Friday 26 December 2008

This is Punk Rock

This is my understanding of Punk Rock as described by The King Blues. Its not Drinking and drugging just cause its illegal. Its not graffitting that silly "Anarchy" A on walls. Its not fights, cursing, ripped clothe etc. This is punk rock. This song is punk rock.

What If Punk Never Happened

Well on a cold Tuesday morning, I was walking into town,
Had my headphones blaring, didn’t notice what was around,

I crossed the road, a car swerved and nearly ran me down,

Looked in the driver’s seat, I swear to God it was Doc Brown,

He said “Are you Michael J Fox?” I said “No I’m Jonny Fox”,

He said “Close enough, get inside,

I’m taking you with me to see another time,

A place you could only have dreamed in your mind,

An alternative reality situated just outside of Clapham,

So strap yourself in,

Cos where we’re going you don’t need roads,

To get to where punk never happened”

We landed in a concrete desert, rubble as far as the eye could see,
I says to Doc “Where we goin’?”
Doc says he’s following me,
We found the only building in the city that was left standing
It was my local venue,
I know cos I recognised the landing,
And there’s a gig on tonight! This town ain’t so bad,
I got everything I need, right here in this pad,
So I pulled out a bottle and took a heroic swig,
Made myself comfortable and got ready for the gig,

Well an hour after doors and there was still no-one there,
The soundman was on acid, the fucking long hair,
The bands never showed cos they didn’t see the point,
When all the kids are at home still smoking a joint,
They won’t go out and do nothing, not on your nelly,
They’re just watching the telly and then feeding their belly,

Their parents listen to The Beatles, while they listen to Nirvana,
Cos Green Day and The Pistols, well they never heard either
They got long sleeve T-shirts and they never shower,
They still believe in flower power,
The hippy dream’s faded but they got nothing new,
So they wear flares and slippers and burn incense sticks too,
The kids would rather skate than go out and smash the state,
While their parents sit still and meditate,
Action’s at a low when people just don’t care,
They zoned out to their surroundings, the anger’s not there,

And I’m stuck in this hippy, grunge reality,
Where the buildings are crumbling down from apathy,
They grab you at school when you’ve just turned 13,
And show you your brand new, life long routine,
You can sleep and work, and work and sleep,
So you can save up the money to buy a new jeep,
So you can sleep and work, and work and sleep,
Then sleep. Then work. Then work. Then sleep.

I pulled a fanzine out my back pocket, held it in my hands,
And watched the colours slowly fade away,
The words bled right off of the pages til it had nothing left to say,
I banged on the jukebox but it was useless,
It had no good records on,
Not even something weak like ‘The Best Punk Album In The World Ever Volume 1’,
Outside the windows, I saw the excavators coming to tear the place down,
No-one stopped them, for there is no community left in this town,
There’s no-one around to fight Margaret Thatcher,
The power of the flower just couldn’t match her,

Too strong was the will of Parliament to cause damage,
That with no punk rock everything went unchallenged,
Land got knocked down to build more land,
That got knocked down again for a couple more grand,
With no punk the protests were full of throwbacks calling each other comrade,
Of course the young folks’ attendance started to fade,
So it was easy for the police to move in, they were trusted,
And that’s when the whole damn town got busted,
They moved CCTV cameras in everywhere,
But the people were too apathetic to care,
They made them carry ID cards to state where they’re from,
As if by being born they had done something wrong,
They shipped all the poor folk to live out in the edges,
So the rich folk could move in and peer over their hedges,
“But before you leave, you’d better build our homes,
There, we’ve done you a favour, now you’re on your own,
This ain’t your home no more, go find somewhere new,
I know you ain’t got the money, cos it’s me who employs you,
I know everything about you, what you eat, how you dress,
Your hobbies, your turn-ons, your email address,
While I had you working in the dark, you didn’t realise,
That I completely stopped your ability to organise,
I didn’t let you have a reason to communicate,
I banned punk rock knowing you hippies would seal your own fate,
I controlled everything you wrote, everything you created,
I distracted you with advertisements so you forgot what you hated,
I fed your dark side, kept you consuming and competing,
And like a dog that doesn’t know when to stop eating,
You took it all, oh and long was it my intention,
You could have beat me if punk rock was your invention”,
Instead the city will be sold to the highest bids,
If only Sham 69 had of united the kids,

If only the 4 Skins had told us ACAB,
If only The Ramones had let us know we were a happy family,
If only The Buzzcocks had shown us how to do it ourself,
If only Crass had shown us there are things more important than wealth,
If only The Vandals had shown us it was OK to smile,
If only The Dead Kennedys had helped us put our government on trial,
If only Rancid had played live, and brought with them that vibe,
If we had Sick Of It All and Madball we could put them all on the frontline,

If we had GG Allin we’d have learned it’s OK to be hated,
If we’d have had The Refused then we could have innovated,
If we’d had Poison Idea then they couldn’t push us over,
If we’d had Minor Threat then we could have done it sober,
If we’d have had Against Me we could have done it all unplugged,
If we’d had Operation Ivy we could have done it then fucked off,
If we had The Blitz, The Clash, Disorder, Propagandhi,
The Exploited, NOFX and anyone that’s handy,

There’s a lesson to be learned, one that I will take home,
When I return to my normal reality zone,
Punk rock has the power to change the world,
It lies in every single punk rock boy and girl,
So don’t let anyone tell you you’re not worth the earth,
These streets are your streets, this turf is your turf,
Don’t let anyone tell you that you’ve got to give in,
Cos you can make a difference, you can change everything,
Just let your dreams be your pilot, your imagination your fuel,
Tear up the book and write your own damn rules,
Use all that heart, hope and soul that you’ve got,
And the love and the rage that you feel in your gut,
And realise that the other world that you’re always looking for,
Lies right here in front of us, just outside this door,
And it’s up to you to go out there and paint the canvas,
After all, you were put on the earth to do this,
So shine your light so bright that all can see,
Take pride in being whoever the fuck you want to be,
Throw your fist in the air in solidarity,
And shout “Viva la punk, just one life, anarchy”.

Happy New Year??

I've been feeling very angry these days. I know this rant ignores many good and indeed great people in the world. But after all it is not directed at them. This message is directed at the people who see the problems we face and don't care unless it effects them.

At this stage everyone is gettin' ready to send their Monotonous, unpersonalised "Happy New Year" text messages to everyone in their phone book, inculding the occassional Associate they no longer speak to, or the people they don't even like. This in itself makes these messages a lie.

This year I will be refraining from texting anyone. I don't care for the new year; and why should I? What has Changed? The problems of 2008 don't disappear? Infact they come with us, and join the growing pile of problems that we will create in 2009, especially as we face almost certian Financial Crisis, worldwide. After the holidays end we go back to the jobs we hate, and the people we no longer wish to date, to Education and exams etc.

After a few weeks we will stop going to the gym and begin smoking again, without even realising that our "resolutions" were just selfish thoughts aimed at bettering ourselves.

44,000 Children here will still live below the Poverty Line
Hundreds will still be dying of Cholera in Zimbabwae
12% of Zambian CHildren will still be orphaned as a result of Aids
Women will still be Raped as a "Tourist Attraction" in Thailand
Civil Rights will still be ignored in Tibet and Burma
Palestinians will still be Opressed and UnFree
Ireland will still be unfree
UK Students will still pay too mych for education
People Will Still Needlessly Destroy the Enviorment
Scientists will still test on animals
33,000 Children will still die of Hunger... every day

and worst off all, People will still not give a fuck.

Yea Happy New Year Folks. 2009 is just going to be another miserable year for "Civilised" people of Planet Earth, where money seems more important than Life. What is Money? Money is Secular, Money is Debt, Money is Corruption.

