To the failed abortion who broke in to my workplace on Friday night, first of all, thank you for making me absolutely sick to my stomach, and for the fact that I could barely sleep last night because that and a lot of other things were going through my mind, and for the fact that I could not for the life of me concentrate in work today because of what you had done. It really gives a whole new meaning to those Monday blues!

Second of all, let me apologise for the fact that we keep pretty much no money on our premises (apart from our petty cash, which you failed to get in to), and that you had to leave empty handed. If I was going to put any sort of effort in to robbing a place, I'd at least be checking if they had tea and buns (spoiler: we had both). I'm also sorry that our cupboards were locked, and that you couldn't get in to them with whatever you used, but being the special little snowflake you are, you tried, didn't you? Thank you for leaving lots of scrapes along the wood though, that didn't make me feel sick at all every time I had to go and get something out of the cupboards and view the reminder that someone had tried to gain access without permission. I'm sorry that there was nothing interesting in my drawer apart from clear nail varnish and some lipstick for you to take (but thanks for being considerate enough to leave them). I'm also sorry that our cleaners greatly inconvenienced you by turning up 20 minutes after you did. I'm also sorry that you felt it necessary to break the glass in not one, but three of our office doors. There really was no need :-)

That all said, thank you for being obviously retarded and for being stupid enough to leave one of your fingerprints behind the bathroom door in the men's room. Please be advised that forensics picked up on that. Rest assured, I hope they catch you :-)

I do hope you enjoyed your visit to my place of work, but if you feel like visiting again, please be advised we have seen Home Alone. We know what to do.

All the best!

Why I don't think the How I Met Your Mother finale sucked

Kids, I'm going to tell you a story, the story of the How I Met Your Mother finale. Before I begin, I will say that I love the show and have become completely emotionally invested in it, that's not something I really need to explain on this blog though.

But, about the finale (and I'll try not to make it too long). I've read the articles, and I even clicked on the Tumblr tag regarding the finale. The general consensus is that is it was awful. I spent a great deal of time thinking about it, having very mixed feelings, and I have arrived at the following conclusions:

Barney: When I first learned that he and Robin had divorced, my initial reaction was Lily/Daphne's "What the damn hell?!" I thought a lot about it, and I tried to justify it in my head. Whether or not you agree with this plot twist depends how strong you thought Robin and Barney were to begin with. I thought back to all the little moments over past episodes, and honestly, I could see the holes in their relationship. I saw the lies and manipulation it took for Barney to propose to Robin. I saw Robin's doubts about the fragility of her and Barney's relationship when she learned James and Tom had split up. And that never went away. I saw how Ted was always there first. He was the one who got to her at the carousel, he's the one who got her locket back, with great difficulty. As much as it pains me to say it, looking back over previous episodes, I can see it set up that Barney and Robin just did not work. Barney was always just too late. She was, in his words, "Too rich for my blood". Therefore, I could completely understand his regression and reversion to his season 1 self to get over the pain of losing Robin ("Can I just be me?"). I've always thought his womanising ways were a cry for help, and it is sad but that is how it goes sometimes. That said, I understood less the second plot twist about his "perfect month", and his getting number 31 ("pretty name, is that French?") pregnant. Although his moment where he meets his daughter Ellie is by all accounts, pretty damn beautiful.

Robin: As I've said, I always thought there was an underlying fragility to Robin and Barney's relationship. It never really went away. She always had her doubts ("You know what legendary means? It means not real"), and I think it's incredibly sad that her worst fears were confirmed and that she and Barney grew apart. They were similar, maybe too similar, who knows? It is sad but it's also realistic, as that sometimes happens, and I know that as well as anyone. As Barney said, it was a "Very successful marriage that only happened to last three years". The fact of the matter is, while I enjoyed Robin and Barney and enjoyed them being together, I also enjoyed Robin and Ted. Josh Radnor and Cobie Smulders have always had great chemistry, and while their characters were great friends, it was clear that it always came back to them as a couple. And there was always a key message of the importance of timing in the show. While Ted and Robin may not have worked in 2005 or even 2013, maybe by 2030 they would have. Maybe they were just making the best of bad situations, maybe they were just fulfilling the deal they had to be each other's back up. I'll throw my hands up, I had no real strong feelings about how it ended, but I was all the time trying to understand what the writers were trying to do, and Ted's thought process. I even made my peace with the really long dragged out wedding weekend for the final season, because I understood that that was how it felt to Ted. I'm not saying it made for perfect viewing by any stretch of the imagination, but I did understand. And while Robin and Barney did get married, there was always the matter of her career, which was swept under the carpet in what we saw on screen but ultimately wasn't going away either.

