Bummin' Around

There is not as much to say because I'm just chilling here in Ballymoney. I'm not bored, though. I do little things here and there, and time has surprisingly passed by fairly quickly.

Yesterday morning Alan's sister-in-law, Paula, took me out for some coffee and a scone at Ground, where I saw Christine from the youth club. Paula turned to me and said, "Look, now you're getting to know people in Ballymoney." You want to know small town? This is a pretty small town. Everywhere I go with Alan, Paula or Stephen, they all wave hi to someone in the street or driving. Small world.

Then off to Tesco to buy some ingredients for making soda bread. I failed to get baking soda, though. I thought it had to be in the house amongst all the varieties of sugar and salt, but unfortunately, I had to wait until dinner to get some from Alan's uncle.

So I failed to run because it started sprinkling, and, knowing Ireland's weather, I was too afraid it would begin raining down on me when I was 15 minutes out with 15 minutes to turn back, you know?

That night Alan and I had dinner with his aunt Maureen and uncle Bill (who grew up in Canada). They gave me some faux chicken with corn and pasta, which was really good, but I realize that I don't really like the texture of meat-like things. It'd be weird to eat steak or chicken again, I think. And I don't think I'll eat the faux stuff out of pleasure, either.

It was a good time, especially since Bill and I were able to relate about our initial confusions about the Ballymoney culture:

"go for a dander" = go on a walk
"I'm starvin'" = I'm cold
"plaster" = bandaid
"cling film" = saran wrap
"petrol" (short for petroleum) = gasoline
"flask" = thermos
"bog" = toilet
"shop" = store (like grocery store)

And among other things, the accent adds to just not being able to understand these people too well.

We also talked about "The Troubles." They told me how they reacted when Coleraine was bombed, and then how they all remembered the tragedy of the Armagh bombing. That one was supposed to be the one to cause the least damage, but they said that there was miscommunication in where the bomb would be detonated. They got a call that a bomb would go off at the city hall, so they evacuated the people there to the town centre, but the bomb was actually at the town centre. The worst thing is that they all know who did it, but they can't bring them to court because of all the judicial loopholes, apparently. So the family is bringing a personal case against them. How screwed up is that, though??? All the police know who it is, and just can't do anything to them.

I also learned about all the security procedures to get into the airport in Antrim. Alan's dad had to go through them, and the town roads away from the main road to the airport were only opened about 15 years ago. They all still remember having to go through security checking to get in and out of the area.

Funny how I've learned a lot more about the period from these people than I did in my history classes here. Thanks BU.

I loved how every time I talk to a member of Alan's family, and they find out I'm in Dublin for a couple of months, they just say, "I've only been down to Dublin once...I don't like the people in the south, you see." Or something along those lines, but it's pretty much the same thing every time. I always laugh.

Prejudices run deep up here still, even among the towns that weren't affected too badly.

There's no doubt of this unique gloom that hangs over this country, but for some reason, I admit that there is a pull to it.

Sheer, natural beauty is hard to disdain, I guess.

Les Poissons, les poissons!

Little Mermaid fans, get it, get it?

Anyway, back from my trip to Paris, and it has taken forever to upload pictures and such. I have little time to write, so perhaps I'll have to pull a "To be continued."

TUESDAY
1) Woke up later than I wanted because I didn't hear my alarm go off.
2) Jorge got me a baguette and some brie for breakfast.
3) Off to meet Camille for lunch! I don't remember where we ate.
4) Walked towards the Eiffel tower, took some pictures
5) Musee D'Orsay (Degas was my favorite exhibit, by the way. Better than Monet in my opinion)
6) Walk to and in Notre Dame Cathedral
7) Coffee and Pain Au Chocolat (chocolate croissant essentially)
8) Waffle with Nutella!
9) Eiffel Tower - second floor
10) Crepe with Nutella and banana!
11) Back to the apartment for the night (at half past 10 ish)

WEDNESDAY
1) Wake up a bit later than I wanted again
2) Same breakfast - still yummy
3) Explore Montmartre a little more by myself
4) Crepe with nutella and banana!
5) Airport
6) Passport control - yes, this was an entire ordeal worthy to be noted
7) Back in Ballymoney!


Paris IS beautiful, and thanks, Camille, for the correction of my lousy French. I guess I mixed up "Au revoir" along with that.

