Happy Halloween 2024

Welcome to my house of horror.

Well, what are you waiting for?

Come in, come in, my pretty.

"Double double toil and trouble; fire burn and caldron bubble." —Macbeth, William Shakespeare

"Shadows of a thousand years rise again unseen, voices whisper in the trees, tonight is Halloween!"    —Dexter Kozen 

 

I have always been fascinated by the paranormal—things that we cannot conceive. Some of my favorite childhood shows were bewitched, Lost in Space, The Twilight Zone, and my Favorite Martian. I don't have a dark side. Well, I guess I shouldn't say that because we all have it. Butttt....I prefer to nurture the light within me. If I were a wicked witch, I would be a vegan witch 😁

I don't like horror as much as I don't like heavy dramas. Some people watch these and go to sleep without a problem. As for me, it all gets absorbed within me like a sponge. Horror gives me nightmares, and dramas depress me for days.

Once a year, though, I get to enjoy the dark side. The mysterious black cat, spooky noises, devils and demons, and freaky things. Heck, if you try hard enough, you may even convince me to watch a horror movie with you. Anyhoo, I just wanted to share these thoughts as I wish everyone Happy Halloween. 

Cliffs of Moher, County Clare

There isn't much that I can say about Cliffs of Moher that hasn't been already said on websites and YouTube channels. I will try to add some insights about my experience. There are several ways to visit the Cliffs—bus tour, a ferry, taking the train, and switching to public transportation, or driving. Each path will give you a different perspective. I took a bus tour which isn't always my thing. But after taking a few of these in various countries, I have to say that they turned out pretty well, and as a bonus, I met people from all over the world.

 

At first, I thought about renting a car, and changed my mind for several reasons. I have never driven on the right side of the road. Some of the roads are quite narrow with buses and trucks passing by. Sometimes, there is nothing around you but fields, and no one on the road for miles and miles. And since I was traveling solo, if something went wrong with my car, I wouldn't even know what to do. If I was traveling with at least one more person, I may have driven. Anyhow, I opted for the tour which was interesting.

Our tour guide liked to sing and had brought his Ukulele. He sang to break the monotony of the long trip—13 hours to be exact. We listened to him talk about the history of Ireland with Irish songs in between. He was entertaining. Meanwhile, I got to know a nice Italian family from Milan. Chiara, who spoke English, sat next to me. Her mom and brother, seated behind us, spoke mostly Italian. They were trying to teach me the recipe for Tiramisu. I'm now Facebook friends with Chiara who is a year older than my niece. Maybe we'll meet up one day in Milan.

Cliffs of Moher is beautiful, but I wouldn't say that it's a must see. Ireland has many lovely cliffs, and if you happen to miss this one, I wouldn't worry about it. It's quite touristy. If my time in Dublin wasn't limited, I may have opted for traveling to other areas in Ireland instead.

O'Brien Tower was built in 1835 by Cornelius O'Brien, a wealthy Irish politician. You can walk up to the top and enjoy views that overlook Aron Islands and the Atlantic. Alternatively, you can take a ferry and look at the points of interests, and the Cliffs from the sea.

Late lunch break in Galway city. I didn't follow the other tourists, and wanted to explore the area on my own. I ran into éan by accident. It was tucked away in a corner, away from the other eateries. I went in because the outside looked intriguing. Inside, I felt at home. There were a lot of regulars who knew the server and engaged her in long conversations. I had a full on chat with a couple from San Diego who were staying in Galway for a few days. My Server was from New York, studying for her masters. She said that Galway was a hip and happening place for students, and she enjoyed living there.

Barack Obama Plaza. Apparently, the former president had Irish blood, and this plaza was named after him. We stopped here on our way back to grab a snack, or use the facilities.

Friendly Donkey—when tour buses slow down, it likes to come over and people watch.

  

So, that's it. Overall, it was a good tour. Both our driver and the guide were super accommodating. I signed up for it through Viator.

