Notebook Daydreams

Book Review

2012-01-19T10:56:00.001-08:00

Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy’s Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back

Many people dream about heaven: what it will look like and whom we will see after we leave this life and move on to the next. For little Colton Burpo, heaven became real on an almost fatal night in late February 2003. It was then that Colton made his short, 3-minute trip to heaven and back.

When four-year old Colton Burpo underwent an emergency life-saving appendectomy, his parents, Todd and Sonja, prayed for his full recovery. What they never expected, however, was for their son to share with them that while he was in surgery, he left his body and visited heaven.

The story, told by Colton’s pastor father, Todd, is one of extraordinary circumstance with the use of Colton’s simple, childlike descriptions. Colton’s stories of heaven are validated through his knowledge of exactly what his parents were doing in another part of the hospital while he was being operated on and through detailed meetings in heaven with family members he had never met.

Without having knowledge of many of the things he shared about heaven, Colton’s parents realized that what their son experienced must have been real. His descriptions of Jesus, God and the Kingdom of Heaven matched the Bible exactly and are told by Colton with disarming innocence and confidence.

Colton talks to his parents about sitting on Jesus’ lap while in heaven, the beautifully coloured rainbow and that God and the chair he sits in are both “really, really big.”

He tells the story of meeting his miscarried sister while in heaven, which his parents had never told him about. He shares powerful and emotional details about how she has brown hair just like his mom, and that she cannot wait for his parents to get to heaven. He also talks about meeting his great grandfather, “Pop,” who died 30 years before he was born. Sharing impossible details about Pop’s past life, Colton immediately recognized a photo of Pop when he was younger because according to him, “nobody is old in heaven.”

Heaven is For Real is an easy and fast yet emotional read. Difficult to put down, Colton’s story and matt-of-fact answers to his parent’s questions about his trip to heaven is enough to tug at anyone’s heart strings and make even the non-believers questions their doubts.

Heaven is For Real will forever change the way you think about the life that awaits us and gives you a miraculous glimpse in to eternity through the everlasting faith of a child.

Christmas Article I wrote for Quiltposium Magazine

2012-01-19T10:46:00.001-08:00

A Very Irish Christmas: Traditions throughout the West

When thinking of an Irish Christmas, a clear and colorful picture comes to mind. Small Irish cottages decorated with holly, roaring fireplaces with Irish coffees on hand and pub cheer lasting long after the doors close for the night. And while snow isn’t as common in the lush Irish countryside as it is in other parts of the world, these classic images ring true to what an Irish Christmas is all about: tradition.

To start the Christmas season right and in the purest form, many rural Irish households whitewash their homes for the coming of Christ. This custom, which dates back long before Christianity and Celtic civilization, entails scrubbing and polishing every part of a home until it shines, followed by painting the outhouse with a bucket of whitewash. This entire process is to show respect to the coming of the baby Jesus.

In order to ensure Jesus’ arrival, every Irish home places a lit candle in their front window on Christmas Eve. What acts as a simple decoration in American homes, this candle has a much deeper meaning for the Irish. The lit candle acts as a guide for Mary and Joseph as they travelled looking for shelter. The candle is traditionally lit by the youngest member of the family and is only extinguished by a girl named Mary.

After lighting the candle, the Irish then make sure they spread their holiday blessings even further through the tradition of a laden table. After indulging in a delicious Christmas Eve meal, Irish families set the kitchen table again and place a loaf of bread, a pitcher of milk and a large lit candle in the center. This is to show Mary and Joseph they are welcome and to come in and stay awhile!

Another Irish tradition has to do with that delicious Christmas meal we all know and love. The Irish put delicious twists on simple ingredients and serve the same few treats as many years past, such as traditional indulgences of sherry trifle, mince pies and Christmas pudding. Revolving around alcohol as the main ingredient, these three dishes are sure to be seen at every holiday party and on every Christmas table.

Besides the festive party food, holiday decorations are the one thing people can go overboard with. From the blinking lights to snowman statues in the front yard, some houses can cause headaches instead of happiness. The Irish, however, have used the simple plant of holly to put the perfect holiday touch to their homes.

Holly became a popular decoration in Ireland due to it flourishing in the winter months and allowing the poorer families in history to showcase their Christmas spirit. Placing holly rings on doors is still commonplace and is seen all throughout the country during the winter months. But, one thing to remember with decorations is not to take them down too early! It’s seen as bad luck in Ireland to take down any Christmas knick-knacks before January 6^th.

After we’ve all been filled with food and exposed to decorations, we then make our way down to mass. It is there that we are brought back from the gifts and chaos and reminded of why the holidays really are the happiest time of year. Christmas is about giving and when it comes to mass, the Irish know the perfect place to meet before heading to hear the gospel – the local pub. It is a beloved tradition to meet family and friends in the pub down the road for a few pints before midnight mass. This way, the Irish give to the local pub as well as themselves!

And while most people wind down after Christmas to gear up for New Years Eve, the Irish have another excuse to drink and get together in between the two big holidays. Every year on December 26^th, celebrations and pints are had throughout Ireland for St. Stephen’s Day, commemorating the first Christian martyr. For many young people, it is one of the biggest drinking holidays of the year. For the older generations, however, it poses as a day of rest and casual get togethers with friends and family.

One very old and cherished tradition that is still a huge part of St. Stephen’s Day is the wren boy procession. This ritual, which dates back to ancient times, stems from a plot against a local village’s soldiers. When the soldiers were about to be ambushed, a group of wren birds pecked on their drums and woke them up to see what was happening. After this failed attack, the wren soon became known as “the Devil’s bird.” In ancient times, an actual wren would be killed to place on a pole with a holly bush and carried door to door. Today, however, people dress up in old clothes with blackened faces and go door-to-door collecting money for charity. Some young ones might even keep some money for themselves!

Finally, after the Christmas season has finally subsided and the New Year waits in the shadows, the Irish take the opportunity to rid themselves of the past 12 months quite literally. On New Year’s Day, despite the bitter cold that fills the air, many Irish people open the front and back door of their homes. By doing this, they have the opportunity to sweep last year out the back door and allow the new year to come in through the front.

Christmas traditions are upheld in all parts of the world to unite people in love, warmth and tradition. In Ireland, however, the stories and origins behind their traditions have been passed down and cherished through many generations to make every thought about a perfect postcard holiday a reality!

A Fashion Piece I wrote for Galway Now Magazine :)

2012-01-19T10:41:00.000-08:00

GTI Fashion Students – Mixing Business and Pleasure for the Perfect Fit

Whether it’s finding inspiration or fixing a hemline, these GTI fashion design students are driven to make their mark on the fashion world one stitch at a time.

Laura Jayne Halton

Laura Jayne Halton, a native of Maynooth in Co. Kildare, already has the resume of an expert. Before attending GTI, Laura lived the “Sex and the City” dream, taking her furniture design skills to New York City and Australia. While in New York, Laura worked for New York Custom Woodworks where she designed a bar on 7^th Avenue and created the illustrations for Sarah Jessica Parker’s fragrance. “It was one of the best experiences of my whole life. New York has it’s own heartbeat,” says Laura.

And it’s from these experiences that Laura draws her inspiration for her clothing designs. Being a devoted fan of anything vintage, Laura focuses on what fits a woman’s shape best. “Work with what you have. If I would not wear it, I will not design it,” says Laura.

Her stamp for her Fashion Innovation Awards outfit is all about fusing different heritages together. “Because of my ties with America and Ireland, I wanted to create something that represented both. For the cape, I used Irish tweeds and fabrics to ground the design and the structure is inspired by the New York City skyline,” says Laura.

Having had past experience, Laura says GTI was the perfect place to make the transition from furniture design to clothing. “I didn’t have the knowledge and GTI was amazing. They helped me refine what I know as fashion and they really encouraged me to follow my own path,” says Laura.

Laura, who plans on moving back to New York this Fall, isn’t a stranger to being recognized for her style. After attending this year’s New York fashion week, Laura was featured in a number of fashion magazines and blogs, including New York Magazine, Fashionista.com, The Huffington Post and Vogue Italia.

Talent, Laura knows, is only half the battle. “You have to work at it because that’s the only way to make your mark. I know that and I have an imagination to be reckoned with.” And with the looks of her designs, there is no doubt about it.

Check out Laura’s website at www.laurajaynehalton.com.

Danie Holland

After a few years of traveling and working abroad, Danie Holland is all about business. As an enthusiastic GTI fashion student, Danie is now a triple-threat, with knowledge on event planning, photography and fashion design.

After living in Melbourne, Australia for a year, Danie says that what she learned there has been vital in her time at GTI. “I really got into photography over there and I’ve been able to incorporate that into the course. Even though I’m on the business side of things, it’s great to have a visual interest because the creative process is such a huge part of it,” says Danie.

Danie’s fashion, something she says takes an edgier route, begins with observation. “I love street fashion from both Australia and London. It’s so different over there and I loved watching people and taking photos of outfits that stood out,” says Danie.

And what makes an outfit stylish, says Danie, is being able to mix and match pieces from different stores as well as different eras. “I can’t go into one store and buy an entire outfit. That’s just not me. I want to be able to mix and match things and be able to take something from the 60’s and match it with something from 2011,” says Danie.

Danie, whose ideal career would be in event management, praises GTI for their mixture of creative and business courses. “They really got both sides of my brain working and I needed that to really define my skills. They provided a lot of hands-on work experience.”

