Journey into our World

thechapaus last enjoyable moments with a friend, sister and classmate - Late Easterly Kurang

2011-11-13T00:57:00.001+11:00

This post is a dedication to our best friend, sister and classmate who left us in October 2011 to join the angels of the Heaven...

We were privellaged to have crossed path with this special lady whom we all journeyed together side by side and hand in hand.

In good and bad times we always confide in the comforting words of each others and laughed together at each others mischiefs..

Following are recent pictures of our fun advantures together before her untimely passing away in October 2011..

Our adventure together to Beautiful Manus Island during December 2009

Swiming instructors waiting for their students......

Pisiolle taking comfort from the rough waves in the arms of his aunty Lasi....

Lasi and Baxter on fishing expedition...Fish we..fish we!!!!!...

Dark specs mi tok...

Sea journey to Timonai village...

Lasi socialising with the village people with Buai ....

Lasi and husband enjoying the white sandy beach of Al island..

smile blong yutupla tasol..Pressure 2000 tu ya...

Invited to witness her wedding in Beautiful Kavieng - 19th of December 2010

This was our last moments together....this shots are worth more than money can buy...

Christopher, Baxter, Lasi and Manuella...

Manuella, Lasi, Baxter and Chris and Assumpta...

Easterly as beautiful as ever in her wedding dress....

Wedding proceeding...Lasi and Kumai walking down marriage lane..

Lasi with Husband and her parents....

An experience in a first world hospital, its medical team and facilities that left me in awe…..

2011-11-12T20:57:00.000+11:00

September 19, 2011 on a cold Monday evening I got admitted into Saint George Hospital (Sydney, Australia) with the patient number 908-17-15 on a wrist ban. The service I received that night and the days that followed had surely blown my mind away on their advancement in the health system and facilities. It was an experience that really shaped my outlook about what my country’s health system is currently in dire need of…

What has happened to my country’s health system???....I leave this question to the experts to elaborate on...

Back to patient 908-17-15 - why I was admitted into hospital….

The week before I got admitted, I was experiencing fever coupled with difficulty in urinating and the excruciating sting that came with it. I was frequenting the toilet with not much success in the nights. The pain was too much that I visited a nearby General Practitioner (GP). After explaining what I was experiencing, I was referred to a Gastroenterologist. For what reason I don’t know??!!!!...

After the visit to the Gastroenterologist it was confirmed that my symptom had no relation to gastrology (diseases affecting the organs from mouth to anus) and he referred me to a Radiology Clinic for ultrasound scan on my urinary tract. That same afternoon at home my urinating got worse. I went from an irregular discharge to dribbling and finally to nothing; I went into complete urine retention. All the while the sting was so painful that I felt like pulling the toilet bowl out of the floor…..Thus, I got admitted into the Saint George Emergency and Medicine Unit (EMU) ward with a Catheter attached.

After the team of specialist doctors had consulted me and the nurses had taken my urine, blood and swap samples and followed up with the Radiology Clinic on my ultrasound result, it was then confirmed that I was diagnosed with:

1. Prostate gland enlargement
According to the website Better Health channel, The prostate gland is a male reproductive organ. Many men experience urinary changes as they age, which may be caused by inflammation or enlargement of the prostate gland. An enlarged prostate gland, however, does not always cause urinary problems. Troublesome urinary symptoms are rarely symptoms of prostate cancer.

The prostate gland is about the size of a walnut and is found at the base of the bladder. A thin tube that allows the passage of urine out of the penis (urethra) runs through the prostate gland. Fluid produced by this gland helps to nourish and support sperm, which come from the seminal vesicles via the ejaculatory ducts into the urethra.

To understand more about the causes and common symptoms of prostate gland enlargement refer to the following link to the Better Health channel website. http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au

2. Bacteria found in my urine and blood called Staphylococcus
According to the website Better Health channel, Staphylococcus aureus, or S. aureus, is a common bacterium that lives on the skin or in the nose. It is sometimes called golden staph. In most situations, S. aureus is harmless. However, if it enters the body through a cut in the skin, it can cause a range of mild to severe infections, which may cause death in some cases.

To understand more about how this bacteria is spread and the common infections caused by it, refer to the following link to the Better Health channel website http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au

When the diagnoses were confirmed, two separate specialist teams were assigned to take care of me. The Urology team took care of the enlarged prostate gland and the Infectious Disease team treated the bacteria. After further detailed questioning about my medical history by the two teams, I was sent for MRI scan on my spinal cord, Chest X-Ray and CT scan. They also put a tiny microscopic video camera down my throat to check my heart for any signs of bacterial colonization. All test results came back fine but the CT scan proved that I had infection in my prostate gland which had resulted in the enlargement.