I would have loved to stay for a few more days, but I knew that would have been dangerous because I would have just splurged on all the little cute things I found. In this way, it would have been more expensive to live in Paris. But you see, Dublin is so much more expensive. I spend less there because things are just not as worth the money, whereas in Paris, I could fork over 3 or 4 euro about 3 times during the day for crepes or coffee. See? Dangerous.

Either way, I loved the cobblestone streets, the bridges and the river. I loved the architecture, the layout of the city, and the fact that there aren't as many chain stores littering the sidewalks. I loved how I bought a hat for 7.50 euro, but I didn't love how I was ripped off in a souvenir shop in the Eiffel Tower. Oh well. Four euro lost can't hurt anyone, I suppose.

OMG! That's the value of a crepe! BOO.

The Passport control story:
So I thought this would be no problem because I'm an American citizen, and you know how Americans love to travel all over Europe. Going to Paris, they just looked at my passport and stamped it and let me through. Easy enough, eh? It was so nice - they defini: stely weren't so nonchalant about it when I arrived in Dublin.

Looks like Dublin and Belfast run along the same tightness of security. After filling out the landing card, the lady looked at me and my passport and hence the following exchange (or something to this effect):

Anal lady: Why did you come here?
Sweet, innocent Asian American girl: I'm visiting
AL: Why did you go to Paris?
SIAAG: I was traveling
AL: How long will you be staying here?
SIAAG: Until March 1st, but I'm going down to Dublin after that
AL: Where will you be staying? Who will you be staying with?
SIAAG: Uhh...my boyfriend
AL: Where is he?
SIAAG: In Ballymoney **Mind you, this is all on the landing card I took minutes to fill out**
AL: What does he do?
SIAAG: Finance assistant
AL: Is he Irish?
SIAAG: Yes...British citizen?
AL: And where did you and your boyfriend meet?
SIAAG: In Boston
AL: What was he doing there?
SIAAG: Traveling
AL: All right.

And then, when I was exiting the area, another man stopped me and asked me for my passport...

Nicer man: And what brings you to Northern Ireland?
Me: I'm visiting friends
NM: Where are you going?
M: Ballymoney
NM: Who are you staying with?
M: Uhh...mmm...my boyfriend's family?
NM: Oh okay, enjoy your stay then!

So after Belfast International Airport interrogated me about my love life, I strode on through the exit finally to read about Raskolnikov murdering the old pawnbroker in Crime and Punishment.

My Picture Game in Paris:
Anyway, I loved Montmartre, by the way. I loved spending a little bit of time by myself walking and exploring the neighborhood. I ended up playing a little game with myself, and I'm not sure how I can continue it in other European cities. I wonder if they have as much color as Paris does.

So I got the idea after seeing this:



I noticed that the scene was predominantly purple, but you can obviously still see the rest of the colors in the picture. So I thought it'd be cool to show the contrast:



And so followed a few more. But I couldn't take as many because I didn't want to be too creepy.


I like this one because the yellow car was parked perfectly next to it.


So I cheated on this one. The reason why the scooter was kinda cut off was because there was a sneaky red van parked in the top left-hand corner, and I wanted this to be just the red scooter.



I noticed that the trash cans were basically the only green items along this street, minus the tree and the panels of wall in the back. But this one's one of my favorites!

Well, no more. The others are on my FB album. I just didn't want to take up too much room on this entry - it's long enough already. It was fun, though. I definitely like this little game and wonder if I can pull it off in other cities. I did miss one key shot of a man dressed in flourescent green. How AWESOME would that have been?!

To leave you off:








I love my camera. Thank you, daddy. =)

Pahr-Rheeeee!

Self-explanatory, yes?

This is my first international expedition since I arrived in Dublin on 07 Jan. I know, I know. It's already my sixth week and I have not jumped on the chance to travel the wonders of Europe?! Trust me, my plans for travel (which will hopefully come through) will be much cheaper. It might be a lot more exhausting, going from one place to another nonstop with only what I need on my back, but it should save a lot more to go all at once rather than fly in and out of Dublin 10 times.

In Paris, I am simply visiting and catching up with Jorge and Camille, seeing where they're living and having some scrumptious treats along the way.

Right now I am in Jorge's awesome apartment in the Montmartre neighborhood of Paris. It was a bit of an adventure trying to find each other in Gare du Nord, but after nearly an hour, I heard a wonderful, "Ingrina!" Thank you, French man, who told me how to reach Jorge via mobile.

