Musical Monday

This woman... She's just the best. The lyrics, I mean, it;s heaven for your ears...

 Listen, and remember, Mondays really aren't that bad when you have music like this.

"This is how it works
You're young until you're not
You love until you don't
You try until you can't
You laugh until you cry
You cry until you laugh
And everyone must breathe
Until their dying breath"

So simple, yet, so great!!

The Rest of my Life?

I work as a retail assistant. Every morning, every single morning, I wake up dreading going to work. No matter if it’s a four hour shift or an eight hour one. I dread it. On my days off I don’t enjoy the day, I spend my whole day trying to squish in as much as possible while dreading the next day and the inevitable return to work. I know this isn't what I wanna do for the rest of my life, and I know, I know, it’s a part time job to get me through college, but I want to enjoy my part time job. I want it to mean something. To satisfy me. To help me become whatever it is I want to be in years to come?

I hate working in Retail.

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Does this mean that I’m a snob? That I’m destined for greater things? Or just that I've a much bigger sense of entitlement than I should?

Despite the fact that I hate my current job, I have no idea what I want to do with the rest of my life, I mean, I have a general idea... I want to be rich, happy and love life and my career, not so difficult, right? Hmmph.

I once read that whatever you do when you have free time is what you should be doing for the rest of your life. With this in mind, I sat down and really considered my options.. I came up with quite a few options.

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The things I love to do when I've nothing else to do:

Reading.

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God, I love a good book, there’s nothing I like better than getting stuck in a book so good that you cannot physically or mentally drag yourself away. I love when you find a book that’s so good that whenever you get a chance, lunch, morning traffic or waiting for that elusive doctors appointment, you have to whip it out cause you just HAVE to know what’s going to happen next. From here I deducted that I could be a publisher, that’s what they do, right? They read a lot of scripts til they find one good enough to publish. My only problem, I hate bad writing, guess who couldn't finish the Twilight series? Yes. Me.

On to the next!!

Food.

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I love food. I love eating it, I love thinking about it, I love talking about it and anyone who follows my instagram will know I love taking photos of it. I just think there hasn't been a more wonderful thing ever made. When Kate Moss said “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels” I nearly dropped, clearly the woman hasn't eaten enough good food. I could never be a chef though, I simply don’t have the patience, waiting for the kettle to boil irks me. Trying to get a recipe or dish just right would tip me over the edge.  My mother suggested I be a food critic, I considered it but I couldn't do it. I understand more than most just how frustrating cooking is and I just couldn't destroy someone’s day by telling them what they’d poured their sweat, blood and tears into just didn't satisfy me.

Next!

Clothes.

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I also adore clothes. I love buying them, reading about them and there’s nothing better than when you’re wearing an outfit you feel really super comfortable in. I've started a styling part time course now and I really hope that it will be part of my future plan. Someday. I’m not gonna lie, the only negative I found about this was the price.. I can’t afford all the clothes I want, but hey, when I decide what I wanna be I’ll inevitably be rich and therefore “the limit does not exist”.

One last time!

Writing.

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I've only recently discovered my love of writing. It’s the best. I literally have so many thoughts running around in my head on a daily basis that if I didn't get things out on paper there’s no way it would be good for my mental health. I always feel like once you start typing or writing you continue and revelations and epiphanies come to you that would never have come to you without the assistance of a pen and paper. There’s no denying, I also love a good rant. Writing about it ensures that no one person has to listen to it unwillingly and whoever reads it has put themselves through the misery :P

So, I lied at the start.. I know exactly what I want to do with the rest of my life. It’s not what I’m doing my undergrad in and it’s certainly not retail, it does, however involve all of these things. Even if the food is just me eating it.

I can’t wait to start!

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Ensuring your friends misery while you're away? Here's how!

Originally published in Studenty, an online magazine, check it out :D

I woke up this morning to the rain pattering gently on my window and a cloudy overcast sky. I put on my slipper socks and went downstairs to have some warm tea and soothing porridge. Sounds like a pretty beautiful Sunday morning in the middle of November, right? Except it’s June, it’s JUNE!!! All of us poor unfortunates, who didn’t have the funds or the foresight to arrange plans for the summer, are stuck in Ireland, with the perpetually indesicive, sticky, sweaty weather and the same people most of us have known since we were twelve or thirteen and we’d rather not have to see everyday for the “best summer ever, 2012”

While we’re suffering away here, dealing with the weather and unsociable working hours our lovely friends who had excessive amounts of money and the intelligence to actually plan for the summer are happily rubbing our collectives faces in it.

First of all can we start with before they go ... Does anyone really want to help their best friend pack up enough clothes for three months of them living the life when you know you’re not going anywhere further than the outskirts of Conamarra, and let’s face it, who wants to go there? They’ll ask, under the pretence of “spending as much time together as we can before I go”, you’ll accept, you fool, and you shall sit there for an hour, maybe two listening to all their plans, your heart beginning to simmer with jealousy and you’ll eventually have to leave before you lash out with sheer resentment.

Now, I love a good aul Facebook check in every now and again just to reassure people that I’m having the time of my life, all the time. Therefore, I can appreciate these sporadic check ins. I, however, did not appreciate every single person who was leaving the country checking in at Terminal 1 or 2 (I wouldn’t know because I’m still in Galway), Im pretty sure very few people appreciated it. All those well wishers commenting underneath wishing you a good holiday, they didn’t mean it, don’t be fooled!

