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It’s been a while since I went to a club and drank many alcoholic beverages into the early hours of the morning. Having had a taste of just that the other night, not so much in the alcohol consumption but in the atmosphere and drink consumed by the free spirits all around me - including the occasional fantastically attractive female.
Those nights are always nice. It’s fun to go a bit crazy every now and then, though right now it seems I’m not able to do it, or in the mood quite often. It feels great to be busy, sometimes it feels great to be tired, because it’s tiredness from doing what I love.
It’s the weekend. Go nuts!
It was like putting on a pair of glasses for the first time. I don’t wear glasses, so it was like putting on a pair of glasses when my eyesight is 20:20 and seeing everything totally distorted - only in reverse. In a good way.
A new lens. I got a nice pretty new lens. The weather has been amazing the last few days. Here are a few photographs from my first trip with pretty new lens.
This Thursday I have a very special photographic exhibition to mark the opening of Belfast City Office. This is an office space centre on Elmwood Avenue, close to Queens University and the Students Union.
Merging premium serviced-office space, top-notch in-house IT support from Xootec, administrative & business support and very smart facilities for meeting, greeting and networking, the BCO team have fashioned a fantastic alternative to the traditional rented office space.
“…We are a small and greatly motivated team here and we strive to ensure our clients receive top quality support. If asked, why BCO? We would answer because, We Care for Your Business.”
…[They] have successfully brought this period building bang up to date as beautiful Victorian architecture fuses effortlessly with dynamic modern design.
The photographs on display are of sights around two contrasting cities; Belfast and New York City, both continuously growing at a rapid rate in all directions; culturally, economically, musically, artistically as well as in architecture and cityscape.
The launch of the centre is the only time members of the public will have the chance to see these photographs, so please do stop by on your lunch break for some free lunch! It begins at 11am, though will be open throughout the day.
Recently I’ve been working with local promotion company Moving On Music, who specialise in classical, traditional, world, rock and jazz music.
MOM are putting on a mini-festival in the Black Box from today, 26th March, to Sunday 30th March, encompassing many great musicians, as well as film screenings before each show.
In the Café, however, a selection of my photographs, taken at Moving On Music events, are on display throughout the festival.
If you are in Belfast it would be great if you could stop by and have a look, maybe even get a bite to eat - they do a good lunch.
For full details on the festival programme click here
A random photo from the archives.
This photograph was taken on this day in 2006
Well I live in Ireland so I can’t forget about St Patrick’s Day now can I.
I like to keep it pretty quiet - see last year’s rant for why. The plan was to take photographs of the parade as it made its way from the City Hall to to Custom House Square, but of course the two batteries I had with me quickly died. Thankfully I got a few shots of the parade - though I had other plans for the afternoon anyway.
Two friends from England were over for the weekend and so we went to Pizza Hut in Victoria Square (all-you-can-eat buffet for £6!) then to Roast Coffee (note to self: free wi-fi!) to chill.
Random Saint Patrick facts:
-There is no histrocal evidence St.Patrick ever went south of the border hence the name of Downpatrick which is abbreviated from its origianl Ulster Scots name Donchabeegoingdowntherepatrickhey
-The south was entirely pagan until the introduction of the Euro when its animal worshipping coinage (dolphins, horses, deers etc) was replaced by sensible looking bridges and pictures of other European heads of state brought back from holidays. Juan Carlos of Spain is particularly popular in Mayo.
-St.Patrick built the first ever UTV transmitter on the top of Slemish. It was made of sheep bones.
- As well as killing the Loch Ness Monster, Goliath and leading all of the rats into the lagan with his magic flute, he, in a race with the Pope cut of his hand and threw it onto Ulster (Gods Own Soil) thus proclaiming it a non papal state for all eternity.
- St Patrick’s real name is Steve.
- St Patrick is actually allergic to the Black Stuff.
- St.Patrick leaves the toilet without washing his hands if there’s no one else around.
This week went quite quickly, coming to an end that was well worth the wait.
After work on Friday I purchased a 15-inch Macbook Pro from the Apple Store. This I am very excited about. It will be an interesting transition period from XP to Mac though hopefully it will go smoothly. I have lots of questions, which Andy has answered for me recently, and I’m sure I will have many more when it arrives. So more on this then.
Later than evening I headed to the City Church hall above Common Grounds Café for an evening of Bollywood fund raising for a trip to India. On the bill were some Bollywood dancers, whose dancing skills were quite mesmerising, Kitty and the Can Openers and Captain Kennedy.
Kitty and the Can Openers
Captain Kennedy
Like the majority of others in Belfast I was very excited about the opening of Victoria Square (official site is still in the future tense) having watch it grow over the last 3 years or so. Disappointingly, but also as expected, I wasn’t able to make it to the opening at 10am Thursday morning, though I did take some time to view it at lunchtime and again at 5:30pm. My first impressions were that of excitement - yes even after venturing inside. Excited to see something as architecturally beautiful as this in Belfast.
The centre/square (is a ’square’ ever really square shape) has no doors at its access points, leaving it open 24/7 as a walk-through, this part I like, though hope that it remains safe if I ever do take the chance at 3am.
The shops are plentiful, with many, including an 8-screen cinema, still to open over the next few months. With a great number of top fashion brands, which I won’t be purchasing, though I’m sure a great many will, it is exciting (that word once again) to see the city with a new focal point which is so vastly superior to anything else and makes CastleCourt appear very outdated.