 

 

Minimalism

I don't enjoy clutter and chaos. When things are scattered everywhere, and I can't find something, I get frustrated. I'm on a journey of minimalism. I guess I've been on this journey for years, and have been improving. I used to collect things: coins, stamps, clothes, shoes, purses, custom jewelry, decorations, and on and on. In my twenties, I once lost an important business contract, and when my dad walked into my room to help me find it, he said, "Geez, an elephant could get lost in your room, and we would never find it." (image by Freepik)

I'm a different person now. I rarely exchange gifts with friends. I prefer sharing experiences. I used to love shopping, so much that I didn't use half the stuff I owned. Nowadays, sometimes I buy things from large online companies because it's convenient, but I only buy what I need. Other times, although rarely, I make a purchase from a small business owner when I don't need anything. I do this to support them, and because their shop is unique. (photo by wayhomestudio)

 

Those around me know that if I send them a card, or mail them a meaningful gift, I consider them truly special, and an important part of my life, because it's not something I normally do, and I don't have the patience to wait in a post office line. After owning a brick-and-mortar retail store for four years, I stopped enjoying shopping all that much. I prefer spending time with those I care about. And although I'm a writer, when it comes to writing cards, I'm terrible at it. (photo by pencilparker)

As for my relationships, I'm choosy. Some people have a ton of friends, and I used to be that way when I was younger, but not anymore. Most of the time, it takes me a longtime to befriend someone, and once in a blue moon, I form a bond quickly because our energies are similar. I treat my social media accounts the same. I don't want to befriend thousands of people. I notice that on twitter or Facebook, people follow just about anybody just to gain followers. I'm not that way. I find smaller communities homier and warmer. I guess you could say that I apply minimalism to all aspects of my life. (photo by florendia)

(photo by Darwin Vegher)
 

Yesterday, I was trying to find the attachments to my waterpik. I searched high and low with no luck. As I turned each drawer upside down, I got pissed. I'm now determined to go through my entire house, and throw things out.

This will take months, maybe even a year, with my garage, car, bedroom, drawers, closet, kitchen stuff, office supplies, all the paperwork, emails, texts, and etc., while fitting in work, and everyday life. But I know that when I'm done, it will all be worth it. BTW, I love the below documentary on minimalism. It's something that I aspire to. I'm not certain that I can be like Joshua and Ryan, but I will look to them as my guidelines to simplify my life.

 

 

The unglamorous side of traveling

I wanted to write about all the things wrong with London's Heathrow and British Airways, but I have been struggling with this post since I have been back from Dublin, because too many negative things happened, and I didn't know where to begin. Although we all live in a time when most people have had some kind of flight experience, I feel that I need to share some parts of what happened to me, because, I often talk about my travels and how wonderful they are, but  I rarely discuss all the problems that I face when I go anywhere. (photo credit: RDNE Stock Project)

I've been traveling since the day I was born, and I have been kept at airports, questioned to death, my luggage ransacked by security, and all the receipts in my purse looked at with a microscope so that they can catch me in a lie. I have been banned from entering the country where I live until I had to prove that I was not a criminal, gone through cancer-causing shuttle-looking contraption where multiple people got to see me unclothed (this is what they see when you get scanned). I have been poked, prodded, patted down, stripped-searched because they thought I sold drugs, and you name it, it has happened to me. And although I realize that these experiences may not be unique, I'm tired, tired of being treated like a terrorist each time I pass through security to a point where I'm asking myself, is it worth it to travel anymore? (Photo credit: bAlexas-Fotos)

This time around as I passed through London's security, and missing my connecting flight because British airways screwed up, I found myself angry, angry enough to want to scream. Of course, I couldn't do that. So, what happened? Well, Heathrow's security took away my passport, currency, credit cards, and lost it. After a substantial amount of time passed, it was found in another passenger's bin. Lucky for me, the passenger who returned it was honest. (photo credit: Eugenia Velasquez)

On the way back, all I had was a small carry on which was confiscated by British Airways. They said that my carry on was too big. Mind you, the same exact carry on that I was allowed to take with me on the airplane from London to Dublin, was now too big on the same size airplane from Dublin to London. When I pointed this out to British Airways' staff, they had no answer. And here's the thing. I measured my carry on before leaving Los Angeles, and it was smaller than their "Required size." Also, as I sat in my seat, I noticed other passengers coming in with carry on much larger than mine, and not only that, they had a lot more junk than the maximum two item limit. (photo credit: Gustavo Fring)

To say that this trip was exhausting would be an understatement. I got sick from all the stress when I got home. My suggestion is to not take British airways. They are super disorganized, change gates too many times, and their seats feel like you are in solitary confinement. Don't waste your money on their business class either because it's really not a business class. To save space and squeeze another dollar, they are set up like Yin and Yang, and if you're traveling solo, you'll be staring at a stranger's face. If you want to use the bathroom, you will have to climb over someone or they have to climb over you. As a solo traveler, should you decide to go this route, at least don't get a window seat, and the one next to it. Stay in the center so that you don't have to climb over someone. Even when you buy your seat ahead of time, British Airways may change your seat to somewhere else you don't want to sit and send you an email with a dumb excuse which is what happened to me. (photo credit: JC Gellidon)

