Of Valentine's Day and Dublin

Every Valentine's Day that I've had since high school (where it was just another bitter day that forever reminded me of how single and alone I was) have been far better than the last. My freshman year in college, my friend Christine and I ordered pizza, watched a movie, and then went up to our neighbor's place for karaoke. Last year, me and my a cappella buddies went out to dinner at California Pizza Kitchen where we proceeded to sing on the way to the restaurant, at the restaurant, and coming back from the restaurant. That added with a red velvet cake and a chocolate souffle ensured that I was lying in a food coma for the rest of the night.

This year topped it all, though. True, there was no special boy but the weekend did end up being fun (for the rest of us) and unforgettable. Going to Dublin for a weekend might not have been your typical V-day excursion, but when you add a free pint from the Guinness factory...

Apparently, "Guinness is good for you" and it's full of "poetry," according to the factory advertisements.

Hamburgers at Eddie Rockets (the Irish version of Johnny Rockets, non-affiliated)...

A night of dancing at the Purty Kitchen, located in the Temple Bar district, which is the source of Dublin's nightlife. The club had 4 floors, live music, and 2 bars...


Followed by a beautiful sunny day exploring the medieval area of Dublin, which included the old city and Saint Patrick's cathedral,

The old city of Dublin, circa 1240 AD, sadly, it was closed off


Jonathan Swift is buried here since he was the Dean of the Church

Then you had all you need to have a great Valentine's Day weekend.

My Valentines? The guys and girls of the Warwick Erasmus society, which composed of all exchange students to the University of Warwick, both from the states and Europe. And they managed to make it a memorable end to an eventful Reading Week. Now, back to real life and trying to work.

Things I learned from Dublin:

• The Irish accents in Dublin are not very pronounced, being a mix of Irish and British.
  
• Beware of drunk Irish people, they will tend to elbow you without apologizing, throw the contents of their drink on you, or spit in your general direction (seriously)
• Apparently, Asians in Ireland are a rarity. Case in point, while trying to get into the club, the bouncer took a long glance at my ID and Jenny's , who is Chinese, ID before remarking, "beautiful." Then, the next day, a strange old Irish man stopped beside on the street, asked me if I was Chinese, then proceeded to pat my head and wished me a good trip in Ireland.
• Stay away from the edges of the city, it's kind of slummy. But otherwise, the rest of Dublin is quite small, quaint, and full of antique shops (you can easily walk from one end of the city to the other within one afternoon).
• Alcohol in Dublin is, ironically, very expensive. I paid 7 euros for a cocktail while a pint of beer cost 4 euros. The key? Order one drink and nurse it the whole night.