In the last month, I have been employed (on a casual basis) at two, going on three, different jobs. I know, I'm insane. As if studying full-time wasn't enough already? I'm a serial over committer - help me? In all seriousness though, I have needed to get better at saying no: forty-four hours of work… Continue reading Working Hard, Hardly Working?
Wow. So it's been awhile. Long time no blog, lil' Abs. So, why not hit the ground running again with something personal and freeing, with just a touch of advocacy? Life is weird. I've recently been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), more specifically, the kind that used to be known as Asperger's. This has… Continue reading Aspergirl Gone Rogue
Kia ora glorious humans! This month, I have decided to get involved in Mahuru Māori, which is all about normalising te reo, and participants can opt to pledge the whole month or a day per week. For me, it will involve pledging to speak, sing, and write solely in te reo Māori for every Tuesday… Continue reading Mahuru Māori
Kei hea tātou reo, Aotearoa? Where is our language, Aotearoa? This is a question that has been buzzing around in my head over the last few months. In January, I attended a summer camp in Ōtaki. It was an opportunity for youth aged 17-30 to come together and discuss politics, environmental issues, play music, dance,… Continue reading Why Te Reo Māori is Relevant Now
Recently, in the dentist waiting room, I had an epiphany. As I sat there, I saw everyone was glued to their digital devices: smartphones, tablets, the whole shebang. I asked myself, how can we so socially connected and disconnected simultaneously? Then I typed these preliminary thoughts into my own mobile device... am I not the… Continue reading Dial-Up Days, Mother Nature and Digital Detoxing
Yeah, so, New Zealand is not doing a fantastic job. We're miles ahead of Australia, for example - make no mistake - but our micro-aggressions towards ngā tāngata whenua are all too real, sometimes subtle and sometimes more like actual aggression. I will never ever know what it feels like to live in the skin… Continue reading Colonialism in Aotearoa and te Ao
I have been enthralled and in awe of a somewhat recent single by Kimbra, titled Everybody Knows, released September 2017. To my knowledge, she wrote it in response to the Harvey Weinstein cases of sexual abuse. Devastating. Her words and her musicianship have shone a light on such a dark and hideous part of our… Continue reading Kimbra to Weinstein – Everybody Knows
