Knot in so many words: My complicated relationship with te reo Māori
When I was around five years old my Māori father asked if I would like to learn to speak his language. I declined. When he asked me why, since I seemed happy enough to speak my Pākehā mother’s tongue, I said that it was because it “sounded funny”. There’s a part of me that knows…
Let’s have fun and talk about White Supremacy!
One of my Twitter threads that should really have been a proper piece of writing (maybe). I don’t know who needs to hear it (yes, I do) but White Supremacy is the general idea that things are just naturally better if white people are in charge. That’s it. You don’t have to be a signed…
There are places I remember
There are places I’ll remember All my life though some have changed Some forever, not for better Some have gone and some remain All these places have their moments With lovers and friends I still can recall Some are dead and some are living In my life I’ve loved them all There’s plenty about the…
Four Februaries: 2011-2012-2016-2021
Well, here we are. Ten years on and I’m revisiting this old image again, of me standing outside my work building on 22 February 2011. I honestly didn’t think it had been five years since I last did this but apparently it has been. You may remember my triptych of photos then… Well, here’s the…
Outfits of the year: 2018
Outfit of the day (#OOTD) is something I’ve been doing for a while. It’s been a really fun way of getting creative with what I wear. For a full rundown on the why and how of how I do OOTD then check out my post from last year in which I break down (with graphs)…
Chocolate (chip cookie) rain
Kids say the darnedest things. Earlier this evening my four year-old came out with some very Willy Wonka-esque psychedelia that I wanted to try and capture in a picture.
Being brown in Christchurch
Recently Christchurch has been in the news again for being racist. Oh, ho, ho! What will those cricket-fetishist, First Four Ships-worshipping WASPs be up to next? But “Christchurch is New Zealand’s capital of racism” as an established storyline that everyone understands doesn’t sit well with me. Just to fill you in, local asian-fusion restaurant Bamboozle…
The Nerd Degree: Christmas. Special.
Okay, so in case you hadn’t noticed it’s Christmas. I reckon, if you’re anything like me you’re probably a bit over the whole concept already in which case you should definitely consider this Christmas-themed episode of The Nerd Degree a soothingly humorous balm to your overactive, agitated pre-Christmas stressors. Get that last-minute wrapping done to…
The Nerd Degree: Star Wars Special III
Very, very early this morning I watched Episode VIII: The Last Jedi at the cinema and hours before that I recorded the semi-traditional Star Wars episode of nerd comedy podcast panel show, The Nerd Degree. There are a number of diehard Star Wars fans in the Nerd Degree roster and these episodes are always a…
The Blurred Degree: Two episode double-banger
Comedy nerdfest, panel-show podcast, The Nerd Degree, recently turned three. Every parent will tell you that three is a difficult age. Bad choices are common as are crazed dance moves, terrible pronunciation, and bright colours are par for the course. Fitting then that the 3rd birthday of The Nerd Degree, (aka A Very Special Drunken…