good news!!!!

cheap tuesday / superstition

Last night I went out with friends to see this movie, which apparently is one of the scariest movies in a long time. Some people are still scarred from the first one so let alone how could they sit through the second one. Fortunately for me, I barely sat through the first one and NO it wasnt cause I was experiencing a faster heartbeat rate its because it was the most boringest (is that a word?) abnormal movie I've ever seen. Lucky it was on DVD so I didnt waste any money. I still cant believe I saw the 2nd installment last night, but I got to say after the movie finished I was left with some questions about particular characters in the movie until everyone told me it was not a true story. lol

The movie was really convincing, even the picture that I posted gives me some sort of errie feeling. Seeing this movie lead us to talk about all the superstitious stuff that goes on in the motherland. I know for sure that there are a lot of superstitious Samoans today even though Christianity has been widespread throughout the country and early missionaries condoned a lot of ancient practices, there still is a lurking history of what Samoans use to do way back in the day still evident in modern day Samoan families.

Cover the mirror at night, if not you’ll see a aiku staring out at you. Don’t comb your hair late at night or you’ll make the aiku fafine jealous. Don’t whistle at night aua e pi’o ai lou guku. We Samoans have our share of superstitions. It is somewhat funny when we you think about it now, but back when I was young, I believed all of them. I remember going around the house and covering the two big mirrors that we had then.
I wonder where our superstitions came from? How did they get started? Are they the same in Tutuila and Manu’a as they are in Upolu and Savai’i? Speaking of Savai’i, there sure is a lot of kala aikus from Savaii. There are a lot from Upolu too. I can’t think of any from Tutuila and Manu’a right now but I’m sure there must be some.

Perhaps superstitions began as merely stories to keep kids out of mischief. Perhaps, like legends and folk tales, they began as ways for people to explain the unknown. I wonder about aikus and the stuff of legends. Were they once real people, but with the retelling of their stories they became larger than life?

For the most part our society relied solely on an oral tradition for passing our history down to the next generation. That is until the early 1800s or so (don’t quote me on that time frame). This makes it hard for us today to separate fact from fiction. Perhaps it’s just wishful thinking, but I would love it if it turns out that there was a woman named Nafanua who did what the legend tells us she did.

Of course, legend or fact, superstitions or not, people will believe what they believe.

As for me, I believe to some extent. Sometimes I even think that there is no such thing. However, when I’m on Samoan soil and I feel the pull of the land, especially in some of the more remote villages in Savaii, part of me feels that perhaps such things are possible – especially on a moonless night.

what am i?

aloha!

Brigham Young University-Hawaii is an accredited four-year undergraduate institution with 2,500 students from more than 70 countries. BYU–Hawaii is a unique multi-cultural campus where spiritual as well as academic learning is encouraged among the most "international" student body in the U.S.

my papers have been in for about a month now and I have still yet to hear from them, since im applying for the scholarship it might take a while as well. Its where I've always seen myself and what I wanted to do since way back when. The experience is something im craving from there, to be surrounded by some of the most breath taking scenery in the world, study amongst a diverse culture, live life on a paradise island and learn in a different environment. These are just some of the things that I am looking forward to, if I get accepted!!!! haha and of course adjoining to the University is the Polynesian Cultural Center (Hawaii's #1 paid attraction) where the majority of employees there are students from the university. I'll keep this space up to date when I do hear from them... but not to worry, there are other avenues that are planned if this doesn't work out...

11 months

11 months have gone past and updating this blog just became one of those old books that just gets piled on top of and collected dust amongst this encyclopedia of webs. 11 months have seen me go places and do things, meet people and drive long distances... this place has almost become a substitute to my journal which description takes what I've just described earlier.

So many things done but just don't know where to start. Lost family members and gained new ones. Renewed acquaintances and lost old ones, but life goes and here I am, in a place I never thought I'd see myself coming to terms with.
11 months of changing, 11 months of finding, 11 months of discovering, 11 months of choosing, 11 months of perspective... where would this take me? maybe another 11 months will take me to my ultimate destination or maybe another beginning to another 11 months of something else, only time will tell, but then again, time is working against us... so here's to another 11 months... lets make it something worth looking back on. :)

slothful?

this one is just going to be a short one just letting you know my intentions of keeping this blog alive is well and truly been alerted to my attention, and with 2010 coming to a close I thought I'd wrap things up with the web people as smooth as possible. Also trying my best to give you a glimpse of what has been happening the last 11 months! And trust me the last 11 months have been one heck of a ride!