And Danie won’t let any obstacles stand in the way of her fashion dreams. “Career is number one. No matter where I am or who I am with, that is my focus right now,” says Danie.

Check out Danie’s blog at madamsnapper.com to see more of her photography and fashion.

Maureen Mooney

When Maureen Mooney came to Galway to study art and design, the Co. Cavan native never thought it would be permanent. Now, 20 years later with her passion for fashion stronger than ever, Maureen is happy she never left.

After working in administration for a few years, Maureen decided it was time to return to her first love of art and enroll in GTI. “I love the whole design process with the drawing and coming up with the ideas and concepts and GTI is great with helping you gain that knowledge,” says Maureen.

Maureen’s clothing, some of which sport skulls on the embroideries, is described by her as “romantic and feminine but with an edge.” And even though her designs have this signature skull, a lot of her clothing is inspired by Maureen’s love of nature. “Whether it’s a peacock feather or a flower blooming, anything exotic where I can bring the colors into it is a huge inspiration,” says Maureen. “My clothes are very organic in their forms with the way they drape and catch the light.”

And Maureen isn’t limiting herself to just clothing. “I really want to get into designing accessories such as hats and belts. I want to do anything that you can add to a garment to make it look more interesting,” says Maureen. And GTI, she says, was the perfect place to explore her interests. “We did great workshops with accessories. The facilities are good and when you start out with an idea, the lecturers come back to show you where you can take it. You really bring all your skills together.”

Maureen, who hopes to work as a full-time artist with fashion influences, doesn’t see limitations in her future. “I’m interested in everything and I’m excited to see what I can do.”

Chicago's Homeless: Hope for the Future

2011-10-18T14:56:00.000-07:00

Check out the link below to watch the video slideshow I put together for chicagostorytelling.com to raise awareness about our city's homeless and the daily struggles they have to endure.

With the holiday season fast approaching, it's important to remember the untold stories of the ones we constantly pass on the streets who are less fortunate than others. While we look forward to holiday parties and warm fires, many of the homeless have no other options than food lines and shelters. After watching this video, maybe you will think twice about sharing the extra change floating in your pockets!

Hope for the Homeless

Michelle Lally: Mixing Modern and Vintage Fashion in Perfect Harmony

2011-05-18T07:24:00.000-07:00

While awaiting the arrival of Michelle Lally at The House Hotel on Lower Merchants Road, I quickly come to the conclusion that this is the perfect place to meet. The bright pink furniture and twinkling lights resting on the window frames act as the perfect backdrop to talk make-up, fashion and all things style.

After noticing such details, my eyes are quickly drawn to a dark haired woman walking toward me. After settling in a quiet table in the corner of the lobby, Michelle orders a coffee and we become acquainted. “I’m so sorry I’m late but there were some detours and I had to walk down. That’s why it’s always good to have a comfortable pair of flats.” And with that, our conversation veers quickly into fashion.

While preparing her coffee, Michelle, who has performed with De Dannan for U.S. President Barak Obama and opened for The Rolling Stones, begins to recall her biggest fashion influence while growing up, her mother. “My mother knew ladies looks. She made a lot of her own clothes and she modeled in Limerick in the 70’s as did my father so fashion was always a huge part of my life,” says Michelle. “She was a very glamorous woman.”

While talking of her mother, I begin to notice Michelle’s own old-Hollywood, movie star looks. She is wearing a simple sweater as jet black as her curly, shoulder-length hair, a silk scarf tied around her neck, plain trousers and a pair of black flats. She has just enough make-up on to highlight her natural beauty and brings it all together with bright red lipstick. Simple, yet classically beautiful. And it is with this observation that we come to the topic of her other favorite style icons, movie stars. “I love the screen legends and old Hollywood greats like Ava Gardner and Marilyn Monroe. I grew up watching them and I always found any kind of an excuse to put on the red lipstick and the high heels,” says Michelle.

And with the Galway Races fast approaching, Michelle can’t find a better excuse to showcase her love of vintage fashion. “My outfit for the races is black and very much inspired by the 1940’s and 1950’s. It has a ruffled skirt with a corseted waist and a black Valero jacket. It’s from Enchanted Vintage down at the end of Eglinton Street.” The shop, which Michelle claims as one her favorites, houses all things vintage and captures perfectly Michelle’s love of olden-day glamor.

In between traveling with De Dannan and recording their new album, “Jigs, Reels & Rock N Roll,” Michelle finds it essential to bring the classic items she is wearing on tour with her. “I always have to have a comfortable pair of trousers, classic cut, the flat shoes for traveling, a warm cardigan, and a scarf. I think scarves are a great accessory. And I can’t go anywhere without my red lipstick,” says Michelle. As for her style on stage versus everyday, Michelle says that’s where it can differ. “When I’m at home I like to be at home and comfortable. I have more of a classic style. When I’m on stage I like to wear long and flowy dresses and I always wear high heels.”

Fashion, Michelle says, was something she was always drawn towards, which caused music to take a back seat from fear of being unsuccessful. “Music was always what I wanted to do but I never really had the courage to pursue it. I had a natural flare for fashion and it seemed to be my natural calling,” says Michelle. And after moving to Norway at the age of 18 to become an Au Pair, she then went on to London and the U.S. “I lived in the states for 8 years where I worked in Chanel, the clothing store BeBe and Bloomingdales. From there, I was recruited to the Chanel boutique in New York City on 57^th Street. Being around that kind of fashion and going from the High Street look in BeBe to the high-end designers was a great learning curve for me. Working there also allowed my creative side to come out in terms of make-up and beauty tricks.”

In between taking small sips of her coffee, Michelle talks her beauty tricks, some more recently adopted than others, and how they have become routine; necessary as part of her demanding job. “Obviously, I’m going to use a lot of make-up for work and for being on stage. The hours are sociable and can go on quite long so when I come home, I make sure I do not go to bed with any make-up on. The whole routine starts with cleansing and moisturizing. Because I worked in Chanel, I love their day and night creams. It’s a long process at night but it pays off in the end because your skin needs a break. It needs time to breathe and I think skin care is key in looking good. And I always need something for my lips because they get so dry when you’re traveling,” says Michelle.

As she softly and excitedly goes through her beauty regime, I begin to study her. Her demeanor matches her frame, petite and lovely. Her skin is smooth, the color of vanilla, giving off a youthful impression. Her hair is pinned back in the front, acting more like an open window than a closed curtain, wishing to expose everything to the light. “I don’t exercise,” says Michelle. “I’m very bad. I’ve signed myself up for a long charity walk so I am trying to get in the mindset to get in shape. But the one thing I will do, and only recently realized how important it is, is drink a lot of water. It does wonder for your skin and your health. I also put olive oil on m skin and in my hair is I think it needs an extra boost.”

The singer, who credits her great musical push to fellow band member and De Dannan founder, Frankie Gavin, also finds it essential to incorporate fashion from each destination of her travels. “I’ll buy something from everywhere we go, whether it’s Dubai or France or Italy. I think it’s great to have something and say, ‘I know where I got this from.’ I love picking up little fashion pieces along the way.”

And on her home soil of Ballinsloe in Co. Galway, Michelle has a few local favorites that tailor perfectly to her taste. “I love Charlene McCaffrey from Athlone. She has that vintage feel to her clothes and she’s also very inspired by the 1940’s, which works perfectly for me. Matt Doody is also another designer I love. And I also really love Heather Finn from Galway. Her knitwear is great.” And as far as shops go, Michelle is both traditional and modern in her choice of favorites. “My new found favorite is Enchanted Vintage. I also love Fran and Jane. And for High Street, I love Warehouse and AlWear.”

As her coffee cup begins to empty and the town outside the hotel windows awakens a bit more than when we sat down, I ask Michelle what her fashion and make-up tips would be for every woman. “Well, you can put on all the make-up you want but underneath all of that, if your skin isn’t well prepared then the make-up isn’t going to sit well or last long. You need to get your skin prepared. And you should make sure you feel your best when you’re out. That’s part of being a woman.”

With the day now opened like a newly blossomed tulip and our conversation coming to an easy end, Michelle gets up to leave for a day of rehearsals. And after she says goodbye and I watch the petite woman dressed in black leave the hotel covered in pink and orange, I know that I had just met a modern day Irish beauty with old-Hollywood good looks that holds the best secret a woman can have: just feel beautiful.

Photos: Courtesy of DeDannan.com

Make Every Birthday a Piece of Cake

2011-04-28T05:08:00.001-07:00

With every passing year on that special day surrounding our birth, whether we like it or not, the candles on our cake multiply. From the big and bold “1” on our very first cake to what can look like the burning of Atlanta by the time we reach 20, birthdays can sometimes carry another burn, aging. Instead of weeks of anticipation and turning the house upside down to see if our parents successfully came through on our desired gift, we sometimes dread the one day of the year when the main focus is the one thing we now try and avoid, the passing of time. Calendars are shunned and the mention of a party can make us want to deflate every balloon we’ve ever come across in hopes that the very idea of a celebration will drift away along with the tacky decorations.

