Modern city life can be very impersonal. Add rat race to the equation and now, not only we can easily dismiss things that are irrelevant to us, we also often forget what is it to be kind to someone who crosses our path whom we don’t know and whom we may never meet again after that chance encounter.

This message, seen on Dame Court today, is a gentle reminder that I should always care. Kindness comes from the heart, is sincere, freely bestowed, and ultimately, there should be no expectations. Acts of kindness by others taught me to be kind in return. There is no place in society for excess selfishness.

Kindness can be as simple as a bus driver who waits for a passenger who is rushing to catch the bus but haven’t quite yet make it to the stop; a traveller offering a fellow traveller the use of mobile phone to tell his/her loved ones that his/her flight has been delayed; a passerby buying a hot cup of tea and some sandwiches for the homeless man huddling at the corner of the stairs; a worker extending invitation to a new colleague to join him/her for lunch at the canteen; a flash mob entertaining weary crowd and lifting their moods (let’s for a moment forget about the publicity value of this effort).

I am playing an amateur weather forecaster tonight.

After the crazy amount of rain that we got last night, I woke up this morning to a thin layer of snow but otherwise a bright and sunny winter day. Sometime in the afternoon though, it started to drizzle and later in the evening, it turned frigidly cold. It feels like we’re getting all seasons in a day. I guess weather gods have hard time deciding which condition to unleash on us.

So I had a peek at the thermometer-barometer-hygrometer. The thermometer registers about 17-18°C/63-64°F (and yes, this is chilly for indoor temperature *), the hygrometer indicates a fair humidity level, while the barometer marks between “rain” and “stormy”. Somehow, I feel there should be a snowy option, perhaps sitting between “rain” and “fair”, where “change” usually is.

Afterall, rain is characteristics of low pressure, whereas high pressure is usually associated with a cold front that brings about clearer skies. Therefore, for the barometer to sit between “rain” and “stormy” right now, it doesn’t seem quite right. Hmmm, maybe the gadget is broken?

I shall recheck the measurement in the morning.

* Not that we have much choice. Current water shortage in Dublin means water restriction is in place (often, for some 15-16 hours daily – on New Year’s Day, 20 hours!!) and it wrecks havoc with our heating system that requires water to run.

Ireland is one of the few countries that do not use postal codes, but in Dublin city, there’s still some sort of code system in use in accordance to postal districts, numbering from 1 to 24 (although currently there are no districts of 19, 21 and 23). Areas to the north of River Liffey are odd-numbered, whereas southside areas are even-numbered. As you can see, Waterloo Road is situated in Dublin 4.

This may not be true for much longer. In recent years, introduction of national postcode have been discussed, delayed, tendered (and cancelled), re-tendered (and awarded) etc. It was supposed to be ready by early 2008, then early 2011, and now words have it that it’ll be in place by the end of 2011.

The big freeze is set to return to Ireland, with snow forecasted for the weekend. Daily temperature for the last few days have been dropping bit by bit but not enough to prevent me to go out for a walk and meet up with my friends.

The lake at St Stephen’s Green Park is today semi-frozen. On one of the frozen icy patches, a pair of mallards decided to bicker for some 10 minutes (I have no idea why I stood there and watched the going-ons for that long) before being distracted. Nearby, a little girl began tossing bread morsels into the water, effectively becoming the favourite visitor of the park among the mallards. ;)

The city of Dublin was bustling this afternoon, teeming with bargain hunters looking for discounted best buys post-Christmas celebration. My cousin and I were one of them, opting to shop around Grafton Street area, including in St Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre.

The Christmas decors were still in place when we were there. I like it that the management didn’t overload the premises with baubles, tinsels, wreathes and fairy lights. I’d imagine these decors won’t stay up for much longer though. It is Epiphany tomorrow; traditionally this marks the time has come to take down Christmas trees and relevant festive decorations.

It seems like Christmas is coming to an end…

Because I could not stop for Death —
He kindly stopped for me —
The Carriage held but just Ourselves —
And Immortality.

— Emily Dickinson

Time stole away. It was a little less than two years ago that I first stood in this cemetery, saying a final goodbye to D who was near and dear to me. All around us were intricate Celtic crosses and guardian angels, lending an air of ancient culture meet religious symbolism, yet on a closer look, modern marble headstones are found peppered around the site, proof of style transition of death monuments over time.

Personal association aside, Glasnevin Cemetery is managed by Glasnevin Trust, which functions include operating the Glasnevin Museum and in winter months, it even runs daily walking tour. The cemetery is the largest non-denominational cemetery in Ireland, and the graves of many prominent figures can be found here. I guess that makes Glasnevin Cemetery the Père Lachaise of Dublin?

The town of Wexford is by no means flat despite its proximity to the estuary of River Slaney. This means there are spots all over the town with breathtaking views. However, the hills are not steep in most part either, therefore it’s not particularly easy to photograph the vista and evoke the feel of heights. (Am I making sense here?)

The photo above is a view of the Irish Sea from Mulgannon in the southern direction, towards Drinagh and The Barrow. The sun was setting when I shot the photo but I have not seen much colour in the sky for the past week, and today was no exception. This is such a pity, because on days with vivid crimson and coral streaking across the sky, it is absolutely gorgeous out there.

