Sunday, August 31, 2014

remembering a loved one







My late Sister in law told me she loved tulips after I sent her some.

who is ann chin

我是一个新西的中国人,出生在来西的沙罗越州
我是 Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪
         
 In Sarawak my name was Kit Suet. The meaning is clean 

snow.




I am the writer of "Diary of a Bereaved Mother " 

丧儿记,: 丧失儿子的母亲的一本传记

"From China To Borneo and beyond" 

海外华人的中国魂: 从中国,到南洋,到更远

http://annkitsuet-chinchan.blogspot.co.nz/2013/02/who-is-ann-kit-suet-chin-chan.html

"Mail Order Bride."

http://annkschinchan.blogspot.co.nz/2013/07/mail-order-bride-front-cover.html


Forward by : Pastor Jonathan Dove.
http://annkitsuetchin.blogspot.co.nz/2011/03/diary-of-bereaved-mother-foreward.html

 My baby died 24 years ago. I have become a  spokes person for bereaved parents. I am a member of Sands and a parent advocate.

After the book was released,
My book was featured in the Aucklander.
I appeared in Television 1 Down Under program. It's ok to cry http://tvnz.co.nz/asia-downunder/s2011-e31-video-4453514 On baby bereavement.
I spoke in the Baptist Women's Annual Convention, North Island Chapter.
http://annkitsuetchin.blogspot.co.nz/2013/02/foreverinmyh

eartexhibition.html  
My book was exhibited  at the Peacock 
Art Gallery, Upton Country, Dorset, Park England.

I am going to present a workshop on Asian Infant Bereavement at the Sands National conference for Sands families and medical personnels for 200 attendees in September 2013


Available in New Zealand at: Women's Bookshop, University Bookshop, Auckland, Church of Christ Bookshop
Online orders: Wheeler books,Fishpond.co.nz academybooks.co.nz/product/For Overseas order: www.abebooks.co.uk
Bookworks <info@bookworksnz.co.nz>

or email:annkschin@yahoo.com



Third Edition, June 2012,  306 pages, 
categories: self help, inspiration, bereavement,

 Autobiographies

ISBN: 978-0-473-18709-5





First edition, February, 2013 310 pages
categories:Life Stories (Biographies,

 Autobiographies, Family Histories, 

Memoirs)

ISBN: 978-0-473-23900-8










First edition: July 2013 Fiction

ISBN: 978-0-473-25414-8

This book is the embodiment of the darker side of today’s society. 



Published May 2014



Women face many kinds of oppression through the centuries. The author takes you to a journey of modern day oppression.
This story traces the life of Nadine, a girl born to Indian parents. It embodies the issues of a Kiwi girl, Nadine, growing up in conflicting cultures and getting lost in her environment.
Nadine grows up to overcome her problems to help women who suffered from physical and mental violence, domestic violence, rape, pornography, swinging, incest, bullying, sex with minors, sex slavery and human trafficking.

Every book, every volume you see here, has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it and of those who read it and lived and dreamed with it.
― Carlos Ruiz Zafón, The Shadow of the Wind

Saturday, August 30, 2014

The golden wattle, Acacia pycnantha

Photo: berniesgarden.blogspot.com







You will love this story, and it is true.My Dad was a senior civil servant, often the senior servants of Agricultural dept will give him plants to grow, once he had 6 of this saplings. They told him was Christmas tree. He grew them, but they didn't look anything like the pine trees we associate with Christmas tree.

Mum likes to get rid of thing,  Mum says they are not Christmas trees, get rid of them.

Dad likes to keep them. So he allowed to let them grow.

Each time we seen the saplings grow taller and taller, we said what the heck.They definitely were not Christmas trees.


Mum and Dad went to live in Oz. Sadly mum died.

I went with my sister Helen  and we walked in the bush.

The wattles were in full blooming.There were a zillion yellow baubles.

Excitedly I exclaimed,"That's the Christmas tree dad grew.

I told Helen, now I understand why it is called a Christmas tree. It is the Wattle tree, the Australian National flower.

Lachenalia -





Lachenalia
Plant
Lachenalia is a genus of bulbs in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae, which are usually found in Namibia and South Africa. Most of these plants have a dormancy period, and the new roots of these plants will always grow every year. Wikipedia




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


Friday flowers: Freesia




Freesia is a genus of about 14 species. Freesia bulbs are usually grown for use asCut Flowers. All the 14 species of Freesia are African in origin. Of The 14 Freesia species, 12 are native to Cape Province, South Africa, the remaining two to tropical Africa, with one these species extending north of the equator to Sudan. Freesia flowers are very fragrant, typically white or yellow, and are borne in spikelike racemes. This blooming beauty captures your heart and is a springtime favorite.