Tracy: Bloody hell, how perfect was this character? She is exactly the woman I want to be. I loved her and she and Ted had the perfect chemistry. Someone once said (I think this quote is normally attributed to Johnny Depp?) that if you fall for two people, you choose the second. Because if you really loved the first, you wouldn't have fallen for the second. I think this is what happened with Ted and Tracy, and there's no doubt in my mind that if she had not died, her and Ted would still be together in 2030. Call me naive, call me wrong, call me a "hopeless romantic", but I still want to believe that she was the main point of the show, because it shows the importance of the journey Ted took to become the person he needed to be to meet her. I'm just going to leave the following quote here, and honestly, it's my favourite minute and a half of the entire episode, if not the entire show. I think it sums up perfectly that she was not just "A surrogate" or "A plot device":

"Lily wasn’t wrong. It was at times a long, difficult road. But I’m glad it was long and difficult, because if I hadn’t gone through hell to get there, the lesson might not have been as clear.See kids, right from the moment I met your mom, I knew. I have to love this woman as much as I can, for as long as I can, and never stop loving her, not even for a second. I carried that lesson with me through every stupid fight we ever had, every 5 am Christmas morning, every sleepy Sunday afternoon. Through every speed bump, every pang of jealousy or boredom or uncertainty that came our way, I carried that lesson with me. And I carried it with me when she got sick.
Even then, in what can only be called the worst of times, all I could do was thank God. Thank every god there is, or was, or ever will be, and the whole universe and anyone else I could possibly thank, that I saw that beautiful girl on that train platform. And that I had the guts to stand up, walk over to her, tap her on the shoulder, open my mouth, and speak.”

Ted: I'm going to be the first to admit it: Ted at times annoys me. But like him, I'm a hopeless romantic, his journey mirrors my own, his attempt to put all the pieces of the the story together had made me think about all the pieces of the puzzle that is my own life. I don't really know what to say, I think that a key message of the show was the importance of timing, that the winds of change were always blowing. The kids themselves said it. "Mom's been gone six years. It's time". I don't think that Ted and Robin in any way negate what Ted and Tracy had, and the above quote alone makes me believe that and possibly rescues the entire show. The episode just shows that the winds of change are always blowing, and I can just see how the little moments from previous episodes all added up to give us the end picture.

Marshall and Lily: Okay, so they have always been the backbone of the show, they have always been together. I think Jason Segel's comedic acting is fantastic and I always laughed so much more when Marshall was on screen. I have no complaints about their story, although I have to say, their insistence that all the gang be there for "the big moments", saddened me. And I wish we had seen more of Lily fulfilling her art career, and not just "The kid" becoming "Fudge Supreme" by the end of the show.

Overall, I love the show, I always have and always will. And while the final season overall as well as the finale wasn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination, I do have to say this: I understood it.

What's in my bag?

Hellllo!

A lot of you may have seen these kinds of posts before particularly if you've been a follower of/contributer to the beauty community on here, but as I'm currently in Florida I wanted to throw in my 2 cents too. I have definitely been guilty of carrying about everything but the kitchen sink with me in my bag, including my iPad, charger, and for some reason I always have some papers in my bag too. I'm not sure why lol. And of course there's perfume and at the minute as it's the summer I've been carrying about suncream with me as I have terrible skin and I am absolutely terrified of the sun damaging it and making it any worse. There's also makeup, my camera that I always forget to use and of course water. Nothing very exciting or out of the ordinary but I hope you enjoyed it anyway. The bag was also a £12 Primark find :)

What's in your bag?

Dara x

Left my heart in Paris

Bonjour :)

So a few months and no bloggin'...thank god says you ;) well I am back, and I will try not to stay away so long next time. These are just a few snaps from Paris, where I was for a few days earlier this month. I'm sure it needs no introduction, and I absolutely loved it, and I am very pleased with how the photos turned out! I can't speak for the friends I was with but I am faaaaar from the most photogenic person, and so most of the photos I have are from the landmarks, such as Notre Dame (I also got one of the back of it when we were on the boat ride along the Seine). I also got a beautiful coin to commemorate the 850th anniversary of Notre Dame, Our Lady. She's not looking a day over 21, haha! If you're wondering what the planes are in the sky, it was Bastille Day in France on the 14th July (for any of my Northern Irish readers, that's basically the French version of the 12th July celebrations). It was an absolutely fabulous day, I kept singing the songs from Les Miserables in my head, haha! We also saw the Montparnass tower, and the Eiffel tower from a distance :) no trip to Paris would be complete without either of these beauties!