What we sometimes don’t stop to think about is the fact that birthdays, however many you have pocketed away (truthfully or not), don’t have to be a 24-hour whirlwind of depressing emotions. They are not there as a reminder of how much time has passed or to the fact that you have not crossed everything off your bucket list as you had planned on doing in your teens. Birthdays serve the purpose of being an entire day centered around you, something most of us secretly love, and posing the obligation that, even if we are on a diet, to have the biggest slice of cake without a second thought. They are the perfect excuse to ask those around you for the gift you’ve been eyeing for weeks and instead of having the “it’s my party so I’ll cry if I want to” attitude, opt for the more exhilarating one of “what can I get myself into this year?”

Disregarding the much-loved attention we tend to get from others on our birthday, there are things we can do ourselves to make our day more about the glamour and glitz rather than the doom and gloom.

First, if there is a special gift you’ve been eyeing for weeks and don’t want others to buy it for you, take out your wallet and buy it yourself. There is nothing better than treating yourself when you know you deserve it, even if it is from enduring the small sting of watching another candle being added to the already flaming cake. Gifts we buy for ourselves can often be the best kind because we have to think about our desire for them before the purchase is made. And buying one for yourself on your birthday is the perfect excuse to leave the guilt back in the store along with a week’s worth of wages.

Second, allow yourself to splurge on another kind of indulgence, cake. Whether its chocolate on chocolate or a simple vanilla cupcake, put your concerns about calories away in tomorrow’s back pocket because satisfying your sweet tooth can be a huge part of having a satisfying birthday. The trick with this one is, however, to give yourself a sensible limit. If that means having one slice of cake or two frosted cupcakes, try not to overstep your allowed amount of sweets. If you let yourself have everything from doughnuts to scones and everything in between then you may wind up with an even bigger sense of sadness than you started with.

Third, don’t be afraid to let your hair down, both literally and figuratively. Who cares if you are turning 16 or 60, throw yourself the kind of party that you have always wanted to attend. Whether it’s a quiet night in with your closest friends and a few bottles of win or a night out on the town complete with the transportation of a limo and your own VIP table, follow through with it and make it happen. Most people spend their days worrying about pleasing others, from everyone to their boss to their mother-in-law’s, but what we sometimes don’t do is please ourselves. And why not go a little overboard just once a year to make even yourself feel a little ridiculous? It’s worth it, that’s why.

Fourth, stop stressing over bucket lists or laid out goals that you planned on accomplishing by the time you turned 25. Bucket lists are good to have and can be fun with each new thing you allow yourself to try, but the who idea of a set timeline only adds to the gloom hovering about a birthday just itching at the chance to come pouring down on you. Don’t let it. Instead of putting on your rain jacket and letting the clouds roll in, push away the perfect storm on your own terms. It’s your life and yes, the classic saying about how short it is can sometimes ring true, but the truth of the matter is that even a day is a very long time. You can do a lot even in a short 5 minutes. So, try making a list of things to do for just your birthday without having it so far fetched that you’ll feel defeated by just looking at it. Do small things you have always wondered about. Drive down a road if you have always wondered where it led to, get ice cream from the new sweet shop in town or try the yoga class at the gym that you have been hearing about. Make it all about the day, not the lifetime.

Fifth, start a birthday fund. If you have been dying to go on a tropical holiday or can’t quite afford that designer purse yet, put some of your hard-earned money aside designed to fund your birthday. Nobody said that the joys of a birthday had to stem from what others gave you, whether it’s well wishes or gifts, so make your own rules that give you your own happiness.

It comes every year. Even after the cursing of the passing months and the wishes to stop time, birthdays always seem to quickly flow by us, with the tide picking up speed with each new age. And as many women tend to dread it, birthdays can be just as fabulous, if not more so, than the ones we remember growing up. It is a day when we need to remember to celebrate the allowance to eat a slice of cake instead of distain at the number of candles on it. After all, a birthday is a reminder of the day we came in to this world and since we’ve owned it ever since, we mine as well start acting like it.

Photo: Courtesy of bbcamp.org

KISS Your Make Up this Summer: Keep It Simple, Sweetheart

2011-04-27T05:00:00.000-07:00

The summertime is always a favorite among women. It’s the time to break out our bikinis, get sun-kissed looking skin and give our hair those soft “just came from the beach” waves. And with this growing anticipation for a change in the weather also comes a change in style. Just as every season passes and a new one begins, so to do the trends that go along with it. Just as fall and winter bring in black nail polish and brown boots, summer brings in lighter shades of blush and off the shoulder tops. And this summer is no different, with The Body Shop’s International Make Up Artist, Karim Sattar, revealing it’s all about simplicity, natural beauty and even using food to perfect our skin.

Before even applying the first touch of make up, many women often struggle with the canvas for which it is meant for, the skin. From breakouts during that time of the month to the fear that a piece of chocolate will cause our face havoc, it’s often hard to master the very tricky road to healthy-looking skin. And during the summer season, when skin is in and we show more of it than not, we need to know how to tackle the issue and still treat ourselves to that tempting dessert without worrying about the consequences it might cause to our skin. Karim Sattar, who has done make up for celebrities like Jane Fonda and America’s Next Top Model winner Carrie Dee, says the highlight of this summer is skin and in order to look like a million bucks, you don’t necessarily have to spend it. “This summer is all about beautiful and modern skin and there are a few different things you can do in order to achieve that healthy looking glow without spending a fortune. First, I love cleansing pads for the face. They are in a container so you can take them with you anywhere and they moisturize your skin, remove your make up and prep your skin. They work great for when you have a little outbreak,” says Sattar.

Another inexpensive way he says you can nurture your skin is through food. “I really love what natural ingredients can do to optimize your look. By mixing one spoon of olive oil, a small amount of honey, half a cup of yoghurt and a squeeze of lemon, you have a facemask that is just fantastic. It moisturizes your skin to make it appear more subtle and juicy.” And if you make the classic mistake of getting too much sun this summer, Karim offers a simple step to use some of these same ingredients to sooth the sting. “For a fresher appearance after sunburn, just put a little yoghurt on your shoulders. And if your lips become too dry, put a small amount of honey on them to make them smooth. All dairy products can really be used as a form of moisturization,” said Karim.

To top off the smooth look for your skim from your face to your arms and legs, Karim says body butters and face mists are the must-haves for your beach bag. “Body butters have a lovely fragrance and are amazing for both extra dry areas of the body as well as regular areas. Face mists are also great because they are a moisturizing spray, which you can apply under your make up, over your make up or as you are applying your make up. They come in small bottles that make it ideal for frequent travellers.”

Once you have your skin moisturized and healthy, it’s time to start thinking about what make up to apply in order to match the breezy and colourful days you are surrounded with. First, bring attention to your lips. Instead of opting for the same clear lip-gloss used in the past, Karim says it’s time to be bold and dive head first in to the summer’s newest trends. “Regardless of your favorite colour lip-gloss, women need to try orange this year. Orange lips are an absolute trend in the upcoming summer season. This means anything with orange pigments including saffron, bronze, honey, corn and nectar. Use all those shades that would normally be kind of unusual for the lips. Normally it would be more of a cheek color but this summer it is all for the lips,” said Karim.

After tackling these trends for summer, Karim says the rest is just basic essentials he believes every woman needs, which are concealer, mascara and a bronzing shade. “Concealer is a really good way to start your day, even on areas of the face that are far away from the lower eye. You can use it on inside corners to cover dark circles but I also like it around the nose and mouth to diminish the appearance of lines. It’s a great alternative for women who don’t like liquid foundation.” And for your eyes, it’s all about volume. “Super volume mascara is a must. For the summer season, big and curly waterproof mascara is lovely because it separates your lashes and brings volume to them,” says Karim. And lastly, the mixing of bronzing shades can be the perfect touch to your already beautiful skin. “You can mix different bronzing colours to make one final cheek colour, which can also be used as shimmer or as an eye colour. I’m a big fan of making a product versatile. I would rather work with four or five products the whole day than have an entire purse full of make up.”

Since summer is now fast approaching and will soon be in full swing, these key make up tips are vital in making sure our style changes just as smoothly as the season. Karim Sattar says that, as women, we need to remember to be brave when it comes to make up. “Women are miracles of nature and they are unique and they are really suppose to do nothing else but smile.” And with his tips on the newest lip-gloss shades, why would we want to do anything else?

Photo: Courtesy of beaut.ie

The Most Important Relationship

2011-04-26T12:20:00.000-07:00

Everyone has heard the sayings. Popular TV shows like Sex and the City spit out cute quotes like a broken candy dispenser and when we are down, our mothers and best friends tell us this very important fact to try and make it stick: the most important relationship you will ever have in your life is the one you have with yourself. As women, it seems that our romantic destiny starts and ends with the love we have for what we see in the mirror, good or bad at any time of day. Yet, with 7 a.m. bed head and stubborn love handles aside, many women don't know how to have this "important" bond that others say defines us.

Much like advice we receive from our girlfriends, my mom use to put up sayings about women on the refrigerator, each lesson being said over and over with each opening and closing of the door. I remember one refrigerator magnet perfectly; the words remaining after all these years, showing up in my mind after wiping away the fog from the mirror. "Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world." Besides the fact that the words were spoken by Lucille Ball, the magnet has made me smile from a very young age. I was born with an independent soul, but I have learned that in order to truly have a relationship with yourself that works, it has to be more than the ability to stand alone. So, throw away the self-help books that can sometimes make you feel worse about yourself than before opening the cover and do the most simple and common things in order to smile, well, just because you feel like it.

