5.4.16

that 'aha' moment



So luckily I'm not in a position where I have to frequently write essays anymore (you know, besides the long winded texts I send to my mom to try to convince her that I'm a fully functioning adult that isn't just blowing all my cash on australian koala and kangaroo souvenirs and lollies) but this is how I'm weirdly feeling about life right now. I've tricked myself-- working 6 days a week, maintaing a social life, cooking mostly healthy things and going to the gym, keeping in touch with relatives 9,000+ miles away, getting 8 hours of sleep and I'm just absolutely surprised. Does it all come together at some point or is this just a fluke? And if so, can I have this fluke for the rest of my life? I don't know if I'm adulting correctly or if I'm just starting to believe my own bullshit-- but I'm loving it.

27.3.16

a collection of things this expat loves about ireland

As a precursor I must mention that the island of Ireland is split into two different countries. Although it is geographically the same land mass, it is politically two different places: Northern Ireland, a part of the UK who use the GB pound as their currency, and The Republic of Ireland/'The South'/Ireland which is part of Europe and use the Euro. This undoubtedly makes life difficult when you accidentally cross the border and your phone company insists on charging you for all the international roaming you've been doing and you can't pay bridge tolls because you don't have spare euro change lying about. Mostly though, it makes for a good story. Borders aside, here's a small collection of what I love most about Ireland and why it has a special place in my heart.

  • CASTLES. LET'S START WITH CASTLES. If you live in Ireland, chances are you live roughly 15 minutes away from either a castle, a manor, ruins, or a historical building that is unfairly beautiful and yet, nobody bats an eye.
  • That the Northern most point/county of Ireland is actually politically a part of the Republic of Ireland making it a part of 'The South'. The northern most place is in the south-- WHAT. (County Donegal, here's a crude map)
  • FATHER FREAKING TED.
  • Tea, tea and more tea. Tea as a social engagement tool, tea as encouragement, tea as reassurance, tea as the completion of breakfast, tea as an event, tea as a good morning hug and a goodnight kiss, tea with Mr. Kipling viennese whirls, just tea.
  • Arriving at George Best airport and being greeted by Samson and Goliath, the amazing bright yellow cranes that built the Titanic. Also just realising that yes, the Titanic was built in Belfast! (As many Irish people like to say, the Titanic was fine when it left Belfast for Liverpool :P).
  • Craic. Who doesn't love craic? Pronounced 'crack' it's basically a slang term for banter, or fun. People will frequently ask each other 'What's the craic'"as a 'How's it going?' kind of sentiment.
  • A full Irish fry: eggs, bacon, sausages, beans, pudding (occasionally), tea and of course, fresh soda bread (although in all honesty I prefer potato bread.) Sometimes also includes mushrooms and a fried tomato.
  • Literature. Ireland has produced so many great writers: Samuel Beckett, James Joyce, C.S. Lewis, Oscar Wilde, W.B. Yeats, Bram Stoker, Jonathan Swift. Honestly, the list goes on. You will never run out of wondrous things to read.
  • THE SERIOUS NATURAL BEAUTY AND HISTORY. Have you ever taken a flight over Ireland? It is gorgeously green and it is amazing to see how many beautiful things nature has put on that tiny island. Cliffs of Moher, Ring of Kerry, Slieve League, Giant's Causeway, Lough Corrib, Dingle, Connemara in general...
And while I meant to post this around St. Patrick's Day (whoops!) I'm sure the sentiment still stands: Ireland is wild and wily but so incredibly wondrous. And I love it.

21.3.16

sometimes you happen upon a video you haven't watched in years... and it's amazing.


love love love flo + the machine (and kate's crazy good voice!) in other news, my life is now consists of being at work or getting lost in books. over 50% of my day was work and another 5% was reading. the last 45% is going towards basic hygiene, sleep, eating and commuting. so where am i finding the time to write this? i'm not. i'm totally typing this while i'm asleep. (also please don't do the maths on this post. it doesn't make sense. i am totally getting more than 2.7 hours of sleep... but it definitely doesn't feel like it.)

19.3.16

notes to myself #3:

"Everyone has a secret world inside them. All of the people of the world, I mean everybody. No matter how dull and boring they are on the outside, inside them they've all got unimaginable, magnificent, wonderful, stupid amazing worlds. Not just one world. Hundreds of them. Thousands maybe." ---- Neil Gaiman

17.3.16

explaining doctor who to people who don't watch it should be a sport


and whoops, sorry i have been mia. i am literally always at work. my bad! but happy st. patrick's day?!

7.3.16

in today's round of: let's panic about that really specific thing, we have TAX SEASON

The charming part about being an American citizen is that the US taxes based on citizenship, not on residency. The EXTRA charming part about being an American citizen is that the education system teaches absolutely nothing about how to do those taxes especially when you find you have become a professional expat (lol) who hasn't actually resided in the US for a full tax year for more than 5 years. Alongside that, I'm on a mission to figure out how to file taxes in the country I do reside in (or you know, pester my co-worker, the accountant, to have a look at them) But here, enough whinging. Let's get to the point of this post:

HELP, WHO DECIDED LETTING ME BE AN ADULT WAS A GOOD IDEA?

3.3.16

(help, my 'to be read' pile is still out of control)


Stardust by Neil Gaiman - ★★☆☆☆
This little story first crossed my path as a film, which I watched completely unaware that it was based on this novel. The film has absolutely everything that enchanted me: adventure, pirates, stars, witches, magic, inheritance and succession issues (lol) and a touch of comedy (thank you, Robert De Niro). So when I picked up the book for the first time I was excited to see what extras I would find inside and enoy what they had left out of the film. The truth is, I never got past 30 pages until this year and what I found was a little disappointing. Gaiman is an amazing writer, he creates worlds with beauty, interest and just a dash of wit. The thing is that I had the film comparison in the back of my mind throughout reading and to me, the film was just a bit more full.

My Little French Kitchen by Rachel Khoo - ★★★☆☆
Generally, I don't count cookbooks towards my reading goals but I absolutely devoured this one (no pun intended). My mother loved Rachel Khoo from the minute she found out about her 'little Paris kitchen' AKA: the restaurant Rachel opened in her apartment where the maximum capacity for diners she served was a whopping two people at a time. In this book she travelled the regions of France to enjoy and spin their signature dishes. The entire concept of travelling and eating local cuisine is a great basis for cookbooks. Nobody cooks like the locals, right? Recipes of particular enjoyment to my tummy: Red Wine Roast Chicken, Pan Fried Niçois Ravioli and Ham Hock & vegetable soup.



Spark Joy by Marie Kondo - ★★★☆☆
I already know what you're thinking. 'Do you really need a book to teach you how to tidy?' Nah. I generally enjoy cleaning, but this book goes beyond cleaning and logistics of how many times you should dust a month and helps you feel genuinely happy in your space. The bottom line of this book is to keep things that spark joy, which quite frankly was a revelation to someone who tidies by utility. From there, you should display and store items where you can frequently see the things that make you happy. There's a lot more to the KonMari methods-- folding guidelines and some interesting anthropomorphising but those were the two most valuable messages I received.

Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman - ★★★★☆
And back to Neil Gaiman! Short stories are my favourite for the beginning of the year (I find I can't concentrate on a full length novel with all the newness) and this one-- with just a bit of sci-fi and horror hit the spot. Honestly, I first spotted this book in a bookshop in Belfast and I knew I wanted to read it simply from the cover. There stories are diverse and while some don't feature actual monsters, they did make my brain think and step outside it's comfort zone.