Just my luck, eh?!

Travel, just about the most stressful thing you can do, booking tickets, packing, repacking, realising you've already packed your wallet and needing to unpack and repack cos you'll need it and the bottom of the bag is a really stupid place to put it, getting to the station/depot/airport/harbour/whichever on time and never mind the laborious effort it takes to actually decide where it is that you are going and when!
I've been doing, or rather attempting to do a lot of travel over the last six months or so, and have with the use of empirical evidence decided that I'm cursed!

Let's review the evidence:

• Flying to Belgium for a Birthday Party: My travel partner for this particular trip was so crippled by their fear of flying that they couldn't bring themselves to do it, not even go through security, and so we ended up after getting the bus down hanging out at Shannon Airport. Not the worst, when we were getting the bus up, we missed the one we had return tickets for by only a few seconds and had to pay for the next, and as we were setting off, another bus came, that we could have taken, for free, already paid, ARGH!
• Flying to Krakow, in order to sort Accommodation for the Erasmus: 21st of March I was supposed to fly to Krakow from Dublin, on the bus fearing the worst, that the flight would be cancelled though constantly assured it wouldn't be, we got to the Airport to see the flight boards. Everything Cancelled! FUCKING ICELANDIC VOLCANO, ended up just hanging out at Dublin Airport.

Still too soon, it will always be too soon! ARGH!

• Flying to Krakow, in order to sort Accommodation for the Erasmus take 2: Rescheduled this flight however the only time I could come happened to clash with his-self's birthday, which was hardly the most convenient. Got through the travel part ok though. Got to Krakow and it 'Flooded' now when I say flooded the river had burst its bank though twas just a light drizzle. Didn't find a place to live.
• Warsaw for EILC: In late August flew from Dublin to Warsaw with almost no hindrance, other than really pissing the scary lady off at security, cos I forgot my ridiculously thin phone was in my pocket
• Coming Home from Warsaw: Was in Warsaw for a month, then home for a few days then back to Krakow, that was the plan anyway, and seems simple enough, but Nooo! Flights booked, hostel for the nights we had to be out of Modra and before we left all had to be cancelled and rearranged only to find out that w had to fly home from Krakow instead of Warsaw, long story that I don't really understand myself or could possibly explain. So now the plan was to get a train on Sunday to Krakow, find a hostel, fly home. No good. No trains available! Fly to Krakow, from Warsaw, only choice. Stayed at The Finn's place that night and had the taxi to the airport booked, it never showed up, got a series of buses to the airport, barely making the flight. On the plane, and believe me this was a small plane, My luggage was too big, spent the hour long flight hiding it from the Air-Stewards, though thinking now they really didn't seem to care. Got to Krakow, grand, got to Dublin grand, bus to the city, grand and another bus to Limerick, long, boring, hot and starving, seat in front of me was pushed back though no one was sitting there and the lady behind took her shoes off the whole way until her stop, but got to Limerick and eventually home. Eight or so hours of travelling for something that really should never take eight or so hours!
• Flight back to Krakow less than a week later: Whizzair a delightful Hungarian airline that have the greatest luggage restrictions imaginable, had their flight delayed by four hours due to FECKIN' FRENCH STRIKES! Just hung out at Cork Airport in the end! Was supposed to depart at nine, left at one and after a three hour flight and a three hour buses journey from Katowice to Krakow made it to our apartment at eight the next morning, slept when to university at two.

Seriously, things aren't that bad, move on!

• Visiting Warsaw for some parties: Missed the 3.09 train by less than a minute, it driving off as I'm at the platform and the clock just changes to 3.10, Bollix! Easily sorted get the next train, check the timetable, one at 16.00 ask the lady for the ticket, doesn't speak English and instead of listening as I attempt Polish just keeps repeating "Nie Ma" and "Nie Wiem", Grrr, eventually she catches on,, sells me a ticket for the 15.35 train, not listed anywhere, not even on the website, five minutes to go, find the platform and I board.

Now this may not seem bad, a concentrated few incidences throughout your life, doesn't mean your cursed just sorta misfortune, no biggie! But keep in mind this is the only travel I've done, I've only been to Ireland and Poland and by the looks of it I really enjoyed hanging out at Airports, I've only Knock and Kerry left to go and they don't even count! And yeah as for the packing, there is always something I forget, never anything as important as identification, money or tickets, just the knitting needles I wish I had and the charger for my camera.

I learnt this, and then suffered

Some pictures I've forgotten about...

Squeezy mayonnaise, cider, bottle of wine, red bull, Jagermeister and of course low fat unsalted butter, got to keep in shape you know! A typical collage fridge! Though I can't really pass judgement here, at the moment ours is pretty much the same minus all the alcohol, just bad butter, mayonnaise and a lot of yogurt. I do like yogurt! And speaking of which...


All that's right and necessary in the world is no longer important, this is all that matters now!


All the colours of the rainbow, but it didn't taste like skittles! How upsetting and not as intoxicating as one might believe as it's probably not what you think! Yellow Stiffys, Sambuka, Mickey Finns (Apple Schnapps), Mickey Finns, Sambuka and Yellow Stiffys, impressed the bartender though.

Is it just me or does it seem like anyone who has ever had any interest in art seem obsessed with drawing apples, almost fetishly obsessed?! This is my own picture, done on an LG cookie fresh with the cap of a BIC biro, Yay Apples!


