Well folks, here we are, five months after having arrived back to Dublin and to be perfectly honest I’m starting to think about what will come next already. I’ve been keeping my head down and getting on with work basically from the moment I arrived back and although things are going as well as I could hope in that area of my life, I can’t help but imagine myself moving on before either A. I get lazy and sit on my laurels for several years for the sake of comfort (if this ever happens I’m sure I’ll wake up one morning and completely flip), or B. I develop a drinking habit that can only be maintained in Ireland because anywhere else it would be considered alcoholism and I’d be expected to seek help. So now, all that remains is to decide what the hell it is exactly that I’d like to do. Sure, no problem.

What you have here is a scene that I have the pleasure of passing every day on my way to work. Quite ugly I know, but that’s what we like to call the ‘charm’ of Dublin. There’s actually quite a lot of that around here, mainly in the form of overturned cars in rivers, bicycles being stolen, buildings going on fire and of course the mindless violence of the delinquent local kids. Now you might say that those things don’t seem too charming but don’t fret, where other countries see serious social issues we see what really counts in defining a cities image - attitude, and plenty of it. Welcome to Dublin.

All good things must come to an end and for me that time has come. What I am now hoping is that one good thing can be followed up with another good thing, since that’s why I’ve made the decision to finish with my life in Barcelona. After saying farewell to my workmates almost two months ago (Hi guys!) I’ve had a bit of a rollercoaster ride in all senses of the word. Of course I enjoyed a brief visit home before returning to Barna to get my last glimpse of beach-life with good coffee, crisp beer, beautiful women in abundance and the ever-shining sun. I had a ball - not a care in the world and my finicito or final pay check that served as my pocket-money for the well overdue holiday from late evenings and early mornings. Staying in Cubelles, I was able to get familiar with Sitges, Vilanova, Cunit and (hombre!) PortAventura. Possibly the coolest place I’ve ever visited for going and having a laugh. It was also the first time I’d ridden on a rollercoaster and if I’d heard that Dragon Khan was the only one in the world with eight loops, I may not have made it. In a nutshell, FUUUUUUUUUUUCK!

That period of living in paradise without responsibilities of a job has also since come to an end and I’m back in the world of binge-drinkers, players on the pull, bad driving and bloody cold air. On the up side, you can live on what you earn so it’s not all bad. As for earning, that’s something I’m in the process of starting again. With a few opportunites in the pipeline, and after having done interviews in Galway and Dublin, I reckon I won’t have time to run down my balance to zero before I’m on the ladder again. There has been some spectacular news of late but I’m afraid it deserves a post of its own. More on that later folks.

As nice as Roses is, you can’t help but feel like a total tourist with nothing but hotels, “traditional” restaurants and souvenir shops around the place. Thankfully there is the Ciutadella, which has been preserved from the strangling grip of tourism in a box. Actually it’s just about the only defining characteristic of the town and ironically it was the place most devoid of people (tourists). See more pics here.