ruby red/rednesday: paddle surfing.

Five minutes from my house, at Raymond Reserve, the media reports that paddle surfing is the latest craze among the water sports.

Stand up paddle surfing (SUP), stand up paddle boarding, or in the Hawaiian language Hoe he'e nalu, is an emerging global sport with a Hawaiian heritage.

I see people sit or kneel. Beginners look painfully boring, but experts surf the waves and can be very thrilling.

The sport is an ancient form of surfing, and reemerged as a way for surfing instructors to manage their large groups of students, as standing on the board gave them a higher viewpoint. This increased visibility of what was going on around them such as incoming swell.

Coached by Pete Smith WNZ Master Instructor.http://www.aucklandwindsurfing.co.nz



http://rubytuesday2.blogspot.co.nz





http://www.suelovescherries.blogspot.com/ house, at raymond Park,

Red: Buzzy Bee

This is a children's ride on machine found in shopping malls and in this case in the Auckland International airport. This Buzzy bee was an original wooden toy. When princess Diana visited New Zealand when Prince William was a baby, the manufacturers gave one to her. All the mums wanted to buy one for their babies too.

It is a pull along and the wings flap. It is our icon.



http://rubytuesday2.blogspot.co.nz





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

Ruby red/rednesday: Piggy bank.

Lunar/Chinese New Year falls on Monday, 23 January 2012. Red is a favoured color, so is Gold. Restaurant do a roaring business.

At the counter of a Chinese Restaurant, they have an old gold Chinese ingot. Next to it is a red bear with some money in it. I presume it is a container for tips for waiters and waitresses. In New Zealand, it is not compulsory to tip your waiters and waitresses.

In fact, the service is so bad that you don't wish to tip. People come for the food.



http://rubytuesday2.blogspot.co.nz





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

Kiwi Mummy Blogs

Kiwi Mummy Blogs showcases Kiwi Mummy Bloggers and their daily family ramblings online... http://www.kiwimummyblog


As a Kiwi Mum, I have connected with these blogs, and was invited to do a review of the SunRice. I am given a sample to try out and I do not receive any financial returns.

SunRice has launched three delicious new flavours in their Quick Cups range and are looking for blogging Mums interested in reviewing them. There are 3 flavours: Egg Fried Rice, Teriyaki Rice and Chicken Rice.

Cups are placed into the microwave and in just 40 seconds a perfect mound of fluffy Basmati rice, with real veggies and loads of flavour, is ready for serving. They’re perfect as snacks for kids – or as part of a balanced meal for your little ones.

They have marketed these rice cups as perfect as snacks for kids or part of a balanced meal for your little ones.

I have tried all 3 flavours. They have very strong flavours, the best is egg fried rice. The Teriyaki was very sweet, and the chicken rice too salty.

It is convenient, just pop in the micro wave for less than one minute, and you have a snack. The portions are small, ie child size.

Would children like such a snack after school? I don't know. Would mums like to serve a snack where grains of rice might be scattered all over the place?

I would say, instead of marketing SunRice as a snack to children, it could be marketed as a bigger portion as a lunch in the office lunch room.

Mellow yellow Monday/ruby red/rednesday: The Fijian team were waving flags during the singing.

http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com

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


http://mellowyellowmonday.blogspot.com/

Ruby red/rednesday: Graduation

http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com

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

It was my second daughter G's capping yesterday. It rained the whole day, we didn't go to the march pass. The ceremony was at the Aotea centre. My memories went back to previous ceremonies when the water engineer and I were capped.

A blind girl and her dog was there. There were thunderous clapping and yahooing.

Ruby red/rednesday: Danish Delight

http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com

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

I saw this Danish Crepe Stand up in the Waitakere Ranges. They also sell hot coffee.

Next term, I will be teaching Vikings to a group. It will be fun taking them up there. On second thoughts, I will just show this photo and lie that it is too cold to eat ice cream.

ruby red/rednesday:Indian head gear

http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com

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

When I posted the Big Fat Indian wedding, many of you were curious. Indeed I was curious too, to see the grandeur. Guests to an Indian wedding wore this head gear.

