All you need is love...

As many of you know, I visited Liverpool last weekend. I never truly appreciated Liverpool as much as I do now. It's astounding how much history there is in that city. At first, all I really wanted to go there for was mostly for The Beatles, for if I were there back in the 60s when they were a huge band, I would definitely have been a member of the Beatlemania (their fan group). But I didn't realize how great it would be, honestly. Excluding the famous Mathew Street, the Cavern, and the birthplaces of the Beatles, there was Albert Dock, the Royal Liver Building, the biggest Chinatown in the world, the Liverpool Cathedral which is the largest in the UK and fifth largest in the world, St. George's Hall and many more. All in all, it was worth the trip and I would really like to go again because I don't feel like I had enough time to see everything. I never knew how complicated the relationship of the Beatles was, with the childhood lives of John and Paul being hardships for the both of them, and the meanings behind each of their songs being so in-depth. If you get a chance, listen to their music and really focus in on the lyrics. It's truly amazing. "Hey Jude" was made for John Lennon's son by Paul McCartney to comfort him after the divorce of John and Cynthia and keep his spirits high. That, to me, is awesome. Gotta love Paul McCartney!

The Dean post

I promised Dean, an intern at work, that I would write a post about him. Well, today I finally figured out what I would write about.
We were discussing the title of one of the Q&A's of Robert Finnegan who is the CEO of the company 3, which apparently everyone's frustrated or they just all hate him enough to try and make fun of him. I don't have any suggestions, so obviously I don't really comment, and I honestly don't say much around here anyways since the normal conversation are things I don't understand. We were throwing out ideas around, mostly Glen with "Robert Finnegan: huge cock", "Robert Finnegan: 'Tiger in the sack'- signed, his secretary" or "Robert Finnegan: Chief Executive Orifice". All names we all found pretty funny, then Dean comes up with "Richie Rich." After not being able to come up with anything funny when we were all making up names for bands earlier on in the summer, I finally just said "Dean, you have terrible ideas."

I think that may have been the first time they laughed at me for something I said, instead of something that was said towards me like the sexist comment from Linton yesterday when he told me to go to the kitchen where I belonged, or when he called me a slapper earlier on in the internship, which means "whore" by the way. I blame Dean for that, telling him stories about when we went out with a bunch of people and he didn't know where I went for an hour. Don't make up rumors, turd.

But, I gotta say Dean is pretty cool, starting his own magazine and all. I gotta say I'm jealous of that, but not of his jokes.

So there you go Dean, a blog all about you! Hope your last day of this internship was a good one! :)

A little bit of change...

"The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to the community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning."- Mitch Albom

Passion is defined as any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling. So far I've mostly posted pictures on this blog, and though it is mostly to share my traveling adventures, I feel like I have yet to use it for its true potential- mostly because I'm afraid to. I've been talking to several different people about certain issues, and I've come up with some conclusions. First of all... I was, and still sometimes am, a pushover. I've established that. It's definitely the person I was in high school, and I still struggle with it sometimes. But I can't be upset with that certain fight within myself, because it defines who I am. With big thanks to a very important friendship of mine that many may believe has changed me for the worst, I've become SO much stronger than who I was. No, they didn't alter who I was because no one has that power, but they showed me a completely different perspective of myself that helped me pull through the weakness I portrayed before. Sure, I've made bad choices. We all have. Some may say they deeply regret the ones that they have made, but not me. Every mistake is just another step you take in life, and without the choices I've made I wouldn't be the person I am now, which for once, I'm happy with. Without my friends...new and old, best and worst...I wouldn't be who I am. All of my life I've been selfish; even when I thought that I gave up a lot for my friends or my family, I did it because I expected so much in return that wasn’t always given...but that I also never deserved. My family and friends are too kind to me, really, and I LOVE them for that. I will figure out a way to give back to them.
It's nearing the end of my internship and I've been living out of the country for only 37 days. I'm 21 and I'm just now digesting the meaning of passion. I took this internship with the culture and experience of it all only in the very back of my mind. The number one reason on my list: to escape home and all of the drama that went along with it. My confession? I was honestly scared to leave, thinking so much about the people I was leaving behind, and mostly about what I was going to miss while I was gone or if I’d be missed or replaced. It wasn't until I read my sister's note she left in the book I was reading that I let those immature feelings go. “Don’t worry about the people you’re leaving. WE will be missing YOU.” I had to get out and soak in the knowledge, and I knew that I would. I also knew that this trip would portray much more than the culture of Ireland, but it would show me something as well.
A couple of weeks ago I met a guy who had just broken up with his girlfriend not even a few days before. Not a truly attractive quality seeing as he was in search all night for a "rebound", but there was something about him that caught me in particular with how he spoke and stared into my eyes, or other girls for that matter. Maybe it was just because he was literally a stranger, but I could sense every ounce of passion just from his look. Yes, it was aimed at his ex, and I'm sure I could find no way to blame him, but the one thing I realized just from this unfamiliar person was how much passion I truly lacked. I push people away when I get afraid, or I'll stick to a person like glue when I don't want things to change. I was scared to move on with life.