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

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Thursday Challenge : kites





New Zealand is a great place for out door sports.  I was north of Auckland at Orewa, known for retirement homes and beautiful surfs. I don't know if the retirees are involved such extreme sports of wind, waves and surfs.
In the very cold breeze, I quickly went out to take my photos and then recluse myself in the car challenging my brain a mathematical game of Sudoku while the water engineer when to investigate his beach with another friend. You will like my photos of a new sports. Kiteboarding. I admire these sportsmen and women in their wetsuits oblivious to the cold. I thought of Jean batten when I saw the surfer. I guess if Jean is alive today, she too would be at the Orewa beach.
Kiteboarding, a synergy of wind and water forces, takes harnessing the wind to the extreme! Kiteboarding is the ultimate fusion of kiteflying(power kites), wakeboarding, and snowboarding. This fascinating combination realizes mans eternal dream of flying. Once you experience the rush of kiteboarding, you will never be the same! Kiteboarding is the hottest new kite sport to sweep the world and it thrives on pure adrenaline!


This photo takes me back to when I was a kid in Borneo.

Kite flying was a serious business to the boys like my brother Charles and Joseph. They made their own kites, spending ages shaving bamboo rods to make the skeleton of the kites, slowly shaving a little and checking to make sure the sides balance.

Then with home made glue, they glue the coloured wax paper on the frame.

For serious competition, they melt some smelly horse glue and mix it with pounded fine glass powder and attached them to the string. This is real serious as in the process of doing this, they cut themselves.

When the strings are dried, they fly their kites and war begins when they cut the string of each other's kite. They shout "BALAYANG" when a kite is cut off, and the scramble for the fallen kite begins.

In low rise houses, the boys even climb up people's roofs, trees or over fence. They trample on vegetable patches, topple over flower pots. They just want that prize kite. Totally oblivious to anything else. A complete disregard for people's property.

My part in this vicious fight, I was the kite flyer's aide. Like the boy in the photo, I help to lift the kite up before the kite is launched.

Thursday Challenge is a place for photographic fun and learning.  

"SKY" (Birds, Winged insects, Kites, Frisbees, Balloons, Cloud,...)

http://www.spunwithtears.com/thursday.html

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Senna

Photos from
Senna plant which mother grew for a friend. It was reputed that it was medicine for cancer.
Senna is an herb. The leaves and the fruit of the plant are used to make medicine. It is called senna but traditionally it is used for kidney ailments. India is producing a lot for export.

Senna is an FDA-approved nonprescription laxative. It is use
d to treat constipation and also to clear the bowel before diagnostic tests such as colonoscopy.

Senna is also used for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), hemorrhoids, and weight loss.

Senna fruit seems to be gentler than senna leaf. This has led the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) to warn against long-term use of senna leaf, but not senna fruit. The AHPA recommends that senna leaf products be labeled, "Do not use this product if you have abdominal pain or diarrhea. Consult a healthcare provider prior to use if you are pregnant or nursing. Discontinue use in the event of diarrhea or watery stools. Do not exceed recommended dose. Not for long-term use.”










Jacobinia/Justica

horsechestnut

African cornflag Chasmanthe floribunda

Photo: African cornflag
Chasmanthe floribunda almost full bloom
The elongated flower clusters (i.e. spikes) are usually 15-25 cm long and have about 20-40 flowers. The flowers (up to 7.5 cm long) are arranged in two rows on opposite sides of the flower stem. At the base of each flower is a pair of small, membranous, bracts (1-1.5 cm long). These bracts are usually reddish-brown, or occasionally green. The flowers have six 'petals' (i.e. tepals or perianth segments) that are fused together for most of their length (i.e. into a perianth tube 3-4.5 cm long). This tube is quite narrow (

The elongated flower clusters (i.e. spikes) are usually 15-25 cm long and have about 20-40 flowers. The flowers (up to 7.5 cm long) are arranged in two rows on opposite sides of the flower stem. At the base of each flower is a pair of small, membranous, bracts (1-1.5 cm long). These bracts are usually reddish-brown, or occasionally green. The flowers have six 'petals' (i.e. tepals or perianth segments) that are fused together for most of their length (i.e. into a perianth tube 3-4.5 cm long). This tube is quite narrow

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



Friday, August 22, 2014

Oxalis pes-caprae

Oxalis pes-caprae
Photo: In season again. Oxalis pes-caprae

Photo: Oxallis for Soo Leng Fung
"YELLOW" (Anything with the colour yellow in it,...)
Next Week: SKY (Birds, Winged insects, Kites, Frisbees, Balloons, Cloud,...)
roseThursday Challenge is a place for photographic fun and learning.

http://www.spunwithtears.com/thursday.html
 http://www.spunwithtears.com/thursday.html

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

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Red nose day



About Red Nose Day

Red Nose Day was established in New Zealand in 1989, back when Cure Kids was known as the Child Health Research Foundation.