On Friday (23-09-11) morning the Urology doctor informed me on the result of the CT scan and that the infection in my prostate gland was due to a pool of pus, resulting in the enlargement which blocked the urethra causing me to experience urine retention. He then described his planned procedure in flushing out the pus and told me to start fasting as I will be undergoing operation the following morning.

The clock struck 8am and I was wheeled down to level 2 where the operating theatre was and straight to the antistatic team who then got me ready for the operation. The last I could remember was breathing into a mask only to awake and find myself in the theatre recovery room ready to be wheeled back to level 3 North room 7. The operation was carried out very smoothly and within an hour

On the second day, following the operation, the Catheter was removed and I was put on trial to test my natural ability in discharging urine. The trial was a success and I was discharged from the hospital on the 28-09-11 for home with medication for the treatment of the bacteria. I was in the hospital for 10 days straight….

To the guys, if you do experience any symptoms similar to mine, I encourage that you immediately see your doctor. Do not leave it till it’s too late…

The awe factors:

• The hospital was a one stop shop for everything needed to cure, treat or examine a patient.

• The hospital has all the necessary specialist needed to carry out a job; every task is done by a completely different team of specialist. For instance, moving me from one ward to another or to the theatre is a job for a completely different department.

• The advancement of technological equipments from a simple blood pressure pump to a whole body scanning machine. All the processes were done with the aid of electronic equipments with very little manual input.

• Patients do not need full time support/caring from friends and relatives as there are full time nurses operating 24/7 looking after them. The nurses were very friendly and people oriented.

• Talking about cleanliness, this place is spotless sparkles

• The doctors were very descriptive in their explanation of the diagnoses and even drew pictures to clearly explain the diagnosis.

My fast recovery from the hospital would not be possible without the kind understanding and well wishes from my employer and SDM, my family for their positive encouragements and last but not the least the Heavenly father and his spiritual angels on earth for their protection, blessing, influence, decisions and cleansing….AMEN.

Saint George Hospital....I was at level 3 of this building..

My motivational friend - a gift from my two boys and their Mum.

In my hospital room......

Sunday at Bondi Beach....

2011-11-06T19:22:00.000+11:00

Hi friends and family thechapaus were out today on an adventure to the famous Sydney Bondi beach. After church this morning we took a train ride to Bondi Junction station and then caught a 15 minutes bus ride down to the beach...

Steping out of the bus, we could feel the ocean breeze blowing straight onto our faces. The bus was full with people of all ages, in their style beachwares ready to hit the white sandy beaches.

For us, having only known about this famous beach through watching its episodes on TV, it was sure a wortwhile experience to see first hand. People were moving in all directions, with one intention in mind, and that was to enjoy the sunshine and the coolness of the ocean after a crazy winter season.......

This two were tempted by the white sandy beach....

The monitoring tower.....

Thankyou dolphine for the rescue..

Lunchtime.....

For those of yous who have not seen an episode of the famous Bondi beach on TV, see it now for yourself to enjoy....

Halloween fever.....

2011-10-30T22:15:00.001+11:00

It is this time of the year again where kids get dressed into their favourite costumes to blend with the Holloween spirit...For Pisiolle and Christopher, their Daycare Centre wants them to dress up on Monday - 31/10/2011.

This two boys cannot wait for Monday and already tried out their Halloween costumes......

Pisiolle the Spiderman....

Christopher the Dinasour....

They decided to switch roles so the new Spiderman can go save some lives...

I'am stuck to this wall....

Roarrrrrr.......

Happy Halloween....

Listening to the sermon from the choir balcony...

2011-10-30T21:57:00.003+11:00

thechapaus went to church on Sunday the 30 of October 2011 and got invited by a school mate to join her with the choir group. Thanks to Clemencia W for allowing us to enjoy the Sunday sermon from a spectecular view in the church...

Pisiolle, Christopher, Marceline listening tentatively to Clemencia's brief introduction about the Church's Choir team

View from the Church Choir area...

Weekend trip to Cronulla beach....

2011-10-25T21:56:00.000+11:00

On Sunday the 23rd of October, after spending the whole morning in the house thechapaus decided to go outdoor for afternoon spin and a trip to the Cronulla beach was not a bad idea...

In the train heading for Cronulla..

Enjoying the freedom of space to themselves in the train....

Cronulla beach...enjoying the sea breeze..

One Chocolate Nutty Sundae please......

Kids playground.."Don't disturb me"...

This icecream is soo good..

