The City that Never Sleeps... NEW YORK, NEW YORK!

NYC - View from the top of the Empire State Building.

Shopping on 5th Avenue

Before I flew home to spend the holidays with my family and friends in Glasgow, I traveled out of Boston and spent a magical weekend in New York City. From the moment I stepped off the bus I was instantly hooked on the enchanting buzz of this exciting city. I felt like I was in a movie as we walked through 5th Avenue under the spectacular Christmas lights and decorations while stopping to explore a the wondrous shops and attractions along the way. There was a particularly special moment that sticks out from this trip that will stay with me forever. The night before we headed back to Boston we took a wander through a very peaceful and calm Central Park. The snow began to fall around us, our path lit up by sparkling bright Christmas lights and the hustle and bustle of the streets could be heard quietly in the distance. It was incredible. It didn't feel real. I felt so relaxed and blissfully content as we strolled through the snow. It was a perfect way to end our trip in NYC.

Insane Christmas decorations!

Three days in the big apple proved to be not nearly enough time to see everything in New York, but we definitely packed as much as we possibly could into these precious hours.





Times Square


New York is my favourite place! We had such an enjoyable festive weekend.

Event Planning. "A goal without a plan is just a wish" - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

I took lead role in an exciting project over the past 3 months organising every last detail of our End of Term Reception which takes place at the end of every semester. Last semester, despite having little guidance or experience with organising such an event, I was praised highly for my efforts. This time round I was keen to make it even better!

The reception required huge amounts of organisation and became a main focus in my daily tasks over the last month in particular. Over the past few months I have discovered a great passion for event planning. There is great satisfaction and sense of accomplishment in watching an event come together after weeks of preparation and organisation. The 200 guest reception was a tremendous success and I was extremely chuffed with the way it turned out. Bring on the next!!

I have always been so excited and intrigued by huge-scale events; The Olympics, concerts, television award shows, designer fashions shows, to name a few. I always feel a sense of awe when I watch an event like these unfold or even take part in one and I often find myself wondering about the intense preparation involved in making these events such a success. Music festivals, for example, are extremely complex events and every last part of the event will be organised with meticulous detail. As a keen festival-goer myself, I love immersing myself into the magical atmosphere of music festivals and feeling a part of an incredible and unforgettable story. To be able to create and execute an event that stirs up this kind of emotion among those who attend is definitely inspiring. I am hopeful that one day I will be part of planning such a prestigious and memorable event.

Snowed Under... Literally

I arrived back in Boston early evening last night, Jan. 2nd. I was met by a massive snow storm which hit the east cost of America hard yesterday morning during my travels. Having read several weather warnings on the internet while waiting in Dublin airport I was rather nervous about flying into Boston and was really surprised there were no delays. Landing in Boston was quite scary with the howling winds and heaps of snow on the ground, but apart from that the plane journey wasn't as bad as I had anticipated. Result!

I arrived back in the apartment to the news that Northeastern would be shut all day Friday due to these extreme weather conditions. This was going to cause a great deal of disruption within our programs. However, due to the wonders of technology I am able to work from home today and we were able to reschedule the academic orientations for the students. This has definitely gave me great experience working to a very tight deadline and learning how to deal with sudden unforeseen circumstances that may change plans last minute. Communicating effectively via email is essential when these types of events happen that prevent everyone entering the office.

Of course, I made sure there was time to enjoy some of the snow today as well!