What would I do differently?

I am most likely going to Europe this summer to complete a program similar to the one I completed this past summer. This is a list assuming most everything I experienced will be similar, what will I do differently.

Clothing:

1.  1. I would pack less work clothes and more play clothes. I did the opposite this past summer and I wished I had more clothes to travel with because I don't wear big tees on the regular basis. 
   
2. I would bring a smaller suitcase so I could have the option of traveling around, either that or find it a place to leave it. Unfortunately a lot of airports do not have that option anymore, some bus and train stations still do though.
3. I would bring less clothes as a whole, so I could buy clothes over there because I found some good deals and things I liked but I didn't had hardly any weight room available.
4. Bring clothes for different seasons, I sorely wished I brought shorts with me.

Food:

1. I would bring peanut butter with me and ritz crackers. The food is expensive on top of the exchange rate. My friends and I wanted to 'eat the culture in' when traveling but it got to hurt our wallets. They give a lot of food but a lot of the places we ate at didn't allow 'doggy bags'. I also don't remember ever seeing kids meals.
2. IN MODERATION- Not eat and drink as much as I did daily. It was neither easy on the wallet nor my waistline.
3. Find cheaper options to eat because you still need to think about the exchange rate depending on your home country.
   

Travel:

1. Don't plan so much- This past summer I learned this, because I was saying how I will be here x amount of days/hours. That really never happened.
2. Although if you are planning on traveling on a Friday, buy the ticket so it isn't so expensive. I was going to go to Edinburgh and I was waiting the entire time for the night before to buy a ticket to anywhere. When I went to buy a ticket to Edinburgh it jumped from 85 pounds to near 200 pounds. I had to give up that portion of the trip.

Read More

Belfast, N. Ireland, UK

My friends and I were only in this city for 20 minutes because of the bus we rented was running low on time. Ireland and N. Ireland are both essentially religious factions; Ireland is mostly Catholic while N. Ireland is Protestant. The Troubles refers to the 3 decades of violence between the two, which still carries on today. I was even told before I left the U.S for Ireland to be careful in Belfast. I found out that the Troubles left such an impact on ordinary townspeople of N.Ireland that it was likened to London following the Blitz. 

The landscape surrounding the city was absolutely breathtaking, unfortunately all the pictures came out horrible. The name Belfast originates from the Irish Béal Feirsde, which means 'river mouth of the ford'. This city is known for its architecture, love of the arts and culture. It is one of the most visited cities of the U.K and recently opened a major attraction called Titanic Belfast, memorializing the location of the building of Titanic.

Some advice- Bring some British pounds with you because we all forgot it and didn't realize that N. Ireland is part of the U.K.

Titanic Memorial

20 minutes was not enough time to see the city and its sites. It although was enough time for us to get scared in broad daylight. I would like to go back again and perhaps that experience is only a one time thing. 

Read More

London Pre-1666 Great Fire of London

I found this video this morning. London prior to the Great Fire was recreated by 6 students enrolled at De Montfort University who studied historic accounts from the time period. It's a fly through model and focuses around the area of Pudding Lane and Thomas Farriner's bakery (where the fire began). I hope you guys enjoy!

http://londonist.com/2013/10/fly-through-17th-century-london.php
The link from where the article was found.

Read More

I fractured my finger

Signs I can do with my casted finger/hand.

Charlie's Angels

I promise I am not flipping you off

Touchdown!!!

Number 1 Team or I can't remember which is my right or left

I am not sure.

Read More

6 signs you have senioritis.

I graduate in December and luckily I am able to motivate myself because honestly without that you'd never see me in class.

1. You make an excel spreadsheet to find out what grades you need to make sure you are able to graduate at all or graduate with honours.

2. When the student elections are happening and they ask you what you would like to change on campus, you're answer will most likely be 'make graduation happen now'

3. Whenever a professor keeps you beyond the class hour.

4. Whenever you are taking that elective you missed your freshman year and a freshman asks you or the professor a dumb question.

5.Or whenever you are asked for input in a class discussion on the Human Capital Theory.

