During our second teacher strike recently, I met with other kaiako and wrote letters to politicians about our desperation, frustration, and why we are advocating for change. Initially, I wondered whether I was overstating things. Upon second glance, I realised the opposite is true - we are absolutely always understating our workload, day to day… Continue reading Open Letter to the Ministry of Education
I've been recovering from a knee injury recently. It turns out that knees don't like it when you go on long, erratic jogs after not running for weeks at a time. Maybe it's my mid-twenties catching up with me? It's nothing serious, just patella tendonitis. Not as concerning as the Latin would have you believe… Continue reading Creaky Knees and Dopamine-Seeking Swims
Thereโs something theatrically sardonic about blasting Vivaldiโs Winter out your car speakers when it's a blistering 35C outside and youโre sitting in a Pak'n'Save carpark trying not to have a meltdown xo I was relegated to the car because the supermarket music was stressing me out. I forgot my noise-cancelling headphones in the car. Thereโs… Continue reading Hey ASD (Spoken Word Poem)
Having body hair - anywhere except on the scalp - is seen by most women as a drag, a pet peeve, or even disgusting. It's something to be ashamed of, something to get rid of, something to cover up. I understand that; I've grown up with that societal expectation around me. From friends, from family,… Continue reading Fearing the Hair
I never thought I'd get paid to pass on existential dread to teenagers. I'm kidding of course: they bring their own, and they bring it in bucketloads. We share in the joy that is questioning everything, including but not limited to unmovable movers, uncaused causers, infinite regresses, and... temporality. Enter: Jeremy Bearimy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFm9ClqlGuo This term… Continue reading Philosophising with Kids, Paradoxes and Inventing Religions
It's Christchurch Pride, and what better way to celebrate than to throwback to a spoken word I wrote about religious trauma, crushing on a straight girl, and the catharsis of coming out? (yaaaay) For realsies though, even though this is an old poem now, and I have outgrown it in many ways, I love how… Continue reading Confession (Spoken Word Poem)
The year has only just started and I'm already finding it difficult to turn my work brain off. Whenever I have a significant shift in my schedule, I struggle to adjust for a while. Often, a week or two (or three) is spent in limbo. Going back to school is a prime example. Does anyone… Continue reading Bribing Teenagers and Dragonfly Brain
If you know me, the fact that I recently buzzed my hair short is old news. It's something I had wanted to do for at least two years, but fear has held me back. Fear of what others might think, that I would hate it and would have to suffer the consequences - fear of… Continue reading Androgyny and Autism
"I looked in the rear view mirror and all I saw was 'gators" is a sentence I never imagined my girlfriend (or anyone, for that matter) uttering - but it's 2023 and anything is possible. Waitangi weekend saw my partner and I tenting at Rakahuri (Ashley Gorge). Our modest abode for the mutunga wiki She… Continue reading Inflatable Crocodiles, Dora-the-Exploring and an Angry Gust
I honestly never expected to be posting about this, but here we are. Being Post-Christian This year marks eight years since I left the church and began my de-conversion journey. This means Iโve been 'post-Christian' and outside of the church (2015-2023) as long as I was a Christian in the church (2007-2015). It was hands… Continue reading Visiting My Old Church Again
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