Of course only 2hrs after opening it was very busy, and I’m sure it will be for quite a while yet. I have heard it from a number of people; that they cannot, and doubt that very many people in Belfast will in fact be able to afford many of the £80 shirts and £3000 handbags which are on sale in this luxurious home of items previously seen only in movies, television and every other page of fashion magazines.
I agree with this, yes, though also believe that there is a market for this fashionable merchandise that money provides to those with it, whether I agree with the world of bling and fashion and such nonsensical and pointless things or not.
It is a boost for the economy as well as a chance to show the rest of the world that Belfast can be a place of culture and fashion and other things that make a place more ‘tourist-worthy beyond talk of the Troublings of it’s past, instead, looking forward to a bright future of all things bright and future -orthy.
“But what about the rest of the city centre?” they say, “Royal Avenue and other such previous hubs of shopping wonderment.” Well, yes, their popularity will take a sudden dip the minute any member of the general public steps foot in Victoria Square and its un-square-like form. From here on CastleCourt will appear box-like; a long rectangular box with a balcony. This is certainly not ideal in a world of curves, colours and textures beyond white.
Though I hear it too will be going through a considerable amount of upgrading, giving it further levels and more glass frontage, though who wants to bombard any city with so much retailage at once, especially one which is only now getting used to it and learning to catch up with everyone else.
With 800,000ft2, 98 shops, 106 apartments, panoramic views of the city within the centre dome, two levels of underground parking and an Apple store to come later in the year, Victoria Square is a great thing for Belfast, a city on the move, thinking ahead, thinking of its future and the future of its tourists, as well as its residents, and those who are looking forward to the Belfast in 10 years time when many of these proposed developments currently in the works, or with cranes which like to be climbed by drunken locals, may be completed.
I love this city. As I always say that as a youngster I wasn’t able to see anything beyond the road I grew up on and the older kids who weren’t so nice as I took that trip to the shop for milk or went to the park to play on the swings, but with age, maturity and a sense of what is really going on here I now love it, and even more so knowing of the plans which will make it even better. To look at at least.
For further photographs of Victoria Square have a look at my flickr set
There had been rumours that this year would be better than the previous two, and with the addition of intros, music and a few words from George Bush it was. Once again, but very deservedly, Twenty Major won the award for best blog, coinciding with the recent release of his book the two prizes go hand in hand. Maybe it’s time to give someone else a chance next year.
Highlights of the night include Robin Blandford’s mum collecting his prize on his behalf, Kieran Murphy of Ice Cream Ireland’s dress sense, Nialler9 winning once again, Grannymar and Grandad sharing the same stage.
The award for best photoblog this year went to Claire of Gingerpixel and with her blog being filled with so many brilliant photographs, especially her great portraits of people she has stopped in the street she definitely deserved this prize.
He tried, he failed, he left. But he won a prize finally. Jett Loe was honoured with a special prize this year for being “shafted” in previous years, and truly shafted once more being 3899 miles away in Nashville, Tennessee. However I retrieved his prize and have brought it back to Belfast - not before taking it on a journey around Dublin first.
Jett, I’d be happy to bring it to you…
For me the award ceremony was better than previous years, especially with the super-enjoyable photo meet beforehand, and meeting more people than before. Unfortunately I regret meeting less people than I would have liked, and for leaving too early due to Andy telling me that he had gone to another bar, but in the end turning out to have changed the plan and ending up going back to the hostel, while everyone else was still drinking back at the Alexander.
Before leaving I did get plenty of photographs of random people hanging around - many of whom I don’t know. If you know their names, add tags on flickr
However, as usual the whole weekend was one big motivator to organise my blog better, to figure out a real agenda and better acquaint myself with more bloggers.
I also hope to get down to Dublin, and maybe other cities in the South of Ireland before the next Bloggies.
Finally, congrats again to all the great bloggers who won, to everyone who was there and made the weekend so good, and of course to Damien and everyone who helped put together another great awards ceremony.
For more photos of Jett’s ‘Shafted’ award click here
For more photos of the Irish Blog Awards 2008 click here
We awoke early on saturday morning, in true tourist style. I took my first photograph of the day by 9.20am, of Andy eating his very tasty croissant in a small café down by the quay. After breakfast we began taking photos for real. Heading to Temple Bar, Grafton Street and St. Stephen’s Green.
Walking really is tiring, so we found a nice bar called Sinnotts underneath the St Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre. Sat down, found free wireless and used their facilities whilst contemplating what we were going to select from the menu, not realising that it was 11:45 and we had to be at the Spire in 15mins for the photo meet.
We left the bar, grabbed an Abrakebabra on Temple Bar which tasted terrible, then met Red Mum, Ellybabes, John, Owen, Ryan, Gingerpixel, and Keith. We headed towards Trinity then off to St Stephen’s Green, via Grafton Street. I had never been on a photo meet-up before and really enjoyed it. Quite simply amazing. So many factors involved which I loved. Being with some great people, taking photographs in the street, talking blogs and general nerdiness - it doesn’t get much better.
It was all finished off with a few pints before myself and Andy headed to Wagamama on South King Street - he’s been going on about it for a few weeks, so we had to do it. It was indeed very nice, though next time I won’t go for the very spicy noodle soup with far too much liquid in a huge bowl.
The rest goes of in a bit of a drink fuelled tangent… the story will be continued later.
(Plenty more photos on my flickr stream)
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