Summer Trip Travelog: Day 3 - Departing to Belfast, Ireland

Continuation of our previous adventure.

Our flight to Belfast, Northern Ireland was early in the morning.

We made a mistake of underestimating the time for breakfast and ended up being a tad late to get to the airport. We also made a mistake of not booking a cab ride. Therefore, after breakfast, we had to run around Bayswater shops to find a driver that was willing to send us to the airport. We eventually found one and because we were desperate, we had to pay a hefty sum of money for it. T_T

We arrived at the airport just in time and we were off to fly to our next destination!

Before we arrived, a friend of ours introduced us to his friend, Tiqa. She is currently studying medicine in Queen’s University Belfast and she agreed to let us stay at her house for the length of our trip. She gave us specific instructions on how to get to her house from the airport.

As soon as we touched down, we let her know about our arrival. We then reconfirmed our route with Google Maps just in case.

It might be due to our lack of general knowledge and geography, but for some reason, we expected to use Euros in Belfast. However, when we got to the bus stop, we realized that we were absolutely wrong! The currency in Belfast is actually British Pounds because Ireland and Northern Ireland are two different countries… *slaps forehead*

Despite having specific instructions and double checking the routes, we were lost in the city centre. Asking the locals how to get around was an experience itself. I never knew that Irish people had an accent that was very…different. It took some getting used to understand but they were very very helpful.

With the help of a local bus driver, a traffic controller and a map of Belfast that I took from the bus station, we safely arrived at Tiqa’s house! :D

Weird Posture

If there’s one thing that I would like to change about myself, it’s my posture.

Gosh. I am super awkward, I can’t even…

That's not even the correct badminton stance.

I have no idea why I was not perpendicular to the flat ground.

Seriously guys. What is wrong with me?!

*spreads yoga mat*

Short-term goal: stand tall and look proud. Scratch that. BE PROUD.

Being Opinionated

It’s not a common occurrence for an essay assignment to be given to an engineering student.

I have been writing reports for the past three and a half years, I kind of have forgotten how to write out my own opinions and thoughts. Reports have always been about facts and theoretical explanations, and that’s soooo different from having your own view.

In short, I sort of just bombed the essay.

My thoughts weren’t put together, I lacked opinion and uh, it killed me silently that I was that bad at it. When did I start losing my own voice?!

I guess it’s when I stopped trying doing anything. For a while then, I stopped blogging or tweeting or writing and from then on, everything went ‘downhill’. I stopped progressing and improving myself because I cared too much about what people was going to think about me.

Now I realised, I shouldn’t have done that. It’s fine to have a different opinion than others and it is definitely something that should be celebrated. There’s no right or wrong with it because people think, feel and view things in various ways and it is okay.

Above all else, the differences should be respected and not ridiculed. Often times, people forget about that. Every now and then, I see people forcing their own views on another person and that is sooo unnecessary, and honestly, it scares me.

Even then, that should not discourage me nor you from being more vocal. It’s good to be opinionated. It gives us opportunity to think for ourselves and prevent us from following people blindly. As my professor said, understand the subject, form your own opinion and make decisions based on that.

But remember, when expressing it to the world, be ethical.

What I've Been Reading 004

Five other books that I've managed to read last year and my favourite quotes from each one of them are listed below:

1. If I Stay, Gayle Forman

I'd actually rather go off with my family. This is another thing you don't advertise about yourself.

I wasn't totally immune to the charms of the opposite sex, but I wasn't one of those romantic, swoony girls who had pink flully daydreams about falling in love.

This book was pretty short. I like that it not only portrayed the love between Mia and Adam but also her family. I loved the part with her grandparent most because I totally was bawling when that scene appeared in the movie T_T

2. Landline, Rainbow Rowell

"What's wrong?" wasn't such an easy question to answer.

It's more like you meet someone, and you fall in love, and you hope that that person is the one - and then at some point, you have to put down your chips. You just have to make a commitment and hope that you're right.

I have pretty much read every single book that Rainbow Rowell wrote by now. This book was probably the least that I liked. I loved the ending but the whole talking to a yellow phone was just plain weird to me. I guess that's because I am not that sentimental.

3. To All the Boys I've Loved Before, Jenny Han

When someone's been gone a long time, at first you save up all the things you want to tell them. You try to keep track of everything in your head. But it's like trying to hold on to a fistful of sand: all the little bits slip out of your hands, and then you're just clutching air and grit. That's why you can't save it all up like that.

Because by the time you finally see each other, you're catching up only on the big things, because it's too much bother to tell about the little things. But the little things are what make up life.

The mystery part was predictable but I found this to be an enjoyable read. It was so good that I wanted to read all the other books that she has written, which I did.

4. Where She Went, Gayle Forman

A day might be just twenty-four hours but sometimes getting through just one seems as impossible as scaling Everest.

"but at first I was so confused. I didn't even know what was happening, only that I was feeling better without you and how could I explain that to you?"

I don't know why for whatever reason I thought Mia didn't make it in the last book. I have weird memories. This book is written from the guy's perspective and that's definitely rare. I love the lyrical prose though. I wished they were real songs that I could listen to.

5. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, Jennifer E. Smith

After all, it's one thing to run away when someone's chasing you. It's entirely another to be running all alone.

The whole storyline was very unreal but for a light read, it was entertaining. Oliver was cute though I myself had a few issues with his character. He's funny so that balanced out everything else. Right...