So You Wanna Be A Nurse?

Oh my goodness... I had almost forgotten we filmed this. I was chosen as the spokesperson for nursing at my university, and... well the video speaks for itself! Maybe I'll catch one or two of you Irish girls who are searching for the right university or the right course? And of course we get a lot of international students as well, so even if you're not from Ireland this may be of interest to you.

Or I guess you could just laugh at how nervous I am or how shiny my forehead is... :-P

This Week

This week the sun decided to shine down and cheer us all up. It was much needed in our University as we are all stressing over our final exams. We all relaxed for the week, laying out in the sun, going to the beach and just enjoying the last of the time we have with our college friends before we break up for Summer. It was the perfect way to end the semester. :) My week in photos...

Wishing you all a wonderful week :) 

Love always, 

Orla

10 Signs That I'm Growing Up

{1} My friends and I sometimes have to google phrases that younger people use because we are so out of the loop that we don't know what they mean. Things like 'totes awky mo-mo' (which apparently means 'totally awkward moment') and  'so weak in life' ('This is so funny!') aren't phrases we are 'young' enough to understand...

{2} I have to worry about things like paying the deposit for my apartment, and where I can buy the cheapest milk. Imagine!

{3} My dreams are finally coming true. I'm working as a nurse. :)

{4} Adult conversations no longer bore me. I don't know when this transition happened, but I now get a thrill from hearing about shopping for new curtains or certain current affairs. Huh??

{5} My friends and I recently went to Paris. All by ourselves. No adult supervision- we were the adults. What is going on?!

{6} Having friends over and just chatting over a cup of tea is one of my favourite past-times. :)

{7} I get such a kick out of learning new things. I want to go to lectures, and I love hearing what my friends are learning in their courses too.

{8} We are so excited about buying flowers and cushions for our apartment next year. And we talk about how we will organise cleaning and grocery shopping.

{9} I actually like the taste of wine.

{10} Having children is no longer way in the future. 2 of my close friends are already mothers. And it's not very scary either. :)

Of course, I am not fully grown up and I doubt I ever will be! I still love all things Disney, my friends and I still skip around in public, and we go crazy for playgrounds haha. :) But I'm not afraid to grow up a little either. It's exciting. :) 

Travelling Alone

During the week, I'm in college in the city, and every weekend I travel back home. It makes for a lot of train journeys. When Kate is with me, we have so much fun. Some days we're exhausted after a long week, so we listen to my iPod and chat away happily. Other days we are bursting with energy, and we do something like this: 

 

And that's very bold, you shouldn't do that. 

I love traveling with Kate. But I am also getting used to taking the train on my own. I love climbing onto the train with my suitcase and rucksack. I love sitting down in a seat with a table to myself. I take off my jacket, stick on my iPod, take out my journal, and I retreat into my own little world. 

I feel like a fly on the wall when I'm on my own on the train. Nobody ever notices the girl sitting alone. They carry on with their lives, they have normal conversations. And I know this might sound very strange, but there is something quite soothing about observing other human beings living their lives. The old ladies talk proudly about the achievements of their children and grandchildren. The teenage boys laugh about the silliest of things. The mother cuddles her toddler, and points out every tree and bird we pass, before calling her husband to let him know when they'll be home. And the teenage girl with the iPod writes about all of them in her journal, and considers what a joy it is to be alive. 

Try it some time. Travel alone. Watch the people around you. You'll learn more about life than you could ever imagine. 

Travelling Alone Playlist: 
1. Say What You Need To Say- John Mayer
2. Blackbird- The Beatles
3. And The Birds Sing- Tyrone Wells
4. Your Song- Ellie Goulding
5. Long Live- Taylor Swift
6. Drops Of Jupiter- Train
7. Autumn Leaves- Ed Sheeran
8. New Soul- Yael Naim
9. Mountain & The Sea- Ingrid Michaelson
10. Happy- Natasha Bedingfield


Oh, and one more thing. Would you mind going back one post (or clicking this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2Y43z0CrlI&context=C35bb41dADOEgsToPDskKi6dbenAPN34lPMb2BapsN ) and telling me what you think? 


Have a lovely Sunday. :) 

January Love

Christmas has passed, and we are all slowly falling back into a routine. But I must admit that I say this with a hint of satisfaction. Now that I have left my school days behind and I've started college, I really love my routine. It was nice to get back to G-Town and start nursing again. Now, how about a good old love list? This January, I can't help but love...

1. My beautiful guitar. Her name is Harper, and together we make music and forget the rest of the world. 

2. Hot chocolate with the Laura & Kate. The 3 of us have been meeting for hot chocolate in the same little café in our hometown for 3 years now. And last year it became an important ritual for us to blow off steam as we studied for the dreaded Leaving Cert (horrible exams). This year, we're in college. Kate and I are together in the city, but we've been torn away from our 3rd Musketeer, Laura. But we have kept up our tradition, and *almost* every Friday when we come home from college, we meet in our little café for hot chocolate and a chat. And I have to say, it has become quite therapeutic. This is Laura. :)

3. Walking with my iPod. I spend most of my college days walking. Walking from the apartment to college to town to the hospital to the supermarket to the apartment, etc etc. And everywhere I walk, I have my trusted iPod to keep me company and to provide a feel-good soundtrack to my rainy/ windy walks (I live in Ireland!). 