Until the World wakes up and stops caring only for the size of their bank accounts and realise that people are dying on their doorsteps we won't see a Happy New Year. To quote the title of an Acoutic Revolution song, we have a "21st Century Famine" however I feel it is not a famine off food... it is a famine for Compassion, for caring and for Love.

Friday 12 December 2008

56.5

Okay just for a bit off fun while I'm setting up this whole new Blogging thing, I have come across a wee activity. Again I know nobody is going to read it but I thought I'd give it ago anyway.

Grab the book closest to you. Go to page 56. Find the 5th sentence and put it in a comment

"Apart from a brief flurry of Republican election successes in the mid-1950's, when four Sinn Fein representatives were elected on abstentionist tickets in the south of Ireland and two in the North(both republican prisioners), there had not been a real Republican electoral options for Nationalists to vote for." - The Hunger Strikes, R.K. Walker

So yea, if you are reading this, give it ago.

God Bless
Peace

Thursday 4 December 2008

Direction and Focus

I'm looking for a direction for my blogs, and a focus point. If you read over my blog, I have alot going on here. It started out as almost a diary about whatever was going on. Then I began to comment on Politics, Social Issues, Design Work, Computing and also continued with my Diary inputs. So I've decided that this doesn't really work. The original title for this Blog was "Whats a Chris?", and thus it made sense to post my Diary inputs. However Social Issues and Politics are a big thing too me. So this is the idea I'm currently jogging along with.

3 Blogs.
1 Account.

If that is possible on Blogger here it is what I plan to do. This blog will return to the title "Whats a Chris?", and I will continue to keep an online Diary effectively. I will continue to use the title "Guerilla Blogging" and that will be for my political opinions, albeit niave opinions, Social Issues and Religious Belief. That title came around as a bit off a joke. I know that some off my friends wouldn't agree with my opinions so I took my name and such off the blog. The third blog I have no title for, but it will be focused on my Design projects.

I'm currently working on the design aspects of the blogs, so it will be a week or so before this project gets off the ground. I've been looking into Blog promotion also, so I'm hoping to get some sort of readers base. We will see how that goes.

God Bless
Peace

Wednesday 26 November 2008

Whats it all about...

Well its been too weekends since my last Search retreat. If you have ever read this blog before, which I doubt you have, you will know that Search means a great deal to me. I've mentioned it countless times, and frankly its probably one off the biggest parts off my Life.

The past weekend was great. I think the team worked so well together and I definitely know I bonded with some people. Anyway I decided not to write about the weekend until after our first catch up meeting as this is when you get a real sense off how well it went. By this stage all the hype has died down and you have a chance to sit back and reflect on it. I still think it was great. I've known it to happen before where you feel you have bonded but after the weekend you realise that you haven't bonded at all. I honestly don't feel that is the case this time.

More importantly, you judge how well the candidates enjoyed it, as this is the first time they can come along to weekly meeting. On Tuesday night. nearly all the candidate returned. They all seemed as interested as they did as the weekend came to an end. I wasn't expecting the turn out so obviously I was extatic. But in the end whats it all about...

The mission statement says "Search is a group of young people who enable other young people to explore, experience and share their faith in new ways". I feel it allows you to prioritise your life. It allows us to reflect on what is really important, and what we should put first in life. The main focus of this weekend is then God, however nothing is forced on you. I think this is why it works. We allow you to make your own mind up. I know if I had attended a weekend and it had been all bible and preaching, Id have never returned. The gentle approach allows one to accept God in his or her own time. As a friend once told me, even the Great Man of Galilee whispered.

However to me Search has brought so much more than just a realisation and an acceptance of God. I can honestly say any Holidays, Experiences or Events I have been attended have been as a direct result of Search. I'll tell my story now, its most likely of little interest to many, but I just wanna get it out.

Three years ago, on the 05th of November, 2005, My sister dragged me along to this weekend retreat, run by a group of Young people calling them selves Search. I literally didn't wanna go. I didn't want to sit and have the bible forced on me and be told I was wrong for not being "Christian", to their standards. However upon entering the doors I was met by a really friendly group off people, that seemed to genuinely love eachother. I loved the weekend. I realised it wasn't about being Christian to their standards... It was about being Christian, about accepting that God Loves Me; And So I Did. From here I have achieved so much. I met a group off great people, and though I may not keep them in my life forever I will always have great memories. If you read through my blogs, and find the ones about Friends, and days/night out with my friends you'll note I met most off these people through Search. Due to Search I had a friend in Germany I could rely on, to put me up when I needed a place to stay in Germany.

I have always had wonderlust, and my First holiday outside of Ireland came from being part off Search. I visited Medjugorje, in Bosnia Herzegovina. It was at the time one off the Best weeks of my life. I'll never forget how the Sun sparkled off the Diamond waters of the Adriatic Ocean as the bus rumbled along the Coastal Cliffs of Croatia, down into the green valleys of Bosnia. The following year I attended the Redemptrist European Youth Congress in Limerick. I met some amazing people, and I had a great time. This year I went to Lourde as part off the Clonard Youth Team. Again I met amazing people, and had a great time.

Although I never got the chance to visit the developing world, to do charity work, I got involved with Serve through Search. I was accepted to fly to Thailand as a worker. Although this never came to be, I have great memories, such as Flip Flop Friday. More Info here...

Although most off my first gigging band had met before Search I feel it was through the group we cemented our bonds at the time, strong enough to forge a band. Since then sadly the cement has cracked, and the bonds seem to have split. I picked up my Acoustic Guitar, after years of neglection due to Search.

I could go on and on and on... But I doubt you read all this so I'll leave it here

God Bless
Peace

Saturday 8 November 2008

Ireland, Yes You Can

Last Sunday the Ministry of Defence, MOD, had organised a Parade through Belfast for the RIR returning from the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. My first point to bring here is that the MOD should have known better. This Parade was quite controversial in Ireland. The RIR have rose from the remnant of the UDR, much the way the PSNI where the remnant of the RUC. A rose by another name would smell so Sweet.

I did support the Republican view, that no British Army regiment should be paraded victoriously through our Non-British city. The Parade was a slap in the face off any Republican that has supported the unarmed advancement towards Peace. It was completely ignorant to the struggle and beliefs of 50% of this part of the Island. As a result I support the Republican demonstrations. However I was fairly disappointed with the only Legal demonstrations, as I felt it folded to way too many demands. It changed its route, its time and its final gathering point. To paraphrase the words of Eírígís Chairman, Brian Leeson, "Did Martin Luther ask Permission to march?". I'm very much against appeasement if it is to the detriment of ones beliefs. This Parade was merely to remind the People of the Occupied territory those they where just that... Occupied.

Brian Leeson however calmed my disappointment to the legal Republican march. He raises the point that we had a victory. The British Army paraded without music, without Arms and without RAF fly over as was planned. However I also had problems with the Protest Parades. Sinn Fein allowed the British Media to portray this Protest as a Republican, when this Parade should have been a Community wide protest for Peace, against the illegal wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

However this along with a previous post of mine about Amnesty International, has made me think. Many Humanitarian groups, Charities and Pressure groups along with the UN and the EU, have internationally recognised the Struggle in, Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, DR Congo, Darfur and the list goes on. However Ireland do not have International recognition of their Struggle for Freedom.

I believe the Republican movement needs to Campaign for this International recognition. The EU rules state, or stated, that no Country that lays claim to another can become a member, and yet the British, who lay claim to Scotland, Wales and Ireland have been members since the beginning. The UN have not officially recognised the Struggle, and recognised British Crowned Forces as being an occupying force.

Amnesty International is holding the "Un-Subscribe Me" campaign against torture in Guantanamo Bay Prison. They are one of many Humanitarian groups with this stance, yet none spoke out when the Irish people where being tortured in British run Prisons in their own country. The video in my Amnesty International post is specifically to highlight the "Stress Position" for of torture, however this technique has been used time and time again in Ireland. The have not called for the British to be called up for War crimes in Ireland, yet they call for America to be trialled over Iraq.

