Edge

Paglalakbay ni Pansit Bughaw - Sa Maganda at Dukhang Mundo Personal photos using "tira lang ng tira" style The Edge

You know what they say, if you don't live your life on the edge then you are taking too much space.

Octopussy

Paglalakbay ni Pansit Bughaw - Sa Maganda at Dukhang Mundo Personal photos using "tira lang ng tira" style Octopussy

Whenever i see a pic of paella it reminds me of:


a. learning to cook paella
b. go on hols to Spain
c. Paul the octopus

I miss world cup matches:(

Exhale

Paglalakbay ni Pansit Bughaw - Sa Maganda at Dukhang Mundo Personal photos using "tira lang ng tira" style Exhale

i miss this kind of feeling...but someday someday, i'll get it back again!

Blarney Chronicles 5:Up Close with Rock Close

Paglalakbay ni Pansit Bughaw - Sa Maganda at Dukhang Mundo Personal photos using "tira lang ng tira" style Blarney Chronicles 5:Up Close with Rock Close

Enchanting Rock Close:
On ground again, started walking to the Rock Close to marvel again on the unrivalled beauty of Mother Nature.
I did not get disappointed, the light rain shower, made the whole forest more vibrant green.
I spotted the megalithic structure, dolmen first, and on a little bit further I bumped into the secluded passageway, descended by a steep flight of stone steps, called the Wishing stairs. Walk backward downs with eyes closed – and without stopping for one moment to think of anything other than a wish, then that wish will come true within a year….It may be true, but the stone is slippery so I might end up wishing I didn’t do it.





I paid my tribute to the Witch’s Kitchen, contemplate at the Druid’s circle and tried not to imagine anything at the sacrificial Altar.
I was taking a picture of the Head Druid’s cave, when a man suddenly emerged from it, I was so surprised that it made me jump and my camera nearly fell off. He said I can touch him, if I wanted to be sure that he’s real.
Looking at the Witch Stone and I only had to use li’l imagination to realize who was imprisoned there, and I was really amazed by this nature sculpture.






All in all I can say that the greens are intense, each crevice of stone, crevasses on the ground are enchanting, if not enchanted.

Concluding my Blarney affair, others find the place and experience amazing, while the rest find it too hyped up and too passé. Personally, I was miffed with enchantment, for a day, I was transported back to my musings when I was a child, I got the feeling back of a curious child and feeling amused and amazed at the same time, that for me is simply mystical.

Blarney Chronicles 4:More blarney

Paglalakbay ni Pansit Bughaw - Sa Maganda at Dukhang Mundo Personal photos using "tira lang ng tira" style Blarney Chronicles 4:More blarney

Hold Me, Dangle Me, Kiss Me:
Back then, to kiss the stone, you must be held by the legs, head downwards over the battlements, and kiss it while you get yourself dangled. So back then, we can only imagine how many people have muster their courage to do this feat, but thanks to ‘technology’, there are now iron bars that we can grasp so that hopefuls like me will only need to flirt with the danger.
It was really an easy task, you lie down, hold the bar, kiss then smile at the camera….so I was really calm about it, besides a crew was also there to assist you in the kissing. When it was my turn, I realized that because of my short stature, my torso was also short! I had to lean more backward if I want to kiss the stone…I can feel my center of gravity was off down and I got sudden vertigo seeing the height of the castle from the ground in an upside down view. So in my first attempt I failed to kiss it…*sniff*sniff* after picking my confidence again, I was more composed now, I lie down again and I still cannot reach the stone! The kind man pushed me forward but with a strong grip on my waist, I then puckered up to the stone and give it with a big smack :D. I got up, my face was all red, the people after me, can’t help gushing “My God, that’s very scary for her” hahahahaha.


Top is the Best Position:
The stone is not the only thing that will make the climb worthwhile, looking on the view from the battlement would put you in awe. My friend, Coffeefairy, once said that “Ireland is so green”….i concur with her…even in autumn, it is soooo greeen.




The Chambers with a view:
While going down, I had then got a chance to explore the chambers of the castle, well the Earl’s does get the big room and I am still confused why is there a room called “the lady and the priest’s room’ :p The Family room was spacious and accessible to the kitchen, but it is still hard to imagine how they manage to move along on the castle with staircases that is very steep and narrow. I got myself stuck in garderobe, before I realize where I was..Ugh.