Ruby Red/Rednesday: New Zealand

The New Zealand Flag.



http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com

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

Today is a week since our Christchurch city was struck by the earthquake.

Today, at 12.51pm, the nation will observe a 2 minutes silence. The Mayor has asked even traveling vehicles to stop where they are . "The two-minute silence at 12.51pm is really about whatever you are doing, stop ... and we all stand together as one," he said.

It is going to be a very somber feeling as we pause and reflect and think how we are going to move forward.

Addition:

Our principal assembled all 660 students and teachers under our big tree. It was in the mid of our lunch hour. The weather was hot, most of the kids were in the sun. The kids all came early. We were waiting, when a neighbor went hammering. Our principal went to the fence and told him about the 2 minutes silence. He soon stopped.

We started our silence, and a church bell tolled from far away. The kids were very good. We had a few handicap kids on walkers and clutches. Only an aspergers boy remained in the play ground.

The principal thanked the students for giving up part of their lunch hour.

Ruby Red Tuesday/rednesday:Garbage Truck

http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com

http://www.suelovescherries.blogspot.com/
Our Garbage truck drivers and collectors are another group of workers that we mustn't take for granted.

For us here in Auckland, if there is a public holiday, the garbage collection skips to another day. With Boxing day being on Sunday, we thought the collection would be on Tuesday. But they came early on Monday, before people were awake, and my husband heard them but he was too late. I said that they shouldn't have come on Monday, and there were so much festive waste. It would be very unpleasant in our summer heat.

A lot of people must have complained, and they came again, I heard them and rushed out to the truck as they had past our house. I asked if they would wait for us. The husband came with the wheelie bin, and I happened to have my camera ready.

Here Ka Pai or good job to the men and women on this route.

Ruby Red/Rednesday: Banzai

This photo is new, but the latter part of this post is a repeat. I did it in 2009.

Those readers from Malaysia and Singapore will be familiar with this story. It is the story that is with the family. My brothers now live in Australia, but they are very passionate when they tell it to the younger generation. Of course, this story must not die out.



http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com

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



My brothers, Charles, Joseph and Henry are going to have a field day when they read this post. As boys, they naturally have more interests in war, though I have listened first hand from my Dad.

Banzai in Japanese, or at least during the World War 2, aka as the Japanese invasion, means "Hail to the Emperor." The fierce Jap soldiers required anyone seeing them to prostrate 90 degrees, lift one hand out and say," Banzai!" Then the Jap soldiers will let you go. If you don't, you would be knocked by the gun, and beaten or forced with water into your stomach or thrown to jail.

Whereas, in Hokkien, a Chinese dialect, Banzai means "Go to Shit." So according to my brother Charles, the Chinese were very enthusiastic in saying ," Banzai! Banzai". The soldiers not knowing this, would let them go. The rest of the population like the Malays were beaten really badly.

My Dad, and later Henry related this story. Dad really needed to banzai/shit. When he was heading towards a toilet, he encountered some Jap solders. His quick thinking made him lift his hand to show them his toilet paper, and saying Banzai at the same time. Misunderstanding him, the Jap soldiers let him off. I teased Dad in his later years if he shat his pants, and he only laughed. He said, now we can all laugh, it was no laughing matter then.

This shop in Mt Eden is called Banzai, it sells Japanese snacks. I always snigger when I see it. You won't catch me going into that shop. Now it has become a restaurant.

***When the water engineer wears his Japanese cap, I scold him to be a ratbag, his Dad who was beaten up twice by the Japs would roll in his grave. The Japanese caps and uniform were Khaki in colour. The water engineer's hat is blue and made in China. I don't think China would make such a cap in Khaki colour.***

ruby red/rednesday:Internet cafe

http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com

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

When you are away from home, and feels home sick, check in an internet cafe. Photographed at the Mirage on the Gold Coast of Australia.

Ruby red/rednesday: red carpet

http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com

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

My lovely grand niece Mia was the flower girls for my niece Emily's wedding.