This site is under construction....I just haven't got around to the construction part yet.

I sat down to write this, then I got hungry, then I ignored my hunger, then I scrolled on Facebook for a while then I flicked through my iTunes because nothing was quiet hitting the spot (I settled on Josh Ritter), then acknowledged my hunger once again, made breakfast (scrambled eggs if you are wondering…which you weren’t but now you know and that’s a bit of memory space I’ve completely wasted for you) then I started to type this. Now, since you know my timeline actions we’re good to go…

So I’ve been wondering how to develop this bad boy of a blog and with limited technical knowledge and a general apathetic view towards life, this has been quite challenging. But there is one major development to the page that I’m terribly proud of. I’ve added a ‘Like this’ linky-ma-bob (that’s the technical term, its all terribly complex, you wouldn’t understand) to my page. This involved doing things like adding Java Script and everything. And to think in my 8^th month working in an IT company penny’s wouldn’t drop. Oh they’ve dropped my friend. Dropped good. I basically feel Mark Zuckerburg in the Social Network smart right about now. So yes, all twelve of my current followers (my apostles if you will) feel free to ‘Like’ this and any other faceless readers (creeps if you will) do help yourself to this app, suggest to friends, heck do whatever the fudge you want with it!

So there’s been another minor development in this project. I’ve decided to make a video blog. Well by decided, I mean intended. I did really want to make a video blog but there are obstacles I had to overcome first. First and foremost I don’t have a video-camera or any form of recording device, yes quite the obstacle there. Secondly there was no clear structure to the recordings. I wanted to blog about the Cork Jazz Festival which took place last week in Cork of all places. However what was intended to be an award winning and ground breaking documentary about the festival (I had my Emmy speech at the ready) turned out to be…well turned out to be shaky, blurry, drunken slurs at a camera. Sure it may work for The Blairewitch Project but my drooling onto a camera probably wouldn’t create as much hype. And thirdly, and this is quite the stinker, well thirdly I’m just not very good for being on camera. You know the phrase ‘a face for the radio’ well I have what could only generously be called ‘a voice for the deaf radio’. So perhaps listening to me shout at a camera would only be popular in areas of conflict as a form of torture and not recommended as a means of social entertainment. So as you can see, there are quite a few obstacles in the way for creating this video but I’m not ruling it out yet. Never say never and all that jazz. I guess you will just have to keep checking in to see eh?

Buying peoples respect? There's a coupon for that!

Today I think I will talk about a subject that is very near and dear to all of us students; Coupons. That right, those blessed little gifts of joy disguised in shiny book like wrapping. See, we as students are in a very exclusive phase of our life’s whereby coupons are not only acceptable to use, but praised! The more one saves off a chicken kiev the more impressive one looks. Coupons are marvelous inventions especially at the hands of a market savvy student, to whom 20% of a haircut in town is the equivalent of buy one Ferrari get one free to the son of an oil tycoon.  How the coupon is presented is of course of great importance to the ever so easily distracted student and in general there are four types of coupons floating about a typical campus region:

1) Books of tokens: Although the most impressive looking it can often be the most disappointing, merely offering you a discounted driving lesson on your tenth lesson or Two for One entrance into the Cork Butter Museum. In general nothing worth really holding onto. Granted you offer the occasionally tempting Little John’s offer but realistically the trek is not worth the treat and you will never be used. Oh and if you arrive in our mail box nine times in the one week we will use you for squashing spiders/rolling cigarettes/ unsanitary disposal methods that I shall not discuss further. Just a heads up.

Behind those happy eyes lies pure evil.

2) Leaflets handed at the gates of campus: Oh yes Mr ‘I’m dressed as a giant Subway Sandwich.’ I see you and you see me. We can dance the dance of avoiding eye-contact all we want but like it or not I will finish that tango with a leaflet that offers me a meal deal for five euro in my hand. Useful…if meal deals weren’t already five euro. Don’t disguise yourself as a coupon. You’re just another ad. 

As for you manipulative vultures that are Bank people, you, oh you, are the scum of the coupon-type people. You stand at the gates of the campus, shiny eyed and aluminous t-shirted roping us in with offers of free money and rucksacks. You all caught me on day one of college, signing me up to an impressive three banks in all of…I don’t know, seven minutes? As much as I regret my multiple empty bank accounts what disgusts me even more of the bank campus people is they never give up. Three years later you still get hounded by them as you try to make your way to campus. Surely there should be some sort of charity sponsorship set-up where you should get some sort of immunity sticker to say you’re a member.

3) Back of receipts: These forgotten players in the coupon game are often neglected by students. A puppy after Christmas syndrome if you will. Their neglect is self inflected as these coupons are aimed not at students but at those who have a disposable income that they plan to spend on more than just poptarts and Dutch Gold. In the eyes of students the backs of receipts are mostly unwanted ‘treats’ like hotel breaks and spa weekends. But what’s this I suddenly see? Two cinema tickets and popcorn for 14 euro? Why back of receipts perhaps you may have redeemed yourself. 

