a memory remembered

Binatang GIK GIANG,
When I was growing up,
Mum insisted on buying Binatang BOK SHUI/soft drink
She reasoned Binantang has a lot of GIK GIANG,
So the BOK CHUI must have a lot of pure GIK GIANG juice,
She visited the bottle factory.
"Where are the GIK GIANG?" she asked.
"Oh, we don't use the GIK GIANG,
We use artificial flavouring."
My poor mum,
she was disillusioned.
But I was privileged to eat real organic GIK GIANG."
I plucked the GIK GIANG from Hwang Tai Tai's trees.
Years later in 2012,
The Principal of Kai Chung, Mr Ting Pang Kheng served us this.

flowerrs: lilies

I am linking my blog post for Heather, whose son was murdered. They are trying to get a bill to pass Cameron's law to make eye witnesses to be responsible.

http://annkitsuetchin.blogspot.co.nz/2014/01/support-bill-for-camerons-law.html

https://www.facebook.com/CameronsLaw/info

http://tinaspicstory.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/weekend-flowers-45.html

http://floralfridayfoto.blogspot.co.nz/

 

Thursday Challenge: Unusual

I like this photo so much because it showed the creation of two budding photographers.

During my sixteen years in Singapore, one of my favourite places with the children was the Singapore Science Centre. In the humid Singapore, the air conditioned building was a welcomed place to spend the whole day. It was a wonderful hands-on place. The entrance fee was cheap too. When I felt too stuffy inside the building, I would go outside to view the many spice and herb plants.

This photograph was taken by D and G, budding photographers at 15 and 11. Sam was three. Many had tried to duplicate this photograph after seeing this. But none had succeeded. This involves two mirrors attached to a hinge, and by moving the mirrors at different angles, you get different number of reflections.

I took this photo to school, and encouraged my students to experiment with two mirrors. They were very curious.

CREATIVE PHOTOGRAPHS (2nd Week)  CREATIVE PHOTOGRAPHS (2nd Week) (Motion Blur, Long Exposures, Unusual,...)

Thursday Challenge is a place for photographic fun and learning. A theme is announced on this site each week. You may either take a new photograph related in some way to the theme or select one that you have taken previously; Then submit your single permanent link here:

Pink Shirt Day: Anti bullying 26th February.

http://annkschin.blogspot.com/2009/02/pink-shirt-day-wednesday-25-february.html. Please click on this link on what I wrote last year.

It was last year at this time when my school, teachers and students alike wore pink. Pink Shirt Day is a way for the community to stand up and show that bullying is not okay.

The first Pink Shirt Day took place in Halifax, Nova Scotia, when two 17 year old high school students decided to stand up for a friend who had been harassed for wearing a pink shirt to school.

The boys, David Shepherd and Travis Price, decided that the bullying had to stop. They went to a discount store and bought 50 pink tank tops, sent out the message to schoolmates that night, and the next morning handed them to students to wear. When the bullied boy walked in, according to Travis Price, "It looked like a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders. The bullies were never heard from
again."

Ka pai or good job to all my fellow Canadian bloggers, Barry and Linda and Ruth, for starting this good tradition. Pink Shirt Day is being held on April 14th in Canada this year. Each year it gets bigger and brighter. There with more and more support from schools and organisations.

Mental Health Foundation chief executive Judi Clements says Pink Shirt Day will raise awareness of the link between bullying and depression.

"As recent research and media coverage have highlighted, bullying is a serious problem in New Zealand, and there is a clear link between being bullied and experiencing mental health problems," she says.

"Pink Shirt Day gives us all a chance to make a stand against bullying, raise awareness and discussion of the issues and work towards a society that values equality and respect."

Today, I wore my beautiful pink shirt and taught my little five year olds. I asked them what they knew about bullying. They told me about beating up, punching and kicking. I explained that bullying also involves calling names.

The school is a sea of pink.

http://ourworldtuesdaymeme.blogspot.com/
 

http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com

ABC Wednesday, Letter G

 A Canadian Goose, a gift from a USA President to New Zealand

 Goosey goosey Gander going for a walk with their goslings

 My favourite retail shop, a garden centre,

 some one's private garden. with a globe artichoke.

