Update - My Scribbles

Aoife's Goodbye 

A granda's sorrow 
A nanny's lament, 
Time gone 
And milestones missed, 
Trying to savour the moments 
That come far and in between, 
Reaping the joy From the bitter sweet,  

She whispered my name 
And caught my hand, 
Acceptance and love without question, 
A miracle, 
A gift, 
She brightens our lives, 
But now we must weep 
While the sun is setting, 

Though the sea may be wide, 
And the waters deep, 
Now has come time for goodbyes, 
But tomorrow will dawn a new day, 
And we will dry our eyes, 
While your smile wakes the world, 

 Farewell sweet girl. 

© Sarah O’Regan

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Update - My Scribbles

Shadow Guardian

My brain is squeezed, 
My jaw clenched tightly, 
My neck is strained 
Near choking, 

The dull an poignant pain at every touch, 
A reminder, 
Of the self control lost, 
A memory of why, 

Self destructive and despised, 
Suffocation and isolation, 
Not the world against me 
But me against the world, 

I seep the light
The joy 
The calm, 
The bearer of my downfall, 
The creator of my fortress, 
The bringer of my darkness, 
Guardian of my shadows.

© Sarah O’Regan

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Update - My Handywork

I am a straight up hoarder!

I hate throwing anything away that may come in useful some day.

This reigns true especially for anything shiny or sparkly. However, when my boxes and containers were almost overflowing, in the spirit of creating, I put together some not very chimey windchimes. They may not sing but at least they're pretty.

I used a selection of bangles, ribbons, beads I had broken off of unworn jewelry and some old Christmas decorations.

I'd encourage you all to look through your old trinkets, who knows what new treasures you will create!

Hearts and Stars

©Sarah O'Regan

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Golden Baubles

©Sarah O'Regan

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Golden Baubles Close Up

© Sarah O’Regan

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Update - My Scribbles

Once again, you have arrived, full of zealous to engage in my wonderings. I won’t keep you too long this time; short and sweet, I promise. I appreciate your interest in the nattering of a broken man; it is very kind of you. Please make yourself comfortable and join me, as we dive once again, into my wonderings.

It's a Dog's Life 

It says a lot about the morals and values of society when an eleven grand reward is offered up for information regarding a tortured dog. It makes me think that priorities are somewhat askew here.

From one animal lover to another; it makes me sick to my stomach to think that somebody would be so twisted as to slit the throat of a family pet, however on the same weekend as this horrific incident; a man in his seventies was pulled from a car and beaten to within an inch of his life; his attacker got into a serious fit of road rage. Not many people had heard about this; never mind mustering the enthusiasm to catch the sick son of a bitch who flogged this poor man.

Let’s talk frankly about rape for a second; time and time again in this country women are forced to recount a horrific, violent attack in a courtroom. They are forced to come eye to eye with their attacker, wave their right anonymity, and for what? So their offender will get a five to seven year sentence, with two of those suspended? I didn’t see anybody offering up eleven grand for Elaine O’Hara or Rachael O’ Reilly’s killers.

It seems to me that we value the life of a tortured animal over the life of a violently violated woman or a beaten man. We seek justice and accountability for the poor little dog, where we seek, well nothing really, for the abused women and pulverised men.

I recognise the fact that the really sadistic psychos start off by torturing and killing animals; as such we should be taking this incident seriously. However is 11K not excessive? It is great that we are all outraged for this poor misfortunate dog but should we not start with more pressing crimes such as rape, murder, armed robbery, and work our way up to the eleven grand for animal mutilation? Should we not feel the same outrage and disgust for the poor seventy year old who was flayed to a pulp or for the thousands of women that have been raped and abused?

Personally, I’d rather priorities human life over that of an animal. I don’t for one second condone any form of cruelty towards animals but given a gun to my head, I would choose the life of a loved one over my beloved dog; I think it’s high time we take our heads from our arses and cop the fuck on. As much as torturing an animal sickens me, it repulses me as much, seeing so little care displayed for tortured people; seriously guys? Eleven thousand?

That’s it from me for now; try not to remain too disheartened, I will return just as soon as something else pisses me off to no end. Until then my friends, I bid you adieu.

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© Sarah O’Regan

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Update - My Scribbles

Romantic Ireland's dead and gone, 
It's with O'Leary in the grave, 
W. B. Yeats

Some of the most iconic and chilling lines that I have read to date. Written over a hundred years ago by the magnificent W. B. Yeats, the sentiment is as true today as when he first penned those words. 

