sir thomas and lady dixon park

We had a bit of sunny weather this morning so we decided to visit Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park on Upper Malone Road. It was too far for a walk so we hopped on the Metro bus 8A from Stranmilis towards Erinvale Avenue. Alighting at Finaghy Road, we walked towards Upper Malone Road till we got to the park. 

Walking along Upper Malone Road

The park is really pretty and well known for its roses, but because it's winter, no roses were in bloom.

Walking into the park

Still some greenery remains despite the cold weather

A Japanese-style garden within the park

There was an area in the park where there were plaques dedicated to the beloved pets formerly owned by Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon. We also popped into The Stables Coffee House. The food was not great but as it is the only place to grab a bit or coffee, but the service staff were really nice and friendly. We sat next to a sweet, old couple who kept smiling at us the whole time we were there.

I do like this park, but I prefer Barnett Demesne and Lagan Meadows. But I do want to come back for Roses Week in July. I'm sure it's going to be beautiful.

2014 to-do list

I'm not really one for new year resolutions. If you really want change, I think you can start right now. Starting on 1st January is more ceremonial than anything. That being said, I decided that I want to come up with a To-do List of what I want to do this year. Not so much because I want to change my life, (change is a process, there is no beginning and no end. It just happens.) but because I want a report card of how I did this year. So without further ado (cringe), here is my list:

1. Unplug
Every morning when I wake up, the first thing I do is check Facebook, then Instagram, then my emails. And I do this constantly throughout the day. I am obsessed with how many people are reading my posts or responding to them. It is just not healthy and I am just stressing myself out for no good reason. I am going to try to avoid doing that until I've at least had my morning cup of tea :)

2. Meditate
Okay, I've been meditating on and off for a couple of years now. I started about 8 or 9 years ago and I would go through these periods where I'm very good for a few weeks then fall off the wagon. I always give up because I thought it wasn't working. But I realise now that I never did it long enough to gave it a chance to work. So, I'm going to try to do this every other day.

3. Envy
This has got to be one of my worst habits. I am constantly envious of the people around me. I am envious of people who are happy, going somewhere (whether traveling or being successful), people who look like they have their shit together, etc. And it really sucks. Often, the people I am envious of are people I love, and I should be happy for them, instead of indulging in envy. So from now on, I am going to try to be happy for someone, instead of envying them. I've also got to work on being less judgemental, but hey, one thing at time ok?

4. Learn
You know, I always thought to myself, "someday when I don't have to work, I'm going to have time to do all the shit that I always wanted but never had time." Well I left my job in May last year and it is still not happening. I just realised that my time is limited (our time, for that matter), especially my time away from work, and I just want something to show for it. And also because I don't know what I should do with my life. I have spent the last two decades figuring it out. That's right, figuring, not doing. So how the heck am I going to figure it out if I'm not doing anything? So, this year, I'm going to try to learn something new every month.

5. Go
This is related to point 4, my time in Europe is limited. I have about 30 months in Belfast and I already spent 6 of them feeling sorry for myself. That shit has got to stop. So, I'm going to try to go somewhere else every month. Yay to new experiences!

So what is on your To-do List in 2014? No one is more surprised than me to say that this post was inspired by Lauren Conrad's 2014 Resolutions. I mean, seriously, she used to be on Laguna Beach and The Hills! I don't know if she has a team of magical elves churning great posts on her website or what, but I have to say, I really enjoy her posts. (Even though I think she's trying to dethrone Gwyneth Paltrow and her Goop empire)

Oh man, so here is my 2014 To-do List, cast in stone. Check back with me on how it's going ok?

christmas in belfast vlog is up!

My first Christmas in Belfast, check out what I got up to in the month of December.

Thank you for reading, stay warm and have a good one in 2014!

a river runs through it

It was so cold today, we almost didn't go out. But we made our way to Clement Wilson Park for a walk.

I thought this is the River Lagan but I think it's actually the Lagan Canal. Anyway it was so cold so we sought refuge at the Lock Keeper's Inn. We had blueberry pancakes and sausages and mash. The food was alright and the place was packed! Anyway here are some more pictures of the park.

One of my photography teachers told me once that he really saw my personality in colour photographs, and I almost always shoot in colour. But once in a while, I try black and white, not always with good results. What do you think?

I guess in black and white photography, your composition has to be very strong. Can't really try to hide flaws with filters and cropping. I spent a couple of hours fiddling with these photos while watching How I Met Your Mother. I think I've got a lot of shooting to do still. Yikes!

Oh it snowed a little on our way back! Ok, by the time the snow hit the ground, it had melted, but I could definitely see the white specks falling down. It was my first experience with snow and it was beautiful but a little underwhelming. I don't know if I'm looking forward to seeing actual snow because it gets so darn cold...

lagan meadows

It's #throwbackthursday and I was backing up my photos and realised that I haven't written a post on Lagan Meadows. So here it is, in all her autumnal beauty.

Lagan Meadows is a nature reserve located in Lagan Valley Regional Park. I think we spent about 45 minutes walking through the nature reserve; it's very beautiful in autumn. And what's great is they have markers along the route so you can download an app and listen to an audio tour of the nature reserve. Unfortunately, I keep forgetting to download the app, so I've got to make another trip back!

getting very close to nature

beautiful autumn day

all the colours of autumn in one place

making our way down

what i learnt about the universe in 10 weeks

So I've been taking an astronomy course at Queen's Uni called, "Understanding Our Place in the Universe", and here's a rundown of the important stuff I learnt:

1. In space, we see things as they were, not as they are.
The universe is so vast and objects so far apart that by the time we see, for example, a star, that light is emits would have traveled over light years (sometimes hundreds, sometimes millions) before it reaches us.

It's like a metaphor for how we are. All that we see and recall is filtered or clouded by our memories, beliefs, and values, etc.

2. In black holes, time slows down.
My teacher pointed out that contrary to popular beliefs, blacks holes are not "unstoppable cosmic vacuum cleaners". Black holes are places where the gravitational pull is so strong that light cannot escape it. Mind officially blown.

It occurs when a star collapses and can exist in the center of a galaxy. So, the center of a galaxy is a black hole. This reminds me of a short story by Haruki Murakami where the protagonist uses donuts as a metaphor for life. 

3. Galaxies canabalise each other.
I guess this is just the way of the world.

4. The universe is made up of 5% ordinary matter. That is what we can see like the stars and the planets (of which there are hundreds of billions of them). 25% is made up of dark matter; a weak gravitational force that cannot reflect light, hence, dark. The remaining 75% is made up of dark energy, which exerts a weak force that is pushing the universe. We know very little about dark matter and dark energy, and I find that exciting and scary at the same time.

5. The universe continues to expand. 
The universe is always growing, but here's the thing: it is finite. If dark energy continues to grow (which it does), ordinary matter and dark matter will shrink. And at least in this TED-Ed video proposes, eventually will end. Watch the video, you will learn, a lot. 

november 2013 vlog is up!

I've visited some really great parks in November, and I think I've managed to capture the spirit of autumn in my vlog. I visited Barnett Demesne yesterday and all the leaves are almost gone. I can't believe all the colours disappeared in just a month.