One of my favourite things about Poland is the traffic lights and pedestrian crossings. In Krakow if you step out onto the street traffic will come to a complete stand still for you, buses, trams, cars, the lot. Now having spent the majority of the last two years or so in Castletroy, Co. Limerick I'm used to attempts on my life every time I try to cross the road, and it doesn't matter where, I've even been beeped while on a pelican crossing at a roundabout, where cars have to stop, by law and would be incredibly stupid not to. So its nice that the little green man on the traffic lights is struttin', makes me wanna strut too.

Ah, Now herein lies the problem!

At 01.32 I should have better things to be doing, but here I am lying in bed, quite bored but not tired thanks to the particularly strong cup of coffee Red Hair, my flat mate, made for me (thanks 'twas exactly what I needed) and hence why Stephen, my laptop is balanced on my stomach and taunting me with all the wonders of the Internet.

Now for a brief outline:

1. Stumble Upon, the random function, button of surprises and happiness, need I say more? yes! Oh OK, well in the top left hand corner of my screen lies a very special button and when I press it, it takes away my boredom, surely the greatest invention of all time. Its because of this little guy I read many of the web comics I do and regularly catalogue so many websites, such as this one with its incredible photos, moving documentaries and well this is just a fantastic site really worth checking out.

The cause of and solution to boredom everywhere

2. Web comics, well if you know me you know web comics, I've often missed classes just so I can read them, often cataloguing more than a hundred a day, see the side for some of my favorites. And this reminds me, if anyone knows anyone who has a scanner let me know, have some of my own comics I'd like to make into web comics, or at least comic on the Internet.

3. Shuffler.fm only a recent discovery of mine, thanks to good ole' stumble. This ingenious radio site navigates through the countless music blogs and will do the laborious task of discovering new music for you. Speaking of which, check out this in order to get 35 free indie pop downloads a month thanks too the Music Alliance Pact

4. Instant Messaging Ah, talking bullshit with your best friends at half two in the morning...you know who you are!

5. Omegle.com is one of those things you know you shouldn't but at any moment will get the overwhelming urge to. An instant messaging site with strangers with none of the unpleasantness of made up user profiles and instead the possibility to talk with people from all over the world. Or if your a perv, well I hardly need to explain what you do if you're a perv. A great site as long as tact is used, if the stranger asks ASL (Age, Sex, Location) disconnect and move on, or mess violently with their head: 47, Confused, alone in a dark room somewhere, if not, then enjoy talking about noodles, shooting the breeze and teaching people English.

Not how to make lasting relationships or make friends

And those my dears are the five wonders of the Internet and why, with main focus on number five at 03.52 I'm still wide awake, and why Red Hair is not particularly happy with me, ha ha whoops!

Me, not her

You know you're Irish when...

The other day I was sitting in a delightful Krakovian Cafe, hereby to be known as Gulliver's, with three other international students, one of which is Irish, just like me, and it hit me, the Irish really aren't like most other European cultures! (Now I say it hit me but this is actually something I've argued for a while now, but realised just how true it is.)

We are probably the only group of people, that when we decide to go out foreign, straight away we're googling Irish pubs, trying to find out where we can get proper breakfast and get real tea, we are also the only nationality, in my Erasmus group at least that don't feel the need to eat bread with every meal, though we do with potatoes! But what it really was that made me think just how uneuropean, i.e. uncultured, we the Irish are, was our casual discussion of Cow-Tipping

The Full Irish breakfast, a big plate of fat, grease, cholesterol and happiness

Now for those civilised amongst us that don't know what Cow Tipping is, well let me just tell you. It is a game which involves a cow, though a bull may also suffice, but this just depends on how big your balls are, and you or even better one of your drunken friends. You wait by a field and when a cow falls asleep, standing up, you run over and push it on its side!

Now this is an incredibly cruel act, which is quite difficult to do, as most of the time Cattle do not sleep standing upright though it does happen and as well as that they are pretty big creatures and even if Wikipedia says they are slow moving, believe me they are not (I know, I live in the countrysides of Ireland, cows can run, FAST!) but worst of all, Cow-Tipping can cause the animal to go into shock or even have a heart attack, you know like shaking someone awake who has been sleep walking.

Run away! Save yourselves!!!

But m'colleague and I were discussing this like no big thing, both knowing people who have done it, our European friends however, despite being mildly enthused by the idea at first, were ultimately, and not surprisingly disgusted!

And I wonder is it just me and the people I associate with that are so uncivilised, so uncultured so uneuropean, or is it us Paddies in general?!

Feckin' Irish! Cultureless sum!

Hello World

Hello and welcome to my blog, home of me and all the things I think important enough to share with you.

Here is the rundown ladies and gentlemen, I am an erasmus student currently living in Krakow, (It's in Poland) and suffering from a state of 'Oh my god I have like no work to do, I'm sitting around all day and feel as though I'm getting bored of the internet, help me', a horrible, though not contagious, which is really starting to bug me. And with that in mind I have decided that I'll write a blog whenever I'm feeling particularly eugh! However, because of this I have no idea how often there will be updates or what they will consist of, but keep a check on it and something that interests us both may just come up.

So in conclusion read my blog and make me feel loved

Regards