Now? I don't know. I find excitement in what's to come: life after college. I'm still not exactly sure of what I want to do, but I've narrowed it a little. I worked a lot today on editing, and I've realized how much I love it. I'm still torn between PR and journalism, but I lean more towards the PR direction, and sometimes I think about working as an editor for a publishing company. One thing is certain, though. A lot of the fervor I've held deep is starting to emerge.

I know too many people who have acted on their desires in all the wrong ways, although they may be the strongest, most passionate people I know.

"If there is no passion in your life, then have you really lived? Find your passion, whatever it may be. Become it, and let it become you and you will find great things happen FOR you, TO you, and BECAUSE of you." - T. Alan Armstrong

Edinburgh part two

The Queen's very own get-away castle in Edinburgh... yeah, I'd go there too.
That really pretty gothic architecture you see...turned into a visitor center! Really? Who turns beautiful art into an un-needed building? Come on, keep it refurbished... keep it how it was in the beginning!
St. Mary's Cathedral
It was between this guy and the fake William Wallace I met on the Royal Mile... but I wanted everyone to see the traditional Scottish clothing and of course the bagpipes! He was playing for the wedding, but it was still so beautifully played!

The beauty of Edinburgh

Yeah, we caught a Scottish wedding happening in the Edinburgh Castle! Can you imagine getting married there? Dream wedding, for sure.
The City of Edinburgh from atop the castle!

Edinburgh Castle! Glad it got sunny...

John Knox's memorial statue... so beautiful!

Among the Scottish's skills such as kilt-perfection and superb drinking habits, Edinburgh proved to be one of my favorite stops along the summer, yet I can't say my favorite yet since there is Liverpool and Paris to come! So much left on this journey of mine, and there is so much that I've already seen and learned!

You'll take the high road and I'll take the Low road and I'll be in Scotland afore ye...

Here is my favorite picture of Glasgow, the Cathedral from on top of the Necropolis.
Behind the Glasgow Cathedral lay an extravagant Victorian cemetery called the Glasgow Necropolis. 50,000 people have been buried there in approximately 3500 tombs. It was established in 1831 by the Merchant's House of Glasgow.
I decided to put this picture up out of all the rest of them because out of all of the stained glass decorations in cathedrals that I have seen so far, the details in the Glasgow Cathedral were my favorite, and by far the prettiest on the trip. If only you could see the detail on each and every piece of glass in that cathedral, you would feel the same way. Every single window was unique and told it's own story. Imagine the time it took to complete this cathedral so many years ago! This cathedral is the best reserved church that survived the Protestant Reformation that lasted from around 1517 to 1648
We are in the war memorial park just in front of the town hall (shown in the background of this statue). While we were there, a bunch of army and navy recruiters were stationed for show with their tanks and guns out on display. The war memorial was built in 1929 for those whose lives were lost in the first World War. I love it that every country we have visited so far dedicates statues and museums to those who lost their lives. Most cathedrals even have several memorials within their walls just as respect to war veterans.

This is a picture outside of the Glasgow town hall, through the arches shown is a square area with similar beautiful buildings surrounding it, all different meeting points of the town hall.


Glasgow was an adventure in itself. We started out the trip thinking that we had booked the Holiday Inn Express in Glasgow, but it was actually in an even smaller town outside of Glasgow. Little did we know, the airport that we came in on was way the hell out of the way, so we rode in a taxi for over an hour to arrive at our hotel. We had very little time as it was, so we were a bit frustrated about the commute. On top of that, we were a little disappointed at how Glasgow looked at first glance. It was crummy looking and dirty as well, but we were lucky to find the best view of Glasgow, the Cathedral and the Necropolis. I can't say Glasgow was a complete waste of time because I very much enjoyed that last area, but there was a lot more to see in Edinburgh and if you get the chance to visit Scotland, spend most of your time there.

I've got a lot of catching up to do...

This past weekend, I made my way over to Liverpool with a few friends to fulfill what can only be called my Beatles craze. Let me tell you something, for such a small city, Liverpool is OVERFLOWING with history! I can't give everything away right now, though. I must catch up to this point in my trip so I'm not out of order. Coming up.. Glasgow and Edinburgh, Scotland.