4) Specialized booklets: Specialized booklets, as I am categorizing them, are the booklets that you receive in your promotional goodie bags and/or through your postbox. The difference with these little beauts is that you actually want them. These booklets are dedicated to just one company (typically for a food establishment such as Four Star or Dominos*) and come complete with everything a student needs. What is great about the specialized booklet is that the hardest part in a student’s day is over; they have decided what they want for dinner. Now all that’s left is choosing what offer to use. So there’s no trudging through menu’s of Chinese, Italians and Indians, you have decided ‘I’m having this company’s pizza. End of. A second advantage of the specialized booklet is their amazing ability to make the student feel like a genius. In a group decision he who discovers the most economical offer will be rewarded with praise, adoration and first borns named in their honour. He who realizes that Domino’s spend 40 euro and get 50% off means if they get 41 euro worth of pizza they need only spend 20.50 is guaranteed at least enough children in their honour to have a crèche named after them.

I must, when writing this, include a very special shout out to a dedicated Domino Pizza employee who went above and beyond his call of coupon delivering duty; a mighty enough call of duty as it is. This happy employee delivered his latest batch of coupons, not through the post box nor on the street but through my bedroom window. That’s right, this chap walked up to my ground floor bedroom while I was pottering around inside and stuck his head in the window to hand me my coupon. Although this sounds terribly intrustive/ restraint order worthy, I found it hilarious. I must include here it wasn’t done in a ‘Peeping Tom’ manner….my windows are abnormally huge, with eight of them in total, all of which were open. So to him, I was basically standing in my yard. Still, hilarious none-the-less.

On that note I invite you to tell me of your personal favourite coupons, or personally useless coupons...all suggestions welcome! Also if there are anything you would like me to include in a blog, let me know, I'm as open as your pants buttons at Christmas...

Side Note:

* I have not been endorsed to promote Domino’s nor Four Star. I will however happily accept any form of endorsement in the form of free pizza….double pepperoni and cheese please. Go on sure, if you insist, I’ll take the garlic pizza bread too.

Hello, is it me you're looking for...?

Oh Hello there,

Didn't see you pop in. Nice to meet you too. What am I doing here you ask? Well, basically I’m creating a blog with no clear structure or goals. Why is that you ask? Because well….I have no clear structure or goals in life yet have been asked to create a blog. Are my opinions worth following you may wonder? Well, probably not, but sure have a bit of a look and if it’s not for you then no harm done right? If it is for you then I gladly welcome all comments, feedback and monetary tokens of appreciation.  As a student who embraces student life far more than studies this blog will be devoted to the general musings of a student, particularly a student in Cork. Sure we’ll see how this goes…

It may interest you to know who I am…well ok then. I’m a Commerce student studying in UCC. (*Feel free to judge my lack of soul here). I was born at a very young age and have since got older. My interests include:  sleeping in, talking nonsense, watching Fair City (*The greatest accidental comedy known to man…a topic which I’m sure I will dive into on a later date) and generally being an uncontributing member of society. My disinterests include: Pina Coladas and getting caught in the rain. Seriously, the drink is too milky and the rain is too pneumonia inducing for my liking. So there we have it, it’s like we’re best friends now. Ok maybe not best friends, but at least acquaintances that will awkwardly nod at one another if we met on the street. Fantastic!

So yes there we have it. A blog about general student activates. Now I’m not referring to activates such as ‘Today I attended a Chess Club Meeting. We played chess.’ But more things that are significant only to a student, for it must be said, we are a grand race altogether. We can do things no other grouping of people can do and are judged for things no other grouping of people would be judged. This morning for example I was rushing for work. It being a bitterly cold morning I decided to bring a cup of tea with me. Of course I didn’t have a flask however, that would be far too prepared, so as I watched my watch bearing in mind the bus times, I quickly scanned the kitchen for any object that would suffice as a tea holding apparatus. Choosing a large red plastic cup as my ‘flask’ off I went happily to the bus. (Well…not happily it was still morning and I was going to work….but less miserably we’ll say). Standing at the bus stop, cradling my red plastic cup for dear life (…it’s warmth provided lovely tea happiness as well as a replacement for gloves…) I thought nothing unusual of my appearance. This however was not the case to my ever-friendly bus driver whom upon pulling up threw me evil eyes like none other. For a moment I pondered had I accidentally misplaced my cup with a keg of radioactive material to have deserved such a look…when it hit me. My red plastic cup was the token symbol of college parties. This although a Hollywood stereotype had clearly clicked with my bus driver, who for moment considered whether or not to ask me what was in the cup. Because of this red cup it was assumed I was a wild college student on my way home from/heading to some ‘rocking’ college party…even though it was 7 am, I was in a wooly jumper and clearly very painfully sober.  Had I not been a student I strongly believe this would not have been the case. Had I waited at the bus stop suited up, briefcase in one hand and red plastic cup in the other I probably would have been complimented on my flask making  initiative. But alas no. As a student I was judged.

Not for students. Especially students who like tea.

These are the obstacles students must overcome, the stereotypes assumed upon them and the obliviousness we are to the judging looks of the outside world. Not that I am complaining, I am happy to be in our bubble safe from realities of mortgages or whether or not I remembered to play the group’s syndicate lotto. So for as long as I remember to post this blog I shall delve into the weirdly wonderful world of a student and I invite you to join me, interact with my posts and generally have a bit of a rant. Sure it’s great fun to have a rant. Especially if everyone agrees with you. Then you feel very smart. Very smart indeed.