The struggle for Irish Freedom seems relatively low on peoples interest lists theses days. Appeasement and striving to obtain Political correctness, has almost killed the struggle. It’s no longer okay to say "I'm an Irish Republican", because it may annoy. To be Republican is not something to shy away from, it is not a bad thing and it is only offensive to people who are too close minded to accept the political views off other people.

Just recently, as stated in my last blog, the American people elected Barack Obama. The American people voted for change, and despite the odds, a voice said "Yes You Can", and they did. Well my message to those who feel a United Irish Nation is no longer achievable I say this:

Yes You Can.

Can you achieve the Goal, off a free United Ireland, separate from any foreign Governing body? Yes You Can!

The Proclamation of Independence, as read on the steps of the GPO in 1916 and accepted by Dáil Éireann, already states that we are a free independent country when it says "We declare the right of the people of Ireland to the ownership of Ireland, and to the unfettered control of Irish destinies, to be sovereign and indefeasible".

Ireland don't give up on your Country. You can be Free... Yes You Can.


God Bless
Peace

Wednesday 5 November 2008

America, Yes You Can

Well, it seems I will be keeping my Political expectations to myself for now on. As with my prediction of the Lisbon Treaty, I was also incorrect about the results for the American Presidential Election.

America Proved Me Wrong.

I really thought they would vote Republican. My faith in America has been restored recently anyway, but I still didn't feel the Population would elect a Black President. I Was Wrong. I woke up this morning to view History. A little of me wishes I was part off that History. I Love being Irish, but today it would appeal to me to be American, for the first time in many years.

JFK made the American population proud to be American. I believe that Obama has done the same thing for Americans today, after popular opinion hasn't been too friendly in recent years. The wars and the failing economy seem to have dampened America's view of itself. However this election has seemingly changed that.

This election has been slated as being "Historic", and I feel it has been, but maybe for different reasons than most. I've never seen an election in any country where, though I don't agree with everything both sides are saying, I do actually like both candidates. If I had to pick any Politician to be my Grandad, it would have been McCain. Both Candidates seemed to be genuinely nice people, which is a rare quality in Politics. The campaigns where not "dirty" to the level Politics usually gets too. The candidates seem to have a genuine respect for each other; Even in McCains closing speech, after accepting defeat, he defended Obama against a booing crowd.

I was backing Obama, purely because I'm slightly more Left Wing, and I feel he was too. I didn't completely agree with Obama however, and on some things I agreed with McCain.

I think the reason for Obama's win was 'cause he seemed to offer a way out of the past Eight years of failed Government. Although McCain was a Maverick, and no one can actually deny that, I feel he was to closely tied to Bush.

I think either candidate would have been good for America; Both Candidates would have brought Welcome Change. However more so with the Obama camp.

However tomorrow America will wake up, and George W. Bush will still be President; Their Husbands, wives, sons and daughters will still be in Iraq and Afghanistan and the Economy will still be close to Recession, and so maybe the celebrations should be held off for just a while, at least until January 20th 2009. Obama has a lot of work to do, and so Does America but today may have proved one thing...

America, Yes You Can

God Bless,
Peace

Friday 24 October 2008

Waiting for the Guards


An impressive video as part of the campaign for Amnesty Internationals "UnSubscribe" Campaign. In recent years I have chose not to follow Amnesty over their refusal to accept a ProLife stance, however I strongly believe in this campaign.

Wednesday 22 October 2008

Going Green?

Well, again its been a while. I just can't get myself into blogging since my return from Europe. I've wrote blogs, but deemed them uninteresting, and didn't post them. Up until now that hasn't bothered me, but now these days it does. I haven't been able to find inspiration. However this one is a rant in reference to a conversation I had recently.

I am quite enviormental. I would be an advocate for "going green". My discussion here is how non enviormentals tend to make a bigger thing out of it than Enviormentalists do. What do I mean by this? Well simply when you talk to people about "Going Green", their immediate reaction seems to be "Oh thats too much hassle". Well really its not that hard at all. Simple things can make a big difference, however people undermine them. For example, if your not in a room then turn the light out. Not watching TV; Turn it off. Going to a nearby store, walk don't drive. Many people think that its a whole other life being an "Enviormentalist", so much so that I'm not sure I want to relate myself to the word anymore.

"Going Green" can be simple changes to the way you do things, and just a little more extra thought. One thing that came up in our discussion was how they thought going green meant cutting out luxuries such as Air Travel. Where as some enviormentalists do choose not to use Air Travel, it is not an essential change. I for example have travelled three times by plane this summer. Infact we do not need to cut any of the luxuries out of our life; We don;t need to watch less tv, reduce Computing time, travel less etc etc. Just try the simple things.

1. Don't leave the Lights on if your not in the room
2. Turn of the TV at the mains, when your done watching
3. Turn of your PC at the mains
4. Don't drive unless you have too
5. Wash at Forty
6. Recycle

Recycling is the only change, that really takes more hassle. It does invovle sorting your waste, and may involve travelling to recycling bins or bays. Though for most of the North of Ireland, recycling bins are available from the councils, and will be collected in the same way as your waste bins.

So yeah thats all I wanted to say really. It may not seem that interesting to anyone, but trying the little things will help the enviorment, if we all start doing so. What other benifits are there? Well, you will save money, and in the time where the Worlds economy seems to be heading towards crisis, many countries already there, then we could all do with saving a few pennies. You'll spend less on electricity and less on gas. It benifits you and the Enviorment.

So yeah try the Green option for a while, and see what you think about it.


Sorry about the Self righteous Enviormentalist talk

God Bless
Peace

Thursday 2 October 2008

Im Sorry

Well its been a long time sine I made the effort to get a Blog up. I have yet to Blog about my trip to Europe and I have yet to have put up a Blog about my Week in Lourde. So I'm gonna throw quite alot in to this one.

Basically Europe was amazing. The indepth blog that I kept will never surface, by now its irrelevant. I flew into Paris, then visited Brest on the North West Coast of France. Its a lovely Maritime villiage. From here we returned to Paris. The City is beautiful, and is rife with Art, History and as much as I'd like to avoid the Cliché, it really is the City of Love. If your staying in Paris I would suggest the Montmartré area. It translates to the Mount of Martyrs. My reasoning is for the close proximity to the Sacré-Couer. It was my favourite Parisian site. If in Paris use their Metro. Its fantastic.

From here we crossed borders into Belgium to visit Brugge. Another beautiful place. The Camp sote we stayed in was beautiful, and was less than a half hour from the Square. We attended mass at the Chapel of the Precious Blood, and venerated the relic. It was all very overwellming. Before leaving Belgium we made the obvious stop in the Capital, Brussels. I don't want to talk ad about someones city, but I didn't get Brussels at all. Another border Crossing brought us to Germany, to the city that hosted the World Youth Day, previous to Sydney. Koln. It was a very nice city, and has a fascinating Cathedral and a great Zoo. From here we visisted a friend in birth place of Beethoven, Bonn. Then crossed borders again to the Beautiful city of Luxembourg. It really was a stunning place. Back into France this time to visit Strasbourg, before heading into Germany again for to ee Freiburg. We travelled back home through Paris, London, Holy head and Dublin.

Okay, I guess I'll talk about Lourde now. Lourde was amazing, and I have made memories that will last a life time. I met some amazing people, whom I hope to also have in my life forever. The whole place was amazing. The actual Sanctuary had me in awe. However the most special place in my eyes would have to be the Grotto. I stood in an area, that just 150 years ago, the Mother of Christ, and our Mother in Heaven stood. I was in absolute Peace the whole time I was there; Pray was easier than it has been in a long while. The Papal mass that I attended at 6am in the morning was great. The atmophere was fantastic. On top of the fact my Faith was given the boost I was looking for, the Craic was mighty also. Heres to the Jeanne D'Arc. Also it provided me with my first visit to the Basque region. It was a Beautiful Day.