4. Escaping to the world of books. Sometimes my life gets too busy, and I have to miss out on reading to make time for my music instead. But since our little trip to Kerry, I have reconnected with my books. Currently reading: Madeleine by Kate McCann

5. Nursing. I'm back in the hospital, and I'm enjoying every precious moment of it before my placement comes to an end. I'm getting to know and care for every patient, and I'm trying to soak up as much knowledge as I can from every experience. The immense pleasure I get from taking care of these people is just indescribable. I know that this is what I will spend my life doing, and I couldn't be happier. :)

2011 In Photos

I've been spending some time thinking of how best to capture all that has happened this year... And well.. I just can't! So I will try this idea to wrap up 2011. I found it over here. One photo for every month this year. :)

Surgery in January

February: Babysitting as usual, one of my favourite past times. :) 

Taylor Swift concert in March

April: Lots of walks to relieve exam stress!

May: Goodbye cards & letters from teachers (and their kids!)

June: Little cousins in big shoes (Alice & Eleanor)

July: My best friend Laura's Birthday (but she is too camera shy to allow a photo on the internet...for now!)

August: Graduation & Exam Results

Moving to college in September

October: Dressing as a nerd for Halloween!

November: Lots of new college friends (and please excuse my wet hair, pyjamas and 3D glasses haha)

December: Seeing family at Christmas time (Little cousin, Holly)

So there is my year in photos. :) Anyone wish to join me? Post a link for your blog, and I will check it out. :) 

Let's Get Christmassy!

I don't understand how the words 'Christmas Exams' can be put together. They take something so lovely and make it yucky. But last week we decided to look at it the other way, and we allowed our Christmas spirits to cheer us up despite having to study for exams. And we decorated the apartment! 

Agnes became our Christmas tree!

And it only cost us €16! They may not be the prettiest of decorations, but they cheered us up and we're feeling the Christmas spirit! We skipped around the supermarket with baubles and tinsel in our hair and handed out candy canes just because! 

Christmas Deco Playlist

1. White Christmas- Bing Crosby

2. Do They Know It's Christmas- Band Aid

3. Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer- Elmo & Patsy

4. All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth- Spike Jones

5. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas- Frank Sinatra

6. Let It Snow- Dean Martin

7. Sleigh Ride- The Ronettes

8. Mary's Boy Child- Boney M

9. Santa Clause Is Coming To Town- Bruce Springsteen

10. Santa Baby- Eartha Kitt

11. The Christmas Song- Nat King Cole

12. I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday- Wizzard

www.trendytree.com 

Wanna Hear A Secret?

*Photo heavy*

I've been debating in my mind how long I should leave it before unveiling my weirdness to the internet. Well, I can't hide it for much longer, so today is the day, you lucky folk! A few things you should know...

1. I am not quite normal. 
2. Neither are my friends. And...
3. College life is much more fun when you do it our way. 

No, there is no explanation for the shower poufs on our heads.  

Kate and I have been friends for 7 years. And when people found out that we were going to college together... Well, 'worried' is a slight understatement. But, much to their amazement, we are still alive, and among the new friends we have made, we actually managed to find people as strange as us...

 

Bria 

Clodagh (Clo-dah)

Leeanne

 Ciannait (Kee-nyth)

Since October we have been having a sort of 'Prank War' with these girls. It started with the pumpkin.

This is Korla Pumpkin (Kate + Orla), wonderfully crafted by Clodagh & Bria. So, after debating between many fruit and veg (including a butternut squash and a coconut), we brought a melon into the equation.

And this is Cliaboa (Leeanne, Bria, Clodagh and Ciannait can be quite a mouthful). Cliaboa was accompanied by these eggs, and each of the six represent one of us. 

(Leeanne, Ciannait, Kate, Bria, Orla, Clodagh)

So, one evening after that Kate and I were curled up on the couches in the apartment watching How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days, and the doorbell rang. So, tea in hand, we answered the door to...

Agnes the Robot! 

It was our turn, and it would take something amazing to beat the robot! So one cold morning at 06:30am before I headed to the hospital, Kate and I decided to break into their bathroom. But they are clever girlies, and had guessed our plans - they had set up boobie traps in their bathroom and hallway, so we couldn't get in without waking them up. So we left without making a sound, and came back that evening, and Ciannait let us in. And we did this: 

The best part was hiding behind those curtains in the dark for an hour waiting for them to come home. We are very easily amused! And when they finally arrived, we waited for at least 10 minutes til they calmed down, and then jumped out and screamed at them. Poor things! But we definitely beat the robot. ;) What else have we done... Oh, Kate made this puppet: 

(Khaku)

Kate cradled him for hours before we hung him up outside their door and rang the doorbell. She got some very strange looks. 

 

Phew, I feel better now. It's all out there for anyone to see- I am not as normal as I appear to be at first! But it is so much fun to do it this way. :)