Interview with a Syrian mother

Rula Al-Aken is a Syrian native and mum-of-two living in Limerick. 

Rula moved from Syria to Ireland in 1999.  

She says that Ireland is her home now and she doesn't know if she can ever go back to Syria.

"My country seems so unrecognisable now. It's hard for me to think of going back there and not seeing the same Damascus. It's all gone."

Rula's father passed away in 2013, but as it was during the war, Rula could not travel home for the funeral. 

Rula is urging Irish people to allow Syrians to come here. "People are being raped and murdered. It's not safe in Syria."

She speaks about the conditions that the Syrian people are now facing. "There is only four hours of water a day and two hours of electricity a day. There are no basic things left to survive. People with children have to leave to protect their children. No Syrian person wants to leave Syria but they have to."

Rula also speaks about ISIS. "What ISIS is doing to Syrian people is inhumane. ISIS are not Syrian. It's important that people know what this group is doing to other human beings."

"If Ireland can afford to bring more people into the country I would love that."

"To live away from home is very different from imply visiting a different place. When I settled here I just had to think, 'that's it, this is home now.'" 

Classic case of the fuckboy

Ah, the fuckboy. Much has been documented about the fuckboy in recent years and we are all aware of the warning signs associated with them. But why do we continue to let them in, and even worse, fall for them? Here’s hoping you can learn some truths about not falling for a fuckboy. Warning: the truth can be harsh.

Stop looking for the love of your life in a nightclub:

It’s like looking for a Chanel bag in the middle of Tesco. If you are the type of person that gets easily attached (holding my hand up high here) it’s better not to even GET with someone at the club. You might think “Oh this is fun?” but days later you can’t stop wondering if they’re thinking about you too. God forbid if he actually texts you after it, then you go full creeping mode into his life.

Stop it. The best way to avoid all this is to ignore every last fuckboy at the club. (You will ultimately feel empowered by this and play every Beyonce classic in your head.)

Stop stalking fuckboys online:

Seriously? So you look up his Facebook to find what? Some girl he’s just added and all his dumbwit friends commenting on it? (The girl probably doesn’t even know the chap in the first place, so don’t go putting your hate on her). Shut down that goddamn laptop, even delete him from your friends list. If you want a more subtle approach, you can simply block seeing his fuckboy activities on your homepage. Simples.

Do not hate on the girl the fuckboy is getting with behind your back:

Women are meant to empower each other, and in a world full of fuckwit fuckboys we need to stick together. Don’t go bitching about the girl you heard he got with. Chances are, she doesn’t even know ye have a thing together (what are ye anyways? Texting? Shfiting? Are ye exclusive? Fucking fuckboys.) Get off your high horse and stop insulting her eyebrows. Insult him instead. Or better yet, move on with it with some Ben & Jerrys followed by a girls’ night.

Focus on yo’self:

Stop trying to get his attention. If a lad genuinely likes you, you will earn his attention in other ways than posting up a hot selfie and seeking likes. Educate yourself goddammit. Focus on getting your long awaited driving licence. Further your career. Start helping your parents at home. Make time to catch up with your friends.

The right person will come along eventually, and there’s no point in diving in the pool of fuckboys hoping to seek one out. You will not ‘change’ him, no matter how much you try. So focus on yourself and enjoying life, you’re only young once!

To leave ye feeling in a 'hell yeah!' mood I'll finish off with a quote by Chimamanda Adichie (novelist, feminist and all-around inspiration): 

We teach girls to shrink themselves
To make themselves smaller
We say to girls,
"You can have ambition
But not too much
You should aim to be successful
But not too successful
Otherwise you will threaten the man."
Because I am female
I am expected to aspire to marriage
I am expected to make my life choices
Always keeping in mind that
Marriage is the most important
Now marriage can be a source of
Joy and love and mutual support
But why do we teach girls to aspire to marriage
And we don't teach boys the same?
We raise girls to see each other as competitors
Not for jobs or for accomplishments
Which I think can be a good thing
But for the attention of men
We teach girls that they cannot be sexual beings
In the way that boys are
Feminist: the person who believes in the social
Political, and economic equality of the sexes

Things people from the Midlands will understand

 The bog is life:

Summers in the Midlands often revolve around the bog and the Ga. The first sign of good weather means every member of the family is dragged out to cut, turn and foot the turf. This often lasts from morning to night with tae, hang shangwiches and bischuits being thrown out by the dozen.