Jorge took me a bit around his neighborhood, showing me some cafes, shops, a beautiful Catholic Church (swarming with tourists and the like), and the Moulin Rouge district (if you know what I mean). I had a crepe with Nutella and banana, hot chocolate at Les Deux Moulins (the cafe where Amelie worked!), and a Falafel sandwich. So far, the expenditures haven't been too bad, but wait until tomorrow, when I plan to devour cheese, chocolate, crepes, baguettes, pastries, and coffee. YumMY.

At this point in time I had tried to upload pictures, but, alas, to no avail. Internet has not been kind to me in Europe. It looks like I shall have to do a picture post when I get back to the Emerald Isle.


And for my adventures since my last entry...

The Sociology final was an utter disaster. My essays didn't make any sense (though I credit this to the fact that the lectures didn't make much sense either), and my theses were weak. What is done is done, however, and life will go on just fine. Although you know what? I feel a bit robbed of an education.

I then just went to the city for a bit and did some gift shopping. I did find a nice shirt at Laura Ashley for 16 euro, which is amazing for what it was before! Walking around was nice, too.

I then unsuccessfully tried to watch "Sunset Boulevard." I was getting really into it and then the DVD kept pausing. I got too irritated and knew I was running out of time to pack and get enough rest for all the other errands I had to do in the morning, so I just turned it off. I tried "Motorcycle Diaries," which worked okay, but I then got called away to a delicious Bush Mills Whiskey party. Whiskey lovers, Black Bush. 'nough said.

Friday consisted of a good run, curling hair, rushed packing, and then just off to Ballymoney with a lot of traffic. Music and books - the way to go to pass the time, obviously.

Saturday - Castle Rock! And a bit of good sleeping in and relaxing.

Sunday - Reading a lot. Finally finished Madame Bovary! Started Crime and Punishment. I need to read/watch more uplifting material at some point of my life. Soon.

Today - Paris.

I need to do this more regularly, even though it's obvious that I do update quite frequently. Sorry, I do this in order to avoid ridiculously long entries such as this one. There are a lot of thoughts always running through my head that I'd like to write, but fail to because of everything else I must include.

I think, though, the moral of my day/weekend came from my thoughts about photography. I admire good photographers for what they can do with the scene before them rather than those who position things as they envision in their head. We often get into the latter attitude of life - trying to control how our life will look like at the present or at the future. But the good ones who can show life most beautifully are those who can understand the scene before them and angle through the lens to make a picture speak - of sorrows, of beauty, of tears, of laughter. How we position our perspective of the present can be that minute difference between the mediocre and the extraordinary.

I wish I could sum that up into some awesome axiom, but I'm sure it's been done before. It's just important that I realize it for myself.

Au Bientot!

Pain, Pain, Go Away

Headache from the cold today, I think.

I took a walk into the city today and spent a few hours in two cafes. Going into the city was something I just needed to do to stay sane. I feel a lot better than I have been the last few days, so I thought I would write while I'm in a better mood. Also, I am trying to keep myself occupied so I can wait patiently for dinner.

History of Ireland is finally done! I can't claim that the essays went incredibly well - my second one stank in its organisation. It doesn't matter though, I'm done! I'm done! I'M DONE!

Well, not exactly, but one class down is enough to warrant a good little "hurrah!" for the time being.

I am a bit nervous about tomorrow's final in sociology. The material is not as appealing to look over, which means I will be doing a lot of bits and bobs of procrastinating tonight. =)

My walk into the city felt good, but it was quite a teary one, as I was walking against the wind, which was blowing dirt into my sensitive eyes (hard contacts - egh). There was one moment I had to stop for a long time because something was stuck in my eye. I couldn't keep my eye open because it was in so much pain. I got all snot-nosed and had to backtrack into a Tesco to buy some 92 cent tissues. It's a worthy investment, I believe, but the experience was definitely not fun. It probably looked like I had just broken up with my boyfriend or something as I was walking down the street frantically wiping away tears.

I failed at my first attempt at finding a nice cafe. I went to the Winding Stair restaurant, thinking that I could sit down for a bit to sip coffee and enjoy a scone. They sent me away, telling me it was a full restaurant. Buggers.

So I went close by to Coffee Society, which wasn't a terrible place. It was really cute...only it was filled with teeny-boppers in the back. WHY WHY WHY I chose to sit by them, I have no idea. It wasn't bad, though. I could still write and do my reading, but then I had also chosen a spot where I kept getting a cold draft of wind and cigarette smoke. You can only second-hand smoke for so long, so I went to the cafe in Eason. I felt a bit bad for not purchasing anything and just using their facilities, but ah well. I was not about to dish out more money for another cup of coffee or tea.

