My deepest apologies to you all for my lack of posts over the last few months.

I can't even begin to explain how busy my schedule has been, I just haven't been able to find the time to update this blog, yet I have been receiving requests to post more regularly and I also want to remain committed to those of you who enjoy my posts.

So we are coming back with a BANG! (I hope).

As I previously mentioned, my Summer and re-entrance to school has been extremely busy. So allow me to update you on some things that have been going on in my life, if you will..

Okay, reflecting on it now, I am realising that perhaps I don't have that much to update you with. But I will still attempt to make my life sound interesting.

Last weekend, I took a trip down to the other side of the country, to a lovely city called Galway. I would be lying if I say I wasn't surprised. The city is actually very lively and busy, much like Dublin, however, it is a lot more calm than here. I feel like many of us who live in the more populated side of the country tend to ignore that other big cities actually do exist in this small country. Unfortunately not everywhere outside our boundaries can be seen as "the countryside" ahaha.

Something funny occurred while I was there however. My friends and I were in the middle of one of the main streets, talking to one another, when one of my friends noticed two women pointing their phone cameras at us. It was very confusing, to say the least! They were giggling and waved to us and continued walking onwards again, when they suddenly stopped and ran back to us. The two women asked for a picture. A picture with us ordinary people. It was as if we had travelled to another side of the country and suddenly became celebrities. Not gonna lie, I wasn't complaining. The woman posed with her thumps up and seemed very excited. To this moment, I'm still not aware of who she thought we were. But, again, I am not complaining.

Also, during the Summer, I took a trip down to Belfast. I didn't know to expect going there, granted though, as I haven't been there before. There is such a British vibe to the place. The streets are filled with flags upon flags of the Union Jack, and I got the air of fish and chips there. The Nandos there is also so affordable, I'm not sure what influenced Ireland's prices. Still love them anyways.

My friend and I stayed within the main streets yet somehow we managed to get lost at one time. We thank God for Google Maps though, I'm not sure where I would be today without it. Literally.

My cousins from England and America were able to pay us a visit during August and I had such a fun time with them. I had to explain to them what a 'spice box' is, which was quite funny, I wasn't aware that it was only an Irish thing. During the time they stayed, we were able to take a tour around Dublin on a tour bus. It's crazy how you can live in a place for so long and yet never have seen so many things. I realised this while on the tour bus. I also never realised how historical the town is. It was quite interesting to see. As well as that, we went to the famous amusement park, Tayto Park, which contains Europe's largest wooden roller coaster. I am not exaggerating when I say that whilst on that roller coaster, I thought I would die. It is without a doubt the faster roller coaster that I have ever been on. I would definitely go again though, and I strongly recommend it too. The park has glo'd up since the last time I went, when it was simply a farm with kiddy rides. But now, it has the most exciting attractions. We went to a 5-D cinema, have you ever heard of that before? The water literally splashes you, in fact it is as if you are also in the movie. That was certainly an experience.

Mental Health Awareness Day was this week and so I use this platform to encourage all of you who are suffering from a state of mental unwellness to keep pushing on. Today I was presented with an interesting illustration. On a well-known online dating app called Tinder, they have a "swipe" system. People you are interested in you swipe right when they see your name and these show up as a list on your account (Forgive me if I am slightly wrong or if the app has updated, I don't use it but this is what I heard). When you see these requests, you have the ability to look at this person and decide if they are attractive to you. Many people are highly critical and once they find something that they don't like about the person, they swipe left which deletes the request. If they are happy with the person, they will swipe right. 

Now think of it like this: Your mind consists of this list. However, it does not consist of people requesting to date you but rather your thoughts. Many of us are prone to swiping right (accepting) the negative thoughts that go through our head. "I'm useless" Yup let's swipe right. "Nobody loves me" So true, swipe right again! "I have no purpose" YASSSS, RIGHT! No. Wrong. You are loved, you have a purpose and you are indispensable to this world. Why don't we instead train our minds to swipe left (reject) to these things? If we can be so easily reject things that we don't like that we see, why can't we learn to reject the things that we don't see? Your mind is a place that you forever live in yet you never once see what it looks like inside. So redecorate that place. Learn to store all the good that you see around you, the positivity, the optimism and swipe right to them all. Watch how your life changes when you are determined to see the good in life. And if you cannot see it in your own life, look harder. That day where you feel extremely happy, write about it somewhere. That day that somebody compliments you, note it. Fill your mind with the positive. Let the light in your life shine and outshine the darkness.

You are not, and you never will be alone. People around you love and care about you, and if you don't believe this, feel free to reach out to me on my social media platforms. As well as this, I can assure you that God is there to listen to you and as the bible says in 1 Peter 5:7 "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." I know that mental health is a touchy subject because it's never easy for anybody to "just learn how to be happy" but it is a journey. It is a journey of progress. It could take weeks, months, years, but with determination, you can do it. I believe you can.

That's just to name a few of the fun things/experiences that have happened to me over the past few months, there may be more, but they can be stories for another day. I hope to continue to post as often as I possibly can, yet I will be honest in saying that that may be once or twice a month. Hopefully, you don't mind. I am currently preparing for my biggest examinations so far, so I hope you can understand how busy I am and will be.

I hope you all have a lovely week and decide to treat yourself to something nice. Whether that be food, or cake, or just simply giving yourself a break. Be blessed.

"And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it."

John 1:5