I am exhausted, somewhat frazzled, yet have survived week 2 of my first ever teaching practicum. Praise be. No kōrero teka - student teaching is the wild west, and I'm the cactus: prickly, conspicuously green and always full of water. The kupu Māori for immersion also means 'to drown'. It is simultaneously both poetic and… Continue reading Rumaki i te Rāwhiti | The Cactus Chronicles
Reviewing a theatre show is definitely a first for me, but I have good reason for doing so - and that reason is that this show was very fucking good. If you have ever wanted to change your own life, you best sit down and view this stunningly gut-wrenching one wahine show from a femme… Continue reading Theatre Review: Change Your Own Life
I owe a huge part of my music education to the choir I was involved in at high school - in the opportunities it gave me, the self-confidence it instilled in my musical abilities, the plethora of technical and theoretical knowledge, as well as the musical diversity it exposed me to and the friendship I… Continue reading Ode to Choral Joy: Choir Tours and Hauora
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?
It has been far too long - a mammoth four months - since I have posted. I feel like the longer I'm away from my blog the harder it is to get back into. It has crossed my mind numerous times over the last few months to chuck up a few hundred words or so,… Continue reading New Year, Sore Knees
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?
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
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
Unlike most Christians (and ex-Christians), I grew up in a secular household. I now thank Ranginui, Māori god of the sky, that this was the case. In my opinion, what drew me to the Christian faith in the first place (for eight years) was my innate need for spiritual exploration, influence via Christian extended family members,… Continue reading Addressing My Internalised Homophobia
Suicide. Many people that I know, myself included, have contemplated it at difficult periods of our lives. My grandfather died by it – so I never got to meet him – and so did a fellow high school chorister. Those deaths will never ever escape my mind; both for different reasons. People need to come… Continue reading Suicide and the Value of Te Whare Tapa Whā