But! I did buy a sketchbook that was half off! 3 euro! I will be using it for my devotions since the one I am currently using is finally running out of pages.

Ohhh...that trip into the city did me a lot of good. I could feel it as I was walking back to the bus. I felt lighter and not as moody. The only scary thing was the bus ride back, when every Gardai car and Ambulance followed the route our bus was taking. Since DCU is not by the safest town (next door, we're not in the dangerous part), I kept thinking something happened near campus, and being alone, I had an increased chance of dying.

Silly thoughts, I know. But things like that sometimes just flash through your mind.

Anyway, I suppose I'd better eat or commence the studying.

Soon, it will be spring break, which means up to the north and then Paris!

Strummin' My Pain With My Fingers

I was going to write an entry after I had gotten halfway through my studying. Alas, after going through my email and Facebook for a bit, I figured that I wasn't getting anything more done for a while. I'll make the excuse that I just need to wait for some of that coffee (real stuff this time!) to kick into my system.

History final tomorrow morning. I should be fine - just need to write legibly and succinctly to have time for both essays. I have a problem with our lecturer trying to make us all adore her or something. To a certain extent she's been successful - she's certainly been a hit among some of the drunkards and the testosteronies. I just don't buy it, but that might be because I've been judging her for all the typos in her powerpoint slides. And her terrible font choices. Think of the most typical, ugliest fonts that exist out there and they're sure to be in at least two of her powerpoint slides in a myriad of colors.

Anyway, two more hours and then I'll be done. I could have done better in that class. Interestingly enough, it's usually the harder, more challenging classes that I do better in. All the "easy A" classes have been a struggle for me because I usually have absolutely no interest or motivation. Yes, I would be weird like that.

I can't record any thoughts about what we covered in sociology today. All I know is that it covered health issues of some sort. I just did the usual doodling of song lyrics and attempted to write some lines of a song that will probably never come into existence.

Tortellini and pesto for lunch again. Will I ever get sick of that dish? Never!

Then some useless internship meeting for over an hour, going over things that we could have read over ourselves. I thought they valued their own personal time away from us - apparently not, since they insist on having meetings like this just to see our faces. Or maybe it's just to tighten their leash on us and ignore the fact that we do have finals to study for.

I'm sorry. Do I sound bitter? I think I'm just grumpy about this week. But I promise that good news is coming!

After the meeting I took a WONDERFUL nap. It was one of the best naps I can remember ever having. I woke up all happy-like, and in that state went out for a little run, which was lovely because it was a gorgeous day at a pleasant temperature.

Then I attempted to study. And I think I failed. I don't remember what I did, but I did do something with my time. I did it here and there, I suppose, and when Laura went out for her run, I decided to pick up my guitar.

I haven't been playing too much because there are always people around, but I have recently learned to banish that fear of bothering people. It's nice. So I just strum and sing, and too bad singing is not as satisfying when you don't belt it out when the song calls for it, so I just belted. And so what if people are walking around. This is my sense of relief, my escape from this place.

This all comes with beginning to not care about what people think of me anymore, though I'm pretty sure I never really cared all that much. I know - I'm horrible. I've floated around and I'm observant enough to notice a lot of things going on within this program that turn me off from trying to belong to a group or clique. We all talk about each other, myself included. We all judge each other and then put smiles on our faces simply because we want to keep things civilized. Fair enough. I don't want scratches and cat fighting amongst any of us.

On second thought, maybe I do. I think I want to see some sort of dramatic animosity flare up between any two people. I want to see people own up to the fact that there are a lot of us who just don't like each other.

Then again, we're grown up, and we only have a little over two months left with each other. In March, things should get a little better with the internships starting, less class, and being away.

Providing that we're not sucked into babying little meetings again, anyway.

I think I should study now. I'm getting sleepy and still have a bit of reading to do.

Oh, some things never change, do they?

'They're fighting again.' 'I thought we just made a truce'

AAHHH HAHAHAHA.

Sorry, that line from "The Simpsons" episode that was on earlier just was too good. Does that not sound like the history of British-Irish relations? Or, maybe even just Irish history in general.

