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Saturday, June 30, 2012

Fund raiser for Sands Manukau

I had done lots of charities, the biggest two being raising funds for the deaf in Kenya and to separate a pair of Siamese/co-joint twins from Nepal. I am very happy to be associated with this new fund raiser.
Pinafore Princess, a retail/shopping store is doing an auction to raise funds for Manukau Sands. I donate 2 signed copies of my 3rd edition of my book, "Diary of a bereaved mother, goodbye my baby."
We are currently looking for Donations to go towards this amazing auction for this charity.

All proceeds will be for Sands Manukau.

If you would like to donate something please email me at pinaforeprincess@hotmail.co.nz for more info

... All donations will be much appreciated and Money made form this auction will be for such a wonderful cause.

This auction is run by Pinafore Princess and is no way associated with facebook.

Auction will start on Wednesday the 25th of july and will finish Monday the 30th of july.
See More
Information on Sands Manukau
Information on Sands Manukau

Sands Manukau is a registered charity supporting families who have experienced the death of a baby at any stage of pregnancy and up to a year following birth. We enable grieving parents to recognize their baby ...as a member of the family offering practical advice and support materials that create the memories that last a life time. We offer bereaved parents the opportunity to share experiences, talk and listen, offering empathy and understanding for their situation through phone support, one on one contact and monthly meetings. We are not counsellors but we are all bereaved parents who volunteer our time to support other parents and their families.
Sands Manukau volunteers are available to support parents during their time in hospital or at home following the birth if required.
Parents can be supported throughout a pregnancy where the baby is terminally ill and will not live long after birth by someone who has been in a similar situation. Whether the choice is made to interrupt the pregnancy or continue with it, we are here to help.


What they Offer:
During your stay in hospital - We are available to assist with memory making and parenting ideas while you and your baby are in hospital. Would you like to talk to someone who has been through a similar experience and understands what you are going through? If so please ring us or ask your bereavement team member to ring us on your behalf and we will arrange this.
Free Hand/Foot Casting – We cover the cost of 2 hands and 2 feet mounted on a granite or wooden base with name plaque. Included in this service are photos (placed on CD) and inkless hand/foot prints.
Care Bags - for parents whose baby dies from 12 weeks gestation up to one year of age. These Care Bags contain various memory making opportunities including items such as a special memories book, candle, and 2 teddy bears (one for mum, one for baby).
Miscarriage Packs - For parents whose baby dies less than 12 weeks gestation.
Monthly Meetings – These adult only meetings allow for the expression grief in a safe and caring environment. Parents who share similar experiences can often listen, acknowledge and accept feelings that others may find hard to comprehend. The group meetings offer a non-judgmental space to share stories, concerns and feelings.
Coffee Mornings – These monthly mornings are a great way to get together
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weekend reflection: going dry for a good cause

My sister Dr. Margaret Chan went for a conference in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia. " This afternoon, we skipped the afternoon session and went to the Muslim area. The place is huge. We went because the Malay students wanted to go so I followed. Well, it was really an eye opener. Tomorrow we are going to the grassland, the home of the Mongolians for a day. "

Margaret bought this interesting bottle of horse milk wine. She said most tourists bought the wine not to drink but for the bottle. It has a picture of Genghis Khan. ( can you see the reflection on the table?)

My very beautiful, talented niece, Katie is doing something fantastic. She is going dry this July 2012! All for a great cause! On the left is Katie, a solictor for the Chan Lawyers, and her youngest sister Emily. Some of you will remember Emily who sang the "Mum's the best song."

Katie Chan

Katie is supporting:
The Mater Adult Hospital, Brisbane, QLD
Amount raised:$0.00
Participant number11213588
Online donations (0)$0.00
Cash donations (0)$0.00
How is Katie feeling right now?
xoxo
about 12 hours ago
The website anyone can go to to make donations or leave messages: Katie just started today, so we hasn't received any donations yet. But what a great job , Katie, You got my Ka Pai and Paki Paki and also prayers that the bottle spirit will not tempt you too much.

I do a lot of fundraising for cancer with Matt (my fiancé)’s mother, Leeann. Matt’s father had cancer and a friend of mine who was only 25 years old passed away from cancer a few months ago. For instance, the last fundraiser we had, we walked to raise donations. Leeann walked from midnight until 5:30am to raise money! She also holds a lot of other events to raise money J
http://weekendreflection.blogspot.com

weekend reflection: Going dry


sorry Katie, Sorry Rainfield, I have no idea why the commentary is not published. I have posted another one.