 Being called a Bogger: 

Even if you are from the Midlands and have never had ventured onto the bog before (rare but it happens), you will be called a bogger by those who aren’t from the Midlands. You may live in the largest town in your county and have never stepped on a farm in your life but be prepared for bogger jokes when talking to anyone from Dublin, Cork, Limerick or any other large cities.

Being called a BIFFO:

It is nearly a given that being from the Midlands you will inevitably be called a BIFFO, even if you aren’t from Offaly. People just tend to throw Laois and Westmeath into consideration with the term.

Lads wearing checked shirts and baggy jeans to teen discos:

Cluiche discos are full to the brim with lads wearing checkered shirts, loose-fit jeans and statement Jack Jones belts. Smelling like an explosion at the Lynx factory is a must for any underage lad at a teen disco. This crew will start off with cider and progress to ale with age, still wearing the same checkered shirts and jeans.

Teen discos:

Ah, the humble teen disco. The Friday night once a month where a community centre in the backarse of nowhere is transformed into a hotspot for teens to try get the shift and take a million selfies. The teens may come and go, but cluiche discos will last forever.

The big trip up to Dublin to go shopping:

The trip up to Dublin is a well-prepared one. The day starts off at some ungodly hour in the morning with the father shouting ‘Are ye right?!’ before all the children are loaded into the car for the journey. After two hours in the ‘big shmoke’ the whole family are undoubtedly worn out and have to leave to beat the traffic.

Having fla’ accents:

If know someone from the Midlands, you have probably realised that t's and d's are dropped from words like there's no tomorrow and the 'th' may as well be forgotten about. For example, the popular brand of snack, Tayto, is pronounced as Tay-ho. 

No-one outside of Ireland knows of your county because you aren’t from Cork, Dublin or Galway:

There is no point of saying where you are from on foreign holidays unless you are from Cork, Dublin or Galway because chances are, they won’t have a clue what you’re talking about. The best thing is to shout ‘IRELAND’ and hope for a free pint out of it.

Some people inside of Ireland don’t know of your county:

This has happened before. See article on what it’s like being from Laois.

Top Five Beauty Bloggers to Follow

Hey guys! I, as much as the next girl, absolutely LOVE beauty vlogs! Whether it’s to finally learn how to smokey eye or to wallow in self-pity and envy over the collections of MAC on display, watching beauty vlogs are my favourite way to waste my life trolling the internet :D

So here it goes, this is my list of my five top beauty bloggers to follow!

1. Carli Bybel (the Beauty Bybel):

   

   Property of: Carli Bybel

I’m not sure how I stumbled across Carli Bybel but I am SO thrilled that I did. Besides the fact that she is gorgeous and I want to have her life, my appreciation for Carli’s posts is real. This is a beauty blogger that has made her way as a freelance artist and who always gives the viewers what they ask for. A must-view.

Copyright: Pinterest

2. Lauren Curtis:

This Aussie girl will give you every look you want- from casual to going out on the town or to a first date.  She also gives advice on fashion, hair, first impressions and life in general! And besides, who doesn’t love to listen to an Aussie accent?

3. Suzanne Jackson (SoSueMe):

   

   Property of: The Irish Mirror

Keeping it Irish here with my third choice! Suzanne Jackson is one of the ultimate beauty icons in Ireland and it’s easy to see why! With her forever flawless makeup and amazingly accessible fashion items (like from Dunne Stores!), Sue is onto a winner here. Besides, in the midst of bloggers telling us about makeup only available in the US, it is so refreshing to know that whatever Sue wears can be got over here... Score!

