- It's been a busy week so far, and today definitely feels like Friday....... but it's not!
- Work has been busy, but good. After work everyday, I walk with Caroline, my cubicle neighbour, to the bus stop. Well, she takes the bus, and I keep walking. She's great, and we have amazing conversations. :)
- Bus and hostel booked for CORK!!!! YAYYY!!!! I'm leaving Friday night after work, and coming back Sunday afternoon, in time for my *last* Fringe show!
- I have a Fringe show tonight, that I got free tickets for through work (they support shows that go on in the Spiegeltent so we get complimentary tickets) Buuuut... I'm pretty tired at the moment, so we'll see if I feel like going (and if Zoe, my roommate) feels up to it too. We're both pretty mellow right now.
- I went to see Disturbia last night -- good movie!! It definitely freaked me out a bit, but not in the gore-y sense. Just.... disturbingly. Ha ha. I really want to see Atonement though. It'll be a nice change from all the horror films I've been seeing. Except for Knocked-Up, that was a fantastic movie!
- Received the excerpts for the NYOI auditions in the mail! Can't wait to start practising!
- Ok, Zoe and I just decided we're not going to the Fringe thing. We're both tired and it's cold and raining outside.
- Well, I'm off now, to read my novel. Bye!
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Music and Football
I forgot to write last time, that the woman from the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland emailed me a couple of days ago!! I emailed her months ago, when I was still in Canada, inquiring about auditions and joining the orchestra. She emailed me back asking about residency and all that junk, and then we lost contact. She emailed me a couple days ago, saying how she was going over old emails and came upon mine, and would I like to still like to audition? Applications are due by September 24th. I emailed her and told her I definitely would like to! So I printed off the application form, attached a photo and €20, and mailed in on Saturday! YAY! I'm gonna receive the orchestra excerpts in the mail once she receives it, yay! I'm sooo excited! I hope I get in!
In other news, I watched the All-Ireland Gaelic football finals on TV yesterday!! I've never watched Gaelic football before, but I quickly caught on to what was happening. Apparently, they've been playing for months, and yesterday's game were the FINALS, with Cork Vs. Kerry. One of my co-workers was telling me on Friday that geographically, Cork and Kerry are really close together; neighbours, really. But they've been age-old rivals in sports. As the commentator said on TV: "Cork will never be forgotten if they win, but Kerry will never be forgiven if they lost." Whoooaa... intense! So yesterday I sat in a nice restaurant/pub with Sarah, a new USIT Canadian girl I met, and watched the game. Ohmigod, it was so intense! I'm not much of a sports fan, but even so, I was reallllly into this game!! I was rooting for Cork, only because people from Cork have this really cool accent, and when we had our going-away drinks at the Bleeding Horse back in August, I got to chatting with a Cork guy, and he was cool. And I don't know anything or anyone from Kerry, other than rumours that they are hella good in football. Well, that's stupid reason for rooting for a team, but whatever! And the commentator was hilarious as well. Anyway... Cork lost. It's okay though, I am really happy for Kerry! Yaaayyyy! The men who were sitting at the table next to us were Cork fans as well, and they were really into the game! This country is absolutely sports-crazy, it's really great. Great great craic, as they say! Anyway, I left the pub in really good spirits, vowing that someday, someday I will make my way to Croke park to see a real game! Reading the paper this morning on yesterday's game was fantastic. It got me all giddy and excited again, ha ha. I think I am starting to like Gaelic football! Yay!
Anyway, nothing else to report. Work is busy. And I'm contemplating on going to Cork this weekend. Well, I've been wanting to go to Cork (or Limerick!) for months, but never got around to actually going. So we'll see. That's it!
