Exams be gone!

Hello, hello, hello! I, like Megan, am also alive and fine and well, albeit praying for my exams to be over. I'm rather busy, but my proudest achievement of the semester may be my ever improving skills of procrastination. For example, today I woke around 12.30pm (#noregrets) and had a bit of a study sesh (for all of an hour). Then I had dinner, my lovely lady pal Tuffy called round, we had tea, decorated her (fake :( ) Christmas tree, went for on a chocolate run to Dunnes, had pizza and said chocolate and watched "Elf". Great way to spend your study week! 

The evening previous, I came back from a quick two days at home (Christmas shopping with my brother and sister!) and went ice-skating with some of my classmates, which was great bonding time. Tomorrow night then, my sister is coming up from Cork and we're going to see the ever wonderful, sublime Little Green Cars in the sold-out Dolan's. It's. going. to. be. UNREAL. If you haven't heard of them, then you seriously need to listen to their debut album, Absolute Zero. Here's one of my favourite performances from them, though they are all serious winners.

I've had two exams, oral exams and essays already done. I have one more this Monday, the dreaded German exam. I however am finding it increasingly difficult to keep focused. I find German to be my weakest subject and considering that I feel like I'm finished, I feel really non-pulsed by the whole affair. I hate being stressed and after spending an Erasmus year stressed beyond belief and getting sick as a result, I am doing as much as I can to not get myself into that state again. At the end of the day, I'm doing this degree to get a piece of paper. It's certainly not the bee all and end all. 

I will need to pull the ole socks up with next semester but right now, I'm too excited for Christmas with the family. I'm also going to see the absolute gem that is Hozier in Cork next weekend with Jessica and Ruadhrí! AHHHHHHH! He's just performed for Other Voices in Dingle over the weekend and his gigs have sold out countrywide so we're VERY excited.  

Not only that, but I am also heading over to Liverpool to see my dear friends, Emma and Monica, two days after St. Stephen's Day! We're minus our lovely field mouse, Rachel, who is currently conquering the jungles in Thailand. The girls visited me in Cork last February and we'd a great time, so it's now time to return the favor.

I've never really been to England as a tourist before so I'm really looking forward to visiting. I'll be there for New Year's too, which I'm SUPER psyched about because it's usually a bit of a shite evening around my parts. I'm going to see lots of Beatles-related things, and go to somewhere called Chester Zoo which is supposed to be one of the best around. There's also been mention of a £1 tequila bar. Uh - oh. I hope to get as many lovely shots as Megan did when she visited Dee in joymanee. 

Also, have to say a huge thanks for the lovely post by Megan wishing me the best on my birthday. The picture she used was one of me acting the maggot nearly two years ago when Shannon and Megan came to visit me in Vienna. On the spur of the moment, I decided to join them on a two day jaunt in Prague which was beautiful and creepy in equal measures.

For example, our hostel had this slightly questionable bathroom situation.

Gorgeous, right?

With lots of cute Soviet Union era cars

Some lovely graffiti on the John Lennon wall. 

Here's Megan sitting forlornly on the banks of the Danube, back in Vienna.

And us hanging around on the ole Enzis, ya know

   I turned 23 a few weeks ago (ewwww) and had a big party to celebrate. It was a Late Late Toy Show/Movember birthday party and we raised some money for charity, while wearing Christmas jumpers and moustaches and bashing the shit out of pinatas and having a barbecue and pass the parcel. Lots of fun but unfortunately Megan was stuck working and couldn't come :(

Dee turned 23 three days later and she is by all accounts having a fine time in Germany. Ciara, you need to fill us in soon too! I hope to see ALL of you over Christmas for Crane Lane pints and a chance to meet similar sorts to the 5 types Dee and Megan encountered in Havana's over the past few months. 

That is all of the news. Here are some pictures of recent times.

Toodles

S