Blarney Chronicles 3:Baloney is not Blarney

Paglalakbay ni Pansit Bughaw - Sa Maganda at Dukhang Mundo Personal photos using "tira lang ng tira" style Blarney Chronicles 3:Baloney is not Blarney

Origin:
The Blarney stone’s reputation made a lot of statesmen, actors, orators, and writers join in the queue climbing the steps to kiss it, so that they will not be lost for words anymore.


The stone is believed to be half of the original the Lia Fail or ‘Fatal Stone’, used as an oracular throne of Irish kings, the Harry Potter-version of ‘sorting hat’ , it was presented to Cormac McCarthy by Robert the Bruce in 1314 in recognition of his support in the Battle of Bannockburn. The power of the stone supposedly was then revealed to the MacCarthy’s by a witch saved from drowning, but hey we all love good stories here.
Now, now, why should we pay just to blabber baloney things when you can do it freely? Baloney is not Blarney, there is a difference.
Take this example given by the locals:
Baloney is when you tell a 50 year old woman that she looks 18
Blarney is when you ask a woman how old she is, because you want to know at what age women are most beautiful…
Don’t you agree ?

Blarney Chronicles 2:The Cave, the dungeon and the Court

Paglalakbay ni Pansit Bughaw - Sa Maganda at Dukhang Mundo Personal photos using "tira lang ng tira" style Blarney Chronicles 2:The Cave, the dungeon and the Court

Still on the grounds, there is what they called the Badger’s cave. Well, the appearance may not impress much, it was told that, Lord Broghill, Cromwell’s general broke the tower wall to besiege the castle, the castle was empty except for 2 retainers., the rest had fled through this cave. Legend even has it that there are 3 passages that can be found, one to the lake, to Cork and even on to Kerry…but as they say, this being in Blarney. I didn’t stepped in, with my sense of direction; I might just really end up in China.


Another structure caught my attention; it was the ruins of a Gothic mansion, called as the ‘Court’. It was a grand residence, with 3 •storeys high but the owners found it uncomfortable to live in. It was destroyed by the fire and was never restored. From my perception, the ruin blended well with the castle on the backdrop

My Sandwich for your castle

Paglalakbay ni Pansit Bughaw - Sa Maganda at Dukhang Mundo Personal photos using "tira lang ng tira" style Blarney Chronicle 1:My Sandwich for your castle

The castle was built by the local lord Cormac MacCarthy, other tourists find it disappointing being relatively small compare to the other castles (He must be in tight budget perhaps). The castle itself sits on a cliff of rock, serving as an excavation site for the castle. The castle structure implied that it was built in two stages; the right hand is a thin tall tower. The castle can actually be viewed in many angles; one of the good angles would be from the North Wall, giving the most imposing view of the castle, with walls that seems to slope inward. One can also immediately spot an encased large bay window projecting from a wall and supported by a corbel or bracket, which is actually the Earl’s bedroom window. There are also three large square holes as outlets for garderobes, and before you google the meaning of it, apparently it was built downwind :p







The castle obviously back then was of great importance especially during the time of Queen Victoria I. She sent an emissary to the chief of MacCarthy clan to surrender to her the rights to the castle. The poor emissary, every time he tried to fulfill his mission, he was faced with endless nonsense, eloquent but without substance loyalty to the queen statements from the chieftain. The queen in frustration said: "Blarney, Blarney, what he says he does not mean. It is the usual Blarney." And thanks to Queen Victoria I, the new word was formed:Blarney!

Bits of Greens

Paglalakbay ni Pansit Bughaw - Sa Maganda at Dukhang Mundo Personal photos using "tira lang ng tira" style Bits of Greens

