Today is the 18th October, in New Zealand, 17th in Samoa, ..thus making it the day I was born 25 years ago, in Tuasivi Hospital, on my pretty island of Savaii.
Now there's a good starter.
I am the fourth child to Moelagi Tiatia and Edward Barry Jackson.
I wasn't supposed to happen. At least not in their set plans. haha, their most gorgeous mistake in their lives heh...(i usually state that the older ones were the 'obligated, standard monkey chidren the parents weren't too keen about!!!).
Anyhow, my dad was basically after a small cosy family unit, of mom, and three children, one boy (Simon) and the two girlie girls (Lani and Omega).

Now, do note the one older than me is called 'OMEGA', also understood to mean, 'THE LAST'

I'm just grateful they didn't name me 'ACCIDENT', now that would be worrying.

We all grew up in Savaii, my mom was a teacher, then a gardener/high chief/mother of 8 + cousins we grew up with,.
My parents later started the Safua Hotel in 1978 because they had many random palagis(travellers) stopping in to stay with us.

Our upbringing was rather colourful, my earliest memories was with my baby sister Cherelle, following our older sibling around the plantation and the village. We basically crammed their style by wanting to hang with them.
So we had to make our own crowd, fortunately, our cousins were also our best buddies, like Diana and Saofai.
During the lopa season, we would pick the red beads off the ground and attempt to fry them on a hot iron.
Children playing with fire, duh, we even smoked leaves to have a go!
I learnt to swim at the age of maybe 6 or 7??? anyhow, i was so excited, i had teach Cherelle how to do it, at high tide in the Safua Pool.
I remember she was half drowning but we were both determined to learn.
But much to our dissapointment, our nanny, Tufue came yelling out of nowhere, ready to give us a hiding.
She would come to one end of the pool, and we'd (attempt to) swim to the other.
Mind you, she was about 65 at the time. Poor lady.

OKay, enough blabbering, the boss is back soon, hehe

I shall continue to yada later on...

Matai Titles,
For Sale or For Service??

'Can you smell what the Rock is cooking???'

Okay, here's an interesting topic, Matai Titles.
The Rock, Dwayne Johnson, a former WWE champion and recently hollywood hottie, is Samoan by descent.

Last year 2004, he visited Samoa with his mom and a jetplane load of staff and hanger-ons.
It was the biggest crowds EVER Samoa has witnessed since perhaps the first independence in 1962.

Anyhow, he got bestowed the title Seiuli from Malietoa Taumafili II the Head of State. This was well received by many, but others disagreed.

Some bitched about it among themselves, others wrote poorly structured columns and tacky frontpages on it, the rest just went along for the ride.

Either way, here's my own 2 sene to the whole thing.

Pros: Good publicity for Samoa.
Many thought the title bestowment was selling ourselves to the palagi $$$, and blahblah,,...meanwhile, i think it's a smart move.

From my tourism perspective, we are too broke-as to launch million dollar (or 10,000!!!) promotions about Samoa as a tourism destination, esp to the US market.
+So any publicity is STUNNING publicity about Samoa.

+ In addition, he has put Samoa on the pedestal, and given light to his heritage (altho he doesn't speak 6 words in samoan).
+ Plus, Malietoa can bestow any title he wishes, to anyone that pleases him.
+ And, he has contributed hugely to charities and whatnot while he was there
+And he has inspired many young people, that you dont have to be truly palagi with blue eyes and blonde hair to make it etc etc...it helps tho, hehe

There are a lot more pitiful examples about titles that are given to idiots over the years, I wouldn't rate this Rock title as a poor decision.

oh well, on the down side, we have people in samoa who work hard in the plantation, go fishing, feed the pigs, scrape coconuts daily etc, to support their matai and families. Yet, most don't get titles.

At the end of the day, I truly believe that any positive contribution you have made to better Samoa and Samoans can justify you getting a title.

Here's some palagis with honorary titles; Galumalemana Dick Hubbard(Hubbards cereals,Akld Mayor)
? Prince Edward (bestowed in Iva, Savaii, Tofilau?
Tagaloa David Lange (NZ former Prime Minister)
Tupai Bruno, the circus freak, now thats a new low, heh
etc etc...

I just then wondered, if Malietoa's wife's sister's husband's niece died, and the Seiuli family has to do a sii and give money. Does the family in Samoa pick up the phone and call the Rock and say 'Ello, tis is your aunty Kikaka, all the matais have to give 2 pusa apas (tinned fish), 120 fine mats and a $100.00..shet, thats peanuts for the Rock!!!