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.