Property of: Liz Meghan

4. Liz Meghan (iheartmakeup92):

Liz is definitely a MUA icon in my eyes. Not one to shy away from the fact that she has acne, Liz has again and again given so many helpful tips and advice on how she deals with it and she looks AMAZING even still! I’ve grown up with acne and feel very unconfident about my skin and even when I feel my spots can’t get any worse Liz is only a click away and provides a glimmer of home that way.

5. Chloe Boucher:

   

   Property of: http://chloeboucher.weebly.com/

Another Irish beauty, this Dublin girl is relatively new to the vlogging scene and is already taking it by storm! With her flawless skin and trademark brown smokey eye, Chloe is set to make it big in years to come.

Well that’s all from me! If you have any comments or questions, or anyone you feel should be added to the list, don’t hesitate in letting me know!

Until next time,

lots of love,

Siun X

Beauty through the ages

THE concept of what beauty is has always intrigued me. We have seen many different faces of beauty throughout the ages and I have decided to conduct a short list of what was considered to be the height of beauty in that particular time period.

1920s: 

Mary pickford

The roaring ‘20s caused a roaring makeup industry. Cosmetic companies like Max Factor and Maybelline were on the rise and new makeup styles also emerged. It became popular for women to wear lipstick in hues of red and plum. They also drew their lips on accentuating their cupid’s bows and creating a strong pouted look. Pale skin was still in so powder was still a must-have. Women began to shave their eyebrows and draw a thin line in place of them using an eyebrow pencil.

Olivia de Havilland

1930s:

1930s makeup had a more nature look. Mascara was now a necessity in a make-up kit. Eyeliner was traced from the tear duct with an upturned effect. Contouring also became popular as women tried to achieve a perfectly symmetrical face.

Ava gardner

1940s:

Hollywood glamour was starting to make huge waves. Red lipstick burst onto the scene and lips were drawn on slightly over the natural lip line to give a fuller shape. Contouring remained popular and women used it to make their noses appear smaller and to make their cheekbones to appear higher.

Marilyn Monroe

1950s:

The 1950s meant all things Marilyn Monroe- winged eyeliner, different shades of red lipstick, bronzer and short, permed, blonde hair. The 1950s essentially took off from the 1940s in terms of makeup styles.

1960s:

Twiggy

In the 1960s everything about makeup changed. Long and thick upper and lower lashes became the trend (think of style icons like Twiggy).  False eyelashes were also used to achieve this. Pale lips were created by applying either pale pink lipstick or foundation to the lips.

1970s:

Farrah Fawcett

The natural look came back in the ‘70s with only minimalistic foundation and bronzer used to create a sweeping effect on the cheeks.

1980s:

The 1980s were described as the disco era not only in music but also in makeup. Bright, neon colours, electric blues and pinks were used as eyeshadow with a bright pink blusher being used on the cheeks.

1990s:

‘Grunge’ looks were in fashion for most of the 1990s, which meant that women wore heavy, smokey eye makeup with blacks and greys, little or no blush and pale lipstick shades. This effectively became known as ‘heroine chic’.

Kate Moss

Profile on Irish dancer Jean Kennedy

From the outside, Jean Kennedy seems like an ordinary teenage girl, but the medals and accolades on the walls of her sitting room tell a different story. As I arrive, Jean is sitting on the couch with her boyfriend and immediately offers to make tea. As she puts the kettle on we chat about normal teenage things; friends, college (Jean is doing Biology and PE teaching in DCU), family, boyfriends- it almost seems hard to believe that a mere two weeks ago Jean placed third in the Irish dancing World Championships. Immediately it becomes evident that Irish dancing has always played a huge part in her life.