Lunch time with McDonald lunch pack with the cool sea breeze...

Saturday BBQ with Brooklyne

2011-10-18T00:01:00.004+11:00

Pisiolle and Christopher were invited by their friend Brooklyne over for a weekend BBQ at Rhodes. The weather was picture perfect as the parents enjoyed each others' company while the children ran loose in the open backyard.

Joe was the head Chef ensuring the T'Bone steaks and sausages were grilled to perfection whilst Vicky our DJ master was controlling the dedication request with local PNG music on the agenda - bringing us closer to home..

Saturday the 15th of October was an enjoyable day enjoyed by both parents and the kids. The day ended with handshakes at the train station and kids hugging each others as they bid goodbye.....

Bubbles...bubbles...bubbles..

Pisiolle and Brooky doing their dancing grooves..

Christopher in the lead....

After all the dancing, chasing the bubbles and runing around they're back at the food station filling up for energy....

BBQ T'Bone steak...mmm..

At Rhodes train station bidding goodbye...

After a hard day of fun..somebody has already gone to lala land - still in the train heading for Redfern station.

At Redfern station transiting to another rail line for Kogarah

First week at Kindergarten - Pisiolle and Christopher

2011-08-28T02:12:00.017+10:00

The week begining 22nd of August 2011 was the proudest moment of thechapaus as we witnessed our two young prince charmings went to Kindergarten. That Monday morning you could see excitement in their faces as they were the first onces to wake up. They jumped onto Mum and Dad shouting, "its morning already, wake up! wake up!..we wanna have our breakfast!!!".

As parents, it was a moment of mixed feelings, we were happy as they were starting their educational career but at the same time we were sad to see them go for they might feel uncomfortable among new faces.

We wanted the best in our kids and believed that early education and exposure outside of our family circle will surely broaden the way they think and look at the world.

Their Kindy is called "Gumnut Tree House" and is about 15 minutes walk from where we live. It opens from 8am to 5.30pm.

Pisiolle and Chris ready to hit the road to school

Christopher doing his best pose for the camera

Pisiolle smiling for the camera...

Settling into a new neighbourhood......

2011-08-14T01:57:00.000+10:00

As part of our transition to this developed world we have to find a neighbourhood and call home for the duration of our stay. Saturday the 13th of August 2011 marks the moment of our move to our new home and neighbourhood called Bexley. Prior to that we have been living in a serviced apartment in the Central Sydney CBD for one month straight.

According to the Australian Suburb Guide http://www.suburbguide.com.au/category/area-info/location/s-bexley, Bexley is located 14km south of the Sydney CBD, in the local government area of Rockdale. To find out more on the History of our new neighbourhood refer to the Australian Suburb Guide web link.

After moving all our cargoes into our new home, we decided to check out our neighbourhood and its people. It was surely a fun filled day as we stroll from street to street......

Our cargoes moved nto our new home

We are standing outside our living room balcony...

Marist College in our street...

Exploring the neighbourhood......

Pisiolle standing outside a Convieniance Store..checking out the Rugby ball vanding machine...

There is a childrens park in our neighbourhood..hooray.......

Pisiolle already making friends on his first day at the park....

Christopher enjoying the swing....

A pristine holiday destination yet unknown to the outside world....

2011-08-09T02:42:00.000+10:00

Ynapio island as it is commonly known to its people. Also known to other locals as Johnson Island. It is situated along the south coast of Manus Province, Papua New Guinea and surrounded by beautiful coral atolls.

It is an island, whose natural marine habitat is still a virgin just waiting to be explored and proclaim to the world for its pristine marine environment and island life.

thechapaus are privileged by birth as a traditional member of the island clan and family, hence in 2009 we spent our Christmas and New year exploring the beauty of Ynapio island and its people....

Ynapio island(Johnson island) fully stretched and welcoming..

Family members on the island welcoming us as we set foot on the island doing the famous manus island dance - the island way.

thechapaus enjoying the white sandy beach of neighbouring atolls.

Fresh fruits obtain from the nearby island called Baluan..

Another nearby coral atoll called "Kayoni"

This is the side view of "Kayoni"

This was thechapaus accommodation during Christmas and new year - island style accommodation at its luxury

Fresh reef fishes, part of the everyday island food...

Beautiful smile of a young island lass

Another beautiful island lady posing for some natural sunlight...

Coconut juice at its natural habitat....

The island boys working together in erecting the cemetary fence as part of the island beautification program. This cemetary beautification program is currently ongoing as a tribute to the forefathers of this island who have been barried there. This cemetary is highly respected as the central hub of this beautiful island and the sole reason of its continued existance in the midst of global warming.

thechapaus (Mrs) first ever catch in her life...what a feeling of joy and excitement...

