The name is Michael, and thanks for reading my blog. Since you’ve clicked on this page, I’ll take it that you would like to know more about me, the author of there is another world.

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Overview

Well, let’s start with the basics. I was born in April of 1984 in Belfast, Northern Ireland (a province of the United Kingdom made globally famous by “the troubles“). While I grew up not too far from the goings on, all is mostly well now, and I can enjoy a relatively safe life in what is a rather beautiful portion of the wider island of Ireland (when it doesn’t rain).

I pass any free hours I have with the fleeting thrills of travelling, music, writing, photography, film making and random adventures (just click the category of the same name and you’ll get an idea of what these involve).

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Travel

Travelling is the biggest passion. I relish the enigmatic experience of exploring somewhere different, whether it be 12 miles down the road, or 12,000 miles away on the opposite side of the globe. Other cultures and landscapes are fascinating. It’s an education to discover the world, and something which is certain to enrich your life. In my 25 years of life I’ve been lucky enough to see a great deal of the world, visiting 58 countries on 6 continents. All those miles have left me with a vast amount of appreciation for what I’ve done, but also a strong will to see more. After all, the world is a very big place and there’s always somewhere new to go.

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Music

Music permeates many aspects of my life. I find it most pleasurable when there’s changing scenery flying by, usually on a bus, train or plane – although that’s not a requisite.  In terms of genre, I never confine myself to any particular style. I like anything from alternative to electronic/ambient, acoustic, rock, classical, and even a bit of metal or pop.  Genre titles are misleading – more important are the lyrics, or the melody, and how each suit  a mind state or surroundings. For a better overview, check out my last.fm page.

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Writing

Like a lot of people, I attempted some poetry in my earlier teen years, but now generally keep any display of emotion to subtle hints dotted like dancing stardust across the endless pages of this blog. I get great enjoyment out of writing – especially here on wordpress – as it allows me to put on record important events in my life and what I thought about them. Rather than just fact reporting though, I like to think I give people a sense of what it was really like to be there, as well as a glimpse into the intangible ideas that were floating around in my head at the time. It’s a bonus if my writing ever happens to inspire someone.

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Photography

This leads onto photography. As I’m sure you will not have failed to notice, the blog you are viewing is very photo centric. I took this approach because I realised that the majority of random viewers may prefer to cast their eyes over some compelling images of a place rather than read a long, drawn out report on it. Those that are more deeply interested can of course read the accompanying articles. Photography in a wider context challenges and excites me. While I’ve only ever had the use of simple point and shoot digital cameras and long for the day when I can get my hands on more professional equipment, I believe that you can take a good photograph with virtually any camera.  Which isn’t to say a £5000 Digital SLR wouldn’t be very welcome indeed.

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Film Making

I’m also very interested in film making. I’m proficient with Sony Vegas 8.0 (Professional Edition), own a High Definition camera and have made a several feature length films on my trips abroad using this equipment. Everything I’ve produced has been met with very positive, usually unbiased reviews – but in terms of pursuing it as a career, we’ll see.

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Other Interests

I’ll not bore everyone with a detailed analysis of all my interests. Instead I’ll mention them briefly and you can ask if any happen to elevate your intrigue. Blogging, self-evidently is something I enjoy. I also thrive on deep discussions on matters of Philosophy, Psychology, Science and Politics. As seen on my Museums and Galleries page, I take an interest in Art, History and Culture, as well as knowledge in general. Learning new things and constantly improving is what life is really about. I’d like to learn a new language in the next few years. German, Spanish, French, Japanese and Cantonese are the current leading candidates.

I enjoy gaming (the Wii mainly, but also PES, Fifa and The Sims 2/3) reading, watching and playing sports,  and of course films (a dedicated page for this may come). I’m always on the lookout for a life changing book or movie. Or just one that makes me laugh. Err, what else? Walking? Hiking? Biking? Being outside and active. I often go on ridiculously long walks or cycles. I once cycled the full circumference of Rarotonga (about 30 miles). I have also walked around the perimeter of an entire country (OK, it was the Vatican), and I now regularly go to the Gym. Adventure appeals to me. Before I’m too old I want to climb a mountain or do something outlandishly risky. I’d often like to engage in more dangerous and challenging activities, but I don’t know anyone stupid enough to join me.

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People

Finally, for now I’d like to give some mention to the people I partake in most of the above activities with. I’ve travelled widely with my family, and while I mostly do it independently now, I still make the occasional trip with them. In the past few years, I’ve also found a great travel companion who was there all along – my Brother. We’ve visited many places in Europe, Asia and the Pacific region together, and I doubt our joint travels are over yet. I try to see friends whenever I can, both those in Northern Ireland and  others spread across the globe. I also have a lovely girlfriend of over 2 years.

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That’s About It

Not really. There is always going to be an unlimited amount one can say about oneself. But I suspect anyone who is interested enough will just make contact and ask me themselves.