Named after Riverdance legend Jean Butler, Jean started her dancing career at the age of four and has never looked back. Not one to rest of her accomplishments, Jean also has a black belt in karate and has participated in karate championships all over the world, from Scotland to Japan. So how does she manage to do it all, and do it all so well?

“Preparing for a huge championship involves so much more than just going to dance classes every week,” Jean says. “I lose myself and could spend three hours in the studio just focusing on one dance. So how does she prepare for such big competitions? “Every year my teachers at Lynam (Jean’s dance school) help me choreograph new steps to perform at the worlds. Then once you’ve learnt the steps, you concentrate on perfecting them, digesting every move, examining the biomechanics of the dance and altering your moves to land the double spin, jump an inch higher and get an extra tap in per second. This is the part of preparation I enjoy most.”

“Once the technique is ready, it’s time to look good. The judges and audience want to see a performance. It is the very same situation in kata (karate displays). They want to look up on stage and see someone enjoying themselves. A smile, an attitude, our own individual style.”

“You’re mentally preparing for those few but crucial minutes on stage to show off what you have spent years preparing for.”

Jean’s eyes immediately light up as she talks about her dancing and it is clear that it remains as important to her as it has since the day she started.

But what about her social life? Does performing at such a high level not stop her from doing other things? “A little, but to be honest I like it that way. If you want your body to perform to its maximum ability and you care about the competitions you’re not going to be out partying while training.”

“My social life is based around my dancing friends because we are together so often and share the same interests, although we don’t go out coming up to worlds or regionals we sure make up for it afterwards and have a dancers night out to celebrate!”

The pressure of performing at a world-class standard in either dancing or karate must take its toll, but Jean handles it with incredible ease. When I ask her this Jean sips on her tea and says, “I love looking at old photos related to my sport. It reminds me of why I’m still at it and makes me realise how far I’ve come. I’d watch Youtube clips of World Karate Championships or stalk some famous dancer on Facebook so I can aspire to what I could become if I keep improving.”

Jean’s Irish dancing teacher Carmel Manton-Kinsella puts Jean’s success down towards her attitude and determination. “Jean has outstanding natural ability-but it is her attitude that sets her apart. She takes criticism on the chin and comes back the next day working harder on it than ever before.”

Clearly driven by her goals, I ask Jean has she any words of advice for other young people on how to achieve their goals. “I think young people spend so much time analysing other people’s lives and comparing it to their own on Facebook Instagram etc. When you’re young and don’t have too many responsibilities you should make the most of it… Focus on yourself, try to build on your character to be a nicer person.”

“Remember your family, coaches and close friends will help you to reach your goals but 99% of the work is up to you!

“Life is a journey to allow you to create the greatest version of yourself, success is so self-rewarding and working hard to achieve these goals makes them worth every second.”

Jean flashes one of those world-championship winning smiles and says, “The next time you feel like you’re not progressing or moving forward just think of the great words of Leslie Chow, ‘Oh you’re having a bad day? … But did you die?’”

She is truly an inspirational young role model.

A Newbies Guide to the Gym

My New Years’ Resolution this year was to get fit. It’s not the most original Resolution but since I have already paid for gym membership I am going to have to use it sometime.

The gym is packed. You can clearly see the different cliques on the floor. There are the fit, business women who look like they come here every lunch break and maybe attend a Pilates class once or twice a week.

Then there’s the ‘Pros’- which are essentially just a group of chaps who like looking in the full-length mirror while lifting weights and talk about the ‘power rack’, whatever that is.

I go over to the group where I feel most at ease, the fellow Newbies. Easy to spot out because they’re looking at the gym equipment like it’s from Mars-which is exactly how I feel.

The actual workout gets off to a slow start. I spend most of my time trying to read the instructions on the damn machines and I can see a queue of irate regulars lining up behind me. I quickly jump off the machine and go to another one.

It’s an even harder contraption to manage- a leg press thingy and I manage to get tangled up in it somehow. If anyone is watching through security CCTV cameras I’d say they are having a good laugh.