Fishing expedition team.....pis i kaikai O!!!!!!

Thanks for enjoying the photos and if you are interested in seeing the real thing - the island - just send us an email or post a comment and we'll get back to you with the details.

Amazon.com is the still the best......

2011-08-08T22:30:00.000+10:00

Sydney Harbour and its attractions.....

2011-07-30T15:31:00.000+10:00

Saturday 30th July, the last day of the month of July,also coinciding with thechapaus third weekend in Sydney, Australia.

Sydney is commonly known to the outside world for its famous Opera House and its Harbour bridge. For thechapaus, living in Sydney and to not see this two famous icons is sure a waste of adventure.

When you're in Sydney, the following website http://www.whereis.com is the best local map and destination locator which will provide a more accurate description and destination search as opposed to the famous Google Map. We sure did check our destination and made our way by foot.....

Following is a glimpse of our adventure down to the harbour to see for ourselves the two famous Sydney icons....

Journey into the underwater world....

2011-07-24T18:37:00.000+10:00

When you're in Sydney a visit to the Sydney Acquarium is a must see place to visit. thechapaus went for a visit and enjoyed every moment, seeing fishes from all types and shapes. Below is a glimpse of our journey into the underwater world.

Sydney Acquarium from the outside - Darling Harbour

Inside the underwater world......

Christopher smiling at the sharks..

Pisiolle closing the afternoon visit with an island style....

A timely transition in life......

2011-07-18T22:26:00.000+10:00

To be given the opportunity to relocate to a another country for a long term secondment together with your family is something one can only wish for. For thechapaus it was a decision accepted with many thanks to all involved in the decision making process.
This transition in life and lifestyle let alone moving from a developing to a developed country was surely a leap in all facet of life and human development.
We thechapaus are looking forward to the challenges of this world and the experiences that will shape our family for the next phase in our destiny...

Christopher with his best smile....

Pisiolle a big fan of hiphop music and dance moves...

The spirit of sharing.....Brothers in arms..

Trip down Darling harbour.....

Weekend in Beautiful Kavieng town – Bilas Peles

2011-01-04T12:50:00.000+11:00

Kavieng is a small township recently known to international tourist for its beautiful white sandy beaches and atolls including other unique scenic sites. Many surfers also flock into this province to enjoy its high breaking waves and relax with the locals in their traditionally made bungalows.
Whilst surfers carry their surfboards out of the Kavieng airport, the Chapaus carried their suitcase with no set plans but just to spend the weekend and explore the much talked about ‘Bilas peles’.
17th of December 2010 was the start of our weekend in Bilas peles.

Departure from POM and arrival at Kavieng airport

Above left: Catching a Cab for the airport. Above right: Inside the plane heading for Kavieng.

Above left and right: Arrival at Kavieng airport, waiting for our luggage

View of the area of stay – Kopkop

Thank you to Easterly Kurang and Kumai Molean for providing the chapaus with accommodation for the weekend. The accommodation was within the boundaries of the National Fisheries College with friendly neighbours and an open area which allowed Pisiolle to go crazy running all over the place enjoying the freedom of space.

Above left: Esterly and Kumai's accomodation. Above right: Pisiolle enjoying the freedom of space, running all over the field.

Above left and right: Pisiolle and his Mum posing at the main college gate to where we were staying for the weekend.

Kavieng township – famous four corner town

Above left: Bank South Pacific. Above right: Hamamas trading - retail outlet

Above left: This is a restaurant situated next to PMM supermarket (above right).

Above left: Long lost Uni mates and roomsies (Marceline and Marnu)meeting each other at the Kavieng main bus stop (Opposite Bisi Trading).

Above left: Boys at the back of the car - Eric, Pokiton and Pondros. Above right: Refuelling the car but not too sure whether car uses diesal or petrol....ee.eeee...

Above left: Pisiolle, Christopher and their Mum sitting in the back seat of of the adventures green car. Wanna know why our Mummys' got smiles all over her face?????...

It's about this famous green vehicle. We hired this car on arrival in kavieng as it offers the cheapest rates among all hire car dealers in town. With very short car orientation by the car owner we went for a ride that same Friday afternoon into town. It was an adventures ride with smiles and laughters from everybody on the car having known the following car features:

Yu can start the car with the keys but must remove the keys when the engine is on....haa.eheee.ee
We drove in at the service station not knowing what fuel to refuel....eee...
The brakes are not working well so we have to brake a fair distance in order to stop where we wanted too....hehee.ee.

