Some people leave footprints others....

One night I had a wondrous dream, One set of footprints there was seen,
The footprints of my precious Lord, But mine were not along the shore.
But then some stranger prints appeared,
And I asked the Lord, "What have we here?"
These prints were large, round and neat
but they were too big to have been made by my feet.
"My child," God said in somber tones,
"For miles I carried you alone,
I challenged you to walk in faith,
But you refused and made me wait."
"You disobeyed, you would not grow,
The walk in faith, you would not know,
So I got tired, I got fed up,
And there I dropped you on your butt."

"Because in life, there comes a time,
When one must fight, and one must climb,
When one must rise and take a stand,
Or leave their buttprints in the sand."

(Author -Anon)

Personal Note : My dream will prob see me lookin' at lil craters with a face imprinted on each one, coz the slacker that I am ought to be dumped on the face instead of muh backside.
But I know God's good, his unconditional love covers a multitude of sins and reaches out even to pathetic people such as myself.
PPS: And since I am oh so fond of piggyback rides all 90kgs of me I will hang on for dear life....lol Have a blessed weekend folks. Peace Out

New Favorite Udon Place

Felise took us to this Udon(Noodles) Restaurant a month ago.. NARUTO and now it has become one of our favorite places to eat. No.. we have not become vegetarians like our boy Felix who has a lot more stamina but perhaps a little less iron in his blood like us meat eating savages..lol.

It's not just the great food that that has compelled us to visit the place like 4 times since then.The restaurant has a real friendly and comfortable atmosphere and the people who work there look real happy to see you.

Ok, so it's a business and they are obliged to smile at the customers even though it may not match the feelings inside but somehow I feel they give us that little extra attention. Which can be attributed to a number of reasons. Could be the fact that
1 ~ we are foreigners.
2 ~ our physical sizes may be a bit intimidating. (though we are not exactly giants we do tend to stand out from the usually petite locals)
3 ~ they know we always order the biggest plates they've got but will not disappoint the chef by eating only a quarter of it.

A fair number ofJapanese customers weve seen frequenting the place order food they seem to eat a few spoonfuls from and then discard it. Perhaps it's a status kind of thing, customers flaunting their wealth by ordering food they cant really finish or could be just that they dont have our huge appetites, who knows? There's one thing I am certain of, the fact that there aint no chance of that ever happening when the Hamo's roll into the joint. It always has to be the triple size serving with a personal gurantee that it will be finished right down to the juice. The food doesn't just gets eaten it gets devoured..faaaoga le kupe hoh!

Was never really a fan of udon I am the typical islander who will eat ramen/saimigi as is or only when then there is nothing else around or in need of a quick meal. But the presentation of Naruto's Udon has gotten me hooked and I can say for sure that when I go back to Samoa this will probably one of the few Japanese meals I will miss. However despite it being disgustingly healthy and so forth I would pass it up in an instant for a taste of Siaosi's mamoe, Treasure Garden's yummy but greasy food, good ole Pinati's stirfry and the faiai fee's, lumane and matalelei from the market. Mommy's home made raw fish and Beef Wellington yeah rite choo hoo laterzzzzzz.

Congratulations to Nydia & Chee-ku Chu Ling!.

Dearest Nydz and Chee-ku.
In all the craziness of the past few weeks I forgot to congratulate you two in reaching your First Wedding Anniversary. In between the Chu-Ling Family reunion, baby getting sick, clubs closing down and your boss demanding a lot (taking away precious moments meant for blogging) I am glad you two were able to have time together to celebrate one year of being a couple and of course deliriously proud parents of one gorgeous baby girl.
Getting through the first year is always a challenge... adjusting to the new changes (when the yours and mine become ours and everybody elses) new environment (new address, bedroom, neighbors etc) and to each other but I know that no matter what, with baby in ur lives I am sure you have enjoyed the ride and is anticipating more wonderful events to come.
May God's unconditional love abide by you always, guiding, protecting, moulding and perfecting you in to being the best partners/ friends as well as most the wonderful parents Tinto and her future siblings could ever ask for.


Here is to more fabulous years and a life filled with much love, happiness and success.

"Have courage for the great sorrows of life, and patience for the small ones. And when you have labouriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake."

(Victor Hugo)

Forgive an old woman for being remiss in such an important occassion. Belated Congratulations to you once again.

May your be the kind!

Love always,

Your Beppu Fambam.

Ailing Pacific Leaders...

The passing of Maori Queen Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV of Tonga critically ill in New Zealand's Mercy Hospital as well as concerns over the health of Tomasi Kulimoetoke, the 87 year old King of Wallis has gotten me thinkin' about the issue of man's mortality again.
Death comes to us all, no matter our stations in life King or Pauper we all share the same fate. There is no fountain of youth, no cure for death and no turning back the clock. We can only hope that we leave this world having done what we have set out to do. We can't all be famous, having created something like the cell phone,new computer software, found a cure for a terminal disease or discovered a new atom/specie etc.
But we can live meaningful lives just depends on ur own definition of meaningful. There is a place/time for all of us to display our individual talents and abilities. Our respective contributions to our societies/families/countries despite of how they may be perceived by others.... matters.

I strongly believe if our being around has made this world a bit better ie: a much friendlier and less lonelier place for at least one other person then we have made an impact. If we are able to give love as well as being on the receiving end then we are not doing too bad.

