One year on !

Well it has been a wonderful year full of great surprises. I am very grateful for the people I have had around me throughout the year.I can't express enough gratitude to the people I spent my year with.There are so many highlights of my year ! I don't know where to begin.Living in Ireland gives me a unique experience of the world around me.This was the first ever blog I had, and I found the whole experience of writing very exciting.

This year I had set myself specific goals. I wanted to continue my martial arts and I wanted to learn the Irish language a bit more.In the martial art of Sin Moo Hapkido I attained a blue belt back in April which I thought was pretty cool, I hope to progress on to red belt.I learned some Irish in School since I was 4 as is the norm in Ireland, however I used to dread learning it, until I finished secondary school I realized that is actually quite beautiful language and something we should be proud of as citizens of Ireland.My friends and I went to see stand up comedian Tommy Tiernan earlier in the year, It was my first time going to a stand-up gig, it was hilarious ! Tiernan's energy is unparalleled.I'd definitely go to another of his shows.

I spent some of the summer volunteering with two different organisations, It felt great being able to lend and hand it was nice to see that my work was rewarding.Through volunteering I have made some wonderful friends who I hope to be in contact with throughout the rest of my life.It is a a lot of fun and a great way to pass the summer.The weather during the summer this year was quite uplifting overall.

During the year I read quite a lot of books, If you've read my blog earlier this year you may see some of the books that I've been reading. Many of the books I read are books on Philosophy, I developed an interest in philosophy about 3 years ago and I can't stop reading philosophy. I do think it is imperative in life that we can sit down and ponder on life's most important questions,even to question our own values and long held assumptions about life,


Throughout this year in Ireland there was massive civil unrest throughout the country caused by the governments plans to introduce the much hated water charges.It's not exactly the water charges that are the biggest problem, the problem is really a lack of transparency in the  Irish Water organisation.There were many protests in the country throughout the year that exemplified the countries overall discontent with Irish Water.

In international news, The brutal Syrian civil war lingers on to a stalemate. its being going on for more than three years now since protests against the Assad regime began in early 2011.In the middle east , ultra Islamic fundamentalist group Isis have created a self proclaimed caliphate in parts of Syria and Iraq,the brutality of Isis continues to enslave people in the area.Of course in sporting news Ireland won the the six nations rugby tournament, which was the first time Ireland had one the six nations since 2009.The world cup was also held in Brazil , with German beating Argentina in the final.

This post is getting a bit too long and I don't want to see a huge block of writing, I normally want to keep things concise.This has been a wonderful year for me in many respects, I faced some difficulties but I overcame them,I met so many new friends this year and made so many special memories worth remembering.I can only wish for another prosperous year in 2015 to myself and to anybody that reads this blog.

Good luck
Rob

October is over, let the countdown to Christmas begin !

Hello everybody ! I have changed my font. Isn't that cool ? no ? what do you mean no ?, oh never mind. October finished up last week and and what a way to end it on a fantastic Halloween night !. I went to a friends Halloween party dressed as a ventriloquists dummy. It was  pretty creepy now to be quite honest. I'll post a picture of my dummy costume beneath this article. It was the first time since I was child that I dressed up for Halloween so it was indeed a little nostalgic and exciting for me.

The world is going crazy over the whole Ebola problem. The media isn't exactly helping either.There's been a total of 4.96 deaths from the disease since the second outbreak of the disease began in Guinea in December 2013.One of the reasons it has killed so many in western Africa is because of sanitary problems and the fact that the people affected by the disease are mostly from places that are in extreme poverty.I just hope some intergovernmental agencies can bang their heads together and really try to alleviate the effects of this horrible disease.


I recently bought Kevin Bridges book called, Let's talk about Kevin Bridges. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and I could hardly put it down. I read it under a week even though its over 450 pages long !.  It was very engaging and insightful.His stories are quite funny and eye opening.It was nice to be able to get inside the world of the Glaswegian comedian.It's worth noting that Bridges is only 27 years old so writing an autobiography at that age is sort of an indication of how well hes doing on the comedy circuit.

                                     My Halloween Costume this year.

My life and the World around me.

Hey people ! I just want to update this about some going-ons in my life.I recently started studying Journalism and Photography at the Waterford College of Further Education. I have been learning so much the past few days and I am really enjoying it. It's very insightful and detailed and I hope I have a really good year. The people I have met there are very amicable and approachable and are always on hand if one of us are in need of help, but hey, maybe I spoke too soon, 6 months from now we might all be tearing the heads of each other hehe.Pretty excited about the photography element  too, as I have never put some serious thought into learning photography until now.