(Yea I used the same gif, come at me bro)

6. When a classmate asks if you're going to the library to study for the exam

Read More

Classics for Men

For the past few months I have been approached by some of my male friends asking me to help them find
classic clothing pieces; that will last the passage of time and would shuffle them into the phase of adulthood as a gentleman.

First and foremost every man should invest in a good tailored suit. The colours black and navy are always classic and in style.

• Brooks Brothers- They are in the higher price range but they are known for their quality. They have been an American brand for over 100 years and have dressed many of our presidents. Wouldn't you like to look as good as president?
• Men's Warehouse- I don't know much about this brand but many of my newly graduated male friends came here to find their suits. According to their website tailoring is available!
• Macy's - It is considerably affordable when compared to the first two but is excellent quality as well. All one needs to do is find a tailor to ensure fit because I have never seen one there.

Second

• Bowties or Ties. I feel as though with this section it is about personal preference.I think a man should have both because on some events one is more appropriate than the other (in my opinion) Colours that are considered neutral and classic are the best, for example: black, grey, navy.

Third- Cardigans

• They are perfect for cooler weather and can be worn casually with jeans or more formal with dress pants. I have seen men wearing them under a suit jacket in the wintertime in lieu of a vest.
• One should invest in a Cashmere but one doesn't need too.
• You can really get this piece anywhere you choose.

Fourth- A white button down

• It goes with everything, get one long and short sleeve. I have seen more men with the long version and they roll their sleeves up. (Like in the picture above)
• Same as before you don't have to splurge on this piece unless you wish too. Almost everywhere has these, just make sure it is completely plain, don't get one from Express that has that emblem on it. That is plain tacky, we are going for classic here.

Fifth- Shoes

• Loafers
• Boat Shoes- Sperry's are fantastic, they get wet and they dry and they're are so comfortable. Believe me I am really picky about shoes.
• Working boots- for those who aren't scared to the get their hands dirty.

Sixth- Peacoat

• Also invest in a good one, you'll need to purchase a lint roller too

Seventh- Belt

• A brown or black leather belt and ALWAYS  ALWAYSSSS make sure they match your shoes

Eighth, last not least- Wallet

• A brown/black leather wallet, non-Velcro. Tommy Hilfiger/ Ralph Lauren are affordable options.

• I feel Ryan Gosling tells it best

Read More

Boone Hall, Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina

When in the Old South one must make a trip to see the old plantations. One of the stops was to see Boone Hall Plantation, founded in 1681 by Major Boone and it belonged to his descendants until 1955 when it was purchased by the McRae family. A member of the family still lives in the plantation home on the 2nd floor while the 1st floor is open for tours.

  

The entrance fee is a little pricey but I think it is worth it if you appreciate history and beauty or if you would like a better of understanding of how the Old South was.

The Cotton Gin house built in 1853

The house was built in 1936, it was built directly on top of the original house. Many people think that all the houses were like the house in Gone with the Wind during the Antebellum era. The houses were actually wooden farm houses and the mansions were built in the main cities like Charleston.

Inside one of the slave cabins

The row of slave cabins, only a portion of them

The slaves molded the bricks for their houses, you can actually see their hand prints or fingerprints in some of the bricks. 

Another set of prints, according to the tour guide these bricks are going to the Smithsonian. I do not agree with the action but my opinion does not matter here.

The Avenue of Oaks. If you recognize this image it is because this avenue was used to film a portion of the film Gone with the Wind. It would have led up to the Wilkes's home.

Read More

Charleston, SC: Food edition

Charleston is known for their food quality which is great in case you were wondering. I didn't take any pictures of food but I will let you know where I ate.

1. S.N.O.B- slightly north of broad. In downtown Charleston. I had an amazing fruit and cheese plate with a bruschetta. Absolutely would go again. WOOT WOOT

2. Tsunami- It's an Asian restaurant. In downtown Charleston. I can get better sushi in my town but this one  had hibachi (made in the kitchen). My friends adore this place and is one of their favourite spots. The sushi was delicious but I prefer to visit places where I cannot find similar in my town.

