Connemara - A Road Trip

Hello everyone :-) I am still alive and breathing, but just AWFULLY busy with programming my 3D game. Right now I have absolutely enough of rolling balls and square frogs and so I decided it is about high time I wrote about the absolutely awesome road trip we did a week ago on Saturday!

Two days before the trip we spontaneousely decided to go to Connemara. Grace, Jo, Cian and me, all computer science people :-). We left VERY early... at 7am Grace was picked up (lol, we had to find her first) and then we picked up Jo, who - to everyones utter astonishment - actually was at the Luas station :-). So the 4 of us headed west in Cian's car, some fell asleep ;-) and others enjoyed the sun coming out to greet us!

After about 2hours we had reached the suburbs of Galway and headed noth-west into Connemara. The road was windy and hilly and soonish some people were not feeling that great anymore (*lol*), so we made our first stop near a very scenic lake. There was a stone wall and we all - except for Grace - climbed over it, some more gracefully than others... Thanks for the gentlemen I made it to the other side unharmed ;-). We saw some sheep and Jo tried to catch one of them rather unsuccessfully... *grin*. It was really cold and so we did only take a few pictures (check out the b&w from Cian, they're awesome).
Here on of mine...

After that we continued along the twisties and came to this fjord near Leenane... Looks really nice: A Picture for you!

After a short break outside the car we were all happy to get back inside... damn, it was cold! We continued a bit inland I think towards a waterfall! When you look on the picture below, the street is towards the left side, at the back... So we set out to walk to the waterfall... It looked quite easy at first, but just have a closer look at the "path" it's not really a path and it was muddy in a lot of places or non-existant in others. Well, anyway, I luckily had two gentlemen with me and they were mostly amazingly helpful in getting me to jump from one stone to the other really close to the river :-). Grace gave up halfway through unfortunately :-(...

So here you can see Jo and me on TOP of the waterfall, perfectly safe to do that... Ehm, what did it say in the beginning... "Do not climb on the falls. To do so could result in fatality." ~ Bord Iascaigh Mhara

But I mean it's just too tempting :-). So with wet and muddy shoes and dirty pants we made it to the top of the waterfall and took some cool pictures! After that we made our way back somehow and lucky me had another set of "shoes" in the car :-). But that little mini-adventure was absolutely a highlight of the day!

 After the waterfalls we set out to a beach, no idea where it was or what it's called ;-). My informant has somehow vanished from facebook... *grin*. So here you see the 3 people in black, Cian, Jo and Grace... I was too bloody freezing and my "shoes" where not really suitable for sand...

Next we continued towards Letterfrack and somewhere on the way saw a sign to Kylemore Abbey... So we went and checked it out, but only from the outside, entre fees where exhorbitant even for students.

After Kylemore it was already after 2pm and we were all starving... So in Letterfrack we went into a pub and ordered some lunch :-). I got a warm chicken and bacon salad with honey mustard dressing, was absolutely amazing... Don't really know if because i was starved by the time it came or because it really was great. And then we continued towards Clifden and the apparently famous sky road! When we arrived there the sun was out and it was the most amazing, stunning, breath-taking view ever! I could not stop taking pictures, until my camera battery died :-(.

 The 3 exchange students on the sky road!

 After that we drove to Galway and into the city center. After somehow having managed to find an expensive parking space we got out and walked around a bit :-). It was sometime after 5pm methinks... There was a biiig Christmas market with a lot of little stands and we had a look at it. Then went to the "main shopping road" with all the nice, but just inappropriately early hung up Christams decoration. It was quite nice! After some tiem we went back to the car and drove back to Dublin where we all had Tacos at my place :-).

So yes, that was an abolutely amazing and wonderful day!

For absolutely amazing pictures by Cian see:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/42991428@N08/sets/72157625321653559/with/5198640997/

First Frost

So I have been extremely busy over the past 2 weeks and also quite sick, which didn't help with the busy part at all... but I'm definitely on the road of recovery, antibiotics seem to have helped or it was just time that did it :-).

It has gotten quite COLD here and the first frost has come upon us as well. It's nice, warm and really cosy inside the house :-).

I will start my internship in Galway on the 12th of January after the Unitech mid-term week. This will be an awesome opportunity and I'll stay there for 6 months at least. So I have to find somewhere to stay and move and you know, a lot of planning again and some people VERY unhappy with my decisions... Writing tons of emails to certain people and you all know how much I LOVE writing this formal suck up emails ;-). But I am getting really awesome at it and people seem to have realised that I am not fooling around and that I actually do know what I am doing...

Otherwise it's going good at uni, just wrote my second exam... Hehe, took about 20 minutes to do it and then I had to wait 10 more minutes to get out (can't leave in the first half hour of a 90 min exam)... Not that I did particularly well I guess, but I just knew some answers and with others I had absolutely no clue.. so guesswork was involved... that's the beauty of MC exams with no negative marking now, isn't it?

Also in less than 2 weeks my awesome friends from university are coming to visit for an entire WEEK, YES, it's absolutely great. I already rent a car for 3 days over the weekend and we'll be going on a Road Trip to Galway and Connemara and so on! It'll be awesome... just hope the weather will agree with that. Hehe and driving might be fun ;-)... no I have to say, I'm completely used to this "driving on the wrong side of the road" by now...

Ok, I actually have to do some work now... So I HOPE that I'll be able to write again earlier than this time...

Hope you're all well :-).

Schwyzerdütsch

Ok, for all my non-Swiss-German-speaking friends sorry about this, but I got some complaints from my home country as not everyone speaks English there.

Hallo mini Liebe

Für alli vo euch wo leider nit hän chönne mitvefolge was bis jetzt alles so passiert isch do in Dublin es Chlises update.

