North Island - New Zealand

North Island NZ, a set on Flickr.

No Quake's Gonna Stop Us

As seen at the World Buskers Festival in (Stronger) Christchurch...

Sam Simmons
"[...] one of the most daring and unconventional comics in Australia, completely original and vastly absurd, he has one foot firmly planted into the soils of reality, and the other rooted deep into the psyche of being silly." (World Buskers Festival website)

What if you put two things you really like together? Christmas and Star Wars. - Listen to Christmas carols sung over Star Wars songs music (starting 1:30).

Sam's website
His YouTube channel



The Boy with Tape on his Face
"The Boy is a mad scientist of vaudevillian pranks, who reminds us that life is an adventure…" (World Buskers Festival website)

The Boy's website
His YouTube channel

Essays of Grade 9 Students in Bargaun, Humla

My Aim in Life

Each and every human being builds up an aim in life. Different people can have different aims. Some have high ambition and some have simple ambition and few of them can be aimless. The man without aim gets lost on his/her way to a prosperous life. The aim in life is the destination to reach.

I am thinking of enjoying a simple and complex life what is written in my luck. Yet I want to be an Engineer, because engineer is the most important factor for the uplift all round development of land and observing it. I don’t want to be slave of money. More then 50 percent of land of Nepal is sloppy and covered with hills. The government who is not aptly observed is not adequately conscious. They are working and their own generation. The don’t have any feeling of shy to the neighboring country and its people so I want to travel corner to corner of Nepal and survey the land. It means I warn the government and teach the people of Nepal how to develop and why of Observing simple way. That’s why I’m strongly willing to help them, being an engineer.

Now I am studying in Secondary level. After I pass S.L.C I will go to Pokhara/Kathmandu to study engineering. I will study science and maths as my major subject. After I complete my graduation in engineering .I will apply to go to remote areas to be an engineer. I do hope, I will certainly get opportunity to meet my aim in life. I have heard that most of the land is very underdeveloped. I will try to make them developed.

As I have realized that engineering is the only one way to uplift the illiterate people and the foundation of development. I wish to serve my family being an engineer in remote place. I will try to obey a famous saying, Simple living high thinking.” If I can do this, I do feel that my life is completely successful and I will bless my luck and God.

Angmu Lama, Grade 9, Ralling Secondary School, Bargaun, Humla

Importance of Female Education

A human society consists of male and female. If both male and female are they can play the equal role. It is said that a man and women are two wheels of a cart; if one wheel is weak the cart can’t move properly. Normally 50 percent of total population is occupied by women. If women are uneducated 50 percent people of the country will be uneducated. Hence the progress of nation depends on women education.

In most of the societies in Nepal are neglected. They are considered to be the means of enjoyment and reproduction, but it is not good for the betterment of human civilization. In the context of Nepal only less then 30 percent of women are literate. Most of the women are limited within household activities. Because of being illiterate, most of the women are conservative. They believe in superstitions. But nowadays many girls are going to school and colleges. The girl in the urban area is getting more opportunities then the girl in rural areas.

Women education plays vital role to foster conjugal life. Educated women can help their family, society and country as well. If they are educated they can look their children properly. They can teach their children good manners, disciplines and lesions. The mother is first teacher of children.

Women should be empowered with various kinds of skills and knowledge. They can learn simple subject like home science, child care, first aid, needle work etc, furthermore they can be doctor, engineer, teacher, administrator, leader and so on.

In conclusion, in the context of Nepal illiterate women should be made literate by running adult literacy classes for them. We all should encourage them to be literate and then educated. Women themselves should be alert and dynamic to uplift their status then man can support them for their betterment.

Sonam Lama, Grade 9, Ralling Secondary School, Bargaun, Humla

My Aim in Life

I want to be a Doctor. But to become a doctor is not easy. So, I must do hard labor in student life to become a doctor. And after our success we must need to help our parents, teacher and so on. Then I have planning to go to Kathmandu, take an entrance exam for science, when I pass then I will start studying MBBS. When I pass MBBS I will become a doctor and will work in a famous hospital.

If we take big aim we sure get success in it. But if we don’t take aim we can never succeed in life. An aimless person is like a ship without rudder, so without aim our life will be dark forever. Therefore, we must have aim in life to build our bright future.

Kelsang Lama, Grade 9, Ralling Secondary School, Bargaun, Humla

It's winter again

WELCOME BACK SUMMER! Oops! Sorry, folks, IT'S WINTER AGAIN (The Southland Times, yesterday on Monday, January 23, 2012).

"Queenstown's higher peaks got their second dusting of unseasonable snow yesterday, resulting in midsummer vistas that could have easily been mistaken for wonderful winter scenery. MetService meteorologist Derek Holland yesterday said the snow and ice were the result of a late southerly change and were likely to melt off today or tomorrow.

A front dragging cold air behind it could bring scattered snow showers down to 1500 metres on Mt Ruapehu, [...]. However, the chance of more summer snow for southern peaks was slim, as an anticyclone would be warming temperatures throughout late January and February, Mr Holland said.

The snowfall is the second around Queenstown this summer, after a light dusting also covered the mountains last weekend."

Well, yesterday's news. Today, it's summer again...

PS. Have you ever seen any paper crossing out a headline on the frontpage? Only New Zealands' best regional newspaper can do that.

Māori Story of Creation, Society and Language

Before the world was created there was nothingness (Te Kore), then darkness (Te Pō). Out of Te Kore sky father (Ranginui) and earth mother (Papatūānuku) emerged and were joined together. Their children were born between them and lived in darkness. They conspired and forced their parents apart. The world of light (Te Ao Mārama) began.

Many stories and legends were developed to interpret the natural and spiritual world and explain human nature. These stories are based on the philosophy that there is a genealogy which can be traced back to the creation. It binds together all inanimate objects, living creatures and divine beings.

Māori society is a network of family and tribal relationships. The tribe (iwi) is the largest of the groups. Today, the largest iwi has over 100,000 members. Each iwi is made up of hapū (decent groups), some of which have many hundreds of members. Each hapū is composed of whānau (extended family).

The Māori language is an official language of New Zealand. Before European arrival Māori did not have a written language and all information and stories were transmitted verbally. A poetic language evolved to convey knowledge across generations. – Learn more about Māori customs, legends and their language on korero.maori.nz/forlearners/.

Sydney

Sydney, a set on Flickr.

Happy 2012!