In other news, I watched the All-Ireland Gaelic football finals on TV yesterday!! I've never watched Gaelic football before, but I quickly caught on to what was happening. Apparently, they've been playing for months, and yesterday's game were the FINALS, with Cork Vs. Kerry. One of my co-workers was telling me on Friday that geographically, Cork and Kerry are really close together; neighbours, really. But they've been age-old rivals in sports. As the commentator said on TV: "Cork will never be forgotten if they win, but Kerry will never be forgiven if they lost." Whoooaa... intense! So yesterday I sat in a nice restaurant/pub with Sarah, a new USIT Canadian girl I met, and watched the game. Ohmigod, it was so intense! I'm not much of a sports fan, but even so, I was reallllly into this game!! I was rooting for Cork, only because people from Cork have this really cool accent, and when we had our going-away drinks at the Bleeding Horse back in August, I got to chatting with a Cork guy, and he was cool. And I don't know anything or anyone from Kerry, other than rumours that they are hella good in football. Well, that's stupid reason for rooting for a team, but whatever! And the commentator was hilarious as well. Anyway... Cork lost. It's okay though, I am really happy for Kerry! Yaaayyyy! The men who were sitting at the table next to us were Cork fans as well, and they were really into the game! This country is absolutely sports-crazy, it's really great. Great great craic, as they say! Anyway, I left the pub in really good spirits, vowing that someday, someday I will make my way to Croke park to see a real game! Reading the paper this morning on yesterday's game was fantastic. It got me all giddy and excited again, ha ha. I think I am starting to like Gaelic football! Yay!
Anyway, nothing else to report. Work is busy. And I'm contemplating on going to Cork this weekend. Well, I've been wanting to go to Cork (or Limerick!) for months, but never got around to actually going. So we'll see. That's it!
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Update on All Things
It's been over a week since I last posted, but it certainly doesn't feel that long! Only a couple of things have been keeping me busy, but first, a summary of my weekend in England.
I got into London's Stansted airport at around 11pm on Friday night. Bought tickets for the express bus into the city. Once I got to the city, it was around midnight. I was (un)pleasantly welcomed by throngs of drunk people staggering in the streets, party-goers galore, lots of traffic, and no tube (underground/subway), because apparently, they close by midnight. So there I was, with no idea which way to go to get to my hostel. I didn't want to take a cab because, although they were really cool-looking cabs, I wasn't in the mood for paying loads of cash. In sterling, of all currencies. So I wandered around, asking different people, mainly security guards at the tube station and some bus drivers as well. I finally found the right bus, but didn't have exact change for the fare! AHH! I was just about to get off when the bus driver called out to me and said I could get on anyway. YAY, I saved two pounds! I got to my hostel at around 2:30am, no kidding! It was a loooong bus ride. I chatted up with this girl who was on the bus with me, since I asked her for directions and she was getting off at the same stop as I. It was nice. Once I arrived in the hostel, I had no interest in going out anymore. So I stayed in and looked at some brochures, deciding on what I should do the next day. I saw a brochure for a *free* walking tour, so after chatting it up with one guy in the hostel, I went to bed. Time: 3:45am.
I got up the next morning in time for the complimentary breakfast, and it was a pretty damn good breakfast. I was full by the time I left to catch the tube to get to the proposed meeting spot of the walking tour. The tour itself was pretty fun. And, okay, this is the odd bit: You'd think going all the way to Ireland to hang out with kids from UW is crazy, I went on this walking tour, on that particular day, on that particular weekend, and in my tour group, I met 3 girls, all from Laurier. AND they are in my year, but just graduated in the summer. Crazy or what?! Anyway... it was a good time. We (the tour group) stopped by this small restaurant/pub for lunch, where the tour company had special deals with that particular place, so we got a nice big burger and a pint of beer for only £5!! What a deal!! After the tour, the 3 Laurier girls and I decided to go on the London Eye, arguably the biggest ferris wheel in the world. It cost £15 and wasn't even thaaaat great. I mean, it was good, we saw a lot, but I think it would've been better if the day wasn't so cloudy. It was okay, though, because I won't do it again. Just something fun and touristy. After the London Eye, I went to Chinatown to meet up with Kenric and Gavin and their parents. They are some guys I grew up playing violin with. It was good seeing them again, although it was only for a short time. Dinner was fantastic. After the dinner, I took the tube again to a pub crawl, that was organized by the people in the walking tour that day, so it was great seeing them again and hanging out. I met some Australians, two English girls, and a couple of Americans. Didn't get too drunk, and called it a night by 11:30pm, because I had to catch the tube back to my hostel before it closes at midnight, and I definitely did not want to take the bus again. The tube is WAY faster!