In other not so great news, I'm not very happy in my current Job. I feel like I am no more than a glorified Technician or Secetary. Now I have no problems with said jobs; but after two years in a Industry specific course, this is not what I feel I should be doing. I know however I should not complian as many others have no jobs, and struggle with Cash flow. I pray for the strengthn to accept the work year ahead.

I believe that is all.
I won't be a stranger.

God Bless
Peace

Monday 25 August 2008

New Job

Well today was the start of the new year for me.

I began my third year of my degree, which just so happens to be my placement year. So in order to complete my degree I have to spend a year in industry, and so I am working as a Web Developer in the University of Ulster. At least that is what I was led to believe. After my first day I'm not 100% sure that is actually my job title.

There were three of us and we started at nine. We went straight to HR to fill/hand in the necessary forms. We got our staff photographs taken and were led down to our office. I was pleasantly surprised to discover we are in the same office, and not separated into offices with older people whom we are unfamiliar with. Anyway after a short introduction and explanation of the job we went for a tea break. We started our first jobs after this... Building Computers from Ghost images.

Not exactly Interactive Multimedia Design, but a handy tool I guess. We were rebuilding the machines to suit our needs. We only got two machines done before heading for lunch, and then back to the room. We installed the Adobe CS3 Suite and then basically sat around until the end of the day.

So nothing to exciting, but all in all it seems okay. I'm now under the impression the year will entail more than I was aware.

So just a wee short one tonight. In other news due to a lack of requests I'm merely going to post a ingle blog summarising my Euro Trip.

Till Then

God Bless
Peace

Monday 18 August 2008

Its been a While...

So August is nearly over and I haven't blogged in a while. Well I have but I just haven't posted yet, but I'm planning to make ammends.

So much has happened and I just haven't had anytime to myself. Where to start. For the whole month of July I was in Europe. I saw 4 countries and ten cities. I have so much to write about; From WIne on the Champ É'Leysée to mini golf on the side of a mountian in the Black Forest in Germany. It was great. I'm not gonna try and remember the whole lot in this blog cause I'll forget so much. I kept a daily blog though, so if anyone actually wants me to post them as I wrote them, comment or mail me. I don't believe anyone actually reads this so if I dont get the request, I'll just post a summary later. So coming home from Europe was a sobering experience. God Led me across Europe safely, and returned me home.. I got home and in the week I arrived there was two weddings , a gig and a night out.

I didn't have much time to rest. I got home two days prior to my cousins wedding as promised. I had to do a prayer reading at it. I got so nervous, but it went alright. The reception was great fun. It was so customed. Being a personal affair I won't go into it, but it was good fun. Two days passed and I got up and put on my suit again, this time for my Sister. Sharon McHugh was soon to be Sharon McQuitty.

I thought this day would never come, and honestly its a not a day I looked forward too. I'll be honest and say it caused a few family rows. However the day was great. We sorted everything as a family, and I honestly believe , or at least hope, the families have connected. My family laughed and danced all night. God blessed us with a great day. The McQuitty's are now safe at home after Honeymooning in Turkey.


So, the gig. Damien Dempsey played the Empire Music Hall yet again, and as always really impressed me. I brought my sister, as she is an incredibly talented girl when it comes to singing and music. I thought she'd be impressed, and she was. Though she knew no lyrics she enjoyed what she saw. I don't think I can go any more indept here; Damien is a great, honest and entertaining musician. You just have to see him live to believe it. His fan base is immense. His Latest album "The Rocky Road" is an incredible collection of the tunes that Damien grew up on himself. However the day brings me to my next point... The Dark Knight.

Previous to the gig me and my sister went to see Batman: The Dark Knight. At first viewing I thought this movie was amazing. I was blown away by Heaths performance. In an interveiw he said "Its probably the most fun I'll Ever have acting a character". If only he knew how true that statement would be. Regardless of him passing away, his portrayal of the Joker is great. However at second veiw I didn't feel so strongly about the movie afterwards.

It's not a masterpiece a many have said.
It's not the Godfather of the Superhero genre.

Asfar as being a masterpeice goes, the story was quiet week. What I mean buy this is that for being a Batman movie, he seemed like an irrelevant character. Replace batman with any superhero and you'll note he makes little impact. The film is about the Joker and Harvy Dent. So the story straight away takes away from it being a masterpeice. I have other problems but I won't dwell, the movie is still a great watch.

This is getting long so I'm gonna go.

God bless
Peace

Wednesday 2 July 2008

Serve Thailand Volunteers Leave...

Today the Serve Thailand Volunteers left, for Six weeks volunteer work in various Project throughout the Country. Yesterday the group gathered in Dublin for a last chance to bond.

I Joined Them.

I got an early train to Dublin and went straight to check in to my room in "The Shinning Hostel", on Marlbourgh Street. I had booked a Bed in a 14 bed mixed Dorm, under the impression it was not the same room as the rest of the group. Once I got settled I realised I had forgot my list of Phone Numbers and had no way of contacting the group. I went to an internet Café and read every email I had from Serve but still found nothing.

With the impression I was in the wrong room, and had no way of contacting them, I decided to count my losses and just go for food. I was aiming to eat for 5 Euro; In Dublin this is NOT possible. I opted for a Chippie called "Fusciardi's". The food was great, but being Dublin I got charged 2 Euro for a can of Pepsi. Darn Inflation!

At this point I was heading back to my Hostel, not really sure why. I was miffed and when I got to the door I decided to just keep walking, with no Idea where I was going. I turned down an Alleyway and was Happy, to say the least, when I saw Perrine, the group leader standing infront of me. God was definitely looking after me. We went into the nearest bar and waited a short while for others to arrive.

I love company, of Friends or strangers, so I really enjoyed the time spent here, getting to know new people, and talking to familiar faces too. With different people having different errands to run, for a short while it was just me and Perrine. I really enjoyed talking with her about Politics, Music and Travel; France in particular. Eventually everyone came back and the conversation lasted until the bar closed for the night. We went back to our hostel at this point.

I got talking to a girl about how I wasn't going to Thailand anymore, and the conversation led on to my time in Medjugorje, and my lost Rosary Beads. She reached into her bag and gave me a set of her own. I was really grateful. After all getting ready, we had a short chat with a Filipino man that was sharing our dorm, and tried to sleep. Though I didn't sleep for long, I was refreshed when I arose.

The group seperated and went to do there own errands again. My self and Pauline, the girl that gave me the Rosary Beads went to various shops to pick up what she needed. We got talking about the Bible, and our own Bibles before she left for a meeting. The rest of the group gathered, got some photographs taken and walked to a Thai resturant; unfortunately is was closed and so we opted for a Filipino resturant called "Café Milano". Pauline had rejoined at this stage. The food was great and then we made our way to the Bus-Stop so the group could get the 41 bus to the airport. Before leaving Pauline gave me her Bible. I was Very grateful for this.

I went no further than the Bus-Stop. As they drove off I began my walk back to my Train for Belfast. It felt like the longest journey ever. I really wanted to be on that Bus, and not this train. I knew that I'd be bothered, but I didn't expect to be this down about it.

I really hope the project goes very well, and all that all projects are successful. I have nothing to do with myself at the moment, as this is the Last place I really want to be.

God Bless
Peace

Friday 27 June 2008

Clonard Solemn Novena

Okay my second blog this night. I was gonna mix this up with the last blog post, but in the end thought it deserved its own post.

The Clonard Solemn Novena for 2008 concluded at half one on Friday Morning, and it was great. I've done Novena's before, I've even done the Clonard Novena before, but this one was different. I didn't want it to end. I really loved it. The theme this year was "A Life Worth Living", which is a big statement to me. Anyway I was helping out a little at this years Novena aswell. I worked the camera at some sessions, and sorted petitions every night. Some of the petitions read out by the preachers brought me near tears, and the session I attended on Tuesday did. I was so glad to be in the Organ Balcony at the time so that no one noticed. I just thought the whole thing was fantastic. So much work is put into it. I am sad to say I missed two days, for Christy Moore and Def Leppard. I've made the Promise not to miss a single day next year.

