Racing the Clock to 24

The past two weeks have been filled with new adventures, new friends, and checking things off my list. With 10 done and 32 days before my birthday, I am feeling confident that I will finish this list. The ones that I am worried about are just doing a ropes course because I have no idea where to find one. Here are my adventures of crossing off sea swimming, ice cream with friends, and going to the cinema.

I got to experience the Irish Sea for the first time.

Since coming to Ireland and seeing the sea firsthand, it has been my dream to jump in. Then I heard about what sea swimmers are one day in Howth, and thought: yes, that is what I aspire to be one day. Everyone around me told me I was crazy. 

Here I am, though, after jumping into the sea and loving every second of it. I will say that it was a tad colder than I expected it to be, and I wasn’t very prepared on my swimwear options, but I made do with what I had. 

I thought running into the water was my best bet, not to think about the temperature of the water, but I was wrong. The tide causes these ridges in the sand, and running on them made my feet hurt worse than the coldness of the water. The second time I went in, I walked. Much better experience. Although I was already submerged in the water, the water didn’t feel that cold, just easing into it. The worst part was diving all the way under. It was an instant brain freeze and gave me a headache until my head warmed up. 

I would sea swim again, but I would wear proper attire so that I can stay in the water longer. 

My favorite thing is always a sweet treat, and going with friends makes it better.

I love a sweet treat. It is just one thing that I need after a long day, or for no excuse at all. A sweet treat is the WAY to my heart. And it can really be in any form. Cake, cookies, brownies, ice cream, cupcake, pie. You name it, and I will have it. There is just something that really takes me back home about going to get a sweet treat. 

I was in Laytown this past weekend with my friends, and it was a gorgeous day by the sea, so I had the bright idea that it was finally time for some ice cream. Of course, we had dinner first and then went to the shop to grab a scoop. 

I have never heard of a 99 before coming to Ireland, and honestly, they hit the spot. That is what I had along with one of my friends. I also got to try an Oreo-type sundae that was delicious with raspberry syrup on it. Such a weird combination, but somehow it works. 

Remember to treat yourself because you deserve it!

The cinema is one of my favourite places to go. The smells, the ambience, the vibes just make the movie so much better.

I know people feel indifferent about going to the cinema these days because there is joy in watching movies at home, and streaming services have really changed the game of cinema viewing. I do enjoy going to the cinema because it just makes the movie so much better in my opinion. 

The movie that I went to was Reminders of Him, which is originally a book by Colleen Hoover. One thing that I love is to read, and unfortunately, I didn’t read this book, so I couldn’t compare the two. The movie itself, to me, was heartfelt and sweet. It was just a cute story that touched my heart. The cast was well picked in my opinion, especially the little girl who plays Diem. For her age, I thought she did such an amazing job. The leads, Tyriq Withers (Ledger) and Maika Monroe (Kenna), played the characters well, and I think their chemistry was very natural. 

I wish that I had read the book because I could have added to the discourse online about the differences. There has been a lot of talk on my TikTok about missing parts that readers felt were key to the understanding of the story. I want to go back and read it to see if those parts make a huge difference in the plot. 

IMDb rated the movie a 6.5/10, and Rotten Tomatoes was a 54%. If I were to rate the movie out of 10, I would probably give it a 6. It was a cute romcom that was done well and had a unique story, in my opinion. I would watch it again at home, probably not going back to the cinema to see it. I would have given it a 5, but Tyriq Withers himself bumped it up a point. 

24 Before 24: 

1. Eat Sashimi 
2. Meditate
3. Visit Cork 
4. New Tattoo
5. New Piercing 
6. Journal for 15 days straight 
7. Try a Flat white 
8. Run 10 miles
9. Cliffs of Moher
10. Kiss the Blarney Stone
11. Move to a new country
12. Sea Swim 
13. Pilates
14. Bake and decorate a cake from scratch 
15. Go to a pop-up market 
16. Catch a flight 
17. Read 24 books 
18. Do a rope course 
19. Compliment a stranger 
20. People watch in St Stephen’s Green
21. Have a picnic 
22. Watch Forest Gump 
23. Get ice cream with a friend 
24. Go to the Cinema