Overall we had a lovely few days, and I am so thankful and grateful. I also got to catch up with some lovely friends we have over there too. I am especially proud of my friend who organised the entire thing as part of her Queen's Guide Award! It's now my turn to organise my exploration, and I am officially bricking it, haha.

I hope you are all keeping well. Where have you all been travelling this summer? :)

Dara x

20...

So, I'm 20. And it feels weird to be so old! None of it makes any sense. But yeah, I am, and it's got me reflecting and looking back on my teenage years, an era that is ending and it's just hard to get my head around!

But yeah, the teenage years have been the best and worst of my life. There's unfortunately no way to say it without sounding cliche but I've cried more than I have in any other years, I've done and achieved so much more in my life than I ever dreamed possible, I visited some beautiful places, ate some amazing food, and I still have everyone who matters in my life. I skydived. I've been hurt more than I ever thought possible, and I saw some amazing artists live in concerts.

But above all, I have had a lot of fun, I've laughed loads and I met some beautiful people I didnt even know existed before, and I'm so happy to call them friends now. And that's what it's all about, isn't it? My life isnt the most exciting, in fact I'd say I'm the most boring person I know, but when I look back on the past 7 years, everything really did work out as it was meant to. I'm doing a fantastic degree at an amazing university, and I'm happy with that decision. I've worked my ass off and I'm independent and earning and paying my own way in the world. I've drank plenty, not as much as some people my age..but it never got repetitive or boring, and although there were many awkward moments, I really am happy with how it all went at this moment in time. And that's probably my greatest achievement.

There's a photo of me when I was 13, and here's one now of me at 20! I dont really feel like i've changed much facially, but hopefully you will see some progression in there, and ignore the bitch face!

D x

You say you want change, is that your favourite line of the day?

1. Katieface making a cameo | 2. frolicking background | 3. celebrating burrrrfdays in Uni :):) | 4. standard selfies with no makeup and my favourite hoody

This has been my week I'm afraid, it hasn't been exciting. Whilst I've had a lovely week, don't get me wrong, I'm still not feeling overly well and I just feel so tired and drained and demotivated and the need to sleep all the time, which has been going on for about a week now and I hope I'll snap out of it eventually, as it's worrying to feel like that pretty much constantly. I'll blink and it'll be Easter before we know it after all :) I really wish I had something better I could post and share with you guys but I'm afraid this is about as exciting as it gets, and even though March is going to be such a busy month for me I am definitely out of the way of documenting it with photos! 

I'm feeling fairly disheartened with blogging of late as it is. I first got into the blogging/YouTube community, especially the beauty community, around 2010, always as a subscriber and reader of course, I've never felt I have much to contribute myself (and you can probably tell I still don't by the posts I currently make!). But either way I've witnessed and seen how much the blogging landscape has changed in the past 3 years, and I don't think for the better. Life has happened and we're all busy, and it only really takes a few comments here and there from people online to make you see how things just aren't as they used to be. It's certainly put me off from contributing much at all in the first place, and I can see the change in all the blogs and channels I used to follow as well. It's certainly disheartened me, and it's partially the reason why I don't blog more also and why I can never decide what to do when it comes to this blog. Some ideas and inspiration are definitely needed but what can you do eh? 

Anyway, the mass essay aside, hope you're all well :) X

Take my hand, and we'll make it I swear

Hellllllllo!

Well, I chose the post title because I've had so many good days in uni this past while. It's remained dry and the sun has been shining, and it's been a reminder to me that I'm halfway there (hence the title :P) through my uni degree timeframe (scary!), although I still have 75% of it to be assessed and graded so I could also still technically end up with a first if I work my ass off, and I plan to!

Anyway, I have of course still made plenty of time for frolicking in the sun (although it is stilll FREEZING!) and well, these are me and my lovely friends

Hellllllo my no makeup face :/ Anyway, as you can tell we are the studious types as we did our readings for that week outside too :P but we did plenty of running about in the sunshine also. It's just been a really nice week in general and I'm so glad for it all.

So yep, that's been my week summed up in photos basically as I've done very little else but stuff myself with food (a post coming on that soon!). I still don't have a camera so I'm a little slacking on the photo front also but as I'll say for the 900th time I am hoping to rectify this soon, everything's been on top of me lately and heading in to my uni library for 8am 4 mornings a week this semester hasn't been fun, but I just have so much work I need to get through, as well as keeping up with having a social life, being employed, and of course blogging (I have a post on makeup up and coming soon also when I get batteries for my current camera/a new camera/a new face). Delete as appropriate.