Anyway, that kind of relates to today because we had our last History of Ireland lecture today! I was so ready for it, and my lecturer could probably guess judging my face every day I'm in that class. The smarter thing for me to do would have been just not to sit in the front, but I do need to be that close to pay the slightest bit of attention. You know me and my attention span.

We had a quiz in history today, and we have a quiz for sociology tomorrow. Do I care? Not so much. There is not much stimulation to really keep you going here. No worries. I still will do my bit of studying and reading over this nonsense.

I had a lot of thoughts today, and I am a bit upset that I do not remember them. They were all just little thoughts I've had since I arrived in Ireland but always forgot to write down, and lookie here, I forgot again! Only this time I remember that there is something I forgot!

But! I got a little coffeemaker for the flat today! The coffee drinkers in this apartment were all very excited by the purchase. It will definitely be cheaper in the long run because coffee is at least 1.50. And this will definitely be needed when we begin our internships. Now I just need to hunt down that travel mug...

I also exploded into the kitchen today making fried rice for the communal dinner ritual. It was a bit on the salty side, but it got some praises, so I'm happy. I was definitely satisfied with the broccoli. You bet I can make some delicious broccoli!

It's weird, being here. I go in and out of moods all over the place. I know I'm pretty chipper here, but the environment is not always the best for me. Even so, I am making changes in my life so that I can not only enjoy my time here, but I can also mature and grow as a person during the next few months. They say that studying abroad really changes you, and I definitely believe it. But I am believing more and more that even though everyone changes - whether they change themselves or their perspectives - each person's story is unique.

In my own case? I might have mentioned it before - where most people would learn independence being away from a familiar place, friends and family, I'm learning what it feels like to have to depend on other people's company. I'll be honest, it is quite difficult. I thought I had the most minimal expectations when it came to who I would meet and whom I would befriend, but whoa. This has been a very overwhelming experience in this little arena.

Then I remember to count my blessings, and every day I do discover something really trivial that does keep me going. If that fails, then I just look forward to the next weekend/trip.

All in all, not bad.

But I know that this journey has not finished quite yet!

A Good Weekend

I'll make that straightforward for this time.

I apologize for not updating as regularly as I have promised. It has been an insane week with all the papers and whatnots due. So where did I leave off?

THURSDAY
We rushed off to the Dail in morning to have a quick tour and sit in on some meetings. The meeting we sat in briefly on was pretty intense, as it concerned helping out AIB and the Bank of Ireland, which are currently in trouble with the recession. Someone got suspended! We got to stay to see it get so heated that someone had to be asked to leave the House several times and then suspended!



We then rushed back to campus for the last history lecture (OH THANKS GOODNESS YOU HAVE NO IDEA). I then did something crazy and then just headed back out to the city again to walk around and do some shopping. Shopping was a definite failure, but it was nice getting out and walking around, out of this campus.

Then it was a night out for the first time in a long time. Eh...it was okay. I think I was just too tired to really make the most out of it, but trust me - going out is way too expensive and it will be a while before I do that again!


FRIDAY
I had to do a lot of errands today: laundry, student card, spar, cleaning/organizing. And then I went into the city again (this time I walked to save some money!) to do some more shopping. I wanted to look kinda nice/decent for Alan's arrival, but ended up failing again. Even so, I decided that I wanted just a tiny success from the two excursions into the city and bought him a CD and some chocolates. =)

The city was insane this night because of the Jameson Film Festival, Valentine's Day prepping (or overnight-ing, you know), and it just being the weekend in general. There were so many ambulances, traffic, people, and the smell of roses. Goodness me!

Then gchat with Ana Jessica!!! Or was it Skype? I don't remember. In any case, 'twas good.

After some more cleaning and such, Alan came and we just chilled for the night.


SATURDAY
Happy Valentine's Day!

Alan and I decided to walk into the city, grab something to eat. Deciding what to eat between the two of us is quite difficult, and it took a lot of going in and out of stores, walking back and forth to decide where we'd go to eat. We finally settled on an Italian Restuarant on Dame Street, where we experienced decent food and the most horrible customer service. The waitress wasn't mean in any way - she was just the only one working in a pretty sizeable restaurant. On DAME STREET - street of the tourists and students combined!

Anyway, we made our way to the Guinness Storehouse and it was absolutely lovely! So much to see about the way Guinness is made, and all the stuff they show you is pretty cool. We also were able to get a complimentary pint of Guinness, which tasted quite nice - just what we needed after a lot of walking and standing. We did not get them at the Gravity Bar like everyone else did because it was too crowded, but we did stop there to take some pictures of the view of Dublin. I warn you, it's not the prettiest view because, well, Dublin isn't that pretty of a city.










