We’ve made it! It’s halfway through 2021, there’s a rampant virus throughout most of the world and you’re reading my blog. So… get vaccinated! I recently heard that some of my closest people think this pandemic is a conspiracy. Please. Stop. If you are so unaffected that a three-day lockdown is the biggest inconvenience to you, look at some statistics from deaths all over the world or even just in another state (Melbourne for example). Alternatively, if you know anyone who works in the medical field, why not strike up a friendly conversation and ask some questions. For further clarification, here is a great video explaining what the virus does. Much love.
This past month was super long. It included working more, completing the last few exams of semester one, and reading mostly. I’ve got my end of semester marks back and for the most part, they are quite predictable except for one devil unit that took a surprising downwards turn. I did a unit on counselling this semester. It’s an introductory unit and was super easy. Somehow though, my last assessment, a 15-minute recording of a counselling session got me well below a passable mark. My only saving grace was having other classmates to vent with who also received ridiculously low grades from the same marker. So, while I have distinctions for the other three courses, this semester I got my first ever pass receiving a total of 53 out of 100. I would have 100% contested the mark if I had failed the unit but for now, I am just happy to move forward and be grateful I don’t have to repeat the costly unit.
I’ve spent a few nights this past month illustrating too. Last year, I was donated a Lenovo touch screen and I’ve only recently started drawing on it. I drew my friend Shekinah as a breastfeeding fairy, I drew something for my friend Bridgette who has recently become a mother, and now I’m in the processing of finishing an entry into the USC 2022 Diary competition. The theme is ‘Below the Water’, so I’m drawing a reef scene with all the animals travelling to the underwater campus wearing a human-like accessory (i.e., headphones, books, lanyards, etc). I like it, it’s a little crowded right now but I’m hoping I’ll get better at using the sketch program with shading and it will win the whole comp. Here’s to dreaming!
I’ve finished up volunteering for CPL’s Screech program. Unfortunately, my new semester schedule does not work with the Tuesday’s I’m needed to continue to program. I enjoyed volunteering for this program so much. It reminded me to be patient, to be present and to continually support my comrades. I’ll miss them over the semester, but I look forward to joining them again next year! My volunteering over this semester will be for PCYC’s ‘Braking the Cycle’ program. I’ll be matched with youth that need to get their drivers licence hours up, ride with them and sign the transport documents. I’ve also signed up to foster cats. I really want to foster children but feel a bit weird doing so in my brother’s house (that I’ve barely furnished). So instead, I’ll start with pets until I own a house of my own. This also solves the problem of wanting a cat but not knowing if I’ll stay in the same city/ country for the duration of its long life and have to give it up, etc. It’s super easy to sign up for the RSPCA fostering program, so if you’re in the same predicament as me, sign up.
Another fun thing I got up to the past month was a day road trip to Stanthorpe to see Opera Queensland’s ‘Are you lonesome tonight’ which starred the beautiful Irena and for a short section my father too. Mum reluctantly took a selfie with me and a giant apple. I also joined a jam session in Nundah this month thanks to the meetup app. I now spend Wednesday nights singing songs like ‘Moondance’ and ‘Crocodile Rock’ with a bunch of musos in someone’s garage. It is wonderful to be singing for fun again. I’ve even been asked if I’d be interested in forming a new band. Exciting! This weekend I join a movie night crew to watch ‘Black Widow’ and the weekend after, I’ll be joining a bunch of board gamers in New Farm. Lastly, this month I got to help celebrate all the Baird/ Rasborsek family birthdays, in particular, Shekinahs. I got one of those chocolate dogs from Breadtop for the celebration, later finding out Chermside made the Covid hotspot list. Sheks, you are worth getting a covid test for over and over again. I love you very much.
Movies watched this month include 'Cruella', 'The Conjuring 3', 'Split', 'A Cinderella Story', and 'Fast and Furious 9'. 'Cruella' was surprisingly good. So head out and check it out before it leaves the cinema. I really wanted to watch ‘In the Heights’ with a friend this month, but when the date came our schedules conflicted. I am so excited about this movie! This month, I joined Netflix specifically to watch ‘Fatherhood’. I spent most of the movie lying on my side with a towel absorbing my tears, but that’s kind of what I was expecting. This also means I was able to finally catch up on ‘The Queen’s Gambit’, ‘Bridgeton’ and ‘Big Mouth’ before cancelling my subscription again.
I read five books this month. ‘It’s our country’, ‘From a Paris balcony’, ‘Somewhere Inside’, ‘The French art of not giving a fuck’ and ‘Black Notice’. ‘It’s our country’ was a collection of essays discussing recognition and reform for and by Indigenous Australians. I enjoyed reading Teela Reid speak about moving forward as a nation by becoming a republic, having quotas of indigenous peoples in government and signing treaties. The republic part really stuck with me. I think the older generations of Australia have a strong allegiance with the British monarchy, but I think it’s pretty outdated. I don’t really understand why the royal family has so much social and political power over a democratic country on the other side of the world. Also, top-notch was ‘Somewhere Inside’, which was a true account of a journalist who was held captive in North Korea while her sister and family championed the US government to come to her aid. It talks about how there are multiple blackouts all day, there is a shortage of food and how the population lives so poorly. Super interesting read.
That’s enough wrap up for the month, I think. I didn’t really tick anything off my goals list this month, but I’ve got the rest of the year to do that… so no pressure. I also had the brilliant amateur hairstylist Abo help me become a little closer to becoming a real-life Cruella (in looks). We bleached half my hair, settling with red before attempting a second bleach next month to make the right-side grey. Here’s a glimpse of what it looks like so far. See you in August for the final look.
Much love, May