My sister Dr. Margaret Chan went for a conference in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia. " This afternoon, we skipped the afternoon session and went to the Muslim area. The place is huge. We went because the Malay students wanted to go so I followed. Well, it was really an eye opener. Tomorrow we are going to the grassland, the home of the Mongolians for a day. "

Margaret bought this interesting bottle of horse milk wine. She said most tourists bought the wine not to drink but for the bottle. It has a picture of  Genghis Khan. ( can you see the reflection on the table?)

My very beautiful, talented niece, Katie is doing something fantastic. She is going dry this July 2012! All for a great cause! On the left is Katie, a solictor for the Chan Lawyers, and her youngest sister Emily. Some of you will remember Emily who sang the "Mum's the best song."

Katie Chan

Katie is supporting:
The Mater Adult Hospital, Brisbane, QLD
Amount raised:$0.00
Participant number11213588
Online donations (0)$0.00
Cash donations (0)$0.00
How is Katie feeling right now?
xoxo
about 12 hours ago
The website anyone can go to to make donations or leave messages: Katie just started today, so we hasn't received any donations yet. But what a great job , Katie, You got my Ka Pai and Paki Paki and also prayers that the bottle spirit will not tempt you too much.

I do a lot of fundraising for cancer with Matt (my fiancé)’s mother, Leeann. Matt’s father had cancer and a friend of mine who was only 25 years old passed away from cancer a few months ago. For instance, the last fundraiser we had, we walked to raise donations. Leeann walked from midnight until 5:30am to raise money! She also holds a lot of other events to raise money J
http://weekendreflection.blogspot.com

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Thursday Challenge: Pedal powered vehicles in a park full of trees.



Thursday Challenge: Trees


BIG (Building, Mountain, Sky, Animals, Vehicles, Tree,...)
No pollution, no wastage of fossil power. Ka Pai, Paki Paki. Seen at the East Coast Park of Singapore. They went very fast. I had to chase them in my bus 11 ( my two legs)

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Save the world/thursday theme song: Green Green grass of home.

An ex student of Kai Chung school posted this song on Facebook.
 Francis Tiong: Are you coming home to Binatangor?

I travel 5 legs of this journey to be at the reunion. Francis has kindly offered to take me on one leg after our celebration. Times and things have changed. I used to take an express river boat, but they don't operate anymore. Someone asked, why are you going? It's not even your reunion. It's your students'.

As I head towards home, one of the first drinks I had was the pure freshly squeezed sugar cane juice. Sugar cane is a grass which can grow quite tall depending on the species.

For the Save the world theme: The sugar cane farmers and suppliers used to truck sugar cane of long stems of about six foot long. They deliver them standing up at the fruit stalls. It seems the sugar cane is very porous and will absorb any fluid it comes in contact with. People got sick and some even died. They claimed that the cleaners clean the fruit stalls with detergent and some of these detergent flow to the sugar cane. They were sucked up by the cane.

As a result, they chop the stems into 2 feet of manageable lengths and stack them on the counter. Was this the solution? I don't know and I don't really care. This is the first thing I drink when I land in Singapore. It is cooling and not overly sweet.

If I am writing nonsense, it is because coming from a cold New Zealand to a very hot Singapore, I am having a hard time adjusting. I have been waking at 3 am every morning.









Tomorrow, I fly my second leg to Kuching from Singapore. 



Green Green Grass Of Home lyricsSongwriters: Putman, Curly;The old home town looks the same
As I step down from the train
And there to meet me is my Mama and Papa

Down the road I look and there runs Mary
Hair of gold and lips like cherries
It's good to touch the green, green grass of home

Yes, they'll all come to meet me
Arms reaching, smiling sweetly
It's good to touch the green, green grass of home

The old house is still standing
Though the paint is cracked and dry
And there's that old oak tree that I used to play on
[ From: http://www.elyrics.net/read/t/tom-jones-lyrics/green-green-grass-of-home-lyrics.html ]

Down the lane I walk with my sweet Mary
Hair of gold and lips like cherries
It's good to touch the green, green grass of home

Then I awake and look around me
At four gray walls that surround me
And I realize, yes, I was only dreaming

For there's a guard and there's a sad old padre
On and on we'll walk at daybreak
Again I'll touch the green, green grass of home

Yes, they'll all come to see me
In the shade of that old oak tree
As they lay me 'neath the green, green grass of home

http://youtu.be/_EvUHnm43wY




Tuesday, June 26, 2012

abc letter x



I am on holiday, so is my brain. I am hot and jet lagged. Welcome to Singapore.

 Sorry can't think of X words besides the ones I had already used. So I use pictures. the criss cross on the bridge looks like xxxxxx
 The sign says Chinese mixed rice, it means you get a bowl of steamed white rice, and your choice of vegetables and meat or fish.

http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.com/




Monday yellow/red.

