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.