Marceline was laughing in the above photo because we drove into the service station and I wanted put off the car engine and had to shout to the boys at the back of the car to give me the car keys..funny ah..

After refueling the car we went bought some lunch and drove down to the sea side to enjoy scenery.

Above left: Pondros and Eric enjoying the afternoon sea breeze as they gobble their rice and chicken stew.

Travel to Bagail

Above left: There used to be a three bedroom house in that area and that was where the Chapaus grew up - the childhood days. Above right: The old Fisheries Research station, now it is the Provincial Fisheries division's office.

Above left: Shaking hand with Emmanual Tamba's daughter as he introduces her.

Above right: Marceline and Christopher walking down towards the Jetty.

Above left: Beautiful Nango island
Above right: One stop at the famous Korner market before heading to our accomodation and call it a day.

Above: checking our fresh vegetables for dinner - Korner market still the same.

Saturday market and chating with long lost family friends

When you're in Kavieng town, saturday market is one place you must go for breakfast. We loved the fresh smoked and fried fish with tapiok with banana fillings. The best breakfast with a market view overlooking the beautiful kavieng habour.

Above left: Kavieng market. Above right: Pondros and Tawali enjoying strolling through the market.

Above left: Pondros posing for the camera. Above right: Marceline and Christopher enjoying their market breakfast of smoked sea shells.

Above left and right: chating with long lost family friends.

Above left: This is the Kindergarden school which my younger brother and

sister went to when back in the days. Above right: Pisiolle enjoying is smoked sea shells

Saturday travel along the Buluminski highway

The Buluminski highway is one of the few national highways with very few curves but a long straight road. The highway running along the coastline of New Ireland makes the ride tireless.

Above left: The famous treehouse bungolow. Above right: The long straight and narrow.....

Above left to right: Tawali and Kumai enjoying the beautiful scenery.

Above right: One stop at a village called Lemekot. A School of nursing is located at this village and above is the catholic church.

Above left: One stop at Lakrumau station to buy some refreshments. Jerry and Pondros getting a stretch. Above right: Crystal clear Lugagun river, where it meets the sea.

Lugagun village – sea snake – eels

The Eels is a must see whenever you’re in New Ireland whether it be business or leisure. Those eels live in the wild habitat but are very responsive to their keeper who has looked after them for a couple of years now. They have drawn attention, hence a lot of tourists have come all over the world both young and old to see and touch for themselves. We were told the keeper that the most recent visitor was an 84 year old lady who came all the way from Hungary just to see and touch those electrifying eels and she heard about it through word of mouth. – The most powerful marketing tool.
The Keeper of the eels maintains a little tick notebook she calls the register of all the people who have come and gone and their countries. After you have visited the eels you will then register your name and make a comment about your experience with the eels. We sure did register our names and comments for you to read when you do visit the place. The visit to the eels cost 5 Kina per person (equivalent to US$2.00) and you have to bring along a tin of fish to feed the eels.

Above left: This old lady is the keeper of the eels. The book she is holding contains names of visitors all over the world who have already visited. Above right: That's us making our way to see the eels.

Libba village

One of our school mates and my wife’s best friend (Easterly Kurang) is from Liba village which was the reason we made a stopover at the village to mingle with the locals. Liba village is about 2 hours drive from Kavieng town and is located along the coastline of New Ireland province

Above left: Fresh water coming out of from under the ground and straight to the sea. Above right: Marnu, Marceline and Aunty Molly, all enjoying scenery.

THANK YOU NEW IRELAND FOR A WONDERFUL WEEKEND

Visit to Mongop High School After 13 years

2010-12-23T12:56:00.000+11:00

Mongop High School is a catholic educational institution located along the Buluminski highway of New Ireland Province in Papua New Guinea. This high school has been a premier educational institution in the early 60s through to the 90s and I was privilege to have graduated from this school in 1997.

Saying goodbye to the school and the province as it is commonly known as “Bilas Peles” in order to further my education and eventually find employment was a sad moment but with hope that one day I will return as an adult to see the place again.

13 years later, on December 18th 2010 I finally return for a weekend visit to the school together with my noble family – the chapaus.

I took my family and we walked down memory lane as I showed them my grade nine classroom, went into my grade 10 classroom and showed them where I used to sit in class. We saw the dormitory from a distance and walked down to the student Mess, the very place as a prefect on duty I would silence the student population and lead the prayer before meal.

It is sad to admit the fact that the state of the school infrastructures has gone beyond accepted building conditions. Also heard from people in the area that the school has been forced to closed mid-year and students did not graduate in the recent past. A sad fact knowing that a once premier institution can reach this state and a young dream in the making for a bright New Irelander as gone to dust.

