An Open Letter To My Dearest Neighbours

My dearest Neighbours,

I hope this letter finds you well, and thankfully by the sound if it it finds you in very high spirits. Now, as I'm certain it hasn't escaped your notice that the month of April is upon it. This can be a very exciting time for many as it bring with it the season of Spring and of course all things Easter. A time of jubilation indeed, that by the sound of it every night this week you truly are making the most of.
I am writing this letter to you as a friendly reminder. The month of April is also considered by many, according to the lore, as 'study month' (I believe it's pronounced 'stuh-dee', but no one can be truly certain.)
The reason for my imparting of these pearls of wisdom is twofold:
Firstly I enjoy the sound of my own voice, or in this case typing so I felt this a valuable outlet, and secondly the fact that you haven't shut the f*ck up over the last week is proof enough that you are probably unaware what a book is, never mind having opened one at any point over the last 12 months.
You see it may have escaped your notice that the day tends to begin before 3pm when you emerge bleary eyed and reeking of shame from the darkened cavern you call a bedroom. Yes, the AM,  the time of day when people who want to get things done, you know, do things. I like to consider myself one of these people however it proves a more difficult task after a night of you charming fellows standing by my bedroom window screaming for Adam. (Not to say Adam isn't a lovely chap, I'm sure he is).
I am by no means the most diligent student. I procrastinate with the best of them. However, as I aspire to more than (as I've heard you yell oh so loudly in the small hours) simply 'being a f*cking legend' I would enjoy to get to sleep at a reasonable hour, or at least drift off to something more relaxing than the sound of Wonderwall being butchered more than usual.

I would say I wish you well, but that is proving difficult in my current sleep derived state, so I leave you with this: Shut the f*ck up or I will be introducing you to a whole world of pain, because no matter how bad a drunken rendition of Wonderwall sounds I'm sure it pales in comparison to anything from Nickleback's back catalogue. Aren't you?

- Claire

Happy Birthday To.......Me?

Good evening human.
So this post is,  shock horror, a tad overdue. Oh well. #YOLO right? (I completely understand if you never want to read another word I write ever again)
So October 28th was a very very special day. It was the anniversary of the birth of, lets face it, an unforgettable figure. A person who has touched the lives of many and whose importance can never be overstated. So if you're reading Mr. Gates. Happy Birthday!!
Oh, and I may have turned 21.

So this is it I officially have 1 year left before I'm 'past it'. Before it's time to be a real life grown up. This prospect terrifies me, however if the first few days of twenty-somethinghood is anything to go by it's going to be a year filled with funtimes.
The weekend consisted of family, eating fry ups (thankfully I have yet to develop an intolerance), family, tea, presents, family, tea, large dinner and family in that order. I ate so much I thought I would never stand up again. This premonition is thus far proving exceedingly accurate.
The following day consisted of yet more eating and the spending of an obscene amount of legal tender. Like...truly obscene. However out of it I gained an awesome new phone (It's nice to be able to plug out my phone and not have to sprint the length of the house so it can be plugged back in before it dies), clothes, make-up and a spectacular case of spenders guilt. This escapade was followed by a meal with some lovely people. The less said about this he better, though all I will mention is 1. We were in the particular establishment for 3 hours and 2. We were almost overcharged by €100. I bet you can guess what the next step in our evening was. Isn't it true that every 21 year old frequents the local public house for a few beverages before sauntering home? Well yes, unless they get sidetracked by the midnight screening of Thor 2 and end up seeing that instead. I fail at being an adult. (In other news, excellent film)

I also managed to come away with a decent haul which included:

• A sword of Gryffindor letter opener
• An array of awesome mugs (special nods to Anchorman and GOT)
• Books
• Stationery
• Socks (of the fuzzy variety!)
• Breaking Bad poster (Aaron Paul. Babe)
• An alpaca related t-shirt
• Doctor Who stamps (I squealed)
• A way of minimising spenders guilt in the form of vouchers

All in all I had one awesome time and thoroughly appreciate everything everyone did for me. Here's to 365 days of remaining youth. In the meantime there are many essays I should be writing. Expect the next post to not exactly be full of the joys of life. I know you're looking forward to it!

- Claire

Growing Up is Overrated

Ever get bitch slapped by reality? Like I mean really properly walloped? This week I was left black and blue and most definitely ended up with a (thankfully brief) loathing of life.
Now please don't get me wrong, I always knew that being an adult was nothing short of well....not fun, but suddenly the prospect of actually becoming an adult isn't all that far off.
So what brought about this realisation of impending doom....sorry, impending adulthood? 2 spine chilling words, 'Recruitment Fair'. Up until this point the words recruitment fair were synonymous with free stationary and nothing more. This year however I actually went with a purpose, to find a career that would allow me to be able to eat at least semi-regularly for the next 40 odd years. An hour later I staggered back into the warm (however fleeting it may be) embrace of student life with a bag full of various complementary items and some serious food for thought.
So what did I learn this week? It's bullet point time!

• Growing up, as I may have previously stated, is not a nice thing.
• Having to face the harsh reality of actually getting a job is positively terrifying.
• If you play your cards right when talking to recruiters you can walk away with a lot of stuff you don't actually need but are happy to have anyway.
• Apparently Leaving Cert points are still important.
• Similarly UCAS points are also important and converting the former into the latter is a pain in the neck.
• A lot of businesses want to send you to Taiwan. 
• Signing up to websites like Grad Ireland  or Prospects UK  is well worth your time.
• Even though all this is scary as hell it's pretty damn exciting at the same time.

Let the applications begin!

- Claire