Hope you're all keeping well guys!

D X

Queen's Guide Award

Those of you who follow me on Twitter may know that I am a member of Senior Section, the senior organisation within Girlguiding UK. Some of you may also know that I am doing a Queen's Guide Award, the most senior award you can attain within the organisation.

But wait, I hear you ask, what is the Queen's Guide Award? And isn't guiding something only 12 year old girls do? Well the short answer is no, Guiding can be done up until your 26th birthday, and thereafter if you wish to become an adult leader. Unfortunately the "reputation" it has for being mostly 12 year olds has made it very difficult to explain what we do to other people, but it's opened so many doors and opportunities for me and I am so proud to be a part of it.

The Queen's Guide Award is comprised of 5 different sections:

1. Service in Guiding. They term this as "providing an active service in guiding at a variety of levels", so pretty much what it says on the tin :) it comprises of 4 elements all designed to challenge you, develop your skills which can then go on your CV and be transferred into the workplace.
2. Outdoor challenge: They term this one as challenging yourself in an outdoor setting, and who wouldn't love roughing it out for 3 nights and 4 days in a camp setting that you yourself have taken the liberty of organising, getting forms, money, doing the Tesco dash? It also involves teamwork, which as I've said is one of the many essential skills you build on and develop whilst doing the award and your exploration!
3. Personal skill and development: this one involves spending 60 hours developing a skill (I'm planning to take up guitar for mine!) Can't wait :)
4. Community action: Again, this one is pretty self explanatory, but it basically comprises of a practical element and a research orientated element, and they can be related (I'm considering doing animal welfare, so I'd be researching this, whilst also volunteering at a local animal shelter, as an example). 
5. Residential experience: this is termed as "developing interpersonal and communication skills in a residential setting", again basically what it says, and I don't know about you but I would think that employers think pretty highly of those with all those skills. :)

I don't know if I've explained it all well enough here, but basically, in summary what this award offers is a whole lot of travelling (currently travelling to France in July for my friend's Queen's Guide Award, after which I will be able to plan my own expedition! eeeep), a whole lot of organisation, and a whole lot of working with people which anyone who knows me will know is right up my street. And to say Guiding as a whole has changed my life for the better (I've met 2 of the people I call best friends nowadays through it) is no exaggeration.

Oh, and did I mention you can complete this award over a maximum of 3 years and that a massssssssive sense of achievement, a welcome addition to your CV and a cheeky trip to one of my personal favourites, LONDON, is your reward?

Oh and this:

:)

D x

2012 in review

These photos are mostly of the past few months of 2012, and to say they absolutely flew by is an understatement! Either way, I learned a lot, there were a lot of very good times, as well as times when I was at my lowest. I succeeded and I failed. I lost a lot, but I hope that what I gained will in the long term be twice as amazing. I did the most important thing I will ever do in my lifetime. I went on an amazing holiday. I made mistake after mistake and I felt constant guilt and regret that was relentless and never seemed to end. I "talked" to someone and although things never worked out he made me ridiculously happy and I learned a lot about me and what I want. I ate some amazing food. I cried and laughed in equal amounts, more than I have in any other year. I learned that no matter how much time passes people will continue to let you down. I also learned (most of the time) not to take things personally although this is a work in progress for me. But overall I prioritised. I realised what and who is most important and who was going to be around for the longterm.

Anyway, that was 2012 for me and I can only imagine that 2013 will bring more of the same. Although it was a tough start to the year for many reasons I hope you all had a good 2012 or at least can see that there was some good to come out of it and that 2013 will bring amazing things for all of you!

D x

Page 2/365

Bonjourno... :)

After having many crises over the past while about this blog, what I want it to be, going mooooooonths without posting and generally making a twat of myself, I am finally renovating this blog and well, what better way to begin than on a new year? (well almost)

Now, I realise that redoing all my posts means an awkward but ever so necessary "About me" introductory post is required, so I am going to start with 25 little facts about me!

1. For the first and perhaps most obvious fact, my name is Dara (and don't tell me it's a boy's name or you'll be losing your front teeth, IT'S UNISEX).

2. I have lived in Belfast for the past 10/11 years and honestly, I love the fast pace of life that living and being a student at university in such a unique city brings. We may not have been in the news for the right reasons in recent weeks, and it's a very unique situation, but basically, Northern Ireland is a beautiful place, and it will always be home to me.