Ich ha mich do am Afang, also vor über 6 Wuche, guet igläbt. Ich wohn ime Stadteil Rialto, dä isch an und für sich nit eso speziell und au nit grad bsunders schön, aber es isch noch bim Zentrum und ich had Luas, sone Art Tram, ganz noch bi mir. Ich wohn binere ganz liebe Familie, wobi eigentlich isches nur es Mami und e Tochter. S Huus isch us de 30er Johr, chli alt, abr sehr viel Charme und ich ha mi gli deheime gfühlt.

Bald nach däm ich acho bi hän mir am Trinity College, dört studier ich für das Semester, e sone Art Ifierigswuche gha. Es het relativ vieli Infoverastaltige geh, ich ha anderi Lüt kenneglernt und bi viel ufem Campus umegloffe. S Trinity College isch z'mitzt im Zentrum und het en riese grosse Campus. Weme dur dr "FronArch" also de Igangboge ine chunnt isches grad viel ruhiger und alles isch griener und schöner :-). Me het also so öbbe 7 minute vom einte ändi ans andere.

Jo und de e Wuche spöter het d Uni so wirklich agfange. Ich mach 4 verschiedeni Kürs, 2 in Informatik und 2 in Business. Ir erste Wuche isch alles neu gsi... am Trinity funktioniert halt alles nomol echli anders als ar ETH, abr ich ha relativ schnäll usegfunde wies lauft. Die erste Ire kenneglernt und scho die erste Kürs abgwählt (ha am Afang 6 gha).

Ir nexte Wuche bi ich im 7te Himmel gsi wägeme gwüsse Ir... Alles echli vrruckt, nach so kurzer Zyt en Fründ in Irland... Aber es isch super gsi, er isch super gsi und ich ha Irland ufsmol no besser gfunde. Na, 4 Wuche spöter isch das denn so zimli alles vrbi gsi... Zu unterschiedlich, beidi dickköpfig,... und ez sin mir gueti Kollege. Abr die 4 Wuche sin wirklich super gsi, ich ha viel erläbt, viel gseh und Wolke 7 isch doch glich toll.

Die Wuche isch chli schwieriger gsi. Ich bi sit am Mäntig zimli vrkeltet... wobi e Vrkeltig isch glaub chli untertriebe... Isch evtl au e Grippe gsi kei Ahnig. Bi uf jede Fall deheim bliebe, fuul umeghange, nit viel gmacht... Na, bim Wätter dusse isch das au nit iladend gsi.. Miserabels Wätter sit am Mäntig, Irland macht sich alli Ehr. Und d Arbet fürd Uni isch sich am uftüürme... Na, es het au paar tolli Sache geh die Wuche :-). Am Fritig Obe bini ins Kino mit mire "Gastfamilie" und de Film isch super gsi "The kids are alright" und gester Obe bini zunere andere Ustuschstudäntin Heim... mir sin vieli gsi, hän z'Nachtgässe und Kartespiel gmacht und es isch super gsi!

Suscht hani scho einigi Sache in Dublin gseh, abr es git no viel woni noni gseh ha... De hani scho 2 Usflüg gmacht, eine nach Glendalough und Kilkenny und der ander nach Killarney und ind Region Kerry. Isch beides super gsi... Ich plan spötistens de next Usflug wenn de Johann und Jan afangs dezember uf Bsuech chöme.

So und ez muessi mol los :-).

glg Sara

First Exam... lol

Ok... I had my first exam... well can you really call it an exam?

Firstly it was a Multiple Choice exam... That didn't really calm me down, I mean, the MC-exams can be awfully difficult. Ok, it helps if you know that there is only 1 correct answer and NO negative marking... Already a lot more humane than ETH. So I prepared, read the book, read the slides and so on... Was quite a lot of material.

Then I sit at the exam, 45 questions and it's a joke... Like really unbelievable. Not saying I did well... I probably didn't do too good.

If you have questions like what do the letters in DMAIC stand for... YEAH, right... I can tell you that DMAIC is a method of continuous improvement and it is used as a cycle... so once you are through all the stages, you start again... First you figure out what you want to do, then you measure if this is needed, you evaluate if the desired result will be produced, you make the design even better and then you check it again...
BUT I don't know it the C stands fo Check or Control... it's like the same thing and COMPLETELY doesn't matter! So yeah... I find that a bit stupid really.

And you know... it continues like that. Definition after definition and you are supposed to pick the right thing... It's not about logic or understanding, simply about learning stupid definitions by heart.. and I didn't do that :(.

Well, at least there were some math questions in the exam and I got to use some of my brain cells and some of the stuff I actually understood... And I even managed to solve the stuff without the calculator we could have apparently brought with us, but it didn't say so anywhere...

BUT, I know that not all exams at TCD are like this... I assume this exam is the exception. I have seen exams by the other Business prof, the German Mr. Fellenz. He does MC questions as well, but they are REALLY difficult and you need to actually use your brain and have understood the concepts... Also I saw old exams of the Computer Science people and they are much much harder still.

Otherwise this week has been like the weather... sometimes crappy, sometimes awful, at times a little lighter, but usually just gloomy. Not a lot of fun having the flu and yeah, I'll leave the rest for now...

I'm in serious need of my portion of tv-series... I'll start with Grey's Anatomy, continue with Private Practice and finish with Vampires Diary... Maybe that'll make everything a bit brighter :-).

But don't worry, the flu is going away... so is my voice ;-) and the other issues, yeah, they'll get better over time. I still like it here, not the weather, but everything else and it's only like 4 more weeks until I get visitors, so yay :-).