In general I think there are so many great people involved with Clonard, and it really does feel like a community, of which I am not yet a member, but felt so incredibly welcome. I won't start telling stories, but I suggest you attend next year.

http://www.clonard.com


God Bless
Peace

Rock N Roll + Folk

Well its half one on Saturday Morning. I've not managed to fall asleep, and so I've switched on to listen to some tunes. I haven't blogged in a while, but then Its not like anyone actually reads, or cares, what I have to say on most these matters. My last two blogs have been a tad "political", though Naively so.

Well I never got them blogs up, and so I've just decided to mix them all up. I'll start with the Music side of things.

The first of the blogs was to be entitled "I forgot about roll", but needless to say it never surfaced. It was meant to describe my feelings after goin to see "White Lion" in the Rosetta Bar. I gone off the "Rock Rails" recently as it has been a while since a new band has come around that I have enjoyed, and as a result I commonly say these days I've gone off rock. However it seems I forgot about the Roll side of things; Alcohol Fuelled, Sex Driven Rock and Roll. Anyway the gig was great. The first band that came on were called "Crimes of Passion", and sounded like they wanted to be from the 80's. The next band, Stormzone, could rightly have been from the 80's, and of course White Lion ARE from the 80's. It rocked. Just a week later I went to see Def Leppard, Whitesnake and Black Stone Cherry. Whitesnake seemed to forget they had got old, and kept talking about how "big" they were, and they didn't mean the music. Def Leppard had got old, and just didn't give a dam. They Rocked.

Mid Week I journeyed to Dublin yet again. I have a soft spot for that city. In the words of Damien Dempsey its the "Apple of my Eye". Speaking of which the reason I made the journey this time was to see Christy Moore, Damien Dempsey, Jinx Lennon and Paula Flynn. I really enjoyed it. Though eating in that city will bleed you dry. I went down early on the morning of Thursday the 19th. I booked into my room in "Isaacs Hostel". If your looking for a basic hostel in the heart of Dublin, check them out. Great staff, but maybe abit more pricey that you would like. Too me it was grand. I spent the whole day wandering with my Camera. Stephens Green is a great place for amatuer photographers in the city to play about. I got some good shots. So come 5 I reckoned I should get food, and then off I went to the gig. I was using Google maps to find my way. Here is a little warning, aviod Google maps if possible, they do not work. I eventually found the gig after walking in circles, being completely ignored by Garda, and being heckled by kids. The show was great and I got some good shots, considering I've never done gig photography. The bar was dry, due to Christy being a "T Totaler". Jinx Lennon didn't impress the crowd, but I found him entertaining, though he should come with the warning, not suitable for the easily offended.

God Bless
Peace

Monday 16 June 2008

Aesop’s Fable; Terrorism is understandable?

So George Bush was in Ireland today, attending meetings at Stormont and other such activities including attending an integrated Primary School. A protest was held, claiming George Bush not welcome, due to the fact that he is a terrorist. Now this isn't one of the three posts I have yet to publish from last week, but they will surface. Now I want to discuss any points here.


The first is why the People did not want George Bush to come hear. George Bush's Government is the cause of War in Afghanistan, the War in Iraq and helps to fuel the Palestinian Occupation. The Bush administration removed the Taliban from any power in Afghanistan, and where they were not the best of Country leaders they kept a hold on the Drug trade. The Bush Administration took the most liberal Country in the Middle East, Iraq, and turned it into a waste land. The murder of Sadam was a blatant desecration of Human Rights. The Bush administration claims their war to be successful. Since the invasion of Afghanistan the amount of Afghan Heroin in Britain and the US have exploded. The British have lost a total of 100 troops to date, burying 5 today. Today it was announced that more troops would be sent to Afghanistan, bring the troop number up to 8030. The American government have failed to keep to the Millennium Goals to cut down on fuel emissions. George Bush's government are the biggest of the terrorists, despite their "War on Terrorism"... What a joke.

So in one way I agreed with the protest against Bushes presence here, however in other ways I thought it was unnecessary. Firstly I don't believe we have the right to make anyone feel unwelcome in our country. Secondly George Bush should not be the current worry of the Anti Afghan/Iraq War - Palestinian Occupation. Currently the American elections are underway. The Party candidates have more or less been accepted as Barrack Obama for the Democrats, and John McCain for the Republicans. George Bush is on his way out and so attentions from the antiwar pressure groups should be directed at the new candidates. Don't get me wrong, I still agree with the AntiBush Government groups, not the Bush unwelcome protest.

So as I said there were protesters in Belfast City Centre. One man stood outside the Tesco's Bank Buildings shouting his political views. One statement he made hit me hard, and put quite a few thoughts through my head.

"War is the Rich Mans Terrorism... Terrorism is the Poor Mans War" - Man in Town

This is a Sentiment that I have heard often before. Every time a group of people have faced oppression, and wish for their Freedom, a basic Human Right, this sentiment has been used. It is not a justification for violence, but an excuse.

The Dalai Lama was accused of the sentiment recently after protests by the Tibetan people. Martin Luther King, Jr. has been quoted as saying "The Riot is the Voice of the Unheard", in reference to the Black Civil rights demands. Malcolm X has also been quoted on numerous sporting this sentiment; "Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone; but if someone puts his hand on you, send him to the cemetery". However the earliest example of this sentiment that I have came across, comes from the mouth of the Greek Slave Aesop, from 2000 years ago. Number 18 in Aesop’s fables "The Wolf and the Lamb" has been decoded to mean "A tyrant will always find a pretext for his tyranny, so it is useless for the innocent to seek justice through reasoning".

I don’t really know where I am going with this, but it has caused me to think quite a bit. These protesters that are against war excuse the war of the Poor and oppressed. Is this a double standard? I know that I understand the Fight for Freedom, but can’t understand how any Governing body can take part in a war. How can any Governing body justify the oppression of another group of people…. Is this a double standard??

I think I’ll end this here…

God Bless
Peace

Sunday 15 June 2008

No to the Lisbon Treaty

So it seems that the Irish people proved me wrong. The vote for the referendum on the Lisbon Treaty took place on Thursday and it seems that the No Campaign pulled through, as I had hoped.

The Lisbon treaty seemed very Undemocratic. The Treaty was practically the exact same as the Constitution that the people of Europe previously rejected. The rewording blocked many Europeans from voting on the treaty. The British people were promised a referendum by the Labour Government, and then never got said referendum. My other problem with this treaty is that I as an Irish Citizen had no Vote. The people of "Northern Ireland" are recognised as Irish Citizens, but then when a treaty comes along we are not allowed to vote with our fellow Citizens.

As a result of the rewording, 18 out of 27 Countries ratified the treaty with no Vote. 1 Country failed to ratify. The Czechs seemed to be saying that they will no longer bother. Some countries such as Croatia are claiming disappointment with the Irish decision, as they say it is against what the people of Europe are saying.

My understanding of the Treaty was that a Yes Vote for Lisbon was a No Vote for Ireland. It gave a lot of Power to the European Union, and after everything our country has been through; I don't believe we should hand any control over another body, other than the Irish Government, as anything else would be against the original Constitution and Proclamation. This would also jeopardise our democracy and sovereignty. Ireland are supposed to be a Socialist country, although it is no secret that we are not, but the Lisbon treaty would concrete the fact that we are not Socialist. Which is another reason I couldn't understand why the "Labour" party was voting Yes.

I'm happy that we have not as Irish people voted Yes.

Its been a while since I Blogged. I decided to devote this week to God, and intended to spend some time with God everyday. I'm aware that God is with us Always, but I wanted to spend some proper time with him. So I chose to try and attend the celebration of the Eucharist everyday, and spend the week away from my computer and such. It was a good and successful week.

