What a coincidence!

Next Sunday will be me and Michael's commitment anniversary. I guess it sounds weird but I don't know what else to call it. But anyway we have chosen a theme for our gifts to each other, I know how organised are we. We chose "Paper" which is kind of a coincidence since I have just recconnected with my old love of snail mail and penpalling.

Actually I have been having a number of coincidences lately. On Wednesday, I met my friend Guo Zhi Bai in Dublin city centre and I hardly ever get to see him because he is so busy with his life and his job and his studies and his badminton and everything else, you name it, he's probably busy with it. So we finally arranged to meet up on Wednesday and we headed to Super Mac's had a nice chat then off we went to the cinema.

We bought our tickets to see "Crazy Stupid love" When I was in the bathroom I checked my phone. My former classmate had text me and thrust me, he had been keeping quiet for the last 6 weeks, I had no idea where he was or what he was doing. He's another one of the busy sorts.

He text me to say "what a coincidence, I saw you with that basketball boy" him and Guo Zhi Bai don't get a long. Naturally I was shocked and was thinking how did he see me, but I didn't see him, My eyesight isn't that bad... right. I tried calling him no answer so I left it.

But the other weird thing at the cinema is we bought Diet 7UP in Spar rather than in the cinema to save money, I know were stingy students.

When I sat down I put my Diet 7Up in the drink holder beside me the lights went off and by accident i hit my bottle, I heard it land on the floor, I used my phone as a torch light to try and find it, because there's no way it could have gone far, but no luck.

So after the movie when the lights came on me and Guo Zhi Bai searched again and still couldn't find it. It was weird maybe the 7UP fairies stole it. Or maybe this was a punishment inflicted by the cinema owners for being stingy.

A stepping stone, thats sll

My boyfriend decided he had no choice but to change jobs this week, I can't really blame him, considering the boss was trying to sell it from right under his feet, I don't know why the boss didn't have the decency to tell him out straight that they are planning to close up, instead they just carry on some sort of charade.

To be honest I am not happy about where he is planning to work next, a place called Shelby's Brasserie, Bray The first time I went there with my family, I didn't know anything about the restaurant or how it was run, and thought the food was delicious. All European food, I think I had spare ribs, duck and choclate fudge cake.

They market themselves as a family run restaurant, which sounds really sweet and lovely, like a mom and pops sort of high class restaurant. Little did I know at that stage that not even one member of the kitchen crew was European, let alone Irish, The whole restaurant seems anything but European. Its just got an artificial dressing of Irish and European waitresses

Now I have nothing against people from outside Europe working in European restaurants. My issue is the pay. The owner "the supposed all round family front man" offered my boyfriend 300-350 euro per week to be a starter chef in the kitchen (I don't mean starter as in beginner. I mean responsible for cooking the first course) 8.65 per hour basically, Almost everyone working in that kitchen is getting that.

Do you know how many starters are on the menu? 15. My boyfriend has stayed up til 3 in the morning studying this menu for the last 3 nights and has been waking up early, cause hes stressed out thinking about the menu.

Then they asked him to come in for 3 days training Sunday, Monday and the coming Thursday. They worked him to the bone on Monday and Sunday and didn't even pay him twopence. Its unbelievable, I know its training but seriously I know he worked just as hard as the others in the kitchen.

The other reason I didn't want him to take this job, is because his friend who's working there as a kitchen porter, was given a zero hour contract, meaning they can call him any day at any time to come and work so basically he has no free days at all. I don't want my boyfriend trapped into something like that. Its disgraceful.

Last night when my boyfriend came home from the training he looked so sick and then he told me that the boss does not allow them to eat any of the food in the kitchen not even a morsel. I swear its like a modern form of slavery.

Anyway I tried to reassure him that this job is just a stepping stone. your not going to stay here forever, I told him to keep looking for another job in the meantime.

Pop that cork!

We almost didn't make it down to Cork, My boyfriend's job seems to be under jeopardy at the moment, well we have known this for quite awhile, The restaurant has got quieter and quieter as the weeks go by. Theres always been something to blame it on,

for instance, the bad weather is keeping people away since they have stopped doing delivery,

last week was back to school time and parents obviously didn't have any money left.

 I want this bag

but then this weekend it got considerably worse, we saw the restaurant is up for sale on Daft.ie, and they haven't even told my boyfriend or any of the staff there Then to put the cherry on the cake, they didn't pay him this week.

Which meant Cork was more or less out of the question. :( until my Mom finally agreed to pay for half of the hotel and I used some spare cash I had in my post office account and off we went.