Try to pass through a different airport than Heathrow if you have a choice. Their flight boards are inaccurate. It sent me to the wrong terminal. The British airways app is not any better. The excruciatingly crowded airport with long lines is the size of a country as you run from one end to another, up and down escalators which sometimes may not be working, into a bus or on an automated airport transit, and back on the ground with more walking/running. Don't trust gate numbers or British Airways security. I showed them my passport and ticket because I was at the right gate. They checked my documents and let me in. Then I had to scan my passport for the 10th time. It didn't work. A rude employee let me wait for a longtime until I kept complaining about their scanner not working, and not wanting to miss my flight again. He looked at my ticket, rolled his eyes, and said because their flight was going to Zurich. The irony was that it was their own employee who sent me through that line. and the guy at the gate was looking at me as though I was the stupid one. (photo credit: JESHOOTS-com)

And by the way, London is tremendous on facial recognition. If you're coming in from the U.S, they will take your photo multiple times as if you had reconstructive surgery from when they photographed you minutes ago. In Dublin, on my way back, I couldn't buy a sandwich without allowing the machine scan my airline ticket. These are crappy times. But I have to say that Dublin's security is kinder than London's. (AI photo designed by Freepik)

A lot of other things happened to me, but there is not enough room here for me to explain. When I told my family and friends about all the mishaps, they considered themselves lucky for staying put. Am I exaggerating? Google all the awful things that have happened to people who took British Airways or have passed through Heathrow. If you are determined to go to Heathrow, make sure that you have a minimum of 3 hour layover. Trust me on this. (photo credit: Sweder Breet)

And what's the verdict? Will I travel again? Am I spoiled because all of this sounds like a first world problem. Perhaps. But no matter. I still wish that I could be drugged or fall into a deep coma before passing through airport security. I used to be more tolerant, but after years of being abused, things are starting to affect me. (photo credit: Alana Jordan) 

So, there you have it. The not so glamorous side of traveling.

 

Side note: Don't make a single mistake, double and triple check everything to make sure you follow the rules to perfection before passing through security. One mistake can cost you their wrath, unlimited scrutiny, and your sanity.

 

 

 

The Museum of Literature

Dublin is a literary city, and before my visit, I knew that there were four things I wanted to do: visit The Writer's Museum, The Oscar Wild House, Marsh's Library, and the Museum of Literature (MoLi). Yeah, I know, this may be boring for others, but as a writer, I wanted to get lost in literary haven. Unfortunately, the Writer's Museum closed during COVID 19, and never reopened, but many of the works and sculptures were transferred to MoLi.

On a cool crisp day, I took an eight minute stroll from my hotel to MoLi, checked in my backpack, bought a ticket, and began my journey to the past among writers such as the Irish writer and poet, Susan Mitchell and Samuel Beckett, the American born Irish author, Mary Lavin, the satirist and essayist Johnathan Swift, the literary critic and poet, James Joyce, Dracula's Bram Stoker, and many other greats who have paved their way through the world of literature.

This place is several stories high, and do take the stairs instead of the elevator to get a feel for the space. Each floor offers something unique, and on the last floor, you can write a message on a notepad, and if they like what you write, the staff will post it on a cork board on a nearby wall.

I asked one of the employees if she would recommend a fiction by a local author. She told me to buy Normal People by Sally Rooney (no, not the TV series, but the actual book). So, I bought it at their bookshop, and after I got into it, I realized it was a story about love and class division. The tale reads fast, and I took it on the plane back to make time go by faster. I never got to finish it because I was too tired to keep my eyes open, and I have been really sick since I got back. My living space is a mess, and my book seems to have been lost among all the clutter. Today was the first day that I feel somewhat normal, and I'm hoping that once I put things away, I will be able to find it. That, or buy a new one, but I really liked the edition I had bought :/

Besides the book shop, the museum has a cafe on the bottom floor. I wanted to sit outside by the tree where James Joyce once stood. They told me that the outside was temporarily closed. Even so, I spent a quiet 45 minutes at the cafe, drinking an incredible cup of Earl Grey tea, gazing outside, and reading my book. Dublin knows how to do tea. It's not like in the U.S where you order tea at a cafe, and they give you lukewarm water which ruins the entire tea experience. The tea in Dublin is super hot and perfectly brewed, just the way I like it, even when I add milk to it.

Even if you're not a writer, this museum is a welcome relief from the crowds, the tourists, and cars. Across the street you will find one of the entrances to St. Stephen's Green, another favorite place of mine. But that experience will be shared in another post. Cheers for now...