These plants are part of Auckland Rose Garden,  some of my favourite places in Auckland.

http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.co.nz/

Eucomis or pineapple lily,

Eucomis or pineapple lily, nothing to do with pineapples at all

http://tinaspicstory.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/weekend-flowers-45.html

http://floralfridayfoto.blogspot.co.nz/

ABC Letter F, and Red,Lantern festival in New Zealand.

a freebie fan given out at the Lantern festival. We celebrate it for 3 days until Sunday. I wish you Fu too.

A freebie fan, with the word Fu, meaning good luck.


http://rubytuesdaytoo.blogspot.co.nz/

http://www.suelovescherries.blogspot.com/

http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.co.nz/

Red in snow

I dug up my old winter photos in the winter of 1975 when I was a student in Windsor, Canada. This school yard was behind the apartment I stayed. During the school break, school children frolick. These photos were taken during the holidays, and we went to try out this fun. A couple of Canadian kids were there to show us play.

That was my first ever winter. They reported it was the coldest ever recorded, a minus 28 degrees. A lot of melted snow had flowed under the bridge. I wonder where all those young men and women have gone. We were from Tropical Borneo and Singapore and were feeling very BRRRR!

http://rubytuesdaytoo.blogspot.co.nz/

http://www.suelovescherries.blogspot.com/

No dogs sign

This is on the Surfers, the beach near my house is open to dogs.

 This is at the Surfers Paradise in Australia. The beach at my house welcomes dogs.

http://rubytuesdaytoo.blogspot.co.nz/

http://www.suelovescherries.blogspot.com/

Praying mantises

Praying Mantises like me they come to my house, even here in New Zealand.



One the the advantages of living in a jungle within a city state is I got visited by all sorts of rare animals .
In 2004, on separate occasions two of these never seen before golden praying mantises came to my house and created quite a sensation. My friend, a nature society education liaised with an insect scientist. To his knowledge, he had not seen a golden praying mantis and was very keen to study it. But not before I took it to schools to show this to my children and teachers.
All the kids, (local Singaporeon and Interntional ones enjoyed looking at them. The Scientist took the one we named Goldie and later conjectured that it was



mutated from the ordinary praying mantise. It adapted to the colour gold from the tree that bloomed golden blossoms just outside my balcony. Goldie was a girl.
After Goldie went to be a science candidate, the kids from the campus were disappointed. Not long after, another came. I fed it with cricket bought from the pet fish shop. The scientist had hope that Magdeline would attract a male and perhaps we could breed it. Sadly Magadeline didn't survive. I immoralised her in a setting agent. Unfortunately, the agent beached Magadeline of this gold colour.
I posted it to the Nanyangconnect website with scientific literature, but they no longer keep the postings on archive.
Subsequently, I had green praying mantises.
***Chrissy and Alicia admiring Goldie. This is an experience they would take home to Canada and America***

A green baby praying mantis came to my teaching space window. I caught it and displayed it in a clear plastic cup. Kids love it.

Amaranthus lividus (Green Amaranth) - Ma See Hin

 



 In Sarawak, and in Australia, Mother brought back this vegetable from the garden. She didn't grow it. Once you clear it, it sprouts by itself. We called it Ma See Hin aka Horse Shit spinach. However horrible it sounds, it taste quite nice.

In New Zealand, I became my mum. When I clear my vegetable garden, I got this Ma See Hin. But the parallel ends here, you have to harvest it early. Left too long, it flowers and becomes too stringly. Like my photo.


Mother veg  Hin Choi

http://tinaspicstory.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/weekend-flowers-45.html

http://floralfridayfoto.blogspot.co.nz/

Intricate : Chives flower

I saw at the Vietnamese grocery store, and saw an elderly PRC China grandma holding this. It's like a green wedding bouquet. She said it was very delicious. I bought it for my green flower series. She said cook with eggs. Nicer than the normal chives. The Cambodian check out girl also says very nice.

 

The PhotoHunt for this weekend is intricate
http://whistlestopphotohunt.blogspot.co.nz


I am linking my blog post for Heather, whose son was murdered. They are trying to get a bill to pass Cameron's law to make eye witnesses to be responsible.

http://annkitsuetchin.blogspot.co.nz/2014/01/support-bill-for-camerons-law.html

https://www.facebook.com/CameronsLaw/info

Wild ginger in New Zealand from India

Kahili ginger

Don't let its good looks fool you. Wild ginger threatens to smother our native forests.
The plant was introduced to New Zealand from India in the 1890s. It rapidly spread throughout Auckland, Coromandel and Northland. The warm moist climate of the upper North Island favoured the initial spread of the plant and it is now a problem in parts of the top of the South Island, and on the West Coast.
There are two types of wild ginger:

• Kahili ginger (Hedychium gardnerianum)
  This plant grows up to two metres in height. It has a large cream flower with long red stamens, is strongly perfumed and produces up to 100 seeds per flower head. Of the two types of wild ginger this is the worst, because of its successful spreading by seed. As well, the plant roots spread outwards and sprout new plants.