Things I learned about the Emerald Isle

1. It is very green, even in winter…it is still green
2. On summer; at 10PM the sun is still up in the sky, come autumn season the sun won’t even peek at 10AM, 4PM the sun starts to set already
3. The shops close by 6PM (except dining spot, pubs and groceries).
4. Lots of houses have chimney …and they are actually more economical
5. Buses come in interval of 20 mins, so better start chasing the buses.
6. Pleasantries are observed here, i.e we say ‘thanks’to the driver when going down
7. ‘Cheers’ and ‘Thanks’ are used interchangeably (this merits another blog entry)
8. When people greet each other, they always say ‘How are you today?”. Sometimes, they wait for your reply with interest, some with half-interest and some will just walk away.
9. Taxi’s lighted signs on top of the cars are detachable. Cabs are not identical. I am guessing they are actually private cars that were allowed to moonlight to be cabs
10. if Singapore has EZLink, here it is the monthly pass for suburbs and city buses. No top up, just present to the driver like an ID. Single fares needs to buy the ticket from the bus driver
11. Some pubs are open at lunch time and some people really do drink at midday.
12. There are lots of Gothic styled churches here, but hardly fills up.
13. Locals talk fast. Really fast.
14. Gentlemen are a rare breed here
15. there are lots of blue eyed dudes here…but cuties are still rarities…sigh…
16. For newbies a summer get-up would be a light coat,boots and mittens.
17. Never ever assume that in summer you can use a light blanket. Always get under the duvet.
18. Beef here really tastes good.
19. King Creole is not an Elvis Presley movie,it’s a delectable pita sandwich
20. Potato Terminology: Fries is called Chips. Processed potato chips are called Crisps.
21. Newspaper is a bit pricey compared to Asian countries.
22. Shops/Groceries do not provide bags for sold items, either you bring your own or pay up for those plastic bags.
23. Walang Spam …..
24. Canned goods: tuna, salmon, peas, corn , corned beef…double sigh…
25. Rashers and bacons. Oh, pork sausages all over
26. When the sun is smiling haughtily, thou shall not use an umbrella to shield yourself. You’ll look like a prized idiot and your companions will deny knowing you.
27. If we have whitening lotions back home, they have tanning salons here
28. People with orange skins walks amongst us. Tans. Period

The Crib - Part1

Paglalakbay ni Pansit Bughaw - Sa Maganda at Dukhang Mundo Personal photos using "tira lang ng tira" style The Crib - Part1

Ever since i landed here in my new host country... an awfully lot of people are asking:
"So how does your house looks like? Pictures perhaps?"

Presenting now, my first Crib, (subtitled as : Suburbia Moments)

1. The House


Atop is actually my neighbors’ house. This was my crib for 3 months:


Living in an all-year round ‘air conditioned’ country with such a rustic place, it was no surprise after I woke up from my afternoon nap, a squirrel was looking at me with googly eyes.
The living room is furnished with sofa, dining table, TV.


While the kitchen area is complete with oven, hood, ref, microwave, electric kettle and complete with utensils !

The veranda


The unit has 2 bedroom; this is the common bedroom....


I only shot the bed in the master’s, as there has been a re-enactment of Armageddon in my room when I was taking the pictures.


For the water closets section: 1 bathroom is en-suite (master’s) while the other bathroom has a Jacuzzi tub (*siiiiiiiiiiiiiigh*)…too bad I wasn’t able to snag anyone to join me for a hot Jacuzzi soak (*_*)



The routine was after the long walk, I heat up the food in the stove and then soak myself in the hot tub, until I look like a prune …make it a satisfied prune :)

The whole unit has a central heating, with ‘really functioning’ radiators in the bathroom. But then again to help lower the global warming (and to lower the bill), for warming myself up I choose to wear my hoodie, fave socks and hide under the duvet :)

This is my geek corner: my precioussssss


While these are my toys chilling around


Look who got drunk by drinking milk.



The gate has a zapper, you can open the gates by remote control, what I usually do on weekends is that I sit on my window and if I spot someone walking nearby the gate, I zap and open the gates :P


2. The neighborhood – aside from the dogs that keeps barking me nuts…along the maryborough hill street, is the house of the Irish Rugby kicker:

(pic from munster.ie)

Ronan O’Gara *faints*
Unfortunately, on one time that he called his dog to stop barking at me, I didn’t knew who he was…I only thought what a cute guy and how the dog is cutely barking at me. I should have kicked myself for not asking an autograph.


3. The walk –
Okay, before we proceed…one last look again on Ronan O’Gara:

(pic from munster.ie)

*Faints*

Now, now….where does the word ‘suburb’ fits in? the house is in the suburb area, going back/forth the house is such a breeze…if you have a car. If you are a poor match girl like moi, then the first bus stop and the first sign of urbanity is a 20 minutez hill walk.
And now this is the infamous walk, I been blabbering about.








Winner diba?!

Coming soon: Cribs special part 2: City Dreaming