The phrase 'it struck me that' is a perfectly acceptable and commonly used phrase in written English. It is used to indicate that something suddenly occurred to or came into the speaker's mind, or to express sudden realization or insight. For example: "It struck me that I had not seen my friend in over a year and I should probably call them soon.".
At least it struck me that way.
It struck me that the magazine understood its audience as being African-American.
It struck me that this country is mining its natural riches again, only this time they are in the sky.
It struck me that he was nervous.
It struck me that we were unusual".
"It struck me that a rectangle is such a shape.
It struck me that--compared to my home country, Germany--people question less.
I love the desktop app, it’s always running on my Mac. Ludwig is the best English buddy, it answers my 100 queries per day and stays cool.
Cristina Valenza
Retail Lead Linguist @ Apple Inc.