 (opens in new window)
Yellow ginger

• Yelllow ginger (Hedychium flavescens)
  This variety has cream flowers in late autumn and early winter. Yellow ginger does not seed and therefore does not multiply as fast as Kahili. Make its removal a second priority.

http://www.doc.govt.nz/conservation/threats-and-impacts/weeds/common-weeds-in-new-zealand/wild-ginger/ 

http://tinaspicstory.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/weekend-flowers-45.html

http://floralfridayfoto.blogspot.co.nz/

vertical wall

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153798281280541&set=pcb.10153798292560541&type=1&theater


In CBD Auckland, I saw a beautiful vertical green wall. The first I saw was on the Gold Coast of Australia. Then I watch on the Australian The Block all stars renovation show. I love this, but wondering how to water this.



I am linking my blog post for Heather, whose son was murdered. They are trying to get a bill to pass Cameron's law to make eye witnesses to be responsible.

http://annkitsuetchin.blogspot.co.nz/2014/01/support-bill-for-camerons-law.html

https://www.facebook.com/CameronsLaw/info

8th and 9th day of the Chinese New Year.

For the Hokkiens/Fujian people of Southern China, the 9th day of the new Year is celebrated as a more important day than the 1st. Preparation begins on the 8th for the big feast on the 9th.




Accordingly, robbers invaded the people, and they hid in the sugar cane fields. They believe that the Jade Emperor, the King of heavens protected them. Some say the sugar cane were "cutty cutty" and the robbers didn't bother to look in the sugar cane field.

Every year, on the 8th evening, the Hokkiens will adorn the entrance of their house with a pair of sugar cane. The sugar cane is a symbol of of how they were saved from the invasion.

When I first went to Singapore more than 20 years ago, I was unaware of this festival, and wanted to buy pig's leg. The butcher told me none was available because the Hokkiens have bought it all.


* Cutty cutty is a New Zealand term for grass or reeds with sharp serrated edges that will cut you when you go among it. 



I am linking my blog post for Heather, whose son was murdered. They are trying to get a bill to pass Cameron's law to make eye witnesses to be responsible.

http://annkitsuetchin.blogspot.co.nz/2014/01/support-bill-for-camerons-law.html

https://www.facebook.com/CameronsLaw/info

wild purple flowers cultivated Verbena bonariensis

I didn't grow them, they grew by themselves in my pots. The leaves and stems are "cutty cutty." On the ground, they grow taller than an adult.

Don't you think these are beauties? The water engineer disagrees, and want to get rid of my wild flowers. The mothers of these beauties reside in a patch of untended land next to my old house. When they are in bloom, they are so beautiful. One year, I had pots of tomatoes and chillis plants in my garden. The mothers sent seeds over, knowing I had been appreciating them. They grew in my pots taking over my cultivated tomatoes and chillis.  I took care of them, when blooming, the purple flowers are so beautiful. But now, I have been spending too much time on the computer, the flowers dry up and I still think they are beautiful and can be used as dry flowers.

One man's meat is another's poison.


Verbena bonariensis is a tall and slender-stemmed perennial. It can grow to 6 ft (120 cm) tall and can spread to 3 ft (90 cm) wide. At maturity, it will develop a woody base. Fragrant lavender to rose-purple flowers are in tight clusters located on terminal and axillary stems, blooming from mid-summer until fall frost. The stem is square with very long internodes. Leaves are ovate to ovate-lanceolate with a toothed margin and grow up to 4 in (10 cm) long.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbena_bonariensis

I am linking my blog post for Heather, whose son was murdered. They are trying to get a bill to pass Cameron's law to make eye witnesses to be responsible.

http://annkitsuetchin.blogspot.co.nz/2014/01/support-bill-for-camerons-law.html

https://www.facebook.com/CameronsLaw/info

http://tinaspicstory.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/weekend-flowers-45.html

http://floralfridayfoto.blogspot.co.nz/