Now, let’s discuss the numerous promises of having Skype dates. Do you actually want to talk to your friend in the blistering sunshine in California, surrounded by beautiful members of the opposite sex and charming everyone left, right and centre with the heaviest accent they could possibly put on? While we sit here, pasty white and abandoned by our friends? I don’t think so. So, when you go, set up a Skype account, but please, do it solely for your parents, no one else wants to see your tanned, happy face!!

So, for all you j1’ers and you inter railers or you people travelling around France or Italy somewhere, just in case you think we care, we don’t. Please, let us be blissfully ignorant to how much fun you are having! Let us live in our own ignorance and we will assume that you are simply pretending to enjoy your summer, you’re really home sick and missing the rain. Yes, living in our own ignorance for sure J

NUI Galway announce scholarship scheme for Leaving Cert students

Originally published in Studenty, an online magazine for university contributers

A new, much needed scholarship scheme has being announced by National University of Ireland, Galway. NUI Galway is one of Ireland’s foremost centres of academic excellence. Over 17,000 students undertake an extensive range of studies at the University, which is renowned for the quality of its graduates.

The scholarship involves rewading any student who achieves 560 or over in the Leaving Certificate and goes on to study in NUI Galway with an automatic scholarship of €2,000. These scholarships, called the “Excellence Scholarships” are designed to recognise and reward Leaving Certificate students and encourage their diligence and success while they are studying in NUI Galway.The students who apply for this criteria will be automatically contacted by the college once they enrol in NUI Galway.

The qualification criteria for Medical students differs slightly, there will be 10 special scholarships for those scoring in the top 10, based on the combined results of the Leaving Certificate and the H-PAT. Meanwhile, a certain number of scholarships will be kept by individual colleges, to ensure an even distribution across the different disciplines.

“The Excellence Scholarships recognise the academic achievements of our brightest new entrants, who have performed exceptionally well in the Leaving Certificate,” explains Martina Ní Chúlain, Admissions Officer at NUI Galway. “These prestigious awards will provide some financial assistance to high calibre students, thus facilitating their transition into higher education and their continued academic success.”

The initiative is one of a series of scholarship schemes put in place by NUI Galway to help encourage academic success. Students at NUI Galway can also benefit from Postgraduate Scholarships, Mature Student Scholarships and schemes specific to individual colleges for those who excel in their University exams.

Coral

Coral is just my new colour crush. I’m so happy that it’s exploding all over the place cause it's just fab and I absolutely adore it.

How fab are the teal accessories? I'd never have thought of that.

Love it!

Everything about moving out this summer seemed like the best idea in the world, the freedom, the saving on taxis, living with friends and being so much closer to work. The absolute dream, right? 

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The only thing that I knew would bother me was that my internet connection would be down. Down, as in completely gone, for two whole weeks! How would I survive? How would I stay in contact with all of my acquaintances? How would I sort out my wages? How would I buy clothes? Most importantly, how would I maintain my incredible talent at creeping that I have cultivated over several study weeks over the years? As a result of my delight at moving in to my fabulous house I decided, with a pretty high level of optimism, I’d take it as a challenge. Could I live without the internet? Would I be happier? Would I be lonelier? Would I realise that doing things without the internet was more fun.

over here

Monday was easy; admittedly, I turned on my computer several times to do something and realise half way through that no, I had no internet connection. I also may have flipped my Wi-Fi on my phone absentmindedly every time I was bored, which was my first realisation; do we go online to creep while pretending we’re doing something “productive” as we have all said on several occasions to our mothers.

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It wasn’t until pay day on Wednesday when I realised that I legitimately had a use for the internet, I religiously check my balance after pay day to ensure that I have in fact gotten paid the right wages, I couldn’t do this this week and the effort, that massive colossal effort of moving out of bed and walking to the atm very nearly killed me. Fortunately, I did get paid, and quite generously, so inevitably I decided I’d go out on Thursday night. I made my way home again intent on surprising myself with a new pair of shoes for the weekend, and then I recalled, no internet to purchase said shoes on. Disaster. I had to make my way all the way back into town to try and buy shoes, that they didn’t have in my size, something which wouldn’t have happened online and if it had I could have spotted much faster and with ease.

After my successful Thursday night out my first aim was to creep on and hopefully, accept an add from someone I had met the night before. With the biggest smile on my face I stretched myself awake and reached for my laptop. I was seriously triumphant with my antics from the night before and then, bam, the depression hit, I HAD NO INTERNET. How was my triumphant night going to transform into a successful friendship if there was no internet to connect it? I also realised that it was difficult to maintain communication with acquaintances and even friends without chat on Facebook. Does that mean that we’re not actually friends or that we just no longer had time to talk to each other?

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On Friday I decided I wanted to start Tag Rugby and got my Dad to research it, on the internet, of course, and then we realised you had to register online. Something I was unable to do. I then tried to call the beauticians to book an appointment and they directed me to the website to make a booking. Great!

By the time UPC arrived with the internet I was curled up in a shrivelled ball in the corner of my sitting room. I nearly passed out when I saw them come. I proceeded to spend the next four hours online and now, I am sick of it all again.

Through this unwanted experiment, I can’t decide, can we not live without the internet? Or have we fooled ourselves into thinking that? Is there too much dependency on the internet to stay in contact with people? Would it not be much easier to leave your house to do these things rather than setting up your laptop and ensuring you don’t meet anyone? I am still none the wiser, I just know, for that week I was internet less, everything seemed like a much bigger effort!

Who'd have known?

If you're young, try not to get involved with the "too cool" crowd. That quickly becomes the crowd that's too cool to work hard, too cool to take chances, and too cool to succeed.