Every time I turn on the news lately it seems that there is something always on about conflicts going on in Ukraine, and the IS(Islamic State) insurgency in Iraq. To be honest , its quite frightening for anybody to watch these events unfold before our eyes, I hope we do not abandon peaceful discourse either.When the 21st Century began , people were optimistic and hopeful for a progressive and peaceful century unlike the precedent bloodbath of the 20th century.Since 2000 there has been many conflicts across the world, many have sadly gone unnoticed by the mainstream media.In this year of 2014, there is believed to be at least 50 million people displaced around the world due to conflict and persecution , the highest number since WW2.  We must recognize this fact and accept that we can't sit back idly. We need real solutions to real problems, if we want a to live through a peaceful century rather than a return to pernicious barbarism of 20 century conflict.

One of my favourite poems.

The Road Not Taken

BY ROBERT FROST

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

A series of Updates

I am once again back, the summer has passed, and we are now into Autumn.I had a wonderful summer which I enjoyed.I have also been busy trying to brush up on my Irish with Duolingo which released its Irish beta a few weeks ago. It has definitely helped me a bit and so I wish to complete it. I still can't believe that I have had this blog 10 months !. I should update it a bit more though.

I have been reading a little lately, I finished reading "Status Anxiety" by Alain De botton. I thought that it was a really interesting to see how important status is in our life's. I'd recommend it to anybody. It has some wonderful pictures of paintings in too which I really enjoyed.

I'm back

So like the title says i'm back . The last time I wrote on my blog was on the 10th of May !, but i'm glad to be still active on this blog , recording stuff in my life and having fun.This year as gone so fast I think, today is the 21/07/2014. It has been quite a nice year so far based on my experience.

I think I sort of forgot that I had a blog, so I guess that's a reason for my inactivity.I'll try to to give you an overview on what's happening in my life. So I turned 19 on May the 15th which was quite a milestone for me and it sort of symbolized that it was the end of adolescence and the beginning of adulthood. Shortly after that on the 23rd of May it was the first time I voted, I voted for an independent candidate in my local Government and he got in !, sounds sort  of boring maybe but it was exciting for me as I have always had an interest in politics and current affairs so having the chance to  make a change in local politics really made me happy.

I'm doing a lot of reading lately as usual , some philosophy and economics , the usual sort of things I read. One of the books I've been reading is called "Economics: The user's Guide by Ha-Joon Chang, it's great to read if you're interested  in learning about economics as it explains economic terms to you in a simple and understandable way. There are probably other important things I should mention but some of them have been whitewashed from my memory at the moment.Oh well.

Lately I have been listening to a lot of classical music, especially the music of Richard Wagner and Giuseppe Verdi. I think classical music is so very therapeutic and so soul-soothing , it helps me unwind at times. I should mention also that I was volunteering with a summer camp last week , just like I did in 2012 and 2013, I met some fantastic friends and rekindled some old friendships. I hope to go back again in 2014.

so to end this post I will put lovely serene pictures of Tuscany in northern Italy as I'm quite fond of that area and I hope to travel there !

Ireland

Quote from Noam Chomsky

"We should recognize that there is enormous loss when the cultural wealth of a society disappears and that's encapsulated crucially in its language."

Benny Lewis Book Signing

I don't usually post often but today is an exception . Today I attended a talk by Benny Lewis the Irish Polyglot. Benny has a great blog and Youtube channel for learning languages. He speaks 12 languages ! which is really quite impressive for somebody who had average results in languages at school. Benny's approach to language learning is quite informal and relaxed in contrast to many traditional methods of language learning.He tells us "to not be afraid of making mistakes while learning languages" and not be afraid to practice with strangers.  He has traveled the world over learning and speaking languages, his enthusiasm for language learning is exhilarating and his ability to almost perfectly imitate regional accents is quite incredible. Benny's approach to language learning is quite revolutionary.He singed a copy of the book for me and wrote "go neiri leat" which translates to good luck in the national language of my country Irish or "Gaeilge". I hope this book will help me improve my Irish and maybe encourage me to learn another language.

His book is called "Fluent in 3 Months" and is available in bookstores worldwide and online

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0rlgUogwE4p0T4Rm87qeCA 

http://www.fluentin3months.com/

Summer is here !

Hello people Of the Internet, I would first like to you wish you all a wonderful summer.The last time I posted a blog entry was over a month ago.The weather is quite nice here in Ireland today which is quite a nice change I guess.I have spent some reading books, mainly philosophy such as the classic Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle, it is quite a difficult read in my opinion but a timeless classic which has influenced so many philosophers over the years.I will be 19 years old 6 days from now, it really went fast.For some reason my Google plus account has over 5,700 views, I have no Idea where all these views have be coming from. Quite strange Indeed.

Since the last time I posted , a international conundrum has unfolded in Ukraine . It seems Russian speaking minorities in Ukraine either want greater Autonomy or want  their region to be incorporated into the Russian Federation. Nato have been quick to jump in, using this as a opportunity to give it some relevance in the 21st century. The US have being imposing Sanctions on Russia and a war of words has ensued. I wonder how things will turn out.