First, look at yourself in the mirror every day, simple as that. It is not a dreadful thing to do unless you think of it that way. Instead of looking at your reflection only to see things you don't like, look at yourself for a good five minutes to point out things you do like. Chances are, other women would love to have your body, hair, eyes, curves, what have you. Remember compliments you have received and allow yourself to revel in them. Be conceded, cocky and overly confident for those five minutes. Own every part of what you see just because you can.

Second, take 20 minutes out of the day just for you. Whether it's taking a bath, reading a book or checking your email, do something everyday that relaxes you. No matter how stressful work was, the day is not over until you decide it is. So go into your room, shut the door and just do whatever you want. You will never be able to love yourself if you don't make time for it to happen. This may sound simple but it sometimes takes a lot for a woman to do because of the other factors that make up our chaotic days.

Third, get to know yourself better. As women, we may think we know every aspect of ourselves, all the ins and outs of our thoughts and personalities. However, it might just take a little more digging in order to get down to the roots of what makes us blossom or fade. So, write things down. Keep a journal. Write down things you like and things you don't like. Write down what you are thankful for and what you wish you had. Write down your goals and when you want to accomplish them. Write down memories. Your own thoughts may surprise you.

Fourth, know your worth. It's easy for a woman to know what she is worth in the business world or within the walls of her own house. However, realizing the high standards that you deserve for the company you keep is an entirely different game. Tell yourself over and over again that you deserve the best. You should have people that love you and treat you right and the strength to disregard the ones that don't. Remind yourself of this simple fact as much as you can.

Fifth, travel. Whether it's two hours away from home or in an entirely different country, get out and see things. I am from America and I know that I am not the same now having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world. I thought I was content but after having seen part of the world outside of my own little bubble, I know myself so much better than I would have if I hadn't. Taking trips by yourself can be both scary and empowering. You will talk to people and hear their amazing stories. You will be pushed outside of your comfort zone in the most annoying and amazing ways and you will come home a changed person.

If it's episodes of Sex and the City or simple magnets put up on a refrigerator, the relationship a woman has with herself is both complicated and essential. The relationships we have with others will never be as strong unless we love ourselves before entering them. It sometimes seems silly or even downright weird, but dancing alone in our living rooms or writing down our goals on a piece of paper are all important things to help us get to a place of happiness with ourselves. You should smile because you want to, even if nobody else is around, knowing that all of the other boyfriends and husbands are just accessories to an already sparkling life.

Photo: Courtesy of abbyschneider.tumbir.com

Getting Back Into the Scrum of Things

2011-03-24T11:28:00.000-07:00

While sitting in Busker Brownes on Lower Cross Street, the busy city of Galway becomes a distraction from the calm and quiet environment of the quant but modern pub. Workers are out on coffee and tea runs, mothers are making sure their children never stray out of site and tourists stroll slowly along, noticing each and every detail of the buildings they pass. It is only when a large and colorful man comes walking toward me that my attention is quickly redirected from what is going on outside to what is happening right in front of me.

As James Robinson, dressed in blue track suit pants and a green Connacht Rugby shirt, sits down in a large brown chair - more like one you would find in a relative’s living room rather than the front room of a pub - his eyes quickly glance at the bar. After shouting at his boss for a Lucozade, he starts to talk about his barman job at Busker Brownes and how meeting here is most convenient due to the long shift he has waiting for him after our talk has finished. The thought of this 20 year old mixing drinks and taking orders is a far cry from what he came here to discuss; his rugby career.

Born in London, Robinson had never played rugby until the age of 10, three years after he and his family moved to Ireland. “I was literally walking past a pitch one day and I called in and then they asked me to come back the following week. After that I honestly never looked back,” he said, before taking four large swigs of his Lucozade.

While maintaining a steady gaze from piercing blue eyes, Robinson happily talks about his early years playing the game and why he came to love it so much. “I played with Galway Corinthians from the under 9’s straight up through all the age groups and I was the captain of every team. I won player of year for under 14’s, under 15’s and under 16’s and I always played a few age groups above me. I would get called up to the other teams and it was great. I had found something I was really good at and I fed off of it. I put in so much and I started to get a lot out of it and that was the first time I had experienced that.”

After a brief chat with a few co-workers, Robinson apologizes for the interruption and asks for a glass of water. “Maybe I can grab a pint down the road after this before my shift starts and then I can tell you all the stories you wouldn’t be able to print,” he jokes. After finishing off the last of his energy drink and spitting out a few more laughs, Robinson gets back to serious, but happy conversation and it becomes obvious that instead of interrupting him with outline questions, it's best to let him talk. “When I was 16, I got called up to the Connacht under age set up and from there I got picked for Connacht 17’s. From there I then got called up into the academies. I was in the first full academy for Connacht where we were all put in a house together and made to live together, eat together, train together, everything. We lived the professional rugby player lifestyle and we had to train 3 times a day, 5 days a week.”

While being interrupted by friends from GMIT, the university in which Robinson studies hotel and catering management, each person asks him if he is back playing rugby. And with every casual question, Robinson gives each the same, confident answer; “Getting back in to it now, bud. Just signed with an agency and might be out of here soon.” And it is from that simple question that I then pose my next; why did you ever stop playing rugby? “I played for the interprovincial series and we were the first Connacht team to win the youths. After that, I got picked for the Irish set up for under 18 youths and was made captain and then I was drafted into the senior squad for the Corinthians before getting called in to the Irish under 19’s set up. But this is where it all kind of came to an end.”

With that one, simple sentence, Robinson’s demeanor slightly changes. Instead of talking about the game with giddiness and a smile, his voice is now stained with the bitter taste of defeat. And instead of holding that steady gaze as he did for the first 20 minutes, his eyes begin to wander and it is obvious to anyone watching that he is having a hard time piecing these memories together. “Then my injuries started to happen. I tore ligaments in my ankle, which put me out of the game for 6 weeks. That was my first major injury and it was really hard to get over because I had put on weight, which was hard to maneuver. After I got back fit again, I got a freak disease in my leg. I got a scratch on my leg in a game and it healed with a piece of steel stuck in my leg and it caused Cellulitis, a blood and skin infection. That put me in the hospital for 3 weeks and out of rugby for 3 months. After that I tore my ankle ligaments again and wasn’t able to run during the entire preseason.”

Despite these obstacles, Robinson still managed to make something positive happen. “I played in the interprovincial series and despite my injuries I actually performed pretty well and I got a trial for the Irish under 20’s team before the world cup. I was training so hard and believe it or not, my Cellulitis came up in my leg again. They sent me away and said they would take me back after I was fit again.”

While Robinson continues to share details of game winning moments, I begin to study him. Despite his short height for rugby standards, about 5’10”, Robinson is built like a truck, steady and intimidating. His demeanor and personality, however, distract you from his tough frame and tell somehwhat of a different story. In between telling jokes, chugging water and messing around with his co-workers, everyone walks away from him with a smile on their face.

But it was in this moment of realizing the soft nature of a hard looking man that Robinson grows quiet. Having had to ask him to speak up just a bit, it becomes clear that he is talking about the moment he thought his rugby career had ended. “After I got fit again, they called me straight back in for the training session before the world cup in Argentina. I went for it and during one of the trial games; I went into a ruck and got hit in the side of my knee. I tore cartilage, my medial ligament and my crucial ligament. After the physio told me I would be out for several months, I was taken up to the office with my Academy manager and I was told I would be let go straight after my contract was through because I had 18 months of injuries. After that, I wanted to give it up because I didn’t enjoy the game anymore. I thought it would just be a chapter of my life closed that I had spent so much time on. I had missed college because of training, which caused me to repeat a year and my life had become only about rugby.”

After talking about the difficult decision to walk away from the game that had given him so much, the obvious question hung in my mind so heavy in the silence that followed his last sentence; what happened then? With the Connacht rugby jersey tightly wrapped around his upper body and the obvious scars along his arms, it was obvious that Robinson had not stayed away from the game for long. “I started playing for the Connemara All Black’s in July 2010 because I just wanted to do it for fun with no pressure. I got myself fit and I’ve really started to enjoy the game again and I am starting to remember why I wanted to be a professional rugby player in the first place.”

After an old Irish coach approached Robinson with several contacts for rugby agencies and websites, Robinson took it upon himself to then take the next step. “I sent in my CV to RahRahRugby.com and was named Player of the Week a few days later. Since then, I’ve been approached by several different agents and was offered three clubs in Australia, which I turned down due to distance and not wanting to be so far away from my family. I’ve signed with the agency Bsynergie, which is run by two brothers that are based in England and Australia. They have two offers in Italy for me and one offer in England at a professional level at the moment.”

While telling me of these many options he currently faces, he does not come off as smug at all. His feet remain planted firmly on the ground and his humility soaks through each word without one impression of “I am amazing” slipping through the cracks. “My ideal would be to play at the top level for the Irish team. I know that I may have to go to central Europe to get my name out there again but I don’t care. I would gladly do that. Ireland likes to have their home players playing on home soil so if I got back to that level to be able to do that, that would be my ideal.”

One thing Robinson says is a must in his daily workouts to get fit is yoga. “We use to do yoga as part of our training for Connacht. When I did yoga I never got injured so I’ve really been looking after myself again and I think things are starting to look up for me.”

