…Secular States cannot be biased to one religion especially in an increasingly diverse population. Therefore we can’t or shouldn’t use our own personal morals and impose it on everyone else.

And thirdly, as I mentioned above, same-sex couples being married doesn’t hurt anyone, unless you have your own prejudices or bigoted views. If Aunties Tom and Dom from down the road decided to get married/have a Civil Union, how does that change anything for you? Do they suddenly smell really bad? Do they impinge on your right to walk down the road? Do they hurt your eyesight now they are in union of some kind?

…from NiuZila

The nimble fingers dance across the board with hands showing wear and tear of a hardworking life, a dedication to working the family plantation, building the family home, the hand of a bible holding childhood, disciplinary cuts of a hand upon a child - once strong and useful to the Aiga these hands are reduced to the competition of a quick thinking mind and the reasoning of veteran conscience that dictates the outcome of this simple game.

To the naked eye of an outsider, the old men playing Mu is an equivalent of a bunch of alcoholics, but if you look deeper it is more than just a game that these souls play to fade away the lazy hot Samoan afternoon, but a last element of competition to show superiority and being a man in this culture of hierarchy and duty bound soldiers of a village, family, country.

…from Screaming Tree

Have you ever heard of a ‘beauty lock’? A ’sope’? Apparently back in Lauli’i’s time, it was fashionable for children to keep their entire heads shaven except for a small section of hair - at the front of the head or on either side above the ears - which they would dye red with burnt coral. According to Lauli’i:

“…the girl who had the reddest ’sope’ attracted the most favorable attention, and incidentally reflected credit upon her mother…”

I had no idea.

But my own mother can verify this ’sope’ story. Apparently they were still shaving children’s heads like this when she was a child back in the 1940s and ’50s. Mum says the idea was to make them look like those red things on the top of roosters’ heads.

Riiiiight.

…from Samoan Like Me

When your in love with someone, you do all your lovey dovey cutesy couple things, wierd - for some reasons Samoans here in Samoa just don’t do that.

Its Taboo.

Kids walk to school with thier friends and hold hands, girls can hold another girls hand, a boy can hold another boys hand - but a girl and boy holding hands is kaukalaikiki (considered cheeky) LOL

So unless we are either pro-gay and lesbian, it is instilled in our culture that holding hands with your girlfriend or boyfriend is just something ‘you do not do’ (even if your married!)

…from Screaming Tree

I had only been watching the show sporadically, but last night’s finale was exhilarating! For those not familiar with the contestants, the most controversial and polarising finalist was Russell Hantz - an oil company owner and self-confessed millionaire. He is the man! He masterminded his way to the finals, whether by making various alliances, making promises, breaking promises, lying, manipulating his team, tough playing in challenges, and finding immunity idols with no clues! He is probably the best Survivor contestant in the history of the show.

…from NiuZila

In Apia, there are approximately 6-7 elevators. Yesterday, I was thrown back into reality of how a simple thing as operating an elevator is still a foreign experience for our own people, an elderly lady entered the parking entrance of the Government building in Apia and was going to level 1, Eira and I had to get off at ground level (our inability to walk up 1 flight of stairs…is something else) but as we stepped off the elevator this lady became very scared and started to shake visibly, Eira held onto the door from closing and the lady asked with a tear in her eye how she was supposed to get to level 1…

…from Screaming Tree

To the intrigue of some Mexicans, they would ask what language we were speaking. “Samoan.” “Oh, where is that from?” “Samoa, near New Zealand.” “Where’s that?” At that point I laugh and I feel like saying - What? You don’t know where New Zealand is? … I had no hope of explaining where Samoa was if people hadn’t heard of New Zealand hehehe.

Every now and then we had random people say to us random things as we walked passed. We’ve had a few people say “Mahalo” or “Aloha”. Close, but not quite. A couple of people said “Kia ora”, with one Mexican adding on “Tena Koe? Haere mai.” gesturing we enter his stall. I was pretty impressed with that guy, unfortunately we were in a rush and couldn’t stop. An African American man, thought we were “Tong-gan”. Man, he was almost dead right… so near and yet so far. Then one day, out of the blue an old palagi lady on the cruise turned around said, “Samoa? Are you guys from Samoa?” Amazed at her accuracy, we grinned widely and say “Yes, we are Samoans, although we live in New Zealand.”

She replied “You’re a long way from home.” Shortly after that conversation my wife and I sat down to have lunch trying to figure out how the little old lady knew we were Samoan. My wife stared at me, then suddenly whacked my over the head and said “Look at your t-shirt!” I forgot I was wearing my ‘Samoa mo Samoa’ tee that day…

…from NiuZila