Then we caught the bus to the Santry Omniplex cinema, where we got 9 euro tickets to see "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." Pretty good film, in my opinion. It was very very long, but so beautifully sad in a way. The makeup was actually superb - they were really able to make Brad Pitt look like an adolescent!


SUNDAY
Alan and I checked out the service at Abbey Presbyterian Church. Still very traditional, which I don't mind, but the congregation was very...old. The people were nice enough, it seems, but I do need to find a place where there are more people my age. The two churches I've been to in Dublin, though, have all been absolutely tiny. Is it that I'm in Dublin and the Protestant attendance just isn't that high?

After the service had ended, we headed to Cafe Divino, where we sat for a while drinking coffee/soda and eating our scones. Then we went to The Winding Stair, where I bought Canterbury Tales for 2.50 euro! And it's a really pretty cover!

Anyway, after that, we just strolled around the city and chatted, then headed back to the apartment where we chilled out for a while. Alan left here at 6pm to go back home in the north.

So yes, now I am uploading picture sonto FB, updating, and then will attempt to study for the quizzes and the tests that are coming up this week. Blah.

BUT!

AFTER THIS WE HAVE NO MORE OF THESE HORRID CLASSES!!!!

Oh my, that is quite exciting.

And on and on it goes

Definitely in a strange mood today, a very long today.

Finished my Sociology paper about Irish stereotypes in film, so I am functioning on about 3.5 hours of sleep right now. I've been in a funny mood all day, fluctuating between a wide range of emotions and moods. It did not help that both classes were painfully long and pointless, which has been the recent trend in the past few lectures. I have stopped taking notes in my notebook, and have begun to doodle-drawing fruits and a pen, playing with fonts, writing song lyrics and poem lines over and over.

My ankle has some sort of tendonitis or stress factor, I think. There's a pain that shoots through my achilles' heel whenever I put weight on it. So I put off running for today, and will see how it treats me in the next few days.

There's really not all that much to say for today, mainly because I'm not feeling very up with it. I remember thinking a few things after my history lecture today, though. Irish history still confuses me and frustrates me. Apparently Churchill offered the six counties of Northern Ireland back to the Republic if Ireland would join WWII on Britain's side. I understand that Ireland was war-weary and did not trust the British, but I think that Churchill would have upheld his end of the deal. It seemed as though the UK was getting ready to let Ireland go anyway.

So Ireland stayed neutral, and did not have to lose the amount of soldiers that many other countries did during that war, but was it all for the better? It was only 30 years later, after all, when the country experienced "The Troubles" because of the separation that it refused. I wonder, whether joining forces with Britain would have been better in the long-run. But who can really tell with the IRA still alive and kicking violently? I am always so caught in these impossible situations in Irish history.

But I did watch "Taxi Driver" to just veg a bit and relax. I think tomorrow I might just watch another to keep my mind a little sane.

I just want tomorrow to be over so I can spend some good time in the city, away from this suffocating campus. I'm looking forward to some personal time walking around and sitting in a cafe as I read a book. I do have to think about laundry and studying for quizzes and finals, but that will eventually come. I finally have a weekend in Dublin, and I'll definitely take full advantage of it!

And, of course, Alan is coming down Friday night for the weekend. =)

Ohhhh, Friday, come now!

Hold On To What You Need

Mood swings + fatigue = depressed Ingrina who still has a useless Sociology paper to write.

There isn't much you can really do about this type of fatigue. No matter how much sleep you get or how much caffeine you inject into yourself you cannot stay awake. My right hand's fingers are all pink/red from picking/biting them during history class today; notes are completely illegible; I don't even remember a single name other than W.T. Cosgrave from today's lecture; I tend to stare off into space; it took me about 3.5 hours to form a new thesis for the paper due in two days.

At least I know what I'll be writing about, but my head is too clouded right now to make much sense of it. That, combined with the fact that I honestly think it's a useless paper, makes me a bit angry.

So I'm listening to my angry-mood music of Modest Mouse. It does make me feel better, I'll say that.

Today....today....

Woke up 45 minutes later than I wanted to, had some oatmeal because I'm a bit sick of toast. I then attempted research for my paper, which...was slow and painful. I then just decided to go out for a run, which felt very very good, though I can feel my inner thighs and butt having a little sore session from the biking yesterday morning. Those muscles had better be toning. Worrrk it.