3. I adore animals, more than anyone will ever understand, and I genuinely will never understand anyone who doesn't. I own a cat myself (although I'm undecided between them and dogs). She is a pampered wee madam who answers to the name of Katie (or Kit kat, apparently), and to have her wee face and purrs and cuddles to come home to every evening will always be the best part of any day for me.
out

4. If you know me, you will know I'm fairly blunt and honest (without crossing the point to plain downright rudeness, of course), and unfortunately it isn't always popular.

5. I'm in the second year of an English degree at Queen's University Belfast, mostly for reasons of a not-knowing-what-else-to-do-with-my-life-apart-from-writing-travelling-and-educating-myself-further nature.

6. I couldn't see for the first 7 months of my life.

7. One of the best things that's happened me in recent months is simply being told what a good friend I am by someone who knows. It's the simple things and knowing that my presence and the amount I care about and the amount I do for my loved ones is appreciated and not always overlooked or taken for granted.

8. I'm not an overly lucky person, but when it comes to my friends, family and colleagues I do appear to have gotten lucky to have met genuine, honest people (you all know who you are). I often have to remind myself that there's good and bad in everyone, and I do consider myself a good judge of character. If you are a decent person, I will see that and I will overlook your shortcomings knowing that you're an all round good'un. By that token I hope people do the same for me

9. Lately I've come to realise how much I do actually enjoy my job, for the most part anyway, and I'm very lucky to have it. I work as an administrator for a specialist pension planning company in Belfast and ah I love it. Doing the likes of cashflows and scheme returns (which involve working with numbers) is a welcome contrast from my English degree, and having brilliant colleagues (and 93846578 mugs of tea a day) definitely help! The best part is that I will hopefully be able to stay on in the job after I graduate and can do it full time (I'm there as a part timer at the minute because I'm at uni), which is kind of demotivating when it comes to my degree. Getting the balance is definitely tough but what can you do?

10. The song that was number 1 the day I was born (2 May 1993) was All that she wants by Ace of Base. And I just so happen to really like that song :)

11. I don't really get the whole fascination with celebrity culture. They're people just like the rest of us! I support genuinely talented people who deserve to be recognised for what they do, not people who are famous for doing sod all like a lot of celebs I could mention these days!

12. My favourite film is James Cameron's version of Titanic. Something about it has just stuck with me even though other films have came, gone and been forgotten.

13. When I was 16, I picked up a book for the first time to read called The Great Gatsby and within the year I did it for A-Level at school, it worked it's way to my all time favourite book.

14. My favourite band are probably You me at Six. I've had many musical obsessions and phases over the years and again this band are just one that have stuck with me.

15. My favourite TV show is probably Friends and it needs no explanation as to why. And since it's not being made anymore (I don't have Comedy Central boo), the only other one I really religiously watch and have connected to is Hollyoaks.

16. In other Friends related posts, I could actually really see myself relating to Monica Geller. I adore her apartment, and I could see myself easily being the hostess with 11 towel categories, a ribbon drawer and numbered mugs. Nothing would make me happier in fact.

17. I have always been fiercely independent. One of my favourite songs is Independent Women by Destiny's Child and I don't really think I need to explain why. Aside from the odd bit of help from the parents, everything I do for myself I do with my own money. I pay my own bills, fund my own car, and look after my cat who is happy and healthy. I've worked my ass off for everything I have (as cliche as it sounds), and I learned the value of money a long time ago and yeah.

18. Despite that, I could actually see myself being really happy as a housewife. Who knows, perhaps I'll spend my 20's as a career woman and be ready to settle down, have 8 kids and spend my days cooking, cleaning and baking soda bread by the time I'm in my 30's and beyond?

19. Unfortunately I never really enjoyed school, for a lot of reasons, and the day I graduated it was the best day of my life.

20.  The day I graduated school also happens to be the day I passed my driving test. Driving has been amazing and has given me so much flexibility and freedom. It isn't cheap, of course, but you can't put a price on the freedom to go wherever you want whenever you want.

21. I'm 90% sure I don't want children

22. Despite that, I do still believe in love, and even in 2013 I believe humans are still capable of it, and I'm 90% sure I do want to meet someone amazing and get married.

23. I had my first kiss when I was 13

24. My first concert was Nickelback (I WAS 15 DON'T JUDGE ME)

25. I prefer colder temperatures to hot but lately I've been finding myself longing for the warmer months and a bit of sunshine. I fear I may be becoming normal!

Oh and there's my face. I hope you all enjoyed reading this (God knows I enjoy reading other people's, although I'm hoping this isn't going to turn into a personal blog, as I'm really not that interesting). I hope to post a varied range of music/food/beauty/fashion/lifestyle posts, with the odd review and the odd personal post/rant. I really hope you all enjoy reading and won't be strangers, please feel free to comment!

D x