So I'm now saving my discussion of teenhood with Jesus and leading kids to Christ for part three, just because it makes more linear sense - and there is a colossal amount to unpack. Philosophising at Twelve I begin with an excerpt from my 2016 blog post, The Beauty of Religion. "The unraveling of my… Continue reading Hillsong Music, Twelvie Me and Decolonising God (Part Two)
I have collated a very eclectic list of podcasts near and far: from lesbians discussing books and their film adaptations, to comediennes getting horny over filmstars, to French language learning for intermediate speakers, to whakaaro Māori, whakataukī and kīwaha, to humorous and insightful intersectional feminism discussions... let's go: 1. Boners of the Heart Comediennes Alice… Continue reading The Covid19 Diaries: Five Quality Podcasts to Quell Lockdown Boredom
This is my first of what I hope will be more bilingual posts to come! Shout out to my te reo Māori lecturer for the prompt of writing a letter for my grandchildren - I'm so down with that kaupapa. Whatever your level of reo, I hope you get something out of it, and I… Continue reading Navigating Pākehā Identity Part Two: Letter to My Grandchildren | Reta ki āku mokopuna
I'm all Coronavirused out, so I'm fully not going to talk about it - other than to say it has been a weird, chaotic and uncertain last few weeks, has it not? I hope everybody is staying safe, well, and being nice to their flatmates/family/partners during this stressful time. Sparing a thought for all the… Continue reading The Covid19 Diaries: Isolation Staycation?
I am acutely aware of my social media addiction. I don't really shy away from calling it that - my iPhone usage statistics don't lie, and checking for notifications is unfortunately second nature to me. Online it's so easy to switch into autopilot: I constantly find myself logging on in order to do a specific… Continue reading Anti-Social Media: Too Much Time Online?
The older I get, the more I realise that identity is extraordinary complex. In my own context, I have a lot of questions of myself, my friends, my whānau, and the communities I am involved in. Shock horror - Abby has more questions? Such is the life of a philosophy major, a poet, a writer,… Continue reading Navigating Identity: Being Pākehā in Aotearoa
What an absolute whirlwind of a term...and a year in fact. On the whole, I think 2018 has been very good to me - I suppose I've tried to be good to her also. I am celebrating the completion of second year, and also the much loved return of my circadian rhythms. I think I've… Continue reading Insomnia: How to Not Fall Asleep
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
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