On the 29th of April I passed a fitness test for the Irish Naval Service Reserve. The Naval Service Reserve is a reserve force in Ireland that helps augment the Irish Naval Service. I Hope that I will be accepted into the naval service reserve as it will be a unique experience.

A Brief Introduction (+playlist)

Exciting Times !

Hello to anybody that reads this.Today is the 24th of march 2014. Here in Ireland it has been raining all Day, which comes as no surprise if you are Irish.Last Monday was St Patricks Day, they day where everybody is Irish, St Patrick was an early christian  saint from Britain who is celebrated as being the first person to bring Christianity to Ireland and for banishing snakes from Ireland. It is very unlikely that there was any snakes in Ireland to begin with !. "Snakes" was a methaphor for paganism which many experts believe. Anyway St Patricks Day is quite a unique event as it is one of the only national hoildays that is celebrated worldwide. Many famous landmarks around the world lit up green for the event.

What makes Ireland so great the other people have to celebrate our national Holiday ? I'm not sure. Recently I bought a book on Philosophy. I found it quite interesting and easy to understand, I also Bought The Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle, which is a classic of the Ancient world, I find a little difficult to understand at times but nonetheless it is a great book. I haven't been posting anything on my blog recently as I was quite busy the last few weeks, But yeah this is my first blog entry in over a month I guess and I'm Pretty glad to to be writing it too. Typing is fun. Like really fun. Oh Yeah I just remembered on the 14th of march I went to see the stand up Comedian Tommy Tiernan who is one of the most successful comedians in Ireland, I was very impressed with his performance , it was also my first time ever going to a live stand up comedy event. The day After Ireland  bet France narrowly In the Rugby Union Six Nations Tournament. It was a great moment for the country and great timing too as  st patricks day was just 2 days Later !

                                         Ireland after their Victory










The man Himself.



                                                                                                     

Celtic Nations

 The Term Celtic Nation refers to any of the six traditional Celtic regions which includes, Brittany,Cornwall, Scotland, Ireland,Wales and the isle of Man.They all have have similar cultural traits like having a native Celtic Language. The culture of the Celtic People is Celebrated In festivals such as The Festival Interceltique de Lorient In Brittany, and the Pan Celtic Festival in Ireland.

The Celtic Countries all have a native Celtic Language, they are divided into two Groups which includes Goidelic (Manx,Irish,Scottish Gaelic) and Brythonic  (Cornish,Breton,Welsh) , Some of these languages have declined over the past century and have been oppressed in the past. Efforts are now been made to "restore" these languages and encourage non-native speakers to learn them.Some Celtic Languages are spoken in the Americas, where they were brought there by Scottish,Irish and Welsh Immigrants.

Cooperation between  Celtic Nations is encouraged by organisations such as the Celtic Congress and the Celtic league and they are many sporting events between the Celtic Nations.

First of Feb and belgium

Hey There. It is I The Irish Messiah, okay just kidding. I'm just taken some time to write in this blog because there's nothing else to do at this time unfortunately. The weather here in Ireland has been pretty windy and wet, is it a good thing ? or a bad thing ? well at least its keeps the grass green, it makes Ireland the Emerald Isle.I find it incredible that some people like to visit countries where the weather is different, Weather is quite an attractive force, people in hot climates like to visit cold places and people in cold places like visit hot places.Anyway today is the first of February or Called "Saint st Bridget's day" here in Ireland.It signals the start of Spring which is a sign of rebirth and awakening.The Cold of winter will Disappear shortly.I'm Pretty excited for tomorrow as Ireland will play in the 6 nations rugby union tournament against Scotland, I hope it will be a great match !. Also recently I've been reading about Belgium, It is a country that captivates me so much, especially the fact that in one part of the country ,The Flemish region they speak dutch or "Flemish" , and in the southern Area of Belgium called "Wallonia"they speak mainly french. I know that the linguistic differences have caused political turmoil and maybe Some Belgians don't consider themselves "Belgian" because they seem themselves as different from the other.below is some pictures of Beautiful Belgium. P.S any Belgians reading please get in contact I want to know more !

Hello People !

Hello there people I'm back with a new blog entry today ;).I haven't been up to much lately to be quite honest I've been just chilling out at home lately.The weather is pretty bad here In Ireland, its just lots of rain and wind and its pretty annoying gets in the way of plans and things.I got to find ways to keep myself occupied ,so I've been reading a little and watching some movies, I watched Napoleon Dynamite which I think its a great movie It's pretty funny.The other day I watched a Documentary about still life paintings and I found it so interesting ! below is an example and I think it looks incredible.