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Articles by Quenjule Slaven
In the defence of Koko Samoa
There is a misconception in the community that drinking too much Samoan cocoa (Koko Samoa) is bad for your health as it is claimed that it raises your cholesterol and makes you gain weight.
The Talotaloga Hope Exhibition
On Thursday 7 September 2023 the Manamea Studio and Gallery was abuzz with excited artists and proud friends and family members as VAOSA (the Visual Artists of Samoa Association) held their first group exhibition. The exhibition opened on September 7 and closed on September 21 this week. Eighteen members of VAOSA and invited guest artists presented works based on the theme of “Talotaloga–Hope”.
'Our Takitimu tribe came from Patamea in Savai’i'
“Our Takitimu tribe came from Patamea in Savai’i, Samoa”. This is what an old Cook Islands chief told us in his welcome speech to our Samoan Delegation to a Forum Leaders meeting in Rarotonga in 1974. Our delegation was led by our late prime minister Fiame Mata’afa Faumuina Mulinu’u II. The chief wept as he spoke those words that day. Many years before that, a famous Maori scientist and archaeologist, Sir Peter Buck, had asked an old Samoan matai where the Samoans originated.
Perceptions of corruption in seven small Pacific Island states
Over the past few years the Pacific has been a hive of anti-corruption activity. Pacific Island nations have introduced new anti-corruption organisations and legislation; signed international treaties; seen protests, as well as social and traditional media exposés; and have participated in numerous regional meetings about how to best tackle corruption. Regional ownership over the issue has grown.
Beckham's Miami MLS team to kick off after 7 years of twists
NEW YORK (AP) — Used to bending free kicks for goals, David Beckham was not prepared for seven years of twists en route to his team's Major League Soccer debut this weekend. "This I always knew was going to be a challenge. I didn't realize how big of a challenge it was going to be," the former England captain said Wednesday. "When we announced seven years ago, I thought it would take one or two years and we'll be playing in the league. We'll have a stadium. We'll have great players.
Taxes, Church, Govt. and Ned Netterville
Thank you Mr. Ned Netterville. This discussion is going around in circles and I believe there is not much more of value to be added to what’s been said already. So this will be my last comment unless something new comes up that calls for a response. It’s also a last comment made for a very particular reason.
Isn’t the will of man, God made?
Healthy living is a tad short of meaning when I think of cancer. It is a disease that urges one who watches a loved one deteriorating from it, to rethink the use of insensitive words such as healthy living. Cancer is a tough shock on families, spouses, and children especially. I always look at my sister’s kids and wonder how high they have climbed mountains within to find relief from fear. It is much like running from a wave that keeps following till you cannot climb any further.
The finishing line
They say the finish line is just the beginning of a whole new race. But does it take a lot of effort to actually start the race?—perhaps a diet, school, a family, a business or a programme. Starting for me is always easy. Finishing is what can be difficult. Almost any female can have a baby, but it takes a loving mother to really raise that child.
A group most people overlook
I don’t believe that the world is as evil as everyone says. I don’t believe that the news is an accurate representation of our world. Of course there are wars, terrorists, kidnappers, tyrants, murderers and it’s all important to know in this day and age. But there is so much more good in the world than what we hear, and you can find it, in a group most people ignore – “us” teenage girls. Teenage girls are some of the kindest people you will ever meet.
Failure and defeat are life’s greatest teachers
I failed my eye exam and now wear glasses. I try not to stress over it. Failing eyesight as you get older is nature’s way of protecting you from shock as you walk past the mirror (so they say), but my dream of becoming a pilot in the future is shattered. Does it mean I have no future? Not at all, I just have to change my plan to something that is ideal for my present situation. When your plans fail, that temporary defeat is not permanent failure.
Why are there pimples on my face?
Have you ever been a victim of stress because of too much schoolwork, and tons of responsibilities so your body was sending out warning signs to slow down? Breaking out with goose-pimples, pimples that look like goose bumps on your face? Is your biological clock not adhering to normality? If you answered yes to all these questions then you have what I was diagnosed with recently. I call it the Selective Teenage Eating Junk-food Syndrome or STEJS.
The lesson of the Se
My brother and I caught a handful of creepy, crawly crickets, also called in Samoan, Se. We excitedly put them in a jar to keep as pets. After much research, we placed them inside the jar with your typical supplies for a cricket, like grass, flies, ripe bananas and leaves. Then we put the lid on the jar with several holes punched in it so the crickets could breathe.
Pete’s magic dragon
When I was small my grandmother told me that sometimes people give with the wrong reasons. “When you give to get something back,” she declared in her Samoan accent, “it’s like keeping a journal. That’s not giving, that’s trading. You eagerly give your soul away when you give like that. I give you two so you give me two. I give you money, so now you give me something in return.” She pushed the white hair out of her eyes with the back of her smooth hands, shaking her head back and forth.
To thine own self be true
“Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you!” -Dr. Seuss I’ve been observing people lately. Watching people is interesting. Have you ever been around a person who is so at home in their own skin that they are like a breath of fresh air on a hot and humid day? It’s remarkable that so often people change their behavior when in a social setting as compared to when you’re with them one on one.
WANNA BE A CHICKEN OR AN EAGLE?
Every morning before we went to school, my mother would impart the same words, “Be an eagle and not a chicken.” Every day after school, she would never ask us, “How was school?” It was always the same question, “Were you an eagle or chicken today?” She told us chickens are afraid to try new things. They hide when greatness keeps looking for them and run away from challenges. They are scaredy cats and as a result, end up on the dinner table.
WHO WOULD’VE KNOWN?
I didn’t know what to expect the first time I met this little girl. She was so dirty standing there in the hot sun, with her hand stretched out. I was instantly drawn by her ragged appearance. She had this charm about her. “Hi! I need to eat and I don’t have any money,” she started in a not so shy way. “Okay, and? Well, where are your parents?” I suspiciously asked her. For all I knew, she could have been a con-artist in the making. “I’ve waited for them but they haven’t shown.
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