If during our lifetime we have Hugged a baby, kissed an elderly person, comforted a friend, laughed with a parent/s, lent a hand to a stranger and wiped the tears of a sibling, taught someone to drive, shared a drink with a co worker etc etc...then we have sampled the rewards of some of the simplest but most meaningful moments in life.
There is a lot we can do in life that needs neither money nor status to achieve. In our own families and circles we are all royalty, kings and queens, ruler of hearts and minds.
Getting back to our ailing leaders our own Head of State is getting on also in his old age and should the sun set on the life of Malietoa Tanumafili II, I know that our country will miss this Father Figure. For most of us who were born way after the nation's Independence he is perhaps the only leader of old we are familiar with. It will take some getting used to, should somebody else step into his shoes. A different face on our coins and tala notes, a new name to the title and a new smile greeting marchers during the Independence Parade.

Our situation may be quite different to that of Tonga. The reigning monach has been the absolute ruler of the chain of more than 170 islets since 1965, a 41-year reign that puts him fourth on the list of longest-serving sovereigns, after Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and our very own Malietoa Tanumafili II.
Life could very well be quite different after the reign of the King should his condition take a turn for the worse. The passing of King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV may signal a new change in the political life of the country or again may make the Royal family even more endearing to the nation, but until then I join my prayers with that of many Tongans around the world beseeching the Lord for his help and care for the ailing monarch.

May God Bless all of us and Long life, peace and happiness to all.

Personal Reflections:

"Is your place a small place? Tend it with care; He set you there. Is your place a large place? Guard it with care! He set you there. Whate'er your place, it is Not yours alone, but his Who set you there." (John Oxenham)

My place umm is this in reference to my current abode, status in life, financial situation or gender??

Coz if its referring to the apartment we are presently inhabiting it is quite small so its quite manageable.

Status in life: I am no socialite, don't even have a job. Still a fulltime student hoping to one day contribute something of significance to society in this case I am very mindful of my place..lol

Financial situation: where money is concerned my place is so small it won't even cause a ripple even if it wanted to.

Gender : but as a woman a wife and a mother I know where my place is and though my sphere of nfluence may be quite small, keeping my family happy and together is my mission in life.Knowing that the man upstairs has my back gives me the confidence to move forward even when there's trouble looming on the horizon.

"I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who overcomes his enemies, for the hardest victory is victory over self." (Aristotle)

Now did this guy write this especially for me *jokes* but by golly this is so true. Some of the hardest battles I have fought over the years emotionally/spiritually have been with myself. Trying to restrain myself from overspending, over eating, watching too much tv etc etc the list goes on forever.There is this other saying that "there is more to fear about the things we desire than fear itself" is also true. Have gotten into trouble now and again coz of this. Must learn to discipline self and set good examples for my lil girl.

Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved. (Barbara Johnson)

* Scratches head* Jeepers this can be so difficult at times. Sometimes my husband annoys me and vice versa little things that, but sometimes its the lil things that can spark off an arguement. Afterwards you feel bad about saying stupid things and you wonder why you even went there. Slaps urself upside the head but the damage is done. Always gotta remember this one now.

Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow; it only saps today of its strength. (A. J. Crown)

Don't I know this, especially when the bills come in all at one time.

I always wonder how my parents used to take care of this kind of 'adult stuff' especially when u think about how small the salaries in Samoa were back then. I guess the best we can do is live one day at a time, the best preparation for tomorrow is making good use of today.

So in order for me to survive the few years of school I have left I have to prioritise my work. Meaning I have to cut down on my tv time and blogging hours. So if I disappear for months on end know that I am still alive and kicking just getting some meaaoga done..lol.

Well peeps that's it from me for now,take care and God Bless.

Been a while..

Fellow bloggers, hisashiburi ne! (its been a long time)
Been workin' my tush off to get a couple of my papers in on time, needless to say I am totally hammered (is that an approriate term) Working non stop with a few stolen moments of sleep in between is no way to live so I have promised myself that I will change my study habits..umm how old am I now and how many times was that promised made and broken???
Ok, so I am not the most reliable person when it comes to keeping promises to myself and I know I really ought to change in regards to how I carry out my studies but I am so used to this mad dash to beat the deadline routine. It's such a powerful adrenaline rush. But pulling off a couple of all nighters only to walk around in the daytime like a zombie growling at everything and anything is really no fun. Just ask my poor husband and daughter who for most of the time had to keep far far away from me seeing each other only at meal times.
But now I can breathe normally again the bulk of the work's done I still have to edit and revise some more but at least it's under control. When I feel like I am being pulled in different directions I berate myself for being lazy and for procrastinating too much but still haven't learned. I know I have to I can't afford to screw up.
Missing home didn't make things go any easier but the faces of loved ones passing through my mind gave me the encouragement I needed that and the little "mama u can do it" smiles my lil girl would throw at me whenever she comes into the study room to see me, was another major booster. Not forgetting the coffee and sensational meals my husband cooked. I thank God so much for them, whether they feel the same about me is questionable..lol
Well I have to hit the books again soon trying to keep this momentum going but at least there's no pressure as I am on my own time again. I have re-integrated myself back into the family unit. The other two seem a little reserved, I can't blame them they are perhaps wondering when the other persona will pop up again but I guess we have a reprive for now we'll see when October comes around and school kicks in again..lol*jokes*
Hopefully by then mama will be more organized possibly even a model student by then pe a leva lava!