It doesn't take long for humanity to bounce back...
Just phoned the NHS swine flu helpline and all I got was crackling.
How did the pig go on holiday?
The swine flu
Swine flu isn't a problem for pigs, because they're all going to be cured anyway.
The first sign of pig flu is that you come out in nasty rashers.
Swine flu is getting serious, it has been reported to be a hamdemic, which may lead to an aporkolypse... But we'll get through. Where there's a swill there's a way.
This little piggy went to market,
This little piggy stayed at home,
This little piggy had roast beef,
This little piggy had none.
And this little piggy had influenza A virus subtype hemagglutinin protein 1 neuraminidase protein 1.
The only known cure for Swine Flu has been found to be the liberal application of oinkment.
My friend says he's got swine flu, but I think he's telling porkies.
I have to say, I'm finding all these jokes about swine flu pretty boaring.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Mother's Day with my children
Keith with his new toy which I bought at Gerehu this morning
Gedi, Keith and Moasing in the house
Moasing, Malum Jr (cutting the cake), Keith (on floor) and Gedi
A great bunch of happy kids! You couldn't ask for a happier Dad on Mother's Day!
Mummy's cake
The gang on the seesaws at Gerehu Stage Two
Mother's Day at the Farm
Mother's Day 2009 and appropriately, some new calves arrive.
Saturday, May 09, 2009
A Mother's Day story
This was my first posting on May 18, 2006, after an unforgettable Mother's Day experience with my late wife, Hula. A lot has happened since over the last three years...
Mother’s Day last Sunday may have been a memorable moment for many mothers all over Papua New Guinea and the world, a day on which their children and husbands showered them with gifts and expressions of love.
But for many others, life went on as usual; a day of toil and tears on what should have been an otherwise happy day.
Such was the case with two wonderful mothers I met in Ward 9 of the Port Moresby General Hospital last Sunday.
The story begins last Friday night when my wife had a tragic miscarriage and had to be admitted to Ward 9 of the POMGH.
What made this particularly heartbreaking for both of us was that it happened two days before Mother’s Day, and the discovery that the three-month old was a son.
Needless to say, tears fell freely for both of us as we thought about what could have been.
My wife spent the whole of Saturday in hospital and late in the afternoon underwent minor surgery as I paced anxiously up and down the corridors of the Labour Ward.
I needn’t have worried as she was well taken care of by very-experienced doctors and nurses and came out without a scratch.
I spent Saturday night with my wife in Ward 9, amidst the weeping and wailing of women, and during the course of the evening struck up an acquaintance with two women sharing the same room.
Helen Paul, from Garaina in the Morobe Province, would undergo major surgery a few days later.Helen, who lives at Morata with her husband and children, however, had a great personality and sense of humour that kept us awake for most of the night.
Next to Helen was Regina Komae, from Kunimaipa in the Goilala area of Central Province, who was looking after her very sick 25-year-old daughter Lucy.
Lucy, I gathered from her mother, had started becoming sick almost two years ago after giving birth to a daughter in Tapini.
Regina told me that that Lucy had been in and out of hospital since then – including undergoing major surgery - and it had utterly exhausted them: physically, mentally and financially.
Life has not been kind to them in a city like Port Moresby, and they had become settlement dwellers, but Regina’s Christian faith keeps her hanging on.
In all honesty, Lucy, with her skeletal frame, did not look like she had much time in her and this was confirmed by her mother.
“I have five children, of whom Lucy is the eldest,” Regina told me.“I could desert her and leave her alone here, but I love her so much.
“I am her mother and she is my daughter.”
Early last Sunday morning, as my wife and I were packing up to leave, a young student doctor at the nearby Medical Faculty came around with flowers and a wish for all the mothers on their special day.
I had my digital camera with me and was happily taking pictures of my wife – for old time’s sake – when Regina, with tears in her eyes, approached me.
“My brother,” she told me, “could you take a picture of Lucy and me on Mother’s Day?
“We have never had a picture together.”
Tears continued to flow freely down Regina’s eyes as I took a picture of her and her very sick daughter.
It was the epitome of a mother’s never-ending love for her child, come what may.
She later confessed: “This will probably be our last picture together.”My wife and I then left, with a “Happy Mother’s Day” wish to Regina and Lucy, not forgetting Helen, and a promise to bring them the pictures once I had printed them.
Outside, Mother’s Day commercialism was in the air, with jingles on radio and big banners outside the supermarkets.
At home, lots of hugs and kisses from our three children, although we felt that there wasn’t much to celebrate after our experience in Ward 9 of the POMGH.
How many Reginas and Lucys, and Helens, are there out there?
Footnote: Lucy Komae died a few days later - another stark statistic - of the Port Moresby General Hospital
Mother’s Day last Sunday may have been a memorable moment for many mothers all over Papua New Guinea and the world, a day on which their children and husbands showered them with gifts and expressions of love.
But for many others, life went on as usual; a day of toil and tears on what should have been an otherwise happy day.
Such was the case with two wonderful mothers I met in Ward 9 of the Port Moresby General Hospital last Sunday.
The story begins last Friday night when my wife had a tragic miscarriage and had to be admitted to Ward 9 of the POMGH.
What made this particularly heartbreaking for both of us was that it happened two days before Mother’s Day, and the discovery that the three-month old was a son.
Needless to say, tears fell freely for both of us as we thought about what could have been.
