Fuck Yeah...

How do you like my anniversary present? Tis a purple masquerade mask!

All I need now is a Venetian masquerade ball to attend...

New Year's Resolutions

#1 Learn to relax

#2 Cut back on the junk food

#3 Save money

#4 Be more independent

#5 Don't stress over university

#6 Enjoy life's simple pleasures

#7 Smile more

#8 Spend less time online

#9 Read the Classics

#10 Complete some more Life Ambitions

Edinburgh 2011

As most of you know, Paul and I went to Scotland for Halloween. We decided to go there as Paul has always wanted to visit at Halloween and since I've always wanted to go to Scotland it seemed perfect. Plus it was to celebrate my twentieth birthday as well.

But getting out of Belfast proved more difficult than either of us thought. Firstly, I set the metal detector alarm off and had to be frisked. Then I completely forgot that I had perfume in my hand luggage and a scary security woman sent me back through the crowds to put it in a little plastic bag. I then had to walk through the metal detector again and be frisked again by the same woman who couldn't contain her smirk. I was eventually allowed through and as I waited for Paul, I was grabbed by another security person asking me if I'd be willing to submit to a random drugs screening! I could hardly say no could I?! Now seeing as I've watched A LOT of "Nothing to Declare" I knew what she was doing and even though I knew it'd be clear, I was still terrified. She tested my camera for traces of narcotics and when it was clear, she let me go. 

The flight to Edinburgh was relatively short unfortunately. I say unfortunately because I love flying. I love that sensation you get in your stomach when the plane takes off or changes direction. I even love trying to fight the pressure pushing you back into your seat as you take off lol! Yes. I'm a weirdo.

Our first day in Edinburgh was glorious. The sun was out and it wasn't cold at all. Something Paul was a bit disappointed by as he wanted the place to be cold and covered in snow! We spent our first day exploring the Royal Mile and going on a little Scotch Whisky tour which was very entertaining as well as informative. We even got to try some whisky as well as being allowed to keep our whisky glasses as suvenirs! 

The second day was dedicated to exploring Edinburgh Castle which was truly magnificent. The only problem was that because it's built on a hill, it was really blustery! And my hair paid the price...

We also visited the Edinburgh Dungeons and went on a underground tour of the tombs! Both were great tours, the Dungeons weren't that scary just creepy, but the actors were hilarious! The tour guide of the underground tour was also very funny and likeable which immediately put you at ease even though we were in a comfined space. And of course there was an eejit who deliberately nudged a girl making her scream loud enough to wake the dead...

The third day was dedicated to exploring Edinburgh Zoo. I adore zoos and this one was lovely. Unfortunately the weather was a bit dull and most of the animals were sleeping but I still enjoyed it. My illness which was still undiagnosed at this point was starting to take its toll on me though. So much so that I literally stopped dead halfway up a hill as I didn't have the strength to take one more step. Instead I had to sit at a cafe for over an hour just to get my breath back.

The fourth day was dedicated to simply relaxing and exploring the city a bit more. We went shopping and took loads of photographs of local monuments and statues. There were loads! We saw lots of cool sites such as Edinburgh University as well as Holyrood Palace. We also went to the cinema and saw The Lion King in 3D! I regret not having the time to visit the local museums though.

On the fifth day we came home but thankfully we didn't have any trouble getting into Belfast. I guess we'll take anyone! Despite feeling sick, I really enjoyed my trip to Edinburgh as we instantly fell in love with the place. It's such a beautiful city that Paul and I will definitely visit there again - especially now that the zoo has got pandas! 

If you want to check out some photos from our trip, just click here...

To Dye or Not To Dye...?

I'm extremely jealous of this girls hair colour. Isn't it gorgeous? I would love to dye my hair this shade of red but I'm scared to do so. There are far too many disaster stories involving hair dyes that I'm not prepared to risk my brunette locks. Like, for example, my sister dyed her hair a coppery brown and it ended up an obsenely bright orange and an old classmate dyed his hair blonde and everyone called him "lightbulb". 

Then there's the whole "topping up the roots" business. Is dying my hair worth all the hassle? Remember folks, I am incredibly lazy. And skint. Extremely skint. The cheaper option would be to dye my hair myself but then I get images of all my hair falling out and parts of my face being dyed red too. And my hair is extremely long. What if I miss a bit?! 

Sigh. I think I worry too much. Until I'm brave enough I think I'll just sit and drool over this girls hair, wishing it was mine...

I'm so frigging weird.

Love, Hazel

Tommy Tiernan LIVE!

Beware of the Dee-vil!

Hey guys... I'm back! Where have I been? I hear you ask. Well... I've been away in Belfast completing a Life Ambition of mine which was to see the fantastic Mr Tommy Tiernan LIVE! And let me tell you, he was hilarious!

As he's an Irish comedian I don't expect many of you to know who he is, unless you come from Ireland of course, and that's grand. Just trust me when I say that he's side-splittingly good. Now, he was always slightly quirky but his Thursday night performance was nothing short of eccentric genius! I love that he is completely mental - it makes him even funnier in my eyes. Only he could get away with pretending to play an invisible fiddle in the dark...

I know this probably makes no sense as ya had to be there to experience the magic he weaved that night. I guess I'm just trying to say that I thoroughly enjoyed myself and I would love to see him again.

Plus! We were in the second row which was just awesome!

Love, Hazel