3. Gilligans- This was actually outside of North Charleston, in a small town. It sat out on the river and was a seafood joint. My friends also love this place, I found it to alright. I wasn't too impressed. I got the shrimp po'boy, but I can make a better one and get a better one where I live.

4.The Sesame Burger- some of the best burgers I have ever had, they had the option of choosing 3 different slider burgers to try. I chose this option. This restaurant uses hormone free and free range meat, they also cater to vegetarian and vegan diets. I am neither so I went for the meat and it was delicious. The burgers I chose were 'down south (american cheese, caramelized onion and bacon)', 'gourmet (goat cheese spread and portobello mushroom)', and the 'southwestern (guacamole and chipotle sour cream). I would recommend then restaurant and would visit again.

Read More

Ft. Sumter: Charleston, SC

I returned to the U.S and I decided a few weekends after my return I needed to get back to my Southern roots. What better place than to visit one of the most historical southern cities in the U.S (also a couple of friends live here).
This is where the Civil War began aka 'the war between the states', 'the war of northern aggression', 'war for southern independence', ' war of rebellion'.

To arrive at the site you have to take a ferry around the harbour which is about a 30 minute ride and you walk around the site for about 2 hours.

They covered up where the cannons would have gone through in some areas but this is where the cannons would have been placed. 

 The mortar of the bricks

The battery

Read More

Some tips on writing your thesis

This is a work in progress but I have learned some important things today

1. Start early - Pace yourself, you should by now know how quickly you work and if you think you'll do it last minute. Here is some advice: DON'T.
2. BACK UP EVERYTHING- I learned this the hard way this morning, luckily I realized I sent my thesis and questionnaire to be read by a friend so I asked for those copies back. Only sad thing is I have to redo my interviews. 
3. Try to figure out the dates of when is everything is due.
4. Buy a thesis book- These tell you about how you should write, usually they are published per department. Amazon.com - A manual for writer's  is a good one.

On another note, slightly related. ALWAYS listen to your Momma if she says get the warranty, don't question just get it. 

Read More

Hey guys

I have some bad news. I won't be able to post anything for the next couple days, at least nothing with pictures.

Read More

What Trim, Ireland taught me.

As many of you know I stayed in Trim, Ireland for 5 weeks total, what you do not know is that I felt at home in this town and I felt as if I had lived there.

1. History- Aside from the obvious learning dates of when places of interest were founded and by who. It was amazing to actually be in that area and seeing the past and present stand together as a collective unit. To see massive structures that had been built by human hands without the machines we have today. Allowed me to see the innovation and ingenuity of humans and of our ancestors. I am now empathetic to my ancestors who lived in the middle ages. I was always told that Ireland and UK were cold and wet, especially their castles. This was no lie.
   
2. Culture - Movies and TV shows are big fat liars. There is no old man who gives you superstitious advice, the only thing they give you is HORRIBLE directions (and it is not a set of cultural directions). I literally got pointed in the wrong direction. The drunks I encountered were the Americans and Canadians I was with, the Irish in the pubs were not drinking excessively nor were they loud and obnoxious. I learned quite quickly that #publife is only meant for socialization not excessive drinking (the pubs made a ton of money off us).
   
3. Hospitality- This could be defined with culture but Irish hospitality is not unlike Southern hospitality where the visitors are very welcomed. This is perhaps why I felt very at home, because I felt welcomed and their definition of hospitality is somewhat like mine. We both serve tea and cookies to guests, well sometimes I serve coffee but mostly it's sweet iced tea. I really missed iced sweet tea, A LOT. I tried to make some and I failed miserably.
4. Pride - I learned to accept my quirks and where I come from. 
5. Dreams - I found my true passions and found my direction in life, where I would like my career path to lead. 
6. Weather - Despite me living in Fl and everyday is a 30% chance of rain, I learned how to prepare for weather in Ireland and UK. It is cold up there for a Southerner like myself, I will never use an umbrella in Ireland again; only raincoats and rain boots and don't bother with the umbrella. Trust me, it'll just end up inside out. RIP Mr. Purple.
   

Read More