Robinson, who credits his rediscovery of his love for the game to his release from the Connacht team, thinks only good things lie ahead. And if these good things happen sooner rather than later, college is something that Robinson says can take the back burner. “I would definitely give up college if I got a good rugby club because I want to make a good living out of that. I can always go back to college because that will always be there. With Rugby, you have such a short career, 15 to 20 years if you’re lucky, so I want to make the most of that while I can.”

With the conversation subsiding and two jugs of water gone, Robinson gets up to get dressed for his shift at work. “Come on Robbo,” calls his boss, a nickname that has stuck with him since he was young. “Robbo is a different guy than rugby player James Robinson. I can tell you about him over a night of pints instead of water.” And with a wink and a smile, he walks off behind the bar to do what he says is “another excuse to run around and get fit” for his upcoming, life changing career move.

Smooth Sailing for NUI Galway Student Engineering Project

2011-03-24T11:26:00.000-07:00

When we are young, building things from scratch is a common activity. Kids never cease to amaze when building masterpieces out of sand and Lego. The thought of doing this same privilege that use to be considered “play time” as a career may never cross their minds, which is why the engineering students at NUIG are aiming to turn what seems like a far off idea into a concrete reality.

As part of NUI Galway’s CKI program, or Community Knowledge Initiative, engineering students are aiming to promote social engagement by younger kids in a project called “Sailing through Engineering Knowledge.” The project, which has been in motion since last September, required engineering students to design and build various models to work with children in secondary school, aged 12 to 15, and help them understand basic engineering concepts. The winning design, a catapult, will be used at an event on April 2nd.

Ciara Rigney, an engineering student who helped design and create the model of a sail buggy, says her goal is to help kids realize their potential. “It’s about helping explain to kids the concepts so they can understand the physics behind it instead of thinking it’s thrown together. After we show them how it’s built then we let them try to build it for themselves, which will hopefully encourage them to want a career in engineering,” says Ciara.

The day-long event in April will be held on NUI Galway’s campus so kids can see the facilities. Aidan Mulligan, another engineering student working on the project, says it’s important for the kids to be able to come to NUIG to get the full experience of what their future could potentially hold. “A lot of kids don’t really see university as an option. We want them to come to our campus and be able to look around and see all it has to offer. We want to be able to make an impact on them now because if they get past the age of 15 or 16, they are not going to make any serious changes about what they want to do,” says Aidan.

The project, which was started two years ago, encompasses a day of fun for those who choose to participate. Emma Farrell, a student who helped design the model of a sail buggy, says the event has been on her mind since last September. “Our lecturer told us about it in September and I have been so excited about it ever since. The designs that we came up with were a sail buggy, a catapult and a kite. We decided to go with the catapult because we want this day to be all about the kids. It’s one of the easier designs and we want to make it fun with sort of a competitive aspect to it as well,” said Emma.

Aidan and Emma agree with catering the day around kids who genuinely show an interest in pursuing a career in engineering. “The products we built are all on the market already so the kids will know what they are. They are obvious going to know what a catapult is and I am thinking they are going to be pretty excited to learn how to build one,” says Aidan.

Whether it’s sand, Lego or taking a part a catapult, learning the ins and outs of what makes things work is a hobby to many kids. However, after the first weekend in April, the engineering students at NUIG hope to show kids that it can done as a day job instead of a just a side job.

Dublin Your fun: St. Patrick's Day in Ireland vs. America

2011-03-24T11:24:00.000-07:00

With the green t-shirts neatly tucked away and the shamrock suspenders put back in the drawers for another year, St. Patrick’s Day has once again made a permanent stamp of green on all corners of the world. From Canada to Chicago to Ireland’s west coast, St. Patrick’s Day is a holiday that brings out the Irish in everyone – or for those that don’t have any Irish heritage – makes them Irish for just one day.

The celebrations in America have been over the top for years, with people donning t-shirts reading “Irish Whiskey Makes Me Frisky” and sporting shamrock covered boxers. The daily dish across the U.S. is corn beef and cabbage and the green beer flows as easily as the cash brought in by locals and tourists alike. In Ireland, however, St. Patrick’s Day was not always – and still isn’t – quite the production that America insists on having. Having experienced the famous holiday in both places, the differences noticed by Americans and the Irish are as obvious to point out as a 21-year-old with green hair.

Up until recent years, St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland had been the polar opposite from the drinking holiday it is today. It was a religious holiday that centred on going to mass, everyone released from school and work, and the lifting of the Lenten restrictions of eating meat. Due to Irish law that, up until 1970, required pubs to be closed, it had been a day of rest where as opposed to the people crowding the streets with a pint of the black stuff, they were quiet and discarded. This, however, began to change due to the demands from tourists that flocked to Ireland each year on March 17^th in hopes of experiencing a day unlike the parties they had been to at home.

And these parties at home, or in America for that matter, have been of huge proportion and have carried great meaning to those who hold an Irish heritage. In Chicago, one of the largest St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the U.S., a huge majority of the people making up the city come from a long line of Irish heritage. “Chirish,” as they are called, by combining Chicago with Irish, are known for mostly living on the city’s south side. By having such a large Irish population, Chicago has become a go-to place when celebrating the “wearin o’ the green.” Traditions like dyeing the Chicago River green and serving green beer have been long-standing and have become a favourite tradition among those who attend. Chicago native, Ashley Reuder, 22, wouldn’t want to spend the holiday anywhere else. “I love St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago. It is such an amazing atmosphere that I can’t think of anywhere else on earth that would beat it. The city is literally and figuratively a sea of green from the river to everyone sporting something of the appropriate colour. The pubs are packed and everyone becomes Irish. It’s so great and Chicago does an amazing job at celebrating it.”

Another Chicago native, Kaley Hastings, 23, decided to take the long journey across the Atlantic to cross “Paddy’s Day in Ireland” off her bucket list. And after partaking in two day-long celebrations in Galway, Kaley was pleasantly surprised with what she had experienced. “It’s very well put together here. In America, it’s a huge day drinking holiday but we obviously can’t hold our liquor like the Irish do. People are stumbling around and passing out by noon whereas over here, it’s all kept very classy and it’s more of a family outing during the day.”

As for differences from an American St. Patrick’s Day versus one in Ireland, Kaley says there are many obvious and somewhat embarrassing examples. “In Chicago, everyone dyes their hair and their eyebrows green. Girls where ‘Kiss Me, I’m Irish’ t-shirts and boys wear shamrock pants with leprechaun hats. It’s all very ‘plastic paddy’ as I heard someone tell me. It’s kind of annoying in a way because it’s all very in your face with things like the Shamrock Shake at McDonald’s. There is such a huge build up for weeks before the holiday even arrives through commercials on television, things being sold in stores and food being served in restaurants. Everything turns Irish. In a way it’s fun but in other aspects it’s kind of like, take it down a notch.”

But what about Irish people that have grown up knowing a different kind of holiday celebration going to America to witness drunken college kids yelling, “Drink til your Irish!” For Dubliner Jeff Linehan who moved to Chicago to work in popular Irish pub The Irish Oak, America’s version of his country’s holiday is much better. “As far as who throws the best party for Paddy’s Day, it’s definitely America. Everyone’s mouths are stained green by the end of the night by drinking green beer and I couldn’t even tell you how many Irish Car Bombs are ordered throughout that entire weekend. It’s a weeklong celebration here and it makes me proud to be from Ireland because so many American’s embrace it full on.”

Irish Car Bombs which consists of dropping a shot of Irish Whiskey and Cream into a half a pint of Guinness and chugging it before it curdles has become a favourite for Americans who think that downing these is the most Irish you can get. Kells native Richie Gallagher, who lived in America for four years, came to embrace the American way of drinking. “I hated it at first and I honestly didn’t know what it was. It was all anyone wanted to drink when Paddy’s Day came around so after a couple, I kind of got used to them and now they are actually quite good. My friends from home still won’t drink them but when I go back to America I always have a few.” His fellow Dubliner who also lived in America for a few years, Eoin Byrne, came to despise the way Americans drink on St. Patrick’s Day. “It was actually kind of funny. Every girl would hear our accents and come running up to us to tell us how they’re so Irish because their great great great grandmother came from Ireland. So many people would insist on doing Irish Car Bombs and I was always like, ‘what’s wrong with just a pint?’”

The ignorance towards pints can be blamed as a main reason for why the holiday is seen as “sloppy” in America as opposed to family oriented in Ireland. While in Ireland for the holiday, Kaley noticed how instead of treating it as a sprint like most Americans do, it’s more of a steady marathon for the Irish. “We used to wake up in Chicago around 8 a.m. and start downing shots of Whiskey. We would have car bombs with breakfast and just keep at it to the point where everyone we knew was ready for bed by 4 p.m. Over here, it’s so different because everyone just seems to be out to have a good time and not in any hurry to prove how much they can drink. I think Americans definitely tackle it as some sort of drinking competition to see who is more Irish than the other.”

The famed holiday has never failed Americans who count on it as the one day of the year they can dress like idiots and nobody can say anything. Boys use pick-up lines that cater to the Irish way like asking, “Who’s your paddy?” and girls blow the dust off their decade old Claddagh rings. The Irish still see it as somewhat of a religious holiday where pubs can now open their doors and parades can make their way down its busy streets. No matter where you decide to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, there is one constant that you can rely on it to revolve around; drinking. Whether it’s Irish Car Bombs or a pint of Guinness, St. Patrick has never failed at bringing people together, and he wasn’t even Irish.

