Last year's interview with Siobhan Regan for The Mayo News http://www.mayonews.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=21748%3Asiobhans-journey-in-mortuary-science&catid=23%3Anews&Itemid=46

Prague: A little gem practically on our doorstep :)

Just arrived back from a 3 day trip to Prague with my school friends Clare, Muireann and Sharon (Babydoll) and oh what a place it is. I booked the flights about a month ago and Dublin to Prague was 80 euro return. We stayed in Jury's Inn (The only branch outside of Ireland and Britain). The staff here were very pleasant all the way through except for the ignoramous that we had on check out. But as the saying goes ''there's always one".
We hit the town on Wednesday night and drank all night in a pub called James Dean's. We were on the double vodkas and redbull for most of the night and they cost 400 czech crowns each. It was hard to keep converting back to euro. Really and truly I don't think any of us knew how much we were spending!! But who cares we were on holiday! :)
On the Thursday we took a little stroll around the beautiful shops which ultimately ended up with myself and Sharon getting a free hairdo from an enthuasiastic hairdresser in a shopping centre stall trying to sell us each a curler. We nearly bought the curlers but the european plug ended up being the deal breaker! After this I was dying for a drink and really fancied going to a proper Czech bar. We ended up finding a little gem of a bar called Prague Beer Museum. We hit the high stools and ordered everything from house beers to 'Long Islands' and 'Screaming Orgasm' cocktails. This sent us on our merry way and we had a quick meal before heading out for the night. Again we ended back at James Dean's. This place is a bit like the Prague 'Coppers'. The tunes were hoppin' the only thing we were missing was a wee bit of Westlife. :) We made our way to Bombay Cocktail Bar with a few newly acquired Russian, Belgium and Czech friends in tow.  We made a quick visit to Harlay's across the road but at this stage it was 5.30 am and McDonalds was calling us.

On Friday it was tourist day. We all know about the famous statue 'The Child of Prague'. The statue the family of the bride leave out overnight in the hope for good dry weather on her wedding day. We hopped in to a taxi in a bid to find it. Very few taxi drivers in Prague speak English. We left it up to google maps to get us there. We went in to a church called St. Nicholas's however we actually didn't realise that the statue was in there until we got out and again googled it. Apparently it's only a small statue so if anyone could clarify this for us it would be great!! We headed on to the castle where we got the most wonderful view of the city and then onto have a strawberry dacquiri outside the famous clock in the old town. We then indulged in some beautiful street food that being huge chocolate crepes and washed it down with mulled wine. Christmas is fast approaching and it had that feel in the air. I love this time of year.
We all had heard about the ICE bar and decided we'd go for a look. This is literally a tiny bar that you can go in to for 20 minutes which is on a countdown clock. They charge you  an entrance fee of 9 euro and you get one free drink.  Everything is made of ice. Even the glasses. I didn't even get to finish my drink because the glass melted away!! They provide you with heavy shawls and gloves. Word of warning do not wear tights or leggings here as obviously it is freezing and I spent most of the time doing a little dance on the spot trying to keep myself warm!!!
I'm a big fan of fur so we visited a fur shop just off oldtown square. The guy working there was telling us all about the type of fur they had on sale in the shop. Everything from cat to kangaroo. Needless to say I didn't buy anything I'm more into faux fur. :) We went out for dinner in oldtown square and afterwards said we'd go into the Irish bar there in the square for one. The atmosphere wasn't great so we headed back to The Beer Museum and our favourite spot James Dean's to round it up. A lovely ending to a pleasant few days.

The detox started at Prague Airport Departures :)

Prague in a nutshell: A beautiful historic city with lots to offer.
The downside!!: Watch the taxi drivers. Settle on a fixed rate before you get in the car. We got ripped off on a few occasions. Oh and if you can't stand cigarettes (like me) be mindful that there is no smoking ban and they smoke in all the bars and restaurants.
Perfect for!!: A 2-3 day city break. Ideal for a couple or anyone really looking to get away. Flight time is 2hrs 15 minutes from Dublin. Sure what more do ya want!!



RRM
xoxo

Detox: Clean Soup Recipe :)

Hi folks.
Last week I wrote about how I did a four day detox coming up to my cousins wedding! Part of this detox was a clean soup with no additives what so ever. For anyone who is going to give the detox a go I thought it would be good to share this recipe. It's very easy to make!!