We enjoyed our tour of the school and regardless of its current state and condition I proudly hold my heads high and thankful for this institution have played a part in shaping my future and even happier that my two kids and their mummy have walked down memory lane with me.

Local tourist to mongop high is
Tawali, Pondros and Jerry
our tour guide

Pisiolle, Christopher and their
Mum with the School Dining hall
behind them.

Walkway to that grade 10 classroom used in 1997.

That is the School administration office

Pisiolle infront of the Science Lab building

Boys domitory, my room away from home.

This is the school library

Famous school canteen

School Chapel. also used for graduation and other big school events.

My grade 9 classroom, still the same since I last saw it.

Happy 3rd Birthday Pisiolle Chapau!!!!!!!!......

2010-12-22T14:19:00.000+11:00

13th day of December was a special date in the Chapaus calender as it marks our first born son's birth day. 2010 was his special year as he turns 3 years old and a very hyperactive kid.

It was a very small celebration enjoyed by the immediate family members. Pisiolle received surprise telephone calls from aunties and bubus from Rabaul and Manus wishing him a wonderful celebration and lots of love....

Above: Pisiolle blowing in the action of blowing out his candles... His energy came from the three little pig story of the big bad wolf.....I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow my candle out!!....

Below: That's my birthday cake...yep yummy "Black forest"....

Pisiolle cousin sister (Celestine) helping him cutting his cake

Above Left: Uncle Tawali helping himself with my birthday foods
Above right: My unties admiring Pisiolle's camera stunt.ee.

Above left: Mummy with Unty Jule and Benedette and sister Celestine and Sulianne.

Above right: Uncle Francis and family (unty Elsie and Celestine)

The spirit of walking together – 2010 pwc corporate challenge

2010-12-22T13:34:00.000+11:00

The pwc PNG firm corporate challenge is an annual event to raise funds for the Sir Buri Kidu Heart Foundation and including other charitable organsations in Papua New Guinea

7th of November 2010 at 5am was the wake up call for the chapaus to go walking. There were alot of different companies bringing along their families for the morning walk showing different colors from all angles. The chapaus were blue in color

We really enjoyed the walk, our two youngest star Pisiolle and Christopher smiled all the way to the finish line.

Above left: Christopher Above right: Pisiolle

Mummy and Daddy doing their normal duty....

Christopher and Mum doing the last lag of the walk down to the finish line.

Everybody smile!!!!

Niandros, Benedette (carrying Pisiolle) and Betty leading the chapau team

The spirit of walking together as a family....finally reaching the Finish line after 1 hour of walking.

A little nap changing my whole day's schedule...

2010-10-02T17:28:00.000+10:00

Saturday 2nd of October 8pm was my scheduled arrival time in PNG where I'd be hugging my family and chewing bettlenut to relief the stress of this long 12.5 hour journey.

But this did not eventuate, all because I decided to take a little nap two hours before my scheduled check-in time at the Perth Domestic terminal.

I was supposed to catch the Saturday 7:30am flight together with two of my friends who were heading back to India via Singapore while mine was through Brisbane.

That little nap surely took a toll on me, only to be ended when my mobile phone rang. I jumped out of bed and quickly grabbed my phone. I was so surprised to see the time and name flashing on the screen -... 7:00am...7:00am....

It was my friends from the airport trying to bid their last farewell. I did not answer the call as it became my alarm snooze - THE PANIC BUTTON WAS JUST SWITCHED ON.... I went into rush hour mode.

I quickly dragged my luggage out of the apartment (left the key inside as instructed by the agent) and into the lift at level 8 while calling Swan Taxi Service for pick up. The lift opened at level two and I carried my stuff one by one through the door and into another lift heading for ground zero.

As I was moving my stuff out of the lift I saw the cab drove into the parking lot. I immediately ran to the cab, ID myself and asked the taxi driver to help me with my stuff. He was very helpful. He even used his blackberry mobile to look up the Qantas Customer Service line for me to call and inform them of my situation.

At 7:15am, Brisbane bound passengers boarded the plane. My two friends were already inside the Singapore airline while I was at a RED light traffic somewhere in the middle of Perth. My head was spinning like crazy, my blood's flashing through my vains at full speed and in all direction as my call to the Qantas Customer service line went to the answering machine ....damn...Why??...Why???...Why did I have to take that little nap????....

7:25am, the taxi pulled up at the Perth domestic terminal and the taxi driver said "$26 dollars please", I paid my due and quickly loaded my luggage onto a trolley. It dawned on me that very split second that I had left one of my stuff back at the apartment. What the f###$$$!!!..

