Liquid sunshine

It poured outside but Bernadette Rounds-Ganilau brightened the studio and turned the rain into liquid sunshine.

As she and I talked to prepare her and myself for the live interview, she shared that the issues of her generation were mine too.

This was the worry.

The equality and recognition of women in leadership, in areas of development, despite generations of campaigning seemed fruitless; women and their involvement were still a non-issue.

Why was this? Simply the clutter of development. The focus has always been on the band-aid solutions of road fixing and other infrastructural issues.

Women knew all the issues and found themselves put second. More than half the population is pushed aside and put with the sewing machines and occasional tokenism.

Perhaps it is the women themselves that need to affirm their need and right to be involved in development issues that do not seem to be “woman’s work”.

Maybe these past three generations are forgetting to talk to each other. I have been privileged to have my mother and grandmother teach me what the movement has done ans support my entry into it.

While I stand ready to train young women to join what I am part of, as I hope I am doing with my training of the young Maria through the Morning Waves breakfast show on femTALK 89FM, I hope to see the ripples echo our youth.

Development is not simply work for men or women, but for the society as a whole. We women just wish to be included; that is why we do what we do.

We thank those that had come before us, we remember them being with us.

While Bernadette had left the studio for a whole hour, Maria turned to me at the end of the shift and said, “You can still smell Mrs Ganilau's perfume!”

Her impression did not just permeate the studio, but I felt energised and looked at the pouring rain and for a second did not feel the dread of the soaked walk I was going to take, but looked forward to the sun rising on Suva's newly cleaned buildings and plants.

I looked forward to the freshness after the rain.

Puff puff cough

I have a bad habit and its name is smoking.

I haven't always been a smoker but it is my firm belief that I am not that bad when it comes to smoking.

Visit LF for more of these!

To be fair I only ever smoke when I'm relaxing. This was on the recommendation of my uncle, the Padre James.

Unfortunately with the massive influx of a heap of stress, I've taken to attempt to relax a lot. I have found that my smoking increases as stress does because the need or, to be true, the wish for relaxation increases.

I stress about a lot of things. I tend to worry. This does mean that I stress easily. I stress about work, about university assignments, classes and life in general.

Although after two blood pressure checks, Sunday and today (the latter being for a project I'm part of - info to follow later, I guess?) I don't actually have a medical problem because of it, so that's good. To be fair, I'm not the healthiest feeling person and I know there's a billion ways that I can improve but I guess the important thing is to GET CHECKED.

All that aside, I'm a lazy human being. I'm not uber healthy because of this. Now, my smoking of course tends to make me lazier. So, I suppose upon this realisation and knowing that I need to make a change at some point means I want to start now.

That said, I do plan on keeping my smoking where my drinking is: a social activity bystander. I will not smoke unless I feel like it anyway, but I guess I'll save it for a time that I know I'll enjoy it.

So with that, I guess I wanna throw some advice to the wind. I read somewhere that things like alcohol and cigarettes should never be something you think you need to have or consume, but rather should be something you enjoy. Your health is your business and so you need to figure out how you work and try to keep everything is check.

They say health is wealth and I've been pretty poor of pocket so I might as well try to pull myself up by my ears knowing only I can change myself.

the problem i have with the internet

I live in a developing country and it doesnt suck but often makes me super sad when im sitting at my computer.
I dont own a credit card, I can barely find games I want to play and internet here is way too expensive. I didnt realise all of this until i went to melbourne and then to the US.
over there, internet prices drop like nobodys business because of the simple supply/demand rule with competition.
everyone elesewhere is like "look! CHOICES!"
apps, cloud storage, etc etc etc...
all my excitement is dampened because..well... internet here is not reliable. YES IM TALKING TO YOU, DEAREST ISP.
my internet likes to drop randomly. data is expensive and while in the past few years Ive seen my internet speeds go "woosh" from "neghhhh i'll just stroll" Ive barely seen anything load or download as fast as I have elsewhere.
Maybe im just complaining because when I get to campus or something I get told they wont configure my tablet or phones are not allowed to access the internet and if you want to check your email you have to find a virus-filled computer because silly people manage to fill them with viruses or the school system is just super slow.
maybe im beating a dead horse or poking the internet guardians in the eye by saying I DO NOT LIKE THIS Y U NO PROVIDE BETTER INTERWEBS TO ME.
ah well.
3rd world problems of the privileged.

A massively productive day.

I did recordingerings!

Find my music here!

Also, if you want to watch me sing:

and here:

and lastly:

I say useless but i mean different

I wake up early when I plan on getting things done. The owl is not a morning person. thus, one reason why i call him an owl. Second reason is that he kinda looks like one. anyway.

todays little feet was about how useless gamer boyfriends are. to be honest, ive only really dated 2 people properly. nile was not a gamer. he did not like games. he liked going out and doing things, not necessarily in the morning. however, the owl is more used to sleeping during the day. why?

apparently, gamer bedtime is 5am most days. yes. 5. am. when i wake up to turn on the hot water so i can shower and not freeze to death at 5.30 or 6 (depending on how much stuff i didnt do the night before).

So. to be fair (as i tried with the last panel of the comic) this does not suck. in fact, it just is. sure, i end up doing stuff on my own during the am but thats fine. arvo hangouts and lunchtimes are good times to see each other too.

that and i get to eat. i am a fatty.

in fact, during todays lunch where i ate a cheeseburger and a peanut chocolate slab (did i say i was a fatty? i am. anyway the "slab" is a 50g slab so thats not soooo much), i was trying to figure out my next comic.

it was this chocolate. aka FUCK YEAH DELICIOUS

owl insists that it be about our friend arnold. i asked why and he just said "Arrrnooooolldddd". so. i guess thats that then.

my boyfriend is silly.