This year marks the hundred year anniversary of the 1916 rising but what really do we have to show for it? We were freed from our British oppressors and declared a Republic, ordinary citzens selflessly and heroically fought and died for our freedom, but is this the Ireland they fought for? Is this the Ireland Pearce and Connolly invisioned for the ordinary citizen? 

We have become a country ruled by the greedy and shortsighted and in my twenty-eight years of life so far, I have felt nothing but trapped and hopeless in this cruel and desolate country of mine. I bear witness to acts and attitudes that are so typically Irish, it makes me ashamed of my heritage and countrymen. I see the laziness, cruelty, cronyism, and dishonesty of not just large Irish institutes but in everyday life that wafts of some scent of power and money. I see a complete lack of understanding from the wealthy towards the working class and I see all power yielded by the wealthy; As hard as it may be to believe but some of us struggle to keep a balance of ten euro in our bank accounts. That is the reality of Ireland today. 

Perhaps, like O'Leary, I am a romantic and perhaps yurn for an impossible Ireland. However my basic needs should not be impossible. There is an entire generation of us, ranging from our early twenties to late thirties who have been left hung and dry by the last few terms of governance. The golden age of the celtic tiger, with Bertie the Crook at the helm and the austerical era of the recession, with Enda the Snake running the show. These governments were very much self involved and looked no further than the imidiate future; the goal - to make as much money for themselves and their buddies as quickly as possible before getting caught doing something, shall we say, underhanded. They're all set for life now. 

As a result, I, like so many others, have no hope in our future. I did everything like I was supposed to; I went to school, I worked a part time job at 16, I went to college, I continued to work part-time and pay taxes, I graduated college, worked more hours in my part-time job while I looked for proper work, couldn't find proper work, stuck working full time in my part-time job and just scraping by five years later. We are a generation of grown-up kids. Still working that "part-time" job, still living with our parents or in that tiny apartment, still attending college, still struggling, still fighting for a better life. We can't get on the property ladder and we struggle to pay for our basic needs, never mind affording such luxuries such as health or child care. 

I am not an economical expert, my education lies in the arts, however it would seem to me that by severely reducing every government members salary and expenses, you would not only create a nice sum to be put to better use but would also weed out the snakes and the crooks from the deserving and worthy and forge a trusting bond of with the Irish people. Austerity should have begun at the top, not with the most vulnerable. 

I fear to be hopeful for the next term. The future of our country is up in the air and Enda has weaseled his way back to Taoiseach. The people have spoken Enda. Step aside, we don't want you to lead us. I will continue to look at my future with uncertainty, with a faint prayer that the next four years will be kinder to me and my fellow grown-up kids. 

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© Sarah O’Regan

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Update - Here Comes the Science

I've always feared my own mortality and fantasised about living forever. 

Given the choice, why wouldn't you want to live forever? However, eternal life was always something of fantasy and science fiction. Or is it?

I decided that when it came time, I would simply download my brain into a robot body. It's the future! surely technology would allow. How way off, I was.

It seems science has found a cure for aging and early trials on the first human subject shows it to be a success. CEO of Bioviva, Elizabeth Parrish, has undergone a series of Gene Therapy and as a result has reduced her age by twenty years!

Sign me up!


Read More

© Sarah O’Regan

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Update - My Lens

The Wrong side

Can the Femme Fatale outrun her pursuer in this stylish Film Noir?

Written, Directed and Edited by Sarah O'Regan

Director of Photography - Dani Wall

Lighting - Keith O'Connell

Art Dept./1st AD - Sean Stanton

©Sarah O'Regan

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Update - My Scribbles

My friends, how wonderful it is to converse with you again, I am assuming you are yet again hungry for a rant? Very good. I came prepared this time; A fresh bottle of Midleton rare  and these smooth hamlet cigars. Let us get comfortable and entwined as we step into the world of my wonderings.

Sorry

Sorry has become a word that gets thrown around far too comfortably.

Sorry is supposed to have meaning; it’s supposed to be hard to say. Sorry is about sincere inner reflections of your own behaviours and admitting definitive fault. It is about baring your soul and throwing yourself at another’s mercy.

People will, without thinking, spew out a meaningless apology to simply defuse a situation. Nothing is truly resolved; only swept aside for later resentments to boil over. As the recipient of an apology, you are simply expected to forgive the other, regardless of how lame their use of sorry is; it would be considered impolite not to forgive... More

More from Jack

© Sarah O’Regan

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Update - Midweek Lift

Marina Abramovic - A Minute of Silence 

This video is just beautiful and gets me every time.

It's a very true and sincere expression of a deep rooted and nostalgic love.