Lunch was unhealthy, though I got my protein bit with an egg plopped into that ramen! I do need to find better and more sources of protein for my diet - I'm definitely not getting enough. I just might have to begin eating meat again, but we'll see.

Class was horrible.

I went to Tesco right afterwards, but got sidetracked and went into New Look to look at the sale. I got a hoodie for 9 euro and a shirt for 4.50! How amazing is that?! I almost got another sweater/shirt for 15 euro, but a 1 euro knockoff is not very convincing.

Anyway, for dinner I went overboard and I guess decided to cook everything I just bought from Tesco. Not really, but it certainly felt like it. Tortellini - buy one get one free?! And there was peppercorn cheese?! And white cabbage?! Too much, too much. And I had two oranges.

And chocolate-covered biscuits.

And two truffles, and two pieces of fudge.

OMG I'M SUCH A FATTY.

No videos as I promised. I just got overly depressed looking at how much I ate. Will I be able to wake up for tomorrow morning to make a run? Possibly not, but I'll have to stick one somewhere tomorrow...

The Wonders Mine Eyes Hast Seen!

Oh, beauty of beauties, are you, gorgeous Eireann!

You cannot imagine how absolutely stunning Ireland is without seeing its sites with your own two eyes. All of us, for all of our differences individually, have agreed on this: we never expected the places we were going to see to actually LOOK like THAT, if that makes any sense.

FRIDAY
1) Depart at 8 a.m.
2) Stop at Moneygall, the ancestral home of President Obama
3) Arrive in Limerick city for a quick lunch stop
4) Stop at Anascaul, a Gaelic-speaking town, for the night. Here we had a two-hour walk around the village before dinner. We got lost, by the way, AND we also got chased for a good two to three minutes by a ginormous St. Bernard who could have eaten each of us whole, I swear it could. Dinner and after-party was at the bar connected to the hostel, and then the rest of the group went to pub crawl the only other two pubs in the village.








SATURDAY
1) Went to gasp at the beautiful Inch Beach! (Can't wait to show you the pictures!)
2) The Rings of Kerry - STUNNING, BREATHTAKING, GORGEOUS, every other adjective along those lines
3) Through the Killarney National Park
4) Killarney for dinner and night activities. Erin and I decided to just go to the Grand Hotel's bars, which promised Irish traditional music. It did fulfill that promise, and we got to talk to nice little old man who was from the town. He talked to us about our program, Obama, the economy, etc. We also had a random drunk man buy us drinks - you know how sexy and hot I look in my track jacket and Timberlands. But it was a fun night nonetheless! Well, excluding the moldy hostel that leaked from the sink.












SUNDAY
1) Bike riding through Killarney National Park! SO SO FUN!
2) The Humble Pie cafe
3) Blarney Castle to kiss the Blarney Stone. 106 terrifying steps. You don't get that tired because you're preoccupied without falling down the steep spiraling steps. It still was beautiful, though. And kissing that stone?! What an idea. "Let's just terrify these tourists and make money off of it. BAH HAHA!" Darn. I wish I had such a genius idea.
4) Cashel to see the Castle
5) Dublin. Finally.








I'm tired and glad to be back in Dublin, albeit rainy and cold, unlike the weather we had this weekend - blue skies and sun sun sun! But I'm tired of our group of people and just need some more personal space, a not-so-moldy room, and the company of the Internet.

But oh, how beautiful everything this weekend was! If only the pictures did it justice. Tomorrow, when I'm procrastinating on the paper due on Wednesday, I will upload the panning videos I took so that you can grasp more of how gorgeous everything is to my own two eyes. My photos do them absolutely no justice.

And btw, I apologize if all of my photos look the same. But when you're here, you really can't get sick of the scenary, the coasts and the rolling hills. They are just lovely, aren't they?

Anyway, I'm uber excited that I finally got the guitar machinehead replaced so that I can actually play the thing in tune now.

I did not write everything, but I am so so tired and am hoping that I can have an early run tomorrow morning and then do some hardcore research, as I have barely done any. I need to stop this lifestyle, but I haven't been able to shake it for about nine years now. Too bad.

Two more weeks of this academic vaccum!

As usual, check my FB for all of the photos - I just didn't want to completely discourage you from reading the entry with all the pictures.