Fronted up at the Qantas check-in counter only to be told to reschedule my flight to the next available flight out of Perth and that was 11pm that evening. A scheduled 12.5 hour journey has now turned out to be a 30 hour journey all because of the little nap.

Consequence of the little nap:

My journey has extened by an additional 18 hours
Did not get to bid farewell to my Indian friends in person
Left one of my stuff back at the apartment, a very valuable item
Had a very uncomfortable sleep at the terminal for 18 hours

Despite the troubles I went through during this journey and the consequences faced, I did manage to get the stuff at the apartment on the same day while waiting at the Perth airport.

Why did I decide to take this little nap when it was nearly hours before my check-in time?? A statement came to mind - "THINGS HAPPEN FOR A REASON".

Sitting in the Perth Terminal while waiting for my 11 midnight flight I reflected on this very statement and the day that had just passed. And it clicked on me that on Friday night as I was packing up I made a phone call to my two year old son and told him that I was arriving the next day Saturday at 8 o'clock in the night.

My son was filled with excitement and joy through his voice on the phone and then he said "Daddy, I want you to come during the day" and I replied and said "Son, the plane I'm getting on is scheduled to arrive in the night". And we ended the conversation with a "love you daddy" and "goodnight".

If things really do happen for a reason, then this little nap I had, which triggered my rescheduling of flight happened for a reason.

My rescheduled flight allowed for me to arrive in Port Moresby (PNG) on Sunday during the day as requested by my son during our phone conversation that Friday evening.

HIS WISH CAME TRUE....

Do not take your children's words for granted.

(Above): Me, sleeping at the Perth airport

(Below): My two kids, Christopher (6months) and Pisiolle (2yrs). Very busy discussing Daddy's arrival plan.

(Below): Yep, Back home - My complete family

35 years since the day I moved out of the House.....

2010-09-26T12:05:00.000+10:00

Who am I?, Historians and archeologists said I was once part of the continent of sahul, I am also known as a Melanesian (from Greek: meaning islands), Astrologist identifies me as being guided by the Southern Cross and categorized as part of the southern hemisphere.

I was born to the earth family and while still lingering on my mother’s breast, I was dished out into the world to make a mark for myself, determin my age, find my identity and give myself a name.

After all this years of being dished out, my aging Earth parents while enjoying their cup of tea decided to send out exploration teams to find their lost children and to see how they a going. Their eldest children became the exploration team to search and administer their smaller siblings. Yeh and they found me, drifting alone under the blue sky plotting my every move as the Southern Cross became my GPS.

One of my elder brother, Germany found me in 1884 and established a permanent presence and declared a protectorate over my northern coast while my other elder brother, Britian took similar action over my southern coast. The two elder brothers later combined their administrative rules of both the northern and southern coast and in 1906 handed me over to a close brother of mine named Australia.

Australia had a eight bedroom house and he let me stayed in one of the rooms after Germany and Britian gave me away. I had to live by the rules of the eight bedroom house and that means that if Australia said bedtime is 8pm, I have to close my eye by 8pm sharp. While still living with Australia I was fortunate to be given self governance in December 1973. The power of my self governances only extends within the walls of my bedroom but not into the kitchen, shower room, living room and the backyard of the eight bedroom house that Australia had at that time.

Over time, my self governance energy became so strong and my room became so small for my size that I decided to tell Australia on the 16th of September 1975 that I am now a mature adult and I want to move out of the house. Australia was comfortable with my decision and allowed me to move out but he said “have you already found a house for yourself to stay?”, I replied with a smile and said, “Yes, I have found a four bedroom house and guess what?, “I have named my four bedrooms by names – Island, Highlands, Momase and Southern and my Name is now Papua New Guinea.

My dual name results from my complex growing up before my menhood. The word papua is derived from pepuah, a Malay word describing the frizzy Melanesian hair, and "New Guinea" (Nueva Guinea) was the name coined by the Spanish explorer Yñigo Ortiz de Retez, who in 1545 noted the resemblance of my people to those he had earlier seen along the Guinea coast of Africa.

Today, 35 years on my inhabitants call me home and cherish me with all their hearts. The day 16th of September 2010 was marked with celebration through songs and dances to the tune of my local melodies.

And the PNG community based in Perth, Western Australia was no exception. They celebrated this day with traditional dances, string band performances and fun activities for both children and parents. No matter where we are, how small we may be, the power of unity still realises in our celebration and togetherness.