Ingredients
9 carrots
3 and 1/2 onions
1/2 a clove of garlic
1 cube of organic vegetable stock eg. Kallo (You can get this in Tesco)

Method
1.Chop the carrots, onions and garlic.
2.Using Fry light 1 calorie spray heat the wok.
3.Add the onions and garlic and cook until translucent.
4.Add the carrots and the stock (5 cups) and bring to the boil.
5.Let simmer for 15-20 mins.
6.Using a hand blender mix to your desired consistency.
Garnish with pumkin seeds, parsley or anything you like!! :)

There was enough in this batch for 3 days. Freeze whats leftover and defrost as you wish.
Thanks to Sharon "Babydoll" Griffin for the recipe!!
xoxo
Mia

Detox: 4 day Bridesmaid Dress Experiment!!

On Saturday we had my lovely cousin Mary's wedding. I was a bridesmaid and what an honour that was. I tried the dress on in her house 3 weeks ago and slightly panicked as it was a bit tight around the stomach area. This is where my weight goes straight to.
I think most girls would agree that food, weight loss and body image is something we all think about even if we don't admit it. I love food. There is nothing I love more than a cup of tea and a few plain biscuits, usually at night when I get home from work and I don't plan on giving this up.
However, for the days coming up  to the wedding I decided to start a detox. I am by no means qualified in nutrition. This was just a little experiment I tried. When I told people at work what I was doing some of them thought I was daft. What I would say to anyone reading this is don't take any heed of what others say. If you don't feel comfortable in your dress you need to do something about it and you have 2 choices.

Option 1- Go to your local dress maker and get the dress taken out!

Option 2- Watch what you eat and stay off the sweet stuff for a few days.

I went with option 2 and I was delighted I did!

This was my basic diet for 4 days
My goal: To fit and feel comfortable in my dress.

Breakfast

3 scrambled eggs no milk, chia seeds, grilled tomato, cup of green tea

Mid morning snack

Banana and cup of tea (with milk)

Lunch

Home made carrot, onion and garlic soup (add pumpkin seeds to fill you)

Dinner

Salmon and brocolli no sauce

Evening snack

Lettuce tomato 2 poached eggs
cups of tea (with milk)

Drink loads of water!!

Result? I managed to lose half a stone in 4 days. In fact I actually had to get the dress taken in at the top. This is far too much weight for anyone to lose so quickly. I do know that myself but it was just intended as a quick fix. I didn't attempt to exercise on this diet. I didn't feel hungry however I did find it harder to focus on small tasks and I had some mild headaches. As I had no idea how much calories I was consuming a day and what I was lacking in I decided to contact Registered Nutritionist Aine Waldron from Nutri-Mission in Ballina. She immediately informed me that it was not a balanced diet and wouldn't be advised for longer than a few days.

Aine says:
"This daily meal plan is about 1,000 calories per day, it is also low fiber, low calcium, low carbohydrate and higher protein. You could only expect to stay on this diet for a few days. It would not be recommended for longer. Losing that much weight over short space of time means you may lose lean muscle also. It wouldn't do much harm over 4 days. But most likely the weight would be regained at a faster rate after the diet."

I say:
The eating plan was fine for the four days but I'm looking forward to getting back to a more balanced diet with some exercise and the odd treat. Everything in moderation!! :)


Mia
xoxo

Cardiff and Lloyds TSB Cardiff Half Marathon

Outside Cardiff Castle!!

Saturday 4th of October I made my way to Cardiff for the Cardiff Half Marathon. This has become an annual event. Myself and my house mate in London, Catherine Loughran from Armagh started to undertake this challenge in 2012. The initial reason I started to do this run was that my friends, Elaine McCarron from Monaghan and Martin Flood from Longford whom I went to college with in Sligo were living in Cardiff (as they still do) and this run would be a reason to make a weekend of it. Since then myself and Catherine have set a goal of running it for 5 years consecutively. Hopefully we will get to it. Nonetheless we have now managed to run it 3 years in a row.
The crowds were down on this years event but the atmosphere was still there. Cardiff is one of the most popular courses in the UK as its surface is mostly flat with only 2 or 3 short ascents throughout the race and one big hill on the penultimate mile.  It's a beautiful scenic course to run looking out on to the harbour. We brought the good weather with us too which helped. This year I took it handier than last. I managed to finish with a time of 2hrs 8mins, 4 mins slower than my 2013 attempt which I ran in 2hrs 4mins and 28 seconds. I am hoping to get it under 2 hours at some stage. As with everything though, this takes commitment and I didn't train enough this year. Simple as that. In fact the longest run I did in training for this race was 5k on the treadmill in West Park gym Tallaght, the Thursday before it. That's not enough for someone wanting to do it in under 2 hours. I will be more prepared for the next one :)