In other News Gaillimh
have just beat Liatroma 2-14 to 1-13 in the Connacht Semifinals of the football. For some reason the Ulster Hurling Final is not televised. Aontroim v An Dúin . Up Aontroim.

Due to the fact that I haven't blogged in a while I have three blogs to post. So they may be up now, or over the next week.

God Bless
Peace

Wednesday 4 June 2008

I'm not sure...

I'm not sure why I'm blogging tonight. Just surfed that way. Its half 12 and I'm sat listening to a selection of Tunes from Dee McKendry and Laura Stevenson. My too favourite Local artists. At the time of writing I suddenly remembered about a gig in the No Albi bookstore I really wanted to attend. I had forgot all about it.

There is so much going on in my head these days. I wish I could poetically put it down on paper. That side of me seems to have dried up recently. Musically I'm really inactive these days. I got a mandolin for my Birthday, which is amazing and for a while I was right back in there. It didn't last long. I just don't see a point anymore. It just doesn't soothe the soul anymore.

Further more I spiritually feel further from God than ever before. Its a weird thing with me, because I have no doubt in my mind about the existence of God. I just don't feel him anymore. The fault here of course is all my own. I constantly fail at living the way I should. But God I Try...

I currently don't understand my own thoughts. I just want a distraction from who I actually am sometimes.

Have you ever had that best friend, that you could tell everything too. Nothing was too silly, too embarrassing or too much? I currently feel like I need that. I use to have friends like that, but the bond isn't strong anymore. Again this is prob my fault, I'm terrible for keeping in touch. I'm not sure what I'd say to that friend, but maybe my spirits would be higher.

I had no intention of Blogging tonight, and I don't really know where this came from, but it seems a shame to delete it now. I think I shall post it anyway.

Song of Choice the past week: Laura Stevenson - Coming Home

On other news Barrack Obama seems to have won the Democratic candidacy. I'm glad. My only problem with him is his pro-Abortion stance. He's enviormental, plans stronger gun control and wants to end war in Afghanistan/Iraqi. The Republicans however are not Enviormental, Pro Guns due to the 2nd amendment and are pro Afghan/Iraqi/Iran war. But they are Anti Abortion. Judging from McCains website.

Is America ready to vote Black though? My faith in America isn't strong enough to think they will.

God Bless
Peace

Sunday 1 June 2008

Eight Days Since The Week Ended...

So This Blog post is a Day and a half late; I had intended on posting it last night, but I didn't get home until 3am. Not a good time to blog. So basically this is a re-cap of the week that just past. Its the second week in a row I have felt the need to do this, which makes me happy. To explian the title, its been eight days since the last one.

So its the first of June, imagine that. Feels weird, but I'm happy enough that May was so good to me. I'll have to thank God for the Month of May. This closing week was great. We'll start with last Sunday. As I mentioned in a previous post, I started this week by going to my Friend, Aslinn's birthday. It was real good craic. We met up around two, and drove out to her home in Crumlin. When we got there she had just left to pick some one else up. As a result we were led out to the back where we waited Patiently. Now I can't tell you why, all I know is the craic was mighty. Now I said Patiently, but in truth it wasn't long before we started sneaking food which was meant to wait for the party. Aislinn eventually arrived, and our friend Chris, who I'd like to thank for driving us, changed his plans so he wouldn't have to leave so soon. It was great craic.


I'll not go into mondays excursion, I blogged all about it two posts ago. Its entitled "
Road Trip '08 (Part Two)". Again however I can't explian why It was so much fun. I can only make an attempt, as its impossible to capture the ecstasy you can find with friends. So... I'll move on to Tuesday I guess. Every Tuesday I go and sit for an hour in my church, to pray and read. This week was no different, and I always enjoy the feeling. That night however wasn't your normal Tuesday night. I made my way to Clonard, as usual, to attend Search, my youth group. Joe from The Gathering Drum joined us for a session, so we spent our Tuesday night in a Drum circle learning some stuff and jamming on African style hand Drums and Percussion instruments. It is amazing craic. I'd definitely suggest that you give it ago. Joe is a lovely guy, and it was great laugh. So check out the website.

Okay So Wednesday rolled around the corner, as Wednesday often does at that point of the week. Every Wednesday I have the same routine. I make my way to Clonard Monastry, and I sit in "Christ the Redeemer Church" and reflect or pray. After this I make my way to the Springvale centre on the Springfield Road where I work for the Intel Computer Clubhouse. I help Children to learn valuable skill on the PC, using programs such as Macromedia Flash, or Adobe Photoshop. Unfortunately they don't have the new Adobe CS3 Suite. Anyway this Wednesday Routine was a little different. Instead of going to Clonard, I met a Friend, Vicky, whom I know from work. We went to this Prayer room in Town, that I had wanted to go to, but not alone. So she brought me round, which I'm thankful for. It was brilliant. Its a pity its not a full time feature of the City Centre. It felt really peaceful, despite hearing people chatting, or passing traffic. I really loved it. Also I was lucky enough to get a Good Night out to Auntie Annies with some old Friends I hope to see more often.

I have completely forgot what my Thursday entailed.

Friday proved rather pointless, as all I did was work. Why can't the fun last forever?? Saying that I am blessed that I have found a job that I'm happy with. The Work isn't hard, all the people are lovely and the pay isn't bad. Especially when I compare this to the years I gave to Au Naturale. The people there where still lovely, but the "suits" seemed to care little for the people. The pay was minimum minimum wage. Yes, I typed minimum twice on purpose.

So I'm going to Lourdes in September, and I had a meeting this week. I was late. I don't like to slander anyones reputation, but I will never use Bridge Cabs again. Everytime I've used them has been an experience I'll tell ye. But I thought since I was in the Depo it would be okay. I was told ten minutes, and it was just under an hour before I gave up and left. I was late for my meeting, but just in time for the Ice Breakers. I Love Ice Breakers. Anyway the meeting was good craic, and I just can't wait to make it to Lourdes this year. I've never been, but I've wanted to for years. After this myslef and some friends went out to Fibbers again. Evveryone seemed to have fun. It has given me some things I think I need to reflect upon, and change within myself. Strange I know, but that is how I felt.

Oh and Laura Stevensons CD arrived on Saturday too, and it is an amazing CD. Its Melodic, Sometimes Sombre and always Beautiful. A fantastic collection of tunes. So if I EVER remember what Thursday entailed I'll edit this post and add it in here. Please don't be offended if it involved you, who ever you are, I'm just having trouble putting my week in order. Due to the length of this I must leave it here.

EDIT: SO I am an awful fool. I blogged about my Thursday already. I went to see Treasure Island, and you can read about that in my blog, creatively entitled "Treasure Island".

So Essential Links for the Week ahead folks:

The Gathering Drum: http://www.
thegatheringdrum.com
Clonard Monastry: http://www.clonard.com
Intel Computer Clubhouse: http://www.computerclubhouse.org/
Laura Stevenson: http://www.myspace.com/laurastevensonmusic

God Bless
Peace

Monday 26 May 2008

Road Trip '08 (Part Two)

  1. Firstly its 10 past 12, I'm just in, I'm sunburnt and I've been travelling all day, so excuse any grammar or spelling mistakes.
  2. Secondly you'll notice this is part two. Where is part one you ask? Well due to a high level of Coursework deadlines I missed part one.
  3. Parties Involved: Jolene, Chris, Nicki, Martin, Paula, Michael, Ronan, Michael and Emma

So I went to a friends house to celebrate her Birthday. She was having a BBQ and informed us that it would start at three, and so we were there at around three. She wasn't there, and didn't actually arrive until we near had to leave. The Craic was mighty none the less and she made it intime for us to say happy Birthday, have a bite to eat and then we had to leave. Anyway during the discussion I was informed that my friends were taking a second day trip and I was asked to go. Gratefully I agreed. My friend told me that we would be on the road for around ten.

