an object or get directly over and object and shoot down. It should prove to get some interesting results..:-))

http://sundaystills.wordpress.com/