The National Pledge

We the people of Papua New Guinea

Pledge ourselves, united in one Nation

We pay homeage to our cultural heritage

The source of our strength

We pledge to build a democratic society

Based on justice, equality, respect

And prosperty for our people

We pledge to stand together as

One people, One Nation One Country

God Bless Papua New Guinea

Kaikai buai, saksak na tok pisin wantaim ol wantok stret....The Sion Family.

2010-09-13T17:17:00.000+10:00

Sunday 12th of September, nothing good planned for the day but switching from TV channels to channels with no real intention of watching any particular program. All the while my work clothes was spinning in the washing machine. Then, all of a sudden at around 10:30am my mobile rang and I answered the phone - transcript:
Me: Heello..
Caller: Papu yu redi na stap, bai mi kam kisim yu kam lo haus. Narapla papu blo Lou na family blo em bai kam tu.
Me: Thankyou turu, mi stap tasol lo haus, nogat plan blo displa sunday
Caller: Bai mi arive in 15 minutes time..
Me: Ok..ok..klostu taim bai mi go wait tamblo lo rot..
Caller: Ok catch
Me: OooKey.

The caller was Mr. Kanau Sion and I have just been invited to spend this Sunday with them. (Photo to the right: The Sion Family - From Manus)

Photo to the Left: Kanau Sion na Mica (sine) - Fathers on a shopping mission with shopping list approved by the wives.

We papua new guineans love to have coconut juice in all our dishes regardless of where in the world we're residing. This two Manusians, Lou na Kurrti are seen buying canned coconut milk.

After the shopping, we took a detour to a local winery not far from the shopping centre...

(photo to the right: vineyard at the back)

We were given free glasses of wine to taste and not long we were requesting to taste different flavours of wine.. ..heee...we must have drank three glasses each...chance free wine ya...hee...eee.

After all these free glasses, we settled on this two bottle of wine.

It was a really fun filled family gathering, with all children enjoying each others company without any care of the cold weather.

The mothers were tuck into their corner chating away and keeping a watch on the papas and their laughing noices in the backyard..

Compliment to the mothers for a wonderful meal. Typical PNG made and surely SAKSAK was on the menu with boiled red snapper. It's been a while so I dived for the red snapper and a bit of everying on the table.

Ending the day with Buai, daka and Kambang even makes the afternoon feels like I was in PNG.

Children busy at their own games...

The Sions' residence

A Day in the life of Perth.......

2010-09-11T21:56:00.000+10:00

Hi Friends, lets go site seeing and find out and judge for ourselves what we think of Perth. We'll just spend a day from morning till afternoon and then check out what the night life can offer for us...
Bringing Perth to our screen, we're saving on the airfare cost....gee ain't that great....click...

As the Winter cold fades into Spring, the beach is the place to go to..........

2010-09-06T02:46:00.000+10:00

Sunday the 29th of August was a great day for me and my friends as we got a free tour to the beach to get some sunshine...Thanks to a friend, Graeme for the invitation to take us out sight seeing on a Sunday afternoon.

At Hillaries, Perth

Bayswater Jetty leading to the hillaries Mall

(photo to the right): Ajay, Graeme and Ishu

The Largest Inner City Park in the World.....

2010-09-04T11:56:00.000+10:00

Hi friends, yeh did you know that the largest inner city park in the world is in Perth...
It is called Kings Park and is located within a short walk of the city and it is a major drawcard for both visitors to Perth and locals alike.This stunning location overlooks the city and the silken blue waters of the Swan River. From high above, you can see the brilliantly coloured sails of boats on the river, the twinkling lights of the city, the distant Perth Hills and the endless blue skies for which Perth is so renowned.
In 1872 it became the first park to be designated for public use in Australia and now it is the most popular visitor destination in Western Australia, being visited by over millions of people every year and I am one of them. The park is larger than New York's Central Park which is 3.41 km².

My fellow papua new guineans, it was a privilege and honour to see the country's name engraved in stones in memory of the famous Kokoda Track. This Memorial Walk is a tribute to the bravery of Australian troops who fought in the Papua New Guinea campaign of July 1942 - January 1943.

Friends click on the slide and we go visit the largest Inner city Park in the World.

Perth Zoo...

2010-08-22T13:15:00.000+10:00

Hi friends, there are many zoos all over the world of different sizes and variety of animals both tame and wild. Yeh and Perth Zoo is no exception. It was an opportunity not to miss so I took the adventure of going to the zoo.
There were animals that I only get to see on television and books that I will now get to see with my two bubbly eyes..ee...

Friends, come join in the fun and lets go explore what Perth Zoo has to offer..click play...