So this morning came and I was up and ready to leave for Ten. However I wasn't picked up until 11ish, as my mates estimate was wrong. We went to pick up another mate who wasn't even out of bed. It was half 11 before we got on the road. 7 of us between two vehicles. It was great.


We took the coast road to Carnlough, and stopped to sit on the wall and have a chippie. Another friend arrived, and on we went. We stopped for a chat and photographs on some pier, which seemed to be a popular spot to stop for Fishing. After a short while here we drove on to Ballycastle. We bought a "Fling Ring" Frisbee and an Irish Rugby ball. We had a quick game of throw about, but the wind proved too strong, and so we moved on down to the beach. Apart from a short while "standing" in the water we spent most of it on the sand relaxing. From here most of the group had a meal in a resturant, while two of our group sat on a wall having Pizza. We met up again afterwards for more photos and laughs and then back to the car.

From here we drove along the coast road to White Park Bay where we stopped at another beach. It was beautifully positions at the bottom of a grassy hill, and we only found it because of our German friend telling us we should go there. The Sand was smooth and white; The Sky and Sea were a lovely shade of blue. It was beautiful. We played ball and generally had more laughs. We had hoped to make the Causeway, but time didn't seem to be generous enough to admit us that far.



So we headed back to Carnlough. We had Ice Cream and met up with Chris' Brother. After we all got to cold we went back to Ronan's House. Which was very welcoming. Our friends Michael and Emma where there. I even got to play on a Strat. Schweet!
From here we came home. It was a great day, and I'm hoping for "Road Trip '08: Part Three" to be very soon! Until then...

God Bless

Peace

Saturday 24 May 2008

Anti-Everything

So I'm sitting watching the Eurovision. Ireland aren't in it, and as usual the political voting is well underway. Since the Balkan and Soviet states joined the voting is easily predictable. Anyway thats not really the reason I began to blog.

In work recently a girl said to me, "Bless Chris you just care about everything" and so the joke continued that I was gonna change the world. I'd have to say she is right though, when I stopped and took note of all the Social problems I'm activily trying to bring awareness too, from the outside I must actually appear to be against everything. This, along with my 20th Birthday, lead me on to a reflection period on the 7 teenage years past.

I don't think anyone has went through as many music, personality and dress code changes as myself. Not that I mean I've been fake in anyway; ever. I just mean I've been influenced in many ways, from many places throughout my teen years. I've been a punk skater, Metaller, Rocker etc. My taste in music has stretched and I now listen to just about everything, and with this my dress code has become less and less focused. My main focus in life was clearly music during my younger teen years. My mind now is split equally; 50% Music 50% Social Justice.

My new stage in life is to be Anti-Everything. I'm Anti Coca Cola. Coca Cola have a history of Human Rights abuse. Workers at a bottling factory in Guatemala were killed in the 1970's, in the 80's the showed support for the South African Apartheid Governing System and in the 90's supported Nigeria's Abacha regime. Current Colombian workers along with their Union are promoting a Boycott of Coca Cola cliaming crimes of intimidation, illegal detention and other social crime. In India they are accused of "excessive water consumption, pollution of local wells and destruction of agriculture".

I'm in support of the Boycott for the Beijing Olympics. The boycott is to bring awareness and change to the Tibetian people, who suffer a lack of human rights under Chinese rule. I don't eat in McDonalds because, ontop of the Health Issues, they are official sponsers of the Beijing Olympics. I don't use Dove because they test on Animals and they don't sustain the forests they use. I don't use Loreal or Pantene because they test on animals. I'm against the current Finnish government due to an unfair attempt to force legal abortion in Nicaragua. I also believe the Irish people should vote No to the Lisbon Treaty.

So there you go; I am Chris, New Model Out 2009

God Bless
Peace

Friday 23 May 2008

Fibbers, My Birthday, Football Fever and Indy

So its 1:48 am on Saturday the 24th of May. Ireland are playing a friendly against Serbia today. I'll miss it cause im in work.

This post is just an amalgamation of a few things I've wanted to say recently. So far I've just used this blog to memoir big occasions, but tonights blog is a bit of an aimless ramble just before I go to bed.

This has been a pretty good week past. I'll start with last Friday. We went out to Fibbers in Town for a night of good ole fashioned Irish Music, to entain the visting Germans. Freddie was there, a guy i met at Flip Flop Friday, so it was nice to see him again. After the end of the Night we went to Tesco's, which was suprisingly entertaining. The best part of the night was the random decision to go back to Saint Clements Retreat House (Antrim Road, Belfast). From reading previous posts you may have picked up how much I love this place, and that it is technically closed to the Public. We sat listening to tunes, and passing stories back and forth before everyone slowly faded off to sleep. It was real good and I had a good chat with a friend.

So I'm now 20 years old. As of Tuesday the 20th May. It was a day I wasn't really anticipating. A few days beforehand I decided to get in touch with all the old school group, whom I hadn't seen in a long time. It was great to talk with old friends, learn new things about eachother, and most importantly to Laugh like we'd never drifted. I loved it.

Football fever gripped me six weeks agao when I seen how passionate my father was, at hearing Celtic probably wouldn't win the league. I began to watch the matches of the following weeks and I was gripped. I found myself losing my voice for all the shouting, as Celtic made a miraculous come back and won the League by 3 points on Thursday Night.

So the new Indiana Jones movie is out. I have anticipated this movie for a while. I Loved the originals and all the secrecy around this release intriged me. I saw it last night. I honestly thought it was fantastic. I won't say it was the best Indy movie, and the ending could have been better, but damn was it good. The original Indy films were "Action for the sake of Action" and this was no exception. I highly advise.

God Bless
Peace

Saturday 17 May 2008

Flip Flop Friday

Friday the 9th of May this year was Flip Flop Friday, the main Fundraising day for a charity called Serve. I wrote this Blog that night and never got round to posting it. So here it is.

Lifes Best experiences are often the unexpected. This was one. On wednesday 7th I got a phonecall asking me to travel to Dublin the next evening for Flip Flop Friday. Out of Character for myself, I accepted without even considering if I had any other commitments.

Thursday Night came and Chris
O’ Donoghue and Martin Schneider picked me up and we had to make a stop at St Clements Retreat House. Having not been there since it was closed to the Public, I welcomed the invite, and went inside for a bit of a reflection.


I Miss It.

From there we travelled to Clonard Monsatry. We sold Flip Flop Pins outside the final Mass of the evening, then made our final arrangements before setting out. We made a 15 minute stop for food, and then headed on our way to Dublin. We only really got on the road at about half 10.

Most of our journey was silent due to tiredness. The only real sign of other travellers were the couple of red lights tinkering on further in the darkness, or the occasional golden glow of firey headlights coming over the Horison and disappearing past, as tired travellers made their late night journey. At about 12:06 Father Gerry decided he couldn't safely continue and stopped for a rest. So Chris took me and Martin on in his car, while Father Gerrys Bus disappeared behind us.

Three Hours, 2 Vehicles and One long journey later we arrived in the Cherry Orchard area of Dublin, just after half 1. We had a short chat and then retired to bed, anticipating the hard day ahead...

6:30 AM Friday Morning, 9th of May - Flip FLop Friday. We got up and got cleanedand headed straight out, round to Eoins House; who eagerly awaited us with Flip Flop pins and Flip Flop Costumes, for want of a better word. We were assigned Luas Stations and off we went. I boarded at Dumdrum and made my way to Stallorgan. Here me and Freddy dorned Flip flop costumes, and tried to sell our Flip Flop pins. After a miserable 10 minutes Luas Officers informed us that our Garda permission didn't extend to Luas property, and the people that owned the Luas didn't want us on their property. How's that for "public" transport.