 In it, Marina becomes endearingly moved by the experience.

Marina's Facebook page

Sarah O’Regan

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Update - My Scribbles

The Poet

Breathless and speechless

I behold the words 

that caress my spirit,

The words that stir adoration

And inspiration,

Organic and free

authentic and playful,

Rooted in deep contemplation,

the words don't just speak

They cry out

They beckon,

Loosing myself in his written embrace,

Transfixed in awe as his words meander

through my heart and soul

and paint the magical landscapes of fantasy

that dwells within the ordinary of reality,

Writing only from the heart,

he emits a flaring passion

Immersed in a dreamy calm,

Not just a skill,

not something learned,

But a gift,

a gift given and boldly shared with the world.

More poetry

(c) Sarah O'Regan

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Update - My Scribbles

The Enigma of Gratitude

The very moment I let go of gratitude, is the moment I began to truly live.

We’ve had a strained relationship; gratitude and I. It was, at a time, my safety net and my pitfall; my comfort blanket and my bed of nails; it would firmly ground me and scathingly belittle me all at once. For me, gratitude was the playground of quiet self-loathing and hopelessness.

I am, by no means, claiming any solid scientific evidence or psychological studies having any involvement in this; in fact Google begs to differ on my theory. I am merely basing this on my own personal experience with gratitude. As far as the mass population is concerned, there are no negative side effects in displaying gratitude.

Dozens of articles that I came across claim that showing more gratitude is the key to a happy life. I have read books that preach of the benefits of living a grateful life. Now I agree, to a certain extent; that yes, gratitude is great and perhaps gratitude leads to a happy, fulfilled life; however, I have come to find that it can be catastrophically destructive towards the self if not practiced in moderation...More

©Sarah O'Regan

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Update - My Handywork

My Hero

 Painting is a very soothing and therapeutic hobby for me.

Painting and drawing isn't a gift of mine and because I find myself stuck in the real world more often than I care, It can take me some time to finish a piece.

Saying that, I do enjoy the process and prefer to paint bright and colourful characters. Wonder Woman is without a doubt my favourite super hero and as a tribute to that strong and heroic lady, I have painted her portrait using some bold acrylics. She even has a place of pride hanging over my bed now.

Acrylic paint on canvas 

©Sarah O'Regan

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Update - Aspiring Artists

Hannah Poulter

Hannah is a budding young artist, whose natural gifts span across many folds of the creative spectrum.

Not only does Hannah's wondrous ability portray itself through her sketches but she has been known to weave poignant and thoughtful verses as well.

She has an eternal imagination and her need to create limits itself to no bounds. Hannah is already an artist in her own right and her future will dawn nothing but success.

Check out and like Hannah Poulter's Facebook page to keep up to date with this young artist.

 

More from Hannah...

Hannah Poulter's Facebook page

© Hannah Poulter

© Sarah O’Regan

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Aspiring Artists

Update - My Scribbles

For those of you who don't know me, I am Jack, "Mother-Fucking" Coving:

Divorced, desolate and drunk; sitting in a tiny shoe box flat, housing a child's sized bed, a worn hotplate and a drippy tap. I drink hard, I fuck hard, I write hard. I couldn't tell you when I last had a shave or a vegetable that wasn't encased in batter.

Rolling with the Times

Jack questions our humble little island's capabilities to deal with what the future may bring. He curiously wonders why we can't let go of our oppressive traditions and attitudes.
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More from Jack

© Sarah O’Regan

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Update - My Scribbles

When I Grow up I Want to be               

For anybody who struggles to find peace and purpose in their life, this book offers advise and practical solutions  to live a fulfilling life.

This is a short ebook that I've put together where I discuss some practical measures to bring fulfillment and pleasure to  your life. It is based on the experiences of my own dreary life, that has brought me to the precipice on many occasions. I was once completely lost and utterly hopeless, however by doing some serious and honest exploring and research, my attitude and approach to life changed. By melding a few new habits into my daily 9-5 in retail, I have claimed a peaceful and worthwhile existence.

PDF

Introduction

Have you found yourself in a place in your life where you simply don't want to be? Do you struggle to get yourself out of bed in the morning? Do you fail to see any hope of salvation in your future? Do worrisome anxieties and stresses seep into every part of your life? Are you stuck in a dead-end, low paying job? Can you remember the last time you were truly content, fulfilled and hopeful? If this strikes a cord with you, I urge you to read on. There is hope, there is happiness, there is liberation waiting for you, you just need to find it.