After untangling myself from the machine I go over to the treadmill. Ah, this should be easy enough to use! I hopped on and ran enthusiastically for the first five minutes. I could feel the calories burning. Yes. I look down at the machine to see how much calories I’ve burned. 5. Jesus Christ I ate about 500 calories on the way over here.

 I look around what everyone else is doing and a moment of realisation hits me-I am paying a full gym membership to run. I hate running, I usually avoid it completely and now I’m paying for something that I can do anywhere, for free?

“Feck this”, I thought, “There’s a restaurant downstairs.”

The Truth about…College

College is a great place. You get to experience new things, meet new people and get a taste of freedom as you make your way into the world.

However sometimes college life is more hyped-up than what it actually is. Here are some common misconceptions about college.

1       You do not need to study:

For some reason we think the Leaving Cert is the end of all your studying and revising, it isn’t. Although you’ll be doing the subjects you pick in college, it doesn’t mean you won’t have to study for them. Once Christmas exams and the possibility of failure comes around you will definitely realise this.

2       You can go out every night of the week:

No, unless you are Bill Gates or Richard Branson. Students are known to go out but to do it 3 or 4 times a week is not feasible. When you have to make that choice between going out or buying groceries for the week, I’d stick with the groceries.

3      Lecturers aren’t like teachers:

I was actually worried that I would do no work and the lecturer wouldn’t care. However the lecturers actually do care (this can be a good thing too!) They are mostly very open and friendly and there is numerous support services in universities to help students who are experiencing a tough time.

4       Reading is not work:

In secondary school I never actually counted reading as work but as it turns out, a lot of the work in college is reading. I got a big shock with this when we were given an exam which mainly consisted of readings and not lecture slides.

Just covering all things... Journalism

Just covering all things… Journalism

I'M sure you are all aware of the tragic incident that happened on Tuesday 6 January when a car carrying five girls was involved in a collision with a van in Athy. Sadly, four of the girls died that night. The driver sustained serious injuries and is still in hospital.

But that’s not what I'm here to talk about. I am here to talk about the insulting and disrespectful coverage of the crash by the Irish Daily Mirror. The tabloid named the surviving girl as the “driver who survived shocking road smash which left four of her pals dead".

After going online with the incident a mere few hours after it had occurred, the journalists in question had the nerve to insinuate that the crash was caused by this young girl. Imagine her and her family’s position. She has just been through a hugely traumatic ordeal, she has lost four of her best friends and is surviving with serious injuries and these ‘journalists’ decide to name and shame her?!

This is disgusting, insensitive and extremely bad reporting which lacks any sense of compassion.  It is an appalling way to speak of anyone involved in such a devastating accident.

 A journalist’s role is not to add to the situation but to explain it. This inaccurate, untrue and sensationalist garbage needs to stop. This girl has been affected enough without the media adding more! I have only been studying journalism for three months and even I know that. Anyone would.

Much of the media’s coverage of this event has been disgraceful. Images of the crashed car on the internet made my stomach turn. Imagine how their families feel, and seeing all of these images on top of it?! It is appalling. We need to step up as writers and take a look at ourselves. News writing isn’t just about trying to get a ‘one-up’ with sensationalist headlines and inaccurate statements. A journalist’s role is simply to report the news, accurately and fairly.

If you would like to sign a petition against the reporting of the accident, follow this link: https://www.change.org/p/irish-daily-mirror-irish-daily-mirror-s-editor-in-chief-and-journalists-david-coleman-colin-brennan-and-gareth-mccreevy-are-to-publicly-apologise-to-the-kearney-family-for-insensitive-and-inappropriate-reporting-of-the-accident-their-daughter-was-inv?recruiter=33283623&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=share_facebook_responsive&utm_term=mob-xs-share_petition-no_msg&utm_content=rp_petition_fb_share_desc%3Acontrol