We made our way into Dublin City Centre. Myself, Freddy and Martin had a quick breakfast and went straight to work out side Stephens Green Shopping Centre. Unfortunately so did "Guide Dogs for the Blind", "Denim Day" and the Labour party (Who on a off note were shamefully suggesting that people vote Yes to the Lisbon treaty, which promotes the decline of Irish Culture). After doing this for a while more people turned up to help out. Two off us took our guitars and took the street. Eventually Martin joined in on the idea, and then another person, whose name I have apologetically forgotten. At about half 6pm we packed up and counted out the money roughly. Myself and Martin went to have a meal at McDonalds. (Again on an off note I am choosing to no longer eat there as they are the official sponsers of the Bejing Olympics, Which I believe we should Boycott... but thats for another blog).

I left Martin outside McDonalds as he was going to Cork, and I was going to Belfast. I made my way to Connolly Station with a happy heart and a smile. A strange almost sad feeling came over me as I left the million cranes that is Dublins Skyline behind. I feel at home here... or at least Free.

God Bless
Peace

Friday 2 May 2008

End of Year Formal; Reflection

Well I really can't believe What date it is. My second year of University is complete. It feels so weird, and honestly a little depressing when I reflect on the lack of success I've had. But at least I have made it through the fog. I thought I'd post my reflecton here.

By the time I had made it back to Uni after first year I was already feeling miffed about Uni. I had just scraped through and on a social level I hadn't heard from anyone for 4 months. I decided that This year would be different, and I'd be more out going. For some reason however, I began to feel anxious. I found it more and more difficult to talk to anyone, including the people I spoke to before. I was at the End of Year formal tonight, and realised that I still don't really know anyone. Thats not to say the formal wasn't very much appreciated.

On a Coursework level, this is where I'm at; I only managed minimum marks in my first semester. All the second semester hand-ins were this week. I had to stay late every night just to meet hand in. My latest stay was 1:30am thursday/friday morning. Come half one I just wanted to scream, and so I uploaded what I had and considered myself finished.

I had a Crit session today on my design module, and for the first time this year they lecturers seemed relevtivly content. Thats one success at least. For now I think that as usual, I may just scrape through with minimum marks. This has led me to reflect on other topics but I'll not get into them now.

As for now, with life this is where I am. Another chapter closed, looking out to the horizon, to a four month summer, followed by a year Full time employment in the industry.

For now, God Bless
Peace

Sunday 27 April 2008

Saturday Celebration

Who: Taize Brothers What: Taize Celebration Where: St Ann's Cathedral When: Saturday 26th April 2008

Yesterday was, put simply, one of those unexpected days which upon reflection, you just have to thank God for. It did start as a fairly normal day, I got up and went to Work at half one like every Saturday. Afterwards I shared Lunch with my sister and then I went over to St Ann's Cathedral.

I had been looking forward to the Taize Celebration all week. It was to start with a procession from St Peters Cathedral to St Ann's Cathedral at 6pm, but as I didn't get out work until then I just went over to St Ann's for the service. I arrived at about 7pm, I entered the Cathedral, and had a walk around, sat down and had a quick prayer. When the Procession arrived I went outside to meet my Friend Martin, unaware that Brendan, Paula and Patrice were also there.

We went inside again, and myself, Paula and Patrice took a seat on the floor at the front of the cathedral. The Choir practised the Hymns and Chants for just under an Hour before the Service began. The Music was amazing, and though I only knew two of the songs, by the time the service started, I was able to sing a few. The Service was really beautiful, and we all prayed around an Icon of the Crucified Christ, before lighting candles and sitting back to sing some more. The service was really beautiful and I could have stayed there all night, however me and my friends had plans and people were starting to worry. So once the service ended we had to leave. So I found it really refreshing, and I really enjoyed every moment.

After a short chat with Chat with Brendan we made our way to Clonard. Paula gave a lift to me and Martin. We stopped at her house for a Pizza, and then up to our friend Michael's house. It was an amazing night. It was great to see some old faces, and some new ones too. We laughed for hours, sang for hours and had Craic all night. It was amazing. I especially loved the chance to hear a friend sing some of his old songs, that I always loved. The last song proved to be very emotional, and we left our friends house at half 4 in the morning.

As I said it was amazing, and very unexpected.

God Bless
Peace

Sunday 20 April 2008

What's On Your iPod?

So every week in Total Guitar there is a section entitled "What's On Your iPod?", where they ask Famous Guitar
players to shuffle their iPod, and reveal the
results. So I thought I'd give it a go.
  1. He's A Pirate - Dj Tiesto
  2. Dani California - Red Hot Chili Peppers
  3. Kozmic Blues - Janis Joplin
  4. Only One - Lifehouse
  5. Girl From the North County - Bob Dylan
Well thats an interesting mix there. Techno, Funk Rock,
Blues/Rock N Roll, Acoustic Ballad and Folk.
Music ranging from the 1960's to just Last year; and
Nothing to embarrasing came up either. Schweet

God Bless
Peace

Monday 7 April 2008

If I've Learn't Just One Thing...

What:  Search Weekend
When: 4th - 5th April 2008
Where: Benburb Priory, Benburb, Tyrone

So its the day after the weekend ended, and it was a long time coming.
For anyone unaware of what Search is it is a youth group, commited to
help young people explore their faith in new and exciting ways. I've
been a member of St Clements Search Clonard for the past two and a
half years. This weekend has been postponed twice, and my faith for
it was starting to dwindle. However, as always, the Search weekend has
revitalised me, in a spiritual way. Physically I am wrecked, but all in
all, it was worth it. I had alot of trouble getting this weekend to fit
my schedule, and I was ready to give up on it. However I'm so very glad
that I didn't.

I was very much working in the background, helping the weekend to run
smoothly, and as a result I didn't get involved in much of the activities,
nor did I get a good chance to talk to our candidates, but still the Craic
was mighty. I like to think That I did work hard, and I know that as a team
we worked well together.

What I seen and heard of the candidates, it seems to me that they really
enjoyed it and were happy, that the little God inspired coincendances in
their lifes brought them there. I only really got a chance for a chat to them
on the way home, and though they were complete rockets, I believe it is exactly
what we, as Search need.

As I said its the day after the weekend ended, and I'm on a high, for the first
time in a very long time. I'm already looking forward to the next meeting.

God Bless
Peace

Thursday 3 April 2008

It's a Wonderful Life!

Have you ever see that 1946 Frank Capra film, starring James Stewart, "It's a Wonderful life"? Of course you have, and if not, then you have most likely seen the many different adaptions of it. The man wishes he'd never been born, and his wish is granted, and he gets to see what life would be like without him.

Well the main character in that film is George Bailey. His Childhood dream was to travel the world, see everything, do everything. However anytime his chance came up, so did a problem at home, which he would always stay to fix. Well, I'm feeling rather how George Bailey must have felt. Everytime My chance to travel comes up, so does a hurdle.

"I'm shakin' the dust of this crummy little town off my feet and I'm gonna see the world. Italy, Greece, the Parthenon, the Colosseum. Then, I'm comin' back here to go to college and see what they know. And then I'm gonna build things. I'm gonna build airfields, I'm gonna build skyscrapers a hundred stories high, I'm gonna build bridges a mile long... "

Back when "World Youth Day" was meant to be in Germany, I couldn't make it. I was meant to go to China with my school, a problem arose and they wouldnt let me join. This year, my friends will know, I was meant to spend six weeks as a volunteer in Thailand. However due to medical reasons, I can't make the journey. To say the least I've been a bit skeptical about the whole thing. On further reflection upon my Character likeness I came to a realisation. In the end It came to pass that George had helped so many people in his life, by making sacrafices. Well This has put me in a more positive mood. My hopes are that, even though I can't be off as a volunteer this year, I may still be of some help to others back here at home.

I'll keep ya posted on the progress.

For Now God Bless and Peace.