Watery Wednesday: Jet boat

http://waterywednesday.blogspot.com/

New Zealand: land of extreme sports. Thirty years ago, we went on a jet boat ride. Here we were after an awesome and thrilling ride. We pretended to drive the boat.

Twenty years later, in Queenstown, I refused to go on the Shotover jet. The husband and daughter went.

Addition: Ginny asked how I became cautious;
The ride was very fast and almost dangerous. We were sitting at the back, and our friend D was sitting in front. The driver made 2 360 degrees turn. D went into the front part of the boat (That triangle part) and bump his head. Exhilarating as it was, right there and then, I decided not to go on another ride ever.

Recently there was a serious accident.
Five people flown to hospital after a jet-boat accident on the Waiau River, south of Hanmer Springs, were "very lucky" to escape with their lives.

Mechanical failure is thought to have caused yesterday's accident.

Twelve people, mainly tourists, were on board the Thrillseekers Canyon Adventure jet boat when it ran aground about 600m south of the Ferry Bridge, 7km from Hanmer.

The jet boat hit a rock and spun out, grounding on a shingle bank in the middle of the river.

ABC Wednesday: ICE

http://abcwednesdayround3.blogspot.com/
ABC Wednesday is hosted by Mrs. Denise Nesbitt

We went as a family to New Zealand's most famous glaciers are the Fox and Franz Josef glaciers on the South Island's West Coast. Gouged out by moving ice over thousands of years, the Fox and Franz Josef glaciers are easily accessible to mountaineers and hikers.
It was daunting to see such massive rivers of frozen ice.

On the West Coast, remnants of the ice age cascade from vast snowfields of the Southern Alps to valley floors just 300 metres above sea level. Nowhere in the world's temperate zones are glaciers so accessible - glaciers cover nearly half the area of the Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park.

Just recently on September the fourth, a Fletcher FU24 aircraft crashed at the end of the runway at Fox Glacier Airport. The crash was New Zealand's worst aviation disaster in 17 years and killed 9.

Mellow Yellow Monday: Suction Truck

http://mellowyellowmonday.blogspot.com/

For the story for this truck with a big yellow hose, click this link of my other site.

http://annkschin.blogspot.com/2010/09/save-world-throw-your-rubbish-in-bin.html It is a big truck which sucks up debris trapped inside storm water drains.

scenic sunday: Africa troupe

href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-899-CzXQWItUfFyjSFOjxOGTEkQROWseDRIH7E7c9vaS4cU9uY0dAvNwmXzEF3utxzHVq1OPmL1XKT3YtWP1_Y3xCVsYQlOtJdAYWoaTaJ-tSZW375nF4eqFVAr-h783_IcGshSyI0Bu/s1600-h/scenic+sunday.jpg">
http://scenicsunday.blogspot.com/

CIRQUE MOTHER AFRICA, a spectacular celebration created in Africa by an African, Winston Ruddle, and pounding with the heart of Africa is touring New Zealand and is performing in Auckland this week.

Last year, their circus came. I do not go to such shows and prefer to spend my time in front of my computer looking at photos and reading commentaries of fellow bloggers.

weekend reflection: 9/11

http://newtowndailyphoto.blogspot.com/


My take for this week is a reflection of a different kind.

9/11 or September 11th.
Where were you on that day?

As for me,
It was evening in Singapore.
I was watching TV.
Then came the news flash.
I saw the plane crash into tower 2.
I couldn't believe my eyes.
It was Reality TV.

We went to New York in 1992,
We went to the World Trade center,
We went up the tower.
We watched the rest of New York from high up.

And now, the towers are gone.
Who could have done such an evil thing?
That almost 3000 would perish.
And how many become bereaved?
I am a bereaved mum.
I cry for those mums at Ground Zero.

Why? We ask?
Is there any truth with the conspiracy theories?
Why would people spin such tales?
Why? Oh why?

Skywatch Friday: Rain

http://skyley.blogspot.com/href="http://skyley.blogspot.com/">

It is 10.30am,
It is supposed to be Spring,
But it is cold,
It is drizzling.
We just had an earthquake in our country.
There is nothing to laugh about.

Every Saturday,
When I walk past this Indian temple,
There are bursts of laughter.
I remember the laughing clubs in Singapore.
They meet at the beach
They laugh loudly.
I am skeptical.
How can people laugh for no reason?
I don't even laugh at Mr. Bean's jokes.

But apparently,
People who go to these laughing clubs,
Seriously believe in the benefits.
As a kid,
I read in the Readers' Digest,
Laughter is the best medicine.
May be I should pluck up my courage,
And join them, and chuckle away.

Do look at this video, it is choreographed very nicely, especially at the end. You don't have to laugh. I didn't.
http://www.pangeaday.org/filmDetail.php?id=69


The story of Laughter Yoga starts in 1995, when Doctor Madan Kataria, a GP with a practice in Mumbai, India, was reviewing the considerable body of medical research which established the broad-ranging benefits of laughter. These benefits were not simply a sense of 'feeling good', there were measurable improvements to physical, mental and emotional states for people who laughed often.

Thursday Theme Song: Mom's the best

Download Emily Chan - Mum's The Best

Please click on the above link to listen to song.









Emily on the right with her two sisters and her mum Karen.


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 past...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/

This Chinese Song titled: Mom's the best person in the whole wide world is half a century old. It was recorded by a famous child actress Sio Fung Fung and later by Teresa Teng.

This recording is modernised and recorded by my niece Emily and her fiance Morgan, a gift to her dad for Father's day. Both Emily and Morgan are Australians and they don't speak a word of Chinese. But when you listen to their singing, you wouldn't have guessed.

Most Chinese mothers sing to and teach their children this song. If one billion Chinese sing this song at some stage of their lives. I wonder how many times this song had been sung.

Shi shang zhi you ma ma hao
you ma de hai zi xiang ge bao.
tou jin ma ma de huai bao
xin fu xiang bu liao

世上只有妈妈好
有妈的孩子像个宝
投进了妈妈的怀抱
幸福享不了

Mommy's the only dearest in the world
Those with mums are like treasures
Run to mum's bosom
you will be so happy

shi shang zhi you ma ma hao
Mei ma de hai zi xiang ge cao
li kai ma ma de huai bao
xin fu na li zhao.
世上只有妈妈好
没妈的孩子像根草
离开妈妈的怀抱
幸福哪里找

Mommy's the only dearest in the world
without a mom you are like a stalk of weed
away from mom's bosom,
where will you find happiness?

Shi shang zhi you ma ma hao
you ma de hai zi bu zhi dou.
Yaw shi ta men zhi dou
mon li yie hui siao.

世上只有媽媽好
有媽的孩子不知道
要是他知道
夢裡也會笑

Mommy's the only dearest in the world
Those with mums don't know
If only they know,
They will smile even in their dreams

Mei yu mama zui ku now
Motherless kids have most worries.

http://annkschin.blogspot.com/2010/05/happy-mothers-day.html
The recipient of this song, Charles is the one who cooked the lovely ham,