You might think I’m a little young to be preoccupied with the passage of time, but I have acquired both an appreciative fascination for it and a vague uneasiness about it. Mostly, I'm trying to just enjoy what is - because eventually, it won't be. I'm now that cousin/aunt who says things like "I remember… Continue reading On Aging, Climate Change and Escaping Nihilism
Category: Politics
Hillsong Music, Twelvie Me and Decolonising God (Part Two)
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)
The Covid19 Diaries: Five Quality Podcasts to Quell Lockdown Boredom
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
Navigating Pākehā Identity Part Two: Letter to My Grandchildren | Reta ki āku mokopuna
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
The Covid19 Diaries: Isolation Staycation?
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?
Anti-Social Media: Too Much Time Online?
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?
Navigating Identity: Being Pākehā in Aotearoa
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
Insomnia: How to Not Fall Asleep
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
Why Te Reo Māori is Relevant Now
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
Colonialism in Aotearoa and te Ao
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
