Cats

I really do miss having a pet - when i was a kid, we used to always have at least a dog. Well in the meantime I think some cats will do....

Not that they bother .... 

Posing ... 

Interested ... 

Playful .. a bit .. 

Wanting attention ... 

Scaarrryyyy ... 

Looking back at 2012

For me it was a quite busy year marked, by gigs, loads of them, from the Bundoran Sea Session to the Electric Picnic, 2 Ham Sandwich gigs in Dolans, multiple session in Bourkes bar, Nouvelle Vague, a fantastic Franz Ferdinand, and it ended with The Dubliners in Vicar Street.

Motto...

Diving wise, though the year started well, I did not diving as much as anticipated. I did spend a bit more time on the water, between the surfing/body-boarding session, and the arrival of the Volvo Ocean Race in Galway.

My parents came to visit me, and i use it as an excuse for an escapade to Northern Ireland and beautiful Donegal.

And i finally saw ASM Clermont Auvergne win in Ireland against an Irish team ( first time in my seven years here, after 2 confrontation against Munster, and 4 against Leinster ).

I've also started tweeting

my year on twitter

and taking more picture on instagram.

2012 on instagram...

My top 10 of the Year:
1. The Electric Picnic 2012.
2. Trip to Northern Ireland and Donegal with my parents.
3. Fanz Ferdinand gig in Dolans.
4. Leaving my job in Shannon.
5. My friend Cedric visit to Ireland to see the Leinster vs ASM game in Dublin.
6. Discovering twitter.
7. Learning python - I now I am a geek.
8. Snorkelling and body boarding session on the Clare beaches.
9. Gigs, pubs and restaurants with my friends <3 p="p">10. Bundoran Sea Session




2012 also marked my 7 years in Ireland  ... talking about the Seven Year itch...  I left my job.... time for new adventures... roll on 2013.

Reeling the years - 2012

Almost forgot that post this year, so lets go for another spin of reeling the years. I actually think since i've been round the 5 year cycle, I will not do the post next year.

The idea is very simple and based on a simple question: Where was I 5 years ago, 10, 15 ...etc ?

Previous post were: 2011,  2010, 2009 and 2008.

2007: Limerick, Ireland

Limerick

Third year in Ireland, and still living in  Dooradoyle but soon i moved to live in the city centre.

This is also the first time I am seeing the ASM playing in Thomond park against Munster...

Le Renard in Thomond Park.

Note: on the following pictures, there might be some imprecision with the year it was taken ( it was around that, but it's grand)

2002: Grenoble, France:
Third year in Grenoble, working full steam in analog layout.
And I have starting scuba-diving in Marseille with that crazy guy:

The Master showing off ... 

1997: Clermont-Ferrand, France
In CPGE... eating mathematics and physics ..... amongst other things

L'inversion

1992: Hauterive, France
Le Lycée, en premiere scientifique...

1987: Hauterive, France
College Victor Hugo

Not the right year ... this one was 1990...

1982: Hauterive, France

Guess where ....

1977: Hauterive, France
One year old .... happy days ...

Who is this ?

My 2012 movember

mymovember, a photo by TOF2006 on Flickr.

In summary:
- Gigs (RSAG, Ham Sandwich, Hermitage Green ... )
- Choucroute
- Turf fires, pub and whiskey
- Dublin findings includes Choucroute
- A mow
- Some ginger beer and half nurphys.

Ham Sandwich in Dolans - December 2012

So i was in back in Dolans for another taste of the brilliant Ham Sandwich.

They had the nice addition of 2 trumpets this time, to go along with confettis and ballons antics, and they were amazing as usual.

The crowd was enthusiastic, or as Podge McNamee put it " a bizarrely amazing crowd"

Ham Sandwich on the main stage

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Additional pictures on Shane Serrano tumblr : here

R.S.A.G in Dolans for the Freeze Sessions

I got some free ticket for the Jägermeister Freezer Session organized by Hot Press, the program was interesting least to say:

• Leading Armies
• R.S.A.G
• We cut corners
• Toby Kaar

Welcoming giant bottle of....

Another brilliant performance from this very talented man:

R.S.A.G

R.S.A.G

R.S.A.G

R.S.A.G

R.S.A.G

More on him:

• http://www.rarelyseenaboveground.com/
• http://www.myspace.com/rarelyseenaboveground

Seen through a fisheye - East

Got the results of the fisheye photography, during my last visit in Dublin ....

A lovely couple

Unloading the catch of the day on the pier...

Walk on the beach...

Trees ...

Another lovely weekend in Dublin

Nice pint in the pub of Dublin city center.

What's up doc  ?

Off course it was Halloween

Scary Cat

No joke ... i found them...

French delicacy found in Dublin shop

The aquarium in Bray

More Kitty Cat

Malahide Walk

Back to shore

Pier

Venezuela in UCH - Limerick

So this sunday, I went to the University Concert Hall to attend a wonderful performance from the Venezuelan Percussion Ensemble

 

You can see more of there stuff here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ensamblepercuve?feature=watch

Fantastic concert, funny, live, fully entertaining and giving you terrible envy to shake your body.

The ensemble is a product of "El Systema" ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Sistema ), which is a wonderful idea to promote education through Music.

The idea expressed by the founder José Antonio Abreu:
"Music has to be recognised as an agent of social development, in the highest sense because it transmits the highest values - solidarity, harmony, mutual compassion. And it has the ability to unite an entire community, and to express sublime feelings."

The concert was organised by the Irish Chamber Orchestra ( http://www.irishchamberorchestra.com/ ) which is responsible for a wonderful project as part of the regeneration project in Limerick: Sing Out With String.

Note: I recommend that post about some of the concert: http://magicbulletin.me/2012/05/sing-out-with-strings-this-wednesday/

Playing with Diana

I have been a long time fan of lomography ( http://www.lomography.com/ ) so when i stumbled upon a Diana camera ( not the original, but a recent production ) i could not resist...

Diana by Lomography

I also invested in a couple of roll 120 films and here's below the results:

Night driving in limerick ( 120film color 400 ISO )

Night drive...

Mirror experimenting

Mirror .. mirror tell me ....

Somehow I had better luck with the RescaleX ( 90-200 ) films:

In Kilkee, on te slip

The joker on the slip

The pier

Attack by the waves...

And in Limerick

View from the parking:

Limerick church

Playing with settings

Limerick church

  The docker monument:

Docker monument .. unsafe they say

Docker close up 

Shannon view

Church 

Me

Autoportrait