Off we set we got the bus from Dublin to cork, and as usual were late, and ended up getting the worst seats on the whole bus, second from the back, with an extremely noisy and drunk, rude polish man behind us, who was more of a Dub than the Dubs themselves.

We couldn't wait to get away from him and rush off the bus and head to our lovely hotel, The Gresham Metropole. very nice hotel, although a little noisy at night time, We went to Tasty Oriental for dinner. It was really good and very reasonable 35 euro for 2 people. 3 courses.

The next morning we woke up bright and early, (because of the traffic outside) and had our traditional irish breakfast.

Then headed off into the city to explore, we went to the English market, then to St. Fin Barres Cathedral, University College Cork (I have to say it is almost as big as UCD) then we went to an art gallery which my boyfriend loved, it wasn't like a traditional gallery you would see in France, it was much more contemporary.

English Market

University College Cork

St Fin Barres Cathedral

Art Gallery

We were planning to go to FItzgerald park and Mueseum, but it started lashing raining and we were starving, so we gave it a miss, but sure theres always next time.

We got on our bus at 6 and were glad to see their were no drunk polish men around. We made it back to Bray at 12 and I crashed out on the bed straight away my poor little legs were walked off me!! lol

What's next?

I handed in my last two assignments on Wednesday afternoon, One was a book review and i swear to god, it nearly killed me. I hadn't written one since I was in primary school and that was probably only on a short little children's novel. But this weeks one was on an Academic book of about 500 pages.

I stupidly only started it on Monday, definitely cutting it short. I spent Monday and Tuesday in the library from 11-5 both days. Mainly because of a huge Library fee that I am trying to avoid paying.

What happens to a library fees after you finish college? does it just keep going up and up and then they eventually come to your house like a loan shark and start taking away your stuff? or will it just disapear like my student number when I am no longer a student?

Anyway I spent Monday doing everything else except the book review, I listened to music, texting I went on facebook, I checked emails, I went on ebay, I researched hotels in cork :) On Monday we are going on a short trip to Cork to celebrate me finishing college, Does anybody know anything interesting to do in cork?

So basically Monday was completing unproductive and full of procrastination, then on Tuesday I finally settled down and got somewhere and thank god I was able to hand it in on Wednesday ^^

After I handed it in I had to rush like a mad woman to catch my bus and make it back to Bray for my Brothers, girlfriends Debs before party at her house (for all my American readers the Debs or the Debutant Ball if you like is the Irish prom )

heres me in my Debs dress with my sister ~!

Me with my date lol

Me and my date at the other Debs~

I loved my dresses especially the pink one I wanted to be a princess, the only thing i was missing was a tiara.

Anyway enough about me the real centre of attention should be Katie my brothers girlfriend she looked gorgeous, and my brother didn't scrub up to badly haha! here are some photos

 Me, My mom, my brother, Katie (Brothers girlfriend) and my sister

 

The movie star pose~~!!

I think going to the debs with a boyfriend is a lot more enjoyable than going with a random guy friend you don't know to well. Like what I did I wish I could go back and time and bring my now boyfriend >.<

I will end this with the big question on everyone's lips, What now? Degree, Masters complete. Time to enter the big bad world.

Birthday distress

Its almost my boyfriends birthday, we are celebrating his birthday according to the lunar calender this year, because apparently his family always celebrated that way and he was working on the day of his actual birthday and i didn't even get to see him :( but never mind.

To be honest my gifts for him have always been a bit hit and miss. The first year we were together I bought him a wallet while I was on holidays. But he didn't like it >.< it was a bit too fat... it couldn't fit in his pocket properly

Then for his birthday last year i gave him some Aftershave and shaving lotion, I thought it was a nice set. He uses it sometimes but I still think it was a bit soso.

Then for Christmas I gave him a Tshirt.

Then when I was in Italy this summer I brought him back a tshirt and a camera bag holder. I think the camera holder was the most sucessful gift as it was something practical that he actually needed. However it was black. so it was still a bit soso.

so basically all the gifts I have given him have been soso. So for his birthday I want to buy something a bit more special. But I don't know what to get.

If I think practically we need a mop and bucket, which would make a really horrible gift lol. lets spend your birthday cleaning lol. Another practical thing we need is a clothes horse, nothing says a great birthday gift like lets get washing lol. Another thing we need is a bookshelf, a shoe horse, a desk, a maid.

Even better a baby mop lol

I know he would really like a touch screen phone,because his phone is ancient.. an Ipad, a gameboy 3DSI would also be ideal, but my funds are lacking.

So whats left? new pyjamas, meh, shoes? maybe,

If you have any suggestions please leave it in the comments!!!