Next morning, I got up at 6:30am, took the tube to the city center where the express bus to Stansted airport left. It was sooo early, and I was zoned out for most of the day. At the airport, I had about 2.5 hours to kill, and I suddenly craved the full American breakfast (eggs, bacon, sausages, etc) so I splurged and got a breakfast at one of thier airport restaurants. It was by far the best almost £10 I spent that weekend, followed closely by the day pass for public transportation.
Although I really only spent one full day in London, I really liked it and now that I have a general idea of where everything is and how the public transport system works, I definitely plan on going back, hopefully for longer than a weekend!
Work at DDDA has been going well, I finished my first week! The first day was pretty overwhelming. David, my boss, is incredibly nice, and pretty easy to talk to. It's been frustrating at times, with the booking of several meetings, calling up people I don't know to set up meetings with David, and covering reception at times. It's fairly busy, but not too busy! I'm slowly getting the hang of it, so that's good.
In other news, I've been lately occupied with the Dublin Fringe Festival! It's really great, and there are looooads of good shows! The most frustrating thing about this is that there are just too many good shows I want to go see, but they are on at the same time! I've been to 3 so far, and got 2 more to go. Well, two for sure, but I something might come up during the week, and I'll decide to go, we'll see. Dublin Docklands is a supporter of the events that go on in the Spiegaltent, so we get free tickets! I've ordered two, and they're happening on Monday and Sunday of next week, yay! I'm looking forward to those very much. :)
Other than that... there's nothing much else to say. The weather has been better, and today was actually sunny and warm ALL DAY. Whoa. That doesn't happen often, that's for sure. Anyway... nothing else to write, so.... bye!
I got into London's Stansted airport at around 11pm on Friday night. Bought tickets for the express bus into the city. Once I got to the city, it was around midnight. I was (un)pleasantly welcomed by throngs of drunk people staggering in the streets, party-goers galore, lots of traffic, and no tube (underground/subway), because apparently, they close by midnight. So there I was, with no idea which way to go to get to my hostel. I didn't want to take a cab because, although they were really cool-looking cabs, I wasn't in the mood for paying loads of cash. In sterling, of all currencies. So I wandered around, asking different people, mainly security guards at the tube station and some bus drivers as well. I finally found the right bus, but didn't have exact change for the fare! AHH! I was just about to get off when the bus driver called out to me and said I could get on anyway. YAY, I saved two pounds! I got to my hostel at around 2:30am, no kidding! It was a loooong bus ride. I chatted up with this girl who was on the bus with me, since I asked her for directions and she was getting off at the same stop as I. It was nice. Once I arrived in the hostel, I had no interest in going out anymore. So I stayed in and looked at some brochures, deciding on what I should do the next day. I saw a brochure for a *free* walking tour, so after chatting it up with one guy in the hostel, I went to bed. Time: 3:45am.
I got up the next morning in time for the complimentary breakfast, and it was a pretty damn good breakfast. I was full by the time I left to catch the tube to get to the proposed meeting spot of the walking tour. The tour itself was pretty fun. And, okay, this is the odd bit: You'd think going all the way to Ireland to hang out with kids from UW is crazy, I went on this walking tour, on that particular day, on that particular weekend, and in my tour group, I met 3 girls, all from Laurier. AND they are in my year, but just graduated in the summer. Crazy or what?! Anyway... it was a good time. We (the tour group) stopped by this small restaurant/pub for lunch, where the tour company had special deals with that particular place, so we got a nice big burger and a pint of beer for only £5!! What a deal!! After the tour, the 3 Laurier girls and I decided to go on the London Eye, arguably the biggest ferris wheel in the world. It cost £15 and wasn't even thaaaat great. I mean, it was good, we saw a lot, but I think it would've been better if the day wasn't so cloudy. It was okay, though, because I won't do it again. Just something fun and touristy. After the London Eye, I went to Chinatown to meet up with Kenric and Gavin and their parents. They are some guys I grew up playing violin with. It was good seeing them again, although it was only for a short time. Dinner was fantastic. After the dinner, I took the tube again to a pub crawl, that was organized by the people in the walking tour that day, so it was great seeing them again and hanging out. I met some Australians, two English girls, and a couple of Americans. Didn't get too drunk, and called it a night by 11:30pm, because I had to catch the tube back to my hostel before it closes at midnight, and I definitely did not want to take the bus again. The tube is WAY faster!