I don't claim to have all the answers and I don't claim any miracles. If you are looking for a quick fix, you're looking in the wrong place. What I do promise is a sense of fulfillment, joy and purpose but it will require some effort on your part. Simply reading through this book is not enough. These pages are intended as a guide. They will ask some poignant questions but offer practical advice on how to bring pleasure and contentment to your life. 

True change will come from your want and desire to change. You will need to practice patience, bravery and complete honesty with youself but once you do, you will be freed from the despairing and stressful. 

This book is intended to reach anybody who has become apathetic, lost or depressed with the drudgery of life. For anybody who has lost hope, meaning, self-belief and confidence. For anybody who is on the precipice and cannot see a way out. For those who haul themselves to their mundane 9-5 job, hating every moment. For those who want more, for those who have been treated unfairly by life. 

The information contained in this book is based on my own personal experiences, research and inspiration from fellow authors. Even if my methods don't work for you, I hope it will at least inspire you to make changes of your own. Before living my life with this new outlook, I suffered with anxiety and depression. Acts of self harm and thoughts of suicide were a frequent. Now however, though I am still working my thankless job and on the surface I'm still in the same place, my outlook on life has changed dramatically for the better and yours can too...

PDF

© Sarah O’Regan

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Update - My Lens

Happy May 1st! 

Despite the somewhat overcast skies and slight chill, I can't help but feel content and bright this morning,

The summer mornings are my favourite time; there's something serenely primal and almost magical about surrounding yourself in the simplicity of nature during the fresh mornings.

Bunny and Overcast

© Sarah O’Regan

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Update - Aspiring Artist

Lorraine Poulter

As innate as our need to breath, so too is Lorraine's need to write. With vivid and colourful detail, she eloquates her world of fantasy with such rich depth and authenticity, that the lines between reality and fiction become blurred. She has a vast and bold imagination, which she so spectacularly brings to life through her inspiring and invogorating words.

Lorraine has poured her heart and soul into her latest novel, The Tower of Medreil, her fierce determination and her extravagant talent are a source of pure inspiration and entertainment. 

Watch this space for this up and coming author. 

Visit Lorraine here Facebook

© Sarah O’Regan

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Update - My Scribbles

Borrowed Time

One more for the road

We quip without subtly,

The journey is long

and our souls are worn,

The road is hard

And where it goes we don't know,

we just need one more, 

To get us along,

The soothing heat caresses our milky skin,

Wrapped in each other

lost in soaking euphoria,

Our lust to stay consumes,

Alas,

We know we cannot remain,

Our journey impatiently beckons

trudging forward we must go on,

Perhaps some day we may

Just stay a little longer,

For now we must march onward,

Blind and lost,

Unknowing and apprehensive,

Longing always to return

When our journey meets its end

And time will finally be ours.

More poetry

(C) Sarah O' Regan

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Update - My Scribbles

The Dam

Tough as nails

Hard as a rock

I'll take it in my stride, 

No time for pain

No time to reflect

No time to divulge or analyse,

Not a crack will I show,

Not a tear will I shed, 

I'll carry your troubles

And take on the world, 

I'll steady its weight on my shoulders,

The heavier the burden

the stronger my will, 

For it is the fuel that drives me forth, 

not a crack will I show,

nor a tear will I shed,

The isolation suffocates,
The expectation terrorises,
The burdens they mount,
I must stand strong
I must hold it all
And fight my ever growing battle,
Not a crack will I show,
Not a tear will I shed,

I kept it all
Bursting at the seams
As the flaking plater rotted
And the reservoir ran high,
No end to its acid depths,
The wall can only hold so much
Before the dam must break,
The fear of the display that comes with weakness,
My insides come out for the world to see,
Not as solid as I once thought,
Not as rigid as the world expects,
Lurking within is a marshmallow centre
Embracing with all sensitivity,
All structure crumbled
Washing the landscape,
Dawning a new era,
Released from my rock and mortar,
The cracks they did show,
The tears they did shed.

More poetry

(C) Sarah O'Regan 

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Update - My Scribbles

The Soldier

With strength inconceivable 
The tiny soldier marches on
Hoisting his prize aloft,
Determination,
Duty,
Destiny,
Complete conformity,

He trundles on
Knowing no better
Thinking no thoughts,
Acceptance,
Apathy,
Amenability,
Perfect pliability,

In line with his brethren,
A cog of thousands
Serving only his queen,
Loyalty,
Labouring,
Lading, 
Utter unity, 

The bliss of ignorance 
The content of unheeded, 
Never knowing the vastness of the world,
An exchange, 
For his purpose unquestioned.

More poetry

(C) Sarah O'Regan

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