I am having queries about my new edition. It is great. Right now, I am on holidays in Singapore and Borneo,





I remember another holiday I took a few years back, where it is also very hot. When I tell the water engineer that I am hibernating and not wanting to go out. He says, " what do you expect, you leave a freezing cold winter in New Zealand to the tropics."

I will not be posting as frequently or visiting you as much, until I come home in a month.

I am on the Gold Coast Of Australia. The weather is very very hot. Too hot to my liking. Tonight, my brother Joseph and his wife Audrey took me to a Thai Restaurant.

Next to the Thai Restaurant is Buona Sera Italian Restaurant. There was beautiful Elly with her beautiful voice entertaining the restaurant guests. A little boy with a ukelele was trying to accompany her play.

I asked Elly if I could take her photo and she kindly obliged. So if any of you, especially those of you in the North Hemisphere is yearning for hot weather, and hot music, do head this way.

The restaurant is at the Corner of Chairlift Ave and the Gold Coast Highway at Nobby's beach.

Elly, I extend my New Zealand appreciation, we could hear you from where we were sitting. Paki-paki aka clap clap.


http://rubytuesday2.blogspot.co.nz







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

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

ABC Wed: W for waiting and weighing


waiting for the train in Singapore.


statues depicting old Singapore life, weighing scale.
http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.com/



Sunday, June 17, 2012

mellow yellow: My book


Today, I printed my third edition of my book. My friend Megan has read it and may she be comforted as it is the EDD of her twins, Peanut and Poppet. How I wish as Megan said we could have a special vehicle to go up to heaven and bring them down to us. Megan is also missing her other sons Theo and Christopher and two others whom I forgot their names. Kisses and hugs to you, Megan.
Megan, I share with you the EDD of Andrew. 20th October 1989. Today would have been Andrew’s due date. But he jumped the gun and came 3 weeks early. An irrational me looked at Andrew, and asked him, “Why did you come earlier than when you were supposed to? If you came today, you would be a normal baby.” I was consumed with sadness; I didn’t offer to hold Andrew at his feeding time.
The duty nurse asked if I wasn’t feeling so good this morning. I told her, and started to cry. She gave me a hug. She told the other duty nurses, and they gave me extra TLC. With their loving care, my feeling of despondent slowly subsided. Realistically, Andrew had arrived, and he was Campomelic regardless of when he came. Nothing could change that.




Spring flowers for you, it is surreal, spring flowers in the middle of winter. But that's our lot, as bereaved mums, nothing is real any more.



photohunt: Ripple

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




An adult Australian Coot had just dived into the lake and made this ripple. He was getting food for the chick. This was in Western Springs. This is awesome and is why I like to go to Western Springs. You never know what interesting things you see.

This is in celebration of Fathers' day. It is not celebrated on this day in New Zealand, but in many places.

Happy Father's day.

Saturday, June 16, 2012

thurday challenge: BIG


Jama, I charter a plane for you to come and visit me. The best airline, not the cheapie Air Asia

Thursday Challenge: BIG


 "BIG" (Building, Mountain, Sky, Animals, Vehicles, Tree,...)
http://www.spunwithtears.com/thursday.html

Friday, June 15, 2012

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

ABC Wed: V for Violet , vintage and vest


I wanted to feature and celebrate my friends in "growing old very gracefully". 

Mr friends Bill and Rae Edgar are past their 4 scores. They play tennis, and Rae comes to help in the Mt Albert Baptist Church  ESOL class. I admire her enthusiasm and zeal. In helping her students, Rae is learning Chinese. For Bill, after a career that took him round the world, he enjoys doing what he tells me is wood turning, and turns out wooden vessels. I appreciate their generousity, Rae brought a pot of African Violet to sell at the garage sale we had to raise money for our missionaries. The plant plus many others came from one of their sons. Rae persuade Bill to part with his wood vessels, and she came with a box of it.
The Chinese have a saying, Jao Zhi Yew Fang, loosely translated as teaching or bringing up successful children. Sarawakiana, would you be explain? 
You may have found their names familiar. This is because I blog before of their famous artist son John.  http://annkschin.blogspot.co.nz/2010/06/outdoor-wednesday-sculture-by-john.html 


This is parchment art. Embossing tools are used for tracing,  small flowers and laces and other patterns in decorative painting. Because of the unique qualities of parchment paper, you can dry emboss, perforate and even apply different colour medium on it. It might be vintage but is very popular.

My friend Elizabeth's mum Maria started this hobby and now sells her craft to help finance her application to stay in New Zealand. After making the parchment art, she mounts them on cards. She did make a vest design, and I have no idea what happened to it. Maria told me her age, but I shouldn't divulge. She has grand children. 



Sorry I am not posting their photos because I didn't ask their permission.

http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.com/