Photo: Compliments of tympanogram.com

Rock the Boat Goes Overboard with New World Record

2011-03-21T12:18:00.001-07:00

It's the song that everybody knows. When it's heard at weddings, everyone either enthusiastically, or reluctantly, gets on the floor to ultimately walk away having the words stuck in their heads for the remainder of the night. "So I'de like to know where, you got the notion to rock the boat, don't rock the boat baby."

While the thought of the embarassing dance can make some seasick, these famous lyrics echoed throughout the halls of NUI Galway's King Fisher Sports Complex as 907 students came out to break the record of largest "Rock the Boat" dance.

The record breaking success with a one song soundtrack by the Hues Corporation begame at 12 p.m. on Monday, February 28th. The event was part of NUIG's annual College Week organized by the Student's Union to raise awareness and money for the Alan Kerins Projects and Ability West. The Alan Kerins Projects aim to help the disadvantaged and poor in Zambia, Africa with a focus on areas such as health and nutrition and training and education, while the Ability West provides services to people with intellectual disabilities and their families.

As student leaders handed out lollipops and i102-104 FM's Dave O'Connor kept everyong entertained, students continued to pour in to the room to sit down in rows and wave their hands back and forth. Some students opted for more revealing outfits with underwear, birthday hats and Hawaiian lays wrapped around their heads, while others donned sunglasses and shorts to compliment the nice weather.

As onlookers watched from the windows above, Dave O'Connor allowed more students time to make their way over by singing happy birthday to students calling into the radio station and encouraging everyone to text "everyone they know" to come down and be a part of history. "Rock the Boat" was first attempted at 1 p.m., but due to a shortage in the required number of students, the room went back to being a Rag Week party until the needed numbers came through.

By 1:30 p.m., enough students had come to tip over Dundalk I.T., the previous "Rock the Boat" record holders that succeeded in Tipperary in 2009 with 820 students. With NUIG students lined up in rows and ready to make waves, Dave O'Connor counted down from 5 while the students put their hands in the air in almost perfect unison. With student leaders standing at the front of the room leading the motions, Dave O'Connor reminded everyone that in order to break the world record, the dance needed to be kept up during the entire 5 minutes of the song.

One first year student, Danny, didn't mind the workout of keeping his hands in the air for five minutes straight. "I didn't mind at all. It's Rag Week and since I'm not going to any of my classes, I thought I mind as well have a couple of drinks and come down here to get on the floor, do a little dance and break a world record," said Danny.

Another student, Sarah, said it was the perfect way to start out her Rag Week. "Even though Dave O'Connor made fun of me for wearing a skirt, it was great fun and my friends and I all just had a laugh. It's such a nice day out so since we all just helped break a new world record, we're going out to celebrate," said Sarah.

So from now on, whenever NUIG students hear those famous lyrics being played loudly at a wedding or party, they can get down on the floor with pride knowing that they helped make a splash in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Irish I Could Speak the Language

2011-02-23T12:38:00.000-08:00

One thing many American’s take in to account when choosing where to study or work abroad is the potential language barriers of their desired countries. Not knowing how to speak the language of the people around you can be both scary and intimidating. However, with Ireland, most American’s find relief in their remembrance of spoken English taking reign. Besides the mixed together sentences mumbled through pints at the local pub and foreign sayings like “craic”, the language you hear while shopping on the cobblestone streets is English, depending on where you are. What American’s might not know at first thought of Ireland and its friendly people is that many of them also speak Gaelic, if it is not their first language already.

When hearing Gaelic, or Gaeltacht in Irish, an American can find themselves easily confused due to its complex and inconsistent sounds. It can sound like full on gibberish, with the people of Ireland letting it spill out if their mouths as though a flood gate had suddenly lost its lock. In areas of Ireland such as Connemara and Donegal, Gaelic is spoken often as the dominant language.

An American may walk in to a shop looking for a simple snack and suddenly find themselves at a loss for words as to what they just heard the people behind them mutter. But, however intense the words seem to ring, most American’s find themselves charmed by the people’s native tongue. The country is sprinkled from coast to coast with B&B’s where inside their colourful and welcoming doors, the couples welcoming tourists offer a greeting in Irish, many of which are followed by a cup of tea to learn more.

For a language that is held close to the country and its people, many outsiders can be unaware of its existence. When asking people why they chose to study abroad in Ireland, an aspect of the responses was always commonplace, “because they speak English here.” And while that may be true, Irish is still a major aspect of what makes Ireland, well, Ireland.

Drawing from the current debate of whether Irish should be required or optional throughout secondary school, the removal of it would be much similar to the addition of Ebonics in America. Ebonics, or the African American variation of English, was proposed to be taught in English universities due to its growing popularity. The addition of such a language was said to be offensive and ridiculous, due to its crude and racial sayings. This, much like the removal of Irish, is unnecessary and harming.

The removal of teaching Irish at a young age when people are most successful and learning another language would take away from the uniqueness and warmness that draws so many people to the country in the first place. And while many people can hate a language while they are in the midst of learning its past tenses, they always seem to be grateful for it as they begin to age and step out of its text books.

Learning Irish can be very different than American’s swallowing their daily dose of English class. With Irish, depending on what part of Ireland you are form, you are learning an entirely new language that has not been instilled in you since birth. It can be as uncomfortable to say your first sentence in Irish as it is to put on shoes that do not fit. Learning English in America, however, is simply about trimming the edges of our already existing knowledge. We learn how to form the correct sentences with words we are familiar with and we read texts by famous authors to be offered up for critique.

If the practice of Irish in Ireland was eliminated, a major aspect of the country would fade away with its passing generations, with fragments left only in the dust, swept up with an occasional wind. The language spoken by the people’s ancestors would be gone and the charming aspect of hearing it spoken would no longer be an outsider’s luxury. And besides the advantage of being bilingual, Irish people would no longer have the advantage to discuss those who find it charming while they are sitting directly beside them.

Photo: Courtesy of campaigntrail.ie

For Our Parents

2011-02-22T10:29:00.000-08:00

When we are young, we don’t always realize just how much our parents do for us. It always seemed commonplace to get our shoelaces tied, food cut in to smaller pieces and our clothes to be laid out for us the night before school. When we are young, we hold on to only the good moments. We bottle them up in a jar to be contained forever on our nightstand, in reach for when we need them like how we reach for a cold blanket in the middle of a summer’s sleep. And as we grow older, we sometimes miss the tired looks on our parent’s faces. The faces that act much like the comfortable houses we grew up in, holding their secrets deep inside; revealing only the light through the windows that they allow. We don’t necessarily realize that one day down the road, we will be the ones to look after them.

Most children don’t have to deal with the intense and fleeting thoughts of losing a parent. However, as the years pass, the reality of the future tends to sting a bit more, adding salt to the wound with each passing year. Even people in their 20’s and 30’s who rely on their parents for advice on things ranging from to how to study for an exam to making a marriage work don’t always stop to think that it will not stay like that forever. The advice will not always come so quickly and the phone may sometimes go unanswered. But it is in these moments, when life tends to throw curveballs that knock you off your steady legs, that we need to remember our childhood.

It’s sometimes hard to remember that when we see our parents not able to dress themselves or eat on their own, that they once did these same simple routines when we did not know how. It is in the simple memories of when we were first allowed to dress ourselves and emerged from the house with yellow pants and a blue top that our parents did not scold us, but simply let us learn. And when we could not take our first steps without the proper support, remember that someday our parents may need the same.

We, as humans, can often be arrogant in the sense that we think our lives have no boundaries. We hold on to those we love with such force that we don’t realize it is slipping through our fingers, like sand in a tightly clenched fist. We don’t always stop to wrap up a moment in our minds and tape it up with a fancy bow, but instead pass over it, much like we do with unwanted songs on the radio. And we are told about many amazing moments in our life by our parents, painted with such detail that you feel as though you can step right back in to the memory through a worn out picture frame. It is they who remember the moments, the simple and ordinary and amazing moments that we sometimes cannot turn the pages back to. It is only in the feeling of having to remind those same story-tellers of your name that your arrogance subsides.

Having seen my own mother go through the transition from the cradled to the cradler, the realness of losing her one day became all that more real. It was not until I saw my mom become the parent to her own parent that I looked at her with sadness as to what the future may hold when she begins to age. And when my father suddenly lost his brother and had to console his mother before his own emotions took reign, I realized I may have to comfort him one day with gentle attempts of meaningful advice. All of the times my parents quietly listened as I went off on tangents about meaningless things will come full circle when instead of interrupting them after they repeat themselves, I will simply try and understand.

It is not until you start to get older and make decisions on your own that you fully realize all your parents have done for you. The reminders of the endless ballet recitals, the late nights helping with homework and the constant presence at every basketball game can hit you like a wave you did not see coming, pulling you deep under its current with no signs of a changing tide. The emotions of its realization can make you want to pay them back for every favor, something your childhood piggy bank simply could not do. It makes you want to take care of your parents for each and every day until their journey ends. And it makes you realize that with each hug you give them in their old age, you will still be forever be in their debt for the number of embraces you received when you were young.