It was an amazing national endeavour, and thanks to the incredible fundraising efforts of everyday Kiwis, researchers led by Professor Ed Mitchell — one of Cure Kids professorial research chairs — pioneered the “back to sleep” technique that is now the global standard for dramatically reducing the number of babies lost to cot death.
Today, Red Nose Day for Cure Kids has an even bigger goal, to keep funding research into the illnesses and conditions that affect the lives of Kiwi kids.
Everyday New Zealanders — people just like you — opened their hearts and have helped improve or prolong the lives of many Kiwi kids while we go for the ultimate goal: the cure.
This year, Red Nose Day promises to be the biggest yet! Once again, schools and businesses up and down the country are getting behind the fundraising effort throughout August.
Over 400 schools (and counting) have signed up to bake, create, build and compete in sporting challenges in the coming weeks to raise money for Red Nose Day. Retailers nationwide are also supporting the cause with a number of major, national chains stocking Red Nose Day merchandise. Find a Red Nose Day retailer near you here.
Some of the country’s best comedians are lending their support to Red Nose Day too. TV3’s 7 Days is hosting the Red Nose 7 Days Special on Friday 22 August from 9:30pm with guests Ben Boyce and Jono Pryor of Jono and Ben at Ten.
Digital red noses can help cure kids too. Kiwis can now get an app that lets them put a digital red nose on their photos by texting NOSE to 933 and donating $3 to Cure Kids. Smart-phone users will then received a link to download the Red Nose Day app. When taking your photo, you can select either a single red nose or two – where your red nose and a friend’s are put together to make a red nose hongi. Find out more about the Red Nose Day hongi here.
So what are you waiting for? Register your school or business to fundraise or make your donation today!
You never know which dollar will help us fund the cure this Red Nose Day!


http://www.rednoseday.co.nz/about-red-nose-day/

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





Sunday, August 10, 2014

Lunaria annua, honesty

 Photo: been waiting months for this to bloom, a winter plant. Any ID? Grew by itself.

 

Lunaria annua, called honesty or annual honesty in English, is a species of flowering plant native to the Balkans and south west Asia, and naturalized throughout the temperate world.
It is an annual or biennial growing to 90 cm (35 in) tall by 30 cm (12 in) broad, with large, coarse, pointed oval leaves with marked serrations. In spring and summer it bears terminal racemes of white or violet flowers, followed by showy, light brown, translucent, disc-shaped seedpods (silicles) the skin of which falls off to release the seeds, revealing a central membrane which is white with a silvery sheen, 3–8 cm (1–3 in) in diameter; they persist on the plant through winter.[1] These pods are much used in floral arrangements.

 

 

 

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

Friday, August 8, 2014

Poinsettia in July





                     Christmas in July,  This poinsettia doesn't grow well. Mother used to grow them in Sarawak.Photo: not too healthy looking.

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

Thursday Challenge: Simple


Photo: who made that perfect hole in my mandarin?

a hole/circle within a circle/ mandarin
http://www.spunwithtears.com/thursday.html

"SIMPLE" (Minimalist, One or Two Colours, Simple Shapes, Simple Things,...)
Next Week: WATER (Swimming, Boating, Fishing, Lake, Ocean, River,...)
roseThursday Challenge is a place for photographic fun and learning.

Thursday, August 7, 2014

Kids and red nose


https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10154240535555541&set=a.10154240529145541.1073741926.744380540&type=3&theater

It tugs at my heart string  when I hear of very sick children. Today, someone at my Grieving Mother's group asked if I feel guilty. I told her, I had nothing  to feel guilty about because Andrew had a congenital defect, and there was nothing I could do or not do.

But there is a group of mothers who have to watch passively as their children suffer. My friend Kristina Andersen's daughter. Frances, is a victim of the BIG C., that is cancer. There is a need for a cure for her and other kids like her.