Next morning, I got up at 6:30am, took the tube to the city center where the express bus to Stansted airport left. It was sooo early, and I was zoned out for most of the day. At the airport, I had about 2.5 hours to kill, and I suddenly craved the full American breakfast (eggs, bacon, sausages, etc) so I splurged and got a breakfast at one of thier airport restaurants. It was by far the best almost £10 I spent that weekend, followed closely by the day pass for public transportation.
Although I really only spent one full day in London, I really liked it and now that I have a general idea of where everything is and how the public transport system works, I definitely plan on going back, hopefully for longer than a weekend!
Work at DDDA has been going well, I finished my first week! The first day was pretty overwhelming. David, my boss, is incredibly nice, and pretty easy to talk to. It's been frustrating at times, with the booking of several meetings, calling up people I don't know to set up meetings with David, and covering reception at times. It's fairly busy, but not too busy! I'm slowly getting the hang of it, so that's good.
In other news, I've been lately occupied with the Dublin Fringe Festival! It's really great, and there are looooads of good shows! The most frustrating thing about this is that there are just too many good shows I want to go see, but they are on at the same time! I've been to 3 so far, and got 2 more to go. Well, two for sure, but I something might come up during the week, and I'll decide to go, we'll see. Dublin Docklands is a supporter of the events that go on in the Spiegaltent, so we get free tickets! I've ordered two, and they're happening on Monday and Sunday of next week, yay! I'm looking forward to those very much. :)
Other than that... there's nothing much else to say. The weather has been better, and today was actually sunny and warm ALL DAY. Whoa. That doesn't happen often, that's for sure. Anyway... nothing else to write, so.... bye!
Friday, September 7, 2007
Last Day at Sony
Thank god!!!
Onto bigger and better things!
Talking about bigger... I've got apporximately 1hr 15 mins til I'm done work, grab some food, then head off to LONDON!!!!! YAYYYY!!!! I am super excited! I'm only there for a weekend, but it's better than nothing! I'll be meeting up with some people I grew up with while playing violin. Haven't seen them in years!!
Last night was epic. Pete's going away party was fantastic, I'm really glad I went. No jokes about me and my soda water and lime!! I'm trying to quit drinking! (haha). But yea, definitely loads of fun. I met some of Justin's (a guy I've been hanging out with, from Montreal) Irish friends as well, they're pretty awesome themselves. I'm sure we'll be hittin' up some underground club...... soon? We'll see. I'll put pictures up once I get back from London; some are brilliant! (Ps... I love using the word brilliant now!)
Poll:
Where should I go for Christmas holidays? Canary Islands, Morocco, or south of Spain??
Onto bigger and better things!
Talking about bigger... I've got apporximately 1hr 15 mins til I'm done work, grab some food, then head off to LONDON!!!!! YAYYYY!!!! I am super excited! I'm only there for a weekend, but it's better than nothing! I'll be meeting up with some people I grew up with while playing violin. Haven't seen them in years!!
Last night was epic. Pete's going away party was fantastic, I'm really glad I went. No jokes about me and my soda water and lime!! I'm trying to quit drinking! (haha). But yea, definitely loads of fun. I met some of Justin's (a guy I've been hanging out with, from Montreal) Irish friends as well, they're pretty awesome themselves. I'm sure we'll be hittin' up some underground club...... soon? We'll see. I'll put pictures up once I get back from London; some are brilliant! (Ps... I love using the word brilliant now!)
Poll:
Where should I go for Christmas holidays? Canary Islands, Morocco, or south of Spain??
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