Geilic Names!

I just wanted to tell some of the minor problems (which may turn into major ones in the future!) I face in my workplace. My 25 team mates are Irish except for Iwasaki (I hope he is of no relative to the protagonist of 'Memoirs of Geisha', in real life - Mineko Iwasaki ). Anyway my first task was to familiarise with the names of my team mates. The irish names, written as something and pronounced as something else were(are) difficult for me. For eg: Dublin in written as Baile Átha Cliath and Athlone is Ath Luain, in Irish. Me and hubby have funny time, trying to spell and pronounce irish name boards, while we travel. For eg: we had a fight over Inis Oír which turned out that both of us were wrong(which actually meant 'golden island' , an island which is part of Aran Islands). I know Irish ppl must be laughing their heart out when we try to pronounce words in the same way as we read english.

When I first talk to any one, I just try to get their name written in English as they pronouce in Irish. It turned out to be very helpful,cos I will recite it again and again, so as to avoid embarassment both for me and for them. So my team mates include:

Aine - "awn + ye"   my version:'aye-yin'

Ciaran -"care + in" my version:'see-ya-ran'

Ciara - "kee + ra"  my version:'see-ya-ra'

Aidan - "aid + on" my version:'aye-dhan'

Eoin - "ow + en"  my version:'ee-wo-yin'

Niall -"nye + al"  my version:'nile'

..and the list is incomplete…

In fact I am surprised that my name is pronounced corerctly by them 'swa-thi'… impressive!!!

Now isnt it odd that Ireland in irish is written as Éire ???

…and I am still studying….and it seems I have to never stop it..

Some photos to show off...

Just some photos to show off....

On our apartment stairs...

Upstairs, that door visible is our apartment 7,Rinardo...

..as usual courtesy goes to my husband for shooting this...

 

on the left is...Handmade broom from coconut leaves ...

I dont know about other states, but in kerala every single house will have these(for cleaning , ofcourse!!!). And here, in Ireland I find this as a part of interior decoration in every bathroom showhouse I have visited... in kerala, displaying this broom publically is considered a very disgraceful thing to do... and here it has such high status that I wanted to show this to every single keralite who visit my page.. this broom is very costly here and considered as a very valuable item for interior decoration.

..and I was actually thinking to export these brooms from my home and make a fortune here..by the way, pls dont copy this innovative idea...it is specifically patented to me, Swathi Sasidharan!!

to madhoo...who always ask me to SMILE..

 

i just saw this caravan, on the way...

Finally those rabbits!!!

These were the nearest of rabbits I could get !!

I was using full 4x digital zoom...still I couldnt get near them with clarity!!

It took almost 1/2 an hr to get these snaps....

There were some 6 of them, by the time i moved inch by inch, i could get only 3 of them!

Me, inside my cabin, today morning...

Yesterday while my husband was playing with this new mob cam, i was leaning to find out what he was up to, and this was taken accidentally . Both of us didnt know that we took this snap, till we saw it!

My husband, sajeev, who is such a sweet person that he gives up every nice and fresh things for me to use first!! (that includes even new soaps!)

Rabbits!

Today I found one very interesting thing in my office campus...There are brown rabbits in bushes...that too in their natural habitat, almost 25 in number...they  come from the bushes across the expressway and make their burrows inside the campus (btw, its very large and full of bushes)...

Today I went for a walk around the campus and bumped into a rabbit meeting (!). They and myself were stunned for a second and they ran like hell...(I didnt, somebody had to run..)

I forgot to take my mob-cam, else would have got their snaps too ;-)
Let me try tomorrow...have to be careful while visiting them it seems. What if they find my visits annoying and plan to move to another place??

They are not very large, small brown ones..still not very small too...
They are real fast....dont know if I can catch them in my camera, cos they sense my presence much faster than I can even make out theirs...

Wish me luck....to get a snap of at least one...
or else, I may have to try for some more days....

note: the pic has nothing to do with what i wrote....just put it as filler.. ;-))

Cliffs of Moher---Part 1

The Cliffs of Moher & The Burren Way - Part I

Thanks guys alot for all ur wishes and encouragement. The weather was sunny, and I got very good views. As I have nearly 75 photos in today's tour I will break  it up into different parts and post it in coming blogs...

These are the cliffs of Moher, right side view....

The Burren valley...with cows grazing along with sheep....

This I took it, from the very edge of the cliff (they havent provided any barricade!!)

My husband took this, with cliffs on background....the ocean is just behind me, one step deeep....down !!!

Another view....

An old castle on the way....The guide told us the name. But I dont remember. Ireland is filled with castles. Even Athlone has a castle near our home, which was built in some 16th century.

The green valley meets the ocean in the horizon, (on the way to the cliffs)

The green grass and  yellow flowers extending for acres, meeting the blue ocean and blue horizon, the view was wonderful!!

 

The small village down the valley near the ocean....

.....(contd in next blog ...)

note: i dont have a proper camera. this is my sony ericsson v800 mobile phone camera.

Salthill Beach --Galway

 

Galway---westeren most part of Europe

 

This beach doesnt have any waves touching the shores...(i dont know why)

 

These rocks have mussels growing in it in large number...naturally....

The sea almost looks like a river, w/o a wave....the island u see on the back ground is Arran Island.

Among the black weeds that u see on the rocks there are live mussels ...

Mussels thousands in number are seen on these rocks....

This creek (dont know its name, was on Oranmore, on my way to Salthill)

 

A smoothies bar in Oranmore (just posed for the photo! ;-)

On the park, before Oranmore town centre...(again just posing...)

.....next trip is on tomorrow...if the weather is sunny, may be I can be a natural photographer, again!!!

Prayers at school

This was my morning prayer in our school...

I sang it w/o knowing the meaning  for 5 yrs

and w/o bothering to know the meaning for next 5 yrs...

DAILY..............

and now i wanted to know the meaning of it, after 13 yrs, since i last sang it!!!

Father, we thank thee for the night,
and for the pleasant morning light;
for rest and food and loving care,
and all that makes the day so fair.

Help us to do the things we should,
to be to others kind and good;
in all we do, in work or play,
to grow more loving every day.

 

Prayer before Lunch

-----------------------------------

Guardian Angel From Heaven So Bright

Watching beside me to lead me aright

Fold thy wings round me O guard me with love

Softly sing songs to me Of heav'n above

....and this was my school :    Holy Angels Convent School