If I had a Minute to Spare...

 

If I had a minute to spare I would probably say something like this…

That’s the name of this blog. When I first started out I picked this name because I figured I wouldn’t have many minutes to spare and I wouldn’t really update it that much. When it all started out I was on blogspot (you can still find the original website here), then I stopped and moved to wordpress. That was in May, 2010. Since then If I Had A Minute To Spare, if you judge it by the title, has been a testament to my own procrastination, and concrete proof that I really do have too much time on my hands!

At least I’ve made the most of this abundance of time, right?

So what about me? I’m chairman of the Irish Association of Korea, and in the past I was one of the original organisers of the HBC Fest in Seoul. I’m happily married to a wonderful woman who I kindly refer to in the anonymous form, ‘Herself’  not in person of course, only here. She is an insightful individual who encourages me to be the best I can, on condition that the final result is the Nobel Prize. All I can say to that is that at least I’ve made a start…  We share an existence of married bliss on the twentieth floor of an apartment building in Yeongtong-dong, Suwon. I think she appreciates the lack of attention I bring towards her on this blog. From time to time you may read of my life here in Yeongtong, but I hope that this doesn’t create the impression that Yeongtong is the centre of the universe.

When I first came to Korea I wasn’t very proud of my nationality, and then I began to meet people from other countries and realised that Ireland is far from the fucked up place I had imagined it to be. Sure, it’s inundated with its own problems and feckin’ eejits attempting to run and ruin things, but these days those feckin’ eejits seem to have been outshone by the stronger Irish people who have refused to allow Ireland regress from the prominent position so many people worked hard to help it reach. Now thanks to the failures of the previous government, people have realised the importance of these voices for keeping the country on its feet, and they listen more than ever. Ireland is a fucked up place for certain, and full of fucked up people, but to be honest, I’d rather be from Ireland than from any other country! Even Herself thinks so, too.

In less than a year and a half this personal journal of my own experiences, thoughts, and opinions on life, being Irish, being in Korea, being Irish in Korea, and things that just happen, has attracted over 10,000 hits. I have made over 150 posts and written well over 150,000 words. That’s two full books worth. This blog has inspired me to write more and more.

I occasionally post photographs here. Please visit my flickr page for more, or if you’re into it I direct lots of my instagram shots to a new project I started, calledIf I Had A Minute To Spare #2. If it’s your thing, you can also follow me on twitter.