To Be A Millionaire

When I was a young child, I had a fascination with money. For a few reasons. First, it was something to collect. Don’t ask me why, there’s just a part of my brain that likes to collect things and put them into neat little piles. Slight OCD maybe. Second, it was something to count. Seriously, I really liked counting. Before maths got all “theoremy” on me, it was my best friend at school. WOW that sounded way nerdier than I meant it to! I’m just trying to say it was my favourite subject, okay? So when I was small I actually got a kick out of adding up the money that I’d saved.

...alright that's still pretty darn nerdy.

Work Hard, Play Hard

The Japanese are known internationally for being very diligent workers. Straight faced, buttoned up, rigid. They get the job done, is the impression. They take their responsibilities very seriously and they are not on speaking terms with frivolous distractions like humour. They are, amongst stereotypes, the Germans of the East.

On Being A Fraud

I’m not exactly an adherent to all things Ireland. I despise our deeply embedded culture of alcoholism, I’m not proud of our State’s relationship with the Church, and I’ve never embraced education of the Irish language. I don’t listen to Traditional music, I grew up with an unexplainable hatred of Michael Flatley, and I feel unclean just walking past Carroll’s, the infamous peddler of tacky “Irish” souvenirs. I never even learned the rules of any of the Gaelic games. Yet I love my country. For all it’s flaws, for all it’s culture that I fail to identify with, I’m proud of where I’m from.

Now, a strange thing happens to a person living away from home.