My wife spent the whole of Saturday in hospital and late in the afternoon underwent minor surgery as I paced anxiously up and down the corridors of the Labour Ward.
I needn’t have worried as she was well taken care of by very-experienced doctors and nurses and came out without a scratch.
I spent Saturday night with my wife in Ward 9, amidst the weeping and wailing of women, and during the course of the evening struck up an acquaintance with two women sharing the same room.
Helen Paul, from Garaina in the Morobe Province, would undergo major surgery a few days later.Helen, who lives at Morata with her husband and children, however, had a great personality and sense of humour that kept us awake for most of the night.
Next to Helen was Regina Komae, from Kunimaipa in the Goilala area of Central Province, who was looking after her very sick 25-year-old daughter Lucy.
Lucy, I gathered from her mother, had started becoming sick almost two years ago after giving birth to a daughter in Tapini.
Regina told me that that Lucy had been in and out of hospital since then – including undergoing major surgery - and it had utterly exhausted them: physically, mentally and financially.
Life has not been kind to them in a city like Port Moresby, and they had become settlement dwellers, but Regina’s Christian faith keeps her hanging on.
In all honesty, Lucy, with her skeletal frame, did not look like she had much time in her and this was confirmed by her mother.
“I have five children, of whom Lucy is the eldest,” Regina told me.“I could desert her and leave her alone here, but I love her so much.
“I am her mother and she is my daughter.”
Early last Sunday morning, as my wife and I were packing up to leave, a young student doctor at the nearby Medical Faculty came around with flowers and a wish for all the mothers on their special day.
I had my digital camera with me and was happily taking pictures of my wife – for old time’s sake – when Regina, with tears in her eyes, approached me.
“My brother,” she told me, “could you take a picture of Lucy and me on Mother’s Day?
“We have never had a picture together.”
Tears continued to flow freely down Regina’s eyes as I took a picture of her and her very sick daughter.
It was the epitome of a mother’s never-ending love for her child, come what may.
She later confessed: “This will probably be our last picture together.”My wife and I then left, with a “Happy Mother’s Day” wish to Regina and Lucy, not forgetting Helen, and a promise to bring them the pictures once I had printed them.
Outside, Mother’s Day commercialism was in the air, with jingles on radio and big banners outside the supermarkets.
At home, lots of hugs and kisses from our three children, although we felt that there wasn’t much to celebrate after our experience in Ward 9 of the POMGH.
How many Reginas and Lucys, and Helens, are there out there?
Footnote: Lucy Komae died a few days later - another stark statistic - of the Port Moresby General Hospital
Happy Mother's Day
A Happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful and beautiful Mums all over the world, especially Papua New Guinea, as you celebrate your special day tomorrow.
God Bless You All Real Good!
For my four young children and I, it will be another Mother's Day without their Mum, my Dear wife Hula, who left us so tragically on Easter Sunday 2008.
The first year without her has been tough for all of us, especially baby Keith, but we are getting on with life.
We miss and love you so much, Hula.
On Mother's Day, we will have a cake and light a candle for you, Darling.
We know that you are always with us.
Happy Mother's Day!
God Bless You All Real Good!
For my four young children and I, it will be another Mother's Day without their Mum, my Dear wife Hula, who left us so tragically on Easter Sunday 2008.
The first year without her has been tough for all of us, especially baby Keith, but we are getting on with life.
We miss and love you so much, Hula.
On Mother's Day, we will have a cake and light a candle for you, Darling.
We know that you are always with us.
Happy Mother's Day!
Friday, May 08, 2009
CNN may not have shown this photo
TV reporters are too busy focusing on the Queen receiving the VIP guests at Buckingham Palace .
This was a "touching" Kodak moment outside 10 Downing Street that won't be forgotten by this London copper.
A powerful photo
Remember the coppers on duty are not supposed to shake hands, but the two brothers couldn't resist the historic moment. The black copper never imagined in his wildest dream that he would usher a black American President into the British corridors of power. Nice!
Concerns on closure of Kokoda Track by villagers
THE Kokoda Track Authority and the Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority have expressed concern about the latest threats by villagers to close the Kokoda Track.
They said the actions of certain Kovelo villagers in placing barriers across the Kokoda Track in their village and charging K200 permit fees for trekkers to pass was uncalled for and villagers should cease their unnecessary actions immediately.
“This is very disappointing as the KTA has convened a special Board for this coming Tuesday to specifically address the villagers concerns. The Chairman of the KTA,
Mr Hillman said the KTA is now a new organisation that has learnt from previous mistakes. A new management committee has been established and new systems instigated to ensure the industry moves forward and the funds are fully accountable and distributed equitably. Trek fees are now collected efficiently by the KTA and are ready to be distributed to land owners and the community. Establishing a system to distribute the funds is proving a challenge and this is the main area of concern to all involved.
“The future of the Kokoda Track relies on everyone working together and providing an experience that trekkers will want to come to
The Kokoda Track is PNG’s major tourism attraction and last year close to 6,000 trekkers walked the Kokoda Track bringing huge job opportunities including porters, guides, hotels, transport and food. Each trekker pays K200 to the KTA as a permit to walk the track and these funds are used to maintain the track and associated facilities provide payments to land owners and communities and to operate the KTA.
“I am sure common sense will prevail and the barricades will be removed so the people of Kovelo, the other villagers along the track and all the people who benefit from the trekkers can continue to reap the rewards of their work,” said Rod Hillman
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