Some people may think it will be a burden to hand over time from their lives to take care of their parents when they can no longer do it themselves. I, however, find it necessary. It is a silent gift, much like the wind on a summer’s night, where you cannot see its grace but can feel its beauty. It is the perfect reflection of the deep and intense love they have felt for us all our lives. When they provided strength during challenging times in our lives, they instilled in us the perfect qualities needed to not stand against them as things change, but stand beside them.

Galway's Winter Awakens with Solemn Novena

2011-02-22T10:26:00.000-08:00

It’s the faint sound of churchgoers softly singing their favorite hymns within the walls of Galway Cathedral that can catch the attention of pedestrians just as quickly as its release. The heavy traffic in the surrounding streets that brings the constant procession of people to the church’s doors could possibly be mistaken as the result of a tragedy. But contrary to a Mass in America where the pews are only crowded after a tragic event, the people of Galway come to simply celebrate Solemn Novena, or nine days of prayer.

Solemn Novena, which runs from February 14^th until February 22^ndin the Galway Cathedral and is in its 31^st year, brings the community together in a different way than Sunday Mass offers. The nine day long event offers six services daily starting at 7:45 a.m. and ending at 8:15 p.m. and offers special services such as reconciliation, anointing of the sick and aged, and a candlelight exposition and prayer.

Despite Galway’s current cold spell, people are willing to sit in their cars to withstand the city’s heavy traffic while couples and families alike make their way to the cathedral in bone-chilling winds. This kind of scene is simply not seen in America, even on special occasions.

As Father Dermot O’Connor opened the afternoon Mass on Valentine’s Day with a joke, the crowd followed his enthusiasm to sing before Mass had even begun. It was not long after looking around the Cathedral and noticing hanging flags, extra chairs brought in to cater to the crowd and the purple sashes donned by each usher that I realized this kind of crowd had not been seen in an American church since 9/11.

The atmosphere of a Novena Mass brings to light many differences from a simple Sunday Mass in America. The priest speaks to the crowd before Mass starts and gets them excited for the coming prayers. His happiness tends to rub off on everyone in attendance and reaches each individual person in every single pew. Nobody objects to the length of the priest’s sermon or the Mass as a whole. More people participate in song so that even a non-believer could feel it deep within their bones.

Other differences, however, left the feeling of sadness that American churches don’t practice them in their daily services. The only time I can remember the priest telling us to turn to those around us for an embrace of love or kindness, besides giving peace, was in the days following 9/11. Every church in America was spilling over with people that wanted answers and needed something to believe in. It was a time when our country was on its knees and church seemed to be the thing that helped most people get back up.

During Solemn Novena, it seemed commonplace that the priest asked everyone to turn to others to wish them a Happy Valentine’s Day; a simple gesture from a stranger that meant more than any store-bought greeting card. And along with what seemed like an infinite amount of songs, the priest also took time to read prayer requests left by those in need. This act alone, one of great kindness and sadness, allowed the quiet struggles of those we pass on the street to ring loudly through the church. I realized then that if the people in American churches were asked to love the one next to them and were able to hear personal struggles from someone’s life, there may be a lot less anger and stress to make up their days.

One thing Ireland is known for is the friendliness of their people and Solemn Novena is a perfect example why. A majority of the Mass was as routine as in America, however, a few small differences could maybe change a life. And in the current recession that both Ireland and the rest of the world is facing, one life changed is the perfect place to start.

Tubridy Teams up with NUIG for New Mental Health Service

2011-02-10T08:19:00.000-08:00

When most people think of an event to discuss serious mental health issues, glooming pictures can come to mind: people sharing their stories through tears and anguish or sadness hanging over the room like a dark cloud. At Monday's launch of the new online mental health service at NUI Galway, however, the mood was anything but somber. It was, instead, an event full of color, both literally and figuratively, humor and old stories.

Well-known journalist and host of The Late Late Show in Ireland, Ryan Tubridy, helped NUIG create buzz about the website, My Mind Matters, for third level students by bringing both his famous face and untold family stories to the launch.

The website, which was created through a collaborative effort by NUIG, Trinity College Dublin, University College Cork and Dundalk Institute of Technology, supports students' well being by providing information, help and support on a range of mental health topics. The colleges also worked with Reach Out, a website that encourages students to help themselves through tough times.

After stepping up to the podium surrounded by blue and yellow balloons with a projection of the website hanging largely behind him, Tubridy fell as comfortably into his speech as he would a chat with an old friend. He shared stories of his family's roots in the west of Ireland and laughed through jokes of his grandfather's drink-driving habits and his "comfortable" upbringing in Dublin.

Tubridy then eased in to the seriousness of mental health issues with his take on why it's so important to keep the current generation healthy. "Given the state of this place and our beautiful nation, I think it's the next generation that's going to have to take care of us and wheel us around one day. We need to be able to keep them healthy," said Tubridy.

The award-winning broadcaster also said we need to give students more credit for the things they go through and that, "In university, sometimes people can get lost and it can be too much emotionally and intellectually to handle. People shouldn't be getting lost and this is why this website is such a great thing."

The website offers counselling and advice about issues ranging from depression and bullying to exam stress and moving away from home. Tubridy, who revealed his constant curiosity about what people sitting next to him on buses and trains may be going through, stressed that people who fit the perfect bill of health on the outside may be falling apart on the inside. "You may not look ill and it might not be obvious. You just don't know what someone is going through and that's where we come in because it's our job to spot it and and help fix it," said Tubridy.

While holding confidence and certainty throughout his speech, Tubridy then admitted to the crowded room that the worst offenders for not talking about mental health issues are men. "Most men talk about hurling and football and in my case, Mad Men and politics. We're awkward and it's embarrassing to talk about mental health issues," said Tubridy.

The broadcaster, whose easy conversation and assertive eye contact made everyone in the room feel as though he was only focusing on them, stressed the importance of face-to-face conversation and getting young people to talk. "With the Internet, you always worry about the art of the conversation. I don't get the whole Facebook chat thing. If you want to talk to me then ring me and we can actually have a chat. This is imperative for relationships because a good conversation is better than anything in the world."

Due to Tubridy's presence and the importance of the issues, My Mind Matters attracted a huge crowd for its launch. Students can now type in a few words and click on a few links in order to get the help they need when going through many of the challenges that college can bring. My Mind Matters lets students know that even without celebrity reinforcement, their opinions and mental health come first.

McCormack says First Time in 21 Years Fianna Fáil Admits Defeat

2011-02-10T08:06:00.000-08:00

During the launch of Fine Gael's new team for Galway West, Deputy Padraic McCormack said it is the first time in twenty-one years Fianna Fáil has admitted to losing before the election has started.

The launch, which was held at the House Hotel in Galway on Monday, January 31st, presented four potential candidates to win at least one more seat in Galway West. Fianna Fáil currently holds two seats while Fine Gael, the Independants and the Labour Party each hold one seat. The candidates making up Fine Gael's new team are Senator Fidelma Healy Eames, Councillor Brian Walsh, Councillor Hildegarde Naughton and Councillor Sean Kyne.

Deputy McCormack expressed his enthusiasm for the potential success of Fine Gael's new team. "This is the best election we have ever fought. I've been in this for twenty-one years and this is the first time Fianna Fáil is not guaranteed to win. People that voted for Fianna Fáil last election won't be voting for them again. We'll certainly get two seats in West Galway. I believe that at least two to three people here will be in the next government," said Deputy McCormack.

The candidates, who wore colour-coordinating outfits, were just as in sync with their ideas for the future of Ireland and its economy. While the sate of the country and Fine Gael's ability to turn it around were key topics, Councillor Brian Walsh discussed specifically the issue of the outer bypass. "This issue first came forward fourteen years ago. It was promised that 40% of Galway traffic would be taken out of Galway City and this is the third general election in which Independant TD's promised there would be something done about traffic and the Claregalway bypass. This can no longer be an ignored."

Fine Gael's team said the reactions recieved on doorsteps are very anti Fianna Fáil and they are confident in their potential for government. Fine Gael Galway West Chairman Enda Howley spoke at the launch about the four qualified candidates and how winning just one more seat would be a major success for the constituency.

Go Somewhere Amazing!

2010-03-02T17:32:00.000-08:00

Traveling while you are young is a once in a lifetime opportunity. You are able to see the world, learn about yourself, and experience things that last long after your trip has passed. You leave with new friends, new experiences, and a new outlook on life.

I am the DePaul Campus Manager for EF College Break we are offering you, students between the ages of 18 and 26, to come join us and see the world. We offer the most affordable prices for students to some of the most exotic places in the world!

The price of your trip includes round-trip airfare, hotels, transportation between cities, tour guides, daily breakfasts, tours of the must-see sights, a welcome drink, and farewell dinner and so much more. But it's not all about tours and sightseeing. You get a lot of free time to explore on your own and can change the departure date of your trip to stay longer on your own!

Some tours we have coming up this summer are: from Galway to Dublin for nine days, Berlin, Prague and Munich for 10 days, Paris and London for 10 days, Classic Italy for 11 days, The Greek Isles for 11 days, Italy and Greece for 12 days, and much more!

We also offer an Ultimate Europe trip, a Europe West to East trip, Grand Tour of Europe, Grand Tour of Asia, Grand Tour of Thailand and much more!

EF College Break offers payment options that are tailored to help college students have the experience of a lifetime at an affordable price.

Contact me, the DePaul Campus Manager, for more information on all of our different trips and to learn about how you can save an extra $50 by booking through me.