On the Saturday night we called for tea with Elaine and Flood. It was great to see them as always! They haven't chnged a bit!! :) After the race and a good nice warm shower myself and Cat went out for dinner. We were staying in a hostel called Bunk House on St. Mary's Street. Oh! Very important to mention. If you decide to stay here please note there is a very strict 48 hour in advance cancellation policy. They will charge you full price if you cancel after that. Besides that it was a nice hostel and is very central. Ideal really for a weekend in Cardiff. We went to a lovely cafe across the road for dinner. I like to go to the local cafes when at all possible. I'm not a massive fan of starbucks etc.  I don't know what it is! Perhaps they lack some soul or something! We spent the rest of the evening in O'Neills pub and The Royal Hotel Bar next door. It was so good to catch up with Catherine. #lifelongbuds
On this occasion I flew from Dublin to Bristol return for 69 euro. I got the Greyhound bus from Bristol Airport to Cardiff Bus Station for 24 euro return. It is 1hr 30mins from Bristol to Cardiff. If I were to fly Dublin to Cardiff straight it would have cost 150 euro return. A 57 euro saving. Not bad at all!
Looking forward to doing it all again next year :)

xoxo

Off again..this time to Prague

I have literally just booked a November break to Prague with the girls.  Will keep you posted. Watch this space!

Melbourne-a fleeting visit, bye bye Oz!!

The 23rd of July I landed in Melbourne airport after a three hour overnight flight from Perth. I arrived at about 6.30 am and my international flight home was at 21:30 that night. I decided I had to see Melbourne as I didn't know when or if ever I'd be back in Australia again. I left my backpack into the airport's storage area! God that red osprey bag with the mayo head band hanging off it has done some amount of travelling.
I hopped on the sky bus outside the airport and the fare was 30 usd return. It was a freezing cold July morning but I said I'd make the most of it. As soon as I got off the bus I found an information centre. I told him my story, it basically being that I had a few hours to kill in Melbourne and what did he think was the best way for me to spend my time. He recommended a few things such as Eureka Skydeck 88, St. Kilda, Chocolait cafe and Bourke Street for shopping. With my little map I began to make my way through the streets of Melbourne. This was the first time throughout my travels I was really and truly on my own. It was quite a strange feeling. I have a good few friends in Melbourne but unfortunately with them working and my limited time in the city I was not able to meet them. Also due to the weather I had to give St. Kilda a miss.

H&M Bourke Street

Eureka Sydeck 88

Melbourne has somewhat of a European feel to it. I must state that the only parts of Europe I have seen outside Ireland and the UK are Amsterdam and Paris however this is the feeling I got from the place. I felt like I was in a city 2-3 hours from home not a whole 24 hours away. The first thing I did was sit into a cafe for a cup of tea. I was perished!!!! I even had a second cup!
As I was leaving Oz sooner than expected I said I'd better not go home empty handed so I went to Australia's only H&M store on Bourke Street. I had heard before I went to Australia that the clothes out there weren't great. I have to say I now believe this to be a bit of a myth. I saw lovely bits whilst out there and the Australians would beat the Americans in the style stakes any day!!
Being the typical tourist I took a stroll over Queen's Bridge and headed on to the monstrosity of a building that is Eureka Sydeck 88. It is the southern hemisphere's highest viewing platform. The admission fee is 19.50 aud. I spent a good while up here. The views are fantastic and I did have to charge my phone!!
When I was in Australia I developed a real sweet tooth (the probable cause of the 4kg weight gain) and as recommended by the nice man in the information centre, I visited the Chocolait Cafe in the Hub Arcade on Little Collins Street. It was hands down the nicest cup of hot chocolate I have ever had and is a must for anyone visiting Melbourne.
After this I decided to head back to the airport. As I said in my first travel post I do love airports!! On the way to the bus station I passed a little church on my left hand side. Allan, the relative who wasn't well in England had sadly passed whilst I was in Perth. I said I'd go in and light a candle for him. I walked in in the middle of mass. There was an Irish priest saying it. I suppose it did me no harm to stay.
After the quick mass I arrived back in Melbourne airport, picked up my trusty red osprey bag and went through security. I sat there eating chips (my favourite) and reflecting on the past 7 months. The ups and the downs, the highs and the lows, the friends that I made, would I ever see them again?! The future is obviously uncertain but one thing I do know is that travelling is one of the best things I've ever done. It's opened my mind completely and has changed my outlook on a lot of things. I would advise anyone to do it, even if you headed off for 2 or 3 months you won't regret it.
It was time for me to depart Australia. I was now set to embark on my 24 hour journey via Dubai and London. That day I left a lot of special people behind me in Oz. Luckily for me though I have plenty of folk I am fond of on this side of the world too. Ireland, it's good to be back!!

xoxo