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.

taking it easy on tuesday

First sighting of snow in Belfast. I wonder how much longer before it reaches us.

Taking a walk in the park.

Roasted tomatoes and mushrooms with linguine for lunch.

Picked up some Abernethy Butter from the Arcadia Delicatessen.

BBQ chicken sandwich with coleslaw, onion rings and wedges for dinner.

lagan valley regional park

It's Sunday and a little drizzly today, but we decided to take a walk to Barnett Demesne Park again. This time we opted for a different route and entered the park via Clement Wilson Park.

Halfway on our way there I actually wanted to turn back and go home because it was a cloudy day and drizzling. But I'm glad we went anyway. Clement Wilson Park is a great walk with beautiful views.

Instead of carrying on towards Barnett Demesne Park, we followed the river Lagan and walked towards Lagan Valley Regional Park.

We met a lovely gentleman who was walking his Greyhound named Archie. Archie is such a sweetheart and was happy to let us pat him. Plenty of people were up and about in Lagan Valley; walking, cycling, canoeing and feeding ducks.

This detour ended up being a three and half hour walk but the views were amazing!

rainbows in autumn

There is beauty, even on the greyest of days.

I think I'm beginning to enjoy Autumn. Even though sometimes the cold can be unbearable, but the colours of falling leaves more than makes up for it. I see Robert Frost's poetry everywhere.

cave hill

It's Saturday and we took advantage of the Love Metro Saturdays promotion, which allowed us to buy an adult day ticket for £2. We took Bus No.1 from the City Centre to the bottom of Cave Hill Country Park and trekked up.

The weather was lovely, although the winds were a bit chilly. I think it took us about 40 minutes to trek up halfway and already the views were amazing. I would like to have gone higher but I'm not an experienced trekker and was daunted by the crumbly trails. Cave Hill, I will conquer you next time!

barnett demesne park

I went over to Malone House last Sunday to check out Frock Around The Clock, which is a lovely vintage fair organised throughout the year. Unfortunately I didn't bring enough cash with me, so I did not buy anything. There was a stall selling jewellery which had a sign that said, "Going to Japan Sale". I desperately wanted to support her, because I love Japan so much. I hope she got to go.

It was quite crowded at the fair and I don't like shopping in the colder months because I feel clumsy in winter jackets, and it's very cumbersome to look at clothes and wonder if they'll fit beneath all my layers of clothes.

Even though I didn't end up shopping much or buying anything, I fell in love with the place. Malone House, where the fair took place, is situated in Barnett Demesne Park, which is seriously one of the most beautiful places in Belfast. The views of the park from the second level of Malone House are breath-taking.

I didn't do much research before going over so I didn't know there was a trail surround the park of about 2.4km. I cannot wait to go back and explore the park again.

new autumn routine and current obsession

Since the clocks were turned back by one hour last Sunday, I've got a new evening routine. The sun sets at about 4ish, 5, these days and when it gets starts to get dark, I start preparing dinner and I'm usually done with it before 6. By then it is almost pitch dark and I think it's time to have a warm bath and go to bed, only to realise that it's only 5 past 6. Yikes.

So, I've started reading Haruki Murakami's The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and I am totally hooked. The story starts with the protagonist, Toru Okada, whose cat has gone missing. And in his search for his cat, he goes through a kind of "Kafkaesque" quest that is told in flashbacks and old memories.

Another reason why I love this book is its references to prominent places in Tokyo. It's been almost a year since my Tokyo trip and it's nice to have a frame of reference when Murakami mentions these places.

Settling down with a good book and my new Diptyque candle.

I went to Lisburn Road today and visited Drumglass Park.  It's a very small park and because it was drizzling, the park was empty. Nonetheless it's still a pretty place for short walks.
 

Lovely park despite the rain.

And now, back to Murakami.

my first vlog is up!

I made a vlog of what's happened in my life for the month of October. We had a lot of good weather and I was lucky to capture some of it. Take a look below!

autumn can be strange and beautiful

the menagerie in belfast

I went to The Menagerie on Friday night to catch Crilli Drum and Bass. The bar is laid-back and everyone was really enjoying the music. Drinks were also reasonably priced.

I don't listen to a lot of Drum and Bass, but I will probably want to checkout DAYTRIP, which promises a night of indiepop, punk-rock and other "awesome music"! That sounds much more up my alley.

this week in food porn

Tesco's "Finest" range recently undergone a revamp and it's looking a lot more like food you can pick up from M&S. I tried the Spiced Carrot Cake and was surprised at how tasty and moist it was.

I also slept in on Saturday and had breakfast for lunch. I've been baking eggs instead of frying them. Not because I thought it would be healthier, but so I don't have to clean up the mess of frying them.

short stopover in london (august 2013)

Since I couldn't fly direct to Belfast, I flew to Heathrow and stayed two nights in London before flying over here. Here's a peek at what I got up to in London.

Thanks to jet lag, I got to watch the sun come up in Kensington.

Taking the Underground for the first time. I much prefer the bus.

Coffee break at Tate Modern.

Checking out Boxpark Shoreditch. Great concept, but I was a little disappointed with the range of shops.

Somewhere in Brick Lane.

Feasting on Red Velvet cupcakes at Hummingbird Bakery.

Having dinner at Busaba Eathai. Delicious.