Choose your adventure. The experience of a lifetime is waiting for you at EF College Break!

Q&A: The Chicagoist's Marcus Gilmer

2009-11-04T19:27:00.000-08:00

Many journalists go by the words "write what you know." Marcus Gilmer, editor-in-chief of the Chicagoist does just that and then some. By getting his master's degree in creative writing at the University of New Orleans, Gilmer isn't afraid to add a little spice to his work. After writing "dry" pieces for an architectural site after grad school, Gilmer found an outlet in the Chicagoist where he writes about our exciting city.

Remember the man who collapsed and died at Lollapalooza this year? Marcus tweeted the incident and it was reported on Breaking Tweets. Through the world of developing online journalism, Marcus has found a balance between writing what you know and writing what you feel.

Audio: Gilmer discusses if he thinks Twitter and Facebook hurt online media and what he thinks his career would be like if he had gotten his start five years earlier.

Q: What is a typical workday like as an online journalist?

MG: It starts around 7 to 7:30 a.m. I'll check in with our writers that have written something the night before and catch up with stories that have been chewed up overnight. Then I go over the schedule and email the staff reminding them who is on schedule. Then it’s finding out the main news. I'll check my email because we'll have tips coming in. From there it's writing and updating what's happening and I wait for stories to come in from staff.

Q: How do you incorporate Twitter, Facebook & other media outlets in to your work?

MG: We use Twitter to interact with readers. We'll post stories that we might not cover on the Web site and re-tweet stories. It allows a different interaction with readers for feedback and discussion. Facebook is a fairly interactive tool as opposed to something that helps the day-to-day operations of the site. We encourage readers to post something to their Facebook or tweet it. As a result, Twitter and Facebook have become big in the past six months to refer traffic to us. A link to one of our stories will be on someone’s Facebook page, which then reaches three or four hundred people. It also reaches people who don't live in Chicago. If it's something that strikes their fancy than they are a potential audience. You encourage that kind of thing.

Q: How do you cover stories differently than print & television journalists?

MG: The main thing is we have room to be more subjective and overt. If we think something is ridiculous, we'll say it. One story that hit a nerve with me was last winter when Mayor Daley announced that he was going to spend millions of dollars to replace all the current police cars with SUV's. That is good because they need an upgrade but he was also saying we don't have money to hire new cops and it was frustrating. We can call bullshit on someone if we think its bullshit. You see that in the omit pages of the newspapers and on TV news, but there is flexibility to be subjective and that's what makes us different than print and TV.

Q: The Chicagoist is a very "involved" Web site that encourages personal expression from employees (i.e. posting old Halloween pictures from each employee's childhood). However, in many journalism classes, I was taught to keep personality out of it and write strictly facts. Do you think it's good to abandon the traditional rules of journalism and start to include a little bit of yourself for readers?

MG: I think so. Part of why online media has taken off in the last couple of years is because people like to see what others think but they also like to share their thoughts and interact. Everyone can have a blog to share what they think. The wall that still exists is part of what's hurting print media. People are more drawn to something that has personality. People are drawn to others that share the same views as well as things you disagree with. I hear a lot from readers when they disagree with something. It's the flexibility of not having to think the way a newspaper would.

Q: The Chicagoist is considered the most popular blog in the Windy City and is seen as the "go to" site for news. What makes it so successful? What sets it apart from other Chicago news blogs?

MG: Being part of the Gothamist network certainly helps with our visibility. The quality of our writing helps because of a fantastic staff. Our personality has a certain appeal for readers and it either hits a nerve or is something people really dig so that's why they keep coming back. We check readers to build up and we're noticed more and have more opportunities. We cover things, which gives us more exposure and more traffic and it just grows. We were involved in the inauguration and something like that gives the site a sense of legitimacy. People start taking you seriously and visiting the site more.

Also check out Source Hub for a collection of Gilmer's articles.

Photo: taken from the Chicagoist

25 Must-See Haunted Houses

2009-10-12T20:58:00.000-07:00

Halloween is right around the corner and it's time to get in to the spirit of the season!

Haunted Attraction Magazine just released its first ever issue of the 25 Must-See Haunted Houses List. Check out my podcast to learn more and see if one of Chicago's many haunts made the cut.

Mash It Up

2009-09-30T19:44:00.000-07:00

Mashups have already made my life as a college journalism student a lot easier in the few short weeks that I have known about them. With the field of online journalism already being as chaotic and busy as it is, mashups allow you to take two different websites and "mash" them together so it works. In other words, it's finally time for your computer and your stress level to cool down.

Mashups like TwoPular allows you to see the most popular trends on Twitter right now that are broken up in to hours, days, weeks, and months. The site allows you to compare trends by providing graphs and statistics and also has sparklines, which show the top 100 trends on Twitter for the last 100 days. This site can be a very important tool in journalism because you will be able to tell what people are talking about and interested in and when it was at the height of its popularity.

Another great mashup that I came across is Portwiture, which is "your Twitter status, in photos." This site allows you to take photos from your Flickr account and to match them with your most recent Tweets. This mashup site is extremely fun as well as a useful tool when it comes to journalism. This enables you to give a visual representation of your Tweets so that your follows can have more to grasp than just the 140 characters you're allowed per Tweet. It "mashes" different social service outlets together to form a great new way to communicate with each other and to report news. If you tweeted about a breaking news story, a simple photo would make it that much more powerful for your audience.

Sites like Woozor allow you to find out the forecast as well as visually see it. This mashup combines Google Maps and Weather.com to provide 10 day weather forecasts for all around the world. You are first able to select the country whose weather you would like to monitor. The site then provides you with a full map and a simple forecast for the next week and a half. This site could be extremely beneficiary in journalism because you are able to keep up on the weather not only in your immediate area, but all over the world. And it looks like Chicago is going to be mostly rainy with a high of 63 degrees tomorrow!

One very popular mashup that won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize is Politifact. This site, that is generated by the St. Petersburg Times, is great for journalists who want to verify political facts or check with the "Obameter" to find out the Presidents top promises to the public. And mashups like ThisWeKnow allows you to discover U.S. Government data about your local community. By browsing this website, I now know that 6,669, 290 pounds of 109 pollutants are released within 24 miles of my house in the suburbs! And if I want to find a job in the near future, I better pack up and move to Baker, MT, who currently has the lowest rate of unemployment! Facts like these inform people on what is going on in their community as well as essential and useful facts about other neighborhoods as well.

While not all mashup sites are generated by journalism outlets, many of them can be because they contain key facts and information that are important for every journalist to know. Mashups can help journalists check their facts as well as be able to generate powerful and accurate graphics, images, and statistics to add to their stories in order to give their audience the most beneficial information possible.

Lincoln Park: A Sight for Sore Eyes

2009-09-28T21:09:00.000-07:00

The attitudes of Lincoln Park residents have been withdrawn lately, and it is not due to the chilly weather that is starting to settle in. People are on guard and scared of what might happen while walking to the train or going for a run due to the violent events of the summer.

During late July and early August, many men were victims of strong-armed robberies throughout the Lincoln Park are. There were eight attacks total, five of which are linked and the others are still under investigation. All victims were men in their early to mid-20's and were walking alone. They were approached from behind by at least four attackers traveling by foot, who were also men in their 20's. The victims were asked for their wallets, then brutally beaten in the head and face. Two of the victims were hospitalized and as of mid-August, no arrests have been made.

All Eyes On FLYP

2009-09-21T20:36:00.000-07:00

FLYPmedia.com offers news in a new and interactive way that gives readers more of a voice and the world of on-line journalism a head start in to technology's future.

The "more than a magazine" proclaimed website offers text, video, and photographs to capture a reader and put them right inside the story. The site is simple and extremely easy to navigate, even for those who aren't as "computer friendly" as our generation. The topics of articles range from the latest celebrity gossip to the advancements in science. By browsing the site for a couple of minutes, I can find out what's new on Chicago's dining scene as well as the current status of global warming.

Instead of sitting at your computer and trying to find your way through CNN.com, FLYPmedia gives you simple topics and articles that are only one click away instead of several. The interactive website offers a variety of topics, blogs, and podcasts that shed new light on the developments in journalism. The site gives people more freedom and interaction on what they want to read about in just one place.

Before exploring FLYP, I was expecting to find nothing more or different about it than sites such as AOL and the Chicago Sun Times. However, I learned that the stories I read were made for this website and they combined all of the exciting elements of a story to one page instead of scattering them to different links.

It is the perfect website for people who want news in a way that has never been experienced before and it is a perfect outlet for upcoming journalists of the future. FLYPmedia is proof that journalism isn't fading away; it is just getting started within the dynamics of new technology.

Kanye West Controversy

2009-09-14T20:16:00.000-07:00

Kanye West was the topic of many people's conversations today due to his "disturbance" at the MTV Video Music Awards last night.

Taylor Swift won the moon man award for "Best Female Video" and during her acceptance speech, Kanye jumped on stage and proceeded to grab her mic and announce to the audience that he thought Beyonce's video was better. DePaul University's campus was buzzing today about the humiliating moment for Swift and how some locals were embarrassed that Kanye is a representation of his hometown of Chicago.

Kanye's less than tasteful behavior

brought on many enemies through Hollywood, including P!nk and Kelly Clarkson.

Kanye has since apologized to Swift numerous times today, including one during an appearance on The Jay Leno show airing tonight.