Each time I walk past the locked gate that leads to the courtyard of Wexford Arts Centre, I’ve been piqued with curiosity over the painted walls. Were they specifically painted, or were they the works of artistic vandals (which the Arts Centre then decided not to remove, since street art is still a form of art)?

I must admit, I can’t quite recall when I last went to the Arts Centre. Must be a good 10 or so years ago, when my friends were involved in a local theatre production. I can only imagine changes that it has underwent over the years. I should go pay it a visit some time soon.

Wexford was my first home in Europe. It is a town situated in the sunny south east of Ireland, in County Wexford, with a population just under 20,000. (Cultural tips: most Irish county town bears the same name as the county itself.)

Wexford Harbour used to be a trading port but is today a beautifully restored waterfront and a popular strolling spot. By the quay, mussel dredgers and fishing boats are docked in a line, with smaller pleasure boats and yachts floating about nearby. On sunny days, I can’t think of anything better than to sit on the wooden platforms, with a simple picnicfare, perhaps a good book too, and bask under the sun for a couple of hours.

This post also marks the start of Project 365, in which I will try to photograph something daily of the places where I’ve been that day. ;)

Everyone has different ways of managing their travels, and so do I. I’d imagine a number of things I do are not too different from everyone else but if you are curious anyway, read on.

1. Hand luggage only (if possible): since I usually do short haul trips over a few days, I try not to pack more than what can be fit into hand luggage only. Not only that, if I can’t lift the bag over my head to fit into the overhead bin on the plane, then I’ve carried too much.

2. Electronic documentation: I have been quite good at scanning pages of travel documentations, including passport copy as well as identifications, credit/debit cards etc, and store them somewhere secure where I can retrieve them easily, as long as I have internet connection. I do normally carry my laptop when I travel, but I don’t save the scanned copies on it. The last thing I want is to lose my laptop and with it, various identification items. Think identity theft.

3. One travel drawer: I have that one place and one place only where I keep my passport, foreign currencies, paper or printed e-tickets, various confirmations, frequent flyer cards etc. This way, I never do last minute hunting for all necessary travel documents.

4. Ready-to-go toilettries bag: I am not a big fan of the liquid regulation, but frankly it did not affect the way I travel much. I’ve always have a bag where I store toilettries in miniatures, I just had to swap the bag for a slightly smaller one which is transparent to meet the regulation. I always refill the bag upon my return from a trip, so it’s good to go at any time, even on a very short notice. If I know I am staying in hotels which would provide personal care items, I would sometimes remove shampoo, shower gel etc from the bag so I carry less.

5. Shop around: I’ve been very very lucky that my job, up to now, have granted me a lot of freedom in choosing when I can travel, which allows me to look for best prices for flights and accommodations e.g. mid-week when tickets are at the cheapest, impromptu trip to avail of last-minute promotions. I count my blessings to have amazingly flexible bosses for most part of my working life. One who would even grant holiday time tacked the to end of working trips, so I can travel without feeling the pinch of paying for additional air tickets.

6. Open mind, different ideas: there are many reasons to change one’s mind. For one, at times, other destinations work out better budget-wise than my originally intended getaway. That’s not a problem. I can travel elsewhere first, and come back to the initial choice another time. Or, I could arrive somewhere and decide to expand the trip to include another city. Usually it’s just a matter of buying a train ticket in the morning and returning in the evening. Daytripping can be a nice break within a break. The rule is always the same – keep an open mind to other possibilities, pre-trip or during the trip itself.

7. Be selective: when I was young and new to travel, I read all sorts of must-do lists and then try to achieve the impossible of seeing them all within a very short period of time. I did manage to pull a few of them off (and yes, I was feeling really proud of myself back then) but I’ve come to realise the value of choosing those I am really interested in seeing and include them in my visit list. I also try to group the sights together so I’m not running across town to and fro, and instead need to only walk a short distance to my next point of visit within the area.

8. What’s good to eat: I love food and part of the fun of travelling is to try local cuisines and delicacies. I would always try to research on what would be considered delicious bites and keep an eye out for them. I don’t normally list down addresses though, just have some reasonable idea where the eateries may be. If I see anything else along the way, sure I’ll try them too. Good thing I usually walk a lot when I travel, otherwise I’m sure to be a few sizes bigger than I am right now!

9. Charge that battery (and the spare): camera, mobile phone, ipod. If in doubt, charge them up anyway. Case in point – I have a couple of spare batteries for my camera. I do at times wonder which is out of juice and which will get me a good couple of hundred shots. Often, I know exactly where I am with them, but the odd times that I don’t, they will all be charged up. Some people say this will kill the battery life. I’d rather that than having no juice in the cells and miss out on good photo opportunities.

10. Home-cobbled notes: it comes with the research part, usually containing relevant map(s), information on local transportation, weather condition, any cultural points. If I happen to be very busy prior to departure, then I make do with photocopies of the pages from guide books (I try not to carry guide books to make for a lighter bag) and/or printouts from the internet. Once in the city, the tourist office can usually offer free maps, brochures to attractions etc anyway. Or talk to someone, preferably locals. They usually give good tips.